Michelle Smith

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

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

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

Akashic Records of Bastard Magica Instructor, Vol. 5 | By Hitsuji Tarou, Tsunemi Aosa and Kurone Mishima | Seven Seas – I had forgotten to review the last volume of this, which likely says a lot. That said, it’s still all right, it’s just its character beats are predictable. Re=L has joined Glenn and the others, and slowly starts to integrate with the class, so naturally something comes along that makes her turns traitor. Rumia’s identity is now a bit more well known, which means she’s stuck playing damsel again. Still, if you like action this is decent enough, and the villains are fun provided you don’t mind that they sneer and cackle. This is not really top-drawer manga, but it’s decent enough if you’re already a fan of the characters. – Sean Gaffney

Anne Happy, Vol. 8 | By Cotoji | Yen Press – Over a year has passed since I last reviewed Anne Happy, and I will admit I had forgotten who some of the girls are. It came back easily enough, though, and the majority of this volume is devoted to wrapping up the school’s athletics festival, whose end result was something of a surprise to me, though they at least do try to give some justification for it. The rest of the book has little chapters that coast along cutely while the author prepares for the endgame, which I believe is coming soon. We see why Ren is so beloved, watch the class pick out library books for each other, and get a glimpse into Anne and Hibari’s home lives—Anne, for once, is better off. This continues to be mildly cute and funny, and will appeal to fans of the same. – Sean Gaffney

Beasts of Abigaile, Vol. 4 | By Spica Aoki| Seven Seas – I was unaware this ended with volume four, and sure enough, the ending is super abrupt. Still, it justifies most of what was going on, and the core of the series—Nina’s plucky stubbornness and caring, and her relationship with Roy—is still there. We also get to know the villainess of the series, and how she too once had Nina’s ideals but was unable to succeed, and in the end is destroyed. It’s a shame it ended so fast, as there were a lot of characters who I felt were going to get more focus in future volumes that mostly just ended up getting a few shots in for the ending. Still, overall I’d call this series a success, and I’d like to see more from the author—fortunately, Yen Press has her new series starting next year. – Sean Gaffney

Durarara!! re: Dollars Arc, Vol. 3 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Aogiri | Yen Press – This volume adapts some of my favorite parts of both the novels and anime, and though it still comes in third, it’s a little better than the previous volume in that regard. We get Mikado and his pen, the return of Vorona and her bonding with Shizuo, Akane joining the dojo and also bonding with Shizuo, and Akibayashi’s backstory, as well as the reintroduction of … um … well, I can’t remember her name, and Izaya can’t remember her at all, to the point where we need a flashback to realize she’s the girl he did the “suicide club” thing with back in the first volume. Honestly, though, she’s there to jump start Izaya, who I’m sure will be making everything worse soon. Recommended for those who don’t read prose or watch anime. – Sean Gaffney

Erased, Vol. 5 | By Kei Sanbe | Yen Press – After the completion of Erased, Sanbe created four additional stories which take place during the events of the series proper. Released as a ninth volume of Erased in Japan, the collection makes up the fifth volume in the English-language edition of the manga. The volume generally (but not exclusively) addresses the time period during which the series’ main protagonist and point-of-view character Satoru Fujinuma is in a coma. The four vignettes follow the people who arguably play the most important roles in Satoru’s life, allowing crucial moments of Erased to be seen from their own perspectives rather than his—Kayo Hinazuki, the girl he was intent on saving; Kenya Kobayashi, his close friend and confidant; Sachiko Fujinuma, his beloved mother (my personal favorite); and Airi Katagiri, the young woman who would come to mean so much to him as an adult. The stories are all an interesting addition to Erased. – Ash Brown

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 2 | By Natsuki Takaya| Yen Press – It’s been revealed that this manga will end with the third volume, which seems about right. This is not quite as rage-inducing as the first book, despite still having the flaw of viewing the original Furuba cast through their children, rather than viewing the children as their own characters. It does throw a few welcome bones to longtime readers—the creepiest implied ship of the original series does not in fact happen, as Hanajima marries some Italian guy. Oh, and Momiji is back in his sister’s life, and we see her (we can’t see the original cast). There’s still examination of abusive parents, but because we can’t make the original cast do that (they’re more smothering), it’s foisted on the new heroine. For diehards. – Sean Gaffney

