Michelle Smith

Black Clover, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Tabata | VIZ Media – It’s usually about this time in a long-running Jump manga that one of the cast is killed off for drama, usually an authority figure. And there’s no bigger authority figure in Black Clover than Julius, who is forced to fight against the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun and pays the ultimate price. That said, our heroes are also storming the villains’ base, which should allow for lots of cool fights. Unfortunately, we may also have some friends fighting friends, as magic beams have come down and converted some of our heroes—Luck in particular—into Midnight Sun cultists. That said, it’s the death of the Wizard King that looms over this volume, and while that opens up the position for Asta, this isn’t how he wanted it. – Sean Gaffney

Flying Witch, Vol. 7 | Chihiro Ishizuka | Vertical Comics – If it seems like it’s been forever since the last volume of this series, you’re right—it’s been about a year. That said, it’s easy to get back into the swing of this series that has always reminded me of Yotsuba&! only with the supernatural. The most amusing part of the manga was seeing our girls being given super soft candy that’s actually softened diamonds, and the reactions to this. We also ALMOST see Inukai cured, but family trumps that, in a sort of bittersweet but heartwarming way. And the mandrakes are back, only they’re adorable, and also running all over the house. Nothing ever really happens in this series (which is good as it may be a year till volume eight), but you’re always be smiling while reading it. – Sean Gaffney

New Game!, Vol. 6 | By Shotaro Tokuno | Seven Seas – We’re back to the regular serialized 4-koma here, though there’s a big change a-coming, as Kou decides to take advantage of an opportunity to go study in France, leaving a big hole to fill at Eagle Vision. Fortunately, there are new hires who are here to move into a kohai role, Sunshine Sketch-style. (Speaking of Sunshine Sketch, Kou and Rin have always seemed like Sae and Hiro, and that doesn’t change at all after reading this.) As for the new characters, Tsubame and Momiji, they both know each other—in fact they live together—and will no doubt add to the kinda-yuri pileup this series has. That said, they’re competitive. Will Aoba get to be the sempai she dreams of being, or will she lose out again? Cute stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 26 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – Mafuyu has been abducted by her new teacher Seiichiro Maki and soon discovers that he’s actually a servant of the Hanabusa family. Despite her circumstances, the plot continues to be “Find out about Maki’s past,” and Mafuyu ends up getting the story from Toko Hanabusa, who visits her in captivity because she finds her stupidity amusing. It turns out that Maki has a history of helping lost little girls, having once rescued a young Mafuyu, and in this way ended up meeting Toko and filling the role of her big brother (since her family kept her apart from Miyabi) and shedding his delinquent past. I really wish I could care about any of this, but I do not. Not even a little. It might be time for me to stop reading this series. – Michelle Smith

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 2 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – As a whole, I tend to thoroughly enjoy shoujo fantasy manga, so I’m always happy when a new title is licensed. What makes Snow White with the Red Hair stand out from other recently released series is that, so far, there are no magical or supernatural elements involved. Unless, of course, one considers the practice of medicine to be a form of magic. While she still has plenty to learn, Shirayuki has now successfully become a court herbalist in the kingdom of Clarines. This has earned her a rightful place in Wistal Palace, but there are still those who would question her motivations. Even in the face of this increased scrutiny, Shirayuki has consistently demonstrateda remarkable strength of character and sense of justice. Snow White with the Red Hair is a lovely tale of fantasy with endearing characters and just the right touch of court intrigue and romance. – Ash Brown

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 2 | By Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha Comics – I hate these sorts of series. Not the actual manga itself, which is gorgeous and fantastic and makes you get heart eyes, but the fact that it’s hard to figure out what to say about it. I don’t really want to talk about what happens as that will ruin the sense of wonder that I think we’re meant to get from every volume. Several parts of the book I went back and read bits of over and over again just to enjoy the flow, and I also really liked the cliffhanger, which amps up the danger about one thousand percent. And Coco is simply fantastic, being the sort of YA fantasy protagonist everyone wants. Basically, aaaaah, flail flail flail, go buy this. You won’t regret it. – Sean Gaffney

World’s End and Apricot Jam, Vol. 6 | By Rila Kirishima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Hina and Anzu’s love story reached a natural conclusion at the end of volume five but apparently someone really wanted to see them do it, so we get these three “encore” chapters that take place 1.5 years in the future. “It feels like you turned 19 in the blink of an eye,” Anzu tells Hina on the first page, so everyone knows she’s of legal age when they finally have their love scene. Two short stories round out the volume, one of which is a pretty bad early effort and the second of which is about Hina’s friend, Nakatsu. I actually like that, rather than a love story for Nakatsu, this about him setting his girlfriend free when she falls for someone else. This series had some sweet moments and some silly, melodramatic moments, but in the end I enjoyed it. – Michelle Smith

