Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Sweetness or Destruction?

January 14, 2019 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Katherine Dacey, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ 1 Comment

MICHELLE: It’s been eight months since our last serving of father-daughter culinary adventures, so my enthusiastic pick this week is for volume eleven of Sweetness & Lightning, a series I once described as “eyebleach in manga form.”

SEAN: It has to be Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction for me, a series that gets more riveting with each volume, though I think the ‘lighter and fluffier’ promise the author made about this one may be leaving town soon.

KATE: Since Sean has beat the drum for Dead Dead Demon’s Dedededestruction, I’ll recommend the second volume of Wandering Island instead. The first volume arrived in stores way back in 2016, and barely registered with manga readers. That’s a shame, because Kenji Tsurata’s artwork is flat-out terrific, as is his plucky aviator heroine Mikura. A few critics caviled about the fanservice and the plot, but this Grumpy Old Feminist gives it two thumbs way up.

ASH: There are a lot of great manga being released this week; I’ve got my eye on every series that’s been mentioned so far. I’ll take the opportunity to highlight one more, though, since it’s been more than three years since the release of the first volume of Die Wergelder in English. The series is essentially a pinky violence film in manga form. Steeped in extreme brutality and exploitative eroticism, it’s understandably not for everyone.

ANNA: I’m going to joint with Sean in picking Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction. I procrastinated reading this series for a long time, and once I tried it I was absolutely riveted.

MJ: I’ll admit that I don’t have a solid pick this week, and even with the title I’m most interested in, I’m already eleven volumes behind. But I’ll just go ahead and back Michelle up here on Sweetness and Lightning. I think I really do need to check it out.

Bookshelf Briefs 1/14/19

January 14, 2019 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

After Hours, Vol. 3 | By Yuhta Nishio | Viz Media – The scenes in this book of the rave, before, after and during, as well as what comes next, are fantastic, and the volume is worth picking up for that reason alone. That said, the romance in this third volume is the weak point. Kei abruptly disappears from Emi’s life right as Emi is ready to move into Kei’s life permanently, and while the family issues that Kei has to deal with are understandable, the author seems to think it’s 1959 and not 2019. You have phones! The journey by bus is a long one, but completely doable! There is no need for the ambiguous “maybe ever after” of this ending. That said, overall I found this series highly enjoyable, and if they want to do a sequel with Emi alone running raves, I’m cool with that too. – Sean Gaffney

Chihayafuru, Vol. 14 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Mizusawa has made it to the semi-finals of the national tournament, facing a team led by Megumu Ousaka, a candidate for Queen. Although Chihaya ultimately loses against her, she makes quite the impression on her opponent and others, causing one observer to think, “I never knew another girl this good existed.” I loved that it’s Desk-kun who seals the team’s ultimate victory, but less than an hour later, they’re facing formidable opponents in the finals. Fujisaki is full of Class A players but Chihaya’s opponent has an additional advantage: her grandmother is the reciter and she’s especially attuned to her nuances. Tense, fun, addictive, emotionally rewarding… I always want more when I get current with this series. – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vol. 29-30 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – In Japan, sports manga tend to have varying endings, with either the team winning it all or losing in the semis and resolving to try harder. North America tends to see a lot more of the former, so hope you like our heroes winning. It’s as well-handled as you’d expect, and I really enjoyed the development shown in Kuroko, Kagami, and Akashi here. There’s also a nice epilogue where Riko reminds us there’s a new tournament in the Spring, and they have to recruit! But for now let’s enjoy both their victory and the fact that the old Miracle Generation have mostly resolved their differences. The last shot has the old middle school picture balanced with his high school team, which is lovely to see. Do we get the sequel? – Sean Gaffney

Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 7 | By Fujimomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Last time, I was a little worried that drama fueled by misunderstandings would become the norm for Lovesick Ellie, but I’m happy to report that no longer seems to be the case. While it is true that Ellie’s classmates get the wrong idea about her relationship with Kaname and Ohmi is freaked out by this rival, never at any point does Ohmi think she’s actually cheating on him. In fact, he opens up to Kaname about his insecurities, potentially making a friend in the process, and takes a good look at the kind of boyfriend Kaname could’ve been to her that he presently can’t be. With his focus on acting how other people expect, and remaining the other girls’ princely ideal, he’s never acknowledged Ellie as his girlfriend. Now, he’s ready for people to know how special she is to him. I’m so glad this series is back on track! – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 33 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I will admit the high point of Magi for me was the resolution of my ship, and the rest is just gravy. (Though I did enjoy the naive Alibaba being horrified at having a fight with Morgiana—that seems to have lasted five seconds.) But yeah, Sinbad’s still trying to make the world be at peace, and his methods are growing more and more horrible, as Kou’s dramatic cessation from the Alliance causes him to challenge God and emerge with the “it’s OK if I just mind control everyone to see it my way” solution. Sadly, Aladdin does not see this as anything but despotism. Aladdin is right, of course, but this is still Alibaba’s title, so he gets to mediate between these two. Who will he side with? – Sean Gaffney

Mob Psycho 100, Vol. 1 | By One | Dark Horse – There were several reasons why I was interested in reading Mob Psycho 100, the two most prominent being that One is the original creator of One-Punch Man (which I have been greatly enjoying) and that there was so much excitement surrounding the Mob Psycho 100 anime (which I still need to watch). But the main reason that I’ll continue to read Mob Psycho 100 is that I absolutely loved the first volume. Shigeo is a young man with superhuman powers which he tends to control by suppressing his emotions. Life being life, and middle school being middle school, there’s only so much he can bottle up before exploding. His mentor is Reigen, a spirit medium whose only extraordinary skill seems to be the ability to somehow convince others that he’s a legitimate exorcist despite all evidence to the contrary. Mob Psycho 100 is terrific, with a great sense of quirky humor and heart. – Ash Brown

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 6 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – The volumes of Queen’s Quality seem to alternate between characters saying that Fumi is too weak and characters saying Kyutaro is too weak, and this time around it’s the latter, as he really gets put through the ringer here. The training they have to take on may involve some unsettling looks at Fumi’s background and heritage, which to be fair we’ve known was coming since the first volume. I admit I am somewhat surprised by Ataru’s promotion to sidekick-type character, but he serves it well, though there’s also a nasty flashback to his past I’m sure he’d rather do without. This wasn’t the best volume of Queen’s Quality, but that’s likely as it was transitional, and it’s still pretty solid. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – Asahi’s time as a captive in the underworld is brief, though it does afford us a few nice scenes in which the worried Water Dragon God is trying to find her. Instead, most of the volume is focused on Kurose, a boy from our world who seems to have become the plaything of Tokoyami, the god of the underworld. Kurose had a horrible home life and after potentially dying, he wakes in the underworld and is promptly whisked off to a village where he experiences kindness and a loving family for the first time. That is, until war comes and the Water Dragon God refuses to notice his desperation to save someone he cares about. I’m left to wonder… did this all really happen, or was Tokoyami mentally torturing him to create an ally in a vendetta against the Water Dragon God? Very intriguing! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 8 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – There was a surprising swerve in this volume. After dealing with rescuing Asahi from turning into a rotting zombie, and seeing the Water Dragon God have to deal with these pesky things called feelings, the rest of the volume is devoted to sketching out the tragic backstory of Kurose, the mini-villain from the end of the last volume. Not only is he merely a useful puppet to the true Big Bad, but he’s also a lot closer to Asahi than she might suspect, and has a suitably tragic backstory—in more than one world. I was expecting the adorable little girl he befriends to be horrible killed, and she is, but that may not be the end for her, unfortunately. Riveting. – Sean Gaffney

Off the Shelf: Shoujoriffic!

