Michelle Smith

This week, Sean, Anna, MJ, & Michelle look at recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, & Kodansha Comics.

Accel World, Vol. 1 | By Reki Kawahara, HIMA, and Hiroyuki Aigamo | Yen Press – When I reviewed the Sword Art Online manga, I was fortunate that I had not read the initial light novel first, so I was able to enjoy it for what it was, then read the novel and see additional depth. With Accel World the novel came out first, an the manga can’t help but suffer next to it. Not that there’s anything particularly bad about this adaptation; I dislike Haruyuki’s character design, but that’s on the original author and designer. It gives visuals to a static light novel. But nothing is really added to make this essential, so if you’re a fan of the Accel World light novels, I’d recommend just sticking to them. This is OK, but it doesn’t grab you and say “read me too!”. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars, Vol. 2 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – I felt a bit ambivalent about this series after reading the first volume, because I enjoy manga about food battles a bunch, but I’m just less of a fan of random nakedness and upskirt shots. The second volume of this series shows Soma, the brash hero and champion of neighborhood Japanese cooking move into a rundown dorm with a ragtag band of roommates, challenge a top student to a Donburi cook-off, and continue to make people’s cooking fall off with the power of his cooking. Soma is set up for additional challenges in upcoming volumes. I found myself still on the fence about this title, because while I do enjoy the cooking bits, I also find myself really distracted and wondering how these culinary students will function in the real world if their knowledge of basic food safety is so lacking that they think cooking beef in a bikini is a good idea. – Anna N

Goong, Vol. 16 | By Park SoHee | Yen Press – There are few slow releases I look forward to with as much verve as Goong, and this volume reminds me very much why. Relentlessly (and unapologetically) soapy as this series may be, it still manages to be refreshing in its own way, time after time. Volume sixteen seems particularly so, as its characters aggressively push through the layers of misunderstanding that have served as the backbone of the series’ plot for… well, pretty much forever, in order to finally get at some real truth. Even cowardly Yul gets in on some of this truth-seeking, setting up the story’s teen royals to eventually (hopefully) blow apart their family’s messed up legacy for good. As always, I’m grateful for this series’ omnibus-sized chunks of soapy goodness, and I eagerly wait for more. – MJ

My Little Monster, Vol. 4 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – A good 80% of all shoujo manga licensed for the North American market is about kids in high school, but for the most part it’s rare that I see a cast who are hampered by immaturity, puberty, and a desperate need for life experience as the cast of My Little Monster. I’d said in the first volume that I felt Haru was too dangerous, and that feeling hasn’t gone away, as his jealousy is starting to lead to subtle death threats. Shizuku’s inability to communicate properly is shown to be a family trait, and Natsume just has massive trust issues as well as a big crush that may or may not be love. This is the sort of cast that makes a long-running series not repeat itself, even if they can frustrate. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 4 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – I’ve praised My Little Monster before for its characterization, but I really do think it can’t be mentioned enough. Even though the previous volume featured the school festival and this one covers Christmas and New Year’s—overused shoujo tropes all—because the characters are well developed, it feels fresh and interesting. Shizuku has confessed again to Haru, but his inability to accept her refusal to give up studying (and cram classes with a guy who likes her) manifests in some potentially disturbing ways. Shizuku is largely ignorant of these for the most part, but I wonder if we’ll be moving into darker territory soon. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters in this volume, particularly Yamaken (the guy who likes Shizuku despite himself) and Natsume (who’s struggling with romantic feelings of her own). This was probably the best volume of the series yet! – Michelle Smith

Soul Eater, Vol. 22 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – This volume consists of a big old melee fight, so I don’t quite have enough to say about it to warrant a full review. Not that this isn’t excellent; the villains may be mooks, but they’re infinite mooks, so eventually our heroes will wear down and die. Stein is allowing his madness to drive him to a certain extent, which makes him formidable but also dangerous and worrying. But most of all, there’s Maka confronting Crona, and Crona’s admitting that after killing Medusa, there’s no turning back. Maka still plans to beat the tar out of Crona, but I think this volume tells us there will not be any easy redemption here, and that we may see more sacrifices soon. Dark yet endlessly fascinating. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Michelle, & Anna look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Kodansha Comics, & Viz Media.

