Katherine Dacey

Minami Nanami Wants to Shine, Vol. 1 | By Bana Yoshida and Yuki Yaku | Yen Press – For most of the volume, this feels like a typical side-story spin-off from Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, focusing on perpetual second-best Minami, and her frustration with being the perpetual second-best. The plot involves her mother, who works at a modeling agency, suggesting that her daughter model for them. Minami is a bit taken aback by this, partly as I don’t think she really sees herself as pretty, but also because it’s not anything she had thought about before. The surprise comes when she chooses NOT to run against Aoi for student council—as in the books—and goes for the modeling instead. Will she succeed? Will she start to like herself? Can’t wait to find out. – Sean Gaffney

My Love Mix-Up! Vol. 3 | By Wataru Hinekure and Aruko | Viz Media – This series has settled into a groove of being a heartwarming romantic farce and I am here for it. Aoki and Hashimoto deal with a survival-style ski instructor on a school trip and manage to get a little closer to their respective crushes. Aoki in particular manages to experience the heights of romantic hope and crushing despair as he pursues the perpetually stoic yet still sympathetic Ida. The illustrations easily capture Aoki’s ugly crying, joy, and the time when he feels so depressed he metaphorically turns into a slime. Highly recommended for anyone enjoying romance hijinks. – Anna N

New Game!, Vol. 12 | By Shotaro Tokuno | Seven Seas – This is the penultimate volume, and you know what that means: it means we’re going out with some drama. The team finds out that their game has lost its funding and they need to either find a new company to bankroll them or give up entirely. The obvious answer is Catherine’s company, even if that means groveling a bit. But the carrot comes with a stick, and this means that, once AGAIN, Aoba will not be the lead character designer. As this is about the third time this has happened, I suspect the final volume is probably going to have her questioning her ongoing life choices—she’s a perpetual “not good enough” designer. With all this drama, will we ever find out if Kou and Rin are a canon couple? – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 46 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – Skip Beat! is still nowhere near finished, and so the fact that Ren has confessed to Kyoko does not mean that things are wrapping up in a neat bow. Kyoko is stressed about anyone loving her—still—and also has not told him that she is Bo—still. Fortunately, the author knows the other reason that we’re reading this, which is the acting, and the next volume promises to focus more on that. Unfortunately, there are still many parts of Ren’s past that have yet to come to light, and they also promise to show up in the next volume. With all this going on, can Kyoko still find time to go on a date to an amusement park with her real true love, Moko? This was shorter than most volumes, but still worth the wait. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 18 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – It’s really a rare shoujo series that makes me wonder “OK, maybe they *are* going for a threesome ending?”, but Snow White with the Red Hair comes close. The romance between Zen and Shirayuki gets some more focus here, as they get to reunite in a big romantic scene. That said, Obi is not only intertwined damn near permanently with Shirayuki, but also with Zen, and it doesn’t help that the end of this volume has the author teasing about the two of them sleeping in the same bed. This series has a whole lot of Teasing Creator to it when it comes to the romance, and while I doubt Obi will be an official partner with Shirayuki—or indeed Zen—he’s still one of the best reasons to read this. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 7 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – I feel like a bit of a bad fan for saying this, but I will admit that I love Spy x Family better when it’s focusing on the antics of Loid and Yor than when it’s Anya’s Adventures at the Academy, and that’s what the majority of this volume is. That said, it does give some much-needed depth to Damian (and also a cover shot), as we see how much his insecurities stem from a desperate need to please and be noticed by his uncaring father. Elsewhere, Bond helps Loid to survive a mission, and we see that Yuri, while dedicated to stamping out subversives, is not without a heart. Most importantly, we kick off the next arc, at last focusing on Yor, who must protect rather than kill. Keep reading this great and extremely popular series. – Sean Gaffney