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 15 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media – It’s hard to believe I’ve read fifteen volumes of Anonymous Noise already but even harder to believe that there are only three more until it’s over! Rock Horizon is here again, and due to another band’s cancellation, In No Hurry is playing on a bigger stage than ever before and their exuberant performance is the highlight of the volume. Meanwhile, Kuro makes progress toward pursuing a new love after losing out with his first one, Nino searches for a foundation for her singing that does not revolve around Momo, and Yuzu is composing up a storm, though he worries that this will stop if Nino ever actually falls for him. In other words, it’s just as angsty and dramatic as usual, yet surprisingly hopeful, too. Good stuff. – Michelle Smith

Beastars, Vol. 1 | By Paru Itagaki | Viz Media – At a high school in which carnivores and herbivores attend classes and live alongside one another in relative peace, there is a natural tension among the student body. But the delicate balance between the two groups is shattered when an alpaca named Tem is found murdered on campus. The herbivores’ mistrust and hostility towards their carnivorous classmates become more blatant and even Tem’s friend Legoshi comes under suspicion. As a large gray wolf, Legoshi is used to being feared and hated, but that doesn’t make things any easier for him. More than anything else, the reason that I’m so eager to read more of Beastars is Legoshi. Yes, there’s interesting worldbuilding. Yes, there’s engaging drama and mystery. Yes, there’s appealing illustration work. There’s even other fascinating characters. But ultimately it’s lone wolf Legoshi, the behind-the-scenes theater kid, in all of his sensitive awkwardness that steals the show for me. – Ash Brown

A Certain Scientific Railgun: Astral Buddy, Vol. 2 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Yasuhito Nogi |Seven Seas – I have to admit, I’m calling “no way” on the sheer power behind Junko, who seems to suddenly be far more actively involved in every aspect of the plot and can hold her own with villains who are hospitalizing Judgment. This is a lot to accept for someone whose sole character trait before this had been “Misaki’s chew toy.” The plot involves, no surprise, the fact that kids in Academy City are subject to unethical scientific experiments, not exactly big news to regular readers of Railgun and Index. But the fights are nice, and Junko is a sweet and determined girl. It’s just hard for the reader to accept that this is the spinoff we’re getting rather than, say, Itsuwa or Kanzaki. – Sean Gaffney

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 7 | By Ukami |Yen Press – There were no laugh-out-loud moments here like the previous volume, but it continues to keep a smile on your face. I enjoyed the idea of asking Vignette, the demon who’s sweet and nice, if she’d rather be an angel, and her negative response. “Angel” and “demon” are not meant to be good or bad in this manga, despite what you’d expect, and I like Vignette sticking to what she’s already lived with. I also liked the chapter with Taplis challenging Satania to card duels, if only as it’s nice to see Satania actually succeed for once. Gabriel Dropout is unlikely to pick up new readers who aren’t already fans of it, but those fans should enjoy this. It even makes Raphiel briefly sympathetic, which is highly unusual. – Sean Gaffney

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 10 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – I like that Golden Kamuy, no matter how bonkers it gets, never quite forgets its roots as a foodie manga. There’s lots of discussion of gross-yet-tasty foods this time around, in among various attempts to rescue Shiraishi, who has gotten captured and is having trouble escaping for once. It doesn’t help that there’s so many different factions going around that the reader has long since lost track of which is which. “The guy with the plate in his head!” “The small plate guy or the large-plate guy?” There’s also a bittersweet implication towards the end of the book that this does have an end in sight, and that it may wrap up by returning Sugimoto to what he lost—though regaining it is another issue. Breathtaking. – Sean Gaffney

