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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

November 14, 2021 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

Bookshelf Briefs 11/14/21

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 10 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – The end of this volume states in big, bold letters that there’s twelve hours till the end of humanity, and nothing we see in this volume contradicts that at all. Even seeming antagonists like TV reporters in it for the ratings come to tragic, heartfelt ends here. The plot is expanding so much, in fact, that it’s hard to keep it focused entirely on our main cast, though Oran continues to essentially take over the heroine title from Kadode. It makes sense that the teens all have a final day on the beach with fireworks at the end… this is it, there’s no magic wand. That said, the series goes on hiatus at the drop of a hat, so the final end may be a bit. Still worth reading. – Sean Gaffney

If You Could See Love, Vol. 1 | By Teren Mikami and Yuuki Nanaji | Yen Press (digital only) – A good gimmick is always good when you’re starting a manga. This series stars Mei, who can see little pink arrows (they’re colored throughout the entire volume, which is probably why this is digital only) showing who people love. After a disastrous middle school life where she tried to use this power to help others and just ended up hated, she is now at an all-girls’ school… but now two girls are in love with HER. This works well because Mei has a lot to her backstory that makes her more than a standard romance protagonist. She was ill a lot as a child and also has bad experiences with love, meaning she can see love but can’t read it very well. Looking forward to more of this. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 2 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – After the cliffhanger from the last volume, this one takes place mostly over break, where Sarasa invites Ai to come home with her and meet her family and friends… and also find out, obliquely, why she is who she is. The answer, unsurprisingly, is in kabuki, which Sarasa is fantastic at but which is an all-male profession, despite her being drafted in as a young child to fill in in the chorus. It also shows why she’s struggling with her acting in the troupe—kabuki depends on precise imitation of someone else, whereas the acting required where she is now requires a new interpretation for each actress. Given Sarasa’s drive and innate talent, I think she’ll pick it up fast. This is excellent, even if you’ve already seen the anime. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – The first guidebook for the series to come out in North America, this is actually the second one to be released in Japan. That said, no worries, this one covers all the chapters up through about volume 23. It’s got introductions to the cast framed as tradable cards, so you know some cast members are more important than others—they’re SR, others are N. It also goes over most of the highlights of each arc, and gives little tidbits of information that might otherwise never come out. It’s particularly useful for Class 1-B (and also Yui Kodai gets the best gag in the volume with her “quotable lines” section). If you’re a fan of the series, there’s no reason not to pick this up. – Sean Gaffney

My Love Mix-Up!, Vol. 1 | By Aruko and Wataru Hinekure | VIZ Media – Aoki discovers that his crush, Hashimoto, likes another boy, Ida. After pledging to protect her secret (and intending to root for her happiness), he ends up confessing to Ida in her stead. He expects a swift rejection, but Ida says he wants to get to know Aoki better before giving him an answer. I was worried for a minute there that Ida was going to fall in love with Aoki and end up feeling like an idiot when the truth was revealed. Happily, the story doesn’t go that route, as Ida is continually such a wonderful person that by the end of the volume, Aoki begins to think he actually may like him after all! It’s definitely silly and has already trotted out some tropes like the cultural festival performance of Cinderella, but these really are good kids that I already care about. Looking forward to volume two! – Michelle Smith

When Pink Rain Falls | By Yoiyu | Star Fruit Books – As the first print release from Star Fruit Books, a new small publisher generally focusing on indie manga, When Pink Rain Falls immediately caught my attention. Also notable is the fact that the story was originally created for J.GARDEN, a BL doujinshi festival—it is very uncommon for self-published manga to be licensed in English, so I was thrilled to see this translation. When Pink Rain Falls is a short, quickly paced manga just under forty pages. However, it still manages to convey a heartfelt story with satisfying emotional arcs. Yoiyu describes the manga as a “bromance,” but the BL tensions are real. The opening sequence alone shows Hanao, a budding florist, fleeing with the bouquet he was asked to make for the wedding of a male friend for whom he obviously has feelings. Throughout the manga humor balances the bittersweet, silliness the seriousness; When Pink Rain Falls is delightfully charming. – Ash Brown

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 8 | By Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha Comics – The nature of witches, and how much they can and cannot do to help others, comes up quite a bit in this book. Things may be very tough for our heroes, but they are still witches, meaning they have options other people don’t. At the same time, the danger of creation is also shown—if you make a spell that creates a fake flame and give it to a child, will they end up not realizing you should not touch flames? We’re also introduced to a new witch, who exudes ‘ominous’ from every pore, but might also be able to help Coco with her most pressing issue. Oh, and did I mention the artwork is amazing? We’ve caught up with Japan, so these don’t come out as often, but that makes them all the sweeter. – Sean Gaffney

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 5 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – I never reviewed the fourth omnibus of this series—I think Kodansha had an issue getting it on the platform I read their titles on—but it’s not because I dropped it or anything. This volume is not a great one if you love the two “main” leads, as they get less to do, but it’s wonderful if you like the other main characters. (I will say I am grumpy that we did not get the cover art with the wedding couple as the ‘main’ cover for the omnibus.) Hanako and Taro are getting married, and we learn about the difference between compromising and spoiling—and why it’s not that bad to do either. Meanwhile, Ko and Naoya are still shy and fumbling and running away from each other… well, OK, it’s one-sided running. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney

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