Michelle Smith

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 11 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – The concerts are over, and yes, In No Hurry tore it up, though in the end, the battle of the bands becomes fairy literal. That said, for once it’s the romance that made more of an impression on me than the singing, as Momo, tired of hearing how everything Nino’s doing now is for Yuzu, kisses her to stop her saying his name. And given that Nino is (she thinks) in love with Momo, and he with her, they get together. That said, this series has seven volumes to go. Moreover, this FEELS like the wrong couple. The narrative has been set up so that the reader is rooting for Yuzu—who also has bigger stakes. As for Miou, she’s still not quite sure about this new relationship, and it shows. Great potboiler, still a must-read. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 2 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – This feels oddly like an aborted prologue. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid shonen volume, with lots of excitement and almost death scenes and Yuzuriha actually doing something. But then Senku sends the other two leads off on a mission of their own, and the sense is that they’re being written out for not being quite as immediately memorable as he is. (They remind me a LOT of Video Girl Ai, right down to Yuzuriha’s headgear.) And Senku meets a new girl, who’s far more confident and also not the love interest of his sidekick. I suspect the series is about to really get started all over again, but that’s fine, as Dr. STONE is decent enough. I’m not quite fully into it yet. – Sean Gaffney

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 2 | By Takuto Kashiki | Yen Press – This continues to be adorable and pretty relaxing. The largest of the slice-of-life stories in here has Hakumei trying to prove that she is good enough to work on repairing a stone wall with the rest of the work crew, which involves being told no a few times but gradually proving her worth. (Also, the crew leader thinks that Mikochi is her wife, though Hakumei points out that she’s a girl. They pretty much function as a married couple.) Elsewhere we meet a flamboyant and eccentric hairdresser who gives tomboy Hakumei an even shorter haircut than she already has, and the couple also deal with an owl who may or may not be a monster. Cute and fluffy. – Sean Gaffney

I Hear the Sunspot: Limit, Vol. 1 | By Yuki Fumino | One Peace Books – According to the creator’s afterword, Limit was initially intended to be a one-shot continuation of I Hear the Sunspot, but it ultimately evolved into an ongoing series. I can’t say that I’m disappointed—I absolutely loved I Hear the Sunspot and its first sequel Theory of Happiness, and Limit is off to a great start, too. Limit begins nearly immediately after Theory of Happiness. Taichi has left school in order to work at SIG-N while Kohei continues his law degree studies. Because they’re no longer classmates and are both very busy, the two young men aren’t able to see each other as much as they would like, which puts an understandable strain on their relationship. This sort of realism is something that I particularly appreciate about the I Hear the Sunspot series. Limit also introduces additional characters and their varying perspectives on hearing loss, deafness, and disability to great effect. – Ash Brown

Juana and the Dragonewt’s Seven Kingdoms, Vol. 3 | By Kiyohisa Tanaka | Seven Seas – It has to be said, the ending to this volume screams “you are cancelled,” as the villain’s master plan is wrapped up literally by sucking our heroes into a plothole to get away from him. Before that, though, we get some more explanation of Nid’s issues with his family and his vegetarianism, which turns out to be miscommunication that his parents think is sort of funny but Nid’s still not amused, especially since it seems to undercut his life choices. As for Juana, we get some backstory that explains why she is here, along with some foreshadowing that she may not be alone for long… but then the book ends, as she’d much rather be having adventures with Nid. This was fun, but that sudden ending—oof. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 7 | By Canno | Yen Press – The new couple in this volume is a pair of girls who are relatively close in age, but are also aunt and niece, so I’m not quite sure what to think of it. And to be fair, neither are they, as both know they like each other but both also know that once high school ends, girls give up that sort of thing. Only not anymore, and certainly not in this series. The volume works better when entwining their story with that of Yurine and Ayaka, our “main” couple. Yurine is suffering from the genius label again, and also opening up to Ayaka has led her to realize that her past actions have hurt others. As for Ayaka, Yurine’s feelings are getting deeper and deeper—can she cope with it? A good “sort of anthology” series, as always. – Sean Gaffney