The Walking Cat: A Cat’s Eye View of the Apocalypse | By Tomo Kitaoka | Seven Seas – Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a virus ravages humanity, turning millions of people into zombies and leaving small, scrappy bands of survivors to fend for themselves. That’s the basic premise of The Walking Cat: A Cat’s Eye View of the Apocalypse, a middling horror story by newcomer Tomo Hideoka. The idea of depicting a zombie plague from an animal’s perspective sounds promising, but in practice, Yuki feels more like a gimmick than a thoughtful vehicle for exploring how a human pandemic might effect other species. Yuki is barely a character; he functions mostly as a plot device, providing continuity between the series’ three main storylines and chasing the occasional butterfly. The humans aren’t very compelling either, as their stories are too rushed—and cliché—for the reader to feel much investment in their fate. Personally, I’m rooting for the zombies. – Katherine Dacey

Catch These Hands!, Vol. 1 | By murata | Yen Press – I’ve been enjoying the recent upswing in yuri manga starring actual adults and aimed at adults. That said, just because you’re now old enough to be an adult does not automatically give you a free “you won” pass. A former gang leader at her local high school is seeing all her comrades getting married and having children, while she’s still working whatever job she can find. Her resting bitch face is also probably not helping. Then she runs into her old rival, now working at a clothing store… and gets asked out! What? Weren’t they supposed to be fighting? Now they’re dating? The fun of this series is in seeing Takebe’s baffled reaction to literally everything, and I hope that she continues to grump her way through future books. – Sean Gaffney

Chieko Show | By Momoto Makiru and Fukumimi Noburo | Star Fruit Books – Don’t be fooled by the cover: Chieko Show is not a forgotten shojo masterpiece, but a raunchy comedy in the manner of Mad Magazine or Beavis and Butthead. The central joke of Chieko Show is that its galaxy-eyed heroine loves making salacious comments and gestures that elicit horrified reactions from adults. Adding some extra “ick” to the punchlines is that Chieko often sounds as if she’s propositioning her family members. As someone who’s reading this work in translation, it’s hard to know if this is an affectionate spoof of Yoshiko Nishitani’s work or just a gross-out gag manga, but the author’s strenuous attempts to shock and amuse didn’t work on me. Your mileage may vary. – Katherine Dacey

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 10 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – The wonderful thing about Delicious in Dungeon, as everyone who’s become a fan of it knows, is how it can go from the silliest comedy to the most terrifying horror at the drop of a hat, and sometimes over the course of only a page or two. And we even get some drama here, seeing the backstory of our “villain,” who unsurprisingly is not merely evil for the sake of it. And everyone is still trying to save Falin, which I approve of, as every single flashback we see of her shows off what a wonderful person she was. There’s even attention paid to biology, as Laios notes how hungry she must be given her human head vs. her monster body that has to be nourished. Still essential reading, even if it’s yearly now. – Sean Gaffney

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 20 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – So it turns out you can only go so far in changing the ending. The author apparently had a falling out with his editors, publishers, and readers, all of whom were reading the book to see who ended up together rather than reading it to see the bonds of friendship between them. So he kicked most everyone to the curb (bar Sena, the only one who is not definitively rejected, though they’re still not a couple) and ends with graduation coming and going and the friendship being the impact. The manga did a good thing in taking out the Yukimura plotline of death, but, with apologies to the author, we WERE reading this for the romance, so it feels unsatisfying. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 22 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – I knew we were headed towards a climax with these characters, but I didn’t think we would get a literal one in this volume. Things start off extremely silly, with Miyuki and Kaguya’s discussion of boobs and sex being very much “only virgins have these discussions!” But then one thing leads to another, and the two are alone in his new apartment with the rest of his family out for the evening, and, well… it’s actually refreshing to see a series as popular and as funny as this one showing us that yes, teenagers still do have sex. Of course, there is still the overall “Kaguya’s family” problem to solve… as well as the fact that Kaguya has still not told Chika that she and Miyuki are a couple. That may go badly. – Sean Gaffney

Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 1 | By Naoya Matsumoto | VIZ Media – Meet Kafka Nibiro: he belongs to Monster Sweeper, Inc., a dedicated crew of professionals who clean up the streets of Japan in the aftermath of monster rampages. Though Kafka would rather be fighting monsters than disposing of their remains, he’s repeatedly failed the entrance exam for the elite Defense Forces Unit. A freak accident endows Kafka with kaiju-like strength, however, emboldening him to take the test one last time. Up until this moment in Kafka’s journey, Kaiju No. 8 feels like it’s headed somewhere new, but the exam chapters follow an all-too-familiar formula in which an ordinary person discovers his hidden strength through competition with snottier, less principled rivals. The paint-by-numbers quality of these scenes doesn’t bode well for future volumes, as its seems like Naoya Matsumoto is more interested in writing a monster-fighting manga than writing a thoughtful story about a man who unwittingly becomes a monster. – Katherine Dacey

