Ash Brown

Again!!, Vol. 12 | By Mitsurou Kubo | Kodansha Comics – For better or worse, Again!! has always been unpredictable. I appreciate that it didn’t always follow the expected story beats, but at the same time, the inconsistency has been frustrating. For example, Imamura’s fluctuating dedication to the Ouendan had him proclaim at one point how much he wanted his grandma to see him cheering, and had that occurred it would’ve been a heart-tugging moment. But it didn’t happen. Instead, Imamura returns from another do-over (this time, flashing to a future in which his death inspired the other characters) with an apathetic attitude that eventually prompts him to return to 2014—a future where his grandmother is dead—without apparently a single pang about it. The ending is also kind of abrupt and ambiguous. In the end, I find myself wishing this had been more predictable, ‘cos at least it would’ve been more satisfying. – Michelle Smith

Chihayafuru, Vol. 18 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This volume is full of choices for Chihaya. It’s time to complete another career survey, and this time she fills in a more realistic goal than becoming Queen. It’s also less ambitious, however, and thus her karuta advisor comes to see her play at the Yoshino Club Tournament to ask someone with more experience whether Chihaya really has the potential to become Queen. Happily, she’s playing with more precision and focus than ever, but her next opponent is Haruka Inokuma, a 4-time former Queen, so her chances really hinge on how she fares in that match. (I suspect Taichi vs. Arata is in the offing, as well.) Too, the school trip conflicts with the Master/Queen qualifiers, and Chihaya must choose which side of herself she wants to cultivate more. I seriously love this series and am eagerly anticipating the next volume! – Michelle Smith

Dr. STONE, Vol. 9 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Perhaps being interesting was too much to ask, but Taiju and Yuzuriha are at least contributing now that they’ve been added to Senku’s team—Taiju by being a literal tank soaking up damage, and Yuzuriha by apparently taking all the statues that Tsukasa smashed and sewing them together, presumably so they can be revived. If this seems farfetched, it’s no more so than finding the hospital where Tsukasa’s terminally ill little sister was located and unstoning her, which apparently also cures her illness. That said, Tsukasa may not be the end boss, as there’s another who’s been waiting for the moment to make his debut as a Big Bad. This continues to be ridiculous but also cool. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 10 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – Best Couple get the cover, and I continue to be more interested in them than I am Riko and Kai, who are cute and all but also somewhat predictable. The four of them go to the hot springs, mostly as Riko is too nervous to be alone with Kai, and Takaya learns that Ayumi leaves herself wide open. After a cute but slight Valentine’s chocolate chapter, the best part comes when Ayumi gets a bad cold and Takaya visits, meeting her parents and finding out she’s actually pretty rich and her family are famous film creators. Ayumi is not yet ready to reciprocate Takaya’s feelings, but she does open up to him about wanting to seek her own path. It’s great to see, and we have three volumes left after this, so I’m sure it will work out. – Sean Gaffney

ROADQUEEN: Eternal Roadtrip to Love | By Mira Ong Chua | Seven Seas – While not technically manga, ROADQUEEN will likely still appeal both stylistically and thematically to readers who enjoy Japanese comics. In particular, the volume makes an excellent addition to Seven Seas’ catalog of yuri titles. ROADQUEEN originated as a short online comic, followed up by a much longer multi-chapter sequel. Both of these stories and an additional bonus comic are collected in this volume. Leo, the prince of Princess Andromeda Academy, only has eyes for Bethany—her motorcycle. At least until Vega arrives on the scene and steals Bethany away. Vega promises she’ll give the bike back, but only after Leo proves that she can be a decent lesbian (not to mention human being). ROADQUEEN is deliberately over-the-top, Chua obviously having a lot of fun playing with tropes, but it can actually be very touching, too. With an abundance of humor and a ton of heart, ROADQUEEN is an absolute delight. – Ash Brown