New Game!, Vol. 4 | By Shotaro Tokuno | Seven Seas – What I said for the last book applies to this one, though there is some brief drama towards the end as the company decides that Kou is going to be doing the designs even though Aoba is supposed to be lead. This is entirely due to name recognition, and I was impressed with the fact that they don’t take it back after Aoba does something really impressive—Kou is still better than she is. Aoba’s improving a lot, though, and is figuring out how to get inside character’s heads. Meanwhile, Nene’s applying for a job—will she become even more of a regular? We’re certainly focusing more on her than some of the other supposed leads. New Game! remains cute but slight, aside from the welcome drama near the end. – Sean Gaffney

Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 14 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | VIZ Media – I’d like to begin with a special shoutout to the Cast of Characters in the front of each volume of Ooku, without which I’d be totally lost, given how infrequently this series comes out. This volume continues the story of Iesada, a poorly regarded female shogun who survived years of abuse from her horrible father, as her loyal advisor Masahiro contrives to find for her a consort whom she can actually love and trust. Unfortunately, Masahiro herself takes gravely ill just as the question of whether to sign a trade deal with America is being hotly contested (we’ve come to 1856 in the timeline), but at least she got to see Iesada looking happy and healthy as her relationship with Taneatsu has flourished. It’s incredibly foolish of me to wish for a happy ending for these two, but I do anyway. So many lovable characters in this series! – Michelle Smith

RWBY Anthology, Vol. 3 | By Various Artists | Viz Media – I am still absolutely the wrong audience for this, having not watched the original series. Still, it’s a sign that the anthology is doing its job that I can manage to follow along anyway. As you have probably guessed, we’re up to the B in the volumes, so these short comics focus on Blake and her moody cat self. There are some lighter stories that show Blake bonding with the others, or dealing with the team’s pet dog, who she naturally does not get along with. There’s also some stories showing she’s still tied to her past. And there’s ship tease with Yang, which I understand is the biggest ship in the fandom, so that makes sense. If you enjoy RWBY, you’ll like this. – Sean Gaffney

Shojo FIGHT!, Vol. 5 | By Yoko Nihonbashi | Kodasha Comics (digital only) – Because of the volleybetting scandal, Kokuyodani is not allowed to play in Tokyo and so instead has entered a small tournament in Osaka. This happens to be where Shino Itami is from and we learn that, as a middle schooler, she was accused of match-fixing because her grandfather is a yakuza. She actually came to Kokuyodani because of its bad reputation, since she wouldn’t be a burden to them. Unfortunately, most of the plot about Itami’s family is dreadfully boring, but I did like that her teammates stand up for her and, as a result, the crowd starts booing them as a whole rather than Itami specifically. I love that they have no problems “playing the heel” and look forward to more potentially villainous deeds. – Michelle Smith

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 4 | By Maybe | Yen Press – For once, we have a princess who’s not all that into Satou. Oh, she still proposes to him the moment he appears, but it’s very much a political matchup, and even at the end of the volume she still sees him as a bit too naive for her. As the writer notes in the afterword, this is entirely intentional, as he wanted to have a bit of variety. We also meet said princess’ younger twin sister, and find out why Marse gave up in the first volume so easily. Things are not looking all peaches and cream plot-wise, as it turns out not all countries are happy to see the hero, particularly when there’s an evil advisor who REALLY reminds me of Caster from Fate. Will we get another princess in the next book? I think five’s the limit, right? – Sean Gaffney

