Michelle Smith

This week, Sean, Michelle, & Anna look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Yen Press, and Viz Media.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 4 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – A step down from the previous volumes, mostly as we take a brief break from the thrilling action scenes to focus on a) a naval captain having erotic dreams about a 17-year-old girl, and b) the fetishization of Takao, who’s even using phrases like “I’ll let you see my engine’. Thankfully, the majority of the volume remains excellent. In particular, the odd friendship between Haruna and Makie, as the former realizes that they have far more in common than you’d expect. Meanwhile, we see something happen to Gunzou that we hadn’t expected – he’s defeated, and it doesn’t sit well with him at all. Oh, yes, and is his childhood friend not quite dead? Despite the fanservice, still very recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 5 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – Tempted as I am to have this review simply say ‘Note: Food Wars! is a cooking manga’, I will add that this is quite a strong volume. We see Soma learn the value of TPO (Time, Place, Occasion) in his cooking and survive the hotel contest. We see him return to his old restaurant and get help from his childhood friend (remember her? from Chapter 1?) and Ikumi to take down a fast-food chain. And perhaps most importantly, we see Megumi Tadoroko: Ping Pong Goddess. It does sound as if we’re going to head into a longer arc starting with the next volume, though, complete with a new arrogant jerk for Soma to take down. All this, and Erina was in it as well. Remember her? The supposed heroine? – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 5 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – It’s perhaps the highest compliment I can give a series to say, “I could happily marathon fifty volumes of this series,” and that is precisely how I am feeling about Food Wars!. While I liked the chapters in which Soma helped his hometown neighborhood market compete with a fried-chicken chain, what I liked best was the conclusion to the intense cooking camp, which saw timid Megumi achieving greater confidence, and actually performing better than Soma in a grueling challenge. Yes, we saw him rise to the occasion and pull out an impressive win, but I liked that he easily admitted that he’d made a mistake and was determined to learn from it. And then he reflected that he was glad he’d come to culinary school after all. You guys, the cock protagonist is evolving! This is hitting my sports manga buttons, big time, and I love it. – Michelle Smith

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 2 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press- As this series is coming out concurrently with Shouoto’s Kiss of the Rose Princess, I am unable to resist comparing them. I’d have to say that, despite my vampire fatigue, this one is far superior. It’s a later effort from Shouoto—a bit darker (though the tone veers a bit lighter in this second volume), more mature (earning an OT rating), and better plotted, with several story threads in play from the start. It does still seem to be shaping up to be a male harem sort of series, but the introductions of new guys are better paced. Too, Shouoto seems to have developed a better sense for comedy, and I encountered no jarring goofy gags disrupting dramatic moments. Okay, yes, there are some standard shoujo tropes, and Aki’s possessiveness of Kana is plenty creepy, but there’s enough about this series to recommend it. Consider me pleasantly surprised. – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!Vol. 4 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko – Every time I pick up this manga, I’m reminded that intense soap opera plots and meanness aren’t necessary ingredients for a captivating shoujo manga. Ai comes back home with Hayato, a friend from school who is determined to learn the identity of the Takeo Goda that she has a crush on. Hayato then encourages her to confess her feelings to Takeo, so she will get some closure. Takeo and Yamato’s relationship is too strong for any attempts at breaking them up, and they are both too naive to pick up on the undercurrents of emotion surrounding them. Later, there are more problems when Takeo’s assumption that he’s unpopular turn out not to be true. There’s something that is just so sweet about the unlikely love story portrayed in this manga, and the humor contrasted with the bits of drama that only serve to make Takeo and Yamato more and more in love with each other ensures that My Love Story!! makes me smile whenever I read a volume. – Anna N

Skip Beat!, Vol. 34 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – Lory’s Love Me group isn’t there to help his wannabe actresses find true love, it’s there to help them realize that they can’t simply shut off that part of themselves and expect their acting to reach the next level. As a result, his confrontation with Kyoko about her love for Ren feels more like a catharsis than anything else, and it’s beautifully done. Of course, his plotting and scheming is about to be taken down by one thing he is unaware of, which is the past that Kyoko has with “Corn”. While I have some issues with Ren taking advantage of her naivete about fairies to keep his identity a secret, this can’t help but be utterly adorable – or should I say corny? Still top-tier shoujo. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Michelle, & Anna look at recent releases from Viz Media & Kodansha Comics.

