Michelle Smith

This week, Michelle, Sean, & Anna look at recent and upcoming releases from Yen Press and Viz Media.

Bloody Brat, Vol. 1 | Original Series by Yuuki Kodama, Story and Art by Kanata Yoshino | Yen Press – Typically, I’m not much of one for comedic spinoffs of successful series, but the humor in Blood Lad happens to suit me, and I reckoned the adorable Mamejirou would be featured prominently, so I decided to give Bloody Brat a try. I actually found it a bit less funny than the original, but there were still a few things that made me giggle. Most of it, though, is neither awful nor amusing. Staz is late to a territory challenge because he’s stuck in the bathroom without toilet paper. Fuyumi is plagued by magic-sapping ogre undies. Bell gains weight and goes on a quest for a miracle drug. It is impressive how well Yoshino can draw in Kodama’s style, though. In the end, this really is just for pre-existing Blood Lad fans. If you’re of that group, I’d say it’s still worth checking out. – Michelle Smith

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 11 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – This seems very much like a breather volume for this series, after all the action and darkness we’ve had before. Sure, there’s Yukio’s worry that he has evil within him that he is unaware of, but that’s a normal part of his character arc. Also, we get a lot of ship tease between our love triangle, as Shiemi decides to ask Yukio to the school dance, but is rejected, and Rin, who was also going to ask Shiemi, decides not to now, and everyone is wonderfully clueless and it all ends with an OT3 at the Bon dance. (An innocent OT3, I might add.) This is just a breather, though – there’s more darkness ahead, seemingly involving creepy student Nemu Takara and our favorite grumpy eyebrows girl Izumo. I expect we’ll get less fluffiness next time around. – Sean Gaffney

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 5 | by Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – I do so enjoy this mashup of vampire romance and office politics. This volume finally shows strict vampire boss Kyohei showing some vulnerability and admitting his feelings to his secretary Kaya, as he gives up drinking from anyone but her. This causes problems in vampire society and Kyohei’s integrity is called into question, as a predator vampire with only one person to prey on is simply not done. Kaya continues to wonder about the relationship between Kyohei and long time vampire friend Marika, and while she does still manage to keep her professional demeanor on most of the time, her true emotions start showing through. I think this series has a couple more volumes left, which will be just the right amount to wrap things up in a satisfying way. – Anna N

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 2 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – I haven’t really been keeping up with this series at all, so the reveal at the end of this volume actually did come as a surprise to me, even if, looking back at what I read, it should have been obvious. Most of this volume is dedicated to deepening the love triangle of the three leads, and showing how their best friends are trying to nudge them in the right direction (even if said best friends don’t like each other at all, though I suspect there’s a ‘yet’ in there). Mostly this is very standard harem comedy fare, with very little that is original or surprising. But it’s decently told, the three leads never get so annoying that you want the manga to end fast, and the introduction of Tsugumi should provide some more action scenes, if nothing else. This is popcorn manga, and worth reading if you like the genre. – Sean Gaffney

Psyren, Vol. 15 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | Viz Media – One of the things I’ve liked best about Psyren is its focus on the mindset of its villains, and what they are striving for beyond ‘power’. There’s a monologue in this volume about trying to fill the emptiness that each of them feels with violence and greater and greater enemies that’s quite touching, even though it doesn’t lead to any sort of decision to stop. Likewise, if you recruit an emotionally damaged child and teach her how to destroy, don’t be surprised if you end up with an emotionally damaged teen. At least Sakurako is able to move past the differences in her split personality and her own tortured love for Ageha and come to a peaceful understanding. The final volume is up next, and I suspect it will wrap up too fast, being a Jump series – cut short is the name of the game. Still looking forward to it. – Sean Gaffney

Rin-Ne, Vol. 14 | By Rumiko Takahashi | Viz Media – Rin-Ne has always been more along the lines of UY aand Ranma rather than Inu Yasha, meaning everything here is silly and comedic. I particularly likes the possession of Jumonji, where it’s unclear if he’s using it as an excuse to abuse Rinne or not. We also get a new antagonist introduced, because that’s what these series do. Renge is a damashigami, meaning she has to harvest innocent souls before their time. She’s also better at getting the drop on Rinne and Sakura than previous villains have been. Luckily, as with a few other previous villains, she reckons without the true power of Rinne’s poverty and parsimoniousness, which manages to save the day. Rin-Ne is never going to win any awards for best manga, and it’s only recommended to Takahashi fans. Those fans should have fun, though. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – I’ve been getting a little impatient with the pacing of this series in the past couple volumes, so I was happy to see that the final volume wrapped up everything so nicely. This is one of those series where it is never in doubt that the main couple Ren and Ninako will get together, so I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by mentioning that they finally work through all the issues that were preventing them from officially dating and embark on a real relationship. It is all very sweet and heartfelt. The main story wraps up quickly, and there are a couple of additional side stories with the other characters included in this volume. Sometimes straightforward well-executed romance shoujo is exactly what a reader needs, and Strobe Edge fills this role easily. I hope the conclusion of this series means that Shojo Beat will release more Sakisaka manga in English. – Anna N