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 14 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – I suppose Yotsuba has simply become too acclimated to things in her daily life—with some exceptions, like the beads Jumbo gives her as a present or the trash-bag princess dress Asagi crafts—and so Azuma takes his lead duo to Tokyo, where they must confront things like throngs of people, train passes, weird dogs, and luxurious hotel buffets. The best quality of this series continues to be seeing the world through a child’s eyes, guaranteed to expand as they acquire a car at the end of this volume, but I also appreciate the smaller lessons, as when Yotsuba confronts her conflicting desires to hoard all the beads yet be considered nice and when Daddy makes sure she tries again after messing up with the train pass the first time. I hope it doesn’t take 2.5 years for the next volume. – Michelle Smith

Black Clover, Vol. 13 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – As long as you’re writing a series which uses every cliche in the book, you may as well go all in and write a tournament arc, and that’s what we’re getting here. Surprisingly, Asta is not paired with Noelle, but with Mimosa, who I’ll be honest I had totally forgotten about. Given that Noelle fills the ‘tsundere’ love interest bucket, it only makes sense that Mimosa is the Hinata of Black Clover, being shy and tripping over her words in front of him. As for the battles themselves, they’re all good ways to spotlight folks who we don’t really get much chance to see in the main storyline. On the downside, so far they’re all very predictable outcomes. I’d like to see some people win who shouldn’t normally win. – Sean Gaffney

The Bride & the Exorcist Knight, Vol. 2 | By Keiko Ishihara | Seven Seas – We get more of the same here—good character development and action sequences. Shame that they’re really pushing the “I am twelve years old and suave as heck” plotline, and Anne does seem to be falling for him, though thankfully we haven’t advanced quite that far. One thing that did impress me was the fate of Anne’s parents, who would normally get killed off to jumpstart the plot in tales like this, especially given Anne’s status as a magical bride MacGuffin. There’s nothing really extraordinary here, but it’s good solid fantasy romance, and it at least makes noises occasionally about Anne being creeped out about Haru’s age. For fans of shoujo starring cute, cool boys. – Sean Gaffney

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 6 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – Remember when this was a funny series about eating monsters? Last time I said the books were getting a bit darker. Here they take a running leap into grim as we continue to see how Laios and company are seen by everyone else around them—as reckless lunatics who endanger everyone around them. What’s more, Falin’s back, but that’s not good news—the slaughter that follows is a kick in the teeth. Honestly, after that sequence, seeing the “which is the original and which is the shapeshifter” plot was a welcome light relief, and the sequence with Laios helping Marcille with her nightmares was rather heartwarming. Still, Falin’s influence on everyone around her, death, and subsequent “came back wrong” are now THE reason to read this. – Sean Gaffney

Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection | By Junji Ito | Viz Media – The first edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was originally published in 1818, so Viz Media’s release of Junji Ito’s rendition of the story is aptly timed for the two-hundred-year anniversary of the groundbreaking novel. Ito has made a few changes here and there—particularly towards the end—but for the most part the manga adaptation is very faithful to Shelley’s original and Ito’s artwork is well-suited to the more grotesque and disturbing elements of the tale. In addition to Frankenstein, the volume also collects a series of six short manga featuring Oshikiri, a young man who is very self-conscious about his short stature but whose real worries are of a more horrific and supernatural kind. (It doesn’t help that his home seems to be a portal to alternate dimensions.) Also included are two unrelated short horror manga as well as two short manga about the Ito family’s pet dog Non-non. – Ash Brown

Haikyu!!, Vol. 29 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – It’s all volleyball game this volume, so there’s no real plot I can talk about. We do continue to see character growth from Hinata and Tsukishima, who gets one of the cooler moments that also made me laugh when he talks about blocking the quick set. The other team is no slouch, though, particularly the twins, and our heroes are behind the eight ball most of the time. The opponent’s band is not helping either, which is why for once it’s Saeko who gets to have the Big Damn Heroes moment, arriving with Taiko Drums to drown out the band’s odd rhythms. Other than that, this volleyball manga continues to put the emphasis on volleyball. I’m about ready for it to go to every three months, to be honest, and it will be soon. – Sean Gaffney

