Michelle Smith

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 14 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – Last time I wondered if Arpeggio of Blue Steel really was going to become a high school series, and it’s certainly trying its best, with a School Festival arc in the offing. That said, the tone of the series is still very much Tom Clancy, with much of the volume taken up by I-402’s negotiation with retired general Ryokan on behalf of the Fog. Meanwhile, we also get a flashback as to how Gunzou started all this in the first place (Iona basically forced it on him, but it doesn’t take much pushing), and start to see pieces shifting into position for the next big battle. Will that battle take place at the school? It might start there, but my guess is we’ll be back to the Navy before long. Still underrated. – Sean Gaffney

Crocodile Baron, Vol. 3 | By Takuya Okada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Crocodile Baron comes to an end without evolving much since volume two. Alfardo and Rabbit Boy run into the former’s bad older brother, who seemingly turns his life around after eating some ramen. Alfardo eats spicy curry with a desperate warthog and possibly saves his marriage. Rabbit Boy hates Christmas because it’s his birthday and buys a cake from a camel. A lovelorn elephant filmmaker finds his muse and eats pond smelts. They have an Okinawan adventure during which Rabbit Boy nearly drowns. Honestly, I cared about no one and found it all boring. If there had been more emphasis on the food, I might’ve felt differently, but this was a big ol’ yawn banquet. – Michelle Smith

High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World!, Vol. 3 | By Riku Misora and Kotaro Yamada | Yen Press – Again, I beg the authors for a character sheet. There are quite a number of interesting things going on in this volume, but I suspect the reader may have trouble finding them among all the bouncing boobs. The fanservice is laid on with a shovel here, and can be hard to take. That said, there’s a nice scene with Tsukasa and Lyrule where she berates him for feeling guilty over not prioritizing saving her. The bulk of the serious plot goes to Shinobu and Elch, gathering intel at a seemingly friendly village with a very dark secret. Fortunately (assuming that it’s not a double cross), she may also have come across the resistance. Too many boobs spoiling the pie, alas. – Sean Gaffney

How to Treat Magical Beasts, Vol. 3 | By Kaziya | Seven Seas – Lest we try to run on “the sweet and heartwarming adventures of a vet” for too long, this volume introduces a smiling maybe-villain-maybe-not, who helps Ziska with a cat’s injury and then takes her way out into danger to attend to a wounded Greif, because no series with apprentices and magic is quite complete without a test to see if they’ve got the right stuff. I assume Ziska does have the right stuff, but we’re caught up to Japan, so it may be a while till we find out. In more sweet news, that is one adorable gargoyle, and I’m happy it’s found a friend. Seven Seas has carved out a genre niche with these types of series, and I quite enjoy it. – Sean Gaffney

Mob Psycho 100, Vol. 2 | By ONE | Dark Horse – I keep wanting to call this MPD Psycho, but that is something very different. This is the story of an unassuming boy named Shigeo Kageyama who possesses super powers but wants to live without relying on them. This challenges the worldview of another superpowered boy named Teru, who spends two-thirds of the volume flinging his power at Kageyama in order to make him fight back. (Kageyama is resolute that he won’t use his powers against another person.) The anger meter appears again (with a fun gag about how Teru’s exorcism of Mob’s sycophantic spirit companion doesn’t actually change it at all) and only when his life is in true peril does Kageyama reach “???%.” Will he wreak havoc in the next volume? The story’s definitely getting more interesting, but I’m still not in love with the art. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 4 | By Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court | Viz Media – This gets better with each volume. I had not realized that the Vigilantes series takes place a few years before the main series (though the authors cheat (and say so) for the extra side story). I had suspected that Knuckleduster was somehow connected with the villains, but that connection turns out to be much closer than imagined, and leads to possibly the best fight of the series. Meanwhile, Pop Step finds her confidence and does something only she can do to help out. All this and one of the most horrific images in the manga to date (which also made me wonder if the authors had seen a certain meme about bees). This has become essential. – Sean Gaffney