My Wandering Warrior Existence | By Nagata Kabi | Seven Seas – This is probably the easiest to read of Nagata Kabi’s biographical manga essays, but that’s only by a matter of degree—one chapter in here is jaw-droppingly horrible in terms of something that happens to her and the aftermath of how it is dealt with. That said, most of this is the author seeing others fall in love, get married and have children and wondering how she can do this, if she wants to do this, and why would ANYONE do this? The answers do have some humor and heart in them, but they also make excellent points, and I really enjoyed the journey she takes to finding out that this is not necessarily something that has to happen NOW, and also that sometimes buying a fridge is far more fulfilling. – Sean Gaffney

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 10 | By Tomoko Yamashita | SuBLime (digital only) – It’s always a little sad when a beloved series comes to its end, but at least The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window does so in very satisfying fashion. In this final volume, Mikado and the others infiltrate the Professor’s compound and work together to bring him down and rescue Hiyakawa. Really, the Big Bad here is hatred, or specifically clinging to hatred and using it as a power source to hurt others. Ultimately, Mikado rather easily unravels the Professor’s hatred while Hiyakawa finally relinquishes his own, confessing that what he really wants is to be with Mikado. There’s not even a smooch, but the fact that they emerge from the compound holding hands speaks volumes. Mikado tears up his contract, symbolizing that he’s Hiyakawa’s partner now rather than his employee, and in the final pages they get back to work, together. Happy sigh. – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 46 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – Even though I was extremely eager for Ren and Kyoko to finally admit their feelings for one another, I must say it’s kind of a relief that they agree their relationship shouldn’t change yet, not when they’re still on the way to achieving their ambitions. (Still, “No matter where I am, my heart will always belong to you” is some squeeworthy progress!) The latter half of this volume reminds readers that Kyoko still has no idea about Ren’s troubled past, and it seems more movement on this plot point will be forthcoming. Too, there’s the threat of internet sleuths and what they might find out about Ren and Kyoko. These potential complications are certainly compelling, but what interests me most is seeing Kyoko in costume as Momiji and about to start filming that role. I’m down for a career-focused arc! – Michelle Smith

Falling Drowning, Vol. 1 | By Yuko Inari | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – On the surface, Falling Drowning looks like cookie-cutter shoujo. Our protagonist, a high school student named Honatsu, is part of a love triangle with her protective childhood friend Toma and the surly new transfer student, Shun. There’s even a scene where Honatsu and Shun get stuck in a storeroom! However, there’s an element of mystery to this title that’s quite appealing. Six years ago, Honatsu lost her father in an accident (or was it an accident?) along with eleven years of memories. Now, she’s trying to learn as much as possible and become independent. She feels at ease around Toma, and it’s clear he likes her, but what he offers is the promise of safety. Shun, on the other hand, instinctively understands her desire to challenge herself. I enjoyed this first volume quite a bit and look forward to seeing how it develops from here. – Michelle Smith

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 19 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – At last, we get the answer to the question that every Haganai fan who despised the light novel ending has been asking: will the manga be different? Well, I’m not sure the actual ending will differ (he’s still avoiding all romance), but it’s definitely different on the Yukimura end, as he shoots her down here. Indeed, she’s not the only one he shoots down, as he admits to Yozora, who finally confesses, that he sees her only as a friend. I can’t wait to see how this ends when it comes out in… erm, what? I forgot to read this volume? The final volume is already out? Whoopsie! Well, in any case, even if it ends with him picking no one, it avoided the biggest hate sink of the novels, so that’s a plus. – Sean Gaffney

