Michelle Smith

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 6 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – Theoretically, a bare minimum of screaming should mean a substandard volume, but I must admit the tortured soap opera plot of Anonymous Noise is growing on me a bit. I mean, there are still a few issues—Momo runs away from his love problems like many other manga love interests (though usually it’s the woman who’s running off), and the attempt to have him get to know his new classmates is awkward and fake—deliberately so, I suspect. And Nino and Yuzu are having a spat, but also have music coursing through them—well, Yuzu does, Nino is trying to learn how to sing in a non-screaming way and not doing well. Meanwhile, the secondary pairings are starting to happen. How much longer does this run if they’re pairing the spares? – Sean Gaffney

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 18 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – There is interesting stuff going on here, like the resolution of Shura’s mini-arc (complete with dramatic haircut) and Amaimon coming in as a transfer student and immediately beign a giant jackass. But I’m most impressed with Shiemi’s response to Rin’s confession, which is very honest, has a long look at why this is totally in character for her, and sinks the ship but perhaps not permanently—this isn’t an “I love someone else” rejection so much as a “I have no idea how to love” rejection. Rin also takes it in a very mature way, insisting that they’re still friends and he will help her achieve her goals of becoming an exorcist. As love confessions that don’t work out go, this is absolutely top tier. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 19 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Back and forth we go, and for a lot of this volume it’s part two of what we had the previous volume, showing that Tsukishima is growing and learning a whole lot, and what’s more, may actually be (hold on to your hats) ENJOYING volleyball. Now it’s Hinata’s turn, as being short means he has to work even harder and use even more energy, and “try to block properly” is mean, but also accurate. And so our heroes are up against a wall again, but I’m sure someone will have a revelation or use a cool move or… I’m so sorry, I enjoy Haikyu!! a lot, but there’s a limit to what I can talk about in a review. SPORTSBALL! Also, that extra comedy manga at the end reeks of “getting around untranslatable Japanese wordplay.” – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 28 | By Karuho Shiina | VIZ Media – I have recently learned that this series is complete in 30 volumes and I am not ready for it to be over yet! That said, it definitely feels like things are moving in that direction. This volume covers Christmas and New Year’s (and Sawako’s blizzard-induced sleepover at Kazehaya’s house during which nothing more serious than kissing ensues), after which everyone will have a couple of weeks to study at home before their college admission tests. Sawako and Kazehaya seem poised to weather their upcoming separation just fine, Chizu tells Toru that she’s dating his brother, and Ayane… repeatedly gets flustered in Pin’s presence. Am I assigning too deep a meaning to the panel where he promises quite seriously to “think about it” regarding giving her a gift if she passes her exams? I can’t believe I’m rooting for a student-teacher romance! – Michelle Smith

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 21 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – As the author herself notes in her copious afterword notes, we’ve rarely seen Natsume and Nyanko-sensei at odds, and I’m not sure that the author really pulls it off in this battle to see who earns the sleeping god’s favor and gets sake as a reward. (To be fair, the author admits this as well.) My favorite story in this volume involved Natsume’s friend Kitamoto, one of “those two guys” in his class, and a bookshop with a cute yokai acting as the clerk. Mostly as I like old bookshops. That said, I suspect most fans of this series will be most interested in the final chapter, which flashes back again to the wacky teenage misadventures of Natori, Matoba, and their amazing powers of bishonen. A good solid volume. – Sean Gaffney

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 4 | By Tomoko Yamashita | SuBLime – We begin with Mikado taking a case to Mukae instead of Hiyakawa because he’s thrown by the latter’s suggestion that they could make money cursing people. Even after Mukae tells him that Hiyakawa has placed a “leash” on him binding them together, he’s still unable to forget how much Hiyakawa has helped him and can’t simply abandon him. In the end, and without Yamashita-sensei actually spelling it out, it seems that Mikado’s plan is to take a more active role in helping people, using the bond between them to pull Hiyakawa along onto a more righteous path. I do dearly love how Yamashita trusts her readers to understand things. This particularly comes into play in the chapter about Mikado’s parents and the poignant nonverbal panel in which Mikado’s father realizes that his son has inherited his abilities. All of this plus some ongoing plot threads make for a standout volume. – Michelle Smith