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

Fairy Tail, Vol. 35 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Leaving aside the fight between Natsu/Gajeel and Saber Tooth’s Natsu and Gajeel-alike’s that takes up half this book, what struck me most was how it’s trying to have a lot of humor but it feels more and more that this is due to the fact that there will be little opportunity for it soon. We see future Levy talking about everyone dying in 2 days (including her beloved… hrm, Gajeel shiptease there?), and Jellal runs into the mysterious hooded figure, who is clearly someone he knows. And of course there’s the opening scene with Lucy beaten so bad she’s hospitalized. Given that, I am more charitable to the giant fanservice scene that is Chapter 298, and am highly amused by Gildarts’ entire chapter that shows that just because one is middle-aged does not mean you stop being a big dumb shonen hero. – Sean Gaffney

Happy Marriage, Vol. 5 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – With all the yaoi manga coming out, I feel like it is a tiny bit unfair that there are so few currently translated smutty manga for older ladies who enjoy stories about forced marriages and vampire bosses! But it is all the more reason to celebrate the few series like that which are translated! Volume 5 of Happy Marriage continues to document the growing relationship between Chiwa and Hokuto along with plenty of Machiavellian corporate machinations. Hokuto is finally showing his more vulnerable side to Chiwa, but not without plenty of misunderstandings along the way. Even though this manga is fairly predictable, it is still consistently enjoyable. – Anna N

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 14 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – The gap between the volumes for this series is getting fairly long, but that just makes me appreciate it even more. Suzuki’s world building and unique character designs make every volume a pleasure to read. In this volume Nanami throws herself into another adventure in order to save a dying Tomoe. The long-lost Mikage of the shrine returns for a visit and drops a few not very helpful hints about Tomoe’s conditions, leading to Nanami undertaking a dangerous trip through time in order to prevent the curse that threatens Tomoe. Along the way she meets Tomoe’s first love and sees a much more warlike and aggressive version of the fox ayakashi that she holds so dear. It’ll be interesting to see the fallout from the journey through time, especially if it changes Nanami and Tomoe’s relationship in the present. – Anna N

My Little Monster, Vol. 1 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – Neither Shizuku Mizutani nor Haru Yoshida has any friends, the former because she’s obsessed with studying and the latter because of his tendency toward violent and/or bizarre behavior. They somehow manage to strike up a friendship, however, and as Haru learns to relate to the world a little better, Shizuku begins to see the benefits of involving herself with other people. This perhaps makes My Little Monster sound like it’s a drama, but it really isn’t. I snickered quite a few times (even at the back cover, a promising early sign!) and basically loved every time Haru’s pet chicken appeared, which was frequently. Again, I’d stop short of calling this series profoundly great, but it was definitely enjoyable and a nice surprise, since I had no knowledge of it prior to its release here. I’ll be checking out volume two! – Michelle Smith

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 1 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – I am very seldom in the position of loving an Arina Tanemura series almost without reservation, but such is the situation I find myself in with Phantom Thief Jeanne. I suspect much of this reaction is due to nostalgia—I have fond memories of watching the anime back in the days of VHS fansubs—but I do honestly think Jeanne has much to recommend it. Maron is not your typical happy-go-lucky Magical Girl heroine, and is confident, to boot, with inner dialogue like, “I don’t need to be saved… I’m not a weak little girl.” Too, I really like how Tanemura paces the development of Maron’s relationship with neighbor/rival Chiaki, and how Maron learns he’s been deceiving her just as she’d decided she could trust him. True, the art can be distracting (those eyes!) and there are quite a few unfunny comedic gags, but on the whole this is a series I’m glad to see back in print! – Michelle Smith

Sankarea: Undying Love, Vol. 5 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – Again, the cover tells the story, as things really aren’t going well with the whole ‘don’t eat people’ thing Rea’s trying to achieve. Luckily, the cavalry arrives in time, but now Rea and Chihiro are strangely embarrassed to be around each other. (Gosh, I wonder why?) What was more interesting to me was the Wanko subplot towards the end of the volume, where we see that her crush on Chihiro, and desperate realization that it’s not going to happen, is so bad that she ends up trying to turn herself into a zombie to get closer to him. Fortunately, the near-death experiment doesn’t take, and it seems to give her some sort of closure instead, which is a relief. Still, if you read Sankarea as a harem love comedy, I expect you may have run screaming by now. It’s the creepy horror that keeps things hopping. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Michelle check out recent releases from Viz Media and Kodansha Comics.

