Ash Brown

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 20 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – So in the end there is no easy way out, and no happily ever after. Oh, the kids survive, though it’s a bit touch-and-go for Kayano, who tries to protect Koro-sensei and gets impaled for her troubles. But no, what it means is that, despite Koro-sensei taking care of the bad guys, with one very satisfying death, he still has to be killed—and, given the entire premise of the series, the kids have to kill him. We’re at the climax of the series, which is apparently rather awkward in volume format—expect a lot of padding in the final volume. Still, for fans of this series, this may be a bit of a tear-jerker, but it feels right, and will also make you smile. (Though please stop with the “Kayano has a small chest” jokes, please.) – Sean Gaffney

Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 5 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – This was a much stronger volume of the series, though I admit that sometimes I have trouble remembering who is who—this is what happens when you catch up to Japan so quickly. Here we see the pain of unrequited love, and how for the most part there can be very little you can do about it other than pine, especially when you love is pining for someone else. That said, the core of this series is still its special effects, which branch out here into scene design as our heroes run into a school with a lot of ideas but no idea how to convey those with an actual budget. The end design was quite clever, showing off the desperation that frequently drives genius when pushed to a deadline. Solid. – Sean Gaffney

Black Clover, Vol. 10 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – As it turns out, permanent damage is pretty easy to heal when you live in a world of magic and you’re also the main character. Black Clover is never going to win any originality awards, and will likely never rise above “good.” But it also doesn’t plumb the depths of some series—it’s pacy, knows how long to do an arc for, and is also not afraid to bring in characters introduced in the light novels when it wants to, which might be a bit of a wrench for North American readers who know Viz doesn’t really license Jump light novels unless they’re Naruto. Meanwhile, Noelle levels up, and Asta tries to solve things by talking rather than punching (shame it doesn’t work out). Black Clover is fun if you’re a teen who’s never read Jump manga before. – Sean Gaffney

Dokudami Tenement, Vol. 1 | By Takashi Fukutani | Black Hook Press – Thanks to the efforts of Black Hook Press, a niche publisher based out of Tokyo currently focusing on gekiga and more obscure manga, the beginning of Fukutani’s most popular and successful series Dokudami Tenement is now available in English. The first volume includes the manga’s prologue and three stories—”Sun Is Shining,” “The Fetishist’s Lament,” and “Midnight Mover”—in addition to an introduction by Mitsuhiro Asakawa, a short biography, and a list of Fukutani’s publications. Dokudami Tenement began serialization in 1979, Fukutani incorporating semi-autobiographical elements into his stories about Yoshio Hori, an unemployed twenty-six year old living in a decrepit apartment building in Tokyo. It’s a funny and entertaining series, although at times admittedly lewd and crass; the characters somehow manage to be both appalling and sympathetic while the manga explores social and economic issues of the time period with a biting sense of humor. – Ash Brown

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 22 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – The advancement exams in Hokkaido continue and the resisters have survived until round three, when they must go up against members of the Council of Ten. Yukihira is having a rematch against Hayama, who defeated him in the Fall Classic, and their theme ingredient is bear. Despite a lot of focus on how the boys manage to overcome the stinky attributes of bear and create delicious dishes, I have to say I’m still not particularly keen to try it. We get the typical fanservice of clothes being blown off by flavor, but I could’ve done without the really awkward explanation for why the Nakiri family has this reaction. It was still entertaining, though, and I really liked that Yukihira acknowledged that he’s a better chef now because Hayama defeated him in the past. Beyond that, I remain “meh” about this Central arc. – Michelle Smith