Alice in the Country of Clover: Knight’s Knowledge, Vol. 2 | By QuinRose and Sai Asai | Seven Seas – I will say this for the creators they rarely take the easy way out and have Alice come to terms with everything and accept that she is loved. She’s a tough nut to crack for a reason – she’s a mess of repressed traumas and griefs, and her low self-image will not let her accept what the others are offering. On the down side, as a long-running manga series where each volume is “who will she end up with and how”, this can be frustrating for the reader, as they really would like Alice to get past her self-esteem issues and choose a man. And of course, in this particular series Ace only loves Alice when she *is* screwed up. This makes for fun times, mostly. – Sean Gaffney

Arata: The Legend, Vol. 19 | By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – Why has it taken me this long to figure out that Kadowaki and Arata are rather like Yui and Miaki from Fushigi Yuugi, in that they are former friends with a history of betrayal who are now foes in a fantasy land? In any case, this volume features the battle against Isora, a sho who fights with runes, basically. After Arata cannot answer whether he considers Kadowaki to be his friend or his enemy, Kadowaki himself suddenly shows up to rescue Arata, who later returns the favor, and it’s all kind of great. Kadowaki is able to understand Isora’s villainous motivations, but Arata seems to realize he really needs to tell Kadowaki that he doesn’t hate him, despite all the torment he suffered at his hands. I’m a sucker for a good redemption story, so found this to be quite a good and satisfying volume. – Michelle Smith

D-Frag!, Vol. 2 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – This manga is dedicated to wringing maximum humor from every single character it can. Kazama may be the straight man, but even he’s not above a gag or two, even if it’s just about his being a tsukkomi. As for Takao, her tsundere tendencies are surpassed only by her ability to be physically, mentally and emotionally abused by the rest of the cast. The big surprise here may be Sakura, one of the more forgettable girls in Volume 1; here we see her happy, smiling nature never goes away, even when it should; her takedown of Kazama’s willingness to coast and a brutal and shocking swerve in an otherwise silly and goofball series. But make no mistake about it; darker moments or no, D-Frag! is still all about the humor. – Sean Gaffney

Girls Und Panzer, Vol. 2 | By Girls Und Panzer Project and Ryohichi Saitaniya | Seven Seas – I have to assume that the audience for this series is going to be drawn to the “cute girls at school doing stuff” premise, rather than the tank battles. It’s still meant to be moe. That said, hope you like tank battles; this manga is devoting as much time as possible to the battlefield and seeing our heroes under fire. Akiyama, the star of the manga series and hyperactive tank fan, is given a command of her own as the new tank hasn’t had time to get a crew yet. She does a commendable job, as her otaku tank knowledge allows her to stay calm in battle. And, of course, everyone learns a valuable lesson about friendship. This manga remains light-hearted and fun, and lovingly filled with tanks. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol 16 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I am really enjoying this storyline, where human turned shrine goddess Nanami has to go back in time to save her fox spirit Tomoe from a terrible curse. The Tomoe she encounters in the past is violent and selfish, but even in his unenlightened state, he finds himself drawn to the human girl despite his better judgement. This volume focuses on the way Nanami’s life becomes further entwined with Yukiji, the human who previously captured Tomoe’s heart. Suzuki’s manga seem to often be at bit more episodic than intricately plotted, but it is interesting to see how both Tomoe’s past and future are bound up in Nanami’s actions. While Nanami tries to fulfill her quest, Akura-oh is stirring up even more trouble. I’m looking forward to seeing if Nanami and Tomoe’s relationship progresses even more when they next meet in the future. – Anna N

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 12 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – Iku and Dojo go for their chamomile tea date and are adorable. Then they have to pretend to be a normal couple out shopping in order to procure some items for a disguise for an author whose novel was used as the inspiration for terrorist attacks (and now his freedom to write is in jeopardy). And they are adorable. And then Tezuka and Shibazaki foil an attempt to kidnap the author and share some adorable moments of their own. All in all, there were quite a few scenes of proto-couple-y goodness, which I appreciated. At one point, Iku talks of reading the imperiled author’s works for the characters rather than the plot, and I realized… that’s exactly how I feel about Library Wars. The plots always feel flimsy and silly, but they put together characters that I like in a gentle shoujo way, and I can’t really complain about that. – Michelle Smith

