Bookshelf Briefs

Barakamon, Vol. 12 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – The absence of Naru’s immediate family was always very unstated in the series, and it’s unsurprising that Handa thought they were both dead—the reader likely did as well. But her father, at least, is shown not to be dead, but to be away at sea most of the year, and his return for Christmas is what carries most of this volume. Naru is very Yotsuba-esque most of the time, but she is a seven-year-old girl with real feelings, and her need for her father is telling even as she sort of elides it. Her dad, meanwhile, is a well-meaning goof, but should really step up more, and Handa is, as always, a good bridge between the two. Barakamon is sweet and good-hearted and always puts a smile on my face. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 5 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – I don’t normally watch the anime versions of the manga I read, but a friend introduced me to the Nozaki-kun anime and it’s pretty great. In fact, watching it gave me a better sense of the comic timing in the series, and I think that has carried over to how I read the manga, because I enjoyed it even more than before. Scenarios in this volume include Kashima having a cold and various guys volunteering to speak for her, the gang going on a drama club training camp, and Nozaki’s search for a cute merchandise-friendly mascot for his series. There is a gag relating to the latter that made me laugh out loud, but I also enjoyed a glimpse at the process for how such things are incorporated into a series, as well as a brief lesson on how cover designs come to be. A little informative, a lot amusing! – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia, Vol. 6 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – I did ask for villains, and here they are, including one who seems to be angry at people who are heroes for the wrong reason. This volume has a lot to say about what makes a good hero and what makes a villain. Midoriya gains a mentor, who is impressed at the fact that he can think on his feet and is trying to teach him how to be more intuitive. But more importantly, Ida is bent on revenge against the man who destroyed his hero brother, who will likely never walk again. This is understandable, but revenge is always a BAD reason to be a hero. Luckily, we also see Midoriya being clever here, and he not only saves Ida but also calls for help, something I wish more shonen heroes did. Excellent series. – Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 80 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – For a while now, I’ve been ready to move on from Dressrosa, but I’ll be damned if Oda’s farewell narration to the island and its inhabitants didn’t make me a little verklempt. That said, this is one of those volumes full of updates on the world at large, hints about plots to come, and glimpses at future foes. I always enjoy it when the story’s scope widens this way, though it makes me wonder exactly how long the series is going to be (and whatever happened with those obelisk things Robin was studying?). The crew reunion at the end of the volume comes as a welcome relief, and I am further manipulated by Oda into being totally invested in the Sanji cliffhanger. Still addicted after 80 volumes! – Michelle Smith

Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 12 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | VIZ Media – When last we left off, ineffectual Ienari was the shogun and his odious mother, Harusada, was capriciously poisoning those of his heirs that displeased her. In this volume, she gets her comeuppance in a satisfying way, plus Ienari grows a spine and makes perfecting and distributing the redface pox vaccine his priority. The story could almost end here, with a victory for the good guys, except that wouldn’t be nuanced enough for Ooku. Instead, time passes swiftly and we see Ienari gradually being corrupted by power and the knowledge of his (and Aonuma’s, Gennai’s, and Kuroki’s) contributions lost to history because Japan cannot admit any weakness with foreigners literally on the horizon. Captivating and bittersweet, this is a series with broad scope and I trust that Yoshinaga has a destination in mind. I’ll be waiting for volume thirteen! – Michelle Smith

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 11 | By Miki Yoshikawa | Kodansha Comics – And so Yamada-kun finally wraps things up and comes to an end. Yamada cleverly uses his wish to get rid of the witch powers, most of the witches are pretty happy with that, and most importantly, he confesses to Shiraishi and they become an official couple. This has been a terrif… wait, what? The series is still going? Yes, that’s right, welcome to “this is too popular to cancel,” the inverse of “cut short,” as we now have the adventures of the new student council, with some old friends but also some new characters. How this will develop I’m not sure, given it’s barely begun, and I’ll definitely give it a shot, but I do sort of wish that things had ended here, as it was perfect. – Sean Gaffney

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 10 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – What I said in my last review applies, only more so. I’m wondering if the author even has a plan at all, or is just happy to coast on monster girls as long as possible. Here we wrap up the arc in the alternate universe, which ends with the ‘it was all a dream’ cliche so dreaded by readers everywhere. We get a test of strength among the class, which a baffled Hime wins without ever really knowing why. We get the introduction of Suu’s sister, which gives us the idea of a giant snake as a bratty goth-loli wannabe. For the most part, though, this wasn’t really very funny, and didn’t have as much of the total bafflement I’ve enjoyed before. Also, stop showing us girl monsters on the toilet. Jeezus. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 5 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – This was another excellent installment of Haikyu!!. The Inter-High qualifiers are upon us, and I loved getting glimpses of some of the other participating teams. I especially loved Furudate’s extended look at those who were defeated in the first round, including a poignant montage and emphasis on the losers’ regrets. In this way, we also meet Karasuno’s girls’ team, and now I want a spinoff. For their part, the Karasuno boys also bring the feels as they overturn the prevailing opinion that they merely used to be good. The panel with an about-to-jump Hinata superimposed over a crow spreading its wings actually made me verklempt, as did the moment when he realizes how cool being a decoy can be. I wish I had more to read! – Michelle Smith

Nichijou, Vol. 5 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – I was happy to see more Mai here as I requested, whether she’s torturing her friends in a game of Red Light Green Light, torturing her friends by drawing baffling buddha backgrounds on their yaoi manga, torturing the Professor by letting her dogs “play” with her, to the point where they bite Mio and Yukko for the lulz, and in general shows that she does not remotely grasp human interaction whatsoever. In non-Mai news, we see more of the scientist who’s desperate to examine Nano but gets tripped up by… well, everything. Western fans will be baffled by the surreal chapter based around nagashi somen. And in the best chapter in the book, our three girls struggle against the rain and her vagaries of an angry temple god. Terrific. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 18 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – The field trip continues, and has many sweet and funny moments, but it’s not what the meat of this volume is. No, we’ve reached what appears to be the start of a final arc (spoiler: it’s not), where Chitoge is told that they’re moving back to the US, so she can come with and stop pretending to be Raku’s girlfriend. Needless to say, she’s devastated by this, as are the others, as she’s never had friends like this before, and of course is also in love with Raku. We’re starting to realize he’s in love with her as well—Shu blatantly asks who he likes, and while he says it’s Onodera it’s the first time he’s really waffling on the question. Will she leave? Will she stay? Will Claude kill Raku before that’s decided? Yup, cliffhanger. One of the best volumes yet. – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 3 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – The effort Kuranosuke expends to support the dreams of others is truly impressive. Not only does he spearhead the fashion designer idea as a way to earn enough money to avoid Amamizu-kan’s destruction, but he manages to provide costumes and audience to a struggling student production, nudges Mayaya out of her comfort zone, and utilizes his politican father’s party to drum up attendees and press for a Jelly Fish fashion show. I love that he both accepts the Amars as they are and challenges them to participate in the outside world. In this way, he’s given them, and particularly a fired-up Tsukimi, an outlet for their hopes and fears as the reality of their neighborhood’s eventual destruction begins to hit home. Highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 5 | By Aya Kanno | VIZ Media – Wow, what a volume! Political scheming abounds in the action-packed moments, as Richard’s rescue of his brother forces Warwick to abandon his plan to make George the king and pivot instead back to the Lancasters, just as the other Edward (the one in love with Richard) counted on when he agreed to help Richard out. And in the quiet moments, we spend time with a couple of people still in love with Richard (Edward and Anne), and in the worst/best part of all, Henry and Richard manage to have another blissful interlude together, during which Richard finally admits to himself that he’s in love with Henry just as Henry says he will not permit himself to love anyone. Oh, the treachery and the angst! It’s riveting. Keep ’em coming, Kanno! – Michelle Smith

Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 2 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – Well, that was one big thud of an ending. When this was licensed I heard it was two volumes long, which made me wary, and that after it ended the author returned to Vampire Knight material, which made me warier. Sure enough, this has “cancelled early due to low reader support” written all over it. Mikage’s stoic ninja finds many things to feel emotional about, but alas, we’re left with the uncomfortable ‘father role’ as the main romance, though it’s blessedly one-sided. And, this being a ninja manga, there’s plots, counterplots, fights on top of speedboats, etc. The main problem with this series, though, is that in the end there was not one plot twist I didn’t guess beforehand. Hino fans should reread Vampire Knight instead. – Sean Gaffney

That Wolf-Boy Is Mine!, Vol. 2 | By Yoko Nagiri | Kodansha Comics – The trouble with getting rejected and saying “I hope we can still be friends!” is that you need to actually have the resolve to do that, which is difficult when you’re still massively in love, not to mention getting mixed signals. As for Yu, we see signs of him getting jealous, but I don’t think he’s even consciously aware of what that is. Honestly, I wonder if Yu’s grumpy friend Rin might be a better match for Komugi, though as a blonde guy in a shoujo manga, he’s inevitably going to be second-best. What’s more, we’re getting some suggestion that Komugi’s background may not be what it seems, something that will no doubt lead to much drama but also allow her to end up with one of these guys. Good, but can be dull at times. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 9 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – As a Negima reader, I found it somewhat hilarious that as part of her training Tota, she sends him into the jungle in order to imitate his predecessor’s “cross a world in a short period” plotline. Even worse, his companion is Kirie, the Chisame lookee-likee, making it even more obvious that he’s just having fun for his fans. That said, this is quite a strong volume, showing off cool fights, embarrassed blushes, aborted love confessions, and our hero literally PUNCHING TIME in order to meet Evangeline’s young self again. New readers will suffer even more, though, as Ayake and Chachamaru show up at the end here, Konoka and Setsuna’s descendants are coming, and that Shinobu clone as well. Akamatsu’s greatest hits, but they’re good hits. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!, Vol. 5 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Well, I was wrong about training harder. They do, but we don’t see it much. Instead, we head right into the big tournament proper, and get the first two matches. The first one is against an old classmate of Sawamura’s, and we see how far along our heroes have come compared to the other teams. There’s a great shot halfway through showing all the losing teams—including the Karasuno Girls’ team, whose captain clearly has a crush on Sawamura, always a danger in a manga with a 99% female fandom. The rest of the book shows their match against the team that beat them last year, though, and they’re still tough as nails. But now we have our short but valiant secret weapon! Very shoneny, in the best way. – Sean Gaffney

Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, Vol. 2 | By Natsuki Takaya | Yen Press – Well, I did ask for more on Liselotte’s past, and I certainly got it. We also get a lot of her channeling her inner Tohru, trying to meet the witches in the forest to assure them that she means them no harm but merely wants to live here in peace and harmony. Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially when an assassin is sent after her, complete with an eyepatch so that you know he’s a true rogue. And we learn a bit more about Engetsu, who is sort of Liselotte’s old dead love Enrich, but also sort of not. How this plays out is anyone’s guess, but it certainly looks pretty, and has some nice cool fighting. I still find it a bit underwhelming, but honestly that’s been true of any non-Furuba Takaya title. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 20 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The most important thing in this volume for me is that Morgiana returns, and she does what we love to see her do best: rescue Alibaba and princess carry him. She seems to be a lot less stoic after her trip of awesome training. The rest of this volume consists of a) lots of battling against the big evil thing of evil, which proves quite difficult to defeat as it is literally made of evil; b) a lot of backstory that shows that Aladdin has a lot more going on than everyone expected, which honestly most readers had guessed; and c) theoretically killing off some characters (I’ll believe it while I see it), while bringing the most obvious one back from the dead right after he’s passed. Fun, but I really want a new arc. – Sean Gaffney

Maid-sama!, Vols. 11-12 | By Hiro Fujiwara | VIZ Media – This is a fairly uneven installment of Maid-sama!, though the one constant throughout is Misaki attempting to come to grips with and then successfully express how she feels about Takumi. First, they go on a double date to the hot springs, and then Takumi’s family drama suddenly ramps up. Next, it abruptly turns back into a comedy as his half-brother has a penchant for making his valet dress up like a ninja as he spies on Takumi. Throughout, there are various assertions that Misaki isn’t good enough for Takumi, with Takumi dissenting, et cetera. And then, at the end, Aoi designs some costumes and briefly stops being a jerk. I don’t know why I kind of expected a volume of Maid-sama! to be uniformly good, but I did. In any case, it’s decent enough and the story is moving along. Sort of. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 13 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – You know how most people were about Black Bird? Or Hot Gimmick? That’s how I’ve come to feel about Missions of Love. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love it. I love seeing these damaged, deeply manipulative teens walk all over each other. I love the fact that Yukina is amazed that she might still be ignorant of what love is, despite the entire series being based around that premise. (“Apparently I’m frigid.” made me laugh out loud.) And then there’s Mami and Akira, whose plotline keeps happening just off camera, all the better to keep Yukina guessing. And of course there’s Shigure, who is understandably frustrated at being away from all of this. Good thing she’s dragged to him for the cliffhanger. Read this amazing trash. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 9 | By ONE and Yusuke Marata | Viz Media – The deeper stuff I mentioned last time is continuing, as the villain we met last time decides to go around beating up literally everyone he comes across, and most of the heroes seem to be able to do little to stop him. I’m sure Saitama and Genos will end up in his path eventually, but in the meantime we have Blizzard, a stereotypical yakuza boss who’s also a hero, and decides that Saitama is good enough that she wants him to be part of her hero gang. Naturally, Saitama is unimpressed, and has some nice lectures on what it means to be a hero. Also naturally, most of her bluster is just that—she’s the Tornado of Terror’s little sister, and it weights on her. I love how this series views superheroes. Highly recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 21 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – For a while there, it looked like we weren’t going to get any follow-up to the “Hayasaka finds Super Bun’s scarf in Mafuyu’s closet” cliffhanger, and so I was doubly disappointed by the boring hometown interlude set during winter break. Happily, once school reconvenes, we learn that Hayasaka has been waiting for the opportunity to ask Mafuyu about it, but just then, a Super Bun impostor is sighted, and the rest of the volume primarily consists of chase scenes. That probably sounds boring, but it’s actually something fun and different. I can’t remember if we’re supposed to recognize the dude who’s behind it all, and I’m sure it’ll end with Hayasaka still not learning the truth, but for now it’s quite enjoyable. – Michelle Smith

Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 2 | By Matsuri Hino | VIZ Media – Mikage Kirio is attempting to leave her past as a ninja behind and fulfill her late master’s wish for her to lead the life of a normal high school girl. There are a couple of nice moments when she achieves this, reflecting on the warm welcome she receives from her new group of friends, and marveling at their skill in finding the most delicious meat buns in town, but most of the volume is in a hurry to wrap up the not-very-interesting seeds-as-bioweapon plot. It’s not exactly unsuccessful—it all makes sense, at least, which is more than I can say for some series—but it’s terribly rushed. Still, it’s nice to see serious Mikage smiling for once, and overall the series has left a pleasant impression. – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 36 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – We wrap up one arc and start another here, so there’s not really a lot of fighting. What there is is backstory and explanations, so many of them in what is almost one big infodump. Some of it is truly interesting—I love the idea of the Earth as a meal that’s almost finished cooking, and it’s nice to see that the chefs are all going to have their own little adventure (led, no doubt, by Komatsu, who apparently awoke his own gourmet cells—he’s come a long way.) But yeah, much of this is setup for the volumes to come, with Sunny griping as always, Coco being the sensible one, and Toriko and Starjun having to work together—something which comes surprisingly easy to them. Solid, but unexceptional. – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 4 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamachi| Seven Seas – The majority of the fight in this all-fight volume does not actually feature the titular character, and with good reason: Accelerator is just too overpowered for the mid-level evil teen group that’s here. But that’s OK, as we get to see Kato and Estelle put up a really good fight, and, like Aiho in the last book, get to show they’re not there merely to get rescued before, well, they are. And when Accelerator does arrive, we are reminded that a) these really are inexperienced kids, riding high on confidence they don’t really have, and b) Accelerator is TERRIFYING. He’s not a hero, that’s Touma or Mikoto. That said, he can fulfill a hero’s function. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Genshiken: Second Season, Vol. 9 | By Shimoku Kio | Kodansha Comics – I asked last time if Madarame’s harem antics were the main plot of Genshiken now, and it’s clear that yes indeed they are. This is somewhat disappointing to many fans (most fans?), as getting Madarame laid is not really why any of us really read Genshiken—or at least, now that Saki is out of it. Still, Kio tries his best to keep our interest, and there is a nice subplot involving Hato and Yajima’s competing manga, and why Hato is coming up short. It also speaks to the value of constructive criticism. But it is just a subplot—the main plot is things like Sue trying to stop herself blushing and panicking whenever she has to deal with Madarame, or a field trip to Yajima’s house that ends in drunken shenanigans. This is the manga Genshiken is now, and while I enjoyed it I would not blame anyone for dropping it. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 5 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – There is a lot less of Hori being a standard angry blushing anime girl here, and it’s all for the better. Indeed, she and Miyamura really are trying to get closer and take the next step in their relationship, but events are conspiring against them. In addition, Miyamura is having to deal with the fact that, having changed his image, he’s now being found attractive by others—much to his chagrin. Slightly less welcome in this mix is Sawada, a girl whose obsession with breaking Hori and Miyamura up turns out to be a different kind of twisted love, but it really didn’t connect with me—I like her better as a lonely girl dealing with the loss of her brother than as the lesbian stalker. A good, solid volume of romantic comedy. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 7 | By Junko | Kodansha Comics – This series has always been better when hitting the comedy rather than the romance, in the tradition of The Wallflower, a series it sometimes resembles. And the good news is this is a particularly funny volume, featuring Kae and Shima’s fangirling even managing to come out at shrine remembrances, a haunted island that leads to a lot of wackiness as well as some close calls, and perhaps most importantly, Kae may actually be seeing Igarashi as a man she is attracted to, as opposed to wanting him in BL fantasies. Of course, Nanashima won’t take this lying down, but I suspect he will regret that forced kiss (if he remembers it—the trouble with bad colds). If you like shenanigans, this is a good manga to read. – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 3-4 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – This second omnibus takes place during a tournament, and does a very good job of showing how intense and grueling those can be—especially when you move on and have to play another team later in the day. Keeping your energy can be next to impossible, and we see both of our heroes benched at one point, which of course also helps to show off the skills of the rest of the team. (The funniest moment in the volume is seeing how their manager “motivates” Junpei to play well.) The other teams are no slouches, though, in particular Midorima, who seems to be able to sink a basket whenever and wherever he likes. Even he can’t defeat the cliffhanger ending, though. This works well in omnibuses. – Sean Gaffney

Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, Vol. 2 | By Natsuki Takaya | Yen Press – Takaya-sensei herself admits that volume one proceeded at a leisurely pace, but volume two is quite the opposite. While we don’t learn the entire story of what happened to Enrich, we learn the majority of it, and it’s pretty fascinating. I especially loved that, once Engetsu is injured protecting her from an assassin who’s come back to finish the job, Liselotte carries him home herself, all the while castigating herself for all the questions she never asked him, even though whenever she tried he looked so sad that she backed off. I do like awareness of one’s own flaws as a character trait. Ultimately, this is a very satisfying volume that manages to provide some major answers and yet not all of them. Heartily recommended. – Michelle Smith