January 10, 2019 by Michelle Smith and MJ 2 Comments

MICHELLE: Hey, MJ! You know what time it is. Time for my first really terrible joke of 2019. Are you ready?

MJ: Michelle, I was born ready.

MICHELLE: Okay, then. How do you find Will Smith in the snow?

MJ: Um. I don’t know, Michelle. How do you find Will Smith in the snow?

MICHELLE: You follow the fresh prints!

MJ: Okay, I know that was a terrible joke, but since I’m a pretty big fan of the Fresh Prince, I can’t help but appreciate it.

MICHELLE: It is exceedingly terrible but somehow it makes me happy! Anyways, we’ve once more dusted the cobwebs off the shelf because there’s some new manga we want to talk about. Would you like to go first?

MJ: I would! So, I just finished reading Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, which was adapted from the light novel series of the same name and as such, comes with a slew of credits: art by Waco Ioka, original story by Midori Yuma, and character design by Laruha.

Aoi was adopted as a kid by a man named Shiro whom she describes as her grandfather. Shiro was a notorious philanderer, who wandered Japan fathering countless children with his many lovers, so he was hardly wanting for progeny of his own, but he raised Aoi faithfully, even providing for her college tuition after his death. Now alone, Aoi is prepared to make it on her own, but before she can even begin, she’s kidnapped by an ogre named Ōdanna, who whisks her away to the Ayakashi (spirit) world. As it turns out, Ōdanna is the proprietor of a well-respected inn, which Aoi’s grandfather once trashed on a bender. Unable to pay for the damage, Shiro promised Aoi’s hand in marriage as compensation, and Ōdanna’s come to collect. When Aoi refuses, she is offered the opportunity to work off the debt herself, but to do so, she has to find a job somewhere among the Ayakashi, most of whom hate humans, especially her grandfather.

Manga adaptations of light novels are not usually a big draw for me, but they’re also a bit of a rarity for Viz, so I figured it was worth a shot, especially since the supernatural setup is the type of thing I generally enjoy. My immediate reaction was regret. This adaptation begins with pages of narrated exposition that may work perfectly well in the novel but are clunky and awkward in manga form. The setup feels rushed, as though the artist knows that it’s awkward and wants to just push through it to get to the parts of the story that will be easier to tell, which unfortunately renders Aoi as a pretty generic protagonist with no personality in particular outside of a soft spot for Ayakashi and an interest in cooking.

Thankfully, the artist does seem to find their footing about halfway through the volume, and there are some fairly compelling mysteries set up, especially regarding a shape-changing nine-tailed fox named Ginji, who seems to be a friend. Or is he?

MICHELLE: My immediate reaction to your summary is that Shiro sounds like quite the asshole!

I’m sorry to hear that it gets off to a disappointing start. Are the mysteries sufficiently compelling that you think you’ll bother to pick up volume two?

MJ: Shiro indeed seems to have been quite the asshole, though certainly there is a lot of mystery surrounding him as well. For instance, he carefully taught Aoi how to avoid being kidnapped by an ogre, which would indicate that he never intended to surrender her as “payment” after all, and I get the sense that there’s more to the story than Aoi’s being told. And yes, I do think I’d give it at least one more volume. As lukewarm as this began, by the end I really did want to know what was going to happen next. Would Aoi find a job? Is Ginji as harmless as he appears? And what’s up with Akatsuki, the inn’s cranky general manager who really hated Shiro, and his adorably tousled hair?

Oh, and lest our shoujo-loving readers fear, despite being an ogre, Ōdanna is a total hottie with red eyes and cute little horns, which honestly is kind of a disappointment for me, but will probably sit well with the intended demographic.

MICHELLE: Probably. I should also note that a 26-episode anime version aired recently and is available on Crunchyroll last I heard.

MJ: I suspect that an anime adaptation might be more effective, especially for the exposition sections, so perhaps that’s the way to go. I will stick with the manga a bit longer, though!

So, would you like to share what you’ve been reading, Michelle?

MICHELLE: Continuing with the VIZ shoujo trend, I just finished the first two volumes of Shortcake Cake by a duo creating manga under the name suu Morishita. The series runs in Margaret, which is typically a very good indicator that I’m going to like it.

Ten Serizawa is from a very small town where local schools only go through junior high, so she’s had an extremely long commute for her first month of high school. Her long-time friend Ageha has been trying to persuade her to move into the boardinghouse where she lives and finally, after visiting the place, Ten agrees. Because this is shoujo manga, it turns out that the gorgeous, bookish boy that all the girls are obsessed with turns out to live there, too. His name is Chiaki Kasadera.

By the end of the second volume, it’s clear that Ten likes Chiaki, but how we get there is a pretty interesting and complicated route. One of the other boarders is a flirtatious boy named Riku Mizuhara, and he’s intrigued when Ten shuts down his attempts at flirtation. Soon, he’s developed a crush on her that she finds out about almost immediately. She rejects him and to his profound credit, Riku backs off. “I don’t want to pester her and make her hate me.” Chiaki, however, wants the two of them to be happy, so when Riku’s estranged little brother Rei—a wholly odious and imperious little shit who calls Ten by the name “Ugly”—commands Ten to be his girlfriend (just to make Riku miserable), Chiaki claims that he and Ten are actually dating, hoping that this pretend relationship will convince Rei that Riku is already suffering enough. Then, the kid will back off and maybe Riku and Ten can make it work.

Still with me? I grant that all these boys have feelings for Ten incredibly quickly—well, only Riku has officially admitted that he likes her, but I imagine it’s only a matter of time before Chiaki and Rei are forced to examine their real motivations—but at least she’s not an annoying protagonist. What’s really neat, though, is that we actually see inside the boys’ heads! This is exceedingly rare in shoujo manga, so a little bit of narration from a potential love interest goes a long way. I’m sure that it’ll be Chiaki in the end, but Riku is so thoroughly charming that I really want it to be him.

MJ: Okay, so from your summary, I admit that, like you, I’m currently a fan of Riku. I always like the boy who isn’t going to end up with the girl. It’s a lifelong curse. Mostly, though, I’m thinking that this sounds so gloriously shoujo, I must read it right away. I mean, seriously. A boardinghouse. I’m so here for this.

Is there other stuff going on besides the romantic drama? Like, at school?

MICHELLE: Not even a little. Ten’s mother only puts in a brief appearance to consent to the arrangement (though it’s at least suggested that her parents did go have a look around the place and all before she moved in) and school pretty much only exists as a backdrop for Chiaki and Riku to both attempt to walk Ten home so that she doesn’t get menaced by Rei. On the one hand, the protagonist having a well-rounded life is nice, but on the other hand, maybe it means we’ll be spared some of the by now too-familiar shoujo story beats like sports and cultural festivals.

MJ: Fair enough. Sounds like a fun read, in any case. I’ll definitely be digging into these volumes myself.

MICHELLE: I look forward to hearing what you think!

So, to conclude our VIZtacular trio, our mutual read this week was the first two volumes of Ao Haru Ride by Io Sakisaka, who also brought us Strobe Edge. Would you like to do the summation honors?

MJ: Sure! Here we go.

Futaba Yoshioka was a shy junior high school student with no interest in boys, except for Kou Tanaka, whose quiet sweetness mirrored her own. She thought something might happen between them, but when she turned up to meet Kou for a summer festival at his invitation, he never showed, and then his family moved away. Now, she’s in her first year of high school, and when she discovers that Kou is at the same school, she imagines them starting over. But the truth is, they are both so changed, they might as well be different people. He’s become a prickly underachiever to cope with his broken family life, and she’s become a tomboy to stay on the good side of her catty group of friends.

Then everything goes wrong, and Futaba finds herself friendless and isolated in a new class. But when she makes the rash decision to volunteer as class representative, she begins to find new friendships among a collection of loners, one of whom is Kou.

