Michelle Smith

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

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 13 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – Recently, A Devil and Her Love Song has been pretty melodramatic, but I’m pleased to report that the thirteenth and final volume is the best in some time. The best parts, though, have nothing to do with main couple Maria and Shin. Instead, I really liked how much focus the group of friends received as a whole, particularly Ayu, with her unrequited feelings for Yusuke, and Yusuke with his unrequited feelings for Maria. Their plight is much more genuinely interesting than that of Maria and Shin, and the ending is actually kind of awesomely bittersweet, if I am interpreting Yusuke’s narration in the right way. Unfortunately, the series struggled a little getting to this point, and I’m not sure if I’m down for rereading it, but at least it comes to a very satisfatory conclusion. – Michelle Smith

Durarara!!: Saika Arc, Vol. 3 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – In the first Durarara!! arc, we saw how seemingly meek and mild-mannered Mikado was far more than he seemed. In this arc, we discover the same thing about quiet and reserved Anri, who is quiet and reserved for a very good reason. The series has several ‘monsters’ in it – Celty, Shizuo and his strength, and now, as we discover, Anri. Yet it also takes pains to show us how human and relatable they all are, and in fact the one inhuman monster left, Izaya, seemingly has no superpowers at all (is jerkass a superpower?). It’s a fun series with lots of fights and smug characters being smug. I expect the Yellow scarves arc, coming this fall, will focus on Masaomi, given what we’ve seen so far. I hear it’s much darker than the Saika Arc. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol 11 | By Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – I feel like it has been quite some time since I’ve been able to enjoy a new volume of Library Wars. This volume takes a turn towards the grim and solemn side, as a confrontation defending freedom of expression at a museum turns deadly, giving Iku her first traumatic combat experience, and severely wounding superior officer Genda. Dojo helps Iku get through the aftermath as best he can, but the political pressures on the Library Corps prompt Commander Inamine to announce his resignation, leading to even more emotional turmoil in the ranks. Library Wars tends to shift in tone a bit, and this volume didn’t have much of the light-hearted scenes to break up the action and angst. I did find this volume very gripping and I’m looking forward to what happens next, hopefully with a bit of relaxation time for my favorite front line combat librarians. – Anna N

Magi, Vol. 4 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The first half of this volume is devoted to showing off the pure awesome that is Morgiana, and I for one could not be happier. Aladdin may have destiny, and Alibaba may have street smarts, but Morgiana has PURE POWER, and she learns here how to use it to help and save others. Meanwhile, in case the cover didn’t clue you in, we get a new hero introduced in the 2nd half. Given that his name is Sinbad, I expect that he will be playing a large role here. As for Alibaba, well, we’re not really sure what to make of him, as he seems to have joined the side of the villains this time around. Luckily, his friends are there to beat some sense into him (literally at times), and I expect that the nxt volume will give us a nice, tragic backstory to explain everything. This is still a terrific shone action series. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, vol 9 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – I could feel myself getting a little bit impatient with this series during the last volume, and I am still looking forward to the conclusion, just because I generally don’t enjoy romance scenarios where the inevetible main couple is kept apart because they refuse to actually talk to each other about their emotions. This does continue a bit in this volume, but I’m also really enjoying Sakisaka’s art while I’m waiting for Ninako and Ren to hurry up and finally get together. Here Ninako’s holding back from confessing her feelings again for Ren due to her not wanting to hurt Ando, while Ren finally seems to be ready to force the issue. The next volume is the last, which seems about right for this series. Even though the plot elements are a bit predictable, Sakisaka’s execution of standard shoujo manga tropes is excellent, and I hope that more series from her get translated. – Anna N

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 3 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – Most of this volume is devoted to the fact that Hime can’t do her ‘prince voice’ on command, and trying to make it come naturally to her. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done – to date, she’s only done it when the situation really needed it, which isn’t something that an actor can count on all the time. Luckily, she has her manager and friends to help her, even if it may also involve falling for her. (She’s contrasted with another actress who didn’t have the willpower to succeed Hime possesses.) We also get a closer look at Senri, and open one one of the classic genderbender plot t2wists – Hime is disguised as a boy and Senri can’t spot the difference. I expect this to lead to a lot of wacky and tragic misunderstandings. Not as eventful as the 2nd volume, but still fun. – Sean Gaffney