Arata: The Legend, Vol. 21 | By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – Arata and company have entered the territory of Ikisu, a gender-indeterminate member of the Six Sho who wields scent-based powers. Ikisu uses these to amplify the inferiority complex Kanate feels towards Arata. They fight, but right after Arata resolves their confrontation with an accepting hug, Kanate submits to Kadowaki. I’m still a little unclear as to why. Is it because, in order to succeed in his mission, Arate’s going to have to harden his heart to Kadowaki and force him to submit? And, therefore, Kanate is sacrificing himself to give Arata a reason to give up on Kadowaki being redeemed? In any case, seeing Arata in prolonged, heightened demon mode—only dispelled when he accidentally injures Kotoha—is pretty cool, and his newfound conviction regarding Kadowaki makes me hopeful that we’re heading towards an ending. I like this series well enough, but would welcome it wrapping up sometime soon. – Michelle Smith

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 3 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – Much of this volume is meant refining its core plot and building its world. We resolve the kidnapping from the class trip, where we see that Koro-sensei is indeed prepared for ANY eventuality. We get another new transfer student sent to kill the teacher, and see Koro-sensei not criticize her for killing him, but criticizing her for doing it in a way that disrupts the others. And we see that Class 3-E is still the scapegoat for anyone else at the school, and if they try to change that they are brutally put down, so they take their little revenges where they can. It’s all very well-written, funny and enjoyable, and I continue to be amused at the avoidance of “Bitch-sensei”, even when the art itself uses it. Highly recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 16 | By Kyousuke Motomi| Viz Media – This final volume of Dengeki Daisy is a very good example of what you do when you wrap up your series but still have to fill 150 more pages for the last tankobon. So we get the resolution of last volume’s cliffhanger, followed by several side-stories and epilogues, which are equally great, followed by the author’s debut work, which isn’t as great but that’s not unexpected. We do not get a flash-forward to marriage or children, but oddly do get to see them taking care of a baby due to one last ridiculous plot contrivance in a series full of them. Motomi will be back in the fall with her new series, already licensed, but I’ll miss Daisy, which if nothing else presented a “teacher”/ student romance that no one objected to, really. Funny, heartwarming, and charming. – Sean Gaffney

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 16 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – I was getting pretty seriously weary of the cyberespionage plotline that has dominated recent volumes of Dengeki Daisy, so it’s a relief that it wraps up quickly in this final volume, leaving more time for happy-ever-after character goodness. The official ending is satisfying on its own, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by the bonus chapters. True, there’s a shoujo-tastic episode in which a group trip to a resort is delayed by one of Kurosaki’s neighbors abandoning a baby on his doorstep, but this actually allows us to imagine him and Teru as a married couple. Plus, we get to see more of Soichiro’s past, Akira’s hopeful present, and top student Teru looking toward an ambitious future career with Kurosaki’s full support. I may not always have loved this series, but I’m glad I kept reading until the end. It was definitely a worthwhile endeavor. – Michelle Smith

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 13 | By Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arakawa| Viz Media – This was actually a lot more plot-heavy than I expected, continuing to develop the story of Toma’s struggles against censorship and the Library Forces’ attempts to keep him safe. The story here may sometimes require some suspension of disbelief, but I always love that a shoujo manga in LaLa is willing to spend so much time devoting itself to a study of the politics of censorship, the media, and what’s best for Japan. Also, they’re right – Iku’s idea was fantastic, even if it was inadvertent. For those who want romance, it’s mostly low-key here, though Komaki and Marie fans will be happy, as the cover gives away. One of Shojo Beat’s low-key gems, I always look forward to a new volume. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol 34 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Heel Siblings arc, but this volume shows signs that Kyoko and Ren may be moving on. Lory decides to pull Kyoko out of her masquerade due to her fragile emotional state, and as Kyoko attempts to talk to the boss of LME without revealing the depth of her feelings to Ren, Nakamura offers up some great examples of lettering, as the tiny speech balloons and short phrases Kyoko uses make it clear just how painful it is to talk about her emotions. Later, Kyoko encounters Ren in as his real self, and her recognition of her childhood friend Kuon/Corn provokes even more emotional catharsis. My only compalaint about this series is that the volumes don’t come out often enough! – Anna N

UQ Holder!, Vol. 4 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – This is not Akamatsu’s first arc involving time travel and paradoxes, as readers of Negima well know. That said, it seems a lot more intense and dangerous here Possibly it’s because there’s none of the cliched Akamatsu ‘let’s have some fanservice here to satisfy the readers’ pages. But I think it may be due more to the return of one of Negima’s most memorable villains, who makes life next to impossible for our heroes. (There’s also a minor villain who seems to have returned as a cyborg, but I’m not sure – she seems far too sane.) You can read this without having read Negima, but it’s building on that world, and showing that Negi and Asuna’s actions at the end of that series have far-reaching consequences. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media, Yen Press, and Kodansha Comics.