Species Domain, Vol. 4 | By Shunsuke Noro | Seven Seas – Again, I am impressed by how well the author is sticking to Dowa being a dwarf, which means not only does she have her big bushy beard, but when we get the obligatory beach arc, we see her swimsuit body and she is absolutely ripped, as you would expect from a dwarf. The beach arc itself is mostly a bunch of shenanigans, as the two rival clubs face off against each other in a series of amusing contests. More interesting is the ship tease between Ohki and Kazaori, both at the start (a forced date) and at the end, where Ohki’s “future vision” invention works a bit too well, and gives us a Kazamori who has literally lived the next ten years. And yes, she spoils everyone. A fantastic non-perverse monster series. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 4 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – In order to interact with and understand Asahi more, the Water Dragon God has taken on the guise of a human. When Asahi requests that he take her and Subaru somewhere fun, they end up attracting notice and, ultimately, Asahi is summoned by the child emperor, who refuses to believe she doesn’t have some kind of special powers, since she’s hanging out with a god. There’s an interesting balance here between slow-burn relationship stuff—Asahi attempts to shield her steadfast protector Subaru from the knowledge that she desperately wants to go home (though he knows already) and the Water Dragon God makes strides toward caring about Asahi’s feelings—and worldbuilding, what with the introduction of the emperor and some rumination on the possible loneliness of gods. I definitely plan to keep reading! – Michelle Smith

Drifters, Vol. 5 | By Kohta Hirano | Dark Horse Comics – It is becoming harder to avoid mentioning the elephant in the room with the Drifters series, which is that the lead villain, the so-called “Black King,” is clearly meant to be Jesus Christ. If that weren’t plainly obvious yet, it’s definitely obvious when we hear the Black King can give his troops food by breaking loaves and fishes. The author will likely avoid showing his face or naming him for obvious reasons, but he’s certainly enjoying teasing us. In fact, that’s the main reason to read Drifters. It may be frustrating, confusing, sexist, and filled with more goofy superdeformed caricatures than actual serious poses, but you can tell on every page that the author is having an absolute ball drawing it. – Sean Gaffney

The Full-Time Wife Escapist, Vol. 8 | By Tsunami Umino | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Mikuri and Hiramasa continue to live separately and, as he grows increasingly anxious about the situation, we see her discovering that she’s really good at coming up with ideas to help a local business association attract more customers. This is interesting, but waaaay more compelling is the dynamic between Mikuri’s aunt Yuri and Kazami, a man 25 years her junior who has confessed his romantic interest in her. I really love getting to see Kazami be embarrassed and vulnerable, and the insights into his past are valuable. Despite having many girlfriends, he has little experience with romance, and even though Yuri rejects him in the end, he’s still grateful to know that he was capable of genuinely falling for someone. Of course, I still hope they’ll get together in the ninth and final volume. Looking forward to it, even though I’ll miss this series! – Michelle Smith

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 28 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – The manga keeps rolling along, and the only remaining unresolved plot, aside from “will everyone pass their exams?,” is Ayano and Pin. As a result, that shoulders the bulk of what’s going on here, and it’s still unclear if Shiina is actually going to pull the trigger or not. In fact, it’s unclear if Pin is being overly dense or if he is deliberately being overly dense—I suspect the latter. Certainly the rest of the cast have no trouble with Ayano going after her teacher, possibly as she’s ALMOST of age, as opposed to a lot of other teacher/student romance manga. Beyond that, we get warm and fuzzy by the bucketload, including Sawako spending the night at Kazehaya’s house (no, nothing happens.) – Sean Gaffney