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

Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar’s Game, Vol. 4 | By QuinRose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Seven Seas – Another volume of Joker vs. everyone else in the battle as to whether Alice will live happily in denial or wake to reality and crushing guilt. Blood gets the cover, and it’s appropriate – of all Alice’s potential suitors, he’s the one that seems to understand why he loves her better than the others, who can’t move beyond ‘bafflingly attracted to her’. Like Ace, Blood enjoys seeing Alice’s changing facial emotions. Unlike Ace, he prefers those to be mostly centered around him and love – and if that means they’re all anger and venom, well hey. It also contrasts well with Peter’s overdevoted yet basically sexless love, and the ‘oneesama’ feelings of Vivaldi. Will we ever see Lorina’s fate in this series? Only if it heads towards a ‘bad end’, which I doubt. – Sean Gaffney

Inu x Boku SS, Vol. 2 | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – While there is still an undercurrent of darkness to this title, I must admit I wasn’t expecting this volume to be quite as light and silly as it was. Carta, in particular, is a walking punchline, with ‘Peking Duck!’ probably being my favorite. Likewise the flamboyant lunacy of Kagerou, Ririchiyo’s fiance, means everything seems divided into nothing but masochism or sadism. That said, everything always gets dialed back when we focus on the cute yet arm’s length relationship between Ririchiyo and Soushi. The story of his upbringing is where the humor ceases, and his letter to Ririchiyo, as well as his realization of what they have meant to him, is very touching. Given the plot and the suggestive covers, I was expecting this to be a lot more fanservicey of a title. Instead, it’s proven quite sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 14 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I spent an enjoyable weekend getting caught up on Kamisama Kiss, a manga I had neglected for far too long. Unfortunately, volume 14 isn’t the best representation of the series, since it’s largely introduction to an arc that finds Nanami paying a visit to Tomoe’s past in an attempt to save him from a 500-year-old curse in the present. That’s not to say there aren’t some very nice moments here—my favorite is the moment when Nanami realizes that her first plan would mean that Mizuki would never have come to their shrine, causing her to rush to his side and reassure him—but everything builds to the final moment, which promises some interesting developments to come. Just not, y’know, in this particular volume. Still, I like the series a lot in general, and have faith that the eventual payoff will be rewarding. – Michelle Smith

No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, Vol. 2 | By Nico Tanigawa | Yen Press – Sometimes I read this and it’s the funniest thing ever, where I take my time and savor each horrible moment. And then sometimes it just hits far too near the knuckle, and I find myself flipping ahead because I really don’t want to cringe as I read about Tomoko’s new humiliations. Balancing on that knife edge is what this series is, and I like the fact that it seems to be different for each reader – I had immense trouble with the entire arc with Tomoko’s cousin, but seeing Tomoko spying on a couple with two younger boys or her father catching her with a massager and a BL tape were hysterical. There’s something that every fan of dark comedy here will love, but buyer beware: each volume will also give you the creeping shakes at how horrible her life really is. – Sean Gaffney

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 19 | By Horoshi Hiibashi | Viz Media – There’s a wrap-up of the events in the past here, showing us Rihan supposedly taking out the Hundred Stories (as well as more of Otome’s psyche being quite fragile). However,k most of what we get here is complete chaos, as the Hundred Stories are back, and using the human tendency for rumors and mistrust to make life a living hell for our heroes. It’s impressive how well the author shows us things going completely to hell – you never quite lose track of what’s happening, but the sheer chaos of the sequences is fleshed out enough for you to care. Even Kana can’t escape the fact that Nura and his clan are yokai now, and it’s understandably making her a little upset. I anticipate next volume will have a lot of fighting, so it was good to see effective setup for that here. – Sean Gaffney

Toriko, Vol. 20 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – This volume mostly consists of a series of smaller short arcs meant to show Toriko and Komatsu on less life-threatening adventures. This ranges from Toriko playing Santa and delivering food to the hungry to the search for the stinkiest fruit in the world, the Durian Bomb. Having once been exposed to Durians, I can sympathize with this last one. This Durian also provides a healthy dose of humor, along with other one-shot gags such as the Full-course Meal of health-nut Aimaru. In the end, though, the best reason to read Toriko is also here in this volume: seeing Toriko obsess about food and be incredibly strong, and having Komatsu reveal how far he’s come as a character and show off his basic innate goodness. After 20 volumes, this title still makes me (sigh, sorry) hungry for more. – Sean Gaffney

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

Arisa, Vol. 12 | By Natsumi Ando | Kodansha Comics – Yay, it’s over! Although this volume features a bomb, an over-the-top bitchy mom, several stabbings, and a healthy dose of redemption and forgiveness, none of it has any impact. It all just breezes past superficially. I’m kind of bummed that this is the sole example of shoujo mystery/suspense to come out in English in recent memory, because surely there must be better stories out there. One complimentary thing I can say about Arisa, however, is that the heroine (Tsubasa) does not get paired off romantically with the guy who helped with her investigation (Manabe). I thought for sure that would happen, but in the end, he actually likes someone else and Tsubasa derives closure from being able to get closer to her sister, and not from snagging a boyfriend. That counts for something! – Michelle Smith

A Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 13 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – It seems appropriate that the first third of this volume deal with the adversarial relationship between Ayu and Maria, given that this is where it all began. Sure, they’re good friends now, but that does not change the fact that Ayu still loves Yusuke, Yusuke still loves Maria, and Maria is in love with Shin. And sometimes there’s no real solution to those things. Maria, at least, refuses to abandon any of her friendships, and Ayu does come around. After this, it’s a refreshingly happy and positive final volume, as Maria continues to see her family, finds fresh resolve to become a singer, and of course strengthens her relationship with Shin. Even Anna is mentioned as moving forward. the darkness this series had throughout makes this ending all the sweeter, and it feels well-earned as well. A terrific title. – Sean Gaffney

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 5 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – First off, let’s note that, even amusingly censored as it is, this volume has a lot – a WHOLE lot – of nudity. FYI. As for the plot, Yozora tries her hardest (the horse head helps), and there’s the hint that our trap may not in fact be a trap at all, but for the most part this is a very Sena-focused volume. We see her loneliness and need to bond when everyone but her has a cell phone, and we see her obsession for cute things such as Kodaka’s sister. Mostly, though, we see that she’s really fallen for Kodaka, in a tsundere sort of way, and given that she’s slightly less socially inept than Yozora, probably has a better chance of getting together with him. Oh yes, and her family are insane, but I could have guessed that. This was a fun read for fans of harem comedies. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 14 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I sympathize with Nanami, I really do, given that the alternative is Tomoe’s death. But part of me just wants to grab her and scream “DO NOT MESS WITH TIME!” Yes, most of this volume takes place in the past, as Nanami resolves to stop Tomoe’s curse from killing him by preventing the curse from existing in the first place. The volume has plenty of magnificent Nanami moments, but fans of Kirihito and Mizuki will also find things to enjoy here. The other big attraction, though, is the evil past Tomoe, and how his history may already be changing just from meeting Nanami. (Or so we think – who knows? Do not mess with time.) This has the feeling of a multi-volume arc, so be prepared to spend more time in the past. Which I am fine with, as long as Nanami keeps being awesome. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 8 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – There is so much self-sacrificing going on in this volume I want to punch a kitten. Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely to see the angst and people being considerate of each other’s feelings and all, but I can’t help wonder how much longer this is going to go on with Ninako lying to herself? (Checks volume count – two more to go.) I do like the addition of the blunt guy who has nothing to do with Ninako or any of their friends – he makes a good sounding board, and hopefully will not be dragged into any love triangles, even though I suspect jealousy is going to rear its ugly head. I’m still enjoying this, but it’s a shoujo where everyone is sad most of the time, and that means that it needs to run its course soon. You can’t sustain angst over 10+ volumes. Luckily, next time is the penultimate one. – Sean Gaffney

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

Black Butler, Vol. 16 | By Yana Toboso | Yen Press – Ciel remains on assignment at Weston College, looking into the disappearance of one of Queen Victoria’s relatives. It’s been pretty fun to see Ciel in this environment, be it currying favor with prefects or befriending an earnest boy his own age. In this volume, he’s putting Sebastians talents to use in an attempt to perform well enough in the annual cricket tournament (despite a near-total lack of athletic ability) to earn an invitation to tea with the headmaster, who could hold all the answers. Okay, brilliant this isn’t, but I liked that it became a little like a sports manga (with players shouting out their moves, like “Rushing Violet Vapour, Purple Burnoutt!!”) and enjoyed the subtle Harry Potter references, like the appearance of a Hedwig clone and references to some of the actors from the movies. – Michelle Smith

A Bride’s Story, Vol. 3 | By Kaoru Mori | Yen Press – In this volume Mori shifts from mainly telling the story of Amir and her young husband Karluk to exploring what happens to the European researcher Mr. Smith when he travels to a town and has a chance meeting with Talas, a young woman who has been widowed many times. Talas’ mother in law views Mr. Smith as a last chance to ensure that Talas will be taken care of after she dies, and the young couple start developing a liking to each other in spite of all of the manipulations to throw them together. But as women Talas and her mother in law have very little autonomy or ability to decide how they are going to live their lives. As always, Mori’s painstakingly researched details combined with her facility for showing slice of live scenes in a market or herding sheep bring history to life. Amir and Karluk make a brief appearance, and we also see hints of the next Bride’s story as the young Pariya gets her own chapter as well. Delightful as always! – Anna N

