Bookshelf Briefs

Blue Box, Vol. 4 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – We finally tip the balance of this sports romance series back to romance in this volume, as Taiki’s cold means that Chinatsu ends up taking care of him, which leads to standard teen romance manga “I fall on top of you” shenanigans… but this is Blue Box, not Love Hina, so the reactions for both of them are very realistic and incredibly awkward. Chinatsu, unfortunately, is simply not ready for any kind of romance in her life right now, despite what her heart seems to be telling her, and Taiki accepts that for now, I think. As for Hina… hang in there, kid. I think until you get a spare to pair with, you’re pretty screwed. I expect we may go back to sports next time; I do like the back and forth. – Sean Gaffney

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 12 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – There probably wasn’t a good way that this final volume was going to wrap up for me. Asano’s series have always generally been too depressing for my tastes, and this is the only long-form one I read till the end. To its credit, all the timey wimey stuff happening throughout the series does mean that we get a happy ending of a sort, and the ending is somewhat optimistic, and ties in with Isobeyan. On the downside, I was not at all interested in the front half of this book, which basically involves a lot of freedom fighters and innocent civilians getting brutally murdered to show off what a terrible world this is now. Still, at its best, this series was magical. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 17 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Manga – Most of this volume is taken up by a new arc, written especially for fans who wanted to see more of the yuki-onna that settled down with her human lover, and it’s pretty good. But man, that first chapter is really something, as it just casually drops that there is no way that Kotoko can EVER be happy with him, she’s always going to have to end up killing him, because of the nature of who they both are. Fortunately, whenever Kotoko is NOT around, Kuro proves to be a lot more vocal about his feelings for her, and he’s working on a way to change that. All this and only ONE mention all book of Kotoko being sexually perverse. Possibly as she and Kuro are separate most of it. – Sean Gaffney

My Girlfriend’s Child, Vol. 1 | By Mamoru Aoi | Seven Seas – The title of this series seems to be a bit ironic, as we follow the POV of Sachi throughout the book (it is shoujo, from Betsufure), and it’s her thoughts and especially her fears that drive the book. It’s content to let us view Sachi almost through gauze, as her muted emotions slowly start to realize that she is, in fact, pregnant. Her boyfriend is there for her, as is her brother, but you get the sense that decisions about her future will need to come from her, and have been narrowed significantly because of this. That’s probably what leads to the cliffhanger ending to this volume, to be honest. It’s a riveting work, highly recommended if you like a series that rests entirely on mood. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 28 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – Yay, Taki shows up! She’s the most normal of the cast, but I always like seeing her, and she helps her brother with what appears to be a yokai following him around on a tour of temples. Well, OK, she tells Natsume and Natsume helps him. Taki is never going to be that involved. In the main story, which will continue in the next book, we dig deeper into Natori’s past and family, as he goes back to his old home and ends up caught in a yokai’s trap… which, to be fair, he was expecting. This arc relies heavily on the fact that Natsume tends to sympathize with the yokai he’s helping, and the cliffhanger implies that it can be used against him as well. Still a fantastic shoujo series. – Sean Gaffney

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 17 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – This volume technically ends with a death, and it’s handled really well, but it’s also a rebirth of sorts, so I think we come out ahead in the end. It also has some truly terrifying art inside—I’ve talked before about how I think there’s too many people in this cast, and that I can’t follow the plot, but I don’t talk enough about Motomi’s skill as an artist, which is exceptional. Oh yes, and we also get some nice little set pieces, including the “I was taken over by evil, I’m good now!….. jjuuuuuuuust kidding!” sort of character who you’re supposed to be happy to see the back of, though I don’t think this series can ever write someone being brutally killed without a bit of regret and sadness to it. Still reading it. – Sean Gaffney

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, Vol. 1 | By Osamu Nishi | Kodansha Manga – This is probably just me, but the first volume of this book is almost exactly like the first volume of Hayate the Combat Butler, right down to the incredible powers that the hero has all being products of the abuse of his parents. Iruma doesn’t become a butler, though, but instead ends up, as the title suggests, in a school where he’s the only human, and has to hide that fact. Most of the humor here is “I am trying not to be noticed, and fail miserably,” and to be fair it is a lot of fun—I can see why the series has a following. The one flaw might be Iruma himself, who in this first book is a bit TOO milquetoast for my liking, though again, abusive parents, so it makes sense. Good start. – Sean Gaffney

The Yakuza’s Bias, Vol. 1 | By Teki Yatsuda | Kodansha Comics – I didn’t realize initially that The Yakuza’s Bias is basically a gag manga. I don’t generally fare too well with those, but I was fairly amused by this one. Ken Kanashiro, second-in-command of the Washio Clan, is introduced by the boss’s daughter to the Korean idol group, MNW, and is immediately taken by one of the members, Jun, who teaches him what it means to be a man. Subsequent chapters involve Ken’s underlings noticing a change in him, a rival yakuza (Mizuhara) who sets out to whack him but ends up a MNW convert instead, and Ken’s growing Twitter fame. Any time I’d start to get weary of the joke, Yatsuda-sensei would find a way to make it fresh again. I might eventually get impatient with this series for not going much of anywhere, but I will definitely be back for volume two. – Michelle Smith

Catch These Hands!, Vol. 4 | By murata | Yen Press – When two people who already know each other well decide—or are trying to decide—to be a couple, it can be very easy to start second-guessing. That’s what we see in this final volume, as Takabe realizes that she has no idea what Soramori’s likes, dislikes, and hobbies are outside of their tiny little interactions, so tries to nudge Soramori into doing things she enjoys. The trouble is, and Soramori feels shamed about this, she doesn’t really have anything much of a life outside Takebe. She worries this will mean Takabe thinks her too much trouble to be worth it, but Takabe is able to use this to finally admit how she feels. In the end, the two are a couple, but still feeling things out, and that feels very appropriate. – Sean Gaffney

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 1 | By Hiromu Arakawa | Square Enix – Any new series by Hiromu Arakawa ought to be a cause for celebration, but her latest effort feels more like something produced by ChatGPT than a person. All the right ingredients are there, from a brother and sister with supernatural powers to a boisterous supporting cast of bounty hunters and demons—sorry, daemons—but the first four chapters are so jam-packed with events and characters that it’s easy to lose sight of the main storyline. Even the jokes feel tired, as they focus mainly on the characters’ surprised reactions to modern technologies such as the automobile; you’ve seen this kind of fish-out-of-water humor done with more panache in dozens of other series. About the best I can say for Daemons of the Shadow Realm is that Arakawa still has a flair for drawing monsters and villains, including the most menacing set of teeth since Jaws terrorized movie-goers. My verdict: skip it and read Silver Spoon instead. – Katherine Dacey

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 24 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – The next ‘arc’ of this manga is teased in this volume, as we see it’s the start of a new school year and unfortunately this means Komi is in a classroom with a whole lot of new cast members who don’t know who she is. But for now we have fluffier things to deal with, as Tadano and Komi try to go out on a date. This involves shopping for clothes on Komi’s end, and getting vetted by Komi’s dad on Tadano’s end, though Tadano is so pure that the outcome is never in doubt. And then there’s the new year, and Manbagi is not in the same class, but fortunately for Komi Tadano is. Good stuff, and the series now has to cross the high hurdle of continuing after the romantic resolution. Can it succeed? – Sean Gaffney

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 13 | By Afro | Yen Press – After the last volume went totally off the rails (in a good way), this is a return to form for the series, which knows what its readers want, and for the most part gives it to them. (The readers also want a Rin/Nadeshiko ship, but that’s not happening.) So we get lots of scenes of the girls camping, separately this time, and an excuse to draw a whole lot of gorgeous Japanese scenery and show off what are presumably some excellent campgrounds. We even get what may be a couple of new characters in one chapter, where we see an artist trying to find inspiration who settles on Ena and her dog, asleep on a bench. There’s never any plot or character development in this, but that’s just fine. It’s relaxing. – Sean Gaffney

Nights with a Cat, Vol. 1 | By Kyuryu Z | Yen Press – Though there are dozens of great pet manga now available in English, Nights with a Cat has something genuinely new to offer: simple, observational storytelling that doesn’t shamelessly tug on the heartstrings or anthropomorphize our furry companions. The series explores the relationship between Fuuta and Kyuruga, his roommate’s cat. As someone who’s never lived with a cat before, Fuuta is fascinated by Kyuruga, marveling at Kyuruga’s anatomy—his pupils, his sandpaper tongue, his retractable claws—as well as Kyuruga’s ability to silently materialize in surprising places. Kyuryu Z doesn’t play these moments for laughs, choosing instead to emphasize how strange and amazing cats really are; his illustrations capture the fluidity of Kyuruga’s movements and the changeability of his moods. Recommended for new and long-time cat owners alike. – Katherine Dacey

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 6 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship This will always be a Ghost Ship sort of title, which can make it hard to recommend to anyone who is not intensely horny 90% of the time. The opening scenes, involving hair evolving out of control to the point that it becomes tentacle porn, are a good example. But we also get a new girlfriend, a shy girl who is convinced eventually to show herself in front of the guy she loves. And, in the best part of the volume, Karane’s tsundere character is deconstructed when she drinks a de-tsun potion and turns into a lovey-dovey girl. The question is… is she better off like this, able to say she loves Rentaro directly? Or is it better to be her old self? Love it. – Sean Gaffney