My Pink Is Overflowing, Vol. 1 | By Yuki Monou | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – I bought this hoping it would be hilariously trashy, and for the most part it was. The premise has a girl who’s tired of being screwed over by pick-up artists decide she’s only going to date virgins from now on… then find out that her boss, seemingly an overly serious taskmaster, is one! They enter into a relationship so fast it boggles the mind, especially since their first kiss is interrupted by her having an orgasm as she does it. At its heart, this is a “ditzy girl/serious guy” title with a decent heart, but the girl can get very over the top at times, and the series seems to want to go as far as it can while keeping the hero a virgin. Plus there’s that title. For fans of Cosplay Animal. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 4 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – It has to be said, a lot of the teasing that’s going on here is Takagi-san being as obvious and blatant as she possibly can that she loves Nishitaka. You’d have to be a brick—or a male protagonist—not to get it, and indeed sometimes it’s so blatant he almost shows sings of figuring it out. But this is a long-running series, and resolution just isn’t in the cards right now. So we get Takagi-san visiting his room, playing poker, chasing cute cats, and getting each other’s emails so that now she can tease him whenever she wants to (and have cute photos of her on his phone). Everyone else in their class knows they’re going out. Most of what they do qualifies as a date. But… so dense. Love this series. – Sean Gaffney

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 | By Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha Comics – Even before it was licensed in English, Witch Hat Atelier was a series that had caught my attention, in large part due to Shirahama’s gorgeous, sumptuous artwork, but also because my Japanese-reading friends spoke so highly of it. At times, the exposition is a little heavy-handed in the first volume as the premise of the the world’s history and magic are introduced. (I expect this to become less of an issue as the series progresses.) However, the explanations are regularly incorporated in a way that makes sense—Coco, the story’s heroine, is also new to the basics and she’s learning right alongside the readers. Coco is a young woman who has always been fascinated by magic not realizing that she has a natural talent for it. Unfortunately, the initial budding of her magical skills ends in tragedy as she hasn’t had the training needed to fully understand or control them. – Ash Brown

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 11 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – No, the Inter High still hasn’t come to an end, but this is still a pretty satisfying volume, what with all the inspirational performances and teary appreciation of same! Watanabe does a good job getting readers to root for Hakone, too, and we learn why Arakita is so motivated to propel Fukutomi to the finish line, right before he runs out of speed. Yes, it’s a harsh truth that all six members of Sohoku aren’t able to ride together for long. The first-years prepare themselves to make the sacrifice for their teammates, but that isn’t how it turns out at all. I was fully expecting that Kinjou would be the one to win this, given his experience in the previous year’s competition, and was honestly surprised when he’s sidelined by injury. I suppose the next book will wrap things up but I kinda don’t even remember what this series is like when it’s not the Inter High! – Michelle Smith

Yuri Is My Job!, Vol. 2 | By miman | Kodansha Comics – Now that Hime is aware of who Mitsuki was in her past, everything is terribly awkward, and the number of times “she must really hate me” is said in this volume boggles the mind. If you guessed it’s all based on misunderstanding what the other is thinking, give yourself a gold star. For all that Hime tries to be the perfect little sister, it’s only when she’s honest with herself that things really take off in the cafe. I’m hoping that things will improve soon, but there’s also the problem of Kanoko, Hime’s best friend from school whose phone turns out to be entirely devoted to Hime. I dislike the term “yandere,” but I have a sneaking suspicion we’re going to see the tropes that lead to its overuse in the next book. – Sean Gaffney

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 3 | By Reai and Suki Umemiya | Seven Seas – Things get a bit more interesting with the third volume of this series. First of all, we have a potential love interest for Iris, who has not really been thinking about love ever since her exile. That said, he’s more than what he appears, and I suspect once Iris finds this out any love that is happening may hit the side of the road. Meanwhile, we also return to the school she was exiled from, to meet her former love interest and his new fiancee, who… well, let’s just say she’s no Maria Campbell. The book ends with a cliffhanger, as Iris is invited to a royal ball, where she will no doubt be pilloried. Hopefully she can withstand it. I also hope Dean is a good guy. So “I’m an otome villainess” is a huge genre now, huh? – Sean Gaffney

