Michelle Smith

After Hours, Vol. 3 | By Yuhta Nishio | Viz Media – The scenes in this book of the rave, before, after and during, as well as what comes next, are fantastic, and the volume is worth picking up for that reason alone. That said, the romance in this third volume is the weak point. Kei abruptly disappears from Emi’s life right as Emi is ready to move into Kei’s life permanently, and while the family issues that Kei has to deal with are understandable, the author seems to think it’s 1959 and not 2019. You have phones! The journey by bus is a long one, but completely doable! There is no need for the ambiguous “maybe ever after” of this ending. That said, overall I found this series highly enjoyable, and if they want to do a sequel with Emi alone running raves, I’m cool with that too. – Sean Gaffney

Chihayafuru, Vol. 14 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Mizusawa has made it to the semi-finals of the national tournament, facing a team led by Megumu Ousaka, a candidate for Queen. Although Chihaya ultimately loses against her, she makes quite the impression on her opponent and others, causing one observer to think, “I never knew another girl this good existed.” I loved that it’s Desk-kun who seals the team’s ultimate victory, but less than an hour later, they’re facing formidable opponents in the finals. Fujisaki is full of Class A players but Chihaya’s opponent has an additional advantage: her grandmother is the reciter and she’s especially attuned to her nuances. Tense, fun, addictive, emotionally rewarding… I always want more when I get current with this series. – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vol. 29-30 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – In Japan, sports manga tend to have varying endings, with either the team winning it all or losing in the semis and resolving to try harder. North America tends to see a lot more of the former, so hope you like our heroes winning. It’s as well-handled as you’d expect, and I really enjoyed the development shown in Kuroko, Kagami, and Akashi here. There’s also a nice epilogue where Riko reminds us there’s a new tournament in the Spring, and they have to recruit! But for now let’s enjoy both their victory and the fact that the old Miracle Generation have mostly resolved their differences. The last shot has the old middle school picture balanced with his high school team, which is lovely to see. Do we get the sequel? – Sean Gaffney

Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 7 | By Fujimomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Last time, I was a little worried that drama fueled by misunderstandings would become the norm for Lovesick Ellie, but I’m happy to report that no longer seems to be the case. While it is true that Ellie’s classmates get the wrong idea about her relationship with Kaname and Ohmi is freaked out by this rival, never at any point does Ohmi think she’s actually cheating on him. In fact, he opens up to Kaname about his insecurities, potentially making a friend in the process, and takes a good look at the kind of boyfriend Kaname could’ve been to her that he presently can’t be. With his focus on acting how other people expect, and remaining the other girls’ princely ideal, he’s never acknowledged Ellie as his girlfriend. Now, he’s ready for people to know how special she is to him. I’m so glad this series is back on track! – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 33 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I will admit the high point of Magi for me was the resolution of my ship, and the rest is just gravy. (Though I did enjoy the naive Alibaba being horrified at having a fight with Morgiana—that seems to have lasted five seconds.) But yeah, Sinbad’s still trying to make the world be at peace, and his methods are growing more and more horrible, as Kou’s dramatic cessation from the Alliance causes him to challenge God and emerge with the “it’s OK if I just mind control everyone to see it my way” solution. Sadly, Aladdin does not see this as anything but despotism. Aladdin is right, of course, but this is still Alibaba’s title, so he gets to mediate between these two. Who will he side with? – Sean Gaffney

Mob Psycho 100, Vol. 1 | By One | Dark Horse – There were several reasons why I was interested in reading Mob Psycho 100, the two most prominent being that One is the original creator of One-Punch Man (which I have been greatly enjoying) and that there was so much excitement surrounding the Mob Psycho 100 anime (which I still need to watch). But the main reason that I’ll continue to read Mob Psycho 100 is that I absolutely loved the first volume. Shigeo is a young man with superhuman powers which he tends to control by suppressing his emotions. Life being life, and middle school being middle school, there’s only so much he can bottle up before exploding. His mentor is Reigen, a spirit medium whose only extraordinary skill seems to be the ability to somehow convince others that he’s a legitimate exorcist despite all evidence to the contrary. Mob Psycho 100 is terrific, with a great sense of quirky humor and heart. – Ash Brown

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 6 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – The volumes of Queen’s Quality seem to alternate between characters saying that Fumi is too weak and characters saying Kyutaro is too weak, and this time around it’s the latter, as he really gets put through the ringer here. The training they have to take on may involve some unsettling looks at Fumi’s background and heritage, which to be fair we’ve known was coming since the first volume. I admit I am somewhat surprised by Ataru’s promotion to sidekick-type character, but he serves it well, though there’s also a nasty flashback to his past I’m sure he’d rather do without. This wasn’t the best volume of Queen’s Quality, but that’s likely as it was transitional, and it’s still pretty solid. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – Asahi’s time as a captive in the underworld is brief, though it does afford us a few nice scenes in which the worried Water Dragon God is trying to find her. Instead, most of the volume is focused on Kurose, a boy from our world who seems to have become the plaything of Tokoyami, the god of the underworld. Kurose had a horrible home life and after potentially dying, he wakes in the underworld and is promptly whisked off to a village where he experiences kindness and a loving family for the first time. That is, until war comes and the Water Dragon God refuses to notice his desperation to save someone he cares about. I’m left to wonder… did this all really happen, or was Tokoyami mentally torturing him to create an ally in a vendetta against the Water Dragon God? Very intriguing! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – There was a surprising swerve in this volume. After dealing with rescuing Asahi from turning into a rotting zombie, and seeing the Water Dragon God have to deal with these pesky things called feelings, the rest of the volume is devoted to sketching out the tragic backstory of Kurose, the mini-villain from the end of the last volume. Not only is he merely a useful puppet to the true Big Bad, but he’s also a lot closer to Asahi than she might suspect, and has a suitably tragic backstory—in more than one world. I was expecting the adorable little girl he befriends to be horrible killed, and she is, but that may not be the end for her, unfortunately. Riveting. – Sean Gaffney

