Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Anna N

Shortcake Cake Vol. 5

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Shortcake Cake Volume 5 by suu Morishita

I feel the need to preface this review by noting that there is absolutely no Rei content in this volume, for those readers who might have been hoping for that. What this volume does feature is plenty of internal anguish and teenagers just being weird in endearing ways. There’s something about the way that Morishita is skillfully navigating some familiar shoujo tropes that has me full of suspense about what happens next instead of rolling my eyes at the potential love quadrangle that is slowly being explored.

The volume opens with Ten still trying to sort out her feelings, as her feelings for Riku have grown only after she turned him down. Meanwhile, Chiaki lurks in the background, doing his best impersonation of a second lead guy from a Korean drama, as he makes veiled references about a girl he likes to Ten, with her not realizing he is actually talking about her. There’s some great paneling in the opening pages of the manga, when Ten is thinking about her and Riku living in the same house, the illustrations of them silently looking at each other interspersed with the everyday interiors of the boarding house underscore her quiet contemplation and awkward feelings about the whole situation. Ten continues to just be adorable all around, as she starts acting incredibly awkward around Riku and boisterously slaps Chiaki on the back and tells him not to give up on his mysterious crush.

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The part of this volume that I absolutely loved was when Chiaki comes up with a bizarre excuse to go on an outing with Riku, in an attempt to smooth over any issues with them both liking the same girl. They go on a random shopping trip, followed by some bookstore browsing and debating about UFO machine strategy. It really underscored how socially awkward Chiaki is, and if if I wasn’t rooting for him do to my general tendency to fall for second lead guys, the fact that he quotes from Anne of Green Gables in this volume was extra adorable. I’m enjoying the slow pacing of this series, and definitely recommend it if you are looking for a high school romance with more depth than the typical shoujo series.

Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, Vols. 4 and 5

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Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits Volumes 4 and 5 by Waco Ioka, Midori Yuma and Laruha

I feel like now Kakuriyo has settled into a reliable rhythm for the reader, with each volume blending elements of food preparation and consumption and showcasing supernatural entities with some hints at the ongoing mystery surrounding Aoi’s grandfather and his relationship with the spirit world.

One of the reasons why I enjoy this manga is because it blends in very mundane concerns with a supernatural setting. This was particularly on display in volume 4 when Aoi needs to take into consideration vital aspects of business administration in her attempt to launch a cafe in a slightly inconvenient corner of the Tenjin-ya Inn. Aoi treats everyone who has been helping her get the cafe ready for opening to rice balls with individualized flavors that appeal to their unique personalities. When Aoi ventures out with Odanna to the local markets and gets a clue about a mask she remembers an ayakashi wearing who helped her a long time ago. Aoi is still running into resistance from other members of the Tenjin-ya staff, but she finds some ways of winning over new customers by creating special bento boxes for a sequestered writer. I do still sometimes wish the art for Kakuriyo was a little more elaborately detailed or creative, but I’m happy to see some unsettling ayakashi character designs such as a three-eyed woman with a snarky three-eyed baby, or the no-face handmaidens who always show up to give Aoi a makeover.

The fifth volume opens with Aoi sharing a quiet moment with Odanna, as she follows him out to his mountain retreat and learns about a new delicacy – fire chicken eggs cooked in a hot spring. Aoi also gets a new clue about the white-masked ayakashi from her past and an impactful endorsement from the badger demon novelist. Business starts to look up a little bit after Aoi also gets a visit from a fortune spirit who loves red bean paste desserts. I found myself really enjoying the way this manga is paced, with Aoi slowly finding out more about the strange world she’s been transported to, and her low key ways of getting to know ayakashi through preparing simple dishes with their unique needs in mind. Five volumes into the series, it is much more satisfying as a food manga, with the food preparation showcased in at least a page or two instead of being skipped over.

Manga the Week of 9/4/19

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SEAN: It’s always September somewhere in the manga lists.

J-Novel Club has infinite light novels, or at least Infinite Stratos 9 (digitally) and Infinite Dendrogram 1 & 2 (print). There’s also the print debut of Ascendance of a Bookworm, as well as the 3rd light novel digitally, which wraps up the first arc. And we get the 3rd Full Metal Panic! novel.