Skip and Loafer, Vol. 7 | By Misaki Takamatsu |Seven Seas – Given the cliffhanger ending to this volume, I should probably be talking about its two leads some more, but let’s face it, the entire volume is stolen by Yuzuki. It’s the start of everyone’s second year, and that means new classes. Everyone in their group is at least with someone they know… except Yuzuki, who is by herself. This means that all the teen drama she used to deal with all the time is back full force, complete with guys trying to force their way into a date and girls lying to her in order to make said date happen. It’s no wonder she breaks down in tears. Frankly, she’s better off with Makoto, who is able to run to her rescue at the end, if only with pudding. I love Yuzuki so much. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 20 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media Despite being, for the most part, a gag series, there is a bit of plot in Sleepy Princess, and it crops up a bit here, which is the fact that humans and demons are still at odds with each other. This is what Syalis and Twilight are trying to fix, but it can be hard on both ends. The biggest “story” in this book has Poseidon accidentally hitting a poison needle that makes the recipient sleep for a year. (It was made for Syalis’ grandmother, implied to be THE Sleeping Beauty herself.) There’s a demon who will fix it… but she refuses to deal with humans. Can Syalis break past her misgivings by being polite and asking nicely? Or will she simply be herself? – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 17 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – I’ve said this before, but the main struggle this series has is that the ending is obvious but it can’t go there yet. The series is still too popular, it’s still getting anime series and movies, and even the spinoffs are doing well, though not licensed here. But if you want character development, either Nishikata or Takagi is going to have to genuinely confess. And you can’t DO that without ending the series, because the whole point is that she’s trying to be subtle and Nishikata is the very embodiment of not picking up on something unless it’s ludicrously direct. There’s a lot of teasing here, but in terms of romance they’re both still more immature than they should be for fourteen-year-olds. – Sean Gaffney

Insomniacs After School, Vol. 1 | By Makoto Ojiro | Viz Media – The anime to this manga is currently airing this season, though I haven’t watched it yet. I hope it does its subject justice, as this was a very nice first volume. It’s clearly a setup for some romance, but that’s not in the cards yet, with boy-meets-girl being more like boy-and-girl-desperately-need-sleep. The problems with insomnia and what it can do to a person are not dwelled on in great detail, but are also thoughtfully examined, and I like how the guy’s crankiness is clearly more the lack of sleep than his actual personality. The one danger I can see in the future is that the lead girl’s insomnia stems from a medical condition, and, as others have already said, I hope this doesn’t go Your Lie in April on us. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 8 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – I was right in that this whole volume was about the reaction to Sarasa leaving the performance to see her grandfather, but I was wrong in that the bulk of the criticism comes from Sarasa herself, especially when her grandfather turns out to be relatively OK, making her journey bittersweet. There’s a lot of discussion over which is more important for an actor, family or performance, and the book settles reluctantly on the latter—as does Sarasa’s grandfather, who reminds her that he’s going to inevitably die before her. Fortunately, there is some levity in this book, and it comes from Ai, who resolves to take over from Sarasa, and does a great job, but flubs a line very memorably, and that’s all anyone can think about. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 25 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – Entirely dedicated to its finale, Kaguya-sama has, for the most part, abandoned its subplots for the main plot, which involves the decline and fall of the Shinomiyas, and how that’s interacting with Kaguya herself. There’s much discussion of how succession and financial success or failure works in a family this large and this corporate, especially when all the siblings seem to hate each other. Or do they? As Chika notes (and yes, this is Chika being serious, because the situation warrants it), Unyou might behave like an asshole, but in the end he’s as much a tsundere as his sister. That said, we still have a long way to go till Kaguya is rescued, and it might require intervention from their chief rivals, the Shijos. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Love, That’s an Understatement, Vol. 1 | By Fujimomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Having loved Fujimomo’s Lovesick Ellie, I figured I would enjoy Love, That’s an Understatement and I did. I must admit, however, that on the surface it has some pretty standard shoujo tropes, such as the manga starting with the heroine saving a beat-up delinquent in the rain—didn’t Honey So Sweet start that same exact way?—and having thoughts like, “This feeling… what do I call it?” But Fujimomo does excel at taking characters who appear cool and aloof and showing their vulnerabilities, and here that’s happening with both model student Risa Amakawa—seemingly composed and super capable—and Zen Ohira the hoodlum. Risa’s upbringing has led to her feeling like she has to handle everything alone, and Zen not only proves to be a reliable ally but someone who sees the real her. Echoes of Lovesick Ellie there, but I am very here for it. – Michelle Smith

No Longer Allowed in Another World, Vol. 2 | By Hiroshi Noda and Takahiro Wakamatsu | Seven Seas Good news for those who didn’t like the fact that the first volume was a variation on one joke: this volume does introduce an actual plot, and shows us what power our hero actually did get when he was transported. Unfortunately, for those who DID like that the series was a variation on one joke, there’s far less of that, and far more of the standard bullshit isekai things. This reminds me a bit of The Executioner and Her Way of Life, in that the bad guys are other kids from Japan who gained monstrous powers and, well, turned into monsters. Our hero has a way to “save” them, but I’ll be honest, I was hoping for more of the dark comedy. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 24 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I still greatly enjoy this series, but it’s pretty clear that, now that it’s pretty much an assured success that can end whenever it wants, some of the arcs are dragging a bit, and this one is a good example. We’re still in the midst of finding out who’s using the drugged scent and why, and the answer probably lies with a young woman who used to be Lord Eisetsu’s gardener. There’s danger, and more danger, with a cliffhanger showing Ryu’s in danger. Kageya is a very interesting tragic figure, but I am 100% certain she’s going to die protecting someone in a few chapters. The question is whether that’s actually the root cause of things, and the answer is probably not. New arc soon, perhaps? – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 9 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – The wrap-up to the cruise ship arc is pitch perfect, and threatens to drown out the rest of the volume. Yor may not have firmly decided to give up being an assassin, but it’s clear her heart is no longer in it anymore. The rest of the book is one-shots, of the sort this series does in between arcs, with highlights being the unlikely team-up of Franky and Fiona, and Becky’s elementary schoolgirl attempts to act sexy and mature so Loid will notice her (then she sees Yor and realizes she’s doomed). There’s also a good mini-arc, where Bond tries to save victims from a fire, which turns out to have been set deliberately. A nice volume that shows off the entire cast well, and I think we’re now ready for more of the main plot. – Sean Gaffney

Usotoki Rhetoric, Vol. 2 | By Ritsu Miyako | One Peace Books – The cases get a little more substantial in the second volume of Usotoki Rhetoric, as the first involves solving a ten-year-old murder, but still a little less than satisfying, as the culprit is apprehended and confesses entirely off-camera. Kanoko has a crisis of self-doubt when her ability to hear lies causes her to suspect an innocent person who was only concealing a certain fact to protect someone else, and we see more about how she was shunned in her home village. She attempts to quit working as Iwai’s assistant, fearing hurting anyone else, but then realizes that he will be hurt if she quits. Lastly, Iwai and Kanoko handle a dispute in which a fountain pen figures prominently, to my delight. All in all, this is more low-key than a true mystery series, but still very enjoyable. – Michelle Smith

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 17 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – It’s been a long time since I reviewed this series, but I have been keeping up. We’re currently at an interesting point, as we see a war between the “magic has consequences, and sometimes those consequences are tragic, and there’s nothing you can do about that” part of the story, and the “screw that, I’m going to save my friend no matter what” part of the story, which is to say, Chise’s part. I’m honestly still not sure if we’re going to be able to not have Philomela die… and even if she is saved, she may have to be written out of the cast anyway. Also, there are some terrifying drawings here, and a nice examination of how family frequently is terrible. Still excellent. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 3 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – The author is finally starting to give Chinatsu some focus here, which is good. The focus is more on her struggles in sports, though. This title is balancing the sports and romance, but I’d say at the moment it’s more a 65-35 split, with sports being the 65. That means we also get the results of Taiki’s badminton competition, where he does much better than anyone expected… but does not win. That sort of result is fairly standard in these sorts of Jump sports manga, and you can see why—it always leaves an impact. As for Chinatsu, I think she may have to have a girls’ talk with Hina soon so that we can resolve the fact that Hina is The Other Girl in a series that’s not going to tolerate that for long. – Sean Gaffney

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Vol. 4 | By Shio Usui | Seven Seas – Last time I said I didn’t think this would go down the asexual route, and here I am eating my words. The emotional climax of the story comes both from Hinako and Asahi admitting that they love each other and want to make a life together, while also confessing to each other that they don’t really have the desire to kiss or other stuff with their romantic partner. I’m so used to seeing series like this quietly walk back the lack of sexual attraction once the main couple get together that I found this all the more affecting. The rest of the book also wrapped things up very nicely, including some closure for the other two cast members. One of the better yuri titles we’ve seen lately. – Sean Gaffney

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 6 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – The main thrust of this series continues to be the cute, adorable moments, but I will grant you that we are seeing considerable character development as well. Shiraishi still has to cross a monumental chasm to get a hold of some self-esteem, but people are noticing him more, and he did a group event well. As for Kubo, here we find that a lot of her own classroom habits stem from having to live up to the example of her older sister—who we’ve seen as the one who teases Kubo but apparently was also effortlessly good in school… whereas Kubo really needs to put in a LOT of effort. It’s good stuff, and will keep you going till new episodes of the anime return in May. – Sean Gaffney