Love at Fourteen, Vol. 8 | By Fuka Mizutani | Yen Press – Aside from Love at Fourteen‘s main couple, who are meant to be the cute and sweet default, the series makes a lot of unusual choices for its romantic pairings. Nagai and Hinohara continue to put the “ergh” in non-consensual teacher-student romance. Shiki and the school nurse bond over being tortured lesbians in love with a straight girl who isn’t going to love them back. And we get a new one here, as Kato, the really short boy in the class, ends up getting entangled with what appears to be a cute older girl… except she’s actually eleven. He’s fourteen, so we’re not anywhere Hinohara’s level of wrong, but Love at Fourteen really enjoys giving the reader heartwarming discomfort. – Sean Gaffney

Mob Psycho 100, Vol. 1 | By ONE | Published by Dark Horse – As a fan of One-Punch Man, I went into Mob Psycho 100 expecting to be amused and I’m sorry to say that never really happened. Shigeo Kageyama is an eighth grader with superpowers who works as an underpaid assistant for a fraudulent spirit medium named Arataka Reigen. Shigeo is called “Mob” because he’s an expressionless kid who blends into a crowd, and his desire to be attractive (and win the girl of his dreams) ultimately leads him into strange situations, like being recruited for a creepy cult. My interest was piqued, however, by the meter running throughout the volume (depicting an increasing percentage) and the payoff when it reached 100% was totally worth it. Plus, Reigen’s pep talk to Mob afterwards was completely unexpected and kind of heartwarming. In the end, I think I’ve been convinced to try another volume. – Michelle Smith

Waiting for Spring, Vol. 9 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – Both Towa and Aya have now confessed to Mitsuki and she doesn’t know what to do about it. I appreciate that Anashin shows why each boy feels the way that they do, and also that Mitsuki is completely forthcoming with Towa about everything that’s happening with Aya, so that no plot line ever hinges on “completely avoidable misunderstanding.” Instead, there’s more complicated drama, like Towa feeling frustrated that Aya keeps being in a position to heroically save Mitsuki (this time pulling a ligament saving her from being hit by a car) and wondering if perhaps they aren’t destined to be together. Instead of wallowing, however, he seemingly becomes more determined. It’s nice to see Towa start to become less reserved and I look forward to what volume ten will bring. – Michelle Smith

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 3 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – About two-thirds of the way through this volume, Narumi and Koyanagi are relaxing at a hot sprint on a company trip. Koyanagi wonders if Narumi feels lonely because she’s barely seeing her boyfriend this trip, but she says that, given Hirotaka’s lack of social aptitude, she’s merely happy to see him getting along with other guy friends. Koyanagi points out that that’s a mature answer, but leaves her a little bored. I’m not bored with Wotakoi yet, but it does appear to me that it’s very dedicated to showing that our leads are all pretty happy, with most conflicts resolved over the course of a single chapter. Given the title, you’d expect a bit more, but while it’s still very sweet, love isn’t that hard for these otaku. – Sean Gaffney

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 14 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – Azuma does not believe in pumping out the chapters for this series—this is the second volume in five years. Still, it’s like we never went away, really. Last time we met Yotsuba’s grandmother, and this time it’s her aunt, who is meeting up with Koiwai in Tokyo so that he can get a car—which I assume will allow for greater scope of adventures in the future. This means that here we get Yotsuba & Tokyo, with much hilarity, including an alien invasion that needs to be stopped, and delicious food at an expensive hotel. Oh yes, and Fuuka and her friend Hiwatari do yoga with Yotsuba, which leads to much frustration as she’s as flexible as a young child and they are not. Yotsuba&! still has its magic; I just wish it was magical more often. – Sean Gaffney