ASH: Oh, print debut! That means it’s time for me to check out Ascendance of a Bookworm!

SEAN: In print, Kodansha debuts a spinoff, Cells At Work: Code Black. Unlike the relatively healthy body the main series takes place in, Code Black takes place in an unhealthy middle-aged body. It also seems to have Rule 63 Red and White Blood Cell. It runs, believe it or not, in Morning Magazine.

MICHELLE: Probably I will read this.

ASH: I will absolutely read this! I greatly enjoy the original Cells at Work.

SEAN: Digitally we get another debut with Smile Down the Runway (Runway de Waratte), a manga about a girl who’s trying her best to be a runway model at her father’s agency. Unfortunately… she’s only 5’2″. Can a short woman still have what it takes to be a model? Despite a very josei-sounding premise, this actually runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine. That said, it doesn’t seem like it has the usual “danger signs” of Shonen Magazine series.

ANNA: Hmmmm.

MJ: I feel like there’s no way this can be anything but horrifying. But. As Anna said, “Hmmmm.”

SEAN: There’s also Blissful Land 4, Boarding School Juliet 12, Goodbye I’m Being Reincarnated! 2, My Pink Is Overflowing 3, My Sweet Girl 6, Our Precious Conversations 4, and The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn 7.

ASH: I still have my fingers crossed for print release of The Tale of Genji.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts the Arifureta Zero light novel spinoff in print. They’ve also got Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor 7, A Centaur’s Life 17, Nirvana 4, and Non Non Biyori 12.

Tokyopop gives us a 3rd Aria the Masterpiece, and a 6th Futaribeya, but still can’t provide any cover artwork without a giant ‘coming soon’ banner on it. Not that I’m bitter.

Viz has no debuts this month, alas. But hey, this does not mean they don’t have a ton. On the shonen end, we get a giant Assassination Classroom box set with every single volume. There’s also Black Clover 17, Blue Exorcist 22, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 8, Dr. STONE 7, Dragon Ball Super 6, Haikyu!! 34, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 10, One Piece 3-in-1 29, Twin Star Exorcists 16, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V 6.

MICHELLE: Of these, I’m only reading Haikyu!!, but my love for it is boundless.

ANNA: One of these days I need to catch up on Haikyu!!, but my kids love it and read every volume as it comes out. I am enjoying Dr. STONE too.

ASH: Ack! I am so far behind on my Shonen Jump reading!

SEAN: On the shoujo end, there is Anonymous Noise 16, Daytime Shooting Star 2, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 5, Snow White with the Red Hair 3, and The Demon Prince of Momochi House 14.

MICHELLE: Quite a lot of goodness here! I’m perhaps most keen for the newer titles like Snow White with the Red Hair and Daytime Shooting Star.

ANNA: Me too!

ASH: Likewise, although The Demon Prince of Momochi House still has its hooks in me, too.

SEAN: Lastly, Yen Press may be into September but it still has its August titles, some of which are debuts. Combatants Will Be Dispatched! (Sentouin, Hakenshimasu!) is a new light novel series by the creator of KonoSuba, and is supposed to be quite funny. A mix of sci-fi and fantasy, it’s about an evil minion who finds he has to invade a fantasy-based world.

The other light novel debut has a more light novel-ish title, The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) (Tensai Ouji no Akaji Kokka Saisei Jutsu ~Sou da, Baikoku Shiyou~). Again, the title is the plot. The prince wants an easy life without much to do, so decides to betray his country. Sadly, he’s too good at being a genius, and every scheme he comes up with makes the nation’s people love him more.

ASH: That sounds like it could be amusing.

SEAN: There’s also an 11th Baccano!, which takes us all the way back to 1705; The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 14; and I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 5.

On the manga end, Yen debuts three titles, though one is a light novel adaptation. Do You Love Your Mom (and Her Two Hit, Multi-Target Attacks)? needs no introduction by now, so we’ll move on, except to say it runs in Young Ace Up.

Phantom Tales of the Night (Bakemono no Yawazukushi) is a shoujo-ish series from Comic Gene, and is about an inn which takes its payment in secrets. Sounds sort of anthology-esque to me.

ASH: Oh! I’m always interested in new shoujo horror manga!

