Michelle Smith

This week, Sean and Michelle take a quick look at recent releases from Viz Media, Digital Manga Publishing, and Vertical, Inc.

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 14 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – Much of the discussion of this volume will likely center around Teru and Kurosaki finally kissing, and it’s just as sweet and adorable as you’d expect. But they can’t really move forward till the main plot is solved, and for all that it’s a romance manga, Dengeki Daisy is intrinsically tied to its thriller plotline driving everything. Be it adding backstory to Akira in order to make the reader better understand him and contrast him with Teru; having the enemy use Teru’s own darker impulses to drive a wedge between her and Kurosaki; or just plain kidnapping her to give us our cliffhanger. Without the thriller, we wouldn’t have this sweet romance. Let’s hope they can work everything out. – Sean Gaffney

Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 10 | By Kaoru Tada | Digital Manga Publishing – Hooray! A new volume of Itazura Na Kiss! And it’s actually less frustrating than most! Kotoko will probably never stop being incredibly dense and Naoki will probably never stop saying unnecessarily hurtful things, but there are still plenty of good moments for them as a couple nowadays. I especially liked the chapter where he asks to accompany Kotoko and her dad on their annual trip to pay their respects to her mother’s grave. There’s also some fun stuff here with Yuuki and the stupid yet good-hearted girl who loves him. It’s been fun seeing him grow up on the sidelines, and I especially like that although he is very similar to Naoki, he’s still his own person, and is ultimately more free with his emotions. I do have to wonder now: will we see Kotoko become a competent nurse at last before the series is ultimately cut short? I have my doubts… – Michelle Smith

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 9 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – Say what you will about Sidonia, it’s never dull. The battle scenes are tense and gripping, but that’s not really what I mean. I mean more the bizarre not quite porn between Tanizake and the Hawk Moth *during* the battle. I mean the constant wacky comedy between Tanizake, Tsumugi, and Izana (Tanizake walks in on Izana again, reaching Keitaro Urashima levels here). And I mean acknowledging that Izana’s love for Tanizake is not just a crush – her body is adapting itself to be more like what he’s attracted to (i.e., female). While giving her two cliffhangers in a row seems a little unbalanced, I’m greatly enjoying her development, contrasting itself with Tanizake’s harder-to-read hero. – Sean Gaffney

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 21 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | Viz Media – There’s a lot of shonen battle in this volume, but I was trying to focus on the little things. Like seeing Wakana, Rikuo’s mother, put in danger – I’d honestly forgotten she existed, particularly as she looks as young as Rikuo and his friends. Speaking of which, as I said last time, I love seeing that the ‘normal’ high schoolers aren’t getting left out of the final battle, and how they try to find a way to be useful throughout. I also liked that Tsurara, even if she still tends towards constant jealousy, manages to recognize that Rikuo needs Kana in his life, and seeing them bond over his stubbornness. I think the arc after this one will be the last, but I’m ready for it. Let’s see what more yokai madness the author can bring. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – And speaking of yokai, after the plot-heavy stuff going on in the previous volume, we take a break here for smaller, quieter stories. Tani deals with a yokai that she gave directions to but hasn’t left her house, and we see the inherent issues with yokai affection for humans. Then Natsume and Tanuma go to an inn and deal with a piece of Tanuma’s past and a mystery. Through both of these stories, we get echoes of one of the main threads of this series: whether the worlds of yokai and humans can ever come together, and if they do, will it be a bad thing on both sides? Even the angst seems pretty light in this one, making it a good choice for those who enjoy Natsume, his friends, and an earned peace. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, Digital Manga Publishing, and Viz Media.

Cage of Eden, Vol. 14 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – We’ve moved past the ‘everyone is fighting against horrible prehistoric animals’ stage of the manga, and the ‘everyone is bathing naked in rivers so you can see their breasts’ stage has at least lessened (the biggest fanservice moment in this volume is for the ladies, as Yarai shows off his manly naked body). So now we seem to be at the ‘actually trying to figure out what’s going on’ stage, as Sengoku and company explore the depths of a pyramid filled with death traps, surprisingly Japanese-made machinery, and even more giant stuff that makes no sense – plants this time. I’m not sure there’s any explanation that justifies all the buildup, but this is still a lot of good shonen fun. -Sean Gaffney

Gangsta, Vol. 2 | By Kohske | Viz Media – This volume develops a bit on the first, teasing us with a little more backstory regarding Nic and Worick and their respective backgrounds. There’s also a lot more worldbuilding, as we meet some rival families and groups who will no doubt continue to influence events. Mostly, though, it’s a volume that shows us just how terrible and knife-edge everyone’s lives are at the moment – violence runs rampant throughout, there’s tons of casualties, Nic goes into a drug-induced berzerker rampage, and even Ally, who spends almost the entire volume staying at the office, is having drug-induced hallucinations leading to psychotic breaks. If you like Black Lagoon but thought it was too cheery, Gangsta is right up your alley. – Sean Gaffney

Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 10 | By Kaoru Tada | Digital Manga Publishing – This volume is an excellent one for showing us how far we’ve come since the first. Yes, Kotoko can still be shallow and aggravating, and Naoki can be heartless and insensitive. But it’s almost in the minority by now, as they deal with fresh new crises; the birth of her friend Satomi’s child, visiting her mother’s embarrassing family (who all have so many stories to tell her new husband), and dealing with Naoki deciding he has to intern in Kobe in order to better specialize (in pediatrics, god help those children). I’ve described Itazura Na Kiss as a bitter coffee of a manga, but the coffee now has milk and sugar in it, and the bitterness is mostly knowing it’s about to be cut short by the author’s death. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi Ni Todoke, Vol. 19 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – I was a little grumpy about a third of the way through this volume, as Kento really is being a little too perfect to be realistic. But then, so is the rest of the cast, if I want to be honest. And it dawned on me that there’s nothing particularly wrong with that. This is a manga filled with nice people having quiet, gentle moments with each other. The only real conflict comes at the end, when Kazehaya’s controlling father shows up to provide a cliffhanger. Everything else is just heartwarming, sweet, and adorable moments. Even Pin, who does get to be goofily obnoxious, gets a sweet, heartwarming backstory here. I should stop trying to make this title more than what it is – just the nicest manga you’ll ever read. – Sean Gaffney

Millennium Snow, Vol. 3 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – Perhaps the best and worst thing I could say about the continuation of Millennium Snow (after a ten-year hiatus) is that it reminds me of Hatori’s much more famous series, Ouran High School Host Club. Remember those episodic chapters in Ouran where the gang would try to help a schoolmate with their problems? That’s basically what’s going on in this volume, as a seemingly cold-hearted nurse turns out to be nurturing guilt over the death of her child and a bullied girl befriends an injured supernatural beastie that feeds on the power of words. It’s kind of dull. However! Ouran also had a sense of humor that appealed to me, and I found myself giggling a couple of times in this volume, namely at the image of an immortal vampire’s hesitant first encounter with a stapler and the notion of his bat servant hastening to the supermarket because “Eggs is on sale!” So, in the end, not the best ever, but I’ll read the fourth and final volume anyway. – Michelle Smith

My Little Monster, Vol. 2 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – It’s not that the plot of My Little Monster is new and original—it is, after all, a romance manga—but I think the characterization of the protagonist, Shizuku Mizutani, is nicely done. As we begin the volume, she’s been rejected by former wild child Haru but has declared she’ll make him fall for her. Unfortunately, she has no idea how to do this, and proceeds to be her usual prickly self even while helping him out of various troublesome situations. Eventually a new character, Oshima, falls for Haru too, and Shizuku is so distracted by this that her schoolwork begins to suffer. She decides that anything that detracts from securing a stable future is unnecessary, which of course coincides with Haru seemingly realizing that he does fancy her after all. It’s a lot better than this synopsis makes it sound, and Oshima is intriguing in her own right. Plus, there is a chicken! – Michelle Smith

Sweet Rein, Vol 3 | By Sakura Tsukuba | Viz Media – If Sweet Rein has a fault, it is that it can sometimes be a tiny bit too sweet at times, but anyone who enjoyed the first two volumes of this series about a teen girl Santa and her handsome bonded transforming boy/reindeer will enjoy the third volume. The volumes follow a fairly predictable pattern of going through the seasons as the characters stubbornly refuse to age. Kurumi has to deal with Kaito during the spring, when all the reindeer have spring fever and become even more irresistible. A reindeer whose master has left him behind fixates on Kurumi in an unhealthy matter, and Kaito finally is driven to actually express a preference in a way that influences Kurumi’s behavior. This is a fun vacation read, as it isn’t terribly demanding on the reader! There’s also a bonus story from Tsukuba’s CMX series Penguin Revolution included in this volume, and I enjoyed being able to dip back into that series as well. This is light romance shoujo at its fluffiest. – Anna N.

Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 5 |By Mizuki Sakakibara, et al. | Viz Media – I haven’t exactly been complimentary in my previous reviews of Tiger & Bunny, citing an inability to connect with the lead duo, but something has really clicked for me in these past few volumes. True, the story still flows swiftly, but it also does so with admirable clarity, focusing mostly on action but without forgetting to flesh out the characters. Not only does Barnabas come to trust Kotetsu more as his partner, which is nice to see and handled in a “show don’t tell” kind of way, but we also learn more about several of the supporting Heroes and how they feel about their responsibilities and each other. The plot, involving a villainous organization responsible for killing Barnabas’ parents, may not be the most riveting thing ever, but seeing this proud guy accept help in figuring things out is enough to keep me interested. I am finally on board! – Michelle Smith

This week, Michelle, Sean, & Anna look at recent releases from Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical, Inc.