May I Ask for One Final Thing?, Vol. 1 | By Nana Otori and Sora Hoonoki | AlphaPolis (digital only) – This small Japanese publisher has released a few titles in English, and we’re getting volume releases (sadly, exclusive to Kindle for now). This was the one I picked up, as it has a LOT of buzz. It’s a standard villainess start, with our seemingly cool, stoic villainess being shamed by her fiance, who declares his love for the smug heroine. So far so normal. Then we get the title remark… and our villainess lets loose a punch that will have you cheering. Turns out she just loves violence, and has been holding herself back for the sake of the kingdom. Thankfully, there is another (eccentric but not evil) prince, who appreciates her more. This was hilarious. Volumes two and three are also available. – Sean Gaffney

orange: to you, dear one | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – It’s been over five years since the last volume of orange, but I was easily able to slide back in and remember all the characters and situations. (Which is more than I could say for Dreamin’ Sun, the author’s other manga, which gets a somewhat pointless crossover at the end of this book.) Each of the main characters gets a chapter or two focusing on advice from a future self they’re never going to be, and those future selves also write letters to Kakeru encouraging him and giving him hope. Which he needs, as he meets his father in this volume as well, who is an absolute asshole that will make you want to throw your book across the room. Thankfully, Kakeru has his friends. Oh yes, and yay, confession at LAST! -Sean Gaffney

Under Ninja, Vol. 1 | By Kengo Hanazawa | Denpa – When we’re first introduced to seventeen-year-old Kuro Kumogakure, nothing about his behavior or living situation suggests that he’s actually part of a secret ninja organization. He drinks beer in the middle of the day, blows darts at the ceiling, and watches DVDs to pass the time. His dull but safe existence is upended by the arrival of a messenger who gives him an assignment: infiltrate a local high school by posing as a student. Though the premise seems ripe with comic potential, the story can’t settle on a tone. There are a few outbursts of graphic violence that cast a pall over the early chapters, as do some uncomfortable jokes at the expense of Kuro’s landlady. Perhaps the worst running gag involves a wannabe Russian ninja whose inability to read Japanese results in gory mayhem; his enthusiasm for Japanese culture might be darkly amusing if the rest of the story was lighter on its feet, but instead reinforces the sour mood. Not recommended. – Katherine Dacey

The Villainess and the Demon Knight, Vol. 1 | By Nekota and Seikan | Ghost Ship – I was just about ready to drop this after the first chapter. As a “villainess,” Cecilia is a bit of a drip, and as a love interest, Lucas is a bit too forceful and obsessed. Fortunately, it sort of improves as it goes along, with a few laugh-out-loud moments, and backstory showing that she’s not as pathetic as she appeared, and he is… well, no, he’s your standard shoujo “being a an obsessed psycho is kinda hot” boyfriend, but his intentions beyond sex are at least good. And the sex scenes aren’t too bad. Villainess fans can skip this, but Ghost Ship fans should find something here to like. And it’s got a maid who can terrify people with merely a smile. I love that. – Sean Gaffney

Ayashimon, Vol. 1 | By Yuji Kaku | VIZ – Ayashimon starts with a bang: we meet Maruo, a boy who’s so obsessed with shonen manga that he devotes his entire childhood to becoming as strong as his favorite heroes. In a few nifty sight gags, author Yuji Kaku establishes how quickly Maruo becomes invincible, to the point where he’s feared by everyone and unable to work a normal, nine-to-five job. A chance encounter with a demonic mob boss puts the despondent Maruo on a new path, however, leading to a steady gig as the muscleman for a scrappy yakuza gang. It’s at this moment in the story that volume one begins to sag; the later chapters lack the comedic flair and brisk pacing of the introduction, as Kaku relies too much on expository dialogue for world-building purposes, in the process squandering the good will he created with his energetic, imaginative introduction. – Katherine Dacey

The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife, Vol. 1 | By Iwatobineko | Seven Seas – This one has a bit of a gimmick, as it’s in shades of blue rather than in black and white. It might need the gimmick as it’s basically sweet and nice and that’s about it. A detective agency is run by a man who is invisible, helped by a boisterous beast girl, a grumpy but kind human guy, and the secretary, who is blind but always seems to know just where her boss is. The two quickly fall for each other. Sadly, the two are also both terminally shy and awkward, so this is a very slow-burn romance, mostly consisting of dinner dates and discussion of how each of them deals with the problem surrounding sight. I’m not sure I want to read this in an ongoing manner, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you like cute, it’s here for you. – Sean Gaffney

Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1 | By Wataru Yoshizumi | Seven Seas – Marmalade Boy was one of the first manga I ever read, and I’ve always remembered it with extreme fondness. Thus, I was fairly concerned that I’d not like it as much upon a reread. Happily, I needn’t have worried, because this series is still great and conjures up many nostalgic feelings. Yes, the premise of Miki and Yuu’s parents switching partners, remarrying, and merging their families under one roof is kind of out there, but I enjoyed Miki’s reactions to everything going on in her life and Yuu was actually a lot kinder—and more obviously interested in architecture—than I remembered him being at the outset. The color pages in this new edition are also really nice. True, there is a student-teacher romance that has not aged at all well, but that’s not going to stop me from relishing revisiting a beloved fave. – Michelle Smith

Medalist, Vols. 6 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This is now an award-winning manga, and I assume it’s selling like crap, or else it would definitely be getting a print release. It deserves it so much. The first chapter in this volume is a fist-pumping burst of joy, as everything Inori has been training for up to that point comes together and she absolutely blows everyone away. And then we get the rest of the volume, where she realizes that there’s still so much more she has to learn—and learn fast—or else she’s toast. The manga never hesitates to remind you what a cutthroat world figure skating is, and how it has no mercy for anyone who cannot keep up. Tsukasa is also realizing this as well, and has just as many self-esteem issues as Inori… with the added pressure of needing to be her rock. I cannot wait to see what happens next, and hope she goes as far as possible. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, Vol. 3 | By Yoko Akiyama and Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – It’s hard to review this kind of spinoff because the stakes are so low. Nothing unusual can happen, as it can’t break canon. And, sadly, a huge chunk of it has to feature the stars—there’s a major story here that’s once again about Bakugou being really mad, and Izuku flinching a lot. In the main part of the series, he’s apologized for the bullying, but not the constant rage, really. Oh yes, and there’s a Mineta chapter where he dresses up as a small dog for perverse reasons. The girls are disgusted with him, but no one bothers to file a complaint with the school or anything—by now I assume they go unread. I think what I’m trying to say is that I take My Hero Academia too seriously to enjoy this wannabe version. – Sean Gaffney

My Special One, Vol. 1 | By Momoka Koda | VIZ – Sahoko hates attractive boys and is almost pathological in her dislike of idols, loudly proclaiming that she hopes that all of them are cursed to become fat and bald. She’s still suffering from the aftereffects of her first love confession going terribly wrong. However, her feelings begin to change when she meets an idol in real life. Kouta appears in the neighborhood diner that Sahoko’s family runs. Sahoko becomes flustered when she asks Kouta for an autograph for her best friend Yuko, and when he turns his charm on her she becomes filled with unfamiliar feelings…could she actually be developing a crush on a cute boy?! The first volume of this manga is cute, if a bit predictable. While there’s some humor, I wasn’t extremely invested in the characters. I’m not sure if it is going to make it into my regular reading rotation, but I could definitely see myself binging on it at some point in the future if I’m in the mood for low-stakes romance. – Anna N

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2 | By Sakaomi Yuzaki | Yen Press – Food is still the primary reason for the manga, but now that it’s settled in this new volume is ready to delve deeper into the lives of both its leads. Notomo is being pressured to marry, and constantly sees dating advice given as if it assumes that she’s cishet, and is not a happy camper. We also learn Kasuga’s past, as she was part of an abusive household growing up, where she and her mother were treated as second-class citizens due to being women. As this is happening, both are subtly trying to feel out if this is just a really good friendship or something more, but unfortunately neither one of them have the answer yet. This manga is frankly fantastic, one of the best I’ve read recently, and every LGBTA fan should pick it up. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 12 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – We’re New at This is trying its best to give us good observations about how to be a loving couple and not annoy your partner too much, and now that we’re observing more than one couple we get to see some things we wouldn’t with our leads, such as how to deal with a pregnant wife. As for Ikuma and Sumika, they are here for that, but they also get to carry the bulk of the OTHER reason readers love this, which is the sexy times. Here a cherry blossom party quickly turns alcoholic, and a horny Sumika asks her husband to get them to a love hotel… which turns out to have a few devices that might take their heights of ecstasy even further. These two really, really love each other, both as a married couple and as two folks who really love sex. It’s still cute. – Sean Gaffney

Confessions of a Shy Baker, Vol. 1 | By Masaomi Ito | TOKYOPOP – Initially, Confessions of a Shy Baker felt to me like a discount knockoff of What Did You Eat Yesterday?. You have a gay couple who have been together for years and live together. One of the men (Gon) is more laidback and is out to his coworkers in a service industry job. The other (Toshi) is more reserved and closeted at work and is the one who lovingly prepares homemade baked goods for his boyfriend. The strange art style—Toshi has giant ears and looks cross-eyed—and instant dive into LGBTQIA+ issues rather than focusing on the characters didn’t help, either. Thankfully, the story seems to relax halfway through and we get chapters about Gon’s obnoxious college friend and Gon and Toshi inheriting a cute dog. In the end, I liked it enough to continue. – Michelle Smith