SEAN: Reborn as a Polar Bear: The Legend of How I Became a Forest Guardian (Shirokuma Tensei: Mori no Shugoshin ni Natta zo Densetsu) runs online on the Comic Walker site, and its title is, again, its plot. But, werewolf sisters! Also, the polar bear seems unlikely to amass a harem.

And we get Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger 3, Happy Sugar Life 2, DanMachi: Episode Lyu’s 4th manga, Kakegurui Twin 3, Plunderer omnibus 2, a 9th Sekirei omnibus, Spirits & Cat Ears 8, Star Wars: Lost Wars 2, and Yowamushi Pedal omnibus 12.

MICHELLE: Yowamushi!!!

ASH: Yay!!!

SEAN: So what titles are you hiding behind your textbook at school to read?

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 19

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Yona of the Dawn Volume 19 by Mizuho Kusanagi

An evaluation of any volume of Yona of the Dawn boils down to the sentiment “if you are not reading this series, there might be something wrong with you.” This particular volume functioned well as bridge between story arcs, as well as including some bonding humor amidst a story of spiritual possession. As the reader can guess from seeing an unmasked Sinha on the cover, the first part of the volume delves more into the history of the Blue Dragon through his encounter with one of his predecessors. There’s plenty of group bonding time along the way as Yona and her companions tease Yun for taking on an inadvertent role as the group’s “mother,” but despite all the teasing he prepares snacks and worries with great maternal instincts.

Yona of the Dawn 19

Sinha’s spiritual possession causes a number of issues, as he returns to the group with another Blue Dragon in control over his body. Everyone but Yun ends up in a super creepy tomb filled with spirits, as they attempt to deal with Sinha’s vengeful spirit. As always, Yona manages to overcome difficulties by simply being true to herself and overcoming obstacles through her humanity and compassion. What initially seems like a story about a vengeful spirit ends up highlighting the strength inherent in forgiveness.

The broader story arc that begins to be set up is a return to the Water Tribe. When Yona and her companions left previously it was clear that they’d affected a small part of a systemic drug trade. While Su-Won strategizes with his generals and tribal leaders in his palace, Yona reunites with Riri and joins up with her again to help with her mission to help the Water Tribe people. As always Kusanagi does an excellent job juggling character development and storylines with such an expansive cast. While Yona is shoujo, the romance elements are fairly sparing, but fortunately there’s a wonderful scene between Yona and Hak as they have trouble sleeping that shows romance progressing slowly. I always put each volume of Yona of the Dawn down feeling immensely satisfied at the amount of story Kusanagi is able to express in just five or six chapters.

Pick of the Week: The Poe Clan

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MICHELLE: I mean, it has to be The Poe Clan, right? If you’re in doubt, check out Kate’s terrific review!

ANNA: I am going to pick The Poe Clan as well, I am excited to read it.

KATE: Thanks for the plug, Michelle! I can’t stress enough how lucky we are to have this ground-breaking series in English, and with a great translation and gorgeous packaging to boot. Go, buy, and be prepared to swoon at all the roses and galaxy eyes!

Since we’re unanimous in our praise of The Poe Clan, I also wanted to highlight a series that would otherwise be my pick of the week: Kenji Tsurata’s Emanon, a beautiful fantasy/sci-fi story about a young woman who lives with the collective memories of all of her ancestors, stretching back to the beginning of life on Earth. The idea sounds kinda hokey (or pretentious), but Tsurata has done a fine job of adapting the source material–it’s based on a story by Shinji Kajio–into a thoughtful rumination on what it means to be alive. If you liked Wandering Island, Emanon is a no-brainer.

SEAN: The Poe Clan, absolutely.

ASH: I’m certainly looking forward to reading more of Emanon this week, and Golden Kamuy, too. But, yeah, there can really be no other pick than The Poe Clan.

MJ: It’s obviously The Poe Clan!

Ao Haru Ride, Vol 6

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Ao Haru Ride Volume 6 by Io Sakisaka

I’m enjoying the way this series presents young romance with a sense of nostalgia mixed with compassion. Futuba’s heightened awareness of memory and lost time as she attempts to get to know Kou after not being in contact with him for years has her approaching school milestones with great introspection as she attempts to find just the right moment to confess her renewed feelings.