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 4 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – This is a volume of two halves. In the first part, with Kaya and Kyohei separated from each other, they’re both at their best, and she even gets a very tempting marriage proposal – one which, as she turns it down, she notes would likely be better for her than her current situations. Then once she does come back to Kyohei’s side, things turn sour, as his staff think she’s a paid mistress, and a vampire acquaintance reminds her of her place in the hierarchy as a human. To give Kaya credit, she’s able to figure out right away that Kyohei’s vampire pride is getting between them – and we have the added bonus of knowing it’s also due to his growing love for her, and the disbelief that comes with that. At the midway point of this series, it’s still an excellent read for those who enjoy more mature titles. – Sean Gaffney

Missions of Love, Vol. 6 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – I have to hand it to Toyama. Most series that begin with prickly, hard to deal with characters have them soften up fairly quickly as circumstances come along. Not Yukina, who six volumes in remains incredibly frustrating to read about. She’s also frustrating for Shigure to deal with as well, as he finds it impossible to get her to accept his feelings even when he asks her straight out. Things are not helped by a) Mami and Akira, who continue to plot to drive the couple apart even as they grow closer, and b) Yukina herself, whose new order for a forced kiss leads to some very uncomfortable areas – something lampshaded by Shigure himself. All in all, however much you want to strangle its heroine, this remains a compelling potboiler of a manga. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 16 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – This is a darker, more serious volume of Oresama Teacher. Oh, there’s still plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, rest assured. But the presence of Momochi as the Student Council’s latest lancer in their attempts to destroy the Public Morals Club is far more frightening than any of its previous comedic types. The club is broken apart so easily that you worry, and it’s quite notable that Hayasaka’s blackmail letter is never actually revealed – I suspect his background will be at the end of the while series. Yui is also learning the danger of having real friends when you have to betray them – you feel horrible about it. It’s a good thing that Aki and Komari’s plot wrapping up is so cute, as it helps to lighten a funny but dark darker volume. – Sean Gaffney

Ranma 1/2 2-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 | Rumiko Takahashi | Viz Media – Somehow, I have missed out on Ranma 1/2 up until this point. I knew it was an episodic sitcom-esque sort of series, which aren’t really my thing, but as it turns out, I enjoyed this one quite a bit! I’m honestly surprised and I have no choice but to conclude it’s because Takahashi is at the helm. How else to explain that the bickering leads with the occasional glimpse of genuine feeling—Ranma and his unwilling fiancée Akane—do not bother me nearly as much as the bickering leads with the occasional glimpse of genuine feeling in Nisekoi? I also found myself giggling more than expected. Not at the multitudinous conveniently placed bodies of water that trigger Ranma’s gender transformation, but at some of the dialogue. “She’s really a very sweet girl. She’s just a violent maniac.” is a particular favorite. All in all I’m left to wonder why I waited so long. – Michelle Smith

Strobe Edge, Vol. 9 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – I warn you that you will end up very angry at a group of thugs who make their appearance halfway through this volume. Not only do they beat up one of the main characters, but they also ruin the romantic resolution that was so tantalizingly close. And so, with one volume left to go after this, Ninako and Ren are farther apart than ever, even as they both come to terms with their true feelings. Luckily, there’s more to this series than just its two leads. I’ve remarked before on the compelling side characters this story has, and one drama bomb dropped by Ninako’s friend Toda, who in the space of two pages reveals a manga story that I’d love to see and then vanishes from the narrative. Strobe Edge comes to an end next volume, and I hope that Ninako, who has finally learned what love really is, can find happiness. – Sean Gaffney

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

Blood Lad, Vol. 4 | By Yuuki Kodama | Yen Press – It’s been nearly a year since we had a new volume of Blood Lad, and I’d forgotten just how well it suits my sense of humor. Right from the start, it had me giggling, and even rereading the few lines of dialogue I jotted down had the same effect. Kodama could also give lessons on how to effectively introduce antagonists, as Team Fearless, a group of vampire hunters targeting Staz, is immediately funny, memorable, and interesting. They’ve all got some unique powers, but my favorite is the cat-like leader, Shamkid, who basically grooms his enemy and swallows their hair to gain the ability to predict their movements. After the battle, he horks it back up. Hee! On top of this, we learn what Braz’s endgame has been, which has the potential to affect the entire demon world. Happily, we’ve only to wait until July this time for the next installment! – Michelle Smith