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 4 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – Just because we have had a love epiphany does not mean everything is hunky dory. We’re still getting tastes of Kou’s past, and why he keeps walling himself off from people. His mother’s death hit him hard, and he’s annoyed at Futaba less for being nosy and more for the fact that she’s refusing to be upset by him and pull away. Her resolve to continue to bring him closer to people—even if through the use of righteous violence—is the highlight of the book. There’s also Yuri, who is trying hard to win Kou’s heart but really has gotten there far too late. The end of this volume comes full circle, with Kou inviting Futaba to keep the appointment that they never did years ago. A very well-handled shoujo romance. – Sean Gaffney

Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 5 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – This series has gradually moved from amusing jokes about Umaru’s double life as a perfect student and a hikki otaku to the family that the core cast are becoming, and while there are still some great punchlines, we’re moving into the “here for the sweet bits” category. Tachibana may not know who Umaru’s alter ego really is, but she’s damn enthusiastic about being the best friend ever, and while I wish Umaru would just come clean, the Christmas ending was really nice. Speaking of which, Ebina has gradually been coming out of her shell, to the point that the cliffhanger of the volume seems to involve her confessing to Taihei. We’re not even halfway through the series, though, so don’t hold your breath. – Sean Gaffney

My Sweet Girl, Vol. 2 | By Rumi Ichinohe | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Tsugumi Koeda is thin and tiny, and never felt she was the sort of person who would get to experience love, but that changed when she met Masamune Sena. In this volume, summer vacation has arrived and Tsugumi and Masamune visit the sea with friends. Then, he gets sick and she makes rice porridge. And then it’s suddenly the school festival and Tsugumi is playing Cinderella. If you think these sound like major shoujo clichés, you’re absolutely correct. I wish I could like My Sweet Girl more, because I appreciate its themes of self-acceptance, but the shoujo-by-the-numbers approach holds me back. For every genuinely cute moment between Tsugumi and Masamune (and I did appreciate that they’re already open about their feelings), there’s a lame trip-and-fall moment or some randomly snide strangers in a coffee shop. I like it enough to keep reading, though, and to continue hoping it improves. – Michelle Smith

Ran the Peerless Beauty, Vol. 2 | By Ammitsu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – As with the first book, it’s hard not to compare this series to Kimi ni Todoke. If the latter had a more laser focus on the main relationship it might seem a bit like this. Ran and Akira slowly grow closer, despite her introversion and second-guessing of herself. There’s a great bit where she helps out at his flower shop, thinking it’s a good opportunity to grow closer, only to castigate herself when she realizes he’s worried about his sick mother. (We also meet the mom—she’s great.) There are also moments of great character humor, such as an athletics festival that ends with a “princess carry,” which you think is going to be triumphant and… isn’t. It’s sweet, though. As is the whole series. – Sean Gaffney

Smashed: Junji Ito Story Collection | By Junji Ito | Viz Media – Gathering together thirteen of Ito’s short horror manga in a single, hardcover volume, Smashed is the most recent installment in Viz Media’s ever-expanding catalog of the master creator’s work. A rather disturbing and disturbed individual named Soichi is featured in three of the stories, but otherwise the tales collected in the volume aren’t directly related to one another. But even so, all of the manga work nicely together as an anthology. The Japanese word that has been translated as “smashed” is “kaidan,” a homophone of which gives name to a particular type of ghost story, urban legend, and uncanny tale. I can’t imagine this was an accident since the manga in Smashed either firmly fall within or are strongly reminiscent of the category. Some of the stories are less memorable than the others, but as a whole, Smashed is still a solid collection of engaging horror manga. – Ash Brown

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 9 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – Much as this series has been a romantic drama, it’s also looks at the nature of gods and belief, and how easily that can be swayed by the environment, particularly when bad people are helping to do the swaying. The Emperor has been dethroned, the Water God is particularly unpopular right now, and, in the most chilling scene in the book, Kurose’s desire to resurrect his dead little sister figure has been completely papered over with generic “dark evilness”—this is what being dedicated to revenge gets you. There’s only two volumes to go after this one, and I admit I’ve no idea where the ending is going to go. This has become my favorite Rei Toma series. – Sean Gaffney