Chihayafuru, Vol. 12 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The Mizusawa karuta team returns to the national tournament and this time (so far), they do not have to forfeit on account of Chihaya falling ill. It’s a battle to keep her focused, however, since she’s convinced Arata is present (she’s right), but they end up prevailing in their first two matches. The first is against a team of Japanese-born foreigners who love the game as honestly as anyone, despite their looks, and the second is against a team of quiz-bowl champs who are ostensibly using karuta as a memory aid but who secretly love it, too. It may not be the most exciting volume out there, but it’s solid and takes us a little bit closer to a reunion with Arata. I look forward to volume thirteen! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 29 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – I realize that any sports manga is going to involve its protagonist getting better at their chosen sport, but with Haikyu!! that is somehow more rewarding than most. I think part of it is that, instead of acting on pure athletic instinct, Hinata is actually really thinking now and others are picking up on that, even critical people like Tsukishima and Kageyama. I loved that Hinata was able to mimic a particularly bothersome blocker he’d faced in the past as well as execute a passable emergency set and that he was really keen to have a chance to play defense, whereas before he was obsessed with scoring. I also nearly cried when Yamaguchi nailed a service ace. So, in short, I am a major sports manga fangirl and this volume was my jam. – Michelle Smith

Idol Dreams, Vol. 5 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – Even if she’s not doing anything about the fact that she’s masquerading as a 15-year-old and having boys fall for her, Chikage still does quite a bit right in this volume. First of all, she helps Tokita to move on from her (even if she’s not aware he’s moving on) and reconcile with his girlfriend, whose own lack of self-worth in school has led to her making bad choices now that she’s blossomed into womanhood. I was impressed that the two worked it out, and really felt Chikage did a great job. On the idol front, she also wins by putting on the better “performance,” even if she’s not necessarily the better or more talented idol. Still expecting a train wreck, but at least it’s been put off a bit. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 5 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – There’s some great comedy here, involving things like telling fortunes, gutting a fish in class (in which Fujiwara shows she simply cannot avoid trying to help Shirogane, even as it goes as badly as she expects), and such. But for once, the best parts of Kaguya-sama are about the drama, as it’s summer vacation, and Kaguya’s strict father is not letting her go see the fireworks with her friends. The solution to this, and the emotional roller coaster that follows, is fantastic, even if Shirogane looks back on it later and is hideously embarrassed. More to the point, you realize that once these two idiots finally get together (which isn’t going to happen for a long time), they’ll be a terrific couple. – Sean Gaffney

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 4 | By Afro | Yen Press – At long last, the entire group is camping together, including the club, Rin and Saitou, and their new teacher/advisor, who is the drunken camper we saw last time—and she takes the opportunity to get drunk again. There’s lots of interesting camping talk, including discussing Saitou’s expensive sleeping bag and the different kinds of grills that you can use. For the most part, though, this volume is about showing Rin that it can be just as fun to camp with friends as it can be to camp alone, and drag her out of her shell. It’s mind, to be fair, mostly as Rin is not solitary because of any trauma—she just likes being by herself. But honestly, if you’re going to hang with Nadeshiko, you’re going to have to get used to people. Cute as heck. – Sean Gaffney

Little Witch Academia, Vol. 2 | By Trigger, Yoh Yoshinari and Keisuke Sato | JY – This is an adaptation of a very cartoon-ish anime, and it’s appropriate that the art style is very cartoonish and exaggerated—my favorite example of which is when Akko charging ahead literally breaks Andrew’s word balloon warning her not to. Andrew is introduced here, speaking of which, and he’s your classic British boyfriend type, though given what I’ve heard about Akko and Diana, he may be out of luck here. For the most part we continue to watch Akko Potter trying to succeed at magic school, and she’s having a lot less luck than Harry did—her grades are so bad she can’t even attend the banquets. Will she turn things around? This is marketed to kids, but all ages should love it. – Sean Gaffney