Ao Haru Ride 6

Complications loomed at the start of this volume, as it is clear that Kou has gotten himself a bit enmeshed with a former classmate named Narumi, who is leaning on him as her main source of emotional support. Narumi shows up at the school festival, and Futuba tries to figure out what sort of relationship she and Kou have. Futuba’s friends see through this situation and warn her of being too trusting. Kou continues to be motivated by jealousy, when he sees Futuba make a point of attending a performance from Kikuchi’s band, he also attends and they accidentally kiss. The fallout of this event dominates the rest of the volume as Futuba tries to figure out what it all means, if anything.

As far as enigmatic yet troubled dark-haired shoujo male protagonists go, Kou is rapidly moving up my unofficial rankings. He has not yet reached the heights of Izumi Sano from Hana-Kimi, but who knows how I’ll feel by the end of this series. While his tendency to go hot and cold and engage in impulsive actions that cause Futuba to experience the torments of teenage angst, his background and his own emotional turmoil still make him sympathetic. There’s a hilarious sequence where Futuba keeps running away because she doesn’t want Kou to be able to see her face and he keeps running after her, eventually cornering her in a classroom where she proceeds to hurl maid costumes at him. Futuba again gets some key advice from her friends as she struggles to deal with her emotions. Kou disregards the advice of his friends who tell him, quite reasonably, that “You can’t save everyone!”

This volume of Ao Haru Ride concludes by pulling off an impressive narrative maneuver of making mostly everybody miserable, but all for very good reasons. Surely this will sustain the shoujo drama for several more volumes and I have to say I am willing to endure plenty of tears to eventually get some sort of happy ending, or somewhat wistful conclusion.

Pick of the Week: Princesses, Classmates and Magi

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KATE: There’s a surprising amount of good stuff in this week’s new manga haul! I’m intrigued by Star Blazers 2199 and The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, but I’m also excited to see Yen Press licensing more queer-friendly manga; Yuri Life looks like a winner. If I had to recommend just one title, though, my choice would be Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, a gag manga that finds a surprising number of ways to make chronic insomnia look funny.

SEAN: Given it’s the last time I can pick it, I feel obliged to make my pick of the week Magi. Shonen Sunday series always have a much harder time here in North America, so I’m pleased that this long-runner seemed to do well and wasn’t consigned to 2-volumes-per-year hell. I’ll miss it.

MICHELLE: I’m intrigued by Star Blazers 2199 and am grateful to have more Ace of the Diamond and Classmates, but I must join Sean in one final pick for Magi. This story has come a long way and become more complicated than I ever would’ve guessed from that first volume and I look forward to seeing how it all ties up in the end.

ASH: I am very much intrigued by The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, but my pick this week goes to the second volume of Classmates. I really loved the first volume and am always happy for the chance to read more of Asumiko Nakamura’s work in English.

ANNA: I enjoyed the first volume of Komi Can’t Communicate, and I always like to read two volumes of a series before deciding to be in for the duration or not. I’m looking forward to the second volume of this shonen comedy.

Manga the Week of 8/14/19

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SEAN: It’s the last few weeks before school starts! Take a manga vacation with these titles.

ASH: Wooooo!

SEAN: Dark Horse debuts the modern retelling of Space Battleship Yamato, or Star Blazers as it was known in the states. We keep that title here with Star Blazers 2199, and this book is an omnibus of the first two Japanese volumes. It’s a Kadokawa title, from Newtype Ace.

ANNA: I have a lot of Star Blazers nostalgia.

ASH: It’s been really interesting to see how many original series and their modern reimaginings have been released of late.

SEAN: Denpa has the 5th volume of Inside Mari.

ASH: Shuzo Oshimi’s work is pretty tremendous, too.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one debut and one spinoff debuting next week. The new title is Middle-Aged Businessman, Arise in Another World!. It is what it sounds like, but the interesting thing here is that a) he stays middle-aged, and b) he’s already married a goddess and had kids BEFORE he’s sent to another world. It’s also only two volumes long.

The spinoff is JK Haru Is a Sex Worker in Another World: Summer, a set of short stories that are, I believe, licensed directly from the author. JK Haru was very open-ended, so this should be very interesting – and hopefully a bit less bleak.

J-Novel Club also gives us The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 2, In Another World with My Smartphone 16, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 6.