Cage of Eden, Vol. 13 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Cage of Eden has moved from every 2 months to every 4, never a good sign for a North American release. Nevertheless, it’s ended at 21 volumes in Japan, so should finish up over here. This volumes features a lot fewer attacks by prehistoric animals – zero, in fact. What we get instead is some plot development. Yarai and his group find their building is not what it seems, and also that his teacher is slowly dying. On Akira’s side, we see the introduction of two men from another camp elsewhere on the island, which is led by a doctor who may be Akira’s evil counterpart. And yes, there’s nude bathing, because this is Cage of Eden – monsters may be optional, but breasts are not. It’s still a good, fluffy read, but it’s starting not to justify the investment put into it. And as ever, no real romance. – Sean Gaffney

Fairy Tail, Vol. 34 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Well, if nothing else, I think we know who our next Big Bad is going to be. From the first chapter to the last, Minerva has shown herself to be a rather loathsome, yet insanely powerful figure. Naturally, Lucy ends up getting the brunt of the suffering here – Erza and Cana earlier showed off the massive power that Fairy Tail possesses, but Lucy’s job seems to be punching bag a lot of the time. Meanwhile, Laxus gets a battle of the mind with his father, and Wendy gets a cute adorable shonen battle which ends with true friendship, just as you’d expect. There’s nothing really wrong with this volume, but as with most tournament arcs, things are getting rather predictable. I’d really like some sort of hideous disaster to come along and shake things up a bit. Perhaps Mashima can oblige me. – Sean Gaffney

Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 12| By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – I admit it: I read the ending first. I feared some sort of sappy retcon of what had been established about the Genbu priestess in the original Fushigi Yûgi series, but I needn’t have worried. The ending is a satisfying one, but like volume eleven before it, volume twelve feels pretty rushed. I wish there was more time to dwell on the various sacrifices made to bring peace to an icy and wartorn land. One of the best things, though, is this comment from Watase’s comments at the end of the volume: “I hope you’ll be patient in waiting for the Byakko arc!! Sure, I want to work on it!! Now that I’ve come this far, I can’t die before I finish every arc.” It feels a little wrong to say “woohoo” after the events of this volume, but I admit the temptation is strong. – Michelle Smith

Knight of Sidonia, Vol. 7 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – I’m enjoying Knights of Sidonia a great deal, but it’s sometimes hard to express why in a review, even a brief one. There’s less wacky harem antics here, though it is notable that Tsumugi, the newborn hybrid Gauna, seems to have a massive crush on Tanizake like all the other female (or even ambiguously gendered characters) do. There’s lots of epic space battles for those who like them, with both Tsumugi and Tanizake getting to show off their awesome battle prowess. There isn’t quite as much creepy body horror here as in previous volumes, but it’s there. Mostly, though, this is a series that’s hard to really describe to someone when they ask why it’s good. You just have to give it a try, and see for yourself. Because it’s addictive, and once you start reading you won’t be able to stop. – Sean Gaffney

Midnight Secretary, Vol 4 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – As this volume opens secretary Kaya is torn…between two bosses! She continues to work on her temporary assignment to the Erde company while juggling secretarial and blood donation duties to her vampire boss Kyohei Tohma at night. Kyohei is disconcerted by his feelings of jealousy whenever he sees another man near Kaya while Kaya continues to maintain that providing the president with her blood is just a routine part of her job. Kaya knows that she’s in love with Kyohei, but is determined to just live her life with unrequited feelings because she’s so devoted to her secretarial job. The sudden presence of a new female vampire also throws off the equilibrium in Kaya and Kyohei’s relationship. This volume won’t disappoint fans of the series! Midnight Secretary is so delightfully trashy and gothic, I always enjoy each new volume. – Anna N

Strike Witches: Maidens in the Sky, Vol. 1 | By Humikane Shimada, Project Kagonish, and Yuuki Tanaka | Seven Seas – This turned out to be a lot more harmless than I was expecting – possibly deliberately, I understand there was a manga version in Japan before this that was cancelled for content reasons. Aside from a wacky panty-snatching dog familiar, and panty-rocketed teenage girls, this is your standard girls in school learning how to use their awesome powers manga. The girls in question are soldiers, brought in to battle aliens who have devastated the Earth. The teen soldiers include our heroine, the naive Yoshika, who may have more power than any of the others. If you can get past the basic premise, and don’t mind fanservice, this is a pretty good action comedy runaround. It wraps up next volume, I think, but there’s more spinoffs on the way. – Sean Gaffney