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade, Vol. 4 | By Koyuki and Mamare Touno | Yen Press – First of all, the first 20 pages of this volume were appalling, and I highly recommend skipping them—they’re totally irrelevant to the rest of the book. The rest of the book is pretty solid, continuing to advance the events happening away from Shiro in the first and second book. We see how the food Marielle and company are selling is causing near riots and theft. We see more of the People of the Earth becoming sentient and sympathetic, especially Sara, the West Wind Brigade housekeeper. And we see that Soujiro is simply not suited to some things, as the riot is broken up by Magus, who is using her power now for good rather than evil. Deus ex machina with the appearance potion, though. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 20 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media –For a while, this almost feels like a series finale. The villain—a “crystallization of magoi and black rukh” whose origins I didn’t completely understand—is so tough that not even the combined forces of thirteen metal-vessel users, including badasses Sinbad and Koen (and the latter’s siblings, save Hakuryu) can defeat it. It was nice to see Morgiana again, and I also wonder if there was some intentional hinting going on about Sinbad’s future path. Mostly, though, I liked how a certain character’s sacrifice was the key to the good guys winning the day, and the absolutely surprising and lovely outcome of their act. If you like shounen adventure with the capacity to make you verklempt, you should be reading Magi. And yes, I’m talking to you, Melinda. – Michelle Smith

So Cute It Hurts!!, Vol. 9 | By Go Ikeyamada | VIZ Media – There is absolutely nothing cute about this volume of manga whatsoever. There is, however, an abundance of dumb. There’s dumb plotting, in which Megumi is convinced Aoi hates her now because she asked about a scar on his shoulder and he ran away, leading to a plot wherein she is kidnapped by a group of random thugs who want to teach some other guy a lesson. But mostly Megumi herself is dumb, and can’t even hide properly from the thugs. Massive eyeroll. In any case, we find out why Aoi wears an eyepatch and, surprise surprise, it’s because his eye is missing. Why else would anyone wear an eye patch for two years?! Anyway, I suspect Megumi will learn about his traumtic injury and accept him anyway (after being dumb, of course) but I think I am well and truly cured of any curiosity I possessed about this series. – Michelle Smith

Fate/Zero, Vol. 3 | By Gen Urobuchi, Type-Moon, and Shinjiro | Dark Horse – I did say last time that the series was going to get darker, and boy howdy I was not wrong. No amount of cute shots of Rin as a child or amusing scenes of Irisviel driving like a maniac can really make up for the main thrust of the latter half of the book, which is that Caster is Bluebeard, an insane murderer (though historians now doubt this), and his master Ryunosuke is even worse. There are numerous scenes of women and children gleefully butchered, which I’m sure were quite lovingly described in the original novel but which the manga adds an extra dollop of horror to. Oh yes, and we also see what’s happening to Sakura, which if you’ve never played Heaven’s Feel may come as a shock. Horrifying but good. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 14 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – I was expecting Soma to level up and learn that he still had room to grow while working for Shinomiya, and I wasn’t wrong. The better part was seeing how far Shinomiya has come, given how much of an antagonist he was about ten volumes ago. He’s tough but never unfair, really knows his stuff, and I loved his backstory showing how his love for French food stemmed from his mother’s love of it. His staff were also fun, and it’s always wonderful to see Hinako again. But the arc is over, and there’s a nice montage of the main cast showing off their own growth aside from Soma. Now they earn the reward, which is a picnic with the top ten in the school. If you guessed they were all eccentric lunatics, congrats. Always great. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 4 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Given a team as raw as the one that stars in Haikyu!!, it would be a bit of a stretch to see them winning right off the bat against other teams. Oh, don’t get me wrong, there are many opportunities to see Hinata and company show off their skills, and they keep things close all the time. But the thing I liked best about this volume was the fact that the rival team won as they simply work better as a team, not a brilliantly talented collection of individuals. And, as with all sports manga, you learn more and more about the ins and outs of volleyball as you go, though thankfully not to the point it gets boring. In the end, though, Kageyama makes the best point—if that had been a tournament, everything would have been over. Time to TRAIN HARDER. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 5 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – The last volume had me a little worried, but it does seem to have been a false alarm. Much of the beginning involves reactions to Miyamura’s new look, culminating in a fakeout where his supposed new admirer actually fancies Hori instead. I enjoyed that she seems to bring out his more irritable side, much like his middle-school friend Shindou does, as well as the latter mentioning that Miyamura is different with others. Miyamura insists it’s not an act, and it’s likely nothing will come of this, but it would be interesting if it did. We also get some excellent scenes with our main couple, including a kind of sexy one wherein Miyamura wonders whether it’s acceptable to try anything with her, and a cute reunion hug after he has to be out of town for a few days. I’m happy and relieved to continue to enjoy this series! – Michelle Smith

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 22 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – This has just ended in Japan, and it’s beginning to show—this is definitely feeling like the final endgame plot. Leaving aside the fact that Nanami is slowly dying (and no, I don’t expect that to stick), the whole volume relies on Nanami’s basic goodness meaning that they cannot try the most obvious solutions to their problems. They can’t kill Akura-oh’s host, they can’t have Nanami kill a human to gain life force. Oh yes, and Tomoe finds out Nanami’s little secret, which leads to him, impatient as ever, scarfing the (temporary?) cure to hug her and berate her from keeping things from him. I’m not sure exactly how fluffy this ending is going to be, but I’m enjoying the journey it’s taking to get there. – Sean Gaffney

My Monster Secret, Vol. 4 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – This continues to be an excellent combination of hilarious mayhem and cute romance, in that order. Which means that if you want a payoff right away, be prepared to be frustrated. Asahi and Youka are adorable and clearly meant to be together, but they’re both such shy, awkward dorks that I think it will be at least ten more volumes. Luckily, there is the humor to tide us over, being the destruction of a brand new car, the all-in attempt to get a rare hamburger, and the least subtle UFO ever. There’s also new characters, be it Youko’s parents, who are pretty much exactly as you’d expect, and a granddaughter from the future, who is more of a cliffhanger. This makes me laugh a lot, especially the art. – Sean Gaffney

Say I Love You., Vol. 16 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – It’s been a long time since my husband and I were in a long-distance relationship, but this volume of Say I Love You. expertly evoked those memories. Mei and Yamato are pursing their individual dreams and attending different schools. They do their best to keep in touch, but their schedules make it difficult to find time to see each other, and each is meeting new people and having new experiences independently. When Takeshi seems on the verge of dumping Asami in favor of a college classmate, and Mei finds out Yamato was spotted out with a woman (when he’d only said he’d be with “a friend”), she is thrown into turmoil. It’s great to see a shoujo series acknowledge that high school romances don’t always work out, and that people change and grow apart. I still doubt that’ll happen here, but it’s nice to feel like it’s a real possibility! – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You,” Vol. 16 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Let’s face it, much as I find Asami fun, the relationship between her and Takeshi was the least developed one in this series, possibly as it was one of the first. And given that the theme of this first post-high school volume is about trying to sustain such relationships past school, it’s not a surprise that theirs might be the first one to head south. From our point of view, though, it’s Mei and Yamato that may be in more trouble, as Yamato has a new friend who is clearly going after him hard, even if he doesn’t quite want to admit it. Honestly, though, the best scene in the volume may be Megumi and Rin, as Megumi’s frustrations boil over and Rin offers some much-needed help. Will this all end well? – Sean Gaffney

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 12 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – I’ve talked before about how much I enjoy Irina’s crush on Kurasuma, and his seeming obliviousness to same. Seeming being the word there, as here we see he’s deliberately not seeing it so she won’t lose her edge. Of course, this is because he sees her as an assassin and not a woman. And as with women scorned through history, it makes Irina vulnerable to others who want to use her skills and go after the real target—Koro-sensei. Luckily, the kids have learned their lesson from the last book and are better than ever. Unluckily, that means very little against this new assassin, whose killing presence is very reminiscent of Nagisa’s. Add this all up and you get another excellent volume. – Sean Gaffney

Black Clover, Vol. 3 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Still hugely enjoying this, despite its almost anti-originality. There are new powers discovered that call out only to the right one to wield them; huge battles where our hero is seemingly defeated only to power up at the last minute; saving the villain’s life because he’s not REALLY the villain, of course, just another guy like the rest of us; a dysfunctional bunch of arrogant heroes who will no doubt be hideously powerful and also learn humility. Oh, and look, some of them are Noelle’s siblings. And it all ends with the villain about to kill a defenseless child for the lulz, and our hero coming to the rescue. It would be horrible were it not well-drawn and plotted, with sympathetic heroes Classic Jump, really. – Sean Gaffney

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 6 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – After a pair of strong volumes, I was expecting more from this one, but ended up feeling a little disappointed. It isn’t bad, just not as good. Reeling from Aoi’s rejection, Himari meets a new teacher with a penchant for telling ghost stories and collecting magical objects, including a mirror that allows her to eventually accept the fact that, reciprocated or not, her feelings for Aoi won’t change. After an ultimately pointless visit from a demanding cat ayakashi, we do get some hints about the mysterious teacher that might prove interesting. Oddly enough, the best part is the baffling but intriguing bonus story. I don’t have absolute confidence in Shouoto-sensei’s ability to pull all of these threads together, but I’ll keep reading. – Michelle Smith