Kodansha, on the print side, has the 28th volume of Attack on Titan.

ASH: It feels like it’s been a while!

SEAN: Digitally there’s a lot more. The debut is The Knight Cartoonist and Her Orc Editor (Orc Henshuusha to Onna Kishi Mangaka-san), a Shonen Magazine Edge title whose title is its plot. It’s 3 volumes long.

There’s also Ace of the Diamond 23, All-Rounder Meguru 11, the 11th and final volume of Black Panther and Sweet 16, the 2nd My Pink Is Overflowing, Peach Girl NEXT 5, The Prince’s Romance Gambit 5, Pumpkin Scissors 22, and a 10th Tokyo Revengers.

MICHELLE: I had been awaiting more Ace of the Diamond!

SEAN: One Peace has a 4th Hinamatsuri.

ASH: Still a ridiculous in a good way series.

SEAN: Seven Seas has no debuts, but we do get Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 4, Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage 9, Classmates 2: Sotso Gyo Sei, the 2nd Classroom of the Elite novel (in print), MachiMaho 3, and Ultra Kaiju Humanization Project 3.

ASH: The first volume of Classmates was lovely, so I’m really looking forward to the second (and third).

SEAN: Fourth Generation Head: Tatsuyuki Oyamato is the new debut from SuBLime. It’s done in one, and is about a yakuza discovering new parts of his sexuality. (Yakuzuke?)

Vertical has a 3rd volume of the Kino’s Journey manga.

Magi comes to an end with its 37th and final volume. I will miss it. Viz also has the 6th Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition, Komi Can’t Communicate 2, Record of Grancest War 4, and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 8.

MICHELLE: I have a small stockpile of Magi volumes so I can have one last binge.

ANNA: I have a giant stockpile of Magi and look forward to reading it eventually…

SEAN: Lastly, Yen Press has the last of its delayed from June/July titles. Yen On has The Night Is Short, Walk On Girl, a stand-alone novel that was made into an animated film, a genre Yen has specialized in lately. I’ve heard very good things about it.

ASH: As have I! I’m looking forward to giving it a read.

SEAN: And Yuri Life is another of Yen’s new forays into niche genres, this being another short story anthology by various artists about adult women in relationships. Which, trust me, still hasn’t gotten old. More of this.

ASH: I likewise approve.

SEAN: Which of these would be best read while lying on a beach?

Pick of the Week: Crime and Superheroes

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SEAN: My Hero Academia’s 19th and 20th volumes have what may be my favorite “light” arc of the series. As such, the 20th volume, like the 19th, is my pick. If only for those two faces. You know the ones I mean.

MICHELLE: Courtesy of the awesome Shonen Jump vault, I’m all caught up on My Hero Academia now, so volume 20 is actually a reread for me, but it’s a testament to the greatness of this series that I’m still looking forward to it. The light arc concludes, and is definitely great, but I also really enjoyed finally getting to meet a mysterious hero who’s been hinted at and finally makes his debut in this volume.

KATE: After being publicly shamed for my tendency to plug the same manga over and over — notice I resisted the temptation to type “again” — I had to bring my Recommendation A-Game this week. My pick is Ryuko, Titan Comic’s first foray into serialized manga. It looks like the sleazy, brutal, fast-paced stuff that Kazuo Koike used to pump out by the truckload, and I can’t wait to read it. The cover alone is swoon-worthy!

ANNA: There’s so much great shoujo coming out this week, it is hard for me to single out just one title. But I have to admit when looking over everything coming out that I’m always most enthusiastic about Yona of the Dawn, so volume 19 of that series is my pick!

ASH: So many series that I’m following have new volumes this week, making it very difficult to choose where to start. So, thanks for the reminder about Ryuko, Kate! I’ve been very curious about that series, enough to make it my pick, too.

Snow White with the Red Hair Vol 2

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Snow White with the Red Hair Volume 2 by Sorata Akiduki

Snow White with the Red Hair had a fairly episodic first volume, so I was curious to see what the second volume would bring now that the characters and setting had all been set up. This volume blended medical mystery and palace intrigue with a little hit of the undercurrent of emotions between Shirayuki and Zen, in a way that sets up a great escapist read for anyone wanting to disappear momentarily into another world.

