Alice & Zoroku, Vol. 2 | By Tetsuya Imai| Seven Seas – I’ll be honest, I have next to no interest in the science fiction part of this series, which involves mysterious powers, political intrigue trying to control those powers, a woman with a tragic backstory who is happy to use said backstory to kidnap children if it allows her to be close to her husband, etc. It’s told in a reasonable manner, but mostly left me cold. Where the series really takes off is when Zoroku is on the page—his righteous rage and straight-ahead manner no doubt frustrates his family endlessly, but they’re exactly what Sana needs, and his speeches to her were the highlight of the book. It’s an interesting balance between the two, but I’m still invested enough in the story to see where the author goes with it. – Sean Gaffney
Beasts of Abigaile, Vol. 2 | By Spica Aoki| Seven Seas – Most shoujo series live and die on the strength of the heroine, and that one big plus that Abigaile has going for it. Nina is spunky, righteous, and inspires others. She’ll sacrifice herself in order to save someone else, and also do her best to make friends AND try to figure out why she’s changed and how to escape this prison. We also get a little better look at why she left Japan, as it becomes clear it wasn’t just bullying but boomerang bullying. Naturally she’s about to get that here, as we have Eva clearly ready to take up the torch and become the Evil Girl who is there to make Nina’s life miserable. Not much in this series is surprising, but I enjoy its heart being on its sleeve, and fans of werewolves and shoujo will want to get it. – Sean Gaffney
Black Butler, Vol. 24 | By Yana Toboso | Yen Press – When a new volume of Black Butler comes out, I always think, “Ooh!” but then I read it and I’m like, “Oh yeah.” Because every time, I experience a mixture of mild interest and “I really don’t care about these characters.” In this installment, Ciel is up investigating a popular music hall that is extracting blood from its customers. Rather than raze it, he decides it’s wiser to set up an alternative to capture people’s hearts, and so he does, and we get another boy band performance from more students at the boys’ school. I suppose if one reads this series for fanservice reasons, this is plenty satisfying, but since I don’t, it’s rather ho-hum. I don’t know why I can’t just drop this series, but I guess I like it just enough to keep going with it. Faint praise, indeed. – Michelle Smith
The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 3 | By Nagabe| Seven Seas – After the first two volumes were unsettling with occasional suggestion that things might get a bit scary, this volume jumps headfirst into terrifying, especially towards the end of the book. I will also give it credit for a major fake out—I was fairly certain that one of the characters reintroduced here was either a fake or dead, and the fact that they’re not really shook me. Of course, they’re not untouched by the events going on in the book. The whole infection thing appears to be very real, and we understand Teacher’s feelings and hands-off attitude with Shiva a lot better now. And, of course, the best reason to read this series: the art is amazing. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. – Sean Gaffney
Horimiya, Vol. 9 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – I’m happy to report that there was no sign whatsoever of Hori cajoling Miyamura into being rough with her in this volume. Instead, we get a series of vignettes about the Hori family kotatsu and how it lulls the unsuspecting into lengthy naps, plus a recurring theme about Hori eating too many tangerines. I really liked the final scene between Hori and Miyamura, as it’s the kind of important romantic development we haven’t had in a few volumes now, but my attention was most captivated by Yuki and Tooru, who are still pretending to be dating. Yuki doesn’t want to drop the ruse, even when it breaks Sakura’s heart, yet also doesn’t want to suggest that it could be the real deal, lest she lose what closeness she does have with Tooru. I find I’m pretty invested in the outcome of their side drama. – Michelle Smith
Please Tell Me! Galko-chan, Vol. 4 | By Kenya Suzuki| Seven Seas – By now you know what you’re getting with a volume of Galko-chan. There’s not as much constant sex talk as the first volume, though it definitely crops up, and the art occasionally loves to emphasize the bodies of the girls. On the bright side, while the author clearly loves large breasts, the bodies are drawn relatively realistically for such characters. But honestly, the real reason to read this series is the friendship between Galko, Otoko and Ojou, and their daily conversations and obsessions. Galko’s obsession with Western films is getting more and more attention, and we even get a Snakes on a Plane mention. One of the better slice-of-life style series out there. – Sean Gaffney
Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops, Vol. 4 | By Neko Nekobyou and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – I will admit, it’s possible that the outcome of this volume—which wraps up the storyline with Lux’s past in SAO—was a bit too overwhelmingly sweet and heartwarming. SAO doesn’t really lean on the whole “power of friendship” trope as much as some other shonen series, but Girls’ Ops is not afraid to take it and run, with our villain doing her best to break Lux and her new friends apart, and completely failing to do so. And the villain is saved too, and turns out to be another ojou like Lux (and Asuna—honestly, the game must have been expensive as it had a lot of rich kids playing it). And Silica got to be smart and cool! I like that. The series does continue, likely in another year or so. – Sean Gaffney
Tokyo Tarareba Girls, Vol. 8 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics (digial only for the moment)- Just as Rinko has found easy-going happiness with Mr. Hayasaka and has moved in with him, her friends and Mami turn up on her doorstep with the revelation that Key might be in love with her. To Rinko’s credit, she protests a great deal while en route to see him, but the fact is… she got in the car of her own free will. And man, Higashimura-sensei is so wonderfully cruel about depicting what ensues. Once Rinko and Key meet again, their chemistry is undeniable, resulting in some great dramatic moments, but these developments are intercut with scenes in which sweet Mr. Hayasaka thinks how nice it is to have someone to come home to and plans the nice dinner he’s going to make for their private housewarming party. It’ll be brutal to see how much he is hurt by this, but I still desperately want that final volume ASAP! – Michelle Smith