Golden Time, Vol. 5 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Umechazuke | Seven Seas – I think this is the start of the adaptation of the second light novel, and it shows, as this is mostly all setup with very little payoff. Banri and Kouko are together now, but as his memories return more and more (not helped by more head injuries, which can’t be good for him), it becomes increasingly apparent that Linda was his true love before the accident. Linda is having a breakdown now that he is remembering things, and Kouko is as always a complete emotional whirlwind, which is fun when she’s mocking her ex or trying to set her up with the still underdeveloped Oka, but can be extremely aggravating when you need someone in this soap opera to be sensible. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 4 | By Amu Meguro | Viz Media – I’ve wanted to see more of Yashiro, the sharp and somewhat sarcastic best friend of the heroine, since the book began, and this volume allows me a whole pile of her. It shows off why she’s had so much trouble opening up—her family tends to ignore her, and the only real affection she’s gotten to date is from her much older tutor, who’s dating her but also cheating on her. This sort of character, in a shoujo manga, really is served best by a partner who wears their heart on their sleeve, and luckily Misaki is completely unable to hide any emotion whatsoever. Luckily, the tutor is wise enough to realize that she really is better off with someone other than him, and cheerfully breaks up with her. Fluffy angst is the best angst. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 4 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – One of the best things about The Prince of Tennis was the many memorable rival teams Seigaku faced. But I think Haikyu!! has them beat with Nekoma, a consistent team with an arsenal of attacks, memorable characters (including several analogues to Karasuno players), and appealing backstory. I actually found myself rooting for them, and would totally read a spinoff about them! But it’s also great that they forced Hinata to start consciously aiming his hits, rather than depending on Kageyama all the time, beginning the duo’s evolution from “a monster and his club” to “one monster and another monster.” Also, Karasuno losing the practice game at this point will make an eventual rematch on the tournament stage even more pivotal and exciting. I’m looking forward to it! – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 10 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – I love this series so, so, so much. Reading it makes me happy. I especially enjoyed this volume because it spends a lot of time on Takeo and Sunakawa’s friendship. First, Suna is there for Takeo when the latter is worrying about Ichinose the pastry chef confessing his feelings to Yamato, but then he starts feeling lonely when he realizes Takeo has gotten better at communicating his good intentions to others and might not need him anymore. He has a hard time admitting how he feels, and also later struggles to advise Takeo about his growing desire for Yamato. (Could this be further evidence of his asexuality?) Of course, there is plenty of romantic cuteness between our lead couple, but for getting to know Suna better, this volume is a standout. – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 10 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – Last time I hoped Yamato would figure out what was going on and shut Ichinose down. Well, she didn’t really figure it out, but we do get a rejection. Being Yamato, of course, it’s as sweet as pie, assuring Ichinose that his skills as a pastry chef are amazing without her as a muse AND reaffirming she’s head over heels for Takeo. In fact, these two are such a solid couple it might be time to take things to the next level, something Takeo has been brooding over but can’t quite get out due partly to his shyness and partly I think due to having Yamato on a pedestal. Luckily the class trip is coming up, giving them lots of opportunity to go further, though I doubt anything major will happen. Still adorable. – Sean Gaffney

My Neighbor Seki, Vol. 8 | By Takuma Morishige | Vertical Comics – It’s been a while since we’ve had Seki’s antics, and I find that this was an even more enjoyable volume of Seki than usual. There’s another one of the “Godo misinterprets Seki and Yokoi as a hot sexy couple” chapter, even as Yokoi is merely trying to figure out what the hell Seki is planning now. There’s a lot of Seki’s games rebounding on him this time, as he gets lost in imaginary toys, has a hilarious disaster with natto, and sprays his crotch with water in the worst possible way. As for Yokoi, all she wants is a nice sweet story from Seki’s playthings, but more often than not his nihilistic side takes over, such as his post-apocalyptic Game of Life. Even the cover gag is great. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 4 | By Amu Meguro | VIZ Media – It’s hard to believe this charming series is already halfway over! Onise’s friend, Futami, makes good on his promise to confess to Nao, and after he’s rejected is surprised to find that Onise is still willing to be his friend. Awesomely, Onise had completely trusted Nao the whole time, and then he sings a song of friendship. No, really. After he and Nao achieve first-name status, the focus shifts to fleshing out their friends. I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about Yashiro, who has been lonely her whole life and who clung to her ne’er-do-well boyfriend until she realized she deserved something more. I really appreciated that he wasn’t depicted as pure evil and did care enough about her to let her go. Whether she and Misaki will eventually become a couple is up in the air, but I suspect the answer is yes. – Michelle Smith

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 22 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – Kamisama Kiss continues towards its conclusion and benefits from the increased focus. This volume finds everyone in the Land of the Dead, having followed Kirihito there as he searches for Akura-Oh’s body. Tomoe thinks he’s going to be able to kill him, but he can’t, and later helps the lost spirit of a little girl, which seem to be signs that his heart is softening towards humans and that he, therefore, will eventually succeed in becoming one. Meanwhile, Nanami has been hiding the fact that she’s only got six months to live, and we get a great (though lamentably brief) scene where Mizuki is prepared to sacrifice someone else just to save her. She stops him, of course, and finally tells Tomoe what’s going on. He’s upset that she didn’t rely on him, but claims there’s a way to save her. Three volumes to go! – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 3-4 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | VIZ Media – Seirin has steadily progressed through the Inter-High qualifiers, but now they must play two tough opponents on the same day. First, they face off against Seiho, who took them out of contention the prior year, and it was great to see the second-year characters get the chance to shine as they got payback. Seirin next advances to the match against Shutoku, a team with one of the Miracle Generation players on it. It’s a super-exciting game, in which Kagami gets perilously close to the “I can win on my own” line until Kuroko snaps him out of it. One of the great things about these two-in-one editions is that one volume-ending cliffhanger is nullified, but the buzzer-beater cliffhanger at the end of volume four is inescapable. Argh! Now I am good and hooked. – Michelle Smith

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 4 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – After an event-filled third volume, this new book seems to be spinning its wheels a bit, I’m afraid. This is always the difficulty with adapting visual novels, which fans buy knowing that there will be piles and piles of dialogue, only some of which may be relevant to the plot. Focusing on what interested me, then, the revelation that Tougo’s mother was abducted by a man in a fox mask right in front of him puts a chilling spin on current events. And I always enjoy seeing the two cute yet slightly insane yokai girls, who get a side-story cameo here and I wish did more. As for the main plot, I’m hoping things will pick up in the next book. – Sean Gaffney

The Prince in His Dark Days, Vol. 1 | By Hico Yamanaka | Kodansha Comics – I always do enjoy it when the first volume of a new series sets a mood, but it can be difficult when that mood is ‘horribly bleak and depressing.’ Atsuko is poor, her father is drunk, she’s doing compensated dating and it is suggested she’ll be doing prostitution soon. Luckily, she’s kidnapped by a group of rich young men, at first because the family heir wants to dress up in her clothing, and secondly when said heir disappears, and they ask her to dress up as him for a while. Most series with that premise would play it for laughs, but this is dead serious, and even the young hot bodyguards have tragic backstories and hidden secrets. A good start, but I’d hate to binge read something this heavy. – Sean Gaffney

The Boy and the Beast, Vol. 2 | By Mamoru Hosada and Renji Asai | Yen Press – I don’t think I ever reviewed the first volume of the manga adaptation of this, but it’s a very nice adaptation. It hits the high points of the book and shows how Kyuta and Kumatetsu both irritate and inspire each other. The journey to discover what strength is is more hilarious and less character building than the novel, but that’s fine—the jokes are excellent. We also get the timeskip here, meaning Kyuta now ends up back in modern-day Japan and meets Kaede, a high school girl with a troubled relationship with her parents. That said, the two worlds are separate for a reason, and the next volume will get deeper into that. My guess is this runs four volumes. It’s worth a look, and great for kids. – Sean Gaffney

Complex Age, Vol. 2 | By Yui Sakuma | Kodansha Comics – Volume one ended with the cliffhanger of Nagisa being spotted at a cosplay event by her hardass coworker, Hayama. However, it turns out that Hayama is a cosplayer, too, and they become friends, only for Nagisa to watch helplessly as Hayama is driven to resign once someone at the office finds her sultry in-character photos and distributes them. Coworkers are not the only threat to Nagisa’s precious world, but the other one involves a big surprise that is the real reveal of this volume. Maybe other readers saw that coming, but I surely didn’t! I really want Nagisa to be able to triumph here, to be able to retain her sense of joy in a pursuit that isn’t hurting anyone, but in a series so capable of surprising me, I honestly have doubts that we will get a sunny, happy ending. And that’s a good thing! Don’t miss this one. – Michelle Smith

Don’t Be Cruel, Vols. 3-4 | By Yonezou Nekota | SuBLime – In order to evalate this double volume on its own merits, I decided to try to forget the horrible way the series began. Now, we find Maya and Nemugasa changed by their relationship, to the point where previously irresponsible Maya has begun to give serious consideration to his future. He starts studying like mad, and comes to appreciate how hard Nemugasa’s been working all this time. I liked that part, but of course, there is drama and misunderstanding aplenty, especially when a quick fast-forward takes the guys into college, where Nemugasa ends up prioritizing a friend who got dumped over a hot springs outing with Maya, and nearly gets dumped as a result. I don’t know; I still find both of these guys somewhat annoying, and the bonus chapter about a fellow student and a teacher was pretty icky, too. I may be done for good now. – Michelle Smith

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 14 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki – “Reinvigorating” is the word that comes to mind to describe this volume of Food Wars!. As part of the stagiaire program, Soma has been assigned to work in Shinomiya’s high-end French restaurant, which is his biggest challenge to date. He had been secure in his knowledge of how family restaurants operate, but this one is completely different. It is excellent to see him flounder and rebound, and his typical cockiness is tempered somewhat as a result. He’s still confident, but also respectful and eager to learn. By week’s end, he’s managed to incorporate elements of Shinomiya’s techniques into a traditional dish, putting him one step closer to finding his own specialty. Much like a shounen battle manga, we get glimpses of how the other students are getting stronger in their assignments, too. Then it’s time to meet the Council of Ten. I seriously love this series. – Michelle Smith

