The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 9 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – Well, the author does indeed seem to be trying to establish Chise and Elias as a romantic couple after all. That said, she seems aware that there was a hideous power imbalance involved, and most of this volume involves Chise working independently to try to rescue Stella and deal with Cartaphilus and his long, long live and mountain of complexes. As for Elias, he has to figure out how to apologize and stop doing things for Chise’s own good—even if that does mean she runs him ragged. Their relationship is a lot more equal by the end of this book, and I’m less wary of it. And now we apparently enter a new arc! Oh yes, and since I haven’t said so in a while, the art is utterly gorgeous. – Sean Gaffney
Blue Exorcist, Vol. 20 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – We still don’t know Shiemi’s secret, but we’re getting closer to having Yukio and Rin learn their own secrets. Despite the fun of a Christmas party (which gets wiped out by one Rube Goldberg-esque flipover from Shiemi’s familiar) and Renzo’s infinite family relations, complete with wedding, the gravity of Yukio’s pain and rage envelops this volume. Rin knows something is wrong but can’t help. Shiemi tries to comfort but can’t. He’s taken off active duty because he’s a loose cannon. And finally, in a shockingly brutal scene, he shoots himself in the head. This being Blue Exorcist, he’s not actually killed, but it’s still hard to read. This is starting to get to a point where we need another release of tension soon. – Sean Gaffney
Fate/Zero, Vol. 7 | By Gen Urobuchi, Type-Moon, and Shinjiro | Dark Horse – Spoiling the cliffhanger from last volume, no, Tokiomi does not actually do anything. Instead, as you can see from the cover, we get a lot more of Caster and his master, though mercifully there’s slightly less (though still some) child murders and lots more philosophizing on the nature of God. Everyone’s taking stock of who they are—Waver feels useless, even when Rider tries to pep him up. Iris’ body is having issues that remind me of what happened to Shirou in some FSN arcs, and Archer spends a lot—a LOT—of time psychoanalyzing Kotomine. There is so much talking in this book that when Caster summons a Giant Sea Beast to destroy everything, it’s a mercy. Recommend for Fate fans. – Sean Gaffney
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 26 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – The team shokugeki between Central and the resistance continues. The resistance swept the first bout, eliminating three members of the opposing team, but in response Central has sent out their heavy hitters. Yukihira sits this round out as Kuga gets his opportunity for a rematch against Tsukasa (but is not too proud to accept help from a teammate) and we learn a little bit more about two uber-manly students whose individual specialties are ramen and sushi. This volume is somewhat more fanservicey than the series has been of late, which I don’t love, and ends on a cliffhanger as all six chefs participating in the second bout prepare to have their dishes judged, but it’s still fun. Too, I appreciate that there are now some truly impartial judges overseeing things. I’ll still be happy when this arc is over, though. – Michelle Smith
Golden Kamuy, Vol. 6 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – The first half of this book, which is essentially a horror-comedy set in a hotel with infinite winding corridors, is hilarious, if grotesque. It’s reminiscent of an English farce, with lots of opening and closing doors and people missing each other—at one point we get a cross-section of the hotel to show this off. The second half doubles down on the violence, though, as Hijikata’s group is trying to find tattooed skins and also help a young pregnant woman avoid being used as a hostage. It’s a letdown, but that’s only because the first half of the book was so much fun. It also lacks Sugimoto and Asirpa, who are still the best reasons to read the book. Very little cooking this time around, too. – Sean Gaffney
The Manga Cookbook, Vol. 3 | By The Manga University Culinary Institute and Ryo Katagiri | Japanime – The third volume in the Manga Cookbook series collects twenty-five or so recipes (depending on how one counts variations) described as Japanese fusion food. The various dishes, ranging from drinks to dinner to desserts, all incorporate ingredients and flavours from or inspired by Japan. The Manga Cookbook combines food with a little bit of fun. Each recipe is associated with a character that could have come straight out of a manga (mobile suit pirate, personal butler, class president, etc.) and is preceded by a one-page comic which introduces both the character and dish in a humorous fashion. The cookbook is intended to appeal to young adults and is largely suitable for beginning cooks–the fully-illustrated recipes aren’t overly complex but are still intriguing, ready substitutions are recommended for some of the ingredients that might be more difficult to find, and even I learned a few new tricks and techniques! – Ash Brown
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 22 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – I love stories with Natsume, Tanuma, and Taki, as I’ve said about eighty times, and so was delighted to see a two-parter starting this volume off which has them visiting an inn with some old yokai documents, which turns out to be guarded by a yokai who loves the view. Like most Natsume stories, it’s beautifully told, and what seems bittersweet becomes sweet later on. Things turn sad later on, though, with a flashback to Reiko’s first victim in the Book of Names, and her reluctant bonding with a young high school girl who at first I thought was dying of some wasting disease but apparently not. Reiko is always going to be prickly and difficult, but seeing her compassion in spite of that is terrific. – Sean Gaffney
Takane & Hana, Vol. 5 | By Yuki Shiwasu | VIZ Media – Normally, I don’t read a manga and think, “Man, this needs to be an anime,” but I had that thought a few times during the opening chapters of this volume, which include some great scenes with Takane at Hana’s school festival. I was a little worried when a bratty cousin and clinging love rival are introduced one after another, but each scenario yields something valuable story-wise. In the former, Hana learns a little bit about Takane’s family situation and in the latter, she’s forced to finally say out loud that she likes him and, in the end, recognizes that the rival’s feelings are genuine, also. Too, kudos for a reasonably good handling of this rival’s secret, which is probably the best I’ve seen in manga so far. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable volume. I hope Takane & Hana keeps going strong for a long time! – Michelle Smith