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 15 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – The first half of this volume continues the giant high from the second half of the last one—these are probably the best scenes in the series. After getting his ass kicked by Rika, Kodaka finally stops ignoring Sena and tells her the truth—he loves her, and wants to do lots of naughty things to her, which… sort of pleases her, ish. But he won’t date her, because it would ruin the Friendship Club. Which, honestly, is getting pretty ruined even without dating, as Yozora has finally sunk into deep depression and run away, all the way to… Kodaka’s house. The manga says—possibly to stop readers abandoning ship—it will have a different ending than the polarizing light novel. We’ll see how that develops next time. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 20 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – Karasuno is engaged in their first five-set match against formidable opponent Shiratorizawa and they’re approaching the limits of their endurance. Kageyama’s accuracy is suffering, and though Tsukishima (who has apparently become my favorite character) continues to make some awesome moves, he ends up injured and in the infirmary for the beginning of the fifth and final set. Can the team pull off victory without him? Well, it’s not surprise that we don’t know the answer to that yet, since Haikyu!! is always pulling off excruciating cliffhangers, but once a rested-up Kageyama returns to the court, it certainly seems possible, as he and Hinata execute a spectular quick set that narrows Shiratorizawa’s lead to one point. As exciting as ever! – Michelle Smith

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Vol. 6 | By Hirohiko Araki | Viz Media We’ve finally gotten to Egypt, but alas, Dio still eludes us, as we continue instead to plow through a series of mooks trying to stop our heroes getting there in time to save Holly (who long-time readers may have totally forgotten about, to be honest). There is some very amusing comedy, as our heroes’ new ally is a Stand User who’s a dog—a very eccentric, unlikeable dog. The dog manages to do something that hasn’t happened the entire series, which is briefly make Jotaro interesting. But be it Youssou N’Dour, Oingo Boingo or Chaka Khan, no amount of unsubtle 80s music references can stop our heroes. Will we finally see Dio next time? Probably not, but hey. JoJo’s fans will want to read this. – Sean Gaffney

Kase-san and an Apron | By Hiromi Takashima | Seven Seas – The physicality of Yamada and Kase-san’s relationship is dialed back in this new volume, possibly due to being serialized in a magazine, Wings, which is slightly less OK with it. The yuri cuteness is still there, though, and this remains probably the best of our ongoing “girls in high school like each other and start dating” series. There are few surprises—the fact that Kase-san hadn’t dated her sempai seemed fairly obvious to me—but the emotions seem real, the girls are both sweethearts, and you root for them. I had thought this was the final volume, but apparently it is continuing on an occasional basis, so we may see a new volume. A must-read for yuri fans. – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 19-20 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | VIZ Media – It’s the Winter Cup quarterfinals, and Seirin is up against Yosen. Most of the first part of the volume is Kagami suddenly evolving amazingly in response to Yosen’s strength, entering “the zone” in a way that is visible to the audience and demonstrating an ability to replicate moves belonging to the Miracle Generation. It’s over-the-top but still an exhilarating finish as Seirin manages to win by one point. After meeting Shogo Haizaki, a former Miracle Generation member who lost his position to Kise, we progress to the first semifinal game, between Akashi’s Rakuzan and Midorima’s Shutoku. Turns out, Midorima and his teammate Takao have a sort of Hinata/Kageyama (from Haikyu!!) past and even a quick set equivalent! It’s pretty spiffy, but is it enough to beat Akashi? Stay tuned! – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 19-20 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – As you might expect, loving basketball is better than not loving basketball, and therefore those with passion—particularly in a sports manga—will always beat those who have talent but little drive. And so our heroes advance, and get the rest of the volume to watch the competition. I admit I wasn’t wild about the section in the middle, though at least Alex freed herself on her own, and Shogo made a particularly unpleasant antagonist. But now we’re on to the other semifinal, with our old friend Midorima, who is not going to win because we have already seen Seirin play them, but it’s a nice thought. Two-thirds of the way through the series, and it’s still exciting, though it does make me realize that the final game could indeed be stretched a lot. – Sean Gaffney