Saki the Succubus Hungers Tonight, Vol. 1 | By Mikokuno Homare and studio HIP-CATs | Ghost Ship – I will admit that for a title that’s coming out via the Ghost Ship label, which means “borderline porn,” this is pretty cute. Saki is a fairly new, still virginal succubus who has been thrown out of her family home as she’s old enough to be finding men to “feed” on, but she’s honestly a bit too shy for all that. She is thus near starvation when found by Renta, an adult salaryman who is also a virgin. They clearly fall for each other pretty fast, but are also both innocent and clueless, so nothing happens… well, OK, something happens, she manages to “feed,” but the plot is still “will they ever actually do anything” and the answer is likely “no.” Still, for tease, this is relatively cute and sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 5 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – Welp, despite what I thought, the series does not end just because the main couple confessed. Indeed, most of the volume involves separating the two—not by design, but simply as Shirayuki has been invited to another country for a get together… her old country, where Prince Raj is. Indeed, after having it out with her a couple of volumes ago, Raj is seemingly turning over a new leaf, but that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable around her at all—he never expected she’d accept the invitation. Her bodyguard for this journey is Obi, and I note that this series is very good at having a bunch of guys in it who are not immediately in love with the heroine. Whether that’s true of the new villain introduced here, who knows? – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 7 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – Having established that our leads will end up married with a child in the future, the series can now slowly move forward in increments, culminating in the final chapter here, where Nishikata, of his own volition, asks Takagi to the summer festival. But we’re also looking back, as we get to see how the two of them first met, and how Nishikata’s two basic qualities—a nice guy with great faces when he’s embarrassed or upset—inspire Takagi almost immediately. I’m not sure this is exactly when she falls for him, but she certainly has by the end of this book, which gives us another nice blushing reaction from her. Oh yes, and there’s still plenty of teasing. You expected something else? – Sean Gaffney

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 2 | By Kousuke Oono | VIZ Media – This was another fun volume of The Way of the Househusband, in which Tatsu tries aerobics and yoga, intimidates a yakuza by offering him kitchen gadgets, eradicates stubborn stains in Masa’s laundry, plays volleyball with housewives, and more. I really appreciate that we saw more of Miku, his wife, this time around, and probably my favorite chapter is the final one, in which her parents drop by for a visit. Even though the fish-out-of-water setup in this series reminds me of the premise of Saint Young Men, The Way of the Househusband is not only visually superior (better art, great pacing to jokes), but has more heart, especially the bonus chapter in which we see Miku’s dad practicing for the moment when he asks Tatsu if he wants to go outside and play catch. I stop short of calling the manga sweet, but it’s wholly endearing. Highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 13 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 13 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – OK, I was probably foolish to think the race would end in this volume. We’re gonna have to wait for fourteen. But in return, we get so much shonen sports at its best. Midousuji does his best, but then crashes and burns. Instead, it’s Manami who gets the bulk of this book, where we discover that he enjoys shifting gears higher when he should be doing the opposite, just to make things even more fun. That said, he shouldn’t dismiss our hero, Onoda, who has his pedaling and his Pretty Princess song to keep him going forever. (Oh yes, and his mother shows up—apparently at rando, as he never told her about the race? This was the funniest part of the book.) Things should end next volume… well, at least this race. – Sean Gaffney

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 18 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – Welp, I was wrong. Romantically, the final pairing is not what I expected. That said, romance, as always in this series, takes a back seat to the music, and musically the pairing is exactly what I expected. It’s actually quite interesting to see the basic “final volume” beats of a shoujo manga framed in terms of career and musical partner, while the heroine actually ends up with someone else. It’s quite a choice. Elsewhere, the book wraps up the one remaining unresolved pairing. But most of all for me, it goes back to its roots and shows what I loved most about it—Nino screaming the songs like they’re primal. I’ll miss this series, and am interested in what the author is going to do next. – Sean Gaffney

Bakemonogatari, Vol. 2 | By NISIOISIN and Oh!great | Vertical Comics – One thing about the artwork in this manga adaptation, particularly of its lead character, is that it does not shy away from how relentlessly creepy and sexually harassing Araragi can be. The novels made you question how much of it was a narrative device, the anime framed it as so over the top it was almost parody, but the manga makes you squirm at seeing Araragi’s face as he simultaneously beats up and pervs on a little girl. This second volume finishes Hitagi Crab and gets almost halfway through Mayoi Snail, and does a good job at making itself distinct—here the park is a normal park, not the grandiose wonder as seen in the anime. Provided you can tolerate Araragi, an excellent adaptation. – Sean Gaffney

Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 4 | By Mika Yamamori | VIZ Media – Believing that Shishio has gotten back together with his ex, Suzume tries to see it as an opportunity to forget him. It’s not true, though, and after her friends arrange for them to have an aquarium date, Shishio starts acting different around her. I certainly don’t want him to return her feelings, but it’s also pretty shitty that he treats her like she’s special and gives her false hope when he has already rejected her. At least he’s aware of this. There’s a great sequence where they both stop themselves from calling out to the other in the hallway, trying to avoid falling into their typical patterns, but by the end he’s rushing to rescue her from overbearing upperclassmen and falling pots. I really, really am enjoying this series, but continue to hope that she’s eventually going to get over him once and for all. – Michelle Smith

Dirty Pair | By Haruka Takachiho and Hisao Tamaki| Seven Seas – I was both looking forward to this and also dreading it, and in the end the dread won out. I suppose every generation gets the Lovely Angels it deserves. It’s not as if the original novels did not have Kei and Yuri walking around in Bikini tops and short shorts and cracking wise, and they do here as well. And the novels did indeed have the “we are psychically bonded and get hints about solving crimes that way” jazz as well. But this manga adaptation takes the fanservice to eleven, with the Angels making out and getting orgasm faces as they use their psychic powers. The plot of these is essentially very similar to the originals, and the basic “they solve the mystery, but everything is destroyed” premise is still there and valid. That said, the fanservice makes me recommend this only to hardcore fans of the Lovely Angels. – Sean Gaffney

Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 8 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – I always enjoy the way that there is slow, methodical character development for Umaru in these books. She may still be incapable of taking care of herself without her brother around, but she’s beginning to grow up and demonstrate she might be able to function in society. Of course, there is also the usual Umaru humor, particularly when dealing with Hikari, who not only looks and acts like Umaru but is trying to occupy the same place in her brother’s life. (Speaking of which, we also get more shots of Kanau, Hikari’s older sister and Taihei’s boss, who also might have a thing for him, though I suspect if there’s any romance in this series at all it will be with Ebina, who’s had longer to develop.) Cute, cute, cute. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 36 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – After losing the first set to Nekoma, Karasuno wins the second. As Furudate-sensei elegantly shows through a series of panels comparing past scoreboards to the current one, this is the first time that has ever happened. Indeed, throughout the volume, Furudate excels at conveying the significance of things, particularly when the most reserved players on each team experience a moment in which they recognize how much fun volleyball can be. Tsukishima actually smiles when he’s finally able to score a point against his rival/mentor Kuroo while Kenma, whose predictions are usually correct, is happy when Hinata is able to surprise him with a trick shot. And, in turn, Kuroo is happy that the friend who’s been indulging him all these years is finally enjoying himself. It’s all about appreciating the people who get you and who challenge you. I love this series so much. – Michelle Smith

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 12 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – I get the sense that the author has figured out how many volumes he wants this series to be now, as the pacing seems to have become more rapid. Not in terms of the gags, but in terms of the plot—Shirogane’s desire to resolve his relationship with Kaguya by the Culture Festival seems to mean it will happen next volume or the one after, and for once he seems quietly determined—I think committing to Stanford lit a fire in him. Elsewhere, Chika once again tries to cheat her way to victory and is punished, and also tries to teach Shirogane something easy and is punished. And there’s a chapter advertising the We Want to Talk About Kaguya spin-off, which… we’re not getting here. A lot of fun as usual. – Sean Gaffney

To Be Next to You, Vol. 1 | By Atsuko Namba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Nina Uemura is in love with her next-door neighbor, Kyosuke Tachibana, who has just started his first year of high school. She ends up witnessing the moment when one of his new classmates, Yuiko Asou, kisses him. This ultimately spurs Nina to confess, but when he goes in to kiss her, she freaks out. Meanwhile, Kyosuke and Asou seem to be getting closer. Because Asou is written so sympathetically (she’s genuinely a good person, and her once-kind boyfriend has become a jerk) and Nina comes across as quite immature comparatively, this manga so far reads like she’s the interloper onto Kyosuke’s love story. He’s moving ahead and she’s desperate to stay by his side, even if he’s entering a world that she’s not yet prepared for. It’s good stuff! I look forward to volume two. – Michelle Smith