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade, Vol. 10 | By Koyuki and Mamare Touno | Yen Press – Last time I wondered if this was the spinoff’s final arc, and it’s pretty clear that it is. It’s one big fight scene this time around, and things are going very badly for our heroes, though they’re trying their hardest. We continue to filter things through Soujirou—both why he loves gaming and doing what he does, and also why he has so many girls fall in love with him. The eventual solution they come up with, to seemingly drive the monster crazy by information overload, is a clever one, though it’s not clear whether or not it worked. This series started out as a somewhat lighthearted (sometimes TOO light hearted) comedy, but it’s gotten more action oriented at the climax. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 2 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – The end of this volume features what seems to have been the pilot for the series, and I’m glad it was included, as it shows off how much it was improved to make it the sweet and amusing series it is today. Takagi’s eyes being “evil” makes her teasing seem more mean-spirited, especially given Nishikata is more of a schmuck here. Nishikata works best when he’s sort of that Charlie Brown “this time I’ll kick the football” sort of guy. Likewise, Takagi’s teasing works best because you absolutely get the love that she has for him, and that she does see him as a great guy—who’s simply really fun to tease and to watch reaction faces of. This series makes me feel warm and fuzzy. – Sean Gaffney

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 2 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – Despite the subtitle of the series, I rather easily fell in love with the first omnibus volume of Wotakoi. The manga was funny and charming with adult characters who, to me, were immediately endearing. The second omnibus continues the trend of the first while introducing a new character, Ko, who manages to be both heartbreakingly and heartwarmingly socially awkward and anxious. Ko is paired with Naoya, but it remains to be seen whether their relationship will evolve into a romantic one. I suspect that at some point it may—after all, Wotakoi is at least in part a romantic comedy—but then again they could simply be destined to be close friends. The emphasis that Wotakoi places on friendship is actually one of the things about the series that I find particularly appealing. In fact, while arguably little romantic progress is made in the second omnibus, friendships are strengthened. – Ash Brown

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 16 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digitals only) – It’s the semifinals of the Tokyo preliminaries and Sawamura’s middle school friends have come to watch him play. He’s hung up on the previous game, during which he was replaced mid-inning after he fell apart after giving up a home run, but this time he manages to keep it together and Seido advances to the finals. I enjoyed his former classmates noting how he has both changed and hasn’t changed, especially as talking to them prompts him to declare that he loves and respects his teammates and wishes he could play with them forever. Mono no aware at its finest! Next, we’re introduced to the two teams competing to be Seido’s opponent in the finals and Terajima-sensei expertly manipulates me into desperately hoping one of them comes out on top. Alas, I suspect they won’t. I love this series. – Michelle Smith

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 11 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media – It’s the last show of In No Hurry’s tour and Twitter is abuzz with a rumor about Cheshire’s true identity. To counteract this, Silent Black Kitty joins In No Hurry on stage whereupon Yuzu and Momo seemingly have a guitar battle for Nino’s affections. A kiss from Momo throws Nino into a tizzy, but she calms down with Yuzu’s help, which foreshadows later developments, wherein during an intense moment with Momo (requited love, hooray!) she’s longing to sing Yuzu’s music. I like this dynamic—she loves one boy and is super-grateful to the other one who gives her an outlet for these intense emotions—but must say Fukuyama does better at depicting the frenetic energy of concerts that interpersonal drama. It’s big moment after big moment and I find myself longing to spend some more time with Yuzu and his bitter feelings. Oh, well. – Michelle Smith

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 3 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – I noted how much fun the second volume of Dead Dead Demon was, and while there are a few jokes here and there in this third volume, it mostly serves to remind you that this is still being written by Inio Asano. Fortunately, the book maintains its high level of writing and characterization even as things get more bleak and tearjerking, including one major event that I will endeavor to dance around in this review. That said, we are moving forward, as the girls have now graduated (though both our leads failed to get into college), and there’s also a narrative foreshadowing that implies that the friendship that the readers are enjoying may be fractured sooner rather than later. Fantastic, but the fun’s over. – Sean Gaffney