Nameless Asterism, Vol. 1 | By Kina Kobayashi | Seven Seas – My interest in Nameless Asterism was piqued when I heard that the series includes both yuri and boys’ love elements. Turns out there’s cross-dressing involved, too, which also holds some appeal. The story revolves around Shiratori, Washio, and Kotooka, three young women who have become particularly close. They’re not all aware of it, but Shiratori has fallen for Washio, Washio has fallen for Kotooka, and Kotooka has fallen for Shiratori. On top of that, there are boys they like and who like them, too. It’s not so much a love triangle as it is an increasingly complex love ouroboros with feelings of friendship and romance in delicate balance. Nameless Asterism is a slowly paced but sweet manga with characters who genuinely care for one another. Future volumes of the series promise to reveal even more complications as the various relationships continue to evolve. I’m curious to see how it unfolds. – Ash Brown

Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 6 | By Kiseki Himura and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – I’m enjoying the fact that Himura, the artist of this manga, is being allowed to do his own thing a bit more. We’re curling back to the book plot, as Kirito runs up against a smiling villain named Morte who has a plan to sow discord. The manga has always felt more like Asuna’s story, with Kirito acting as a Greek Chorus, and we continue that here. Also, Argo is back, which makes me very happy, as I love Argo. Most adaptations of light novels don’t really need to be read if you’ve already read the prose, but this is an exception. And there’s also quite a bit of fanservice for those who like that. Great stuff for SAO fans. – Sean Gaffney

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 10 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Media – Man, Mizuho Kusanagi could teach a masterclass in how to not only redeem a former antagonist but make you love him fiercely. Yona and friends have been masquerading as bandits to protect poor villages in Fire Tribe lands from exorbitant taxes. Tae-jun is sent to deal with them and, after many comical reactions whilst in disguise, his genuine relief upon learning Yona is alive is massively endearing. This whole volume is about his gradual rehabilitation; initially, he cares only about Yona and can’t see the suffering around him, but eventually his eyes are opened and he spearheads a campaign to bring much-needed government support to the people. Yes, he still cares a lot about what Yona thinks of him, but he’s also truly changed, earning the loyalty of his troops in the process. I may have shed a few tears. – Michelle Smith

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 8 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – After a great deal of effort, Tanba shows himself to be in excellent shape for Koshien. This, plus the trust his teammates have in him, makes it even more devastating when he’s hit by a ball in a practice game right before the tournament begins, fracturing his jaw. He’ll be able to return by the quarter-finals, but meanwhile it’s up to the younger pitchers to keep things together until then. I’m a sucker for a good training montage, so enjoyed Chris drilling Furuya and Sawamura on their control and defensive fielding skills. The coach has some nice moments where he shows appreciation for both the team and the female managers, and it’s also satisfying to watch Seido crush their first-round opponents. In fact, this is quite a satisfying volume all around, aside from a couple of grammatical errors in the translation. – Michelle Smith

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 2 | By Ukami |Yen Press – There’s very little actual forward plot here—the series runs on its gags, so mostly what changes is the situation. We see the girls going to the beach; the story of how Gabriel and Vignette first met; the absolute ludicrousness that is Satanya buying a gun (no, not a real gun); Halloween costumes; and the class president, who is 100% human and a bit horrified by the out-of-context dialogue between the class angel and devil. Of course, the question here is “does it work? Is it funny?”, and the answer is yes, this is still funny. Raphael and her trolling continues to be my favorite, though we do see she does have one weakness. If you like light fluffiness and laughs, this is an excellent series to pick up. – Sean Gaffney

I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness | By Yuki Fumino | One Peace Books – One of the debut manga from last year that left the greatest impression on me was the deceptively quiet I Hear the Sunspot, so I was very happy to discover that it had a sequel, Theory of Happiness, that would also be translated. While ostensibly a boys’ love manga, the beautifully nuanced, evolving relationship between the series’ two leads—Taichi and Kohei—is rarely at the forefront of the story. Even so, it remains an essential underlying component constant to both the narrative and its characters. Theory of Happiness also introduces Maya who, like Kohei, has partial hearing loss, but whose experiences and perspectives are uniquely her own. As was the case with the first volume, Theory of Happiness is an exceptionally lovely and thoughtful manga with marvelous characterization. Apparently there is at least one more volume in the series; I hope to see it released in English, too. – Ash Brown