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 9 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – The main story of Of the Red… ends here, with many things explained, including the fates of Yoshiki and Akane as well as Yue’s origins. It’s bittersweet and more or less makes sense. That said, there have always been a few things about this series that I’ve never really understood, and though I’ve got a better sense of things now, I’m still not 100% clear on how things happened at the end. But I think I know, and I like the characters and the atmosphere, and that’s evidently good enough for me to enjoy a series. I’m looking forward to volume ten, which appears to be an epilogue of sorts, and wouldn’t grumble too much if the bittersweet ending became a happier one. – Michelle Smith

One Week Friends, Vol. 1 | By Matcha Hazuki | Yen Press – I’m quite fond of a lot of 4-koma-style slice-of-life series. I’m quite fond of cute-but-serious romances. Combining the two of them, though, I’m not sure if it works out. I suspect the author and publisher aren’t too sure either, as One Week Friends waffles back and forth between 4-koma style and longer, regular manga-style stories. The issue is there aren’t very good punchlines in the 4-koma, which defeats the purpose. The story itself, about a girl who for some reason or another forgets all her good memories after one week (and thus can never make friends) is decent enough, but I kept watching it slowly stop and start and try to rev its engine and the whole thing just needed to be better. – Sean Gaffney

Say I Love You., Vol. 18 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – And so another shoujo manga comes to an end. Yamato and Mei’s post-high school life has sped along, and now Yamato is out of college and struggling to get his photography career off the ground. It’s nice to see he’s not instantly hailed as some superstar, and by the time he achieves sufficient success to propose to Mei (evidently when they’re both 25), it feels hard-won. Too, I appreciated Megumi’s struggles, and liked how her story played out, both career-wise and romantically. I suppose the fact that everyone ends up paired off and/or married is a shoujo trope, but it still makes for a satisfying resolution, and I admit I totally cried at Yamato’s proposal. I’ve really enjoyed this series and look forward to rereading it one day. Definitely a keeper. – Michelle Smith

A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School!, Vol. 1 | By Mai Tanaka | Yen Press – Another day, another yokai series—I’m starting to miss vampires, let me tell you. This one is definitely on the comedic side, and features the titular terrified teacher, Haruki, as he starts at a new school only to discover that everyone in it is some sort of yokai. For the most part, the yokai we see are very traditional, and we get such classics as the girl with the long neck and the Zashiki-warashi. There are extensive endnotes, which are helpful, and the class is goofy and fun without being annoying. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the teacher—I simply didn’t like Haruki much, and given he’s the star that’s a problem. I hope he gets a bit less terrified as this goes on. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 4 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – I enjoy each volume of this more than the last, always a good thing with an ongoing manga series. Here we get more of the Water Dragon God trying his best to see how humans work, and for the most part failing rather miserably. He’s still a jerk (and indeed Asahi tells him this), but he’s also the most interesting romantic interest, as Subaru has unfortunately become a bit faceless. And there’s also the problem that they’re starting to get noticed, which brings Asahi to the Emperor of Not-Japan, who is young and clearly wants a miracle worker, whereas all Asahi can offer him is human advice. (Also terrific impressions.) I’ve never gotten into Toma’s stuff before, but this is really good. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 7 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – We’ve finished Day One of the race, and the result is… well, let’s just say inconclusive. It does remind you why Midosouji is such a good antagonist, though, and it’s not just for his extremely creepy faces. (It is mostly for that.) Meanwhile, it was just about time for the unfortunate injury to occur, though here it’s not so much an injury as illness that does in Tadokoro, who seems to be suffering from heat exhaustion of some sort. Fortunately, Onoda is not about to leave anyone behind, even as everyone else is telling him to do so. That’s just not how he rolls. Singing Pretty Princess songs is how he rolls. Will Day Two finish by the end of the next omnibus? I wouldn’t bank on it. – Sean Gaffney

