Bookshelf Briefs 9/8/24

Bakemonogatari, Vol. 22 | By NISIOISIN and Oh!great | Kodansha Manga – The manga ends here, but of course, the novels are ongoing, and there’s almost twenty more that were never adapted. As such, this book tries to tell you what happens. Some are quick and obvious (Tsubasa becomes a terrorist FOR PEACE; Karen is a cop like her parents), some are relatively static (Tsukihi is forever unchanging), and some can’t be summed up in the manga no matter what (Nadeko’s descent into evil is hinted at, but there’s nothing about her ascent into specialist life). And then there’s Ougi, who shows up here and almost causes Araragi to fall several stories to his death, leading to more fantastic art. If you avoided the manga as you’d read the books and seen the anime, give it another chance. It’s worthy of standing beside them. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 11 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – The bulk of this volume is resolving Yumeka’s past relationship with Chinatsu, and showing her what it’s like to love playing basketball again. The over-competitive feel to sports is one reason I always hated participating in them myself, so some of this rings true to me, but I definitely appreciate them making up and crying and Chinatsu’s simple desire just to play basketball with her friend. That said, I’m not sure if the next volume will be the “they get together” volume, but it sure feels like it. Everyone who doesn’t know them thinks they’re a couple, Chinatsu is ludicrously happy with everything he did for her the last two volumes, and of course Yumeka calls him a great big coward. Sounds like it’s headed for a confession to me. This remains must-read Jump. – Sean Gaffney

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 14 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – I do appreciate the best joke of this final volume, which is that Laios’ greatest desire is not “rescue my beloved dead sister” but “see cool monsters!” Honestly, Falin fans who watched the anime may end up a bit disappointed with how little she gets to do, as after her resurrection and happy ending we get an epilogue, a quick story set after the end, and that’s it. The best part of the book is actually Izutsumi, who is forced to figure out what to do next, and does this by touring the rest of the cast to ask what *they’re* doing next. It fits her character and is cute. I also appreciate that Marcille is not going to elf jail forever, or even the elf crime army, though her relationship with Falin will forever be vague, alas. This was an amazing series; I adored it. – Sean Gaffney

I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl, Vol. 3 | By Kashikaze| Kodansha Manga – Last time I said these two would work it out, and that would still be true, if it were not for the fact that parents exist in the world, and it’s not a guarantee that they’re going to care much about their child’s burgeoning lesbian desires. So yes, Sora’s mom appears, announces they’re moving to a different city, and does not really appear to even like Sora all that much. Cue cliffhanger. Fortunately, that’s just the end of the book, and the rest is good yuri romance stuff, and also features Ayaka wondering why she’s so hung up on the scholarship, and whether she even wants to be a teacher at all. Teenage years are where people can realize that maybe there’s a different path. Hopefully Sora will be allowed to continue on hers. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 30 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – This is a transitional volume, which means as usual it’s hard to review because it’s a bunch of short vignettes. It’s also very much anti-OT3, possibly as it’s been reading my reviews. Kawai blatantly asks if she can marry both Komi and Tadano, and while they still remain friends, spouses is out of the question. As for Manbagi, she and her Pair the Spares not-quite-boyfriend get the cliffhanger ending where a confession means that status may change soon. Other than that, it’s a lot of goofy comedy, which is hit or miss, and a lot of really sweet blushing and romance, which is usually a hit. As with most recent volumes of this series that coast along, though, I keep looking at my watch wondering how many volumes till the end. – Sean Gaffney

March Comes in Like a Lion, Vol. 2 | By Chica Umino | Denpa – I really like Rei Kiriyama, the protagonist of March Comes in Like a Lion. Shogi is all he has. It’s a literal lifeline that he’s using to create a place where he belongs, and I loved seeing his reaction to two back-to-back victories over opponents who essentially just resigned themselves to losing partway through. That said, there are truly some terrible people in Rei’s orbit. Those defeated opponents make the list in separate ways, but Rei’s adoptive sister Kyoko absolutely takes the cake. She takes perverse delight in informing Rei about the hardships awaiting his opponents should he defeat them, and I wish he wasn’t so receptive to her words, because she’s a major piece of trash whom I hope gets hit by a fictional bus in the next volume. – Michelle Smith