Vinland Saga, Vol. 11 | By Makoto Yukimura | Kodansha Comics – It’s been a year and a half since the last omnibus volume of Vinland Saga was released. Somehow in that amount of time I had forgotten just how much humor Yukimura incorporates into what is otherwise an incredibly serious narrative. It helps keep the manga from becoming overwhelmingly bleak, but the balance of between the comedy and tragedy in the eleventh omnibus feels a little off—the jokes and occasional pop culture references (while entertaining) at times lessen the impact of the surrounding scenes. Even so, Vinland Saga remains an intensely compelling and powerful work. These volumes bring to a close the battle at Jomsborg. Throughout the conflict, Thorfinn repeatedly comes up against his decision to live without taking the lives of others. His resolve is severely tested when he confronts the man behind his father’s death and the warriors who likewise seek the deaths of Thorfinn and his companions. – Ash Brown

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 7 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – Every time a new volume of this fantastic series comes out I avoid reading it, possibly as I still expect it to end with everyone depressed or dead, because Asano. Despite that, things trundle along in this volume. Oran’s starting to have ominous feelings that she’s seen some of this before, and even the main cast heading to the beach, with lots of silly beach comedy, can’t quite stop you thinking things aren’t going to be the same anymore, especially after that cliffhanger. Makoto is on the cover, and gets a fair number of scenes as well, something you can’t always say about the covers. Most of all, this continues to examine the nature of conspiracies and media frenzies. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 22 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – What I remember about this volume’s chapters when they came out weekly was the fandom going ballistic attacking Momo after her loss. Possibly because the main cast praised her abilities regardless, possibly as she lost another fight and Jump fans are all secret wrestling fans complaining about “Jobbers.” It’s an excellent battle, though. The other fights are good as well. You’d expect Todoroki to clean up, but that battle too does not go as expected. Bakugo shows off that he can be kind and heroic while STILL being a loud asshole, and Izuku shows that the fact that he’s trying to learn his powers on the fly is leading to bad things. Fortunately, Uraraka and Shinso are there. Excellent. – Sean Gaffney

Queen Bee, Vol. 3 | By Shizuru Seino | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – In Queen Bee’s second volume, Toma realized he had feelings for Hirata while on a forest field trip, during which she displayed extreme competence (and fought off a bear). Now, they’ve become an official couple, but Hirata’s insecurity, coupled with the reveal of a junior high ex-girlfriend that Toma might still have feelings for, makes her worry that he’s just trying to make himself love her. Ordinarily, the emergence of a love rival in the latter half of the final volume of a short series would irritate me a great deal, but I actually liked that it gave Hirata one more opportunity to show that Toma’s happiness is her top priority. She may look scary, but she’s pure and valiant, and in the end, this series kind of gave me gender-flipped My Love Story!! feels. Truly delightful. – Michelle Smith

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 8 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – Answers are here, with extended flashbacks showing us what actually happened years ago, and who Fumi is. It’s helpful to have Kyutaro’s late mother explaining things to them, admittedly, and she’s super cool—I’d be OK with more adventures of her. Meanwhile, as Fumi tries to take this all in, Kyutaro adds to things by confessing to her, something which is perhaps not timely but is at least heartfelt. That said, it may be relatively irrelevant, as the cliffhanger suggests that we may be seeing some memory loss/destruction of alternate selves going on. Still, as far as dream-laden fantasy shoujo with comedic undertones go, QQ is tops. And love that they still have Dengeki Daisy cameos in them. – Sean Gaffney

Saint Young Men, Vol. 1 | By Hikaru Nakamura | Kodansha Comics – The premise of Saint Young Men is both simple and kooky. Jesus and Buddha have rented an apartment in Japan to enjoy some well-earned time off, where they enter into a sort of odd-couple existence, with Buddha being the serious guy who does all the chores and Jesus being the carefree guy who has a popular TV review blog. The situations are pretty fun—the guys go to an amusement park and ride a roller coaster, they experience a packed commuter train, Jesus buys a Shinsengumi costume to wear as pajamas, Buddha wins a statue of himself while trying to win a trip to Okinawa…—but I’m sad to report that I never actually laughed at anything. Perhaps that will change with later volumes, as I did think this one got more amusing as it went along. We shall see! – Michelle Smith