Doomsday with My Dog, Vol. 1 | By Yu Isihara | Yen Press – In this post-apocalyptic comedy, a young woman wanders a devastated landscape with her trusty shiba inu. The two encounter a variety of animals and aliens in their search for food and shelter, but not much happens; by the middle of volume one, the storylines have fallen into a predictable pattern in which the scatterbrained owner makes a rash decision, seeks counsel from her wise pet, then ignores Haru’s advice. Though a few scenes elicited a chuckle, the aimlessness of the storytelling and the plainness of the artwork left me cold; I never clicked with the characters or the script, not least because the main human character was a flighty bore. Your mileage may vary. – Katherine Dacey

HIRAETH ~The End of the Journey~, Vol. 3 | By Yuhki Kamatani | Kodansha Manga (digital only) – This series comes with a warning that it deals with suicide ideation, and reader discretion is advised. And sure enough, Mika does in fact make the effort when she finally gets to the end of her journey… but she can’t. Her journey has given her too much life and love and joy to go chasing after her lost love. That said, we also get Hibino on the cover, and this is really his book, as he’s forced to confront his immortality and the reasons for it, as well as his own realization that, unlike Mika, he really is ready to move on. This author’s series are usually fantastic, and this was no exception. it’s not for everyone, but it’s why the word “evocative” was invented. – Sean Gaffney

Kitaro | By Shigeru Mizuki | Drawn & Quarterly – Somehow, it’s been nearly a decade since Drawn & Quarterly introduced its first anthology of stories from Shigeru Mizuki’s manga GeGeGe no Kitaro. I loved the collection and so was sad to see it fall out of print and become increasingly hard to find. But now a second edition has been released; I couldn’t be happier that these incredibly influential stories are readily available again. Revisions to the second edition include a new introduction by Zack Davisson (replacing the essay by Matt Alt) and updates to Jocelyne Allen’s translation as well as notable improvements to the lettering and overall book design. Davisson’s glossary of yokai is retained in the re-release, too, further augmenting the general presentation of Mizuki’s manga—thirteen delightful stories originally published in the mid-1960s which have more than stood the test of time. In addition to being an important cultural touchstone, Kitaro is just so much fun. – Ash Brown

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 23 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – At last, the payoff. Manbagi confesses, waiting to get rejected, and actually ends up having Tadano say yes, because Tadano is the way he is. So she has to sort of nudge him to admit that he’d rather be going out with someone else, and by the end of this volume, we have finally achieved blushing confession. This was a fantastic sacrifice on Manbagi’s part, and I sure hope that she’s not going to just become a minor character after this, because that would be terrible. (Foreshadowing, your key to quality literature.) At the moment, though, this was a great payoff, and I’m happy for these two dorks, who still need massive injections of self-confidence but are good kids. – Sean Gaffney

Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1 | By Wataru Yoshizumi | Seven Seas – It had been years since I read this series back in the dawning days of shoujo manga being a thing here in America, and mostly what I remembered was that the romance between Meiko and her teacher, which I quite liked back in the day, reads far less positively to me now. Which is true, but that’s not till the end of this volume. Till then, it served to remind me what a good series it is, with likeable, fun leads, a lot of humor, and the shoujo drama does not yet have the heavy hand that it would get later. Also, we have The Parents, and when you say The Parents to a shoujo manga fan, they always know who you mean. Na-chan dating his underage student drowns out the parents. They’re TERRIBLE. Overall, this was great to reread. – Sean Gaffney

Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand | By Yoko Komori | Viz Media – This is an unusual license for Viz—You is not usually a josei magazine they dip their toes into, and I’m not sure there’s a forthcoming anime or anything. I’m very glad they did, though, as this is a beautiful story well told. A young girl moves with her father to a remote seaside village after the breakup of her parents’ marriage, and she must try to make new friends while also searching for the man who saved her life when she was last there at the age of four… and who was a mermaid. The series toes just the right line between “are Mermaids real here, is this a fantasy?” and the mystery of why a town might want to make mermaids real. Complete in one volume, this is a must read. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 2 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – The combination of sports manga and romcom is the series’ main strength, as we saw from the first volume, but it can also be a weakness, as right now I’m frankly more invested in the sports than I am in the romance. It doesn’t help that in this second volume Chinatsu is literally fought over as a prize in a badminton match, a subplot that I always hope will be left dead and buried but never is. Clearly she is going to get her own focus in the series at some point in the future, but this is a Jump title, so there’s always the chance that she won’t, and this is going to be the Taiki show. And Taiki is fine, he’s a perfectly good protagonist, but this is being sold as a two-person book but isn’t yet. – Sean Gaffney

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 7 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe| Viz Media – Folks who were a bit put off by what amounted to a tournament arc for two+ volumes will be relieved to hear that it ends with this volume, and we get back to the main cast wandering the world, and Frieren slowly learning all the things that she never quite got when she was traveling with the hero. Fern is not quite as bad as her master, but she does seem to suffer from an inability to come to terms with her feelings, which mostly amounts to what she wants from Stark. Most of this comes out as tsundere romcom schtick, but in the context of the series as a whole, I find I enjoy it better. Still one of the better fantasy manga out there. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 33 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – It’s no secret to anyone who follows my various fandom things that Uraraka is my favorite character in this series, so this entire volume was like catnip to me. Of course, that does not mean that I’m ignoring The Apology That Broke MHA Fandom, which I think was about as good as we were going to get given that, unlike many fan writers, Horikoshi is not really interested in having Bakugo suffer for his childhood crimes. In any case, now that Izuku is back at his home base and the general public are reluctantly willing to give him a chance, what could possibly happen next? Well, I’m afraid we have to call in the marines. But that’s next volume’s problem, and oh, I will have things to say. This volume, though, was excellent. – Sean Gaffney

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 5 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship I mostly love this series, so let’s get the annoying bad thing out of the way first off: Japan has far more interest in girls peeing themselves than I ever will. That said, it’s as part of a gag, as is this entire series, so I’ll handwave it. We get two more girlfriends in this book. One is a high school baseball player trying to save her club who turns out to be a masochist, and the other is a rich ojou with a destined rivalry with Nano, as well as a love of beauty. There’s fourth wall breaking, there’s unabashed horniness, but as always, there really is a heartwarming polycule at the center of this, which is why I love it. – Sean Gaffney

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 16 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – This is, at the very least, slightly less depressing than the previous book, which is good. That said, I think I have to face up to the fact that this does not come out often enough that I can keep up with anything anymore, and it’s hard for me to remember anyone in the cast who isn’t Fumi and Kyutaro. But to be honest, that’s not as big a problem as you’d expect. This series has come to run on vibe and coolness, and if you don’t remember who anyone is or what’s happening, there’s plenty of good dialogue, supernatural battles, and shoujo romantic tease. But counting QQ Sweeper, we’re nearly twenty volumes in, and oof, I’m starting to get exhausted. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 23 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I am afraid that our heroes are getting Known. This was always the case with Zen, who sits this book out for the most part, but Shirayuki and Obi are pretty famous now, which means that they might be asked to solve mysteries, in the best detective story fashion. Given that Obi is basically a ninja and Shirayuki specializes in medicine, it’s not a bad combination, so we get the start of an arc asking who the noble is that’s going around to various fancy dress balls, and why no one can quite remember what happened at the ball afterwards. Good stuff, though we’ll have to wait till next time to see who’s actually behind it. Plus we get to see Angry Shirayuki, always a treat. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 2 | By Kouji Miura | VIZ Media – Blue Box continues to strike a great balance between being a sports manga and being a romance. In this volume, Taiki is paired with Haryu-sempai for doubles and they end up doing well enough together and separately at the prefectural qualifiers to advance in their journey to nationals. Haryu has a manipulative side, but he also makes a point of complimenting Taiki’s work ethic and overall potential in Chinatsu’s presence. Taiki’s other friends do their part to help his romantic prospects, as well. His friend Hina, in particular, is emerging to be my favorite character, as she’s doing her best to root for him, but the more it seems like he and Chinatsu could really have something special, the lonelier she feels. She’s on her own journey to nationals, and I hope we see more of that going forward! – Michelle Smith

The Fox and the Little Tanuki, Vol. 1 | By Mi Tagawa | Tokyopop – It’s not hard to see why Tokyopop licensed this charming, kid-friendly title; though it isn’t a Disney property, it has a lot in common with Bambi and The Fox and the Hound, right down to its button-cute cast of talking animals. The story focuses on the improbable relationship between Senzou, an ancient fox demon, and Manpachi, a baby tanuki, who—natch—are temperamental opposites. Though it’s not hard for an adult to see how their dynamic will evolve over time, the story offers enough twists and tear-jerking moments to keep readers invested in this oddball relationship, especially as Manpachi struggles with the realization that his birth family has rejected him for being different. The illustrations are another plus, as artist Mi Tagawa has a flair for drawing expressive animal faces; I dare you not to sniffle when Manpachi pines for his mother. – Katherine Dacey