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 8 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – I’ve reached the point where I would drop this if I didn’t know that it was going to end soon. The relationship between Kana, Aki and Eriya is front and center in this volume, and Kana’s love for Aki really doesn’t enter into it at all. Each volume she’s gotten less and less to do, to the point where she’s literally a passive mind-controlled hostage by the end of this book, dressed up as Eve for no reason other than dramatic effect. Slightly more interesting is Eriya’s backstory, which manages to be quite grotesque, though suffers from the art being too pretty—imagine what this series would have been like had Kaori Yuki written it. (Imagine the body count, which would have tripled.) For diehards only. – Sean Gaffney

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 4 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – This is the first volume of this series that I’ve read after reading the source novel it’s a spinoff of, and it’s amazing how much more sense it makes now. In fact, it’s becoming clearer why Yen licensed this spinoff but not the main manga series—the two must be mostly identical, as Honoka and Shizuku don’t get much to do here, so the majority of this is the events of the first volume, only from Miyuki’s perspective rather than Tatsuki’s. This isn’t a bad thing, as Miyuki’s thoughts, brother complex aside, are quite different from the stoic male lead viewpoint. It would appear that the next spinoff volume deals with the third novel’s plotline, so I am relieved the book will be out first. – Sean Gaffney

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 8 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – Last time I asked if Yamato would get involved, and sure enough that’s what happens here, as we get several new revelations that answer many questions we’ve had since the first volume. Some are less surprising than others (Amana Kotono’s identity has been something I’ve expected for ages). There’s also some lovely heartwarming stuff here between Haruna and Makie, both of whom are desperate to see the other happy even if it means sacrificing everything. Luckily, it all works out, at least for now. As we get further into the series, the mystery behind these “mental models”—i.e., why the battleships are cute girls—deepens and deepens. That said, I’ll betcha next time we get more sea battles. – Sean Gaffney

Complex Age, Vol. 2 | By Yui Sakuma | Kodansha Comics – Many years ago, I wrote fanfiction under my own name, because I was young and stupid. One of my worst nightmares is that my workplace finds some of the stuff I wrote, which was also young and stupid. As such, I identified a bit too much with Hayama, who Nagisa found was also a secret cosplayer, but who is discovered at work and, while not fired, is basically embarrassed to the point that she quits. It’s depressing and highly realistic. As for Nagisa, she’s having more trouble at home, where her mother is furious that she’s still doing this at her age—mostly as her mother seemed to do the same thing back in the day and has lingering regrets. This series is well-written and intensely painful at the same time. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 2 | By Izumi Miyazono | Viz Media – After a first volume where the issue was the differing relationship goals of the lead couple, this second volume’s plot is more prosaic, although equally relatable—how to find time to do couple things when you’re in a state of constant busyness. This is something especially prevalent in the entertainment industry, as Ryu finds himself taking on more and more work and having less and less time for Asuka. Luckily, they finally manage to get together by the end of this book. As for Asuka, she’s stopped worrying so much about marrying Ryu and has started to accept their relationship as it is, though has been told to think about why he’s so adamant. A nicely mature romance, in the best sense of the word. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 2 | By Izumi Miyazono | VIZ Media – Asuka Takanashi, a successful career woman who really wants to get married, and Ryu Nanami, a popular newscaster who’d rather die than tie the knot, have fallen in love and started a relationship. We soon learn that Asuka believes she is going to be able to persuade Nanami to see things her way. How I wish the story would not end with her succeeding, but I suspect that it will. For now, we get a bunch of interrupted sexy times, busy schedules leading to canceled dates and hurt feelings, a tiny glimpse of Asuka being competent at work and a whole chapter on Nanami doing the same, and, finally, consummation of their relationship. I might sound critical, but I really do enjoy this series. – Michelle Smith

Idol Dreams, Vol. 3 | By Arina Tanemura | VIZ Media – When Idol Dreams revolves around adult Chikage, it can be almost interesting. For the first half of this volume, we focus on her attempts to get some kind of relationship going with Haru and she finally is able to confess that she has loved him all this time. Only, Haru has noticed how Chikage lights up when she talks about Tokita, and how the latter looks at her, and concludes that Chikage actually has no idea what love really is. As he backs off, Chikage takes her pills and transforms into Akari, whereupon two different guys (these being teenagers) are competing for her affections. This mousy dingbat has four love interests?! Anyway, she decides the best way to learn about relationships is to start dating a fifteen-year-old she doesn’t love, because that couldn’t possibly screw him up or anything. Still frustrating and creepy. – Michelle Smith

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 25 | By Karuho Shiina | VIZ Media – Much like Skip Beat!, Kimi ni Todoke is another long-running shoujo title that is just consistently good. I love everything to do with Chizu and Ryu here, and when she finally decides to support his baseball dreams (even if it means him leaving her behind for a few years) and begins to cheer at his game and pray for victory, I got all verklempt. And then the sweet scene between them afterwards made me full on bawl. You did it again, Shiina-sensei. As if this volume weren’t good enough, it ends with a pretty powerful fight between Sawako and Kazehara. We’ve never seen her be so honest and straightforward about her feelings and complaints, and it’s pretty exhilarating to feel, even if briefly, that their relationship might really be in jeopardy. It’ll be a long wait for the next volume. – Michelle Smith

NTR: Netsuzou Trap, Vol. 1 | By Kodama Naoko | Seven Seas – Let’s face it, most yuri titles out there are not meant to appeal to lesbians, or even to women at all. They are there for young men (or, if we’re being honest, older boys) who think that girl-on-girl is hot. Netsuzou Trap is definitely for the latter—the prefix, NTR, is the Japanese abbreviation for “cheating,” and tends to be used to humiliate or shame the woman. And that is, to a degree, what happens here, as a girl is trying to go further with her boyfriend but keeps getting interrupted by her best friend, who is apparently trying to both help and seduce her. The melodrama is obvious, the yuri is non-consensual for the most part, and I can’t recommend this to anyone but 18-21 year old guys. – Sean Gaffney

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life, Vol. 4 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – First of all, it has to be said: my favorite character is barely in this, as Mai gets only one panel in the entire volume. (It does show her trolling, if that helps.) Instead, we have three types of storylines here: Yukko and Mio being silly and hyperactive, Nano and the Professor being cute and immature, and the rest of the cast, which expands to include a young teacher who has an obsession with finding out how Nano ticks, but also has the worst luck in the world. (She’s female, by the way—the artist has drawn her very androgynously). Even without Mai, though, Nichijou has it where it counts—the humor is still excellent, and the plots are still weird, as the author starts to use repeated gags to great effect. Tremendous fun. – Sean Gaffney

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life, Vol. 4 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – Last time I wrote that I was having doubts about Nichijou, and would give it one more try. I’m glad I did, because there was a lot to like this time around. My favorite parts involved Sakamoto, the talking cat who lives with Nano and the professor, especially his adorable proficiency at karuta. There were a few other amusing visual gags, flights of fancy, and funny punchlines, along with not-so-amusing gags, punchlines, etc. Still, it all balanced out into something enjoyable. I still loathe the professor, which I feel weird saying since she’s a little kid, but since all of her scenes this time involved Sakamoto, it was okay. More Sakamoto! – Michelle Smith

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 10 | By Miki Yoshikawa | Kodansha Comics – This is the longest arc we’ve had to date, and as a result we’re allowed to do things like not resolve the cliffhanger ending at all, mostly as Shiraishi is promptly removed from the board, causing Yamada and company to have to try to think of something else. That something involves Leona, still refusing to go to school but apparently far more connected to the Student Council President than was once thought—in fact, it’s a sweet and depressing story. There’s also some sweet and depressing in Odagiri’s subplot, as she’s offered Yamada on a silver platter but won’t sell him out as she knows he loves someone else. An excellent combination of romantic comedy and fantasy thriller. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Morning, Vol. 6 | By Shoko Hidaka | SuBLime – Volume six is somewhat of a fresh start for this complicated BL series. Akihito Kuze is the reluctant viscount who has been scheming to retire from his position in favor of his lover, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, who also has a claim to the title. Meanwhile, Katsuragi has been scheming in Akihito’s favor. Now we’re in the aftermath of Akihito refusing to play along with Katsuragi’s plans for the first time, which has left Katsuragi feeling adrift. Akihito is able to navigate the changing world with ease, but Katsuragi is unable to see that he too could flourish as an individual—the way he revitalizes a struggling spinning business is proof of that—if he could get over his loyalty to the peerage system. Pretty atypical BL fare, eh? I don’t think I’ve ever read a BL series this complex before, and it really should not be missed. – Michelle Smith

Idol Dreams, Vol. 3 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – We spend more time with the adult Chikage this time around, and as a result the problems feel deeper. Haru clearly still has feelings for her, as they both realize that his rejection wasn’t a rejection but in fact her simply being too stunned to answer. As for Tokita, he couldn’t be more obvious about is feelings if he wore a neon sign. I’m not sure if Haru is meant to be a villain here or not—but he’s certainly being more forceful than Tokita. Meanwhile, in the fifteen-year-old part of this, “Akari” gains Ru as a boyfriend, despite telling him that she doesn’t think of him that way. Add to that that she’s getting sloppy in her taking of the youth medicine, and this could go south very quickly. Problematic but readable as ever. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vols. 25 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – Last time I asked for forward progression and I got it, but alas, not all dreams come true, and the forward progression we see here is Ryu’s team losing their game. That said, what’s important from a character perspective is Chizu accepting that they’re going to be apart, and that she feels it’s OK to wait for him. (There’s implication they have their first time after the game, but as it would involve telling Pin, implication is all there is.) As for Sawako and Kazehaya, they’re both so protective of each other’s feelings that they end up backing into a fight about her desire to go to the educational university. Of course, it’s really about the fact that they haven’t opened up completely to each other, particularly Kazehaya. Excellent as always. – Sean Gaffney