Species Domain, Vol. 7 | By Shunsuke Noro | Seven Seas – The bulk of this volume is based around the school athletics festival, which gives us a chance to revisit several ongoing issues: Kazamori trying to live up to the “elf” standard everyone sees in her, ship tease between Hanei and Mikasagi, and the usual athletic festival cliches. The most interesting part of the book was showing us that Mizuno, who is frustrated at the mermaid classmate who’s going to put the swimming competition out of reach, also is a mermaid. That said, the reason they’ve been hiding it is fascinating, getting into both monster cliches and the sort of thing that LGBTQ people deal with daily, and I thought the reaction of the class was great. All in all, another solid volume. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 5 | By Tomo Hirokawa, based on the story by Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – Despite Genesis being a clear bad guy, one who’s even taking drugs to enhance his gaming “performance,” he’s still able to make a huge impression on Tia. Sadly, when he is then “killed,” that proves the impetus for her to pick up where he left off, and she’s now out to remove humans from this MMORPG. As always with SAO lately, there’s some good discussion of what constitutes an NPC, and Premiere also goes through some emotional crises, especially given Tia is her dark twin. The next volume is the final one, so we’ll see if Kirito and the cast of every other video game spinoff can help. Despite the high entry level of this series, it’s pretty decent. – Sean Gaffney

The Trial of Kitaro | By Shigeru Mizuki | Drawn & Quarterly – Collecting five short manga originally published in shonen magazines between 1968 and 1971, The Trial of Kitaro brings to a close Drawn & Quarterly’s delightful seven-volume compilation of selections from Mizuki’s influential series GeGeGe no Kitaro. Combining creepiness with comedy (including some literal potty humor—beware haunted mountainside toilets), the stories in this volume are tremendous fun. As with previous installments, the episodic chapters were in part chosen specifically to be kid-friendly, so there’s a certain amount of grossness and just plain strangeness to them. But, regardless of intended audience, I’m enamored with these yokai tales of horror. I love how Mizuki has taken traditional Japanese folklore and incorporated his own ideas and even some Western legends to create something truly special. Along with the other volumes, I will treasure The Trial of Kitaro. I am sad that this is the series’ end, but I am so incredibly happy that these stories were translated. – Ash Brown

As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 8 | By Matoba | Yen Press -Aside from the cute slice-of-life aspects of the series, much of it revolves around the fact that everyone seems to have a crush on someone in the cast, but it’s either the wrong person or they’re too shy/tsundere/unable to see it to do anything. I was reminded of that in this volume, which literally has Beelzebub and Mullin going on a date to the aquarium… but they’re still not actually a couple, even if they are treated as an eventual one. We see this again with a mixer that Mullin is forced to go to, where we see a girl who a) is so cute she even gets Mullin’s brain briefly off his boss for a bit, and b) has a great meet cute scene with Samyaza… who it turns out has a crush on Eurydice, the shotacon. Sigh. That’s the manga. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 4 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – One thing I really like about this series is that, while Komi has trouble communicating and is trying to improve, the series never shows it as a bad thing per se, and never really judges her for it. Her family is the same way, with the exception of her talkative mother, who we get more of here. A bulk of the story is devoted to the athletic festival, where, as you might expect, both Komi and Tadano are in a position to save the day and win for their group. There’s a bit of selfishness, mostly courtesy of Yamai, who is still around, but for the most part the series really runs on sweet kids doing their best, and also finds the time to be funny. I admire that. – Sean Gaffney

My Father Is a Unicorn | By Monaka Suzuki | Seven Seas – Sometimes you get a book that falls between two stools, and it can be even more disappointing than if it was too much of one thing or the other. This wants to be a funny comedy about a guy trying to live with his out-of-touch stepfather who is really a unicorn, bad at transforming at the worst of times, and also a big flake. This also wants to be a series about found family and giving new people a chance when they mean well and are trying. Unfortunately, too often it tries to do both at once, and the tone is wrong. There’s also a number of times when, even for the broad comedy this is sometimes going for, the characters are so stupid they beggar belief. If you like silly monster “guy” manga you may like it, but… eh. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 18 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – Another volume that is very funny when it’s trying to be, but isn’t trying 3/4 of the time anymore, so it’s just serious fighting stuff. The best bits were the restaurant and the dining and dashing, which felt a lot like the OPM of old. We’re also making Garo into less of a villain by having him do more protecting of a kid, which is fine but does remind you that everything about this world is absolutely terrible—in the end, the kid even ends up captured anyway. Now, arguably you could call this a pastiche of the tendency in modern comics, especially superhero comics, for “grim and gritty,” but this isn’t a parody anymore—it’s just a lot of serious fighting with more gore. My Hero Academia is looking better by the day. – Sean Gaffney