Bad Friends | By Ancco | Drawn & Quarterly – Only a few Korean comics have so far been released in translation by Drawn & Quarterly, the most recent being Ancco’s internationally award-winning Bad Friends. The work is a devastatingly powerful one, hard-hitting and at times difficult to read due to its emotional heaviness and unflinching portrayal of physical abuse. Bad Friends is told from the perspective of Pearl, a young cartoonist reflecting back upon the good and the bad of her middle school and high school years. At the forefront of her mind is her incredibly important and formative relationship with Jeong-ae, a close friend she hasn’t seen or been in contact with for over a decade. As teenagers, they were both delinquents, finding their own ways to survive in a harsh, cruel, and ugly world; as adults, their lives have taken drastically different paths. Bad Friends isn’t necessarily an easy or comforting read, but it is exceptionally well done. – Ash Brown

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 21 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – “Son of Satan” has always been part of the core of Blue Exorcist, and though Rin is the one who this is talking about, Yukio is apparently not free from Satan. At all. In fact, Satan is apparently talking to people from his eye. So, since his allies aren’t helping him or telling him the truth (well, they’re trying to help him), clearly it’s time to… join the bad guys? Renzo, a natural-born traitor, can help with that. Meanwhile, Mephisto’s getting shot in the head, which doesn’t stop him, but does mean he has to remove the barrier keeping the gate of Gehenna shut. As for Rin, he’s exposed to the full brunt of his power, and it’s almost too much for him, despite Shiemi helping by conjuring up an entire forest. Basically? There’s a LOT here. – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 8 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamaji| Seven Seas – The shoe is on the other foot, and now a girl is telling Accelerator that he should stay away from HER because she doesn’t want him to get involved with her. Naturally, having this flipped around is irritating to Accelerator. Things aren’t helped by his brain starting to bleed because he’s overworked himself, leading to some of the creepiest POV art I’ve seen in a long time. Also, this new arc promises to feature a lot more of Last Order, who has mostly been a mascot for the series so far. But she’s bonding with Matsuri, who is a classic “I am pretending to be arrogant” princess type, and also runs into an overly affectionate young woman who says she’s a chef but may be a villain. For Index fans. – Sean Gaffney

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 13 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – Unsurprisingly, the cliffhanger of Himari being shot by Kasha at the end of volume twelve does not stick. It turns out that he used some kind of ayakashi weapon that expels her soul from her body, allowing him to take over and cast her spirit out of Momochi House. She makes her way back just in time to see him kidnap Aoi. I must say that for a volume where a lot happens, none of it actually lands with any sort of dramatic impact. It’s diverting, I guess, but it’s just not meaningful. (Or memorable, apparently, since there was a character in this volume whom I’d completely forgotten.) However, the next volume does seem to promise the backstory between Aoi and Kasha and I guess I’m at least marginally interested in that. I’ll keep reading for now. – Michelle Smith

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 7 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – There’s some amazing horse racing in the first half of this book, which shows off the difference in how the races were run, and also allows Shiraishi to humiliate himself once more. But it’s somewhat overbalanced by the second half, which features our heroes trying to take down not one, not two, but three killer bears, all around the estates of an American Southern Gentlemen. We get the usual reasons we read Golden Kamuy—horrific violence that is also somehow amusing, disgusting-yet-useful discussions of rectal plugs, and two yakuza who are also flamboyantly gay in a stereotypical but nevertheless interesting way. Golden Kamuy is many things, including violent and sometimes gross, but it is never dull. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 30 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – It’s day two of the spring tournament and Karasuno is up against Inarizaki. The player who gets the spotlight this time is Tanaka, who hasn’t played great so far, and we get the backstory of his first year on the team. I really appreciated this look into the mindset of a mentally tough player who admits he’s not the best at anything, but refuses to give up. “I got totally down on myself for whole seconds!” he confesses later. Of course, he gets his moment of vindication and Karasuno wins set one. Next, we check in on Nekoma and delve into Kenma’s backstory. While I’d ordinarily be kind of annoyed at a shift away from our leads at a pivotal moment, this is a really affecting exploration of the disaffected-seeming setter who will give his all for his friends. I might’ve sniffled a time or two. – Michelle Smith