Black Rose Alice, Vol. 3 | By Setona Mizushiro | Viz Media – Perhaps the most fitting adjective to describe this third volume of Black Rose Alice would be “immersive.” One of Alice’s four potential propagation partners doesn’t have long to live, and so urges Alice to choose him without actually telling her the truth, lest she pick him out of mere sympathy. In the end, this leads to her seeing a side of closed-off Dimitri that she hasn’t seen before. The experience of reading this series is a special one, and I must conclude this is actually partly due to Mizushiro’s art—it seems to me she uses more establishing “shots” and detailed interior backgrounds than other shojo manga, which gives one a palpable sense of being in this house with these people. She gets an A+ in Atmosphere, for sure. Even if you think you’re weary of vampires, you really owe it to yourself to check this one out. – Michelle Smith

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Vol. 7 | By Puyo and Nagaru Tanigawa | Yen Press – It’s hard sometimes to review these slice-of-life series, even if they are spinoffs, as there really isn’t much to say beyond ‘it’s adorable’. Much of the volume is devoted to Yuki going over to Kyon’s house and playing games with him and his sister, and it’s adorable. The two of them are getting closer and closer to admitting their feelings for each other, leading up to an absolutely adorable cliffhanger. Even stressed-out Ryouko beating Haruhi up is adorable in its own way. I’m not sure how much longer this series is going to go on – I had thought 8 was the finale, but apparently not – but no matter how long it goes on, I’m fairly certain ‘adorable’ will be the watchword. – Sean Gaffney

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 2 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – Both of Shouoto’s current NA series balance out supernatural action with some very amusing comedy, and nothing quite defines that like the start of this volume, which defuses the cliffhanger from the first in the most amusing way possible. Then we’re back to school, showing off where the plot is going from here: our three leads form a club devoted to ‘curious events’, i.e. events the mysterious Student Council President does not want to get directly involved in. There’s also, fair warning, an attempted rape in here as well, something I wish manga in general would drop but it never does. Despite that, this is another very good volume, and I do prefer this series to Kiss of the Rose Princess. – Sean Gaffney

Love At Fourteen Vol. 2 | By Fuka Mizutani | Yen Press – See my Nagato Yuki review for discussing adorable slice-of-life series, and almost everything from it applies here as well. The two leads are just too cute. As for the rest of the cast, we meet a shy girl here with a massive crush on one of our heroes, but the surprise is which one. She also is a budding writer, who narrates her own life in the third person, which is both cute and also a clever way of doing a narrative voice. Meanwhile, Hinohara-sensei is still enjoying teasing Nagai as well as trying to acclimate him, but I will warn you, it does look like we might be edging towards a teacher/student romance here, something which I know bothers folks. Despite that, this volume is still highly recommended to anyone who loves relaxed, cute love stories. – Sean Gaffney

Sankarea, Vol. 11 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – This series has tried its best to balance its comedy, romance, and horror aspects and I wondered how it would wrap everything up. It’s… OK, but it’s only a single rather than a home run. The return of Rea’s sociopath father bothered me, particularly since it appeared to be ignoring his past actions. Chihiro’s return was also a massive deus ex machina, though I suppose it’s better than simply ending it in a horribly depressing way. The best part of the volume is Rea and Chihiro’s date, with trips to the zoo, long walks to park benches, and confessions… leading to an amazingly horrible reveal. In the end, I think Sankarea did horror better than it did romantic comedy, leading to an imperfect end to a very good series. – Sean Gaffney

Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 6 | Mizuki Sakakibara, Sunrise, Masafumi Nishida, and Masakazu Katsura | Viz Media – In a move reminiscent of the villains on CW’s Arrow, NEXT supremacist leader Jake Martinez has barged in on the mayor and declared his intention to take over. Naturally, our heroes rally to prevent this, infiltrating the ranks of Martinez’s faithful, a move culminating with Barnaby in a televised standoff against the man who killed his parents. Ordinarily, a three-month wait for the resolution to a cliffhanger would provoke at least a little whining, but luckily, Tiger & Bunny is not a manga that I think about in between volumes. Still, I do have fun while I’m reading it. I guess sometimes I just want something fast-paced and not too deep, and this story certainly fits the bill! I’ll keep following it, though alas not fervently. – Michelle Smith

This week, Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Vertical Comics, Kodansha Comics, and Viz Media.