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 15 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – Nanami has gone back in time to try to find the source of a curse that’s affecting Tomoe in the present. She’s pretty vigilant about not interfering in the bond between Tomoe and Yukiji, the human woman he once loved, with the timey-wimey result that she ends up being the reason such a bond exists in the first place. My favorite part of the volume, though, is when she meets up with Akura-Oh, a yokai who knows Tomoe and has a fondness for canned peaches. Akura-Oh is blunt and honest, and it seems like maybe she can get through to him a bit, until the stark truth of his yokai nature reveals itself and Nanami is forced to flee. A couple of side stories—about underwear and Tomoe becoming a feel-copping drunk—round out the volume, and though they be fluffy, they’re also pretty fun. I continue to enjoy this series. – Michelle Smith

Kimi Ni Todoke, Vol. 19 | By Kahruo Shiina | Viz Media – One of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about this series is the way it takes standard shoujo plot elements and makes them seem fresh and adorable just due to the strength of characterization Shiina has built up in her ensemble cast. Sawako and her friends celebrate the new year in a slightly different way, as everyone has paired off into couples. Everyone is starting to think about their plans for what to do after graduation, and Sawako and Shota have some decisions to make that will likely affect their future. This is one of those shoujo series that is a perfect comfort read. – Anna N

My Little Monster, Vol. 2 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – In general I’m used to shoujo romances with one relatively normal person and one eccentric/broken/inaccessible type, so it’s refreshing to see My Little Monster focus equally on how screwed up both halves of our main couple are. Haru right now seems more easily rehabilitated – he still has a hair-trigger temper, but just smiling goes a long way for him. Shizuku, however, is likely going to take a lot longer, and flashbacks to her rather depressing childhood set things up for a cliffhanger that’s almost a mirror reverse of the last one. Add to this a well-thought out rival arriving, and a healthy dose of humor (mostly provided by Asako), and you have a second volume that builds nicely on the first. -Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 71 | By Eiichiro Oda | Viz Media – Luffy’s alliance with fellow pirate Trafalgar Law has opened up some really interesting directions for the story! In the long term, Law and Luffy are planning to take down one of the Four Emperors, which is the first time Luffy’s gone after a specific target in his bid to become King of the Pirates. Suddenly it all feels a bit more serious! In the short term, Law has brokered a deal with one of the warlords of the sea, which involves a prisoner exchange… more new territory for the Straw Hats. And while that’s going down, various members of the crew get swept up in various local goings on, which is pretty typical, but somehow the ideas Oda’s come up with feel fresh and new. Fresh and new on volume 71?! Yes, indeed. This is why One Piece is simply not to be missed! – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You”, Vol. 2 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Unlike My Little Monster, which is basically pure shoujo, there’s no mistake that Say “I Love You” skews to an older audience. There’s a lot of sex happening here, mostly casual one-nighters to satisfy teenage urges. Of course, it’s there to contrast with the innocence of our heroine – both of the characters who are seeing doing this are noted to be quite unhappy or hollow inside, and Yamato regrets what he once did. In fact, the focus on playboy Kakeru and bitter rival Aiko are the best parts of this volume, with neither one being reduced to a cardboard cutout. Now we just need to work on Mei – look at that cover, that is not someone who’s a happy camper. Recommended for older teens and josei smut fans. – Sean Gaffney

The Wallflower, Vol. 32 | By Tomoko Hayakawa | Kodansha Comics – Given that nothing has really progressed in the last twenty volumes or so, it’s not a surprise to hear that this volume reads a lot like a Greatest Hits LP. There’s a chapter where Sunako backslides and hides in her room with her horror stuff; one where Ranmaru’s playboy antics are contrasted with the pure love of Tamao; Sunako helping a ballet club as their ancient disaster of a club room is haunted; and Kyohei undergoing his own Sunako-esque transformation, becoming an innocent scholar who hates violence. This is fun, with lots of humor and some amusing visuals. But there is no one reading this for anything but the humor or the pretty boys anymore – romance fans have abandoned ship. – Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 2 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. – Given I was getting into the world and characters in volume one, I hadn’t paid as much attention to all the food preparation. I certainly did more with this volume, as every single chapter features extended cooking with recipes read aloud, which takes up over half the book. It may not quite be a foodie manga, but it’s as near as dammit. As for the characters, Shiro was somewhat less aggravating this time around – he’s more fun to read when he’s suffering, as the author has realized – and I liked the intro of ‘older than she looks’ coworker Shino. Mostly, though, this title is for two types of readers; those who love food, and those who love Yoshinaga’s works. Both will find it satisfying. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Michelle, & MJlook at recent releases from Viz Media and Kodansha Comics.