Hungry for You: Endo Yasuko Stalks the Night, Vol. 2 | By Flowerchild | Seven Seas – While this is another in what seems like a lot of manga series lately that read like they were cancelled rather than naturally ended, this second volume is pretty satisfying. We get some backstory for Yasuko, as well as a mastermind who turns out to be a lot closer than folks were expecting. That said, I found the ending most interesting, as I was very much expecting that Shizue was going to join Yasuko in her undead life, and that just doesn’t happen; Yasuko says she wants to be there with Shizue, but admits she’s going to get married, have children, and die eventually. It’s a more melancholy ending than I thought, but it fits this series, which is still cute and sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 6 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The anime is starting possibly as you read this, and I hope it’s a good adaptation, especially for the faces. The faces in this series are absolutely amazing, and this volume is here to provide a bevy of brilliant ones, mostly from Kaguya. She’s learning, but it’s a long and difficult process, and Miyuki is, frankly, much better at flirting when he’s unaware he is, as the rooftop Princess Kaguya story entails. That said, the student council has moved on now… or have they? Will our heroes come together for a new student council? Or will the girl who we see on the last page and is clearly meant to be a new character throw a spanner in the works. Don’t know, but this hilarious series makes me want to read more. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 15 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | VIZ Media – The martial arts tournament is finally over! Unfortunately, Saitama is bummed because he didn’t meet anyone who could challenge him. He felt nothing, learned nothing, and gained nothing. While he’s lamenting having gotten too strong, he even ends up defeating the hero hunter with one kick without even realizing it. I don’t know where ONE is headed with Saitama’s massive ennui, but the rest of the plotline features the Monster Association demanding that the Hero Association send its strongest fighters to rescue the kid (son of an important donor) that they’ve taken hostage. I keep waiting for Saitama to finally achieve recognition, and I don’t know whether to hope this’ll be his chance or to feel like I ought to know better than to expect that from this series. Still a lot of fun! – Michelle Smith

After Hours, Vol. 3 | By Yuhta Nishio | VIZ Media – Well, After Hours is over already. Ultimately, it just doesn’t feel like three volumes was enough. I suppose if you look at this more as the story of Emi finding something to be passionate about, then it was the right length, but in terms of really understanding the two leads and their relationship, I don’t feel I ever really got there. I should’ve felt something when Kei mysteriously disappeared, suddenly deciding to be a dutiful daughter and help her parents recover from a business loss, but I didn’t. Possibly because it seemed like one page she was ready to call it off with Emi, and by a couple of pages later, the crisis was averted and they were trembling thinking about their future together. It was an enjoyable series, but sadly not a favorite. – Michelle Smith

Ao-chan Can’t Study!, Vol. 3 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The series continues to toe the line but not actually cross it, which is good as crossing it would make this an entirely different sort of series. So even though our hero is inadvertently slipped an aphrodisiac, and really want to bang our heroine, he is a good boy and tells her to get away from him for the time being. Ao, meanwhile, is still very unclear as to what she wants—and it is genuinely affecting her studies. This means the climax of the book is Kijima thinking that it’s for he best if he stays away from her, even though he’s clearly fallen for her. How is Ao going to balance having a good education with her boiling hormones? We’ll see next book, and I think an anime is coming as well. – Sean Gaffney

CITY, Vol. 4 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – A stronger volume of Nichijou than the previous one. The “main” plot, such as it is, involves Nagumo being locked in a tower and forced to have a massive award ceremony telling her she’s amazing. Since this is clearly not to be trusted, she resolves to escape. Sadly, escape turns out to be… ridiculously easy, so much so that there’s a lot of desperate tsukkomi going on. Meanwhile, Niikura races all over the city trying to retrieve a pendant with an embarrassing photo that has gotten tangled with a cat. Even the stories that aren’t about the trio are pretty good this time around, with my favorite being the school playing a “mock detective” game. CITY is built on weird humor, and this volume gives you that in spades. – Sean Gaffney

Dragon Half, Omnibus 3 | By Ryusuke Mita | Seven Seas – Much to my surprise, the plot does gain more importance as we reach the end of Dragon Half, though it will never quite be as important as sheer dumb humor. And I do mean the dumbest humor—some of these jokes are so amazingly lowbrow you laugh from sheer shock that the author bothered. This is, of course, the point—who wants Dragon Half with subtle intelligent humor? That said, Mink clears her name, defeats the demon lord, does not transform into a hideous monster, and marries her beloved Dick Saucer, whose backstory actually manages to be tragic. There’s even an epilogue showing off the next generation. Dragon Half was a terrific series for fans of old-school manga, and I’m very happy it was licensed. – Sean Gaffney

Giant Killing, Vol. 15 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The flashback to ten years ago continues! Tatsumi has emerged as the ace of ETU and his performance in the derby against Tokyo Victory draws a lot of attention. For his part, Tatsumi is (even then) seeing chances others can’t and coordinating his teammates to take advantage of them and never once plays like he’s the star. Once he’s injured and ETU falters, it hurts him to hear angry fans lambasting his teammates. Meanwhile, the president of the club wants to show as many people as possible Tatsumi’s entracing soccer, which seems like a good thing, but we end the volume with this guy ordering the coach to put a not-fully-recovered Tatsumi in the next game so as not to disappoint the fans. I have a feeling the next volume is going to be hellaciously frustrating. What a great series, though. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 16 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – Kodansha may not cancel series for low sales, but series that aren’t performing do tend to come out veeeeeeery far apart. That seems to be the fate of Missions of Love, which now seems to be down to twice a year. Fortunately, it’s almost done. Everyone has confessed, but that’s hardly the be-all and end-all, even in shoujo manga. Yukina has to meet the parents. Hisame is back to behaving like an absolute ass. And Yukina’s literary career… and her use of her own life as a template for it… is finally coming out into the open. Is this something that can be forgiven? Oh, probably, but I imagine there will be even more drama next time around. Which is good, as overblown drama is why this series exists. – Sean Gaffney