Absolute Duo, Vol. 2 | By Shinichirou Nariie, Takumi Hiragiboshi, and You Asaba | Seven Seas – I gave this one more volume, but last time I said that if you didn’t realize there was another released you’d barely care, and if anything I was understating it. Most of the volume consists of the class fighting against each other, showing off their various cool moves. Of course, it all ends up with the characters we’re familiar with facing each other, and the introverted busty girl turns out to have a sword as large as her chest. The trouble is that there are so many other series coming out with magical schools, including many with only one major male character, and this does not have anything that lets it stand out above the pack. The definition of ‘meh.’ – Sean Gaffney

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 12 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – Most of this volume is dedicated to trying to take out Kongou, the arrogant blonde warship on the cover who sees herself as invincible and whose fate is therefore almost pre-determined. Again, we see the value in not only treating the mental models as real beings with values and feelings, but also trusting others—Iona wins as she trusts the humans on her crew to do things for her so that she can concentrate on this. Even the two chibis who were captured last time, whose names I still can’t really remember, are able to see this and compare it to their own side. That said, Iona does make them wear tracksuits as punishment, so it’s clear that the good guys torture too. An excellent mecha series. – Sean Gaffney

Flying Witch, Vol. 4 | By Chihiro Ishizuka | Vertical Comics – Um… cute! Fluffy! More cute! Seriously, some series I don’t have enough to say about for full reviews, but Flying Witch may be the first series that I genuinely enjoy but don’t even have enough to say for a Bookshelf Brief. Sometimes the focus is magical, as when Makoto meets up with her bike-riding senpai for a status report, or befriends a pokemon-like creature on the beach. And sometimes it’s pure high school slice-of-life, as when they all make lunch in home ec class… and forget to cook the rice. My favorite chapter may have been the apple-picking, which was filled with amusing sight gags and lots of cuteness. There is no plot and no character development, but Flying Witch remains light fun. Very light. – Sean Gaffney

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 3| By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – Everything I said about the second volume applies here. There’s quite a bit of nasty gore, including intestines being used in ways they probably shouldn’t be, much killing of animals, a whole lot of urine and feces, etc. There is also a large amount of what amounts to early 20th century Ainu recipes, as we learn the finer arts of how to kill and eat various animals in the wild. Fortunately, there is also some light relief this time around, coming from some very eccentric side characters, as well as our heroes getting drunk on sake, with all that that entails. I’m still not sure where Golden Kamuy is going with its treasure map, but as long as it has fun characters and delicious (if sometimes gross) food, I’ll keep reading. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 27 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – So for about two-thirds of the volume, I wondered if Ohtaka was really going to pretend that she had killed off Alibaba after all, as well as sent Judar! Into! Spaaaaaaaace! But not quite, as we now have the separate adventures of Judar and a sort of… Alibaba toy… fighting aliens on another planet. Which is probably for the best, as it puts them away from the war that begins in this volume. The best part of the book is the growth, painful though it is, of Aladdin, who has to come to terms with the fact that Hakuryu is likely correct. “I may be unhappy… but I don’t want YOU to decide how I live.” The fact that it’s done sympathetically makes it even worse, and Aladdin has a lot to think about. Next time: war! – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 27 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – Despite appearances from last volume’s cliffhanger, Hakuryu actually won his duel with Alibaba, as the latter has had his soul banished to another dimension by Hakuryu’s new djinn. That’s certainly dramatic enough, but Aladdin’s victory over Judar is even more chilling—he casts a permanent spell on him that causes him to continue moving in the same direction forever, “no matter what objects he strikes or what damage he takes.” Cool! Part of me sincerely wishes both of these deeds were allowed to stick, but oh well. I can’t say I am sad to see Alibaba’s spirit and Judar reunited on an alien world. Meanwhile, war is brewing and it’s looking mighty intense. I am already looking forward to one day undertaking a marathon reread of Magi. I suspect it’ll be even more potent when consumed without interruption. – Michelle Smith