Mythical Beast Investigator, Vol. 1 | By Keishi Ayasato and Koichiro Hoshino | Seven Seas – This is another in a long string of “supernatural people investigate supernatural things” titles we’ve seen, mostly from this publisher. It’s not terrible and there’s nothing wrong with it, but I have to admit that the well may be running dry, and this does not really attract a new reader the way that The Ancient Magus’ Bride—or even How to Treat Magical Beasts—does. Ferry investigates issues with beasts, which are usually the fault of humans, with the help of the black rabbit of inlé… erm, Kushuna, who is her cynical bodyguard. Together, they fight crime! Some of this is heartwarming, some of it is tragic, it’s very readable, and you’ll forget about it the next day. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 10 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – The start of the volume is well written but not all that surprising, as it hits all the beats I was expecting to resolve that arc. The meat of the volume, though, is in the second half, as the Water Dragon God is starting to lose his powers, and may soon disappear. There’s a solution, but he’s not going to take it—and Subaru will never let him do it either. So what’s the solution here? There’s only one volume after this, so it had better come quick. In the meantime, the evocative art and storytelling and led to The Water Dragon’s Bride being my favorite Rei Toma series to date. I can’t wait to see how it ends. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 33 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – The game ended! It was an incredible finish too, and once again I praise the author for having a good feel for keeping the pace exciting and yet also making the action clear. Hate to spoil it, but our heroes win the match, though we end up following the losing team right after the game, showing how this defeat is going to make them get stronger. I really liked the twin (you know, one of them) telling Hinata he was going to set for him one day—it’s a reminder that they could take this past high school. But the break is brief, as by the end of the volume we’re in another battle against Nekoma, and I get the feeling that this one will also take several volumes. Still, I’m up for it. This remains a terrific sports manga. – Sean Gaffney

Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 6 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – OK, it turns out Ebina’s “confession” was that she’s been searching for her brother, who left home to become a chef. I wasn’t too happy with the suggestion that she’s got a crush on Taihei as he reminds her of her brother, but other than that this was pretty sweet. We’re also given yet another cliffhanger ending, as it turns out that while Umaru is best in the class for the normal kids, there’s an accelerated program with someone who’s shorter, cuter, blonder and smarter than Umaru. I sense a new rivalry coming. Which is somewhat inevitable given Umaru has converted everyone around her into friends already. This is still a bit slight, but it’s cute and fun. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 9 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – This volume is filled with plot, and it’s all about Ishigami. At last we get his backstory and find out what happened to make him into the beaten-down misanthrope he was introduced as. As you might imagine, it involved scapegoating and punishing the wrong person, completely breaking his spirit. Fortunately, there’s an athletic festival going on, and when one member of his team hurts their ankle, he has to fill in. Does he win? That’s less important than that he tries hard, gets his team to root for him, and—and this was fantastic—sees their faces, which till now have been “faceless” people around him. If there’s one drawback, it’s that the balloon chapter made a poor closer. But overall, a fantastic volume. – Sean Gaffney

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 4 | By Waco Ioka and Midori Yuma | Viz Media – It was never going to be as simple as opening a nice restaurant. Aoi’s new place is beset by sabotage and trickery, from signs pointing in the wrong direction to assassins trying to kill her to literal BANANA PEELS on the steps. We also see Aoi learning about food, in the best foodie manga tradition, and also learning more about her grandfather and his relationships with the other spirits, and just how long-lived they are. There’s a bit of romantic tease when they tour the local izakayas, but for the most part Kakuriyo is content to be a slow-burner that is interested in Aoi and food, not necessarily in that order. That’s fine with me. – Sean Gaffney

Monster and the Beast, Vol. 1 | By Renji | Yen Press – Cavo is a hideous monster with a pure heart, so when he witnesses what appears to be a sexual assault in the forest in which he lives, he intervenes. Liam, the apparent victim, proves to be charming and sexually voracious (he’s the beast of the title) and immediately propositions Cavo. After discovering that Liam is unreliable, Cavo guides him to a nearby village and falls in love with him on the way. So far, so sweet. What I thought was interesting, though, is that once they reach the village, Cavo must remain in hiding while Liam goes out every night and beds various people. We learn that he’s well aware that Cavo loves him, and is content enough to remain together, but also has no desire to change. That’s not the outcome I expected, so I’m interested to see where this goes. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 2 | By Kohei Horikoshi and Anri Yoshi | VIZ Media – This is soooooo much better than the first volume of the School Briefs light novels. Set just before and during the training camp arc, the stories depict the kids during their free time as they try to distract a motion-sick Aoyama on the bus, throw a slumber party, have an arm-wrestling tournament, etc. There’s lots of intermingling between classes 1-A and 1-B, which I appreciate very much, especially the slumber party at which the girls would rather contemplate which of the boys’ quirks they’d like to try than which boy they’d like to date. Mineta continues to be even more awful than he is in the source material, this time in a premeditated and predatory way that’s genuinely alarming. Aizawa lectures him off-camera at least, but he really ought to’ve been expelled. In any case, I’m sufficiently swayed enough to come back for volume three! – Michelle Smith