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

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 13 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – Recently, A Devil and Her Love Song has been pretty melodramatic, but I’m pleased to report that the thirteenth and final volume is the best in some time. The best parts, though, have nothing to do with main couple Maria and Shin. Instead, I really liked how much focus the group of friends received as a whole, particularly Ayu, with her unrequited feelings for Yusuke, and Yusuke with his unrequited feelings for Maria. Their plight is much more genuinely interesting than that of Maria and Shin, and the ending is actually kind of awesomely bittersweet, if I am interpreting Yusuke’s narration in the right way. Unfortunately, the series struggled a little getting to this point, and I’m not sure if I’m down for rereading it, but at least it comes to a very satisfatory conclusion. – Michelle Smith

Durarara!!: Saika Arc, Vol. 3 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – In the first Durarara!! arc, we saw how seemingly meek and mild-mannered Mikado was far more than he seemed. In this arc, we discover the same thing about quiet and reserved Anri, who is quiet and reserved for a very good reason. The series has several ‘monsters’ in it – Celty, Shizuo and his strength, and now, as we discover, Anri. Yet it also takes pains to show us how human and relatable they all are, and in fact the one inhuman monster left, Izaya, seemingly has no superpowers at all (is jerkass a superpower?). It’s a fun series with lots of fights and smug characters being smug. I expect the Yellow scarves arc, coming this fall, will focus on Masaomi, given what we’ve seen so far. I hear it’s much darker than the Saika Arc. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol 11 | By Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – I feel like it has been quite some time since I’ve been able to enjoy a new volume of Library Wars. This volume takes a turn towards the grim and solemn side, as a confrontation defending freedom of expression at a museum turns deadly, giving Iku her first traumatic combat experience, and severely wounding superior officer Genda. Dojo helps Iku get through the aftermath as best he can, but the political pressures on the Library Corps prompt Commander Inamine to announce his resignation, leading to even more emotional turmoil in the ranks. Library Wars tends to shift in tone a bit, and this volume didn’t have much of the light-hearted scenes to break up the action and angst. I did find this volume very gripping and I’m looking forward to what happens next, hopefully with a bit of relaxation time for my favorite front line combat librarians. – Anna N

Magi, Vol. 4 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The first half of this volume is devoted to showing off the pure awesome that is Morgiana, and I for one could not be happier. Aladdin may have destiny, and Alibaba may have street smarts, but Morgiana has PURE POWER, and she learns here how to use it to help and save others. Meanwhile, in case the cover didn’t clue you in, we get a new hero introduced in the 2nd half. Given that his name is Sinbad, I expect that he will be playing a large role here. As for Alibaba, well, we’re not really sure what to make of him, as he seems to have joined the side of the villains this time around. Luckily, his friends are there to beat some sense into him (literally at times), and I expect that the nxt volume will give us a nice, tragic backstory to explain everything. This is still a terrific shone action series. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, vol 9 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – I could feel myself getting a little bit impatient with this series during the last volume, and I am still looking forward to the conclusion, just because I generally don’t enjoy romance scenarios where the inevetible main couple is kept apart because they refuse to actually talk to each other about their emotions. This does continue a bit in this volume, but I’m also really enjoying Sakisaka’s art while I’m waiting for Ninako and Ren to hurry up and finally get together. Here Ninako’s holding back from confessing her feelings again for Ren due to her not wanting to hurt Ando, while Ren finally seems to be ready to force the issue. The next volume is the last, which seems about right for this series. Even though the plot elements are a bit predictable, Sakisaka’s execution of standard shoujo manga tropes is excellent, and I hope that more series from her get translated. – Anna N

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 3 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – Most of this volume is devoted to the fact that Hime can’t do her ‘prince voice’ on command, and trying to make it come naturally to her. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done – to date, she’s only done it when the situation really needed it, which isn’t something that an actor can count on all the time. Luckily, she has her manager and friends to help her, even if it may also involve falling for her. (She’s contrasted with another actress who didn’t have the willpower to succeed Hime possesses.) We also get a closer look at Senri, and open one one of the classic genderbender plot t2wists – Hime is disguised as a boy and Senri can’t spot the difference. I expect this to lead to a lot of wacky and tragic misunderstandings. Not as eventful as the 2nd volume, but still fun. – Sean Gaffney