Re:Monster, Vol. 3 | By Kogitsune Kanekiru and Haruyoshi Kobayakawa| Seven Seas – I suspect that the readers of Re: Monster fall into two categories: young teenage boys who want masturbation fodder, and older boys (at least at heart) who want to laugh out loud at the pure ridiculousness of this power fantasy. Everything in this volume is the same as the last two, only MORE. Mi becomes a hot dhampir (complete with spectacles, to make her even more of a Rider ripoff), Kichi and E hook up in the most muscley romance ever, the redheaded swordsman eats monster meat and thus also starts gaining weird abilities (and oral skills), and this remains the most hilariously NOT T-for-Teen series Seven Seas has ever released. Recommended if you’re shameless or a young teenage boy. – Sean Gaffney

Say “I Love You,” Vol. 18 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Sometimes shoujo series end by simply connecting all the dots, and that’s what happens in this final volume. The hooked up couples get married or have kids (or both), Megumi finally returns to Japan and gets decent work again (and a boyfriend, possibly, though that’s going to take a lot longer than just a pat ending can deliver), and everyone is happy and content. I’ll admit it, it seemed a bit too pat for me at times, but after eighteen volumes of a whole lot of angst, I am willing to see everyone here smiling and married off. This was one of the first Dessert series to be licensed, along with My Little Monster, and we now have a flood of titles from that magazine, so it was a trailbalazer. I’ll miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 7 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – The end of day one of the Inter-High is in sight! With only two kilometers to go, Imaizumi must help propel Kinjou to the finish line, and struggles mightily to stay even with his counterpart from Hakone. But just as the two aces make their break, who should appear (in a very effective two-page spread) but super-creepy Midousuji, who has saved his energy for this moment! What ensues is a three-way battle for first place, in which you get sequential panels with dialogue like, “Haauuughh!!,” “Rarrrrgh!!,” and “Haaargh!!” All of the racing stuff is exciting, of course, but my favorite moments were Hakone’s Toudou being really complimentary to Onoda, Makishima worrying about his teammates, and Onoda’s insistence on day two that he is not going to leave a struggling Tadokoro behind. I’m sad I have to wait until April for more! – Michelle Smith

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 19 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – The first half of this book shows us that our heroes are still high school students, and thus powerless to a degree—they’re captured with astonishing ease. Of course, once we get them out of holding and back on the mountain (kudos to Irina, who shows off a few things I’m surprised Jump let her get away with—not least of which wanting to do Karasuma ten times a day) they’re in their element, and even the hardened trained assassins find that environment plays a key role. As for Koro-sensei, well, he’s trapped, and time is running out. The book makes it very clear that saving Koro-sensei is not going to fly with the general public. So what happens next? Can’t wait to find out. – Sean Gaffney

Captive Hearts of Oz, Vol. 3 | By Ryo Maruya and Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Seven Seas – As with its spiritual predecessor, Alice in the Country of Hearts, the goal of this series is to find out what the world is actually supposed to be. After reading this volume, it may be even less clear. I am grateful that, because this isn’t based on an otome game, there’s no real romance being played out here. (Romance could be some of the shadiest elements of the Alice series.) However, I’d like things to be just a little bit clearer, to be honest. I probably should have reread the first two books, as it’s been a while. That said, the general TONE of the book is fine, and it pushes all the right buttons that fans of this sort of series will want pushed. It’s just… HUH? – Sean Gaffney

Chihayafuru, Vol. 7 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Chihaya should be studying for exams, but she ditches a session with Desk-kun to see how Taichi’s doing in a tournament. It’s there she learns that Arata has resumed competing, and I so love Taichi’s reaction to this news. It’s obvious that he’s jealous, but seeing Chihaya so happy causes him to admit to himself that part of him is happy, too. Then, after some nice chapters in which the more lowly members of the Mizusawa karuta club offer sage advice to Taichi and Chihaya, we progress to the East Japan qualification tournament to decide challengers for the ranks of master and queen. Chihaya’s mastery of the game has improved, and it’s great to see her take on formidable opponents without making mistakes. It’s probably too early in the series for her to actually beat Shinobu, but I am in no rush. Every volume is a joy. – Michelle Smith