Outdoors | By Yuichi Yokoyama | Breakdown Press – The three nature-themed stories collected in Outdoors were originally published online in 2009, the first and so far only time that Yokoyama created manga for a website. Interestingly, according to the short interview by Ryan Holmberg also included in the volume, Yokoyama doesn’t own a computer and strictly works using traditional media—he’s never even seen the site on which his manga was released. In general Yokoyama’s work tends to be something that I appreciate more than enjoy. While the short manga in Outdoors are visually striking—especially important as they contain no dialogue and almost no story—they also have a sense of cold detachment. In the interview Yokoyama notes that he has no interest in portraying human emotions or drama, so I think the effect is a deliberate one. I can recognize Yokoyama as an accomplished artist, but when experiencing his work I personally miss having that emotional core. – Ash Brown

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 4 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – If this series were even one small molecule less silly than it is, Syalis would be a hateful monster. The things she does to the demons in this book absolutely boggle the mind. Fortunately, this is absolutely a silly, silly manga and therefore Syalis’ sociopathic attempts for the perfect sleep are absolutely hilarious. She tries to hibernate, carves up even more ghosts, and gets kidnapped by Hades, which as you can imagine does not go very well for him, because Syalis is a law unto herself. Even when she shows a smidgen of humanity, such as when trying to get chocolates on Valentine’s Day, it’s still funny. I want to see this get even more over the top and sadistic. Fun, fun manga. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 10 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – If there’s anyone that can make Midosouji somewhat more redeemable, it’s Onoda, and he manages to achieve it here. Day Three may be a little more difficult, though. Not only do we meet a new rival who’s an absolute creep, hitting on Kanzaki and reminding us briefly that women do exist in this manga. (And then she goes away again.) But even more importantly, the third day is not about teamwork and working together, it’s ‘the fastest one wins.’ So Onoda finds himself overwhelmed by a whole new experience. Fortunately, he’s reminded how much he loves this and recovers. Still, this final day looks to be the most mentally exhausting. Will it end in the next omnibus? I doubt it somehow. Great sports manga. – Sean Gaffney

Abara | By Tsutomu Nihei | Viz Media – Although it’s up for debate how directly or tangentially related Abara actually is to Knights of Sidonia, in my mind the manga is unquestionably a precursor to Nihei’s later work. Even if they take different forms, the two series at the very least share elements of the same dystopic vision, a grim future in which humanity’s survival is not guaranteed in the face of the existence of creatures known as Gauna. Collected in a single, deluxe hardcover volume (along with another of Nihei’s earlier stories, “Digimortal”), Abara feels like the beginning of something grand even while being a complete work unto itself. Rather than prioritizing a narrative telling a coherent story, more than anything else the plot serves as a vehicle to showcase Nihei’s artwork and the astonishing, nightmarish atmosphere it creates. And that is just fine—the illustrations in Abara are stunning, managing to be simultaneously  beautiful and grotesque. – Ash Brown

Again!!, Vol. 6 | By Mitsurou Kubo | Kodansha Comics – In the original timeline, the fate of the ouendan was sealed when Usami was responsible for a disaster at a baseball practice game. This time, Imamura is working very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. True, he still blames himself for the team’s eventual loss, since he wounded the pitcher’s fragile ego, but some things have clearly changed as a result of his actions. Namely, Usami is able to get the crowd on their side, rallying their spirits with her cheers when all seemed lost, and earning some praise from the school principal for her leadership. Sometimes this series is frustrating in that characters have to work harder for the kind of sports manga successes that make me sniff, but man, there are a few brief, glorious moments in this volume that are all the sweeter for having been hard-won. – Michelle Smith

Giant Spider & Me, Vol. 3 | By Kikori Morino | Seven Seas – There’s a bit of seriousness at the start of the third Giant Spider manga, as we find out why our kidnapper is so upset about the spider—his daughter was clawed by a cute baby bear, and died from an infection from the wounds. The rest of the volume, though, is relatively sedate, and even the big finale, in which Asa appears to be either ill or grumpy but is merely molting is pretty low-key. And yes, it’s a big finale as this is the final volume, even though the author says they know Nagi and Asa have lots more adventures. This is the sort of series that doesn’t really need a dramatic climax, but Nagi has changed thanks to her giant spider friend—she’s now surrounded by other friends as well. This was sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Girls’ Last Tour, Vol. 5 | By Tsukumizu| Ywn Press – Each volume of this gets darker than the last, while still maintaining its mood of “two girls wander around a city in their tank.” Chito almost dies a couple of times, and sprains her ankle at one point, leading to Yuu attempting to do leader-like things, which does lead to some laughs. And there’s a fascinating sequence when they look at modern art in a deserted museum. They’re still going up, though, and are helped in this (after breaking into a building using more high explosives) by an AI unit that begs for them to turn it off. We also get a flashback to how their journey began, showing that they were kids staying with adults at one point, and that things are terrible all over. One more volume to go. Will it end in death? – Sean Gaffney