Hello, Melancholic!, Vol. 3 | By Yayoi Ohsawa | Seven Seas – In this final volume, Minato and Hibiki officially become a couple, but not before Hibiki pushes Minato into checking out a civic brass band that has attempted to recruit her, resulting in a bit of a squabble. Minato’s gotten better at being open about her feelings, but now it’s Hibiki’s turn to stop trying to steer Minato in the direction she’d like their relationship to go and just be honest herself. After this breakthrough, it’s a whirlwind, as Hibiki graduates, Minato’s third year happens off camera, and then they reunite at college. This series has been cute and pleasant throughout but I’m a little dazed and confused that it’s over so soon, particularly with the Sakiko and Chika relationship, which featured so prominently in volume two, still in its uncertain state. Oh well. Still recommended. – Michelle Smith

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 5 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – Shiraishi is coming along. Slowly. That said, his face is still just a blank most of the time, because that’s what his character is, so there’s no denying that it’s more fun watching Kubo’s expressions. Whether she’s panicking imagining that another girl might possibly hang out with Shiraishi, or deeply traumatized when Shiraishi, in the mall with his brother, sees her buying a sexy bra. She also meets his mom, who clearly seems to love her, and we all know that it’s only the series’ popularity that is preventing them from hooking up. Heck, the series even has an anime currently running… except it’s been pushed back to April due to COVID-19. Luckily, we still have the manga. – Sean Gaffney

Toradora! Vol. 10 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Zekkyo | Published by Seven Seas – Well, it’s been two and a half years, clearly it’s time for the next volume of the slowest-releasing adaptation ever. We are deeply in the ‘dramatic’ part of the series, with humor kept to a minimum, though there is at least some, as everyone tries to hide in the closet to avoid Ami and Minori’s confrontation. I feel bad for Ami here, who does not really have any problem-solving settings beyond “be a bitch till the problem is solved,” and that’s just not going to work here. As for Taiga and Ryuuji, he at least now knows she loves him, but has no emotional capacity to deal with it, and should be worried more about college, and how to afford it. Come on, just read the LNs. Don’t wait three more years. – Sean Gaffney

The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, Vol. 2 | By Takashi Ikeda| Seven Seas – There’s not a lot of what you’d call forward movement here—this is a vibe manga. We do see Wako getting a decent-sized voice acting role, and the scenes where she tries to do publicity and not freak out or screw up are fun. She also meets her co-stars, who are in a fake relationship, which interests Wako greatly, given that she’s in a real relationship with Ellie. Ellie, meanwhile, has some lunch/dinner talks with another friend of hers who is clearly massively crushing on her but unwilling to do something about it given that Ellie is happy. Ellie even finds her neighbor is a huge fan of her work… her BL doujinshi work, that is. This is so relaxed and fun to read. I love it. – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Railgun, Vol. 17 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Motoi Fuyukawa | Seven Seas – After briefly wrapping up the previous arc (and, sure enough, glossing over the fact that Uiharu developed story-breaking powers), we end up flashing back to Mikoto’s first year in middle school. She’s just turned Level 5, and lacks the confidence she’ll gain later. We also see Misaki, who has the same problems (though now that Junko’s spinoff has finished, we can officially see her kicking ass in Railgun proper). As for the plot, well, it’s a turf war between the school’s three cliques, who are being manipulated by some unknown factor. Meaning this is basically now a delinquent manga with middle school girls. To be fair, that’s par for the course with this franchise. – Sean Gaffney

Hell in a Bottle | By Kyusaku Yumeno and Towoji Honojiro | Kodansha – The first work included as part of the Maiden’s Bookshelf, a series of classic short stories re-released in beautifully illustrated hardcover editions, “Hell in a Bottle” was originally published in 1928. The translation by Angela Yiu used for this volume was previously released in the anthology Three-Dimensional Reading (which, tangentially, is a great collection of stories for readers interested in modernist, Taishō era short fiction). “Hell in a Bottle” is an epistolary tale about a brother and sister shipwrecked on a deserted island as children, a tragedy fully revealed in reverse chronological order through a sequence of letters placed in glass beer bottles and thrown out to sea. The overall design and presentation of Hell in a Bottle, from the use of color and lettering to Honojiro’s beautiful and evocative artwork, greatly enhances the reading experience of Yumeno’s story. I am definitely looking forward to future volumes of the Maiden’s Bookshelf. – Ash Brown

Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 1 | By Mayu Murata | Yen Press – Uka Ishimori was bullied in middle school for her stony mien, and chose a laidback high school with the goal of changing herself. Alas, some of her bullies have enrolled there too, but with the help of blond bishounen Kai Miura, she finds the courage to start making progress. As this is another series about a socially awkward girl who catches the attention of a popular guy who then helps her to make friends, it took a little while for me to warm to it. However, Ishimori eventually won me over with how endearing she can be in certain moments—I adored her spontaneously asking a classmate whether they can be friends and being stunned at the “Aren’t we friends already?” reply she receives. This may be reminiscent of several different series I have read, but I still enjoyed it and will be back for more. – Michelle Smith

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 7 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – This entire volume is an exquisitely written kick in the teeth. After a first half where we deal with Sugimoto having to face up to the fact that Sarasa has a bit more “oomph” than she does (which is why Sarasa was cast as Tybalt), we then get a family crisis meaning that Sarasa can’t do the role anyway. I’m glad that it all worked out OK, but the frustration in that she didn’t get to perform and everyone turned out to be fine is hellacious—I worry that this will affect her getting roles in the future, if she’s going to be thought of as unreliable. Being a Takarazuka idol is hard, and this volume shows why in the best ways. Oh yes, we also write out one of the semi-regulars for a brutally realistic reason—even the side stories are harsh. – Sean Gaffney

Lost Lad London, Vol. 3 | By Shima Shinya | Yen Press – I really wish this series had been longer, with the opportunity to introduce more possible culprits. Because, to my mind, there was only one likely prospect and, indeed, I was right. This rendered a lot of the action of this final volume somewhat anticlimactic and, combined with the social criticism that I once admired getting a little more blatant and heavy-handed, I was starting to feel a little disappointed. However, the final scene between Ellis and Al redeemed it all for me, because the mystery of who killed the mayor was never really the point of Lost Lad London. It was about these two loners relying on each other and learning not to let something negative from their past dictate their whole lives. The series ends on a note of new beginnings, symbolized by one dinky little houseplant. Highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 22 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – We do indeed go on the road this volume, but last time I asked for less of Hisame/Kiki (they’re both here) and also suspected there would be less romance. Instead Shirayuki is once again the center of attention, and once again cannot simply come out and say “I’m dating Zen”, so things get awkward. That said, she and her group are also being manipulated, which makes her rather angry. I actually really love seeing Shirayuki in fury mode, if only as it’s a very mild, gentle fury rather than exploding rage. As for those who are hoping for more evidence of a Shirayuki/Zen/Obi OT3, well, you won’t be disappointed here either. That said, it does look like getting the cure spread will be hard.-Sean Gaffney

Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 17-21 | By Tatsuki Fujimoto | VIZ Media Given the critical reception for Look Back and Goodbye, Eri and the strong sales for Chainsaw Man, it’s no surprise that VIZ decided to license Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man. The first installment of this anthology series, 17-21, focuses on Fujimoto’s earliest published work. As you might imagine, volume one is a mixed bag, filled with ambitious stories that sacrifice character development in favor of show-stopping plot twists and detailed layouts. The exception is “Love Is Blind,” in which a lovelorn teen’s awkward, earnest outburst saves the world from annihilation. Fujimoto does a great job of subverting sci-fi and romance tropes with bold, imaginative artwork that honors the intensity of the hero’s feelings while acknowledging how solipsistic they are–a level of nuance that’s missing from the other stories. Here’s hoping 22-26 is more satisfying. – Katherine Dacey

Hello, Melancholic!, Vol. 3 | By Yayoi Ohsawa | Seven Seas I don’t think this series was cancelled, per se, but I am sad that this is the final volume, as it felt like it was just getting started. As you can likely guess, this final volume focuses on our main couple (the other pairings get side chapters that, alas, are not collected here) and their attempts to realize that they actually do like each other that way, as well as dealing with Minato’s terminal anxiety. I appreciated the way that this book showed that sometimes pushing a person to do something way outside their comfort zone can be a good thing, and I also enjoyed Hibiki being forced to realize that she may be more like her father than she thinks. Easily the best trombone-related yuri I’ve ever read, this is also an excellent manga even without the trombone. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 24 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – This volume flat-out tells you that we’ve reached the final arc of the story, and the back half of it is dedicated to that arc, kicked off by Kaguya vanishing from school. Before that, we get a lot more Ishigami and Iino ship tease, some more of Maki being a good friend but a terrible romantic partner, and Chika wondering why on Earth she doesn’t have any romance in her life? (Kaguya offers to set her up with Hayasaka, and given how much Chika fawns over another girl in this book, it’s probably not a bad idea.) There are still plenty of laughs here, but no doubt the final arc will be a serious one. Let’s hope that Kaguya can not only stay together with Shirogane, but survive to the end of the series. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 22 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – It can be very, very difficult to confess your love to a crush, especially in Japan, where casual dating is far less of a thing than it is over here. That said, I feel the plotline of “when will Manbagi confess, get rejected, and try to move on?” is taking forever, and that’s not helped by this volume, which gives her the perfect opportunity to confess, but she just can’t work up the guts. It doesn’t help that this is killing Komi too, and Manbagi knows it. The rest of the volume is mostly just the rest of the school trip, the high point of which was my realization that they’re staying at the same hotel that I stay at when I go to New York. (It’s got a lot of international customers.) Still good, but get on with it! – Sean Gaffney