Komomo Confiserie, Vol. 5 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – My guess is that the audience let the author know they enjoyed raging, fired-up Komomo, as that’s what we get here as well, and once again it’s the best part of the book. Unfortunately, the rest of the book seems to be trying to drag out “they get together” till the required length, and I admit I was startled to see Komomo’s family regain their fortune—it seems very pat, even if she chooses to stay with Natsu. The whle thing was even a private wager between the two families. Still, it was pretty sweet, and at five volumes it ends at just about the right time. I’m just not sure I enjoyed how much Komomo was manipulated through the entire series—she’s best when she’s righteously furious. – Sean Gaffney

Komomo Confiserie, Vol. 5 | By Maki Minami | VIZ Media – There have been times when I was sufficiently entertained by Komomo Confiserie, but I have to say I found this final volume both boring and frustrating. First of all, it’s entirely obvious who is going to end up together, so the random introduction of Natsu’s friend as Komomo’s last-minute fiancé fails to deliver any dramatic impact whatsoever. Then Natsu is an ass, kicking Komomo out of the one place she wants to be, and then he has the gall to chase after her when she’s justifiably upset about being replaced. Although this does lead to the one great moment, when she calls him out for his crap, we are soon swept up in sudden love confessions and blah blah. I find myself agreeing with Natsu—Komomo is too good for you. I’m glad this series is over before it completely trampled on my residual Voice Over! goodwill. – Michelle Smith

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 17 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – The best way to keep your harem series balanced is not necessarily to show that the lead has good chemistry with all the girls, or to show off how cute and different in personality they are. It’s to show that no matter what girl he chooses, it will make sense within the plot we’ve read. It’s really obvious that Chitoge is the lead because that’s what this genre does in Japan, but Onodera winning makes perfect sense. And as we see in an extended arc here, so does Yui, despite the fact that she was introduced late. Aside from romance, there’s some funny bits (the best is Raku and Onodera desperately trying to get to the field trip site), and some heartwarming sweetness that doesn’t even involve romance. Highly enjoyable. – Sean Gaffney

Paradise Residence, Vol. 3 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Kodansha Comics – This is the final volume, and it reads very much like a “you’re cancelled” sort of ending, which is a shame after the long-runner that was Oh My Goddess!. Still, there wasn’t much further this could really have gone, unless he wanted to do more than merely tease that our two heroines have amazing chemistry with each other. In fact, when Suzuna meets Hatsune’s family (who are, of course, bike mechanics, because this is Fujishima), they all profess they want to marry her. The latter half of the book gives us a genuine villain in the daughter of the school chairwoman, taking over for her ill mother and determined to do away with the titular dorm, which is old and out of date. Spoiler: the dorm stays. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 3 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – I don’t mind volumes that are all setup if the setup is entertaining, and that’s exactly what this omnibus is. We go to training camp, where the new first years all have to deal with their weaknesses. We meet the driven second-years, who are the stars of their own story and determined that they will be the ones going to the Interhigh. (There’s a cliffhanger, but I doubt these guys are going to beat basic narrative.) And we start to get introduced to other schools, who no doubt will prove to be thorns in the side of our new kids. Oh yes, and a new sempai, the one of the cover, who proves to be quite nice despite grinning like a villain and twisting his body in half. Excellent sports manga. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!, Vol. 3 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – So now that we’ve had the first practice match, it’s time for the training volume, and fleshing out the cast some more (series like these always end up with casts of thousands). So we meet the kid from the last cliffhanger, who is hot-blooded and earnest, and the team’s absent ace, who collapsed from pressure and needs to be coaxed back. Oh, and there’s the new coach, who looks more like a delinquent, but that’s what makes it fun. And then there’s our two heroes, who are still very talented and very raw—as the coach notes, no one on the team can receive at all. Luckily, we have another practice match coming up in the next volume. There’s no need to focus on classes or romance in this series—all volleyball all the time is fine. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 3 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – The first half of this volume is primarily about persuasion. Persuading the feisty pint-sized libero, Yu Nishinoya, to return to the team. Persuading the big, mild-mannered ace, Asahi Azumane, to do likewise. And persuading Keishin Ukai, grandson of the man who once made Karasuno great, to become their coach. Part of what fires everyone up is the upcoming practice game against Nekoma, a school that once had a friendly rivalry going with Karasuno before both faded into mediocrity. So, not only do we spend a lot more time with older members of the team this volume, watching as the rift caused by a dispiriting match is finally mended, but we also get a welcome bit of team history while we’re at it. It’s all very enjoyable and I’m eagerly anticipating the next volume! – Michelle Smith

Masamune-kun’s Revenge, Vol. 2 | By Hazuki Takeoka and Tiv | Seven Seas – A general rule of thumb: if you’re trying to learn life lessons from shoujo manga, you need to rethink things. Much of the first half of this book involves Masamune and Aki flailing around as they try not to be the socially inept losers they are—Aki is this naturally, and Masamune could function if he weren’t obsessed with Aki, but he is. Into this mix we add Neko, a rich young girl who claims to have met Masamune years ago—and fallen in love with him. The story is bogus, and the love may be as well. Of course, just in case I thought this would be something I could recommend to non-Seven Seas readers, the cliffhanger involves Neko not wearing any panties. Sigh. Fans of Haganai and other “Oh My God You Glorious Losers” titles will like this. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 4 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – I really enjoyed this volume of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun! I mean, I always like it, but this volume achieved a balance of humor, fresh scenarios, and actual potential romantic progress (maybe?) that was quite satisfying. Nozaki’s quest for inspiration for his manga leads him to go on a campaign to shock Chiyo, play a dating sim game from a female point of view (in which the girl literally ends up with Satan), have a sleepover with his buddies, and attend a festival. In between, all of the characters get a little more attention and appear in different combinations and settings. Oh, and we meet Nozaki’s little brother, too. Overall, Nozaki-kun feels a lot more like a cohesive story than a 4-koma gag manga, and I wholeheartedly approve! – Michelle Smith

One-Punch Man, Vol. 8 | By ONE and Yusuke Marata | Viz Media – After the epic battle of the last two volumes, we’re back to everyday life here, mostly, as we get a deep look into the mind of King, a superhero who’s really just this guy but who everyone THINKS has done heroic things. As a result, he’s scared stiff—even more so when a villain tries to take him out. Luckily, Saitama’s there with his one punch and his usual advice that applies and yet doesn’t—just get stronger is easier said than done. There’s also some nice setup for future volumes as we meet several villains who will not join the heroes to battle for the planet, and Genos’ forgotten revenge ends up being not so forgotten after all. Of course, One-Punch Man is still funny, but there’s deeper stuff going on here. A solid volume. – Sean Gaffney

Shomin Sample: I was Abducted by an Elite All-Girls School as a Sample Commoner, Vol. 2 | By Risumai and Takafumi Nanatsuki | Seven Seas – Cover: still reprehensible. Fanservice: still all over the title, with the addition of a loli who can’t stop stripping and placing Kimito in awkward situations. Oh, and there’s a Motoko Aoyama clone whose blade is better at stripping people than cutting them (and yes, even Kimito gets stripped naked with a convenient censor flower.) In among all of this is a somewhat standard harem comedy, as our hero tries to get the girls to act more social while learning more about them, datesim style. It’s still not horrible, but the constant service is wearing, and it doesn’t have the humor or depth that let me put up with it, like Haganai does. Skip this. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 37 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – I was tempted to simply use my review of the last volume for this one as well. We’re still dealing with Kyoko’s mother, and I still worry the series will eventually excuse her abuse. Box R is still not doing well, and Kyoko still hasn’t really noticed. And she and Sho still have a great scene together. But really, this volume deserves more of a look, because it has double the emotional heft of the previous one. Nakamura’s art has gotten amazing, especially in Kyoko’s expressions—blank and hollow after seeing her mother on TV, then finally breaking down in front of Tsuruga (who she thinks is Corn—again). Skip Beat! is coming up on being the longest shoujo manga in North America, and this shows you why—its depth of feeling is AMAZING. – Sean Gaffney

Spoof on Titan, Vol. 1 | By Hounori, based on Hajime Isayama’s manga | Kodansha Comics – This is the second of the comedy spinoffs of Attack on Titan, and this one is more traditional, both in format and adaptation. This takes place within the series proper—more accurately, within the first couple of volumes showing everyone still living in the barracks and training. That said, it’s meant not be read by those who know everything—Reiner and Bertholt mention their real identities, Krista’s ‘royal’ qualities come up, etc. It’s also not as freely adapted as Titan High School. That said, if you enjoy Titan, particularly its fandom in-jokes—Sasha eating, Mikasa’s obsession with Eren, etc.—this is a lot of fun. And it’s just the right size for a 4-mkoma title. Short. – Sean Gaffney

Anne Happy, Vol. 2 | By Cotoji | Yen Press – This would appear to be one of those titles that is fun and cute provided you do not take it remotely seriously, because serious analysis of this sort of this can be horrifying. Hanako’s bad luck is really pretty terrible, Botan’s consecutive injuries would have her hospitalized or dead in any other title, and Hibari must be close to exhaustion from having to play the straight man all the time. In this volume the girls show they can’t even win a simple board game or cook a decent meal without disasters, though they do manage to achieve a scavenger hunt. I’m with the new, as yet unnamed teacher, though—even assuming this IS bad luck, is it really something to be cured with this class? Fun but frustrating. – Sean Gaffney

Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 2 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – I was hoping that the second volume of this series would focus more on the extended cast of the Art Squad, so I was happy to see chapters with Maasa and Izumi as a focus. The first part of this volume focuses on the Art Squad intervening in a romance gone wrong, where their abilities to make a girl’s room look filthy makes exactly the right kind of wrong impression. Maasa reveals that she’s interested in getting a college boyfriend, but her deep devotion to special effects make-up might be getting in the way. Izumi’s personality ends up having consequences for his health. Overall, this was another pleasantly diverting volume with a focus on people making things, I’m enjoying this series. – Anna N