My Journey to Her | By Yuna Hirasawa | Kodansha Manga (digital only) – We’ve seen quite a bit of biographical manga lately, especially of the LGBTQ variety. This one is about the author’s gender-affirming surgery, as well as her gender dysphoria and everything surrounding that which came before it. It’s quite well done, presenting a ton of information while always remembering that it has to keep us entertained and not simply present gobs of text. Yuna emphasizes that this is her own journey, and not a typical or average one, and a lot of what happens to her is unique. There’s also frank discussion of the surgery itself, so be prepared for that, but again, it’s presented in a way that keeps the reader wanting to know more and it has a few really good jokes. I just feel really good for Yuna by the end, even as she realizes that this is only the beginning. – Sean Gaffney

Noss & Zakuro, Vol. 1 | By Rariatto | Seven Seas – Well, this was delightful. It does appear to be an actual manga that runs in an online manga magazine, albeit a very obscure one. (It’s best known for that “skateboarding maids” series.) This stars Noss (aka Nosferatu), an introverted vampire who has that Morticia Addams look, and Zakuro (aka Dracula), a cheerful, happy vampire teen. Together, they have adorably cute slice-of-life adventures. Sometimes they meet zombies; sometimes they meet weird robot girls. The whole thing has the feel of a story you’d happily show to kids, and I think that’s likely the best audience, and the one Seven Seas is going for. It’s just cute as the dickens. And I appreciate how Noss’s clear massive introversion is not used for comedy all that much. – Sean Gaffney

Pupposites Attract, Vol. 1 | By Hono Natsuna | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – I will admit, the dogs are definitely the best reason to read what is otherwise a pretty typical romance. Our lead guy is a firefighter who’s pretty meek and mild, and he has an excitable, tiny little dog. Our heroine is a teacher who has trouble controlling her own strength, and she has a huge but very passive, introverted dog. They both make each other feel happy, but neither one is really sure if it’s anything beyond “good friends and dog buddies,” though his younger brother can certainly see where things are going. It’s a definite great title for dog lovers, but romance fans may need to wait another volume or two to see if this is going to be a fast romance or a slow burn. I really hope it’s not a slow burn. – Sean Gaffney

A Sign of Affection, Vol. 9 | By Suu Morishita | Kodansha Comics – There’s a weird feeling during this whole volume. For the most part, it’s sweet as pie, with our leads searching for an apartment to move into and doing so. There’s discussion of the needs that a deaf person would have for things like smoke alarms, etc. And we get to see the secondary couple and how they moved in together, which I kind of wish got a chapter of its own but is also sweet. What’s more, we almost get a sex scene, but it’s pretty apparent that Yuki’s not ready for it, so they both hold off. That said… there’s a secret hanging out there that she doesn’t know, and I suspect it will make life more difficult for them in the next volume. It can’t ALL be sweet fluff, though the sweet fluff is lovely to read. – Sean Gaffney

Tamon’s B-Side, Vol. 4 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – The best part of this volume is seeing all the “we’re on a beach trip!” romcom shenanigans run up against the fact that Utage is not a romantic lead. Well, she *is*, yes, but she’s a fan first and foremost, and therefore all of these situations just run up against the fact that she doesn’t even think of the idea of being in a relationship with Tamon or any of them… mostly. We’re seeing a couple of cracks in the wall. But it’s a big wall. Fortunately, as with the author’s previous series, this runs on comedy overreactions and shouting at people, and it does that very well. This won’t get an anime, but if it did it would be fast and loud (and probably have an animation budget of $1.98). That said… the takeaway from this book is THAT BLUSH at the end. Cute! – Sean Gaffney

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Vol. 5 | By Hitoshi Ashinano | Seven Seas – I was right that this series is not quite dark enough to kill off its elderly cast on-screen, but it’s a near thing. This last omnibus moves the timeline even faster than the previous one, as we start with Makki working part-time at the cafe and struggling to work out what to do, then doing a job separate from Takahiro, then living with Takahiro but he says she’s his sister, to visiting Alpha with her kid. Fortunately for Alpha, she manages to get the cafe back to what it used to look like, and things are back to where they were… except Alpha now realizes that she doesn’t like being lonely, and wants someone else around. How it happens is merely suggested, but by the end of the book, Kokone is there as well. We all saw this coming. A fantastic book, and I hope they have a wonderful post-apocalypse. – Sean Gaffney