Love at Fourteen, Vol. 12 | By Fuka Mizutani | Yen Press – I don’t think I’ve been this disappointed over the direction a series went since Bunny Drop. Now, don’t worry, no one breaks up here or anything. We even get a flashforward showing our main couple still together (if fairly static). The issue is that the author ran out of ideas for the main couple and so decided to bring in their fetishes, and we pay as much attention to them as we do to the Love at Fourteen. There’s not one, but THREE teacher-student romances, one of which explicitly has the girl decide to romance the teacher so he’s not seduced by a gay man. There’s the middle schooler and the mature looking fifth-grader. There’s the middle schooler and the OL, who get married at the end. Why was this so seedy? – Sean Gaffney

The Music of Marie | By Usumaru Furuya | One Peace Books – In this visually arresting, maddeningly empty story, Usumaru Furuya envisions a world in which humanity has been stripped of its technological progress. Marie, an enormous clockwork automaton, floats through the sky, keeping a seemingly silent vigil over her creators. Only one person can hear her celestial music: Kai, a young man who is torn between his feelings for Pipi, a childhood friend, and his emotional connection to Marie. Furuya’s illustrations are gorgeous, but the story never quite finds its groove, see-sawing between Pipi’s increasingly desperate attempts to win Kai’s affection and Kai’s efforts to uncover who built Marie, and why. The script sounds a few cautionary notes about the dangers of idolatry and technophobia, but Furuya’s penchant for making icky jokes spoils the mood. – Katherine Dacey

No Longer Allowed in Another World, Vol. 1 | By Hiroshi Noda and Takahiro Wakamatsu | Seven Seas This manga has one joke, and if you’re not here for the joke, you’ll probably want to stay away. The joke is that the protagonist of famous novel No Longer Human, about to kill himself along with his lover Sacchan, is instead hit by the inevitable isekai truck, and ends up in a fantasy world. This is a broad comedy, and the parodies of isekais are hilarious if (like me) you’ve read too many of them. That said, the main character here tries to kill himself multiple times over the course of the volume, and if suicide as comedy bothers you, absolutely do not read this. For those with no such issues, and who are familiar with No Longer Human, it’s pretty funny. – Sean Gaffney

Orochi: Perfect Edition, Vol. 1 | By Kazuo Umezz | VIZ – It’s pretty rare for me to disagree with critics like Helen Chazan and Chris Mautner, but I was underwhelmed by Orochi, especially when compared with some of Kazuo Umezu’s other translated works. The stories read like half-recalled dreams, with baroque plot twists and dialogue that makes Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? seem like a work of cinéma vérité. To some extent, that’s true of Umezu’s other work, but at least Cat-Eyed Boy and The Drifting Classroom pack a visual and an emotional punch, both of which are sorely lacking in Orochi; the title character is such a cipher that she registers more as a walking plot contrivance than a person, thus blunting the tragedies she helps set in motion. – Katherine Dacey

Rainbow Days, Vol. 1 | By Minami Mizuno | VIZ Media – I typically enjoy manga that was serialized in Margaret or one of its offshoots, but in Rainbow Days I have found the exception. Natsuki Hashiba is a wholesome teen with more worldly friends, and when they try to warn him that his new girlfriend is a gold digger, he refuses to listen. Alas, they were right. I found Natsuki to be a bland protagonist, but he’s at least better than one of his friends, Katakura, whose only personality trait is “into S&M.” Practically any time he’s in a scene, he’s either holding a whip (at school, no less!) or making comments about mouth gags. At no point is any of this ever funny. I do like Natsuki’s new love interest—and her abrasive, overprotective, and smitten best friend—and honestly I just wish those two had their own manga instead, because I really can’t do fifteen more volumes of this one. – Michelle Smith

The Shadows of Who We Once Were, Vol. 8 | By Yae Utsumi | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – I wouldn’t exactly say The Shadows of Who We Once Were has been a fun series to binge—it’s about teens being held hostage by a former classmate and forced to participate in deadly experiments, after all—but it’s certainly been riveting in its own bleak way. From the outset, readers knew the total of deaths related to the incident, and the final two turn out to be quite a surprise. I also appreciated how the reporter factored in, and the cynical detail that her subsequent article managed to change public opinion for, like, three months. The best part of the series, though, is the way the survivors have changed from the incident, in many cases for the better. Overall, I really liked this series and hope that it will one day have a print release. – Michelle Smith

Asumi-chan Is Interested in Lesbian Brothels!, Vol. 1 | By Kuro Itsuki | Seven Seas – I wasn’t originally planning to read this at all, but several people I respect said it was actually quite well done. So I read it, and they were right. Asumi is a young gay woman who pines after her older friend who took care of her when she was younger. She wants to find her, but the only reliable rumor is that she works as a sex worker in a place for other like-minded women. This is very consensual and sex-positive, despite the cover art. Each chapter is a different hostess, and the sex is explicit without getting too tawdry. The actual payoff is hinted at the end of the first chapter, but this is essentially a foodie manga, but with lesbian sex. The journey is the reason to read it. – Sean Gaffney

Captain Corinth: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer, Vol. 1 | By Atsuhiko Itoh and Tomomasa Takuma | One Peace Books – Isekai seems nearly impossible to escape these days, but even so it’s not a subgenre that I tend to frequent. The manga adaptation of Captain Corinth caught my attention, however, by promising to meld science fiction and fantasy elements without relying on reincarnation to propel its lead character into a different world. Corinth’s near-death experience is still pivotal, though—as the only surviving crewmember of a starship, his escape pod crash lands him on a planet of magic-users, a rarity in the universe. Granted, his survival largely depends on highly advanced technology that may as well be a form of magic. His successes come far too easily as a result at this point, but that may soon change. This early on in the series the balance between science fiction and fantasy hasn’t quite been realized, but the potential is definitely there for them to be combined in interesting ways. – Ash Brown

The Food Diary of Miss Maid, Vol. 1 | By Susumu Maeya| Kodansha Manga (digital only) – There is a bit of a plot here, but only a bit. Suzume, a maid who works in an English mansion, is on vacation in Japan for a week or so… then her master tells her the mansion has been destroyed. While they rebuild it, she has to stay there. What this means is that you get a cute girl in a maid outfit who is Japanese but (having lived in England) has little idea what Japanese food and food etiquette is like, trying out various Japanese delicacies and telling us about them. As such, it’s a foodie manga (with no lesbian sex). It’s well done, as it made me hungry for the items in question, especially the dango. That said, there’s no character development here beyond her meeting her neighbor, who is essentially a straight (wo)man. – Sean Gaffney

The Full-Time Wife Escapist, Vol. 10 | By Tsunami Umino | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This volume opens with a thoroughly charming sequence that I shan’t spoil, reminding us of the whimsy this series is capable of before it gets down to SO. MUCH. ADULTING. Mikuri and Hiramasa are expecting! Her morning sickness is extremely bad, so Hiramasa takes over a lot of household tasks (all while not letting on how worried he is) while they both try to navigate the many rules their employers and others have about leave time and applying for this or that. Meanwhile, Yuri is having a health scare and one of Hiramasa’s coworkers starts to fall for him (while dealing with rampant sexism in the workplace). A lot of emphasis is on Mikuri and Hiramasa functioning as a team, and that Hiramasa’s request for a month of paternity leave is frowned upon because what could a man possibly contribute? As good as ever, thankfully! – Michelle Smith

Night of the Living Cat, Vol. 1 | By Hawkman and Mecha-Roots | Seven Seas – Night of the Living Cat is to manga what Shaun of the Dead is to movies: both are loving spoofs of the zombie genre that faithfully reproduce its signature tropes. The central joke in Living Cat is that infected humans don’t turn into flesh-eating monsters but adorable kitties; the main mode of transmission is snuggling. While that premise sounds hilarious, the authors’ commitment to telling the story with a straight face ends up weighing down what should be a goofy, buoyant send-up of I Am a Hero and The Walking Dead. The result is like watching a Naked Gun movie in which every actor delivers their lines in a natural, conversational tone; the jokes are there, but the delivery is off. – Katherine Dacey

Skip and Loafer, Vol. 6 | By Misaki Takamatsu |Seven Seas – The main story of this manga continues to be terrific. Mitsumi is still bright and shiny, but has lost a lot of the country hick that she started off with (though she still needs other’s help buying “city-specific” presents). It’s also Valentine’s Day, so it’s time for Mika to shoot her shot and confess to Shima, even though she, the school, and the reader know how that’s going to go. And we also get a great chapter from Nao’s point of view, where she confesses to her friend that seeing Mitsumi’s supportive family and circle of loving friends makes her envious for all the support she never had. This is not a trans manga per se, as Nao is a supporting character, but trans readers should find it very welcoming. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 16 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – For the most part, unlike the anime (which expanded the cast out of necessity), this manga is very much about two kids and not much else. But, as the series has gone on, we have gotten side couples (such as Nakai and Mano, who remain adorable) and Those Three Girls. But now we’re moving up to second year (making the cast fourteen years old), and the series’ resident grumpy tsundere, Hojo, who is clearly in love with her neighbor and friend but is not really admitting it. All of this helps to balance and contrast Takagi and Nishikata, who pretty much have their one gimmick. It is a VERY good gimmick, though, and Takagi is blushing more and more each volume. This should please fans. – Sean Gaffney