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 7 | By Izumi Miyazono | Viz Media – Oh, long-distance relationships. Everyone goes into them filled with good intentions, but it never quite works out the way you want. Asuka and Ryo are certainly finding that out. She’s being strong and totally OK with him doing this, which makes sense for him, but… you can tell that she hates it, and that’s not being communicated. As such, even though everything is being done properly, it’s hard to not get that sense of impending doom, especially as everyone else is telling Asuka this as well. We also meet Ryu’s brother, who is the classic “I look totally scary but am really just overprotective” sort. We still have a couple of volumes to go… how is this going to sort itself out? – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 17-18 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | VIZ Media – Seirin has made it to the quarterfinals of the Winter Cup where they must face Yosen, a team that not only includes Kagami’s childhood friend/rival but also Murasakibara, an (enormous) member of the Miracle Generation. Kuroko debuts his new shooting skills (essentially, he adapts his passing technique instead of using proper form) and the various members of Seirin get their moment in the sun, especially Hyuga and Kiyoshi. And, of course, there’s a lesson, as Murasakibara’s approach has been that big people are always going to win at basketball, so there’s no use in anyone else trying. I must note that this series has just about reached The Prince of Tennis levels of implausibility involving some characters’ abilities, including a peanut gallery that calls out the names of moves, but I am still enjoying it immensely. – Michelle Smith

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 9 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – So I will admit that throughout this series I’ve found the plot difficult to follow at the best of times, but for all that I appreciated this volume trying to lay things out for us. We get even more clarification about what ‘taking a meal’ entails, and also why Akane did what she did. Yue’s decision feels very much in character, and I suppose it could have been worse—the characters who were “eaten” don’t come back, but most of the Ayakashi are at least seen as around. As for Tougo, he is very unhappy with part of Yue’s decision, and takes it upon himself to try to fix it—also in character for him. Main series is over, time for extras! Will there be an epilogue? – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 7 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – At one point while reading this, I had to step back a moment to just appreciate what an unexpected turn this story has taken. It’s not about saving the Amamizukan from destruction anymore. It’s about Tsukimi getting on a plane for the first time and flying to Singapore, Kuranosuke’s determination to get her back, Shu’s apparent willingness to let her go, and Hanamori’s promises to make enough money gambling to buy the Amars’ residence back from Kai, the fashion mogul who has whisked Tsukimi away on a new life. But, y’know, I’m not sure Tsukimi really wants to go back, and that’s what makes this series great. I think we could get a happy ending that preserves the status quo for most of the Amars while allowing Tsukimi to become something she never imagined. I am so eager to experience the final volumes! – Michelle Smith

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 8 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – Well, I was wrong in my review of the last volume, where I said we would have an amazing breakthrough this time. Instead, we get more pain, angst, and torment from our lead couple, and everyone around Tatara yelling at him to figure things out or else stop this. They’re not going to tell him what the issue is, mostly as it can’t be conveyed well with words. And you get the sense by the end of the volume that he might be getting it. But I said that last time, and I’m not really sure that it’s worth crawling through broken glass every volume just to get to a bit of catharsis. Is this trip really necessary? – Sean Gaffney

Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage, Vol. 2 | By Leiji Matsumoto and Kouiti Shimaboshi | Seven Seas – Harlock has a scar. This is useful information in this volume, as in some panels it’s the only way to tell that you’re looking at him and not Tadashi, who has that same hair that seems to be blowing in the wind even in the corridors of a spaceship. The highlight of this second volume, though, may be the flashback to the first meeting of Harlock and Tochiro, which we’ve seen before in other adaptations and no doubt will again, but is always fun to show off what a badass Tochiro is despite looking like a short creepy guy. There’s also more drama from the Mazon, who now have a bounty out on Harlock. Dimensional Voyage continues to be a decent adaptation in any case. – Sean Gaffney