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 28 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The war ended up being a bit of an anticlimax, mostly as we find out late in the volume that Harukyuu had a ringer from the start who was going to make the outcome obvious. I continue to wonder if Sinbad is going to end up being the major antagonist of the series, but I suspect that may have to wait till Alibaba’s return. Which isn’t happening just yet, though his chibi-doll form is certainly proving more mature than the petulant Judar. As for the war itself, I definitely enjoyed the character development for Kogyoku, who is forced to fight and kill in order to protect those closest to her and make sure they don’t lose themselves. It’s a big step forward for the former petulant princess. As for Aladdin… he’s still a bit lost. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 5 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – Kuroko may be the star of the series, and she’s very good at being clever and solving the problems the police give her, but she is an absolutely horrible, despicable person. The only reason we read this series is because her over-the-top horribleness is so hilarious—when she sets out to seduce the mother of the missing nine-year-old girl who’s been captured by a serial child killer, your jaw wants to drop but you can only laugh. I actually wondered why we never got a follow through on it, but given the volume starts with Kuroko in bed with the victim from volume four, I may simply have to wait patiently. This is not a series for the timid—the graphic child strangulation is as bad as it sounds—but oh my god, it’s fun if you have a certain twisted mindset. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 11 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – The grimness of this arc doesn’t let up—Bakugo is rescued, but the sacrifices are significant. I appreciated their teacher explaining that if they weren’t in a very unusual situation right now, he would have expelled the entire class except for those kidnapped and/or injured. Being a hero means following the rules—that’s why they aren’t vigilantes. (No, I haven’t read the side series yet.) We also get some home visits to the class’s parents, which range from hilarious (Bakugo) to dramatic (Izuku) to rather sweet (Kyoka). Next time we should get preparation for provisional hero licenses. In the meantime, enjoy the best thing about the volume, which I never mentioned: the epic All-Might fight in the first half. (OK, yes, and the new dorm chapters.) Top-drawer Jump. – Sean Gaffney

No Game No Life, Please!, Vol. 3 | By Kazuya Yuizaki and Yuu Kamiya | Yen Press -The laughable schedule of the NGNL novels, which have been delayed so often that people now simply roll their eyes, means that this third volume of the spinoff introduces characters from novels which aren’t out yet, and expects the reader to be familiar with them. That said, hardcore NGNL fans are famous for boycotting the Yen Press novels anyway, and are likely getting this solely for the laughs and the fanservice. There’s plenty of both, so they should feel at ease. We do see a bit of the point of this series, which is trying to give Izuna more experience. But for the most part it’s a goofy spinoff manga, not to be taken seriously and meant to be forgotten after it’s read. It does what it wants to. – Sean Gaffney

Orange Junk, Vol. 3 | By Heldrad | Chromatic Press – Oft described as a love letter to shoujo manga, Heldrad’s ongoing webcomic Orange Junk is a wonderfully energetic and addictive series. The third volume sees the conclusion of the male modeling competition which Bruce initially entered in an attempt to pay his mother’s hospital bills. Miles, the son of the man who financially ruined Louise’s family, unexpectedly turns out to be Bruce’s rival in the contest as well as in love. Louise, of course, remains rather oblivious to that particular fact; she hasn’t realized that Bruce has romantic feelings for her and the grudge she holds against Miles and his family overshadows most everything else. Orange Junk is intentionally ridiculous and melodramatic with explosive chemistry and surprising friendships among the increasingly large cast of strong personalities. While it isn’t exactly a parody, the series is most definitely a comedy, and a highly entertaining and legitimately funny one at that. – Ash Brown