Good Dog, Cerberus! | By Moha Arimura | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Good Dog, Cerberus! is a full-color, four-panel comic about Cerberus, the easily bribed guardian of the gates to the underworld, and Lord Hades, who is publicly stern and heartless but a total pushover when it comes to his ill-behaved dog. It’s not even 100 pages long, so it’ll be no surprise that there’s not much to this, really. Cerberus does typical dog things like get dirty and chase pigeons (well, harpies in this case) and try to carry big sticks through doorframes horizontally. There are a few cameos by other mythological figures, like the ferryman of the River Styx, and I learned that Medusa actually had two sisters. That said, it’s neither funny enough nor cute enough nor narratively propelled enough that I can really recommend it. Briefly diverting, at best. – Michelle Smith

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 30 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – We have an ending to a great series. Much to my surprise, the two purest kids in all of shoujo manga (well, if you don’t count My Love Story!!) end up actually consummating their relationship in this final volume, though it’s handled very tastefully. Everyone is moving away to college, getting new apartments, or (in the case of Chizuru) running the shop and waiting for her man to come home. Pin has all new students, and hopefully won’t have any fall for him the way Ayano did. I also really liked the ‘flashforward’ for Ayano being that people warm to her and think she’s nice. Honestly, she was my favorite character. That said, Sawako was also amazing, and this series is hers in the end. I’ll miss it, and consider it essential. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 30 | By Karuho Shiina | VIZ Media – It seems that a lot of series are coming to a close this month, but I’ve been reading Kimi ni Todoke longer than any of the others. Saying goodbye to it gives me a pang, but at least it’s a good ending, filled with teary scenes during which characters bid farewell to the way things used to be while looking forward to the new life that awaits. Some standout moments involve Kurumi realizing that her crush on Kazehaya led her to the best friend she’s ever had and Sawako being able to greet a new classmate naturally and with a lovely smile on her face. Everyone has changed for the better, including the relationship of our central couple, which has matured and strengthened of late. And did I sniffle quite a lot when they finally called each other by their first names? Reader, I did. – Michelle Smith

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, Vol. 2 | By Natsuya Semikawa and Virginia Nitouhei | Udon Entertainment – In case you hadn’t guessed by the cover, we get a new regular in this book. She starts off as a thief, but she’s the cute “stealing for my younger siblings” sort of thief, and quickly becomes a dishwasher and general helper thanks to the kindhearted staff. We also get more of what we saw in the first volume, which is to say fantasy/isekai “types” dropping in and having classic izakaya meals. There’s a few reminders that this is a more medieval world—the girl from the previous volume is now married, much to Shinobu’s surprise, as she was like fourteen. We also get a chapter showing us the other side of the story, as Effa (the little girl) breaks out and gets a tour of modern Japan. Cute foodie manga. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 3 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – Ah, the childhood friend who was always in love with the heroine even though she didn’t realize it. A classic trope, but it’s handled well here, as he also hates beastmen with a passion—which is not a surprise given the flashback to his youth, where a beastman eats his little sister like she was a tater tot. So he’s come to kick ass and take Sariphi back, and of course is not taking no for an answer, even if that means ignoring her own will and feelings. As for Leonhart, well, he’s not used to jealousy, but he cares deeply for Sariphi, so comes off very well here. I continue to enjoy the way this series is handling a common theme, and am pleased that it’s still ongoing in Japan, allowing for more character depth. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 7 | By Kiseki Himura and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – Technically the series “ends” here, though we’re told that it will continue on with a different artist in Japan. For the moment, the cover shows us the reason we’ve wanted to read this manga—Kirito and Asuna as back to back badasses, and Argo staring out at the reader reminding us she’s the real star of the show. Well, OK, Asuna and Kizmel are the stars of this volume—for once, Kirito’s fight comes off second-best, as the teamwork between the two women is simply stunning (indeed, Argo, serving as the Greek chorus, gets some great stunned expressions here). As I said last time, a rare light novel adaptation that expands and enriches the source enough that it deserves reading on its own. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 6 | By Yuki Shiwasu | VIZ Media – After a Christmas interlude during which Hana realizes that maybe she really does like Takane and a chapter about chastising Nicola for his thoughtlessly flirtatious treatment of innocent Mizuki, a rather interesting plot development occurs. Worried that Takane’s confidence is “rooted in the things that were handed to [him],” his grandfather freezes all his accounts, demotes him at work, and moves him into a shabby apartment. Ashamed, Takane distances himself from Hana and makes her leave when she eventually discovers his whereabouts. This part is somewhat frustrating, since he should know by now that his wealth was never something she cared about, but it does at least provide an opportunity for her to make that abundantly clear (and for Okamon to give her a cute pep talk). I only wish she’d actually said, “All along, I’ve only ever seen you, Takane” out loud. Probably too soon for that, though. – Michelle Smith

ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department, Vol. 5 | By Natsume Ono | Yen Press – Jean’s identity is, if not in the open explicitly, at least well known among the cast. This is a big problem, of course, especially for his sister, who is the very definition of hostage bait. Fortunately, Jean also has friends that can help him out there—his sister is pretty much the one ray of sunshine in the series, so I don’t want to see her sacrificed. That doesn’t mean that it’s depressing tragedy, mind you—it just means that, as with most Ono titles, the majority consists of discussions among middle-aged men (and one woman). This being ACCA, they’re political discussions, though there’s a bit of food thrown in. As always, a good read if you’re an Ono fan. – Sean Gaffney

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 2 | By Reai and Suki Umemiya | Seven Seas – Since the first volume came out, we’ve seen the appearance of the My Life as a Villainess series, which has essentially the exact same premise. That series is more focused on Katarina changing her fate and bonding with the cast of the VN, though. Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter is more like Realist Hero, wanting to change the world and advance it towards modern times. So we’re not only inventing chocolate, but also coffee, and concentrating on good roads and educating the youth. There’s not really much in terms of antagonists so far—Iris explains what she wants to do precisely and effectively, and everyone agrees with her. This makes it a tad dull, sadly. – Sean Gaffney

Beasts of Abigaile, Vol. 4 | By Spica Aoki | Seven Seas – I didn’t know when I started this volume that it’s the final volume of the series. It was only when one of the central hunky boys got definitively crossed off the list romantically that I was spurred to look it up and, yep, this is it. In her notes afterwards, Aoki-sensei says there was much she wanted and needed to draw that she couldn’t include, which makes me wonder if the series got canceled. Still, it hangs together reasonably well. Nina’s origins are explained, the king makes an appearance, there’s a big escape, noble sacrifice, and one person who seems to entirely lose touch with reality. What we don’t see is how any of the luga fare once they are out in the world but we’re encouraged to imagine a happy ending. Overall, this series was far from deep but still pretty fun. – Michelle Smith

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 5 | By CLAMP | Kodansha Comics – There are interesting things going on in this volume of Clear Card. We meet Sakura’s great-grandfather, who apparently fell out with Nadeshiko when she got married (possibly as she married her teacher), but now regrets it because she’s dead. Speaking of that, Nadeshiko explicitly tells Sakura she should stop summoning her spirit for visions as it’s unhealthy. And Eriol finally coughs up a bit of info, revealing that Sakura is making her own cards using her magic and imagination—and that’s super dangerous if she knows about it. So let’s keep everything from her some more. I’d be more invested in this sequel if it weren’t so dull—the interesting plot points are conveyed tediously. – Sean Gaffney

Frau Faust, Vol. 5 | By Kore Yamazaki | Kodansha Comics – The way that Frau Faust ends is surprising to no one, but it’s done with a lot of style and feeling. Even the villains in this story get a chance to show off how they got that way, and for Marion, it’s an attempt to show off how much he’s grown. Despite that, this wasn’t going to be his story in the end—Johanna is who the reader is invested in. (Sarah is also pretty invested in Johanna, and the way her story resolves is touching but also very sad.) I actually wish that the series had gone on a bit longer—the action sequences here are even better than in The Ancient Magus’ Bride—but I’m also fine with this ending, which is final and yet the teensiest bit ambiguous. Let’s license more Yamazaki. – Sean Gaffney