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 16 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – The big surprise in this volume is that the student council president happens to be Yozora’s older sister. We’ve seen for a while that family issues are a large part of what makes Yozora the way she is, and it’s no surprise that she’s in a relatively foul mood this volume, where the Neighbors Club and the Student Council go on a vacation together. Before that, though, we do get Yozora returning to the Neighbors Club, and a virtual reality game that I will just gloss over as I found it the weakest part of the book. And for fans of Kodaka and Sena, there’s the final scene, even though it’s just a dream that… Rika has? Why is Rika dreaming of things like that? A good, fun volume, though even more perverse than usual. – Sean Gaffney

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 3 | By Takuto Kashiki | Yen Press – Adorable and relaxing take a back seat to ADVENTURE in this volume, as Conju is kidnapped while in a “rough section” of town, requiring a rescue that involves a lost liquor, hang-gliding, and lots of faux badasses who really aren’t all that. It’s a heck of a lot of fun, and really shows off our heroes at their best. They also do well taking Hakumei’s boss out for a day on the town, showing him that life is not just work 24/7. And there’s a chapter involving sweets and some badgers that is quite funny. I’m really enjoying this series, though it has to be said—Hakumei and Mikochi are a married couple, they’re just not aware of it yet. (Nor do I expect that to change.) – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 4 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – How much you enjoy this volume may depend on how much you can take “I am oblivious to even a direct confession” on the part of Riko, which makes Kai once again spend half the book holed up in his room wondering where everything went wrong. Even when he returns to school and tries to take up his playboy ways once more, things go wrong—right now Riko needs a good friend more than a boyfriend, and if Kai’s not there, well, maybe Takaya will do. (Honestly, Takaya seems to be like he has his own issues, which I suspect may get revealed in a future volume.) Will Riko ever get Kai’s feelings? Does she like him back? Is she even ready to move on? And what of Ayumi, the intrepid newshound? Hatsu*Haru is a well-written soap. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 12 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – I imagine there may be some people who have dropped Horimiya by now, and I get it—Hori is sort of a terrible person, groping her friends and joking about getting “technical” consent, and still being upset that Miyamura isn’t hitting her like she really wants him to. She’s a bit of a teenage mess, really. Fortunately, the cast around her have their shit together, so I don’t think things will get that bad. Honestly, seeing Hori groping Sakura reminded me that Sakura is one of the group now—in fact, one chapter has other students surmise that she may have a harem of hot guys. I still love reading Horimiya, even as it’s gone from “romance I’d happily recommend” to “problematic fave.” – Sean Gaffney

Slumbering Beauty, Vol. 2 | By Yumi Unita | Seven Seas – For the most part this was an OK, not great final volume of this series. The majority of it deals with Nerimu’s master trying to recruit Yoneko for the job permanently, and Nerimu trying to point out that this would involve essentially dying. That said, there was a fantastic moment near the end, as Yoneko is shown that her neglectful parents started off with good intentions and are not merely terrible people. And Yoneko says that this is true, and acknowledges it… but also reminds readers (and Nerimu) that the majority of her time growing up has been spent unhappy, and seeing that her parents have good sides as well is not going to change that. Still, at least she decides to live on for now. Like other Unita series, this was weird but worth reading. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 10 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – The third and final day of the Inter-High begins and since Midousuji got a somewhat sympathetic backstory that might be the start of a redemption arc of sorts it’s time to introduce another odious foe, this time in the form of Eikichi Machimiya, a schemer from Hiroshima who’s got a huge grudge against Hakone due to how things played out the previous year. This is a pretty fun volume, since Machimiya organizes a huge peloton that gobbles up stray riders, Jaws-like, and Sohoku must contend with leaving Onoda—who worked so hard on previous days for the team—behind to be devoured. Tadokoro even cries. Of course, plucky Onoda can’t be counted out yet, but neither can Hiroshima! Looking forward to the next installment, as always. – Michelle Smith

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 2 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – Changing yourself is hard. As is high school. As a result, much of this volume revolves around Futaba’s good intentions and attempts to make everything somehow work out not succeeding very well. We are definitively introduced to what appear to be the rest of the core cast, though some of them are still mostly ciphers. The main story is still about Futaba and Kou, and they can’t really go backwards. Still, do they want to go forwards? Trying to fall in love while also trying to make friends and get through school is the reason most high school romances don’t work out. Still, this is shoujo manga, so they have a leg up on real life. I’m enjoying this series so far, even though it’s more dramatic than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 4 | By Matoba | Yen Press – Since my last review, the anime has come out, and while I’m watching it and quite like it, there’s no denying it’s a bit of a bomb in the Western fandom. But I’m sorry, the series is just so cute and fluffy it can’t help but put a smile on my face, except when the shotacon shows up, when I flick pages fast till she’s gone. There is a lot of focus here on Molech, the loud and outgoing demon who is the quintessential obnoxious extrovert stereotype. Since I can be like this at times as well, though never to this level, I can sympathize. Mostly, though, you read this to see Beelzebub and Mullin have adorable crushes on each other, and to see Belphegor’s disastrous crush (and bladder issues, which I could also do without). Not good, but I don’t really care. – Sean Gaffney