Plum Crazy! Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat, Vol. 4| By Natsumi Hoshino | Seven Seas – You’d think that I, a fervent cat lover, would adore Plum Crazy!, but sadly that is proving not to be the case. Maybe the problem is that I love cats for how they actually are, but that the cats in Plum Crazy! are given so much inner dialogue and human motivation that they hardly feel like cats anymore. They exchange Christmas gifts, for example, and there’s a running gag (I use the term loosely) where Plum is concerned about the environment. Occasionally there are some cat-like behaviors, like Plum getting stuck above the ceiling (this really happened to a cat of mine!) and Snowball’s search for a snuggly sleeping spot, but they’re just not enough to make up for the rest (and it bugs me that nobody tries to correct Snowball’s bad behavior). Alas, I think I might be dropping this series. – Michelle Smith

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 2 | By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu | VIZ Media – After a fantastic and surprising first volume, I have no excuse for being taken completely unawares by the big reveal in this volume, and yet I was. The nuanced way Norman managed to turn this information into an advantage was well handled, and boy, do I have sympathy for his position going forward. Meanwhile, a game of tag with Krone reveals it’s not impossible to get the jump on her, and the three leads decide to bring the next oldest pair (Don and Gilda) into the loop. The thing is… they don’t tell them the whole truth, and I’m sure this is going to come back to bite them, especially since Don is potentially about to discover it on his own by snooping in Mom’s secret room. What a cliffhanger! – Michelle Smith

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 9 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – STILL no amazing breakthrough, though it’s hinted we may FINALLY see it next time. Instead we mercifully get a bit less of Tatara and Chinatsu torturing themselves and more perspective from the rest of the cast, who can’t take their eyes away from this train wreck. We also see the return of Chinatsu’s rival Akira, who gets a flashback which shows, unsurprisingly, that her attitude stems from a severe case of hero worship gone wrong. (It could also be read as sort of yuri if you want to, but I suspect that’s not what the author has in mind.) There’s also a lot of dramatic dancing here, with lots of the art that is probably the best reason to read this title. I’m still reading it, but mother of God, END THIS ARC! – Sean Gaffney

The Full-Time Wife Escapist, Vol. 9 | By Tsunami Umino | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – And so, The Full-Time Wife Escapist comes to a close. It’s a little disappointing that Mikuri and Hiramasa spend most of their time fine-tuning their living arrangements (divvying up chores, etc.) and not rejoicing in their love for each other, but they do get some nice moments near the end. I was way more interested in the Yuri/Kazami pairing anyway, and this finale did not leave me hanging in that regard (although I’d like to kick Kazami’s audaciously meddling coworker Igarashi to another planet). Even Numata gets a boyfriend, though it’s not quite “pair the spares,” since Mikuri’s friend remains single. She’s the one who speaks what I reckon might be the theme of the series: “There are all sorts of directions you can go in life, huh?” Indeed. This series has been a very enjoyable demonstration of that fact. – Michelle Smith