Snow White With the Red Hair Volume 2

Snow White with the Red Hair doesn’t have the magical elements of a fantasy manga yet, but it has a quasi-medieval setting in an imaginary kingdom, and this volume opens with a low key slice of life situation as Shirayuki takes up her role as a court herbalist and finds out that she’s been paired with Ryu, a 12 year old prodigy as her new mentor. Ryu is brilliant, but not so great at dealing with people. Shirayuki’s open manner and genuine approach to dealing with people wins him over gradually. Shirayuki also learns some hard truths about Zen’s life when she gets a glimpse of his medical chart, which shows that however idyllic the setting of this manga is, people are still cruel to each other in unfathomable ways.

Shirayuki’s skills come to the forefront yet again when Zen investigates a fort where many of the soldiers are dealing with a mysterious illness. Here, all of Zen’s princely strategies aren’t all that useful, but Shirayuki’s keen knowledge and observational powers cause her to come up with a solution that he’d be unable to achieve. Things are complicated even further when Zen’s older brother comes back to the palace and shows himself to be thoroughly unpleasant. Even though there might be some manipulative scheming going on, the core of Snow White with the Red Hair is the gradually deepening friendship between Shirayuki and Zen. Seeing two characters who treasure each other so much invests this manga with a ton of heart. While most of their serious interactions are just a few panels here and there in between dealing with various tough situations, Akiduki has built up a tremendous amount of goodwill towards the couple in just two volumes. It is impossible not to root for them, even seeing that they will have plenty of obstacles ahead.

Pick of the Week: We Love Honda-san

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ASH: Along with the usual variety of releases, this week also seems to have a fair number of series making their English-language debut. This includes the first volume of one of my most anticipated manga of the year, Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-san. The series has already gained some recognition from its anime adaptation, but I’m thrilled to have a chance to read the original.

SEAN: Honda-san is definitely my manga of the week, but my pick this week is the first volume of new light novel Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki. In a marketplace where it seems the only things that can be licensed are those with some sort of supernatural/fantasy content, I want to champion the rare series that has none of those things. (It does talk about gaming a lot, though.)

ANNA: Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-san is my pick, no question. It looks delightfully quirky.

MICHELLE: Yep, it’s bony booksellers for me, as well!

KATE: C’mon, guys, no love for The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life or Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General? You’re breaking my heart! I jest, I jest… I’m on team Skull-Faced Book Seller Honda-san 100% this week.

MJ: Okay, the truth is, I’m headed into production week of my teen opera today, so if Handel didn’t write it, it’s not really in my universe this week. But if I was in the same universe as my colleagues and any of this manga right now, I’d be Skull-Faced Book Seller Honda-san all the way. Do with that what you will.

Dr. Stone, Vols 5 and 6

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Dr. Stone Volumes 5 and 6 by Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi

Dr. Stone’s science-infused shonen post-apocalyptic story continues to be amusing. The fifth volume works through the shonen staple of a tournament fight in order to decide the chieftain of the small village that Senku intends to use to build his Kingdom of Science. There are opportunities to expound on the benefits of optics in battle, both for improving eyesight and setting things on fire. The tournament doesn’t last overly long though, and Senku turns his attention back to manufacturing basic antibiotics in order to save the life of Kohaku’s sister.

Dr Stone 6

I was glad to see this series take more of a detour into the backstory of the event where everyone turned into stone, with an appearance by Senku’s father who was an astronaut. The decisions he made up in space during the event ended up ensuring that Senku would find allies once he woke up. The contrast between a crew of castaway astronauts living in Senku’s past and building the idea of oral traditions with Senku’s contemporary science-based approach was interesting. The looming possibility of conflict between Senku’s Kingdom of Science and Tsukasa’s growing empire continues, as a raiding party attacks and Senku’s allies narrowly escape. Boichi’s art is always dynamic, but I particularly enjoyed the scenes in this volume where a poisonous wind is portrayed as a terrifying giant looming over the landscape. Occasionally seeing the characters portrayed as tiny against the immense backdrop of nature just brings to home how difficult it is to cobble together a society with only a few resources.