Love at Fourteen, Vol. 11 | By Fuka Mizutani | Yen Press – Remember when I said I liked the sad lesbian helping out her sad high-school equivalent? Well, the author did, and they then pulled the rug right out from under us. That said, it feels a lot like “I am pretending to be a terrible person for your own good” than “I was secretly evil all along,” so it would fit right in with the rest of this somewhat cursed manga, which is all about not acting on relationships that might be considered taboo in one way or another. As for Kanata and Kazuki, well, the ending is a sort of “lady or the tiger” cliffhanger, where we’re given an indirect answer to the question of “did these two finally go all the way.” Likely will be another six months till we get it confirmed. Sketchy soap opera. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 30 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Whoops, it’s not just Haganai. I forgot this came out a month ago as well. Still, at least we’ve finally reached the end of the Paranormal Liberation War arc…. what’s that? We haven’t? It’s still going on? Well then. We do get some setup for villain-saving for both Shigaraki and Toga, though both seem to be of the “but we won’t actually be saved” variety. And we finally get all of Dabi’s tragic backstory, which might be a bit more tragic if it did not also feature liberal applications of “I am laughing like a madman.” In the end, I agree with Uraraka: if you want a chance at redemption, perhaps do a bit less murder when asking for it. It should end next time? Right? – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 10 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – In this volume of sweetness and light, the closest we get to conflict is Sumika having to face up to the fact that Ikuma can be attracted to other women who aren’t her (he doesn’t remotely act on it; it’s a TV show host), Ikuma’s mom dealing with the melancholy of her family having finally all moved out… and the despair when all three daughters end up moving back, and a fake tropical vacation (in their living room) that leads to oily massages and oily sex. The author really has done a good job of making this a series where the leads have a very active love life, that we see, but also making them a wonderful couple whose lives other than sex we also want to see. Sweat and Soap fans might try this one. – Sean Gaffney

When Pink Rain Falls | By Youyi | Star Fruit Books – In the opening pages of When Pink Rain Falls, twenty-something Hanao flees the church where his best friend (and longtime crush) is getting married. As luck would have it, Hanao bumps into Touma, a sensitive but hunky florist who just so happens to need an apprentice. But do they share more than just a passion for flower arrangement, or is their budding relationship strictly professional? This delightful one-shot is only 37 pages, but Star Fruit Books has given it the deluxe treatment with oversize trim (7” x 10”), glossy covers, and high-quality paper—a smart decision, I think, since it allows the reader to appreciate how much of the story is told through glances, gestures, and artfully designed bouquets. Though the plot hits familiar beats, the sincerity and simplicity with which Touma and Hanao’s romance unfolds more than compensates for a few cliché moments. – Katherine Dacey

WITCH WATCH, Vol. 1 | By Kenta Shinohara| Viz Media (digital only) – The author of this new Shonen Jump series is best known in North America for Astra: Lost in Space, but reading the first volume of WITCH WATCH tells you this is more like a return to his breakout hit (never licensed here), Sket Dance. Morihito is a sullen young man with fighting skills far too powerful for his own good. He’s somewhat horrified by the return of his ditzy childhood friend Nico, a witch-in-training who needs a bodyguard. Fortunately, Morihito (aka Moi) is an ogre, which is why he’s so strong. That said… this is a wonderful manga, but the plot is pointless. It’s an excuse for comedy, and the author does some very good comedy. Read this if you love laughs in your Weekly Jump. – Sean Gaffney

Young, Alive, In Love, Vol. 1 | By Daisuke Nishijima | Star Fruit Books – This minimalist comic focuses on two teenagers: Makoto, a teen who owns a Geiger counter, and Mana, a teen who sees spirits. After a meet-cute that’s anything but cute—Mana pukes on Makoto—the two become inseparable as they try to solve the mystery of the enormous power plant that looms over their town. My summary sounds relatively straightforward, but the story unfolds in a circular, sometimes cryptic manner that raises more questions than it answers. Contributing to the aura of mystery is the artwork, which borders on the abstract; the characters and their environment have a kind of studied naïveté that makes them look more like stick figures than people, an impression compounded by the elliptical dialogue. I can’t say that that this was My Thing, but I have a feeling that someone will find the unique rhythms of this story right up their alley. – Katherine Dacey