We Never Learn, Vol. 3 | By Taishi Tsutsui | Viz Media – Since my last brief, the anime version of We Never Learn has debuted, and having watched it, I think it’s safe to say I prefer its fanservice in print form. The author is sometimes clever in getting us that service—one chapter has everyone hearing that studying in the bath works better, so we see them all bathing, complete with fantasies they’re doing it together. The series continues to balance the romance with the studying, working them together a lot. We have two obvious pairings now, mostly as Fumino is still trying to be a good friend towards the other two—or just hasn’t realized it yet. As for Kirisu-sensei—well, she turns out to be a bit of a disaster… and also has a tragic past. Mildly recommended. – Sean Gaffney

World’s End and Apricot Jam, Vol. 3 | By Rila Kirishima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Anzu finally stops fighting against his feelings for Hina and they start dating. After a chaste month passes, during which they only manage two smooches, Hina returns from a school trip to find Anzu’s apartment empty. It turns out his band has been signed to a major label and their new producer has demanded that Anzu move out of Apricot House and break up with Hina. Anzu continues to date her in secret, however, and the volume ends with them apparently busted. It’s shoujo drama at its finest. What I don’t like are the mixed singles Anzu sends, particularly when he breaks bad for a second and acts out the scenario Hina most fears, in which he tells her it was all just a game to him. He genuinely makes her cry for a moment, and it was kind of shitty. – Michelle Smith

Bloom Into You, Vol. 6 | By Nakatani Nio | Seven Seas – The bulk of this volume is the play, and I was very much reminded of the play in the Kare Kano manga, which filled much the same function. We see a woman wondering which of the “sides” she sees was the real her, and the answer of course is to look forward. It’s really well done, but it’s uncertain how this will affect relationships between Touko and Yuu. We’ve seen Yuu struggle to define how she feels towards Touko—and indeed love in general—and now she seems to have her answer, but it’s not making her very happy. (I do love the brief POV of her older sister, who gives her good advice and resolves to support Yuu whenever she decides to admit it to her family.) Still great. – Sean Gaffney

Chihayafuru, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Mizusawa has managed to win the team portion of Nationals! Chihaya’s tearful happiness is heart-wrenching, and I loved that she was able to remind Arata of the joys of competing with teammates. She seems to have fractured her right index finger, however, and though she makes it through the first couple of rounds of the individual tournament by playing left-handed, when facing Shinobu she chooses to go with her right. She makes one really impressive play, but then the pain is too much and she loses by a huge margin. Still, she’s made an impression on Shinobu now, and we see how much it would mean to the latter to have a friend her age who doesn’t expect her to go easy on them. Meanwhile, Taichi has made it to the Class B finals and Arata will soon move to Tokyo. Tune in next time! – Michelle Smith

CITY, Vol. 5 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – After a fourth volume with a long-running story, we’re back to brief snapshots in this volume, which means, of course, it’s not quite as good. A lot of gags land. I liked the photography session chapter, as well as the one with the soccer team’s “accidental” ball control. And the names of the Tekaridake Troupe made me giggle. But a lot of this is random for randomness’ sake, and features recurring bits that I’m not as fond of, like the manga artist who is likely meant to be Arawi himself. I suspect he’s trying not to make it too much about the “main trio” as he wants to avoid having it be Nichijou Mk. 2, but the main trio are where the best chapters lie. Still worth reading, but very up and down. – Sean Gaffney

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Vol. 4 | By NISIOISIN and Akira Akatsuki | Viz Media – I didn’t brief the second and third volumes of this, but you can likely guess what happens. In this, the final volume, we’re down to the last few survivors. The best part of the book is the section dealing with, in my opinion, the two best characters—Tiger and Ox. Their backstory, and the discussion of “how to do the right thing,” resonates strongly. Sadly, the zombie rabbit and the almost deliberately personality-less Rat take up most of the end of the volume, and that’s not quite as good. In the end this seems to have been Nisioisin’s attempt to write a Battle Royale-style story, and it works best with his Medaka Box partner on it, but four volumes is definitely enough. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 4 | By Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court, and Kohei Horikoshi | VIZ Media – As a neighborhood department store plans to reopen after a monster attack, Pop is invited to take part in a celebration. Makoto parlays this into an appearance from Captain Celebrity and, meanwhile, Hachisuka plans to crash the party with her Trigger-augmented monsters. I probably should’ve guessed the reveal about Hachisuka here, especially considering what happened with her classmate before, but it was fairly cool. I liked learning more about Knuckleduster, and it was nice seeing Pop give a competent (and pretty heroic!) performance at the concert. I’ll likely keep reading this series, as I enjoy how it’s fleshing out the world, but I am a little bummed that I just don’t love any of these characters like I do the kids in the main series. They’re not complex enough. I guess nothing will ever really measure up to the original. – Michelle Smith