Usotoki Rhetoric, Vol. 1 | By Ritsu Miyako | One Peace Books – Urabe Kanoko was driven out of her home village due to her ability to hear lies. She arrives in Tsukumoya Town in search of a job, and soon becomes the assistant of a perpetually penniless detective named Iwai Soma. He’s the first person who has wanted her by his side even after learning of her power, declaring, “I think you can become a real force for good!” Together, they test the limits of her ability and come up with a system by which she can inconspicuously signal when someone involved in a case is lying. In this volume, they solve such mysteries as “where did that kid go?,” “why did Iwai lie about knowing that lady?,” and “where did that other kid go?” Though the mysteries are light so far, I still really enjoyed this volume, especially the 1926 setting, and very much look forward to more! – Michelle Smith

Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster, Vol. 1 | By Saki and Tsukasa Satsuki| J-Novel Club (digital only) – As you can likely guess, this is another villainess story. Mary Albert realizes one day that she’s the villainess in an otome game, and will end up destitute and her family in ruins. The gimmick here is that she decides to embrace her fate wholeheartedly, and seeks out the various scenes with the heroine, Alicia, so that she can be as nasty as possible. There’s just one issue: Mary Albert is sweet as pie, both with and without reincarnated memories, and her attempts to be mean backfire horribly as she helps Alicia at every turn. There’s no reason she chooses to be evil other than “comedy,” but the comedy is fun, and I also like her long-suffering servant who’s in love with her. – Sean Gaffney

Catch These Hands!, Vol. 3 | By murata | Yen Press – This volume takes us back to Takebe’s initial thought process: all her former gang friends have gotten married and had kids, so she feels the need to change herself and stop being a grumpy thug. The problem is that she clearly doesn’t actually want to do this, she just feels that she needs to do it—and this ends up causing the first serious argument between her and Soramori. Honestly, the main reason we enjoy this series so much is seeing Takebe as a grumpy cuss, as well as seeing these two talk the only way they really know how—by beating the crap out of each other. We get that here, let’s hope it leads to less violent ways to resolve conflict… though honestly, it probably won’t. An underrated yuri series. – Sean Gaffney

The Gay Who Turned Kaiju | By Kazuki Minamoto | Yen Press – Takashi Arashiro moved to Tokyo for high school, full of dreams of the person he could become there. Instead, he ends up bullied and, after he overhears the beloved teacher who was his only source of hope expressing disgust for gay people, he desperately wishes to be something other than gay and is instantly transformed into a kaiju. For the most part this is a story about acceptance, and though the message can be a little heavy-handed at times, it’s still satisfying to see Arashiro serve some harsh truths to the oblivious Kuroda-sensei. I also really appreciated that the story did not end the way I had anticipated. However, I am troubled that both Arashiro and another gay character end up groping straight guys without their consent, with the former saying, “If you put up a fight I’ll bite your head off.” I don’t know why that was necessary. – Michelle Smith

Murcielago, Vol. 20 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – As this series has gone on it’s focused far less on Kuroko and her attempts to molest every woman she meets (though she does try that here), and more about enveloping the reader in horror stories. It’s basically an anthology now, and this volume’s story involves an And Then There Were None-style plotline where Kuroko and company end up stranded at a hot springs resort with a family that keeps getting killed off in various ways that have something to do with a girl named Ayako who was indirectly killed by them a while back. There’s not much detecting going on in this one, to be honest—the suspects keep dying too fast. For fans of gore. – Sean Gaffney

Touring After the Apocalypse, Vol. 1 | By Sakae Saito | Yen Press – For those who enjoyed Kino’s Journey and Girls’ Last Tour, this is another in a line of series that can be described as “post-apocalyptic travelogue.” Youko may be the last human on Earth, as she was in a shelter when some unnamed disaster hit. She’s accompanied by Airi, an android who seems to be half companion, half bodyguard. Together they’re motorbiking around Japan, trying to find the places that Youko’s sister took instagram photos of and seeing what they look like now. As you’d expect, a highlight of this series is the artwork, showing off decay and destruction, but it doesn’t feel as bleak and depressing as the other two series I mentioned. We’ll see where it leads us. – Sean Gaffney

Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 1 | By Mika Yamamori | Yen Press – In many ways, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet is a fairly generic shoujo manga. Fumi Ohno, a plucky and practical heroine with domestic skills aplenty, ends up homeless after her father’s debts cause them to be evicted. She becomes a live-in housekeeper for a young and handsome novelist who seems rude at first, but soon exhibits a kinder side. He protects her from a panty thief. She thinks, literally, “Just what…. is this feeling?” Another potential love interest is introduced in the form of a transfer student and it’s someone Fumi met once in the past. Though the story beats were extremely familiar, I still enjoyed this a good bit. Perhaps it’s the Margaret factor. The expressive art also helps, as does the fact that the transfer student (at this stage, at least) is holding a pretty ridiculous grudge against Fumi. I look forward to seeing how this develops. – Michelle Smith

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 10 | By Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha Comics – Witch Hat Atelier started with Coco, and she’s still the primary protagonist, but it’s nice to see that the other girls in the group are also getting their own plotlines. Unfortunately, those plotlines are starting to look as dark as Coco’s is. She’s busy trying to save Custas from a turn to evil, but we also see Agott struggling with trying to come up with something extraordinary to show everyone who abandoned her, and Tetia is meeting royalty and I fear soon will discover that bubbly optimism tends to smash up against cold, hard reality. Which we also see in this volume, as a relationship is destroyed due to Custas’ rampage. I don’t think this series will get very dark, but it does get somewhat dark. – Sean Gaffney

You Like Me, Not My Daughter?!, Vol. 1 | By Kota Nozomi and Tesshin Azuma | Seven Seas – We rarely get this sort of manga in English anymore, the type that I would characterize as “romantic sex comedy.” Based on a light novel, it stars Ayako, a 30-ish woman who works in publishing and raises her niece/adopted daughter Miu, who is turning fifteen. Ayako has had zero time to devote to romance, so is delighted to see that Miu’s childhood friend, Takumi, a college boy, looks like he might confess. As the title might suggest, Takumi likes her instead. This is exactly what it looks like, basically. If you like to see hot moms stress out over whether they should date guys over ten years younger than them, while also having lots of shower and bath scenes, there are worse titles. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 1 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – Sports manga always sell well in Japan, and high school romantic comedies are also popular. So why not combine the two in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump? The sports series can’t ALL be driven by BL fandom, after all. Blue Box stars Chinatsu, a high school first year who’s the star of the basketball team, and Taiki, a junior high third year who has a massive crush on her… and is also on the badminton team. The romcom part starts when, due to circumstances, Chinatsu moves in with Taiki’s family. That said, the sports is not a supporting part of the series, and Taiki’s badminton games take up just as much time. I’d like to see more of Chinatsu, but it is only the first volume. A promising start. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 1 | By Kouji Miura | VIZ Media – Taiki Inomata and Chinatsu Kano attend a school with a powerhouse sports program. Taiki, who is on the badminton team, has feelings for Chinatsu, a talented basketball star who is good enough to have been featured in magazines. When plot contrivances force Chinatsu to move in with Taiki’s family for the duration of high school, I inwardly groaned but should’ve had more faith. Instead of ecchi shenanigans, we get scenes where they talk about their goals and share support for each other’s dreams. I really like that Taiki is such an honorable dude. He works hard, he embraces challenges, and he communicates clearly to resolve misunderstandings. Even when he frets that Chinatsu may be especially close to his main rival on the badminton team, he never wants to use her as an excuse for when he loses. These are good kids and I look forward to the next volume! – Michelle Smith

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 4 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – One thing that separates a title like this from its teasing relatives such as Takagi-san is that Kubo actually seems to be the more immature one. Yes, she’s trying to coax him out of his shell, and her teasing works wonders, but you can tell that it takes a lot out of her and she’s profoundly embarrassed by her own feelings most of the time. Shiraishi not only drinks coffee (in the funniest chapter in the book), but his muted responses sometimes hide that he’s more with it when it comes to this sort of thing. Of course, he has other issues that hold him back as well. The two of them make a good couple not just because they’re cute together, but because they bring out each other’s best side. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 27 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – When it comes to long-running semi-plotless anthology series like Natsume’s Book of Friends, characterization is mostly static. You aren’t going to see Natsume suddenly get a girlfriend (or boyfriend), and the series will no doubt end, whenever it does, with his finishing the one thing that drives the plot—giving everyone’s name back. So it was a surprise to see Chobi, who has been around since the start of things, have a second, unseen side to him that we’re only uncovering now. This is especially interesting given his yokai background, but it fits in well with Natsume’s Book of Friends, where the yokai aren’t really connected with famous stories, but actual characters. Always good. – Sean Gaffney