MICHELLE: Nicely done! This series ran in Bessatsu Margaret so, of course, I like it. There are a number of things about the initial setup that are pretty neat. For one, the action doesn’t start on the first day of Futaba’s first year but rather in the last semester, meaning she’s been at the same school with Kou for a very long time without noticing him. He’s in the honors class, which convenes on a different floor, but has definitely noticed her. Secondly, instead of the heroine starting friendless and gradually acquiring them (like Kimi ni Todoke or Waiting for Spring, to name but two recent examples), she starts with some friends. They’re just not really friends because she’s been duping them about who she really is. It’s true that both of those girls are not very nice, but I also appreciated that the dissolution of their friendship was not accompanied by mean-girl antics. Futaba just has to start over, and we’re shown glimpses of two other isolated girls who seem destined to become her true friends.

MJ: I’m struck by the differences between this and my first read here. This series, too, starts off with a lot of narration, but it’s utilized so effectively in Ao Haru Ride. Because Futaba is so shy, most of her thoughts are kept to herself, especially in the beginning, but instead of delivering an exposition dump, this narration is guiding us through Futaba’s realization about her crush on Kou and her interactions with other kids at school. We’re experiencing her thoughts and feelings much the way we would if she were the POV character of a YA novel, but only exactly as much as we need to. We’re shown what’s happened and told how she feels about it. This isn’t something that’s unique about the series at all—it’s exactly what we want to see in shoujo manga, and when it’s done well, it’s kind of invisible. But after reading Kakuriyo, I’m struck by how skillfully Sakisaka utilizes Futaba’s inner monologue.

MICHELLE: And some of the things she thinks are so poignant, too. She spends much of these volumes looking for signs of the old Kou and there’s one moment when she’s looking at him and thinks, “The nape of his neck is familiar but he sounds like a stranger. It makes me feel like crying.” Physically, someone she used to know and love is standing in front of her, but the connection they had has been cut off. I have been there and I thought Sakisaka captured that kind of feeling very well.

And then Kou rightly tells her, “You’re acting like you want to move forward, but you’re holding on to the past,” which I liked, as well. Eventually she decides that only his words are harsh, but that his heart is kind. I was glad she came to that realization in the second volume, because I didn’t want to keep rehashing the contrast to his past self and also, it’ll be nice to see Kou grow, as well.

MJ: Things do seem to happen in this series exactly when we most need them to. Just when I was becoming impossibly frustrated about Futaba’s attachment to the friend group that forced her to hide her true self, she broke free of them. And as you say, just as I was done with her mooning over the boy Kou used to be, she finally let that go as well. The pacing in these volumes is somehow exactly right.

Just as I was typing this up, I saw Shōjo Beat mention on Twitter that the third volume will be out next month, and I felt a surge of glee, so Sakisaka is definitely doing something right.

A bit of an odd confession: I admit that I’ve come to a place as a reader where I’m a bit bored by stories that lack queer characters, so from the beginning I found myself personally casting Kou as trans to help me get into it a little better. Queer readers, If you haven’t tried this with Ao Haru Ride, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

MICHELLE: That’s interesting, especially when he comes back with a whole new name and she keeps using the one he doesn’t identify with anymore!

I had a surge of glee when I was researching Sakisaka and read a little about her current series. Now I really want that one to be licensed here, too!

MJ: Yeah, I really didn’t expect that, but it did capture something poignant and relatable there.

I’d very much like to see more of Sakisaka’s work make its way here, so I guess we’ll cross our fingers!

To celebrate the return of Off the Shelf, MJ’s running a Shortcake Cake giveaway on Twitter! Follow the link to enter!

Bookshelf Briefs 1/7/19

January 7, 2019 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

Bad Friends | By Ancco | Drawn & Quarterly – Only a few Korean comics have so far been released in translation by Drawn & Quarterly, the most recent being Ancco’s internationally award-winning Bad Friends. The work is a devastatingly powerful one, hard-hitting and at times difficult to read due to its emotional heaviness and unflinching portrayal of physical abuse. Bad Friends is told from the perspective of Pearl, a young cartoonist reflecting back upon the good and the bad of her middle school and high school years. At the forefront of her mind is her incredibly important and formative relationship with Jeong-ae, a close friend she hasn’t seen or been in contact with for over a decade. As teenagers, they were both delinquents, finding their own ways to survive in a harsh, cruel, and ugly world; as adults, their lives have taken drastically different paths. Bad Friends isn’t necessarily an easy or comforting read, but it is exceptionally well done. – Ash Brown

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 21 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – “Son of Satan” has always been part of the core of Blue Exorcist, and though Rin is the one who this is talking about, Yukio is apparently not free from Satan. At all. In fact, Satan is apparently talking to people from his eye. So, since his allies aren’t helping him or telling him the truth (well, they’re trying to help him), clearly it’s time to… join the bad guys? Renzo, a natural-born traitor, can help with that. Meanwhile, Mephisto’s getting shot in the head, which doesn’t stop him, but does mean he has to remove the barrier keeping the gate of Gehenna shut. As for Rin, he’s exposed to the full brunt of his power, and it’s almost too much for him, despite Shiemi helping by conjuring up an entire forest. Basically? There’s a LOT here. – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 8 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamaji| Seven Seas – The shoe is on the other foot, and now a girl is telling Accelerator that he should stay away from HER because she doesn’t want him to get involved with her. Naturally, having this flipped around is irritating to Accelerator. Things aren’t helped by his brain starting to bleed because he’s overworked himself, leading to some of the creepiest POV art I’ve seen in a long time. Also, this new arc promises to feature a lot more of Last Order, who has mostly been a mascot for the series so far. But she’s bonding with Matsuri, who is a classic “I am pretending to be arrogant” princess type, and also runs into an overly affectionate young woman who says she’s a chef but may be a villain. For Index fans. – Sean Gaffney

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 13 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – Unsurprisingly, the cliffhanger of Himari being shot by Kasha at the end of volume twelve does not stick. It turns out that he used some kind of ayakashi weapon that expels her soul from her body, allowing him to take over and cast her spirit out of Momochi House. She makes her way back just in time to see him kidnap Aoi. I must say that for a volume where a lot happens, none of it actually lands with any sort of dramatic impact. It’s diverting, I guess, but it’s just not meaningful. (Or memorable, apparently, since there was a character in this volume whom I’d completely forgotten.) However, the next volume does seem to promise the backstory between Aoi and Kasha and I guess I’m at least marginally interested in that. I’ll keep reading for now. – Michelle Smith

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 7 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – There’s some amazing horse racing in the first half of this book, which shows off the difference in how the races were run, and also allows Shiraishi to humiliate himself once more. But it’s somewhat overbalanced by the second half, which features our heroes trying to take down not one, not two, but three killer bears, all around the estates of an American Southern Gentlemen. We get the usual reasons we read Golden Kamuy—horrific violence that is also somehow amusing, disgusting-yet-useful discussions of rectal plugs, and two yakuza who are also flamboyantly gay in a stereotypical but nevertheless interesting way. Golden Kamuy is many things, including violent and sometimes gross, but it is never dull. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 30 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – It’s day two of the spring tournament and Karasuno is up against Inarizaki. The player who gets the spotlight this time is Tanaka, who hasn’t played great so far, and we get the backstory of his first year on the team. I really appreciated this look into the mindset of a mentally tough player who admits he’s not the best at anything, but refuses to give up. “I got totally down on myself for whole seconds!” he confesses later. Of course, he gets his moment of vindication and Karasuno wins set one. Next, we check in on Nekoma and delve into Kenma’s backstory. While I’d ordinarily be kind of annoyed at a shift away from our leads at a pivotal moment, this is a really affecting exploration of the disaffected-seeming setter who will give his all for his friends. I might’ve sniffled a time or two. – Michelle Smith