Takane & Hana, Vol. 8 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – The rule of thumb for this manga seems to be that whenever one of the two leads decides to seriously romance the other intentionally, it never quite goes the way they want it to. That’s certainly the case in this volume, where Takane is still on the rise, and he’s not quite out to romance Hana—he just wants his revenge. As a result, he runs her ragged, in what’s probably the funniest chapters of the book. I’m not sure how I feel about the final cliffhanger, though, which seems to be another setup on the part of Takane’s grandfather. The series is 16+ volumes in Japan, so it could simply be the author setting in for the long haul. As long as the power balance is kept even, this is still great. – Sean Gaffney

Wonderland, Vol. 2 | By Yugo Ishikawa | Seven Seas – At heart, this is survival horror, which is not really my thing. As with a lot of things that are not really my thing, I have a number of exceptions to the rule. And Wonderland is so weird and trippy that it fascinates me more than it depresses me. As could probably be predicted, Alice may be responsible for what’s actually going on here, even if she’s not telling the main group that. The “main group” also gets winnowed way down here—Yukko even loses her dog, though he does show up later, in the funniest scene of the book (especially for long-haired dog owners). And of course I haven’t even mentioned Alice’s evil twin, who can turn babies into ZOMBIE BABIES. Wonderland is a trip. It deserves its title. – Sean Gaffney

Akashic Records of Bastard Magica Instructor, Vol. 6 | By Hitsuji Tarou, Tsunemi Aosa and Kurone Mishima | Seven Seas – I was sort of hoping that Rumia would do something other than hang around and get saved, but alas. Most of the character work in this goes to Re=L, whose past turns out to be not quite her own, and the brother she’s so devoted to also turns out to be not what he seems. It’s filled with tragedy and manipulation, but fortunately Glenn is able to see her through it. And thus we move on to the next arc, which seems to be introducing a dead past love for Glenn… who happens to be a dead ringer for Sisti! Who is pretending Glenn is the man she’s going to marry. This remains middle-of-the-road manga, but it’s still interesting enough to make me get the next book. – Sean Gaffney

Berserk: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 | By Kentaro Miura | Dark Horse – Due to the price point, Dark Horse’s deluxe treatment of Berserk will likely appeal most to already established fans of the series (a group to which I belong), but it is a striking release nonetheless. The first deluxe omnibus collects the first three volumes of the manga in a single, massive, hardcover tome with a large trim size that showcases Miura’s artwork. There isn’t really any new or added content, although the covers of the individual volumes are included as color pages. It’s been a while since I’ve read Berserk from the beginning. The initial chapters feel a little directionless at times, nothing more than an excuse to have an astonishingly badass swordsman with a mysterious but obviously tragic backstory taking out demons, but soon the manga builds and coalesces into something truly epic. What remains constant is that Berserk is a violent, brutal, horrifying, and frequently disturbing dark fantasy. – Ash Brown