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 14 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – Unless I am very much mistaken, no one is actually reading Dengeki Daisy for the matters of code-related espionage that the characters are swept up in, but I would personally appreciate some details. The way that videos cut off before divulging crucial pieces of information, or that characters discuss their plans in the vaguest of terms, might suggest that Motomi-sensei is saving up big reveals for later, but I honestly don’t think so. I think she just decided that she didn’t need to work that stuff out. Probably she’s right—the high points of the volume are all one-on-one Teru/Kurosaki scenes—but it makes it hard to care about a plotline that dominates the volume. Only two more volumes to go, at least. – Michelle Smith

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 5 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – I was really impressed with this volume of Midnight Secretary. There’s so much going on here – Kaya’s final admittance that she isn’t just a really good secretary to Kyohei, Kyohei’s family situation and his relationship with his mother, his dealings with kindred spirit Marika and the ongoing threats of someone simply taking Kaya from him and making a meal of her. And yet what I really took away from all of this is the fact that both Kaya and Kyohei are no longer content with titles like boss, secretary, or lover, but see each other as a person that encompasses all these things. And yes, for Kaya that includes accepting Kyohei as a vampire fully. Now we need to see if his clan is able to accept her. – Sean Gaffney

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 2 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – I am predisposed to like Phantom Thief Jeanne, I think, since I enjoyed the anime and have a fondness for ’90s shoujo in general. It’s also nice to read about a heroine who is utterly competent. True, Maron isn’t as sure of herself as she lets on. Inside, she’s scared of being rejected by her parents, but she’s trying to convince herself that she’s strong by acting as if she doesn’t need them. I don’t love that Chiaki proves he understands her by telling her “You’re weak,” but we learn later that he’s also scared of the same things, so it doesn’t end up being a weird power imbalance issue. And though the goofy comedy and absolutely ineffectual police are my least favorite part of the manga, I appreciate that Miyako’s motives for wanting to catch Jeanne are explained. All in all, a very solid volume. I’m looking forward to the next! – Michelle Smith

The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 2 | By Nakaba Suzuki | Kodansha Comics – In general with series like these, particularly in the early stages, instead of measuring them by good plotting or crisp characterization, you instead measure them by how many badass moments each volume possessed. and in that respect this second SDS volumes acquits itself pretty well. We see the third Deadly Sin, Ban (representing Greed), who is so badass that his enemy’s attack simply gives him a really good shave. And we get our first badass moment for Elizabeth. She’s been somewhat iffy so far, taking Meliodas’ harassment far too easily and being something of a victim. But here, fighting against the Holy Knight and discovering his weakness, she showed true badassery in her own right. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – If there’s a fault in this final volume of Strobe Edge, it’s that most of the conflict has already passed, so we’re just waiting for the final ‘can we get over this lack of communication?’ hurdle before it ends. Indeed, it ends so quickly we get two ‘epilogue’ chapters, one giving some much-needed depth to perky friend Manabu, and the other detailing Ren and Ninako’s first date. That last chapter almost shows off the series in miniature, and why it’s been fun to read – despite the tears and heartbreak, Ninako is simply achingly sweet, and you can’t help but want to spend more time around her and her thoughts. I’ll miss this. – Sean Gaffney

Vampire Knight, Vol. 18 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – It’s interesting to see how much this volume focused on the relationship between Yuki and Zero, given how far we’ve come since the fisrt couple of volumes. At times it’s hard to even believe you’re reading the same series as Vol. 1. and yet they still have a deep connection. In the best moment of the volume, Yuki starts to spin a story of what would have happened if they’d met as normal boy and girl. Zero is quick to cut this off, noting they’d never have met at all. Their past is what connects them, and what leads to their strong feelings. But of course, nothing can happen until Kaname is taken care of, and this means Yuki in the end forces herself to make a very upsetting decision. The last volume should be a real barn-burner. – Sean Gaffney

xxxHolic Rei, Vol. 1 | By CLAMP | Kodansha Comics – As one of the few readers who didn’t hate the ending of the original xxxHolic series, I’m also probably one of the few who did not approach its rewound sequel as a welcome return to the good old days. This is not to say that I’m unhappy—quite the contrary. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Watanuki & Co. once more. What it does mean, however, is that I’m probably one of the few readers who can view the new series’ impending mystery without trepidation—for mystery there certainly is. And since CLAMP has done me no wrong thus far (at least not with xxxHolic), I can feel relatively secure that I’ll enjoy whatever they’ve got in store for me this time. In fact, I can’t wait. So while the return of the series’ witty banter and endless teasing, are enjoyable, I’m in this for the long haul. Let’s hope it’s a good one… again. – MJ