Alice in the Country of Joker: Nightmare Trilogy, Vol. 3 | By QuinRose and Job | Seven Seas – I’ve criticized this particular spinoff before, for what I consider subpar art and for its tendency to meander. But this volume steps up the danger for Alice, and utilizes the Joker setting almost as well as Circus & Liar’s Game. The fact that Joker’s many lethal weapons all deal with perception and memory fits very well into the Alice universe at large, and Julius fans will be pleased (maybe) to see he’s joined Ace as two of the Joker’s henchmen. As for Alice and Nightmare, the waffling is the point – both of them are dealing with scary feelings, and overcoming those brings this trilogy to a close. Overall, not as strong as many of the other spinoffs, but it stuck the landing. – Sean Gaffney

Girls & Panzer: Little Army, Vol. 2 | By Girls Und Panzer Projekt and Tsuchii | Seven Seas – The action-filled climax to this volume happens about halfway through, as Miho and Maho’s teams take to their tanks for a one-on-one battle. If you know this series and how old these girls currently are, the outcome won’t surprise you. What this volume does do is flesh out Maho a bit and make it more clear that she’s obeying her mother in all things partly to shield Miho from such a harsh upbringing. Unfortunately, this does not really help Miho as much as she’s like, since her mother is still a horrible parent. Luckily, things resolve as well as they can with a few well-placed cheer up speeches. A cute prequel to the main series, but I prefer that one. – Sean Gaffney

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 13 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical Comics – Well, the harem wraps itself up here, and in a way that I really did not expect, though it was signposted very heavily in retrospect. This leaves us with most of the volume once again devoted to the war against the Gauna, and more opportunities for Tanikaze to show off how amazing he is in combat. Indeed, it’s actually leading to negatives as well, as the new recruits are so frustrated by their inability to do much in battle that they’re getting reckless. There’s also another chilling cliffhanger, made even worse by the fact that we’ve caught up with Japan, and will have to wait till the fall to find out what happens. Still one of my most surprising manga hits. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 7 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – Two of the three main romantic plotlines are seemingly wrapped up in this volume. Mitchan realizes he actually has be be meaner than he’d like to get Natsume to give up, and it’s realistically told and uncomfortable to read. Meanwhile, Oshima finally gives a direct confession to Haru, and (eventually) gets an equally direct rejection. That just leaves Yamaken and Shizuku, which is the only one that survives the volume and also the most annoying. It survives as Shizuku doesn’t get he likes her, and he’s too frazzled and scared to actually admit it to her. Add to this the arrival of a servant of Haru’s father who is HIGHLY irritating, and you have another up and down volume of this up and down series. – Sean Gaffney

Spell of Desire, Vol. 3 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – It’s not that Spell of Desire is awful, exactly, because it isn’t. It’s just that the characterization is lacking to the point that events don’t really impact me one way or another. In this volume, Kaoruko learns that in order to access her abilities as a witch, she must first lose her virginity. (In other words—can’t become a powerful female character without relying on a man!) So, she and Kaname finally admit and consummate their love, and then Kaname becomes an outcast for breaking his vow to the witch queen, and there is punishment and angst and resolve to become powerful enough to protect him. About the only slightly interesting thing going on is the conflict between Kaoruko’s black witch lessons and her white witch upbringing, and that might just be enough to get me to finish out the final two volumes of this blessedly short series. – Michelle Smith

This week, Sean, Anna, and Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media and Seven Seas.