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 7 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – When the first volume of Midnight Secretary failed to fully win me over, I procastinated on continuing it. However, I’m glad I didn’t let that first impression prevail indefinitely, because it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable series, and Kaya’s professional competence and dedication to her job were a highlight throughout. In this final volume, Kyohei has been expelled from the vampire clan for refusing to give up on his relationship with Kaya, but the clan isn’t quite done meddling, and is indirectly responsible for Kaya’s mother realizing that her daughter is in love with a vampire. That angst doesn’t last too long, and soon wedding plans are underway and there is talk of a baby that is, like, destined to be vampire Jesus or something. All in all, it was a better-than-expected supernatural romance! – Michelle Smith

The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 4 | By Nakaba Suzuki | Kodansha Comics – There’s really a ton of backstory being dished out in this series, and at times it feels it’s coming a bit too fast – here we get an explanation of why King is so angry at Ban, a demonstration of his “other form”, Elaine’s tragic backstory, and adding King to the chain of ‘loves someone else’ that’s been building up. What with Elizabeth now finding her sister working for the other side, there’s precious little time for the comedy or fanservice that was present in previous volumes. And I find that’s a good thing – Melodias is far more likeable as a dark and mysterious hero than he is when he’s trying to feel Elizabeth up. Odd as it seems for me to say, more serious stuff in the future, please!. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Seven Seas and Viz Media.

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 4 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – A Centaur’s Life is starting to find its footing, and this volume is a definite step up from the previous ones. There’s less emphasis on odd lolicon-esque scenes, and more genuine interaction with the world itself, as we are introduced to Sasasui, a snakefolk from Antarctica who forces Hime to deal with her old fears and possible prejudices, and who also gets to be the newbie that allows certain things to be explained to her. This can get a bit lecture-y (watch out whenever the characters point to a chart), but for the most part the series avoids that pitfall and remains a very odd slice-of-life series with a nice market in moral lessons, and Sasasui is a great introduction to the cast, with a reserved personality that fits in well. – Sean Gaffney

Happy Marriage?!, Vol. 7 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – For some reason Diamond never shipped this to me, so I ended up getting it a month late. I wasn’t really all that bothered, to be honest. This is a series that excels at what it does, but what it does is variations on the same plot – our two leads experience jealousy, uncertainty, and self-confidence crises which they both think they must deal with on their own without working it out together. And all seems to be resolved (or at least reset to zero) by a healthy sex life, which Chiwa still tends to find embarrassing. We do now see that others are stepping in to seed discord rather than the two doing it of their own accord, but I’d really like to get rid of the question mark in the title and have some resolution here. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 7 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I can honestly say it was a delight to get caught up on Magi after having fallen several volumes behind. Here’s a series full of compelling characters with interesting backstories moving within a world in turmoil that we’re gradually learning more about. It’s like the focus began on Aladdin and his friendship with Alibaba and slowly spread outwards until now the former is finally learning about the purpose of his existence and the heretofore unmentioned enemy while the latter is endeavoring to be as brave as Aladdin thinks he is by leading his broken homeland into democracy. I might miss the promised adventuring that gets postponed by these weightier responsibilities, but the storytelling—and character development—is so good that it’s hard to complain. Still, if only it could pass the Bechdel test… – Michelle Smith

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 7 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – It’s no coincidence that a new Tomu Ohmi series was licensed almost immediately after Midnight Secretary, while Maki Enjoji only had the one – Ohmi’s is simply the better of the two “competing” josei titles, with a more likeable hero and heroine who are far more clued into each others’ moods and their own issues. Kaya struggles with jealousy, but it’s a far more mature inner monologue, and I found it much easier to take. The supernatural content also reaches a climax here, as the couple find a way to deal with Kyohei’s banishment while staying true to themselves – and indeed making sure the clan is tied to them in the future. This is probably my favorite of Viz’s Petit Comic licenses, and josei fans shouldn’t miss its final volume. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi, Vol. 5 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – I’m still surprised at how much I’m enjoying Nisekoi, given its straight up harem comedy plot, with no supernatural events or other things to distract from things. This is all about ‘who will Raku end up with’, and readers are aware that it will be resolved, if it ever is, only after a long, long number of volumes. Still, it’s compulsive reading – everyone is likeable, people do dumb things but they aren’t out of character or so stupid you want to kill them, the cliffhangers are still A+ (particularly the one at the end of this volume), and even the antagonist introduced last time, Marika, is softened a bit and given a sympathetic backstory – her accent slipping was hilarious. Misekoi is top-notch harem comedy, and hard to put down. – Sean Gaffney

Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media and Vertical, Inc.