Cells at Work!, Vol. 5 | By Akane Shimizu | Kodansha Comics – We reunite with a cell with a history of befriending germs. He’s feeling lonely and bored, and wishes he could save someone and earn their gratitude. The chance presents itself and he ends up saving… some cute bacteria. Turns out, they’re good bacteria, and the whole volume consists of White Blood Cell giving the cell a tour of the digestive system, during which each variety of good bacteria finds its specialty and ends up saving the day. The cell bravely protects the bacteria throughout, and meanwhile we get an actually fairly dramatic return of Cancer Cell who is being protected by a regulatory cell, and who pitches his version of utopia in which the body’s cells revolt and refuse to kill each other for the body’s sake. There was almost some kind of plot there for a second! All in all, this was a pretty fun volume. – Michelle Smith

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 13 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – You never quite know from chapter to chapter what kind of Centaur’s Life you’ll get. Sometimes the “wtf” comes from the historical or political chapters, such as the retelling of the movie The Thing with snakes, or the ongoing war with the frogs (and their human advisor). But oftentimes it’s also with our main cast. We get another chapter devoted to Michi and Mitsu, the lesbian couple in the series, which shows us that one is the heir to a yakuza family, complete with assassination attempts. And sometimes there’s bizarre dream sequences, like Suu and Hime setting fire to the creepiest “factory” you’ve ever seen. Sure, sometimes we get adorable toddler sequences, but they’re fewer and fewer in number. The author has dreams, that’s for sure. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 21 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – More exams, and much as I’m enjoying these chapters the arc is already feeling dragged out. Turns out that when you actively try to suppress the resisters by cheating, it doesn’t work, as they’re clever enough—and good enough chefs—to get around such petty tricks. Which leaves more time for sightseeing in Hokkaido and bonding with unusual pairings—I was amused at seeing Ikumi, Isami, Erina and Megumi walking around town and thinking it’s an unusual group, only for Isami to say the exact same thing. Things may get harder soon, though, as now Soma has to fight Hayama, and the ingredient is absolutely stacked in his favor. Is this the end for our hero? Well, no. But find out why next time. – Sean Gaffney

Giant Killing, Vol. 8 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – ETU’s game against Osaka continues, though it’s not going well, as the first half ends with the score 2-0. And yet Tatsumi smirks, sure that his counterattack is going to be effective. Soon, though, it becomes clear that he had misjudged Natsuki’s confidence, as the latter fumbles chance after chance that his teammates worked their butts off to create. Seeing the continued growth of ETU members is great, but I also really liked getting a glimpse inside the mind of Kubota, one of the Osaka forwards, who looks plain and unassuming, but who makes great split-second decisions (wholly unlike Natsuki) and who spurs Tsubaki to greatness. I kind of want him to join ETU, in fact, though that seems unlikely. The volume concludes before the match does, so I am definitely looking forward to volume nine! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 18 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – Karasuno has made it to the finals of the qualifying round, where they’re up against the prefectural favorite, Shiratorizawa. They lost the first set, but in the second they’re starting to get a hang for how to combat their powerhouse rival. Surprisingly, Tsukishima is utterly key to this, as he’s the one who figures out some of their patterns and timing, and starts blocking them in such a way that allows Nishinoya to do his thing. Somehow, Tsukishima has really endeared himself to me lately, and I love seeing him actually get fired up and relentless about something in his own way. (I also adored the Potteresque poster at the end featuring him!) The volume ends with each team struggling to make two consecutive points and take the second set. How does this series manage to become even more nail-bitey each time?! Not that I’m complaining. – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 18 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – The evolution of Tsukishima from “tall grumpy asshole” to “CLEVER tall grumpy asshole” has been highly rewarding, and this volume shows off his maturation to excellent effect, to the point where he actually leads some of the strategy. He’d do well in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, I think. Nishinoya is also impressive throughout, and there are the occasional moments for our two leads. It’s still a tight game, though, and we get a lot of chapters devoted to showing us that while they have one really talented guy, that’s not quite all they have. The cliffhanger shows us veering back and forth between set points, but this is best 3-of-5, so I’m sure we have a ways to go. Excellent sports manga. – Sean Gaffney