Frau Faust, Vol. 5 | By Kore Yamazaki | Kodansha Comics – As the volume begins, Johanna has let herself be captured by the church in order to gain access to the holy city, where Mephisto’s final parts are. A lot of the stuff that follows isn’t exactly clear, but the gist of it is that all of Johanna’s friends are there to help her get to Mephisto’s head and there is a lot of action that culminates with her telling him, “I win.” Quite a few aspects of the ending are open to interpretation, which I’m not exactly fond of, but which fits the spirit of the series pretty well. Chief among them—did Johanna actually intend for that to happen all along? I do love how inspired by her everyone else was, and am especially fond the quiet love story between two characters. In the end, I enjoyed this series very much, though I do wish it had been longer. – Michelle Smith

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 5 | By Ukami |Yen Press – We get another new character this time around, in the form of Kurona. She’s a demon who wants to make friends, but is rather awful at it, and it doesn’t help that she’s trying to befriend Taplis, who is an airhead even by the standards of Gabriel Dropout, a series dripping with airheads. Speaking of which, Satanya’s new attempt to defeat Gabriel works quite well, but not in the way she intended. (Yuri fans may like it, though.) We also get more backstory showing how Gabriel became what she is now, which was… exactly what you’d expect, to be honest. There weren’t quite as many laughs in this volume of Gabriel Dropout, but it’s still a cute, fun series. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 3 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – I guess we do need to pair at least some of the spares already, as Miki and Kiyo, the pure cute boy-girl team from last time, end up becoming a couple in this volume in an utterly pure, cute and adorable way. Unfortunately, Kai is the hero, so he’s not going to have nearly as easy a time of it. On the bright side, Riko’s crush on Satoshi pretty much gets kicked to the curb this volume, as we confirm that he’s getting married. Which she knew was coming, but it still hurts. This allows Kai to man up and confess to Riko, though given this series is thirteen volumes and this is volume three, I suspect it may go badly. Still, while this breaks no new ground, it’s a good shoujo story, well told. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 8 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – There’s pretty much a volume full of action here. Some of it is Kuroko and Hinako, who pair up again to try to take out the big bad (and we actually get some backstory for Hinako! It’s as blood-filled as you’d expect.) and some of it is Urara, Kuroko’s hugely muscled and somewhat dim bartender friend, who’s on the cover but is mostly there to be comedy relief. It’s also nice to see Reiko, the cool assassin from previous books, who is still very good at her job but gets very angry if you think she’s a boy. (She also gets the sex scene at the end of the volume, meaning it’s pretty tasteful.) But let’s face it—we read Murcielago for the ridiculous violence. There’s a lot of it here. – Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 88 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – Having successfully rescued Sanji, the Straw Hat crew is now attempting to escape the clutches of Big Mom, who is rampaging because she didn’t get to eat any wedding cake. I really appreciated the spotlight on female characters in this volume. Nami has actually been extremely smart and capable this whole arc, but now we see super tsundere Pudding stepping up to make a new cake to satisfy Big Mom’s hunger as well as Carrot the mink briefly becoming a badass as she transforms under the full moon. I also like that Pudding seems really into Sanji; I kind of hope they end up an official couple! Luffy’s fight with Katakuri is entertaining, as well, since their powers are so similar. All in all, this is a very well-paced and exciting installment. – Michelle Smith

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 9 | By Aya Kanno | Viz Media – We continue to stagger onwards towards the events of Richard III, though honestly neither Kanno or the reader are all that interested in matching up with Shakespeare precisely. We also lose Richard’s older brother George, who is done in by a lot of political machinations and Richard essentially being a triple agent. That said, Richard may be in trouble soon, as Buckinghan, the classic “bespectacled bastard,” has learned his body has a secret to it. Fortunately, he also has a mysterious bodyguard, who readers will immediately recognize but Richard doesn’t quite—yet. This is basically Kanno’s best series. Buy it. – Sean Gaffney