D-Frag!, Vol. 4 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – This volume introduces the little sister of the protagonist, but fear not, for once we have no incest subtext. Instead we get some more excellent comedy, mostly as Noe turns out to be almost a carbon copy of Kazama – she too is a tsukkomi to all these bokes around her. Her presence also revitalizes Sakura, who shows off more of her magnificent troll personality here (probably to the surprise of anime fans, as the anime cut most of her out). There’s also a lot of opportunity for physical comedy, a small amount of romance (as always, kept on the back burner), and more gags about the size of Takao’s chest. Comedy is the first and most important mission with this series, and it keeps delivering. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 3 | By Aya Shouoto | Viz Media – Kiss of the Rose Princess seems to change direction with every volume. The first one seemed more like a goofy fantasy manga, the second took a detour into darker themes, and the third volume seems to be launching into some sort of odd Cardcaptor Sakura retread. Anise and her rose knights say what I’m guessing is a temporary farewell to the yellow rose of jealousy, but things get more complicated at school when Anise’s mysteriously possibly evil father installs himself as the new school doctor. Anise has to go on a quest to collect more cards to level up her powers, and the sudden presence of young male celebrities at school is certain to complicate things even further. I am finding myself more bemused then amused by this manga, but at the same time it is plenty diverting if I don’t think about it too hard. – Anna N

Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 3 | By Aya Shouoto | Viz Media – While Kiss of the Rose Princess is still far from the best or most original series I’ve ever read, I do have to admit that it’s growing on me a little. In this volume, Anise makes a “true contract” with her knights without knowing what it entails. Turns out, she will need to romance one of them so that he will achieve his ultimate power-up as a knight. Meanwhile, her Watcher dude announces that it’s her responsibility to collect some “Arcana Cards” that are the manifestations of shards of the seal. Enemies—who apparently politely waited for Anise to learn about the cards’ existence—are going to be after them, too. So, it’s like a dating sim crossed with Cardcaptor Sakura? That’s not necessarily a bad thing, I suppose, and I am intrigued by the block on Mutsuki’s memories, so I’ll probably stick around a little while longer. – Michelle Smith

Library Wars, Vol 13 | By Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa | Viz Media – Having built up plenty of anti-censorship principles and budding romances in the first few volumes, reading a new volume of this series feels a bit like catching up with old friends. Iku and Dojo continue to be a wonderful example of an awkwardly adorable couple. Chief Genda is back and semi-recovered from his injuries, and the reader gets a chance to check in on Komaki and Marie. The Library Forces are defending an embattled author, and Iku actually manages to come up with a brilliant strategy for ensuring his freedom of expression amidst all the odd warring censorship battles raging in Japan. This volume is on the light side, with plenty of victories to celebrate with some humorous bits of character interaction along the way. I think we’re pretty close to getting caught up with the Japanese releases, and I’m not looking forward to a long wait for the next volume. – Anna N

Nisekoi, Vol. 8 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – I’ve talked often about Nisekoi’s amazing skill at preserving the ‘balanced harem’. This doesn’t mean we don’t know how it will end – we know Chitoge will win – but that a mostly equal amount of time is set off to show every girl’s viewpoint and thoughts. Last volume was overbalanced toward Chitoge for plot reasons, so this one skews the other way, with Valentine’s Day providing an excuse for Onodera, Marika and Tsugumi to show off their skills (or lack thereof) and quest to try to get Raku to make a choice. Even a highly comedic character like Marika and her life-sized chocolate statues don’t get devalued – she pauses to seriously note how real her love for Raku is. This remains one of my favorite romantic comedy manga. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 18 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – After a couple of comedic chapters in which Mafuyu participates in summer vacation standards like a test of courage and a trip to the beach (I love that most of the guys are oblivious to her bikini), a new semester starts and plot things actually happen! After abducting their enemy, student council president Hanabusa, at his urging, Mafuyu begins to suspect that he’s not actually working on his father’s side in the bet against Takaomi, but perhaps has a wager of his own. Could it involve rehabilitating the misfits he drafted onto the council? The most interesting stuff, though, involves Hayasaka, as Hanabusa suggests he would’ve picked him for the council had Mafuyu not come along, while Momochi seems to be systematically erasing his happy memories with the Public Morals Club. Things are getting interesting and I’m looking forward to volume 19 to see how they develop! – Michelle Smith

Rin-Ne, Vol. 17 | By Rumiko Takahashi | Viz Media – You know things are bad when not only can you not figure out what to say about a book to fill up a 500-word review, but it’s even hard to come up with enough for one of these briefs. Rin-Ne excels when it ties back into its main plot, but sadly, none of Vol. 17 bothers to do that. Yes, Rinne’s dad shows up, and we get the shyster brother and sister, but for the most part Rin-Ne has a very Urusei Yatsura feel to it – what’s the supernatural disaster of the chapter that will cause humorous chaos? Which is fine when Ataru and Lum are the leads, but Rinne and Sakura simply don’t have the charisma to carry it off. More plot, please!. – Sean Gaffney