My Hero Academia, Vol. 18 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – This is definitely a manga of two halves. The first is serious as can be—we have a major hero death, Mirio does NOT magically get his powers back, and Eri is saved but traumatized. Our main cast are changed as well… Ochaco now wants to save people as a main goal, and Kirishima also notes he’s shaken up. Fortunately for the reader, we have the back half of the manga, which introduces the REAL Camie (whom Toga had impersonated) and has the Remedial Hero License Exam… which involves winning over a class of spoiled kindergarten brats. It’s pretty hilarious all round, with some great gags and also showing us that Bakugo CAN learn and grow as well. An excellent volume of an outstanding series. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 1 | By Kohei Horikoshi and Anri Yoshi | VIZ Media – The things the cretinous Mineta says in this prose spinoff are so vile that they eclipse the things he says and does in the manga/anime, and that’s really saying something. I appreciate the reactions from some classmates, like Tokoyami glaring at him with “utter contempt” and Kaminari getting a chance to show that his own horniness has limits, but I must remind the author… Mineta didn’t have to get this much of the spotlight, you know? Anyway, Parents’ Day is at hand (which makes for some drama at the end of the volume) but first several of the boys rescue a girl at an amusement park while three of the girls go to a supermarket. The latter story was promising until was revealed that the shoplifter they caught had crapped himself. So puerile. I wanted to like this but in the end it just pissed me off. – Michelle Smith

My Monster Secret, Vol. 15 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – This mostly expands on the new plot twists from last time. Shiho is still trying to find a way to avoid fate, which doesn’t work, but she, Mikan and Nagisa all reveal their secrets to each other at the same time, which is probably the funniest scene in the book, and leads to a lot of “yeah, so, most of us are supernatural in some way” scene. There’s also a summer beach chapters, which leads (chanks to Akane) our main couple getting left behind and stranded. They grow closer, there’s a kiss…. and then there’s a bite. Now it’s time for Akane to point out that biting for vampires isn’t just kissing, it’s a lot more serious. And finally, a reminder—again—that Youko is a vampire. Are we finally going to dark places? – Sean Gaffney

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, Vol. 3 | By Natsuya Semikawa and Virginia Nitouhei | Udon Entertainment – The “cute food manga” is still there, but things get a lot more dramatic in this third volume. We actually get some backstory for Shinobu, the heir to a restaurateur who is fleeing and arranged marriage, and Nobuyuki, her restaurant’s cook who had just quit. In the fantasy world, the asshole villain from last time is back, and trying to get the izakaya shut down—and its owners executed—for the beer they’re selling, as it’s actually lager, which is illegal in this world. This is one of those “every minor character who had loved their food comes together to help” plots that I really love, and it makes this volume the best of the series to date. – Sean Gaffney

That Blue Sky Feeling, Vol. 2 | By Okura and Coma Hashii | Viz Media – Noshiro may be a giant bundle of extrovert, but that’s not always a good thing, as this volume demonstrates. Whether Noshiro is gay or not is still up in the air—certainly Sanada thinks he’s straight—but his attempts to solve Sanada’s problems just lead to more problems, as Ayumi and Sanada cannot go back to what they were before, and underclassman Makoto (who has a giant crush on Noshiro) is another spanner in the works. Noshiro has to be reminded that “Oh, he’s gay!” is not just something you can say in a modern Japanese high-school environment… and Sanada has to be shown that it’s not the end of the world. Still surprisingly sweet. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 16 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – After a Vol. 15 that I gave a full review to as it wrapped up Negima properly, we’re back to the actual main cast of UQ Holder, who have been shown how to abuse time travel by Negi and company and are now abusing that for their own ends. It’s a good philosophical argument held here—we can’t save everyone vs. can we just let everyone die? We also get some insight into Jinbei and Gengoro and what kind of immortality they have, as well as the type of person they are—though honestly, Akamatsu tends to lean towards “battle crazy” a whole lot. One other thing I want to note is that, now that UQ Holder comes out in a monthly magazine rather than weekly, and the chapters are longer, it’s much better paced. – Sean Gaffney

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 17 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Media – A new arc begins in this volume, as the five-tribe council agrees to war with South Kai in order to reclaim Kin Province, lost in a previous war. Yona and company have befriended a kid from Kai and, after helping him get back home, witness firsthand the atrocities committed by the Kai soldiers after their defeat by Kohka. Meanwhile, several of the dragons have fallen ill and there is ominous talk (and, later, a bonus story about) what happens to the existing dragon when a new one is born. They decide to hide the fact that they are short-lived from Yona, and it’s perhaps because this put the idea of their demise into my head that I completely fell for a fakeout that ensues. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the mysterious Zeno, and continue to love this series very much. – Michelle Smith