Grand Blue Dreaming, Vol. 2 | By Kenji Inoue and Kimitake Yoshioka | Kodansha Comics – Although partying and boozing remain a prominent part of Grand Blue Dreaming, they have been (ever so slightly) toned down in the second volume when compared to the first. Notably, the second volume’s opening devotes a little more time to the series’ other primary subject matter—diving. Iori didn’t really intend to join the Izu University diving club but, like it or not, he’s been roped into the group. Despite not knowing how to swim, Iori slowly becomes more comfortable in the water as he learns more about diving, his upperclassmen assuring him that swimming ability isn’t technically required. However, it doesn’t take long for college antics and club hazing, drunken and otherwise, to return to the forefront of the manga. (Oh, and copious amounts of male nudity.) Grand Blue Dreaming can be pretty ridiculous at times with most but certainly not all of the absurdity resulting from alcohol-infused revelry. – Ash Brown

Heaven’s Design Team, Vol. 2 | By Hebi-Zou, Tsuta Suzuki, and Tarako | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – In the vein of Cells at Work!, Heaven’s Design Team depicts the biological processes of evolution as a workplace, complete with angels who relay God’s sometimes random requests (like for stripey animals or a species whose males produce milk for their young) to a staff of designers, each with their particular specialties. It’s not a bad series, but the format grows repetitive and dull even before the end of the first volume, which isn’t a good sign. Thankfully, there’s a bit of variance halfway through this second volume, as the designers go on vacation and then (briefly) have a mystery to solve, but then it’s back to the usual. I’m a little bit intrigued by the sudden downfall of one of the angels at the end of the volume, but I’m not sure that’s enough to compel me to return. – Michelle Smith

Spirit Circle, Vol. 5 | By Satoshi Mizukami | Seven Seas – Last time I asked where this was going, and boy, do we find out in this volume. Well, the second half of this volume. First we get a cute, fluffy, gender-reversed life that leaves Fuuta more puzzled than anything else, and he and Kouko go on what is essentially a date so that she can kill him with no hesitation. But why is she SO intent on killing him? Well, we finally get a flash to the Fortuna life, which features the origin of East and Rune, and looks to be just as slice-of-life but unassuming as all the other lives… until you get to the (spoilers go here). Not going to lie, the last quarter of this book makes your jaw drop, and while I don’t want to see Fuuta dead, I absolutely see why Kouko wants to kill him now. Fantastic. – Sean Gaffney

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 4 | By CLAMP | Kodansha Comics – It has taken quite some time to develop, but it seems as though Clear Card might actually have found a plot of some sort that doesn’t entirely rely on Cardcaptor Sakura nostalgia; while the series can still be repetitive, it no longer exists as just a poor copy of its predecessor. Granted, most of the supposed story development unfolds through cryptic dialogue between characters which doesn’t do much to reveal anything at all about what is going on to the reader. Perhaps this is intended to add an air of mystery and suspense to the manga, but I mostly find it frustrating as well as a bit irritating. To be completely honest, I’m not entirely convinced that CLAMP even knows where the series is heading yet. I largely continue to read Clear Card because I loved the original series, but I really would like to see something more substantial emerge. – Ash Brown

Harukana Receive, Vol. 2 | By Nyoijizai | Seven Seas – The emphasis in this series is still firmly on the volleyball, which is appropriate for a sports title but you always have to wonder when it stars a bunch of girls in bikinis. There is some fanservice, but it’s basic “they’re wearing bikinis” service rather than anything racy—even the discussion of matching swimsuits is related to the games they’ll be playing. As for the games themselves, Haruka is still learning, and there’s a definite beginner’s curve here, but they luck out in this book by playing a team with a similar curve—they’re indoor players, unused to the beach. As such, you get to see both sides struggle, especially Kanata, who is still dealing with A LOT OF STUFF. I want to see these two play more games. – Sean Gaffney