I’m still getting more impatient for another appearance by Taiju, but I’m hoping as Senku and Tsubasa race towards an epic confrontation he shows up again. This is still a fun series because I never know what type of invention will be featured next, and Senku’s cerebral enthusiasm makes him an entertaining shonen protagonist for anyone wanting a slightly different slant on fight scenes.

Takane & Hana, Vols. 8 and 9

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Takane and Hana, Volumes 8 and 9 by Yuki Shiwasu

At 9 volumes in Takane and Hana continues to have story arcs centered on wacky shenanigans, but since those shenanigans seem to be prodding along the romance between Takane and Hana at a glacial pace, I tend to just sit back and enjoy the story.

Most of this volume is taken up with Hana’s realization that she actually cares for Takane, and stumbling through events like Valentine’s Day and dinner with her family while she’s burdened with newfound awareness of her own feelings. There are still plenty of moments of culture shock as Takane isn’t sure what to do the first time he encounters insufficiently marbled beef. There could only be so long that Takane could survived in forced poverty in the position of a mediocre salaryman, mostly because while he is an emotional idiot, he’s actually exceedingly good at business. His current company ends up creating more of a manager role for him, and he’s clearly moving up.

Takane & Hana 9

Takane’s grandfather is pleased with the success of his machinations to force his grandson to grow through vicariously experiencing poverty, but now he’s worried that there will be no time for Takane’s romance to progress. Since exercising familial authority through housing worked so well the last time, he decides to provide Hana’s family with an elaborate mansion to live in as part of a made-up “testing program.” They all move in, only to find out later that they are also required to live with Takane. Takane and Hana end up setting some rigid boundaries around their new living situation, but they aren’t rigid enough for Okamon. Okamon has been lurking on the margins with his carefully deadpan expression, but he hasn’t weighed in on Takane and Hana’s relationship before. I was delighted that volume 9 finally featured Okamon being more direct and also presented a chapter from his point of view. While Okamon may firmly be fulfilling the role of “second lead guy” so familiar in Korean dramas, and I don’t think that he represents a serious threat to an eventual resolution for Takane and Hana, it was a nice change of pace to get to spend more time with him in this volume. I’m expecting that Takane and Hana cohabiting in a mansion will provide plenty of antics for at least 2 volumes.

Pick of the Week: Present and Future Manga

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SEAN: Most of the debuts I was looking forward to picking this week got schedule shifted away, and I’m left with a lot of “Hrm”. So I’ll go with Teasing Master Takagi-san 5, always a favorite and with two fantastic chapters bookending the volume.

MICHELLE: I’ll go with the third and final volume of Love in Focus . This is the second short series from Yoko Nogiri that I’ve liked more than anticipated. I hope she writes something longer someday!

KATE: Our Dreams at Dusk is just about perfect with beautiful art, great characters, and a compelling story that allows readers across the spectrum to appreciate just how difficult it can be to come to terms with your own sexuality.

ANNA: Honestly the main thing I’ve been thinking of this week is the fact that we had a Rose of Versailles cover reveal! So I’ll pick Rose of Versailles even though it isn’t coming out for a long time, and also reserve the right to pick it again.

ASH: I am in complete agreement with Kate. Our Dreams at Dusk is such an incredible series, I’m making it my pick even when this week’s other releases include another of my favorites, To Your Eternity.

Pick of the Week: Beasts and Demons

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MICHELLE: I am very happy that Haikasoru has kept up with printing the Legends of Galactic Heroes novels. One day, I really will read them! For my official pick, though, I’ll go with Beastars. I’m not entirely sold on the premise, but since the next shounen “big thing” I was initially meh about turned out to be My Hero Academia, I will be more receptive this time!

KATE: I’m also curious about Beastars, but I never miss an opportunity to plug Inio Asano’s Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, a book that walks the tightrope between mordant and morbid with ease. You’ll laugh, you’ll grimace, and you’ll get a lump in your throat at least once or twice in each volume. Oh, and the art’s pretty nifty, too.

ASH: Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction is always a good choice, and Legend of the Galactic Heroes has been a great read so far, but for my pick I’ll allow my curiosity to get the best of me and go with Beastars. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the series.

ANNA: Like many, I’m curious about Beastars. I’m going to go with Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction though, it really is something special.

SEAN: My pick is the new My Next Life As a Villainess, as it always makes me laugh.