The Right Way to Make Jump | By Takeshi Sakurai | VIZ Media (digital only) – Four years after Takeshi Sakurai gave up on manga and became an onigiri maker instead, he gets a call from his former editor suggesting they collaborate on a nonfiction series about how Shounen Jump is made. This one-volume manga is the fascinating result. Sakurai and his editor interview people at the printers and paper manufacturer as well as cover and logo designers and various editors. There are pictures of the editorial offices in Japan as well as VIZ headquarters in San Francisco, and a brief visit to Kohei Horikoshi’s studio. It’s all super interesting—I particularly loved learning about all the neat machines that were invented specifically to handle producing Jump—while being fun and amusing, as well. I’d recommend it to any manga fan, but especially to Jump fans. – Michelle Smith

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 2 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – Shirayuki passes her exam, which means she’s now working for the Prince. And you know what that means—it’s time to solve crises by working yourself until you nearly die without bothering to tell anyone, in the best shoujo heroine tradition. Fortunately, she has other people around her. Unfortunately, she also has the First Prince, who has returned to the kingdom and apparently is intent on making his brother miserable, and also making Shirayuki do pointless tasks. I’m sure eventually she’ll win him over, but that point is not yet. There’s also a lengthy short story at the end, set in modern times and about a trio who become a duo after tragedy strikes. It was decent, but I wish these were full of Shirayuki. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 2 | By Sorata Akiduki | VIZ Media – Shirayuki begins work as a court herbalist apprentice, and her very knowledgeable boss also happens to be twelve years old. She wins him over with her powers of empathy, and I appreciate that she manages to be both nice and very clever, as she’s able to figure exactly what’s been making the soldiers ill at a fort under Zen’s command. The back cover calls this a love story, and I’m sure we’ll get there eventually, but I really appreciate that what we’ve got so far is a mutual inspiration story. Both Shirayuki and Zen are compelled to help people and end up spurring each other on. “I need to be the sort of man she’ll never turn her back on,” Zen resolves. And then his crappy older brother comes home and begins to interfere. This is a fun series so far! – Michelle Smith

Versailles of the Dead, Vol. 2 | By Kumiko Suekane | Seven Seas – Two volumes into Versailles of the Dead I’m not sure that I actually understand what’s going on, but I still feel oddly compelled to read more. In part this is due to the fact that Suekane really knows how to create an atmosphere. While dark and unsettling, Versailles of the Dead can also be surprisingly sensual, Suekane’s artwork capturing both the horrific and the beautiful—at times simultaneously—to great effect. The decadence of the 18th-century French court and the gruesome death and undeath both inside and outside of it are all strikingly illustrated. The second volume develops existing plotlines (while ignoring others) and introduces new elements to an already full story. Versailles of the Dead has so much going on that it hasn’t quite managed to pull everything together into a cohesive whole yet, but it might be starting in that direction and I can’t seem to look away. – Ash Brown

Candy Color Paradox, Vol. 2 | By Isaku Natsume | SuBLime – I liked this volume of Candy Color Paradox more than I expected to, which was a pleasant surprise. When Kaburagi’s sister, whom he hasn’t seen in eight years, turns up, it at first seems like Onoe is going to go along with her suggestions to take Kaburagi down a peg, but he resists and attempts to reconcile the siblings instead. Next, to keep Kaburagi from having to do one of the deceitful assignments he occasionally undertakes to get a big scoop, Onoe does it instead, leading Kaburagi to treat him coldly for a while—since the major reason he likes Onoe is that he is largely incapable of deception—until they finally talk it out. In her author’s notes, Natsume-sensei says this was originally intended to be the final volume, and it certainly feels that way. I’m not sure we need more, but I reckon I’m intrigued enough to continue. – Michelle Smith