Hungry for You: Endo Yasuko Stalks the Night, Vol. 2 | By Flowerchild | Seven Seas – While this is another in what seems like a lot of manga series lately that read like they were cancelled rather than naturally ended, this second volume is pretty satisfying. We get some backstory for Yasuko, as well as a mastermind who turns out to be a lot closer than folks were expecting. That said, I found the ending most interesting, as I was very much expecting that Shizue was going to join Yasuko in her undead life, and that just doesn’t happen; Yasuko says she wants to be there with Shizue, but admits she’s going to get married, have children, and die eventually. It’s a more melancholy ending than I thought, but it fits this series, which is still cute and sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 6 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The anime is starting possibly as you read this, and I hope it’s a good adaptation, especially for the faces. The faces in this series are absolutely amazing, and this volume is here to provide a bevy of brilliant ones, mostly from Kaguya. She’s learning, but it’s a long and difficult process, and Miyuki is, frankly, much better at flirting when he’s unaware he is, as the rooftop Princess Kaguya story entails. That said, the student council has moved on now… or have they? Will our heroes come together for a new student council? Or will the girl who we see on the last page and is clearly meant to be a new character throw a spanner in the works. Don’t know, but this hilarious series makes me want to read more. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 15 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | VIZ Media – The martial arts tournament is finally over! Unfortunately, Saitama is bummed because he didn’t meet anyone who could challenge him. He felt nothing, learned nothing, and gained nothing. While he’s lamenting having gotten too strong, he even ends up defeating the hero hunter with one kick without even realizing it. I don’t know where ONE is headed with Saitama’s massive ennui, but the rest of the plotline features the Monster Association demanding that the Hero Association send its strongest fighters to rescue the kid (son of an important donor) that they’ve taken hostage. I keep waiting for Saitama to finally achieve recognition, and I don’t know whether to hope this’ll be his chance or to feel like I ought to know better than to expect that from this series. Still a lot of fun! – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Full Circle

January 7, 2019 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Katherine Dacey, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s hard this week for me to pick between my perennial lost cause Hayate the Combat Butler and the final volume of Spirit Circle. I think I’ll go with the latter as Hayate will no doubt still be coming out ten years from now.

MICHELLE: Seeing as how there’s not much else that calls out to me, my pick this week is volume seven of Lovesick Ellie. I was a little concerned about the direction the series was taking in the last volume, so here’s hoping that this next one offers some reassurance.

KATE: There’s nothing on this week’s list that floats my boat, so I’m going to recommend a title that was released just a few days before Christmas: ABARA. It’s a beautiful, haunting, and strange manga that’s stayed with me longer than any of Tsutomu Nihei’s other series — and that’s saying something, considering Nihei has at least *two* series in which a talking bear is a significant character.

ASH: ABARA is indeed an engaging manga and probably my favorite work by Nihei to be released in English so far. But this week I’m with Sean in picking the final volume of Spirit Circle. I’ve really been enjoying the series.

MJ: There’s nothing that really draws me in this week, so I’m going to use my pick to boost the signal about something cool going on in another area of publishing right now, which is the Kidlit for Trans Rights auction ending tonight at midnight. Some of the prizes you can bid on are very writer-specific, like query or first pages critiques from agents, but there are also a slew of signed books and annotated copies from authors to bid on, and it could not be for a better cause. If you’re a fan of children’s, middle grade, or YA books, check it out!

Manga the Week of 1/9/19

January 5, 2019 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s a quiet week unless you like Kodansha’s digital-only titles. What’s out next week?

J-Novel Club gives us a 5th volume of The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar.

Kodansha, print-wise, has a 15th Attack on Titan: Before the Fall. This is one long prequel.

ASH: The manga adaptation adds more to the story than is found in the original light novel. Actually for the better, I think.

Digitally, there’s quite a bit. Kasane finishes up with Vol. 14, and Fuuka comes to an end with the 20th volume. There’s also Alicia’s Diet Quest 2, Boarding School Juliet 7, Kamikamikaeshi 7, Lovesick Ellie 7, Starving Anonymous… 6, and Tokyo Alice 7. Boo, Starving Anonymous, you need to get with the 7s program!

MICHELLE: I’ll at least be reading Lovesick Ellie! I need to check out Tokyo Alice one of these days, too.

ANNA: I have come to peace with the fact that there are many series that I will never be familiar with, and this list represents many digital manga I am not reading.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Dragon Quest Monsters +, a sequel to the old Gameboy video game. It ran in Shonen Gangan back in 2000, so is something of a surprise license.

ANNA: Sounds fairly obscure!

SEAN: We also see Captain Harlock Dimensional Voyage 7, Himouto Umaru-chan 4, and the 6th and final Spirit Circle.

ASH: I’ve fallen behind with Dimensional Voyage but have recently caught up with Spirit Circle. I eagerly look forward to the next (although sadly last) volume. The series has been excellent.

SuBLime has an 11th volume of The World’s Greatest First Love.

And Viz gives us Case Closed 69, Hayate the Combat Butler 33, and Radiant 3. Always happy to see Hayate getting volumes published and not kicked to the curb like a dog.

ANNA: My kids like Radiant!

SEAN: And that’s it. See anything interesting there?

MJ: No, but maybe one of you will persuade me.

Bookshelf Briefs 12/31/18

December 31, 2018 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

After Hours, Vol. 3 | By Yuhta Nishio | VIZ Media – Well, After Hours is over already. Ultimately, it just doesn’t feel like three volumes was enough. I suppose if you look at this more as the story of Emi finding something to be passionate about, then it was the right length, but in terms of really understanding the two leads and their relationship, I don’t feel I ever really got there. I should’ve felt something when Kei mysteriously disappeared, suddenly deciding to be a dutiful daughter and help her parents recover from a business loss, but I didn’t. Possibly because it seemed like one page she was ready to call it off with Emi, and by a couple of pages later, the crisis was averted and they were trembling thinking about their future together. It was an enjoyable series, but sadly not a favorite. – Michelle Smith

Ao-chan Can’t Study!, Vol. 3 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The series continues to toe the line but not actually cross it, which is good as crossing it would make this an entirely different sort of series. So even though our hero is inadvertently slipped an aphrodisiac, and really want to bang our heroine, he is a good boy and tells her to get away from him for the time being. Ao, meanwhile, is still very unclear as to what she wants—and it is genuinely affecting her studies. This means the climax of the book is Kijima thinking that it’s for he best if he stays away from her, even though he’s clearly fallen for her. How is Ao going to balance having a good education with her boiling hormones? We’ll see next book, and I think an anime is coming as well. – Sean Gaffney

CITY, Vol. 4 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – A stronger volume of Nichijou than the previous one. The “main” plot, such as it is, involves Nagumo being locked in a tower and forced to have a massive award ceremony telling her she’s amazing. Since this is clearly not to be trusted, she resolves to escape. Sadly, escape turns out to be… ridiculously easy, so much so that there’s a lot of desperate tsukkomi going on. Meanwhile, Niikura races all over the city trying to retrieve a pendant with an embarrassing photo that has gotten tangled with a cat. Even the stories that aren’t about the trio are pretty good this time around, with my favorite being the school playing a “mock detective” game. CITY is built on weird humor, and this volume gives you that in spades. – Sean Gaffney

Dragon Half, Omnibus 3 | By Ryusuke Mita | Seven Seas – Much to my surprise, the plot does gain more importance as we reach the end of Dragon Half, though it will never quite be as important as sheer dumb humor. And I do mean the dumbest humor—some of these jokes are so amazingly lowbrow you laugh from sheer shock that the author bothered. This is, of course, the point—who wants Dragon Half with subtle intelligent humor? That said, Mink clears her name, defeats the demon lord, does not transform into a hideous monster, and marries her beloved Dick Saucer, whose backstory actually manages to be tragic. There’s even an epilogue showing off the next generation. Dragon Half was a terrific series for fans of old-school manga, and I’m very happy it was licensed. – Sean Gaffney