Helvetica Standard: Italic | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – As with the first volume, we start with the Helvetica Standard 4-komas. They have the strange sense of humor we know and love from Arawi, but do suffer a bit from lacking a lovable main cast—there are some recurring roles, but it’s even more random than Nichijou was. After this we get the original art that was used for the DVD/Blu-Ray covers, and again I like the way he works surreal art styles into them. He enjoys playing with the space given to him, sometimes in a very Escher way, and dislikes leaving blank space when he can fill it with something else. This is inessential, but I was pleased to see it anyway, and it’s whetted my appetite for the new series City in the spring. -Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vol. 17-18 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – As you’d expect, Seirin have managed to score some points by the end of this omnibus, so they aren’t shut out. Things still aren’t looking good, though, despite their amazing secret weapon—Kuroko actually shooting and scoring! He’s sort of hit-and-miss, but it’s another unpredictable aspect to his game. Things aren’t going nearly as well for Kagami, who’s finding it very hard to get past the huge and somewhat arrogant Murasakibara on the other team. He wants to get back in ‘the zone,’ but easier said than done. As for Kiyoshi, well, he’s still injured, and thus can’t contribute the way he wants. Though hopefully Riko beating the injury out of him offscreen may help. Exciting stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 2 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – After some terrifying sequences last time, we’re dealing with the aftermath—a lot of the students that Ms. Hayashi had been “dealing with” are also infested with bugs. As for Ms. Hayashi herself, she’s dying—and only Fumi seems to want to try to take the “save her” option. Of course, saving her might involve becoming the Black Queen again, but Fumi is able to move past that and become… possibly Fuyu? Whoever it is that takes over Fumi, she brings a memory of the traumatic death of her mother with her. But it’s not all drama and thrilling tension—Fumi’s choice of a weapon to fight with is a gag that will make you laugh hysterically, something Motomi excels at. Definitely recommended for shoujo fans. – Sean Gaffney

Waiting for Spring, Vol. 3 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – This third volume shows off more of the love triangle between Mitsuki, Towa and Aya, but two of those three are just so awkward that there’s not really any danger of sparks flying—even the one-on-one basketball game between the two guys is cut short by Mitsuki, who has a sneaking suspicion it would go badly for Towa. We also get the addition of another female friend, not always something that happens in a shoujo series. She’s shy but also straightforward, and has a pretty obvious crush, so I hope their friendship can survive things. This isn’t top-drawer shoujo, but it’s pleasant enough, and the lead girl is indecisive but not dragged around by the plot as much as some. – Sean Gaffney

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 8 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – It’s not that this volume of Welcome to the Ballroom is bad by any stretch, but for 99% of it, Tatara and Chinatsu are failing to communicate as partners, and it’s a bit excruciating. I suppose enduring this does make it all the sweeter when they finally achieve a few measures of harmony whilst competing in the Metropolitan Tournament, though. I did enjoy seeing Tatara briefly looking manly, and it seems like he’s on the verge of overcoming his timid personality. There are a couple of brief panels that look like Tatara’s mother abandoning the family when Tatara was a kid, which suggests he’s afraid to drive people away by really expressing himself, but Chinatsu is just the one to demand that from him. After all of their struggles, it sure will be gratifying to see them get it together. – Michelle Smith