The Delinquent Housewife!, Vol. 2 | By Nemu Yoko | Vertical Comics – The first volume had the focus on Komugi, the housewife who’s trying to hide her delinquent past. The second book looks more at Dai, her brother-in-law who is falling in love with her despite himself. I will admit, I’m more interested in Komugi’s past than I am Dai’s crush on an older woman. The reason that Dai’s family hates delinquents so much is one of those things that seems minor but to the people involved is a huge deal, and I like that Komugi gets that immediately. She’s just a nice girl, and I think she should eventually win over the family, assuming her husband ever returns. Will that happen? Good question, and I suspect we’ll get more love comedy chapters before it’s answered. – Sean Gaffney

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 9 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – The trouble with side-story manga like these is that they eventually have to follow the plot of the main series. Which is fine, and it’s nice to see Tatsuya being cool, but watching the main cast of this series sit in the audience and cheer him on is not really the reason I want to read this manga. Fortunately, we get to see Honoka’s match before this, which was not in the novel, and it’s pretty nifty, showing off her abilities to a good extent—she’s no Miyuki, but there’s a reason she does so well. As for Miyuki, we get the scene where she mocks Erika for having a brother complex, but I dunno, I don’t feel it plays as well in this format. A lesser volume of a good series. – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 29-30 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | VIZ Media – Kuroko’s Basketball comes to a close in this fifteenth and final omnibus. It’s the Winter Cup finals and Seirin is facing off against Rakuzan, a formidable team that not only includes Akashi but three of the “uncrowned generals.” There is a fair bit here that is ridiculous, like spectators being able to discern when a player has activated his “wild instincts” or accessed another level of “the zone,” but there is also a lot to like, including some welcome spotlights on background players like Koganei and Izuki. I confess that I sniffled when a certain person in the stands yelled encouragement when Seirin was about to give up. And then everyone learns a valuable lesson about teamwork. Ultimately, Kuroko’s Basketball wasn’t the best sports manga I’ve ever read, but it was consistently entertaining and comes to a satisfying conclusion. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia, Vol. 16 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – I was right about this being all action, and there’s a lot of cool fights throughout, though I wish Uraraka and Tsuyu got more to do. That said, even Midoriya doesn’t get quite as much of a spotlight. Instead we get Kirishima, who’s dealing with his quirk still being a work in progress. We get his past in this volume, where he’s a lot meeker and more indecisive guy. It’s nice to see someone like Kirishima, clearly a different person in middle school, contrast with his classmate Ashido, who is pretty much exactly the same then as now. That said, the bad guys are doing pretty well for themselves, and our heroes still aren’t anywhere near Eri. Oh, and here comes Himiko Toga and her orgasm faces again to make things creepier. Solid volume. – Sean Gaffney

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 7 | By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu | VIZ Media – The underground shelter that the kids find at the coordinates provided by William Minerva turns out to be amazing—beds, hot water, clean clothes!—but not only is the man himself not present, they’ve got to contend with a mentally unstable guy who made the escape himself thirteen years ago and whose companions all died in a mysterious manner. By the end of the volume, he’s agreed to guide Ray and Emma to the next place while plotting to kill them and has purposefully set a bunch of man-eating creatures on them. This guy is pretty fascinating, and I continue to love the problem-solving elements of the series and the intelligent lead characters, but my favorite aspect is just how badass Emma is getting. Some of the shock value in this series has subsided, but it’s still a really terrific story. – Michelle Smith

Takane & Hana, Vol. 6 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – This volume introduces a big wrench in the plot, and it’s just at the right moment, too. Takane was starting to get a bit too far ahead in the relationship, and when you have something like this, with an adult businessman and a high school girl, you just can’t let the power balance get too one-sided. So I approve highly of Takane’s grandfather’s actions, even as they seem to completely break Takane, who we see is far more reliant on having lots of money than even the reader had previously expected. As for Hana, well, she may be falling for him, and admitting it to herself, but let’s face it, it’s all about that last scene, which made me laugh with glee. I love it when these two smug at each other. – Sean Gaffney

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, Vol. 2 | By Fumita Yanagida | Seven Seas – The expansion of the cast comes at just the right time, as we’ve got a number of volumes still to go, and I know that Tomo and Jun aren’t going to be getting together in any of them. So it’s nice to see that we also have another hilariously oblivious relationship involving Carol, who is not nearly as airheaded as she acts, and her childhood friend Kosuke, who thinks of her as a little sister, much to her exasperation. We also get to see the seemingly perfect and stoic Misuzu get jealous, something that is so unusual that everyone seems to be commenting on it. I am very happy with this series as it does not focus entirely on the romance between Tomo and Jun (or lack thereof), but Tomo’s friendships. – Sean Gaffney