Giant Killing, Vol. 15 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The flashback to ten years ago continues! Tatsumi has emerged as the ace of ETU and his performance in the derby against Tokyo Victory draws a lot of attention. For his part, Tatsumi is (even then) seeing chances others can’t and coordinating his teammates to take advantage of them and never once plays like he’s the star. Once he’s injured and ETU falters, it hurts him to hear angry fans lambasting his teammates. Meanwhile, the president of the club wants to show as many people as possible Tatsumi’s entrancing soccer, which seems like a good thing, but we end the volume with this guy ordering the coach to put a not-fully-recovered Tatsumi in the next game so as not to disappoint the fans. I have a feeling the next volume is going to be hellaciously frustrating. What a great series, though. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 16 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – Kodansha may not cancel series for low sales, but series that aren’t performing do tend to come out veeeeeeery far apart. That seems to be the fate of Missions of Love, which now seems to be down to twice a year. Fortunately, it’s almost done. Everyone has confessed, but that’s hardly the be-all and end-all, even in shoujo manga. Yukina has to meet the parents. Hisame is back to behaving like an absolute ass. And Yukina’s literary career… and her use of her own life as a template for it… is finally coming out into the open. Is this something that can be forgiven? Oh, probably, but I imagine there will be even more drama next time around. Which is good, as overblown drama is why this series exists. – Sean Gaffney

Outdoors | By Yuichi Yokoyama | Breakdown Press – The three nature-themed stories collected in Outdoors were originally published online in 2009, the first and so far only time that Yokoyama created manga for a website. Interestingly, according to the short interview by Ryan Holmberg also included in the volume, Yokoyama doesn’t own a computer and strictly works using traditional media—he’s never even seen the site on which his manga was released. In general Yokoyama’s work tends to be something that I appreciate more than enjoy. While the short manga in Outdoors are visually striking—especially important as they contain no dialogue and almost no story—they also have a sense of cold detachment. In the interview Yokoyama notes that he has no interest in portraying human emotions or drama, so I think the effect is a deliberate one. I can recognize Yokoyama as an accomplished artist, but when experiencing his work I personally miss having that emotional core. – Ash Brown

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 4 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – If this series were even one small molecule less silly than it is, Syalis would be a hateful monster. The things she does to the demons in this book absolutely boggle the mind. Fortunately, this is absolutely a silly, silly manga and therefore Syalis’ sociopathic attempts for the perfect sleep are absolutely hilarious. She tries to hibernate, carves up even more ghosts, and gets kidnapped by Hades, which as you can imagine does not go very well for him, because Syalis is a law unto herself. Even when she shows a smidgen of humanity, such as when trying to get chocolates on Valentine’s Day, it’s still funny. I want to see this get even more over the top and sadistic. Fun, fun manga. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 10 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – If there’s anyone that can make Midosouji somewhat more redeemable, it’s Onoda, and he manages to achieve it here. Day Three may be a little more difficult, though. Not only do we meet a new rival who’s an absolute creep, hitting on Kanzaki and reminding us briefly that women do exist in this manga. (And then she goes away again.) But even more importantly, the third day is not about teamwork and working together, it’s ‘the fastest one wins.’ So Onoda finds himself overwhelmed by a whole new experience. Fortunately, he’s reminded how much he loves this and recovers. Still, this final day looks to be the most mentally exhausting. Will it end in the next omnibus? I doubt it somehow. Great sports manga. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Brides, Beds, and Breakfasts

December 31, 2018 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, Katherine Dacey, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

ASH: It’s the first week of the new year and I’m already behind! So many great manga were released last year and it seems that trend will continue this year as well. For me the debut that’s caught my eye this week is Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits. A yokai and food manga? There’s no way I could resist.

SEAN: I’m interested in that as well, and also new volumes of Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and One-Punch Man. But after a humdinger of a volume last time, I’m going to be picking up The Water Dragon’s Bride the moment I get it, so that’s my pick this week!

MICHELLE: Yes, yes, yes! The Water Dragon’s Bride has always been good, but volume seven was especially so and even thinking of one particular moment gives me geekbumps. Can’t wait for volume eight!

KATE: I’m still excavating my pile of unread manga, too! If I had to choose something — and death was not an option — my pick would go to the third volume of Dr. STONE, an awesomely silly Shonen Jump title with a hero so dumb he makes a ham sandwich look good by comparison. I know, I know — I’m not doing a good job of selling it — but it’s a fine bit of escapism if you need it. Lord knows I do!

MJ: I’m firmly with Ash this week, since basically everything about Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits sounds like my kind of manga. Count me in for this!

ANNA: I’m interested in Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, but I’m so invested in the complex story of Water Dragon’s Bride, that it has the edge. That’s my pick!

Manga the Week of 1/2/19

December 28, 2018 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s the new year! 2019 manga! Fortunately, January is always the lightest month of the year, so there’s not TOO much of it. Yet.

ASH: I’m ready! (If you ignore the giant “to be read” pile of 2018 manga and novels still waiting for me…)

ANNA: I’m not ready!

SEAN: Apologies to Bookwalker, as I always forget when they release a new volume of The Ryuo’s Work Is Never Done. The 6th novel is already out.

Dark Horse has a 2nd Gantz omnibus.

J-Novel Club has a 3rd Sorcerous Stabber Orphen.

Kodansha debuts in print a title that’s come out digitally already, and is also getting an anime soon. The Quintessential Quintuplets sounds like classic Shonen Magazine romantic comedy.

In print, Kodansha also has a 10th Aho-Girl, the 10th (and final) Descending Stories, and a 4th Tokyo Tarareba Girls.

ASH: I’ll admit, I’m not following many of Kodansha’s print series right now, but I’m definitely picking up Descending Stories and Tokyo Tarareba Girls.

MICHELLE: I read a little Descending Stories and really liked it. I need to go back and have a marathon now that the final volume is coming out!

SEAN: Digitally, there doesn’t SEEM to be a debut, but I already know they sometimes add those at the last minute. There are definitely new digital volumes for Can You Just Die My Darling? (7), Can I Kiss You Every Day? (3), Chihayafuru (14), and The Prince Romance Gambit 6.

MICHELLE: It seems like the Chihayafuru releases are coming a bit faster now, so huzzah.

ANNA: More for me to get caught up on with Chihayafuru. I’m hoping to make some headway over winter break.

SEAN: Seven Seas doesn’t realize it’s 2019 already, so is releasing these manga while it’s still 2018! Due to the nature of this list it still counts, though. There’s A Certain Scientific Accelerator 8, Devilman Grimoire 5 (a final volume), High-Rise Invasion 5-6, Hungry for You: Endo Yasuko Stalks the Night 2 (also a final volume), and Magika Swordsman and Summoner 10.

And there is Viz, rounding things out with a heaping helping of shonen and shoujo. The debut is Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits (Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi: Ayakashi Oyado ni Yomeiri Shimasu), and is an Enterbrain title, from Comic B’s Log. It’s about a young girl who, not wanting to marry a demon to clear her debt, ends up employed at an inn… for the afterlife. Sounds like a good title for Kamisama Kiss fans.

ASH: I’m looking forward to giving this one a try!

MICHELLE: Hm. Could be good!

ANNA: Sounds promising!