Dead Mount Death Play, Vol. 2 | By Ryohgo Narita and Shinta Fujimoto | Yen Press – Given this is from the author of Baccano! and Durarara!!, a certain amount of crazy antics are expected, but it really boggles the mind how bonkers this series gets, particularly its strange obsession with sharks. We also get introduced to a possessed mechanical pencil, but the bulk of the volume is spent realizing that Polka’s family is still around and has its own issues, and that the Corpse God needs to deal with those if he’s going to continue to use said body as he sees fit. This includes saving the lives of two supposedly creepy but actually really sweet twins—twins appear in Narita’s works a lot. There’s some nasty gore here, as you’d also expect, but I really am liking this title more now. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 36 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I sense the author may be feeling a little bad about all the times that she’s made Alibaba the laughingstock of the manga, given how much he’s praised in this volume. We continue to truck along with the final confrontation, as Sinbad agrees to Alibaba’s suggestion… but David is not taking this lying down, leading to a very funny “no, it is I who am controlling you!” war. That said, it’s a little hard to save the world when everyone in the world wants to die and thinks you’re traitors, which is the situation we end up with in the second half. I admit I am rather annoyed that Morgiana is not participating in this final battle, and given that the next volume is the last I don’t see that changing. Will still get it to see how this overall very good series ends. – Sean Gaffney

Missions of Love, Vol. 17 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – I’ll be honest, this is starting to feel pretty dragged out. Yukina having to reveal to Shigure that she writes cell phone novels and has been using her life (and his) as material is obviously the big climax, but we aren’t there yet, so instead we see Hisame back in jerk mode, as he tries to redo all the earlier scenes Yukina had with Shigure and “rewrite” those memories with ones featuring him. If nothing else, this shows off his own immaturity. As for Akira and Mami, they get a cliffhanger… I assume. We get a cliffhanger moment, but it’s only two-thirds through the book, and we cut back to Yukina for the rest. Is Akira dying? Confessing? Moving? In any case, perhaps because it comes out slower now, I am more weary of this potboiler. – Sean Gaffney

Monster and the Beast, Vol. 1 | By Renji | Yen Press – The genesis of Monster and the Beast is the result of Renji looking for a fantasy BL manga about a middle-aged man and a non-human, not finding any, and so deciding to simply create one. Cavo is the titular monster, a large and powerful but sensitive and kind-hearted demon who leads a lonely, isolated life since everyone is afraid of him. (Cavo is an absolute dear.) The beast in the title refers to Liam, a sexually insatiable man who doesn’t seem to have a fearful bone in his body and who delightedly hits on anyone and everyone regardless of gender or apparently even species. This tends to get him both out of and into a significant amount of trouble. Various circumstances bring the two together, Cavo acting as Liam’s protector and guide as he flees his pursuers. I’m curious to see how the drama and their so far chaste relationship develop. – Ash Brown

Monster and the Beast, Vol. 1 | By Renji | Yen Press – Theoretically this is the latest in a mini-manga genre we’ve seen of monsters and humans falling in love despite obvious differences. In reality, it turns out to be the latest in a different but equally popular genre, the uke being dragged around by the ridiculously charismatic seme. The uke in this case is the monster, who rescues Liam, a mature gentleman who looks like he stepped out of Ristorante Paradiso, and finds that Liam was in fact, trying to have a good time in the woods with the other men, but it was going badly. The reason to read the book is Liam, who is bisexual and loves to show it off, and the monster’s mind-blown reactions to him – as well as a bit of tortured desire. Not sure how this will play as an extended series, but I liked it. – Sean Gaffney

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, Vol. 4 | By Fumita Yanagida | Seven Seas – There’s a lot of backstory in this book, as we find out how Tomo, Jun and Misuzu all met as kids, how Jun could easily mistake Tomo for a boy, and the bond that forms between them. Back in the present day, though, things are still in stasis, but that may change after a trip to the beach, which involves Tomo actually wearing a bikini top and doing things like licking ice cream off her shoulder, which gets Jun to realize that hey, maybe his tomboy friend who can kick his ass really IS a girl. The other reasons to read this series are Carol and Misuzu, who may have risen to become my favorite supporting characters in a manga. They bounce off each other so well. This is fantastic 4-koma. – Sean Gaffney

Whenever Our Eyes Meet…: A Women’s Love Anthology | By Various Artists | Yen Press – Typically, the characters in this women’s love anthology are professionals, like office workers, café owners, postal clerks, etc. Most of the stories are about the start of a relationship, be it through reuniting with a former coworker in a taxi cab or having a one-night stand turn up in the office the next morning or what have you. It’s pretty cute, but the problem is that the stories are far too short to get any real sense of the characters or for the formation of couples to mean much of anything. My favorite story involved the café owner and an artist, since they had unknowingly mutually inspired each other by being passionate about their work, and my least was the two-page (!) story about a married mother who cheats with a female part-timer. All in all, this just isn’t a keeper for me. – Michelle Smith