Saint Young Men, Vol. 1 | By Hikaru Nakamura | Kodansha Comics – It’s a Christmas miracle! Despite great interest in the series, Saint Young Men has been unlicensable in North America for years, at least in part due to concerns over how more conservative Christian groups in the United States might react to the manga’s blatantly irreverent humor. The premise is simple enough—Jesus and Buddha are taking a break from their heavenly duties and are sharing an apartment together in Japan. Hilarity ensues as they live their day-to-day lives while trying to keep their identities a secret. Readers who already have some familiarity with Christianity and Buddhism—and to to some extent Japanese culture, as well—will likely appreciate and get the most out of the series, but Kodansha has included plenty of notes after each chapter of this release to help along those who aren’t. Personally, Saint Young Men brings me great joy and laughter; I’m thrilled it’s being translated. – Ash Brown

Seven Days: Monday→Sunday | By Venio Tachibana and Rihito Takarai | SuBLime – Handsome Toji Seryo has a reputation for agreeing to go out with the first girl to ask him on Monday morning and then breaking up with her on Sunday evening, saying, “I’m sorry I couldn’t fall for you.” Impulsively, Yuzuru Shino (also popular with girls due to his looks) asks Seryo out and is surprised when he agrees. From there, their week as a couple unfolds, during which each guy develops feelings for the other, with Seryo convinced that Yuzuru is not going to seriously return his feelings and Yuzuru convinced that what’s happening between them has also happened with all the other girls Seryo has dated. It’s sweet and angsty and features some poor communication, and I enjoyed it a lot. They each finally found someone who loves them for who they really am and I am totally happy for these fictional boys. Strongly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Yuri Is My Job!, Vol. 5 | By miman | Kodansha Comics – Despite the events of the last volume, this one is devoted to showing us that nothing is really solved. Hime is trying a bit harder but is still too much of a flake to really be a good waitress (though she’s better as a schweister), Kanoko is still really in love with Hime, a situation not helped by them going out on a shopping “date” and Hime giving Kanoko a special present. Most importantly, Mitsuki is still tortured and tormented, and it’s coming out by her lashing out at Hime whether she deserves it or not. This is a good story in a tortured sort of way, but I have to admit this specific volume was not so much “fun to read” as “crawling across broken glass.” But the glass *is* very pretty and shiny, and there is hope things will get better. – Sean Gaffney

Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 3 | By Mika Yamamori | Viz Media – There’s less humor and more romantic drama in this volume, but that’s OK as the romantic drama seems to be slightly better. It helps that the teacher rejects the student, though I’m sure that’s not the end of it, and that scene manages to be the best in the volume. That said, Suzume is not the only one Shishio’s having issues with, and a lot of this book amounts to “sometimes you really do break up for the right reasons even if it doesn’t feel like it.” Honestly, the best relationship in the series so far may be Suzume and Yuyuka, who aren’t a romantic pairing but have the potential to be great friends provided they get past the love quadrangle. This is shaping up to be decent shoujo. – Sean Gaffney

Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 1 | By Gege Akutami | VIZ Media – Yuji Itadori is a member of his school’s Occult Research Club and when he finds a cursed object (a mummified finger that he eventually eats – ew!) he gets involved with a group of jujutsu sorcerers aiming to collect all the fragments of a powerful demon before they fall into the wrong hands. Spurred on by his dying grandfather’s words that he should help people, and by the realization that he’s the only person who can nullify the demon fragments before they cause more harm, Yuji joins up with their cause. This first volume was intriguing, if a bit gross at times, but Yuji feels really flat as a protagonist so far. I’ll keep reading for a bit in hopes that it all becomes more compelling. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 19 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – This has always been a fairly saucy manga for Nakayoshi, and it feels appropriate that the final volume has Yukina and Shigure, now a couple (if you’re surprised perhaps you should look at the cover), snowed in and Yukina being far too forward… at least till she’s taught that sex really is a step too far for someone still brand new to her feelings of loving someone else. Elsewhere, the manga is somewhat satisfying—I just don’t like Hisame, and even though the triangle with him and Mami is left unresolved it feels like he’s going to win, which doesn’t make me happy. But Yukina is cute, and we even get a callback to the glasses/social awkwardness thing. This was VERY up and down, but worth the ride. – Sean Gaffney

