DAYS, Vol. 10 | By Tsuyoshi Yasuda | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Seiseki has advanced to the finals of the Tokyo tournament, where they’re up against Toin, the reigning champions. Before the game actually begins, we get a rather neat sequence in which Ubukata, who hasn’t given anything her all in years, works diligently to gain intel on Toin and develop a strategy for Seiseki. Yasuda-sensei does a great job ramping up the tension for the big game, and it’s great to see Tsukamoto’s training beginning to pay off. Now, not only can he steal a ball, he can evade a skilled defender and take a shot. His first attempt fails, and the volume ends just as he gets another, but it’s still very satisfying. I realize the protagonist’s gradual evolution in skill is the point of every sports manga, but I wholeheartedly appreciate it every time just the same. – Michelle Smith
Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 27-28 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – Another “darkest before the dawn” volume, this second to last omnibus of Kuroko’s Basketball can be rather heavy going, as it involves a lot of finding out things don’t work and then trying new things that also don’t work. As with a lot of sports manga, there is a whole hell of a lot of “that’s it, there’s no way they can come back,” with faces looking like it’s a literal death sentence. (Which it feels like, because sports.) Fortunately, we’re seeing that Seirin are at least keeping it from being a total blowout. And trying to be a Kuroko is harder than it looks, too. Next time’s the finale. Will our heroes win? It’s not always certain in Japanese sports manga. We shall see. – Sean Gaffney
My Hero Academia, Vol. 15 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Midoriya now has his internship, but it’s running him ragged, and he’s in danger of losing it. Before that, though, there’s a young girl that needs to be saved, one who seems to have a mysterious quirk that Overhaul is using. We thus get together several groups of heroes and interns, including Uraraka, Tsuyu and Kirishima, to try to rescue her. Unfortunately, that mostly means this volume is all setup and not much payoff. It is pretty nice if you’re a Kirishima fan, and he does really well here. I think the main issue with this volume is that everyone’s so down— Midoriya’s depressed the whole book, and Nighteye is moaning about his quirk as well. I suspect next volume will be ALL ACTION, which will help. – Sean Gaffney
Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General, Vol. 2 | By jin | Seven Seas – This continues to give me exactly what I want from a title like this—lots of laughs. Our heroine is settling down a bit, but that’s only compared to the first volume—she’s still thinking up various ways to get closer to Braveman and is not going to let anything stop her. We also meet a few more heroes, who unfortunately find that just because the Black General is a comedy goofball does not mean she’s not dangerous, and they are brought down to size very quickly. The best chapters involve her infiltrating the Hero League to become Braveman’s sidekick—but her idea of “heroism” is as suspect as you’d expect. This has become a fast favorite of mine, as it puts a big grin on my face. – Sean Gaffney
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 3 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – Our favorite princess continues to barrel through her problems like a berserker, leaving mayhem and chaos in her wake—and, of course, amusement for the reader. She’s gotten a nice windowpane for her room, as well as a kotatsu and woolen underwear, as the season is changing to winter. In fact, Christmas is here. Fortunately, the manga is self-aware enough to know that the Princess is, if not completely evil, at least utterly amoral, and so she gets the equivalent of coal in her stocking. That’s not changing her ways at all, though, and she even goes outside the castle to try sleeping and tormenting in the fresh air. As long as you don’t care about lack of consequences, this is still hilarious. – Sean Gaffney
Takane & Hana, Vol. 5 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – The culture festival concludes this volume, but really it’s all about the latter half of the book, as we’re introduced to Rino, a former underclassman of Takane’s who is harboring feelings for him, and she’s not all that fond of Hana. This culminates in a Christmas party the main cast is going to, where we discover Rino’s secret and her actual relationship with Takane. It’s hard to discuss this without spoiling things, but I was very impressed with the way it was handled, which is shockingly modern and forward thinking for Japan. As for Takane and Hana, Rino’s appearance forces Hana to admit a few things to herself, but honestly what we mostly get is why I read this in the first place—Takane and Hana digging at each other constantly. – Sean Gaffney
Tokyo Tarareba Girls, Vol. 2 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – Being a fan of Princess Jellyfish, it’s probably not much of a surprise that I would seek out more of Higashimura’s work. And so I happily found myself reading Tokyo Tarareba Girls, a manga series about the lives of three thirty-something women as they struggle to come to terms with the fact that they aren’t getting any younger. All three of them find themselves asking “what if” over and over as they contemplate past decisions and lost opportunities. Their friendship, along with their frequent nights out drinking, tend to see them through the worst of it. While the first volume of Tokyo Tarareba Girls primarily focused on Rinko and the ups and downs of her relationships, romantic and otherwise, the second volume turns to those of her best friends Kaori and Koyuki. Tokyo Tarareba Girls is a lively manga with humor that both highly entertains and cuts to the quick. – Ash Brown
The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 7 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – Well, Asahi isn’t quite back at the start of this volume, as I said last time, but she does end up returning to the fantasy world and her water god. This causes her a lot of anguish, as she sees how much her family suffered while she was gone, and is slowly bonding with her brother. But in the end she can’t resist returning to him, and just in time too, as there’s a drought in the land due to his depression of Asahi’s departure. Of course, all is not well going forward, as the new mini-villain snatches Asahi away and transports her to the equivalent of the underworld. I’m not sure that we’ll ever return to Asahi’s family, but I’m glad we saw them, even as I’m also pleased she returned to her grumpy tsundere god. – Sean Gaffney
The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 7 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – I’ve enjoyed The Water Dragon’s Bride from the beginning, but the series has gotten even better in recent volumes. I think Toma-sensei is getting a little better at expressing everyone’s feelings now that the Water Dragon God is beginning to experience some of his own, so that Subaru ends up with some strong character moments of his own even though the bulk of the story is about Asahi’s time back at home and how much she misses the Water Dragon God. I seriously got verklempt when she impulsively decides to return (leaving her poor, adorable little brother behind) and the Water Dragon God simply cannot contain the strange emotion he finally identifies as joy. She has changed him for the better, and I very much look forward to seeing how the final volumes in this story play out. – Michelle Smith