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 4 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship The new volume does not quite have the audience-alienating partner the previous one did. We get a girl who is constantly hungry, and also constantly angry, which is relatively normal. We also get Hahari’s maid, who never opens her eyes, because those types of characters never open their eyes. We also see some truly heartwarming moments, usually involving Rentarou and the girls, but also things like Nano admitting how much she cares for the other girls as friends. That said, this is still a Ghost Ship series, not for nudity so much as the constant horniness, with the ending gag implying both mother and daughter getting a bit TOO excited. Not with each other, thankfully. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 47 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – It’s rare that we see crossovers between shoujo titles over here in English, and when we do we run the danger that the other series is unlicensed in North America. This volume, though, not only has a character who is dressed like Sinha from Yona of the Dawn (complete with squirrel) as part of an event when every chapter of Hana to Yume that issue had the squirrel somewhere in there, but also features an insanely hot piece of art at the end with Moko dressed up as Jaeha, something which made me fan my face a bit. It’s clear that Nakamura is a big fan of Yona—well, the two series are pretty much the face of the magazine now (please forget about Yami no Matsuei). As for the plot of this book… I’m sure Michelle will tell you about it. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 47 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – Happy to oblige! This volume is not exactly filler, as it does get the ball rolling on a new project Ren might be part of, but it’s certainly a step back from the romantic intensity of recent volumes as Kyoko and Moko go to an amusement park and “quite by chance” end up accompanying an American lady who is, of course, more than she seems. Meanwhile, Ren and his pretend lover agree to continue their charade for the press in order to protect the ones they really care about. Thankfully, I like the story and characters enough to find even exposition entertaining, though I must agree with Sean that the absolute highlight is the ridiculously hawt illustration of Moko dressed as Jaeha. – Michelle Smith

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 19 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media After answering “how old is Princess Syali?” last volume, there’s an arc here that tries to emphasize that, when the princess, mistaking a demon for her father, suddenly goes into hyper work mode, complete with business suit and half-glasses. This suggests disturbing things about her relationship with her father, but fortunately the result seems to be more “she feels guilty lazing around while seeing him working” than any actual abuse. As for the rest, the series loves its metatext, the best of which this time is the Princess Syalis body pillow. Which, fortunately, is not nude on the back, because while Syalis may be an adult, she’s still drawn in chibi mode most of the time. – Sean Gaffney

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 6 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe| Viz Media – The plotline of this volume is a dungeon crawl of sorts, where the examinees face off against doppelganger versions of themselves. Which is incredibly dangerous given that one of the examinees is Frieren, who is ludicrously overpowered, and therefore her clone is as well. That said, as always the plot is the title, as Frieren is still finding little things every day that remind her of the journey she took so long ago, and now that she’s matured (and most of her comrades are dead) she can finally really appreciate them. This is a series that gets by entirely on ‘vibe,’ and its vibe is fantastic. Everyone should be reading this. – Sean Gaffney

The Gay Who Turned Kaiju | By Kazuki Minamoto | Yen Press – Originally released as a series of short doujinshi, The Gay Who Turned Kaiju was ultimately collected and published as a single volume. And what a volume it is! On the surface the basic premise of the manga may seem somewhat goofy—a gay high school student literally turns into a kaiju after wishing so hard to be anything other than what he is—but the underlying themes are actually quite serious and treated with tremendous sincerity. With The Gay Who Turned Kaiju, Minamoto delves into the complexities of human nature and relationships, exploring what it means to be accepted or not and the assumptions people make about others as well as themselves. The emotions can be raw and visceral, the characters not always expressing themselves in the healthiest or most appropriate ways as they struggle and ultimately acheive understanding. The Gay Who Turned Kaiju is a compelling and honest work. – Ash Brown

Medalist, Vol. 5 | By TSURUMAIKADA | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This volume starts with Inori being rather poleaxed to find that Hikaru isn’t at the next event—since she’s guaranteed a spot no matter what, she’s doing special training. What’s more, Inori ends up being second-to-last in the stages, meaning we don’t get to see her skate. (It’ll be the start of the sixth book.) The good thing about this is that we get to look at all the other skaters, see their triumphs and frustrations, and see how one person’s success can destroy three other skaters’ changes just like that. As always, the brilliant art helps, as well as the occasional dose of humor, such as Inori trying to be extroverted or the “does not understand dad jokes” gag. I shilled for this manga at Anime NYC< and will again. It deserves print. – Sean Gaffney

The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent: The Other Saint, Vol. 1 | By Aoagu and Yuka Tachibana | Seven Seas – The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent is in the genre of “whoops, we summoned the wrong person,” a small but solid subgenre of isekai. In the main series, we find that the person they thought was the mistake is actually the Saint. Here we see the POV of Aira, who is initially thought to be the Chosen One due to being a cute teenager and not, y’know, an exhausted OL, but then things turn out differently. Fortunately, Aira is not the “heroine” to Sei’s “villainess,” and this spinoff runs on the same relaxed vibe as the main series, with Aira drifting through the world looking for a purpose now that she’s not the Saint. This is nice, but not necessary. – Sean Gaffney

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 1 | By Sakaomi Yuzaki | Yen Press – I commented on Twitter last week (an old social media site, for the young ‘uns) that every manga starts off with a different premise, and then it gradually becomes “but it’s really about food.” This one cuts out the middleman, as the joy of cooking and also the joy of eating are paramount. Notomo has a tendency to stress-cook, but lives alone. Her neighbor Kasuga has a large appetite, one rarely satisfied by the dinners she’s been getting. And what’s more, Notomo simply loves to watch Kasuga eat. This is a yuri series, but aside from a few subtle hints there’s not much of that in the first volume. But it’s wonderful to simply see these two women interact. I want them to get closer. – Sean Gaffney

Artist | By Yeong-shin Ma | Drawn & Quarterly – Two years after Yeong-shin Ma’s critically acclaimed manhwa Moms was released in English comes a second major work, Artist. Instead of focusing on mothers in their fifties, the hefty, largely full-color volume revolves around three men in their forties—a painter, a musician, and an author. Ostensibly these three artists are friends, but as the story progresses they fall in and out of favor with one another (and everyone else) as their personal creative successes and failures further complicate their already fraught relationships. The realism of the main characters and their interactions with others is one of the most remarkable elements of the work. Admittedly, it can occasionally be an uncomfortable read as Ma doesn’t shy away from unflattering portrayals of people and their sometimes despicable behaviour. However, another aspect of Artist that I particularly appreciate is how Ma utilizes a variety of illustration styles in service of its narrative. – Ash Brown

Imaginary, Vol. 1 | By Niiro Ikuhana | Seven Seas – I picked this up as I tend to love stories from the magazine that it runs in, Rakuen de Paradis. So far, the magazine hasn’t let me down. The overt plot of this title is just ordinary—two childhood friends who never quite got together despite obvious feelings try awkwardly and indirectly to convey them once they’re reunited—but the execution is fantastic, with flights of fancy turning the art into anything it needs to be. One character hangs out with his past and future selves, the other has a group of girlfriends all of whom are interesting in their own right. My favorite is the really tall girl. Definitely recommended if you like imagination. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 21 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – Given how many different high school series have trips to Kyoto so everyone can walk around the historical sites, it’s rather startling to see where Komi’s class ends up going on their school trip—New York City! This, of course, allows for plane gags, foreigners-in-a-foreign-land gags, and a whole new group of strangers dazzled by how amazingly beautiful Komi is. And, of course, the love triangle between Komi, Manbagi, and Tadano, which is not going to go OT3 no matter how much I cross my fingers. The best chapter here may be Komi and her friend Rei (see volume twelve) each trying to one-up each other about how well they know their best friends (who are standing next to them as this goes on). Fun as always. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 32 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – This volume is essentially the “Deku Alone” arc of the series, as our erstwhile protagonist has left UA for their own good, or at least that’s what he says, and is going around helping other top heroes to try to deal with what Shigaraki hath wrought. Sometimes this means that we get old “favorites” back, like Muscular, who is still a terrible human being. And sometimes we get Lady Nagant, whose backstory probably deserves more room to breathe than it gets here, and who is summarily written out if not killed off once she’s served her purpose. This series has not gone off the rails yet, but the rail cars are shaking. – Sean Gaffney

Romantic Killer, Vol. 1 | By Wataru Momose | Viz Media – I am an old-school shoujo reader, and sometimes fall into old-school shoujo reader habits. As such, I found this first volume of Romantic Killer hilarious. It’s got a great reaction face almost every page, comedic violence towards what amounts to a Kyubey knockoff, and a strong, spunky heroine. That said… the plot of this book is about a girl who is not explicitly said to be asexual, but everything about her life implies she is, and trapping her in a dating sim world until she gets together with another guy. As the recent anime version has shown, this is a big NO SALE to a lot of folks. I do think this is enjoyable and fun… but I’d read it in a early 2000s mode, not a 2020s one. – Sean Gaffney

The Summer You Were There, Vol. 1 | By Yuama | Seven Seas – Sometimes a title feels like it’s trying too hard. This is a yuri story about an introverted girl who secretly writes novels, and the extroverted and tiny girl who finds out… and suggests that she get more material by dating over the summer. Part of the problem is that this is in the genre of “extrovert batters down introvert’s walls till they give in,” which is not really what people these days want to read. The other problem is that it rapidly becomes very clear why Kaori is suggesting this, and it’s not “I really want to see Shizuku get better as an author.” It’s trying to be indirect, but it’s about as subtle as a truck. Still, if you like yuri you’ll probably want to pick this up. – Sean Gaffney