Cage of Eden, Vol. 15 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Romance is not really one of the main reasons to read Cage of Eden, but it’s been clear from the beginning that Akira and Rion love each other, and the start of this volume reinforces that, with both admitting they’re being strong for the other (though not admitting that out loud, of course). Elsewhere, it’s becoming apparent that the cast have not ended up in the past, mostly due to finding modern machinery that suggests that everything on this island was created by man. Yes, it’s a vast international conspiracy. Not that this matters to Ohmori, who ends up being crucified and set on fire to serve as a cliffhanger. Cage of Eden is still fun, pulpy trash, and I still like it a lot. – Sean Gaffney

Chi’s Sweet Home, Vol. 11 | By Konami Kanata | Vertical, Inc. – One thing I generally do not expect to be whilst reading Chi’s Sweet Home is stressed. Chi’s adorable kitten antics typically have the opposite effect! In this volume, however, we see her future with the Yamada family genuinely in peril. Throughout the series, Chi has had flickers of memory of her mother and siblings, and in the last panel of this volume, she finally comes face to face with the former, who has never stopped looking for her. On top of this, there’s a “lost” poster bearing Chi’s face, and Mr. Yamada has a job prospect that would require the family to move to France. Will Chi be able to stay with Yohei, or will she return to her original home? I am more upset about this cliffhanger than I care to admit. – Michelle Smith

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 12 | By Hiro Arikawa and Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – After last volume’s exhausting action-filled heroics, I was expecting a step back, and I’m mostly right, though there is some action here as they try to protect an author who may be kidnapped by the government to stop him writing. Instead, we get romantic progression, mildly on the Dojo and Iku front (they’re cute together, but forward motion is as slow as you’d expect), but quite a lot on the Tezuka and Shibasaki front, as she starts to take a more active role and tries to stop Tezuka’s brother from more emotional damage. And if stopping this involves kissing him, well, SO BE IT. This is still one of my favorite shoujo series from Viz, and has really come into its own. – Sean Gaffney

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 4 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – After the big reveal at the end of volume three, which I shan’t spoil, volume four opens with a bit of backstory and explanation that nicely turns the whole magical girl concept of this series on its end. Happily, or perhaps not, Jeanne’s saintly status is restored when a thoroughly random trip back in time culminates with the original Jeanne d’Arc transferring her powers directly to Maron, who returns to the present reinvigorated. It’s really feeling like we’re heading into a final arc, even though there haven’t been many hints as to what shape that will take. But first, there are romantic confessions to agonize over and to gently reject, and then another big reveal at the end. Occasionally far too silly for me, Phantom Thief Jeanne is nonetheless a good read and probably the best Tanemua series in existance. – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 33 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – I know some people are getting tired of seeing Cain and Setsuka, but those people are not me, particularly when it leads to scenes as sexy as the one we get at the start of this volume. Indeed, the tension between Rena and Kyoko, their burgeoning feelings for each other – which for Kyoko is an issue, since love for her is also a trigger for emotional trauma – and the desire to bury themselves in their roles to escape themselves are all present here. There’s also comedy, mostly in Kyoko’s OTT reactions in her head to what Setsuka is doing, but also having to deal with a Cain fangirl, and facing up to jealousy. The fact that Kyoko admitting she’s in love may be a tragic event is part of what makes Skip Beat! still so interesting. – Sean Gaffney

The Wallflower, Vol. 33 | By Tomoko Hayakawa | Kodansha Comics – You would think, given how often the series has dealt with them, that yet another chapter about Noi and Takenaga having a fight would just tread the same water as before. But this is more about how friends in a peer group interact with other friends, as the outgoing Noi finds more fun at the amusement park with Ranmaru and Kyohei, and Takenaga has to deal with jealousy as well as needing to ‘look cool’ despite his introverted qualities. The rest of the volume isn’t so hot, though I was amused at the chapter featuring a Tim Burton lookalike coming to Japan and trying to utilize Kyohei and Sunako in his new film (spoiler: it’s a disaster). This series desperately needs to end, but I still enjoy its zombie progression. – Sean Gaffney