SEAN: There’s also Anonymous Noise 12, Blue Exorcist 21, The Demon Prince of Momochi House 13, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 4, Dr. STONE 3, Dragon Ball Super 4, Haikyu!! 30, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 6, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes 3, One-Punch Man 15, the final Rurouni Kenshin 4-in-1, Skip Beat! 3-in-1 13, Twin Star Exorcists 14, and The Water Dragon’s Bride 8.

ASH: Quite a few in this list that I’m reading, too!

MICHELLE: Forsooth. I just wish that Skip Beat! volume was new material!

ANNA: Me too. Always glad for another volume of Water Dragon’s Bride.

SEAN: So, y’know, there’s a lot. Just not as much as the past few weeks. What interests you?

Pick of the Year: A Year of Terrific Manga

December 27, 2018 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N, Katherine Dacey and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: This week is a bit light on stuff, so it’s a good time for the pick of the year. I’ve already talked about Silver Spoonin other end of year wrapups, so let me take the time to praise two other series I love to bits, both from Viz: The Promised Neverland and Yona of the Dawn. Each are the top of their genre, shonen and shoujo respectively, and also great manga for teens.

MICHELLE: If someone had asked me to name the best shounen and shoujo series that I read this year, I would have the exact same picks as Sean (with My Hero Academia and Takane & Hana as runners-up). So, instead I’ll highlight my favorite josei and seinen releases of the year—Chihayafuru and Giant Killing, both brought to us by Kodansha’s digital-first initiative. It’s been really neat to see sports manga from a more grown-up perspective, and I recommend each series heartily.

ASH: When it comes to the end of the year, I usually try to get away with picking a publisher as a whole. This year, Seven Seas has continued to impress me with the variety found in its catalog, everything from autobio comics like The Bride Was a Boy, to classics like Devilman (in multiple incarnations), to the publisher’s first BL offering Go For It, Nakamura!, and so much more.

ANNA: The titles that first came to mind for me for pick of the year were Water Dragon’s Bride and Yona of the Dawn, truly excellent shoujo series. It has been a great year of shoujo in general, and I’m also thankful that we are also getting titles like Ao Haru Ride translated in English. I finally got around to reading three volumes of Inio Asano’s Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction last night and thought it was amazing. I’m going to recommend Dead Dead Demon as my pick for the year.

KATE: I agree with Ash: my pick of the year is not a series but a publisher. Seven Seas has emerged as one of the boldest US publishers, licensing classic and queer-friendly manga, all while keeping their original readership happy by providing a steady stream of monster girl series and light novels. The company’s monthly licensing survey is another brilliant strategy, as it gives fans a say in what Seven Seas publishes. So my hat’s off to Seven Seas!

MJ: There’s been a lot to love this year in manga, and like my colleagues, I’m impressed with what Seven Seas has become. But I can’t deny that this year, my heart belongs to Silver Spoon. There’s honestly no other series that’s captured my attention so completely this year. It’s funny, original, and charming in a way that is entirely unique to its creator. I maintain a manga lending library in my voice studio, and I had the pleasure just a week or so ago of introducing Fullmetal Alchemist to a pair of 16-year-old twins for the first time. Since I hadn’t read the series in so long, I gave myself a quick refresher read of the first few volumes, and I was reminded all over again of what a masterful storyteller Hiromu Arakawa is, and how emotionally rich her characters and relationships are. Silver Spoon is obviously a very different manga, but I’m struck by how much her artistry has continued to deepen and mature. Each new volume is an absolute pleasure to read. Silver Spoon has to be my Pick of the Year!

Bookshelf Briefs 12/26/18

December 26, 2018 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

Abara | By Tsutomu Nihei | Viz Media – Although it’s up for debate how directly or tangentially related Abara actually is to Knights of Sidonia, in my mind the manga is unquestionably a precursor to Nihei’s later work. Even if they take different forms, the two series at the very least share elements of the same dystopic vision, a grim future in which humanity’s survival is not guaranteed in the face of the existence of creatures known as Gauna. Collected in a single, deluxe hardcover volume (along with another of Nihei’s earlier stories, “Digimortal”), Abara feels like the beginning of something grand even while being a complete work unto itself. Rather than prioritizing a narrative telling a coherent story, more than anything else the plot serves as a vehicle to showcase Nihei’s artwork and the astonishing, nightmarish atmosphere it creates. And that is just fine—the illustrations in Abara are stunning, managing to be simultaneously beautiful and grotesque. – Ash Brown

Again!!, Vol. 6 | By Mitsurou Kubo | Kodansha Comics – In the original timeline, the fate of the ouendan was sealed when Usami was responsible for a disaster at a baseball practice game. This time, Imamura is working very hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. True, he still blames himself for the team’s eventual loss, since he wounded the pitcher’s fragile ego, but some things have clearly changed as a result of his actions. Namely, Usami is able to get the crowd on their side, rallying their spirits with her cheers when all seemed lost, and earning some praise from the school principal for her leadership. Sometimes this series is frustrating in that characters have to work harder for the kind of sports manga successes that make me sniff, but man, there are a few brief, glorious moments in this volume that are all the sweeter for having been hard-won. – Michelle Smith

Giant Spider & Me, Vol. 3 | By Kikori Morino | Seven Seas – There’s a bit of seriousness at the start of the third Giant Spider manga, as we find out why our kidnapper is so upset about the spider—his daughter was clawed by a cute baby bear, and died from an infection from the wounds. The rest of the volume, though, is relatively sedate, and even the big finale, in which Asa appears to be either ill or grumpy but is merely molting is pretty low-key. And yes, it’s a big finale as this is the final volume, even though the author says they know Nagi and Asa have lots more adventures. This is the sort of series that doesn’t really need a dramatic climax, but Nagi has changed thanks to her giant spider friend—she’s now surrounded by other friends as well. This was sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Girls’ Last Tour, Vol. 5 | By Tsukumizu| Ywn Press – Each volume of this gets darker than the last, while still maintaining its mood of “two girls wander around a city in their tank.” Chito almost dies a couple of times, and sprains her ankle at one point, leading to Yuu attempting to do leader-like things, which does lead to some laughs. And there’s a fascinating sequence when they look at modern art in a deserted museum. They’re still going up, though, and are helped in this (after breaking into a building using more high explosives) by an AI unit that begs for them to turn it off. We also get a flashback to how their journey began, showing that they were kids staying with adults at one point, and that things are terrible all over. One more volume to go. Will it end in death? – Sean Gaffney

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 16 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – The big surprise in this volume is that the student council president happens to be Yozora’s older sister. We’ve seen for a while that family issues are a large part of what makes Yozora the way she is, and it’s no surprise that she’s in a relatively foul mood this volume, where the Neighbors Club and the Student Council go on a vacation together. Before that, though, we do get Yozora returning to the Neighbors Club, and a virtual reality game that I will just gloss over as I found it the weakest part of the book. And for fans of Kodaka and Sena, there’s the final scene, even though it’s just a dream that… Rika has? Why is Rika dreaming of things like that? A good, fun volume, though even more perverse than usual. – Sean Gaffney