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 6 | By Junko | Kodansha Comics – If Kiss Him, Not Me hadn’t been that big a hit, or if the popularity was fading, this might have been the final volume, and indeed much of the first half seems to be leading up to Kae finally making a decision about which guy she likes (or which girl—it’s impressive that they really do have Shima’s confession be as earnest as the four guys). But Kae is not after romance, she is after BL, and thus in the end the choice is obvious—choosing nobody because she’s obsessed with a new TV series. The second half is more light-hearted, showing off the dangers of BL pairing wars and how just ‘who tops?’ can lead to hurt feelings and declarations of war. I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I am, but it’s just dumb, cute fun. – Sean Gaffney

Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear, Vol. 1 | By Masume Yoshimoto | One Peace Books – Lately we’ve seen quite a bit of the ‘cute fluff that should be for kids, but is written for an adult audience’ type of manga, and Kuma Miko falls squarely into that category. Taking place in the middle of the country, most of the volume does indeed deal with the relationship between Machi, a young miko who’s easily flustered and overcompensates a lot of the time, and Natsu, a bear who sometimes enjoys messing with her but mostly acts like a sort of sempai. The manga had an anime recently, and was infamous for the history of the village involving human/bear sexual relations. It’s actually a bit more explicit here. If you enjoy bizarre manga, you’ll like this, but it’s no Chi’s Sweet Home, be warned. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 37 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – Skip Beat! is consistently good, but I found this volume to be especially so. Since the beginning, Kyoko’s inevitable reunion with her cold-hearted mother has been looming on the horizon, and now that it’s finally here, it does not disappoint. At first, Kyoko succeeds in telling herself that she isn’t hurt when she runs into her mother and is totally ignored, but when Saena Mogami later denies on national television that she even has a child, it’s a devastating blow. I love how worried everyone is for Kyoko—even Sho—and I really, really love the final scene where she “mistakes” Ren for Corn and hurls herself into his arms, finally allowing herself to cry. The expressions he makes are amazing. Way to keep us on tenterhooks ’til the next volume, Nakamura-sensei! – Michelle Smith

That Wolf-Boy Is Mine!, Vol. 1 | By Yoko Nogiri | Kodansha Comics – Saying that your manga is perfect for fans of Fruits Basket is a somewhat high bar to clear, but Kodansha thinks that it’s on to a winner. And indeed, this fist volume is very enjoyable. Komugi transferred from Tokyo to Hokkaido after being bullied at school, and tries to start her life over, but immediately stumbles upon the secret of the school’s hottest guys—they’re all animals who live as humans. It’s sort of a reverse Furuba, where the animals can turn human but are really beasts. This may be why the budding feelings Komugi has for Yu, the wolf of the group, are expressly forbidden, and indeed somewhat awkward to think about if you go too deep. If you don’t, this is quite sweet and touching. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 3 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – Many sports manga involve the same tropes. Training camps, prefectural tournaments, aiming for the inter-high championships… The fact that this volume of Yowamushi Pedal features all three of these things does not dim my enjoyment in the least, because it uses them to motivate its three primary characters while at the same time fleshing out some of the older members of Sohoku’s cycling team. I especially love that, unlike in some series, the talented rookies are not the team’s saviors. In fact, the third-year members are all amazing, and the second-years have been working hard, too. The gruelling training camp is the proving ground for who’s got what it takes to make it to the inter-high battle, and another standout moment is Onoda’s willingness to do whatever he can to see that his two best friends are able to make it. Once again, I was bummed when another hefty volume drew to a close. – Michelle Smith

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 11 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – This is a volume I’d been expecting for some time, and it’s a story that needed to be told. When you take a group of bullied, persecuted students, given them amazing skills and actual teaching and care, and then watch them succeed beyond their wildest dreams, you’re going to have something like this happen. Our heroes are getting too self-satisfied and too cocky. And so, naturally, they make a mistake, which is bad enough, and then try to weasel out of it, which is much worse. Koro-sensei’s punishment was much needed, and of course it also reassures us that they’re still good kids at heart. For a manga about a yellow blob in a classroom where everyone’s trying to kill the teacher, this is still top-drawer stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Black Clover, Vol. 2 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – This seems to be another one of those titles that I enjoy almost despite itself. It really is astounding how many other popular titles you can see it trying to emulate. I mentioned Fairy Tail last time, but there’s a lot of Naruto here as well, as well as The Seven Deadly Sins. But the big obvious one this time is Magi, which again fulfills the rule of being a title from another company that is now being given a Jump spin. Oh yes, and one of the bad guys, Lotus, reads like Shunsui from Bleach as well. But the kids are nice and likeable, the fights are fairly interesting, and there were one or two times I laughed. Black Clover is anti-original, but it’s not actively bad, and those who enjoy “a Jump manga” will enjoy it. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 2 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – As you’d expect, most of this volume deals with the first competition our heroes have, even if it’s just a practice match. This allows Hinata to deal with the hideous nerves he has due to finally being able to achieve his dream and worrying that he’ll screw it up. Kageyama’s response to this mid-game, by the way, is probably the funniest moment of the book. We also meet the stars of the other team, and a new player for Hinata’s team, whose amusing secret ends up being both a cliffhanger and a punchline. For the most part, though, this volume is about breaking down the volleyball game and why Kageyama and Hinata, when they’re finally in sync, are so dangerous together. It’s good shonen sports fun. – Sean Gaffney

Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 2 | By Kaoru Tada | Published by DMP – It’s here, it’s here! A new installment of Itazura Na Kiss is so very welcome, it almost supersedes any irritation over Kotoko’s perpetual competence. As the volume begins, she and Naoki have been separated for a year while he interns at a hospital in Kobe. While her continued mistakes can be frustrating, they often lead to sweet scenes in which Naoki is remarkably patient and reassuring, so that’s a plus. I also really liked the scene in which he challenges her to assist him in an emergency surgery and, for the first time, they end up saving someone’s life together. Too, they also helped some other characters get together; Naoki advising Yuuki, who’s so like him and yet also his own person, about acknowledging his feelings for Konomi was another highlight. I don’t know how long it’ll be ’til the twelfth and final installment, but my enthusiasm has been rekindled. – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 19 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I’ve talked before about the author’s constant need to undercut any awesome moment Alibaba has the potential to have with either abject defeat or an amusing gag. That happens here as well, but it seems to be part of a larger aspect of Magi: anyone, no matter how confident or powerful, is capable of failing miserably in the right circumstances. OK, maybe not Sinbad, but he’s not here right now, is he? (Nor is Morgiana, and I really want to see her soon.) But our heroes and villains fight on anyway, being driven by those who inspire them out of strength (Koha and Koen) or determination (Marga and Titus). That said, this is still a volume that’s mostly just fighting, which again means all I can say to sum it up is: huh, cool. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 5 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Yeah, I was not about to see Uraraka win as I’d hoped, but she put on an impressive showing against Bakugo, even if the audience didn’t quite seem to notice and thought he was bullying her. (He noticed, trust me.) More surprising, though, was seeing Midoriya losing in the semis, as the stage was clearly set for him to battle Bakugo in the finals. But there’s a more important lesson to be delivered here, about expectations and parents and doing what you want to do with all you’ve got, and Todoroki needed to learn it—though he had trouble applying it to the final, much to Bakugo’s frustration. In any case, we have the tournament arc out of the way early, so I suspect we’ll see a few more villains next time. – Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 79 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – Well, it’s not quite the end of the Dressrosa arc, but it’s close! Although Luffy’s “Gear Four” has dealt Doflamingo a blow, it’s not a state he can sustain, and he needs ten minutes before he can use it again. In the meantime, gladiators, citizens, and even the sympathetic Navy admiral Fujitora rally together to try to buy time by delaying the approach of Doflamingo’s razor-sharp birdcage. It’s pretty suspenseful, and we also get welcome flashbacks as to where Sabo’s been all this time, but my favorite part is how Luffy defeating Doflamingo (for, of course, he eventually does) earns him many new enemies, especially those who had yet to receive the shady products they had already paid for. The world is widening once again, but first, the Straw Hats must get off the island before the Navy nabs them. Stay tuned! – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You,” Vol. 15 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – I was surprised when the last few volumes focused more on the secondary cast than our hero and heroine (who had finally gotten together), but that’s nothing compared to my surprise at the end of this volume, where everyone graduates from high school and yet the manga does not end. This is so unexpected that the author feels the need to address it in her notes, stating this was what she planned on. I’m not quite sure I buy that, but it will hopefully lead to more interesting places. Much of the volume is spent reminding us how far Mei has come since the start, and she seems to have grown up beautifully. Can her relationship be sustained after “happily ever after,” though? – Sean Gaffney

Say I Love You., Vol. 15 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – All things considered, this is a pretty melancholy volume. The first few chapters focus on Ren, who finally confesses his feelings to Mei and then tries to convince himself that being rejected didn’t hurt. Kai and Megumi say some awful things to each other, though they eventually patch things up. And the gang graduates from high school, “splitting up to find new versions of ourselves,” with much wistfulness and a farewell tour for high school memories. The manga is continuing, which I think is good news, but I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to look like, or which characters we’re going to keep following. Have we seen the last of the Aoi siblings, for example? I guess I’ll have to wait until October to find out. – Michelle Smith