Versailles of the Dead, Vol. 1 | By Kumiko Suekane | Seven Seas – I’m a little worn out on zombie fiction, so it takes a bit more to secure my interest in a series than it simply emerging from that particular subgenre. In the case of Versailles of the Dead, that something extra is cross-dressing and 18th-century French court intrigue. Albert is the twin brother of Marie Antoinette, close enough in appearance that he has on occasion served as her body double. When Marie dies while traveling on her way to become Queen, Albert once again takes her place. There is quite a bit going on in Versailles of the Dead—palace infighting, demonic possession, political and religious schemes, supernatural plots, and the beginnings of a revolution to name only a few prominent elements—so much that the series hasn’t completely found its footing yet. But it’s more than enough for this dark historical fantasy to compel me to read the second volume. – Ash Brown

The Young Master’s Revenge, Vol. 4 | By Meca Tanaka | VIZ Media – “All I can do is try my best to become worthy of her. In order to achieve that, I’m abandoning all my pride and learning to love turtles.” Man, I’d forgotten how dumb The Young Master’s Revenge is. Tenma loves Leo, but she’s convinced he’ll reject her once she admits it, since he told her as much earlier in the story. Leo loves Tenma, but he thinks she hates him for how he treated her. A lot of stupid misunderstandings ensue and then they finally get together—after he learns to embrace the turtle-inflicted scars on his butt as precious memories—and I just honestly could not care less. At least it’s over. – Michelle Smith

Akashic Records of Bastard Magica Instructor, Vol. 5 | By Hitsuji Tarou, Tsunemi Aosa and Kurone Mishima | Seven Seas – I had forgotten to review the last volume of this, which likely says a lot. That said, it’s still all right, it’s just its character beats are predictable. Re=L has joined Glenn and the others, and slowly starts to integrate with the class, so naturally something comes along that makes her turns traitor. Rumia’s identity is now a bit more well known, which means she’s stuck playing damsel again. Still, if you like action this is decent enough, and the villains are fun provided you don’t mind that they sneer and cackle. This is not really top-drawer manga, but it’s decent enough if you’re already a fan of the characters. – Sean Gaffney

Anne Happy, Vol. 8 | By Cotoji | Yen Press – Over a year has passed since I last reviewed Anne Happy, and I will admit I had forgotten who some of the girls are. It came back easily enough, though, and the majority of this volume is devoted to wrapping up the school’s athletics festival, whose end result was something of a surprise to me, though they at least do try to give some justification for it. The rest of the book has little chapters that coast along cutely while the author prepares for the endgame, which I believe is coming soon. We see why Ren is so beloved, watch the class pick out library books for each other, and get a glimpse into Anne and Hibari’s home lives—Anne, for once, is better off. This continues to be mildly cute and funny, and will appeal to fans of the same. – Sean Gaffney

Beasts of Abigaile, Vol. 4 | By Spica Aoki| Seven Seas – I was unaware this ended with volume four, and sure enough, the ending is super abrupt. Still, it justifies most of what was going on, and the core of the series—Nina’s plucky stubbornness and caring, and her relationship with Roy—is still there. We also get to know the villainess of the series, and how she too once had Nina’s ideals but was unable to succeed, and in the end is destroyed. It’s a shame it ended so fast, as there were a lot of characters who I felt were going to get more focus in future volumes that mostly just ended up getting a few shots in for the ending. Still, overall I’d call this series a success, and I’d like to see more from the author—fortunately, Yen Press has her new series starting next year. – Sean Gaffney

Durarara!! re: Dollars Arc, Vol. 3 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Aogiri | Yen Press – This volume adapts some of my favorite parts of both the novels and anime, and though it still comes in third, it’s a little better than the previous volume in that regard. We get Mikado and his pen, the return of Vorona and her bonding with Shizuo, Akane joining the dojo and also bonding with Shizuo, and Akibayashi’s backstory, as well as the reintroduction of … um … well, I can’t remember her name, and Izaya can’t remember her at all, to the point where we need a flashback to realize she’s the girl he did the “suicide club” thing with back in the first volume. Honestly, though, she’s there to jump start Izaya, who I’m sure will be making everything worse soon. Recommended for those who don’t read prose or watch anime. – Sean Gaffney

Erased, Vol. 5 | By Kei Sanbe | Yen Press – After the completion of Erased, Sanbe created four additional stories which take place during the events of the series proper. Released as a ninth volume of Erased in Japan, the collection makes up the fifth volume in the English-language edition of the manga. The volume generally (but not exclusively) addresses the time period during which the series’ main protagonist and point-of-view character Satoru Fujinuma is in a coma. The four vignettes follow the people who arguably play the most important roles in Satoru’s life, allowing crucial moments of Erased to be seen from their own perspectives rather than his—Kayo Hinazuki, the girl he was intent on saving; Kenya Kobayashi, his close friend and confidant; Sachiko Fujinuma, his beloved mother (my personal favorite); and Airi Katagiri, the young woman who would come to mean so much to him as an adult. The stories are all an interesting addition to Erased. – Ash Brown