Giant Killing, Vol. 10 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – For the first time in three years, East Tokyo United has made it through the Japan Cup qualifier league. They face a challenge in their next regular match, though, since Murakoshi and Gino are sidelined (for reasons of penalty and injury, respectively) in the game against a team with a lot of talented young players. Tatsumi decides to field many of the older veterans in the match, but temporarily awards the captain’s armband to Tsubaki to help him build confidence. It’s your typical exciting soccer stuff, really, though I appreciate meeting another coach who cares a lot about seeing his players grow and Tatsumi’s curry party with the fans was nice, too. I’m starting to get a sense for more of the players on the team, and they’re starting to buy into Tatsumi’s vision. Perfectly executed sports manga! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 20 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Here I am once again, trying to fill up a Bookshelf Brief with words that are more than “Well, that sure is volleyball” while also trying to convey that I am genuinely enjoying this series. We go from the fourth to the fifth set here, and it’s starting to take its toll on both teams, who are becoming rather exhausted. There’s more injuries to deal with too, as Tsukishima, already having achieved his character development, seems to break a pinky. But the most interesting part to me was the breaking of the “back and forth” scoring, as Karasuno runs up a big lead and then sees it vanish and they end up in a big hole. Haikyu!! makes volleyball seem exciting and I hope makes young kids want to play it. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, Vol. 3 | By Rin Mikimoto | Kodansha Comics – Still having fun, and I’d call this series ‘solid’ now. As the back cover makes clear, the faces continue to be a comedic highlight—the top of page sixteen is probably not as filthy as I thought it was, but it made me chuckle regardless. Much of this volume is devoted to a narcissistic member of Kaede’s old idol group, and his desire to seduce Hinana just so that he can rub it in Kaede’s face. This goes about as well as you’d expect, which is to say not at all. No, if there’s an upcoming serious danger, it may be more on the career front. I like how this manga is quite sexy without going into the sometimes sordid side that you see in some shoujo titles. Definitely a keeper by now. – Sean Gaffney

orange: future | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – This sixth volume of orange features Suwa as the protagonist. The first part gives an accelerated version of his point-of-view of the original story and culminates in a “ten years in the future” moment that the future selves get to see in a shared dream. The rest of the volume shows how the future originally played out after Kakeru’s death, and how Suwa wooed Naho with some of the things Kakeru had said he wanted to do with her (thus using him and feeling like a scumbag for it) but managing to win her heart by being himself. It’s sweet, and though theirs is a different sort of love, it doesn’t feel unearned. I was happy that Takano-sensei has recaptured the same magical feeling; no need to worry that reading this will spoil your orange experience. – Michelle Smith

Red Colored Elegy | By Seiichi Hayashi | Drawn & Quarterly – Several volumes of Hayashi’s avant-garde manga have now been released in English, but the first and perhaps most immediately accessible was Red Colored Elegy, an influential work from the early 1970s which originally graced the pages of the alternative manga magazine Garo. The book has since gone out of print, but happily Red Colored Elegy will soon be re-released in a new edition accompanied by an extensive and incredibly illuminating essay by comics scholar Ryan Holmberg outlining the context and legacy of Hayashi and his manga. Red Colored Elegy is a stylistic and moody love story following the lives of Ichiro and Sachiko, two struggling young artists working in the animation industry, and the tumultuous relationship between them. It’s been a few years since I first encountered the manga, but even after multiple readings it remains a tremendous and beautifully crafted work with striking visuals and an emotionally resonant core. – Ash Brown

SP Baby, Vol. 2 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – The author implies in the afterword that this series ended at only two volumes because of her pregnancy and subsequent childbirth, but honestly I suspect it wouldn’t have had a long life regardless. There was one section of the book I genuinely really liked, which had Tamaki reliving her traumatic past after an attempt of Kagetora’s life, which felt real and earned. Unfortunately, this is followed by such a manufactured climax that I had trouble realizing what actually happened before it was already resolved. At least we did have her realize she’s much rather kick ass as a bodyguard than stand around being a housewife. Still, in the end this is a bit of a damp squib. – Sean Gaffney

Toriko, Vol. 41 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Still lots of fights, still very little food preparation, though they at least attempt to discuss how to prepare god. Sadly, I fear that in the end Toriko is far more influenced by battle manga than I’d like, and I miss the series’ early charm. Also, Komatsu is almost entirely absent from this book, and it shows. This despite the fact that we get what seems like every single cast member since volume one showing up to help in the final fight. (Tommyrod? Really?) If you like shounen GAR, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into here, with lots of “you fool, you underestimated me.” “No, you underestimated ME!” going on. As for me, still counting down to the end of this series that’s worn out its welcome. – Sean Gaffney