Dictatorial Grimoire: Snow White, Vol. 2 | By Ayumi Kanou | Seven Seas – I must admit, I greatly enjoyed this volume while I was reading it. It’s a lot of fun, I really like the character of Hiyori, and the design of Rapunzel was incredibly striking. That said, there’s no denying that this is basically a series of shonen cliches wrapped up in a pretty-boys package, and so if originality is your goal, you can skip this. But as a tasty manga treat you’ll forget about 10 minutes after you read it, it’s pretty much dead-on. Snow White is amusingly snarky (the conversations between him and Hiyori are comedy gold), Otogi gets to find his missing resolve and start fighting again, and as a reward gets lots of BL tease with Cinderella. I’m actually very interested in what will happen i the next ‘arc, which seems to feature Red Riding Hood (also male, of course). – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke, Vol. 18 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – Sometimes when a volume of a manga gets too happy, I start to get worried. Let’s call this the Joss Whedon effect. Everything is going so well for Sawako and her friends and family in this volume that I actually checked to see whether the series was ending soon, because it definitely has that feeling. It doesn’t appear to be, so now I’m a little fretful. What’s going to happen to stir this all up?! I know; I really should be content with what we get here, because it’s been so well-earned. Sawako and Kazehaya are finally on the same page in their relationship, Ayane may finally have found the right guy, and Chizu is perhaps slightly less clueless than before. And I’m happy to see that the focus on female friendships is still going strong in Kimi ni Todoke, even with all the romance in the air. Unequivocally recommended. – Michelle Smith

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 4, by Tsutomo Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – I really enjoy the way Nihei juxtaposes giant robots fighting giant gross aliens in space with hints of an overarching back story about the history of the colonization spaceship Sidonia. There’s a bit of the whole Battlestar Galactica “This has happened before, and it will happen again” theme in this volume as Tanikaze gets increased responsibility and is relied upon in battle more than ever, slowly acting more and more like he is going to live up to the legacy of his creator/father. The occasional bit of daily life on the Sidona is also included, making it clear that Tanikaze’s comments about loving the food, organisms, and people on the spaceship reflect his protective feelings. Hints of human and Guana experimentation continue to maintain the elements of horror that make this manga much more interesting than a simple space opera. Still highly recommended. – Anna N

Otomen, Vol. 17 | By Aya Kanno | Viz Media – Well, I knew this volume was going to hurt, and sure enough, it did. Kiyomi’s emotional manipulation of her son reaches its zenith, and the fallout affects everyone around Asuka. Particularly Ryo. You know it’s a crisis when Ryo is suddenly cooking and sewing well. At the center of all of this is Asuka’s sense of identity, and how can he remain true to it and keep both his family and his love. Sadly, Asuka is making the wrong choices here, but then, it is the second to last volume of the series. It looks as if we’re setting up for a big finale speech, one that I suspect may get interrupted several times. The manga may be a bit melodramatic at times, but the characterization is solid (I’ve come to terms with every single male in the cast being a secret otomen by now) Bring on the final volume. – Sean Gaffney

Psyren, Vol. 14 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | Viz Media – Oh dear, it’s an all-fighting volume of Psyren, where even the minimal word count I have to write for these briefs seems excessive. The writer enjoys trotting out the big book of shonen cliches, with “i was just holding back, now you’ve made me use my full power”, dead mentors, and “I can teach you how to do this, but it may destroy you.” Oddly, there’s also a subplot about how constant fighting is a bad end in itself, and when the main characters win, they think to themselves that destroying the other side is not a great feeling after all. Fighting to protect vs. fighting to destroy, fighting for a peaceful future world vs. fighting for the apocalypse that already exists… this is what Psyren’s been doing. I have a feeling next volume will be all fighting again, but as long as it heads towards that peaceful end, that’s fine.– Sean Gaffney

Sankarea: Undying Love, Vol. 4 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – The difference in cover art between the Japanese and American volumes has never been starker than it is here. And I honestly think I prefer this version, mostly as the moe antics are the least interesting part of this book. The best moments here are discovering more of Rea’s tragic backstory, and the constant war between Rea and her zombie desires – one she seems to lose more and more each time, despite the genuine love she seems to have for Furuya. It makes me curious to see how far this series can go. Given it’s also fond of fanservice and tsundere antics, can it really descend into pure horror and abandon its romantic comedy stance? And more to the point, will Rea actually kill anybody? That does seem to be a real turn=-off for many guys… though perhaps not Furuya, given his obsessions. – Sean Gaffney