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 2 | By Natsuki Takaya| Yen Press – It’s been revealed that this manga will end with the third volume, which seems about right. This is not quite as rage-inducing as the first book, despite still having the flaw of viewing the original Furuba cast through their children, rather than viewing the children as their own characters. It does throw a few welcome bones to longtime readers—the creepiest implied ship of the original series does not in fact happen, as Hanajima marries some Italian guy. Oh, and Momiji is back in his sister’s life, and we see her (we can’t see the original cast). There’s still examination of abusive parents, but because we can’t make the original cast do that (they’re more smothering), it’s foisted on the new heroine. For diehards. – Sean Gaffney

Good Dog, Cerberus! | By Moha Arimura | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Good Dog, Cerberus! is a full-color, four-panel comic about Cerberus, the easily bribed guardian of the gates to the underworld, and Lord Hades, who is publicly stern and heartless but a total pushover when it comes to his ill-behaved dog. It’s not even 100 pages long, so it’ll be no surprise that there’s not much to this, really. Cerberus does typical dog things like get dirty and chase pigeons (well, harpies in this case) and try to carry big sticks through doorframes horizontally. There are a few cameos by other mythological figures, like the ferryman of the River Styx, and I learned that Medusa actually had two sisters. That said, it’s neither funny enough nor cute enough nor narratively propelled enough that I can really recommend it. Briefly diverting, at best. – Michelle Smith

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 30 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – We have an ending to a great series. Much to my surprise, the two purest kids in all of shoujo manga (well, if you don’t count My Love Story!!) end up actually consummating their relationship in this final volume, though it’s handled very tastefully. Everyone is moving away to college, getting new apartments, or (in the case of Chizuru) running the shop and waiting for her man to come home. Pin has all new students, and hopefully won’t have any fall for him the way Ayano did. I also really liked the ‘flashforward’ for Ayano being that people warm to her and think she’s nice. Honestly, she was my favorite character. That said, Sawako was also amazing, and this series is hers in the end. I’ll miss it, and consider it essential. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 30 | By Karuho Shiina | VIZ Media – It seems that a lot of series are coming to a close this month, but I’ve been reading Kimi ni Todoke longer than any of the others. Saying goodbye to it gives me a pang, but at least it’s a good ending, filled with teary scenes during which characters bid farewell to the way things used to be while looking forward to the new life that awaits. Some standout moments involve Kurumi realizing that her crush on Kazehaya led her to the best friend she’s ever had and Sawako being able to greet a new classmate naturally and with a lovely smile on her face. Everyone has changed for the better, including the relationship of our central couple, which has matured and strengthened of late. And did I sniffle quite a lot when they finally called each other by their first names? Reader, I did. – Michelle Smith

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, Vol. 2 | By Natsuya Semikawa and Virginia Nitouhei | Udon Entertainment – In case you hadn’t guessed by the cover, we get a new regular in this book. She starts off as a thief, but she’s the cute “stealing for my younger siblings” sort of thief, and quickly becomes a dishwasher and general helper thanks to the kindhearted staff. We also get more of what we saw in the first volume, which is to say fantasy/isekai “types” dropping in and having classic izakaya meals. There’s a few reminders that this is a more medieval world—the girl from the previous volume is now married, much to Shinobu’s surprise, as she was like fourteen. We also get a chapter showing us the other side of the story, as Effa (the little girl) breaks out and gets a tour of modern Japan. Cute foodie manga. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 3 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – Ah, the childhood friend who was always in love with the heroine even though she didn’t realize it. A classic trope, but it’s handled well here, as he also hates beastmen with a passion—which is not a surprise given the flashback to his youth, where a beastman eats his little sister like she was a tater tot. So he’s come to kick ass and take Sariphi back, and of course is not taking no for an answer, even if that means ignoring her own will and feelings. As for Leonhart, well, he’s not used to jealousy, but he cares deeply for Sariphi, so comes off very well here. I continue to enjoy the way this series is handling a common theme, and am pleased that it’s still ongoing in Japan, allowing for more character depth. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 7 | By Kiseki Himura and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – Technically the series “ends” here, though we’re told that it will continue on with a different artist in Japan. For the moment, the cover shows us the reason we’ve wanted to read this manga—Kirito and Asuna as back to back badasses, and Argo staring out at the reader reminding us she’s the real star of the show. Well, OK, Asuna and Kizmel are the stars of this volume—for once, Kirito’s fight comes off second-best, as the teamwork between the two women is simply stunning (indeed, Argo, serving as the Greek chorus, gets some great stunned expressions here). As I said last time, a rare light novel adaptation that expands and enriches the source enough that it deserves reading on its own. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 6 | By Yuki Shiwasu | VIZ Media – After a Christmas interlude during which Hana realizes that maybe she really does like Takane and a chapter about chastising Nicola for his thoughtlessly flirtatious treatment of innocent Mizuki, a rather interesting plot development occurs. Worried that Takane’s confidence is “rooted in the things that were handed to [him],” his grandfather freezes all his accounts, demotes him at work, and moves him into a shabby apartment. Ashamed, Takane distances himself from Hana and makes her leave when she eventually discovers his whereabouts. This part is somewhat frustrating, since he should know by now that his wealth was never something she cared about, but it does at least provide an opportunity for her to make that abundantly clear (and for Okamon to give her a cute pep talk). I only wish she’d actually said, “All along, I’ve only ever seen you, Takane” out loud. Probably too soon for that, though. – Michelle Smith