Monster and the Beast, Vol. 2 | By Renji | Yen Press – I enjoyed and was greatly intrigued by the first volume of Monster and the Beast, a somewhat unusual BL manga, so I’ve been looking forward to reading the series’ second volume. As the plot continues to develop, it’s revealed that Liam’s natural charm isn’t entirely natural. He puts it to honorable use in this volume, but it seems it’s gotten him into trouble more than once in the past. While Liam and Cavo travel together, Liam softens and opens up a bit towards his companion, making it clear that he actually does care for him and isn’t just taking advantage of the demon (something Liam would be completely capable of). As for Cavo, he becomes a little more daring in expressing his feelings and desires, although he still gets delightfully flustered. Monster and the Beast has its cute moments as well as some deadly serious ones. – Ash Brown

Our Fake Marriage, Vol. 2 | By Kiwi Tokina | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Yae Sendo is living with her chidhood friend Takumi Natsume, now a famous architect, and posing as his wife to act as a buffer for all the chicks who want to bone him. Of course, he immediately starts putting the moves on her. Where are Yae’s family and friends to question this arrangement? Nonexistent. This premise was not the best to start with, but things take a downhill turn in volume two when Takumi tells her, “Resist if you want to. But I got no intention of stopping tonight.” By this point, she’s into it, but still.. this man basically said “I am fine with raping you” and it sends up no red flags! I assume readers were supposed to find story this sexy and/or romantic, given the implication that Yae was Takumi’s first love, but I find it icky and problematic. I shan’t be reading any more. – Michelle Smith

PENGUINDRUM, Vol. 1 | By Isuzu Shibata and ikunichawder | Seven Seas – Once again, I have not seen the anime this is based on, and I get the sense that a lot of the imagery probably works better when watched rather than read. Two brothers are dealing with a sister who’s dying, only to find her corpse possessed by the spirit of… something. Now they have to find a Penguindrum… and are not told what that is. And, on top of everything else, they run into a girl who’s very, very obsessed with her teacher. There are tidbits of a very interesting story here, and the possessed Himari can be quite funny (SURVIVAL! TACTIC!), but as with a lot of Ikuhara series that aren’t named Utena, I find it very difficult to get emotionally involved with it. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 12 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – I asked for more of Takane and Hana smirking at each other, and instead I get to what amounts to Takane losing his mind. He finally admits his feelings to Hana, who’s a bit poleaxed, and then proceeds to be an absolute ass for almost the entire rest of the book. He still has no idea how to properly interact with a girl he likes, and I hate to break it to him, but the solution to a relationship between a rich heir and an underage schoolgirl is not “well, whatever.” Hana spends much of the book simply exhausted, and I felt like that as well. Hopefully the next volume will get back on a more even keel, as I just don’t like Takane when he’s like this, and I don’t think Hana does either. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 18 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – MORE Negima flashbacks, as the author tries to sell me on a Negi/Eva romance I still really don’t want, and essentially finishes giving us the backstory related to how things got this way. Next it’s time for more romantic stuff, as Chamo wants Pactios. Kirie isn’t able to do it because of her power, but Kuromaru can… and finally works up the nerve to confess about their future gender choices. Tota, of course,l takes everything in stride, but still it feels as if, as with Negima, any romance in the series moves at the speed of a slug. We also add in Karin towards the end, who wants to pactio with Eva but is steered towards Tota, and confesses some of her past as Judas Iscariot to him. If you’ve read all of both series, this was OK. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 11 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – I never doubted for a minute that this series would have a happy ending, but man, Toma-sensei really nailed the Water Dragon’s God’s terror in the face of mortality as well as Asahi’s abject despair when she believes he has died. It’s heartbreaking (and relatable). I also loved that Subaru’s confession prompts Asahi to take the initiative and get her smooch on with the Water Dragon God, and that he cries from his happiness. I will try not to think about how they’re going to navigate their future together and just be happy that they’re together. Looking forward to more Toma-sensei in the future! – Michelle Smith

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 4 | By Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha Comics – Another of the quartet of young apprentices takes the spotlight: Richeh, who wants to make her own magic and hates compromising. Sadly, that makes it hard to take tests, and she’s doing the next one, along with Agott and a third apprentice, a young man who seems to be abused and belittled by his instructor, but has a wealth of knowledge once he gets over his self-hatred. As always half the reason to read this is the art, which gives us the snake-like path that the test-takers travel down. And of course there’s Coco, who may not be taking the test but still finds a way to get herself into trouble, though more accurately trouble comes to her. This is still gorgeous and compelling. – Sean Gaffney