Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 4 | By CLAMP | Kodansha Comics – It has taken quite some time to develop, but it seems as though Clear Card might actually have found a plot of some sort that doesn’t entirely rely on Cardcaptor Sakura nostalgia; while the series can still be repetitive, it no longer exists as just a poor copy of its predecessor. Granted, most of the supposed story development unfolds through cryptic dialogue between characters which doesn’t do much to reveal anything at all about what is going on to the reader. Perhaps this is intended to add an air of mystery and suspense to the manga, but I mostly find it frustrating as well as a bit irritating. To be completely honest, I’m not entirely convinced that CLAMP even knows where the series is heading yet. I largely continue to read Clear Card because I loved the original series, but I really would like to see something more substantial emerge. – Ash Brown
Harukana Receive, Vol. 2 | By Nyoijizai | Seven Seas – The emphasis in this series is still firmly on the volleyball, which is appropriate for a sports title but you always have to wonder when it stars a bunch of girls in bikinis. There is some fanservice, but it’s basic “they’re wearing bikinis” service rather than anything racy—even the discussion of matching swimsuits is related to the games they’ll be playing. As for the games themselves, Haruka is still learning, and there’s a definite beginner’s curve here, but they luck out in this book by playing a team with a similar curve—they’re indoor players, unused to the beach. As such, you get to see both sides struggle, especially Kanata, who is still dealing with A LOT OF STUFF. I want to see these two play more games. – Sean Gaffney
Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Vol. 1 | By NISIOISIN and Akira Akatsuki | Viz Media – Normally I don’t really get adaptations of novels I’ve already read, but this is the creative team behind Medaka Box, which I love and will never be licensed, so I want to show support. The artist’s fanservice-and-action style lent itself well to Medaka Box, and lends itself even more to this anti-war battle royale, where a dozen people gather to kill each other for the sake of one wish. They’re all zodiac animals, and this volume shows us Boar, Dog, and Chicken for the most part. If you enjoyed the book you’ll like the manga, as this is one of Nisio’s least wordy titles, and thus it adapts pretty well. Not for those who like to see people survive more than fifty pages, though. – Sean Gaffney
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 2 | By Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court | Viz Media – I gotta admit, I sort of went “really?” when I saw that Koichi didn’t get into UA because he stopped to help a drowning person (who turned out to be Kazuho, in a very unsurprising plot twist) and thus missed the exam. But then again, folks have indeed ruined their lives by missing important exams or interviews, no matter how much I may not like it. As for the rest of the book, we get to see the origin of a villain from the main series, which is probably the most exciting part of this side story that still seems to be cooking a little. I have a feeling that it may break open in the next volume or two, but we aren’t there yet. – Sean Gaffney
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 2 | By Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court, and Kohei Horikoshi | VIZ Media – My Hero Academia: Vigilantes continues to be better than expected. Koichi, Kazuho, and Knuckleduster continue to look for users of the quirk-enhancing drug Trigger. Meanwhile, a schoolgirl in an eyepatch seeks out interesting people to give the drug at the instruction of someone who wants to observe the results. One of these people seems to be a villain from the main series. In another tie-in, Koichi is nearly recruited by Ingenium, who has a neat organization of his own where he finds roles for people with quirks that might not seem suited for heroism at first glance. I like how this world is being fleshed out and look forward to continuing! – Michelle Smith
My Monster Secret, Vol. 13 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – Urgh. I gotta say, this is starting to remind me a bit of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, which is to say a classic example of a manga that kept going long after it should have ended. The author seems to be grasping at straws at the start of the book, with plots like “let’s go to the dentist” or “Mikan’s glasses run away.” (I can’t believe I even typed that sentence.) It gets a little better when it focuses on Asahi’s indecisiveness about his future path, as well as Youko hiding her own decision from him as she’s embarrassed. And the two of them avoiding getting more serious is sort of cute in a frustrating way. But the cliffhanger reads exactly like “I need to wring even more drama from this manga I already ended.” – Sean Gaffney
The Voynich Hotel, Vol. 2 | By Douman Seiman | Seven Seas – Last time I was struck by how gross-yet-funny this series was. This volume I am more affected by its sense of dark melancholy and morbid violence. Both of the main “cute couple” are steeped in violent pasts, and Maria sometimes has to use that in a violent present. Demons exist, and are trying to break the hotel, apparently. There are endless groups of killers running around, and lessons are learned just a bit too late in many cases. Even when those who are gorily killed are somehow brought back to existence, it’s with a morbid joke and a sense that they’ll never be happy or satisfied. The series ends in the next volume, I believe, which is appropriate, as the Voynich Hotel is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. – Sean Gaffney
Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 14 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Media – After the perfection that was volume thirteen, it would be hard for any subsequent volume to measure up. Wisely, Kusanagi-sensei decides to skip ahead a little to Yona and her retinue arriving in Water Tribe lands, where they discover that merchants from the Kai Empire have managed to hook much of the population on a particular drug. During the course of their investigation they meet Riri, the daughter of the chief who is frustrated by her father’s inaction and inspired by Yona. I love the running plotline of people Yona inspires who go on to do good long after she has moved on. Perhaps Riri will be another, though so far she seems pretty overwhelmed. Also somewhat overwhelmed is Jaeha, who has realized that he’s in love with Yona. So good, y’all. – Michelle Smith