D-Frag!, Vol. 9 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – Games are serious business in this very silly manga, and when Kazama realizes he’s totally forgotten about the rematch he was supposed to have with Roka, she gets very upset. That’s what drives most of this volume, which is still mostly devoted to very funny comedy. I enjoyed seeing the awkwardness of Kazama trying to fit in with the real Game Development Club, and the revelation that the stupid medallion Kazama (and I) had totally forgotten about is actually relevant. But honestly, it’s all about the rematch itself, and Kazama’s strategy for winning is both ludicrous and brilliant. D-Frag! is a comedy first and foremost, and if you keep that in mind you’ll still enjoy yourself immensely. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 13 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – I was right, Soma did not in fact win this volume. Which is not unexpected in a battle manga like this—and yes, Food Wars! is a battle manga more than it is a cooking manga. That said, Soma gains a lot from this loss, in particular the desire to cook for a reason other than to beat his father. He hasn’t found that reason yet, but just working at it is enough. After that, we get a new mini-arc involving helping at restaurants in the area, where Soma can put his childhood skills to use, Hisako shows off why Erina relies on her, Erina is, of course, perfect, and even Megumi’s keen observational eye earns her appreciation. These are smart kids, and they’re good at what they do. Classic Jump stuff. – Sean Gaffney

The Heiress and the Chauffeur, Vol. 2 | By Keiko Ishihara | Viz Media – This is not as good as the first volume, mostly as it has to wrap everything up, and due to the time period it takes place in, things have to get a bit unrealistic in order for our hero and heroine to come together in the end. We see romantic rivals (this time the blond is outwardly evil but secretly sweet—an inversion of the shoujo cliche), and Sayaka’s tsundere, not-a-lesbian best friend screaming every single line she gets in frustration at what she has to watch. But yeah, in the end, the heiress realizes she loves her chauffeur, they defy their family and run off, they run back when they realize that that would lead to the tragic ending, and love conquers all. Cute, but only OK. – Sean Gaffney

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 24 | By Taeko Watanabe | VIZ Media – It’s August, and that can only mean our annual volume of Kaze Hikaru is upon us! The opening chapters had me feeling somewhat frustrated, alas, as Sei did something impulsive that she only belatedly realized was a betrayal of the Shinsengumi. Oopsies. Happily, just as it seemed we were in for more drama, with carefree Kondo about to embark on a journey with the very man who would like to assassinate him, we take an abrupt turn towards the past for some very entertaining chapters that explain just why Hijikata values Kondo so much. As usual, though, just as I’m settling in and enjoying a good story, the volume ends and that’s it for another year. At least we’re getting something, though, so thanks as usual, VIZ! – Michelle Smith

Maid-sama!, Vols. 9-10 | By Hiro Fujiwara | VIZ Media – Answers! We got actual answers about Usui’s background! And they even kind of address why he excels at everything! And before that, there were some very good scenes between them including smoochies and Misaki communicating (admittedly with too much violence) her annoyance and frustration with his terminal evasiveness. Even the fact that we are seemingly destined for a detour into Trope City in the next volume (hot springs trip, ugh) cannot extinguish my goodwill. Throughout this volume, it felt like some sort of tension was simmering, and I’m not sure if I imagined it, but if we actually do get something a little more serious and serialized to take us through the second half of the series, I will be very pleased indeed. – Michelle Smith

Maid-sama!, Vols. 9-10 | By Hiro Fujiwara | Viz Media – At last, we’re seeing new Maid-sama! chapters in North America, which if nothing else reveals to us who wins the election. Though honestly, that was more about making Kanou open up and be less introverted than anything else. More importantly, we finally begin to see some of Usui’s past, and why he keeps trying to hide it from Misaki. Seeing that he’s a quarter British is not particularly a surprise, and I suspect there’s more to it than this. More surprising is the introduction of new teacher Maria, who not only new Usui as a child but appears to be a genuine lesbian, albeit of the usual ‘predatory’ variety so beloved by manga authors everywhere. Frustrating but addicting. – Sean Gaffney

Sweetness & Lightning, Vol. 1 | By Gido Amagakure | Kodansha Comics – Melding genres can sometimes produce pleasant surprises, and pleasant is the word describing this manga, which takes the ‘single man raising rambunctious child’ genre and combines it with the ‘let’s cook a meal and describe how we do it’ genre to decent effect. The dad is Kouhei, a widower who’s still not quite over the death of his wife. The kid is Tsumugi, who’s not as hyper as Yotsuba but comes close. The wild card is Kotori, a student of his whose mother is always at work and who desperately needs to connect to someone, and has chosen Kouhei’s family. Provided we don’t go into the student/teacher romance genre, I think this could be a real winner. 50-50 odds we do, though. – Sean Gaffney

Toriko, Vol. 35 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – I can’t quite believe this is the same company that had to censor Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball at various points. Not only do we have the plotline with the monkey king almost explicitly say that they have to arouse him in order to make his testicles bigger and more tasty (which they do via interpretive dance, just in case you thought Toriko had gotten too predictable), but they then have to descend from the fighting arena on a literal pile of shit, and at the end of the volume they all turn into women. Luckily, as the cover might show off, all this leads to a good result, as Komatsu is alive again and reunited with our heroes. Toriko continues to be a bizarre Jump title, and the next arc could maybe be a bit more about food again? – Sean Gaffney

Danganronpa: The Animation, Vol. 2 | By Spike Chunsoft and Takashi Tsukimi | Dark Horse – For a survival game manga, Danganronpa is even more theatrical and over-the-top than most examples of the genre. What’s more, it seems to love mocking itself, and sometimes also breaking the fourth wall—one character makes a Black Jack reference, and Monokuma responds, “Naw, that’s Vertical. They also do Astro Boy!” (It will surprise no one to see Carl Horn is editing this.) As for the characters themselves, and the murders, this is still a cut above—I was impressed the cast reacted mostly positively to Chihiro’s secret, and the murder was again impulsive yet sympathetic. The biggest objection is this feels far too rushed—given we’re halfway done, it likely is. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 13 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – I think I loved this volume even more than the last one! As expected, Yukihira does not ultimately win the Fall Classic, but he does gain the respect of his classmates as well as a determination to find his own cooking, instead of always following in his dad’s footsteps. Seeing him invigorated by serious rivals his own age is quite exciting. Of course, there’s always some event going on at Totsuki, so the students begin interning at various restaurants, where they must make a visible contribution. This was a nice way to humble Yukihira a little, giving him enthusiasm for learning new stuff while simultaneously not dialing back how good he is. And hey, no fanservice this volume! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 2 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – I am a huge fan of the monthly release schedule for Haikyu!!, because it means we didn’t have to wait long to see a practice game in which Hinata and Kageyama’s combined attack stuns their opponents. The volume has several cool moments, like Hinata finally getting a glimpse of “the view from the top” and a neat match-winning sequence, but it also kind of amuses me that we’re rolling right along with some sports manga tropes, like the inter-high qualifiers being just around the corner, and the heretofore unmentioned members of the team who, if they can be coaxed back, make the faraway dream of reaching nationals seem within reach. I readily admit this isn’t anything new, but I am still enjoying it immensely and expect I will continue to do so. – Michelle Smith

Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, Vol. 4 | By Nami Sano | Seven Seas – I was, I admit, expecting a bigger finale than we got here. For the most part, the majority of this final volume was devoted to the usual antics—Sakamoto is amazing at something and others react to same, be it in admiration or petty jealousy. I could have done without the chapter where Yoshinobu’s mother disguises herself as her son to get at Sakamoto, which turns more disturbing than I’d like. The ending was quite well done, though, with the series ‘villain’ manipulating an attack on Sakamoto during graduation that he inevitably turns into a production that makes everyone look better than they are. Is he an alien? It doesn’t really seem to matter. He’s just Sakamoto. -Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 4 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – For all that Horimiya is sweet and enjoyable as a romance, it’s not winning any originality awards, even in characterization. Hori is a textbook tsundere, and her fretting and waffling over Miyamura’s bedside confession drives much of the volume. And Miyamura himself seems to suffer from supreme self-deprecation, and needs to be reminded that Hori would be angry if he implied she fell for a “loser.” It takes the arrival of Hori’s father, who seems to be very similar to his daughter, to get them to agree to be an actual couple, and even then it’s indirect. So this volume can be frustrating at times, and you need to accept Hori is a cartoon violent anime girl, but if you do it’s still sweet and fun. – Sean Gaffney

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade, Vol. 3 | By Koyuki and Mamare Touno | Yen Press – This spinoff series is being written after several of the light novels, and thus can toss in things that become more relevant later in the series. That doesn’t mean it handles them well, though—first we get Magus confessing his love to Soujiro, with all the shattered horror that comes from when the target audience is not meant to say “oooh, yaoi!” Then we find out Magus is actually a girl in reality, but a male character in the games, something we’ll see more of later but mostly tossed off for another ‘surprise’ gag here. Apart from that frustration, Soujiro’s guild of haremettes work well together, and we also see Shiroe and company arrive to end book one. Still okay for Log Horizon fans. – Sean Gaffney

Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary, Vol. 4 | By Shake-O | Seven Seas – This series continues to be light as air, with an occasional shot at depth but mostly being content to make jokes about the various supernatural qualities of the students, as well as Hitomi’s breasts and general dojikko qualities. We see more of the grumpy angel girl and her crush on the Bigfoot PE instructor, as well as Hitomi’s sister and her three-eyes three-personalities. And we also get some explanation for Tatara’s odd relationship with Hitomi, and see that he’s not quite a lolicon, at least not in relation to his father. Still, for a gag series this volume really is on the fanservice and the otaku end of the spectrum, and can be rather disturbing. Merely okay this time. – Sean Gaffney

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 9 | By Miki Yoshikawa | Kodansha Comics – There’s a ray of hope here, which no doubt will lead to everything going back to normal, but honestly that’s really what I want to see. When Yamada kisses Odagiri, her memory returns. And it tuns out that the memory erasure doesn’t work twice. Of course, the other problem is that Shiraishi also sees this, and is trying to storm off in a huff despite being emotionally devastated for reasons that she can’t work out. Of course, it’s because she loves Yamada, but doesn’t remember him—true love always wins out in the end. That said, we’re not there yet—the president is still trying to screw everything up, and may yet succeed. This is the longest arc of the series to date, and it’s proving riveting. – Sean Gaffney