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 3 | By Takuto Kashiki | Yen Press – Adorable and relaxing take a back seat to ADVENTURE in this volume, as Conju is kidnapped while in a “rough section” of town, requiring a rescue that involves a lost liquor, hang-gliding, and lots of faux badasses who really aren’t all that. It’s a heck of a lot of fun, and really shows off our heroes at their best. They also do well taking Hakumei’s boss out for a day on the town, showing him that life is not just work 24/7. And there’s a chapter involving sweets and some badgers that is quite funny. I’m really enjoying this series, though it has to be said—Hakumei and Mikochi are a married couple, they’re just not aware of it yet. (Nor do I expect that to change.) – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 4 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – How much you enjoy this volume may depend on how much you can take “I am oblivious to even a direct confession” on the part of Riko, which makes Kai once again spend half the book holed up in his room wondering where everything went wrong. Even when he returns to school and tries to take up his playboy ways once more, things go wrong—right now Riko needs a good friend more than a boyfriend, and if Kai’s not there, well, maybe Takaya will do. (Honestly, Takaya seems to be like he has his own issues, which I suspect may get revealed in a future volume.) Will Riko ever get Kai’s feelings? Does she like him back? Is she even ready to move on? And what of Ayumi, the intrepid newshound? Hatsu*Haru is a well-written soap. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 12 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – I imagine there may be some people who have dropped Horimiya by now, and I get it—Hori is sort of a terrible person, groping her friends and joking about getting “technical” consent, and still being upset that Miyamura isn’t hitting her like she really wants him to. She’s a bit of a teenage mess, really. Fortunately, the cast around her have their shit together, so I don’t think things will get that bad. Honestly, seeing Hori groping Sakura reminded me that Sakura is one of the group now—in fact, one chapter has other students surmise that she may have a harem of hot guys. I still love reading Horimiya, even as it’s gone from “romance I’d happily recommend” to “problematic fave.” – Sean Gaffney

Slumbering Beauty, Vol. 2 | By Yumi Unita | Seven Seas – For the most part this was an OK, not great final volume of this series. The majority of it deals with Nerimu’s master trying to recruit Yoneko for the job permanently, and Nerimu trying to point out that this would involve essentially dying. That said, there was a fantastic moment near the end, as Yoneko is shown that her neglectful parents started off with good intentions and are not merely terrible people. And Yoneko says that this is true, and acknowledges it… but also reminds readers (and Nerimu) that the majority of her time growing up has been spent unhappy, and seeing that her parents have good sides as well is not going to change that. Still, at least she decides to live on for now. Like other Unita series, this was weird but worth reading. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 10 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – The third and final day of the Inter-High begins and since Midousuji got a somewhat sympathetic backstory that might be the start of a redemption arc of sorts it’s time to introduce another odious foe, this time in the form of Eikichi Machimiya, a schemer from Hiroshima who’s got a huge grudge against Hakone due to how things played out the previous year. This is a pretty fun volume, since Machimiya organizes a huge peloton that gobbles up stray riders, Jaws-like, and Sohoku must contend with leaving Onoda—who worked so hard on previous days for the team—behind to be devoured. Tadokoro even cries. Of course, plucky Onoda can’t be counted out yet, but neither can Hiroshima! Looking forward to the next installment, as always. – Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 12/26/18

December 20, 2018 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: Christmas is over! At least for Manga the Week of. We’re looking beyond that to Boxing Day. Is there manga? There is!

ASH: Hooray!

SEAN: And there are also light novels. J-Novel Club has a 5th volume of Infinite Stratos and the 3rd Kokoro Connect.

Kodansha has, for print, a 13th Fire Force and a 16th Missions of Love (still not over, but coming out so rarely that it seems like it is.)

ASH: It does seem like it has been a while.

SEAN: Digitally there’s a lot more, as we see Ace of the Diamond 18, Ao-chan Can’t Study! 3, Defying Kurosaki-kun 6, Forest of Piano 9, Liar x Liar 9, and Mikami-sensei’s Way of Love 2.

MICHELLE: Most of that is shoujo that doesn’t appeal to me, but at least there’s Ace of the Diamond and Forest of Piano!

SEAN: The rest of the list is Seven Seas. The new title is Ojojojo, the latest in the “Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid was such a huge hit that we’ll license everything else by the same author” series. It’s coming out in an omnibus of the first two books, and does look pretty cute. It’s about two different types of outcasts who bond at school.

There’s also the 2nd manga volume of Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average?!, the 3rd and final Dragon Half omnibus, a 3rd Giant Spider & Me (also a final volume), the 6th (and, yes, final) volume of NTR – Netsuzou Trap, and the 2nd volume of Slumbering Beauty, which is – try to contain your surprise – the final volume.

MICHELLE: One of these days I really will read Giant Spider & Me.

ASH: I’ve been delighted by it! Dragon Half is fun, too, and I liked the first volume of Slumbering Beauty as well.

SEAN: Has all the manga ended? Or was this merely Seven Seas’ CLEVER PLAN? Also, what are you buying?

ASH: Looks like it will be a Seven Seas sort of week for me!

MJ: Okay, so I’m probably not into any of this, but I just wanted to keep you all company. Hi.

Bookshelf Briefs 12/18/18

December 18, 2018 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 2 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – Changing yourself is hard. As is high school. As a result, much of this volume revolves around Futaba’s good intentions and attempts to make everything somehow work out not succeeding very well. We are definitively introduced to what appear to be the rest of the core cast, though some of them are still mostly ciphers. The main story is still about Futaba and Kou, and they can’t really go backwards. Still, do they want to go forwards? Trying to fall in love while also trying to make friends and get through school is the reason most high school romances don’t work out. Still, this is shoujo manga, so they have a leg up on real life. I’m enjoying this series so far, even though it’s more dramatic than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 4 | By Matoba | Yen Press – Since my last review, the anime has come out, and while I’m watching it and quite like it, there’s no denying it’s a bit of a bomb in the Western fandom. But I’m sorry, the series is just so cute and fluffy it can’t help but put a smile on my face, except when the shotacon shows up, when I flick pages fast till she’s gone. There is a lot of focus here on Molech, the loud and outgoing demon who is the quintessential obnoxious extrovert stereotype. Since I can be like this at times as well, though never to this level, I can sympathize. Mostly, though, you read this to see Beelzebub and Mullin have adorable crushes on each other, and to see Belphegor’s disastrous crush (and bladder issues, which I could also do without). Not good, but I don’t really care. – Sean Gaffney

The Delinquent Housewife!, Vol. 2 | By Nemu Yoko | Vertical Comics – The first volume had the focus on Komugi, the housewife who’s trying to hide her delinquent past. The second book looks more at Dai, her brother-in-law who is falling in love with her despite himself. I will admit, I’m more interested in Komugi’s past than I am Dai’s crush on an older woman. The reason that Dai’s family hates delinquents so much is one of those things that seems minor but to the people involved is a huge deal, and I like that Komugi gets that immediately. She’s just a nice girl, and I think she should eventually win over the family, assuming her husband ever returns. Will that happen? Good question, and I suspect we’ll get more love comedy chapters before it’s answered. – Sean Gaffney

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 9 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – The trouble with side-story manga like these is that they eventually have to follow the plot of the main series. Which is fine, and it’s nice to see Tatsuya being cool, but watching the main cast of this series sit in the audience and cheer him on is not really the reason I want to read this manga. Fortunately, we get to see Honoka’s match before this, which was not in the novel, and it’s pretty nifty, showing off her abilities to a good extent—she’s no Miyuki, but there’s a reason she does so well. As for Miyuki, we get the scene where she mocks Erika for having a brother complex, but I dunno, I don’t feel it plays as well in this format. A lesser volume of a good series. – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 29-30 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | VIZ Media – Kuroko’s Basketball comes to a close in this fifteenth and final omnibus. It’s the Winter Cup finals and Seirin is facing off against Rakuzan, a formidable team that not only includes Akashi but three of the “uncrowned generals.” There is a fair bit here that is ridiculous, like spectators being able to discern when a player has activated his “wild instincts” or accessed another level of “the zone,” but there is also a lot to like, including some welcome spotlights on background players like Koganei and Izuki. I confess that I sniffled when a certain person in the stands yelled encouragement when Seirin was about to give up. And then everyone learns a valuable lesson about teamwork. Ultimately, Kuroko’s Basketball wasn’t the best sports manga I’ve ever read, but it was consistently entertaining and comes to a satisfying conclusion. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia, Vol. 16 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – I was right about this being all action, and there’s a lot of cool fights throughout, though I wish Uraraka and Tsuyu got more to do. That said, even Midoriya doesn’t get quite as much of a spotlight. Instead we get Kirishima, who’s dealing with his quirk still being a work in progress. We get his past in this volume, where he’s a lot meeker and more indecisive guy. It’s nice to see someone like Kirishima, clearly a different person in middle school, contrast with his classmate Ashido, who is pretty much exactly the same then as now. That said, the bad guys are doing pretty well for themselves, and our heroes still aren’t anywhere near Eri. Oh, and here comes Himiko Toga and her orgasm faces again to make things creepier. Solid volume. – Sean Gaffney