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Vol. 1 | By NISIOISIN and Akira Akatsuki | Viz Media – Normally I don’t really get adaptations of novels I’ve already read, but this is the creative team behind Medaka Box, which I love and will never be licensed, so I want to show support. The artist’s fanservice-and-action style lent itself well to Medaka Box, and lends itself even more to this anti-war battle royale, where a dozen people gather to kill each other for the sake of one wish. They’re all zodiac animals, and this volume shows us Boar, Dog, and Chicken for the most part. If you enjoyed the book you’ll like the manga, as this is one of Nisio’s least wordy titles, and thus it adapts pretty well. Not for those who like to see people survive more than fifty pages, though. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 2 | By Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court | Viz Media – I gotta admit, I sort of went “really?” when I saw that Koichi didn’t get into UA because he stopped to help a drowning person (who turned out to be Kazuho, in a very unsurprising plot twist) and thus missed the exam. But then again, folks have indeed ruined their lives by missing important exams or interviews, no matter how much I may not like it. As for the rest of the book, we get to see the origin of a villain from the main series, which is probably the most exciting part of this side story that still seems to be cooking a little. I have a feeling that it may break open in the next volume or two, but we aren’t there yet. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 2 | By Hideyuki Furuhashi, Betten Court, and Kohei Horikoshi | VIZ Media – My Hero Academia: Vigilantes continues to be better than expected. Koichi, Kazuho, and Knuckleduster continue to look for users of the quirk-enhancing drug Trigger. Meanwhile, a schoolgirl in an eyepatch seeks out interesting people to give the drug at the instruction of someone who wants to observe the results. One of these people seems to be a villain from the main series. In another tie-in, Koichi is nearly recruited by Ingenium, who has a neat organization of his own where he finds roles for people with quirks that might not seem suited for heroism at first glance. I like how this world is being fleshed out and look forward to continuing! – Michelle Smith

My Monster Secret, Vol. 13 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – Urgh. I gotta say, this is starting to remind me a bit of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, which is to say a classic example of a manga that kept going long after it should have ended. The author seems to be grasping at straws at the start of the book, with plots like “let’s go to the dentist” or “Mikan’s glasses run away.” (I can’t believe I even typed that sentence.) It gets a little better when it focuses on Asahi’s indecisiveness about his future path, as well as Youko hiding her own decision from him as she’s embarrassed. And the two of them avoiding getting more serious is sort of cute in a frustrating way. But the cliffhanger reads exactly like “I need to wring even more drama from this manga I already ended.” – Sean Gaffney

The Voynich Hotel, Vol. 2 | By Douman Seiman | Seven Seas – Last time I was struck by how gross-yet-funny this series was. This volume I am more affected by its sense of dark melancholy and morbid violence. Both of the main “cute couple” are steeped in violent pasts, and Maria sometimes has to use that in a violent present. Demons exist, and are trying to break the hotel, apparently. There are endless groups of killers running around, and lessons are learned just a bit too late in many cases. Even when those who are gorily killed are somehow brought back to existence, it’s with a morbid joke and a sense that they’ll never be happy or satisfied. The series ends in the next volume, I believe, which is appropriate, as the Voynich Hotel is a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. – Sean Gaffney

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 14 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Media – After the perfection that was volume thirteen, it would be hard for any subsequent volume to measure up. Wisely, Kusanagi-sensei decides to skip ahead a little to Yona and her retinue arriving in Water Tribe lands, where they discover that merchants from the Kai Empire have managed to hook much of the population on a particular drug. During the course of their investigation they meet Riri, the daughter of the chief who is frustrated by her father’s inaction and inspired by Yona. I love the running plotline of people Yona inspires who go on to do good long after she has moved on. Perhaps Riri will be another, though so far she seems pretty overwhelmed. Also somewhat overwhelmed is Jaeha, who has realized that he’s in love with Yona. So good, y’all. – Michelle Smith