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 7 | By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu | VIZ Media – The underground shelter that the kids find at the coordinates provided by William Minerva turns out to be amazing—beds, hot water, clean clothes!—but not only is the man himself not present, they’ve got to contend with a mentally unstable guy who made the escape himself thirteen years ago and whose companions all died in a mysterious manner. By the end of the volume, he’s agreed to guide Ray and Emma to the next place while plotting to kill them and has purposefully set a bunch of man-eating creatures on them. This guy is pretty fascinating, and I continue to love the problem-solving elements of the series and the intelligent lead characters, but my favorite aspect is just how badass Emma is getting. Some of the shock value in this series has subsided, but it’s still a really terrific story. – Michelle Smith

Takane & Hana, Vol. 6 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – This volume introduces a big wrench in the plot, and it’s just at the right moment, too. Takane was starting to get a bit too far ahead in the relationship, and when you have something like this, with an adult businessman and a high school girl, you just can’t let the power balance get too one-sided. So I approve highly of Takane’s grandfather’s actions, even as they seem to completely break Takane, who we see is far more reliant on having lots of money than even the reader had previously expected. As for Hana, well, she may be falling for him, and admitting it to herself, but let’s face it, it’s all about that last scene, which made me laugh with glee. I love it when these two smug at each other. – Sean Gaffney

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, Vol. 2 | By Fumita Yanagida | Seven Seas – The expansion of the cast comes at just the right time, as we’ve got a number of volumes still to go, and I know that Tomo and Jun aren’t going to be getting together in any of them. So it’s nice to see that we also have another hilariously oblivious relationship involving Carol, who is not nearly as airheaded as she acts, and her childhood friend Kosuke, who thinks of her as a little sister, much to her exasperation. We also get to see the seemingly perfect and stoic Misuzu get jealous, something that is so unusual that everyone seems to be commenting on it. I am very happy with this series as it does not focus entirely on the romance between Tomo and Jun (or lack thereof), but Tomo’s friendships. – Sean Gaffney

Versailles of the Dead, Vol. 1 | By Kumiko Suekane | Seven Seas – I’m a little worn out on zombie fiction, so it takes a bit more to secure my interest in a series than it simply emerging from that particular subgenre. In the case of Versailles of the Dead, that something extra is cross-dressing and 18th-century French court intrigue. Albert is the twin brother of Marie Antoinette, close enough in appearance that he has on occasion served as her body double. When Marie dies while traveling on her way to become Queen, Albert once again takes her place. There is quite a bit going on in Versailles of the Dead—palace infighting, demonic possession, political and religious schemes, supernatural plots, and the beginnings of a revolution to name only a few prominent elements—so much that the series hasn’t completely found its footing yet. But it’s more than enough for this dark historical fantasy to compel me to read the second volume. – Ash Brown

The Young Master’s Revenge, Vol. 4 | By Meca Tanaka | VIZ Media – “All I can do is try my best to become worthy of her. In order to achieve that, I’m abandoning all my pride and learning to love turtles.” Man, I’d forgotten how dumb The Young Master’s Revenge is. Tenma loves Leo, but she’s convinced he’ll reject her once she admits it, since he told her as much earlier in the story. Leo loves Tenma, but he thinks she hates him for how he treated her. A lot of stupid misunderstandings ensue and then they finally get together—after he learns to embrace the turtle-inflicted scars on his butt as precious memories—and I just honestly could not care less. At least it’s over. – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Invitation from a Pick

December 17, 2018 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: Hm… I think this week I’m going to go with Elegant Yokai Apartment Life. I started watching the anime recently and it’s charming and weird, which has vaulted the manga to the top (well, near the top, at least) of my to-read pile.

SEAN: I’ve heard good things about Invitation from a Crab, and am also interested in After the Rain. My pick, through, is for the 8th and final Kagerou Daze light novel. The books may be very short, and based on a series of songs, but they’ve also got disparate characters uniting and trying to change their fate – something I’m a sucker for.

ASH: The quirky and artsy Invitation from a Crab is definitely one of my top picks for this week, the other being the deluxe release of Abara.

ANNA: Abara wasn’t on my radar at all before but I’m curious about it! That’s my pick!

MJ: Like Ash, I’m pretty torn between Invitation from a Crab and Abara, and I’m not sure I can choose just one.

Manga the Week of 12/19/18

December 13, 2018 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s the last big push before Christmas. What’s out next week for last-minute gifts?

Denpa has two new titles. Futurelog is a Renge Murata artbook, and looks AMAZING. (I saw it at AnimeNYC). It’s the character designer behind Last Exile and Blue Submarine No. 6, among other things.

And for those who like more ‘artsy’ manga, there is Invitation from a Crab, a one-volume collection of stories that ran in Hakusensha’s Rakuen Le Paradis.

ASH: I’m really looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us an 8th To-Love-Ru Darkness.

MICHELLE: For the antithesis of ‘artsy.’

SEAN: Haikasoru has the 8th volume of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, which I believe will be the opposite of a laugh riot.

J-Novel Club has the 3rd Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, the 12th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash, and the 8th The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind!, the last of which is now caught up to Japan, I believe.

ASH: So not too far behind, then.

SEAN: Kodansha has, I believe, the Battle Angel Alita box set and Mars Chronicle 5, unless they’ve been pushed back again.

Digitally there’s no debuts, but there is a plethora of ongoing series. Back Street Girls 6, Black Panther and Sweet 16 9, Chihayafuru 13 (watches Manga Bookshelf briefly perk up), DAYS 11, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 9, Giant Killing 15 (OK, now it’s just Michelle paying attention), Space Brothers 33 and Tokyo Revengers 2.

MICHELLE: *snerk* Yep, there are three titles there that I’m following avidly, plus Elegant Yokai Apartment Life, which I intend to read sometime soon. I started the anime and it’s quite charming.

ANNA: Yay for Chihayafuru!

SEAN: One Peace gives us a lucky 13th volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas has a 4th volume of Arifureta’s novel in print. There’s also the 16th Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, a 14th Monster Musume, an 8th Mushoku Tensei manga, and the 14th My Monster Secret 14.

Vertical has its 2nd After the Rain volume.

MICHELLE: Woot. This is also on my short list.

SEAN: Viz debuts Abara in one complete deluxe edition. This is by the creator of BLAME! and Knights of Sidonia, and ran in Viz’s Ultra Jump. Expect sci-fi weirdness.

MICHELLE: Ooh! This wasn’t on my radar at all.

ASH: The previews I’ve seen look very nice.

ANNA: Woah, what??????

SEAN: Viz also gives us the 2nd volume of the 20th Century Boys Perfect Edition and the 8th Tokyo Ghoul: re.

Lastly, Yen On has a bunch of light novels that didn’t come out this week for some reason. Coming to a close, we have the 8th and final volume of Kagerou Daze (though the story continues in the manga… and then the anime… trust me, it makes sense in context) and the 3rd and possibly final volume of Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon. There’s also Accel World 16, Baccano! 9, The Irregular at Magic High School 10, and Sword Art Online 15.

Is Osamu Tezuka in your chimney? I hope not. That would be weird. What are you getting?

ASH: … that would be weird.