Michelle Smith

It’s a cornucopia of briefs!

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 6 | By Yuji Terjima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Training camp continues, and the coach has arranged for some practice games right afterwards, the better to gauge how well the first years play when exhausted. For Furuya, the answer is initially “not well,” but he never loses his determination, and once he swallows his pride and asks Miyuki for advice, he finally internalizes the truth that, at Seido, he’s got teammates who are going to back him up, even if the batter does manage to get a hit. Eijun’s fun and everything, but Furuya is not your typical shounen protagonist, and I’m pleased that he’s getting his share of attention. I also liked that the boys hang out some with varsity teammates we’ve barely glimpsed before now, and we learn how awesome the captain is. I am already relishing the thought of future marathon rereads of this series. It’s a keeper for sure. – Michelle Smith

Cells at Work!, Vol. 5 | By Akane Shimizu | Kodansha Comics – Once again, Red Blood Cell is absent from this volume except a brief cameo. This allows us to focus our attention on the ‘normal cell’ from prior volumes, who still has a tendency to do dumb things on impulse. Fortunately, the cute adorable bacteria he’s harboring in his room are the GOOD kind of bacteria. Unfortunately, his attempt to get them to where they can do good is thwarted by a host of crises from which White Blood Cell and company must rescue him, most notably the return of Cancer Cell, who brings back the ethical ambiguity to the series as he asks essentially “are the needs of the many less important than the needs of the one?” The one being the body. This was a lot of fun. – Sean Gaffney

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 3 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – The cast expands a bit in this third volume. We see one of our team’s old comrades, who left them due to actually wanting to get paid, and the complicated relationship she has with them, particularly Marcille, and it’s made clear she’s not a bad guy—everyone has their own needs and drives. As for Marcille, we also get a flashback to her school days, which shows how she met Laios’ sister (still being digested by a dragon, if you recall), which is rather cute. And of course more ridiculously gross yet amusing monster recipes. And plenty of humor, as it turns out tentacles can be peeled sort of like bananas. Still good, though I’d like to get the sister rescued or declare her dead. – Sean Gaffney

The Full-Time Wife Escapist, Vol. 6 | By Tsunami Umino | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – It was inevitable that Mikuri and Hiramasa would discover that they are in love with each other, but I am still kind of surprised that it actually happened. It’s lovely to see him grinning like a doofus at the office after an evening of fooling around, but I appreciate that the transition into a real marriage isn’t exactly going to be smooth. Mikuri is worried, for example, that she’ll be expected to do the same amount of work for free, while Hiramasa worries about his waning sex drive. Somehow I doubt we’ll ever see the latter issue addressed Everyone’s Getting Married! I also really enjoyed the scenes where Mikuri’s aunt and Kazami get to know each other better—I wholeheartedly approve of them hooking up! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 17 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – And so our heroes pull it off, and get to advance, while Aoba Johsai has to suffer an ignominious defeat. This is done in the best possible shonen way, with lots of noble tears and resolve to get even stronger. The cliches don’t FEEL like cliches—the author is adept at making this feel fresh even when you know where every plot beat is going to be. And so it’s on to the finals, and I suspect this game may drag on a while, as it’s a best 3-sets-of-5 game. Their opponent is Shiratorizawa, who I’m sure we’ll find out more about as we move on, but who clearly have one player who’s REALLY good, and the volume ends with our heroes down by quite a bit. I think they’ll come back, though. Just a hunch. – Sean Gaffney

Hana & Hina After School, Vol. 3 | By Milk Morinaga | Seven Seas – This turns out to be the final volume, and honestly you get the sense it was cut a bit short—the last half feels rushed. Of course, considering all we were getting before that was a slow-burning pile of angst, it might be best that it got the push. Morinaga Milk has always been better at fluffy than angsty, so it comes as something of a relief when our two heroines finally get over the whole “is it just me? Did she mean it when she said she’s not that way?” drama and get together (in all respects—as with previous MM titles, there’s a brief, not-that-explicit sex scene here). In the end, this was a cute read, but I’ve seen better yuri from this author. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 9 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – Horimiya has always tried to be at least slightly more realistic than a lot of romance manga, and thus watching Yuki’s ongoing angst regarding her lies and deceit and how it’s impacting other people is particularly painful. I’m not really all that sure I want her to win here, even though the alternative will also suck. On the bright side, Hori and Morimiya are doing better than ever, and as Hori is forced to think about her future—something which she seemed to have given not a single thought to—but she realizes here that no matter what she does, she wants to be with Miyamura. This leads to a sort of adorable reverse proposal, which fits the general characterization. Still good, but I hope it’s wrapping up soon. – Sean Gaffney

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Vol. 5 | By Hirohiko Araki | Viz Media And so, finally, JoJo’s has run up against my ability to get 500+ words out of each volume. Yes, this is the first volume to get a Brief rather than a full review, and I put the blame entirely on the rambling Road To Cairo plot that Araki has chosen to use this time around. Individual moments are as striking as ever—I felt the killer baby was more interesting as a killer within dreams than in the real world, and the surprise non-death of a character feels a bit cheap. But JoJo’s still has its bizarre visuals and grotesque violence, and as long as it keeps that up it should stay interesting, even if Jotaru continues to be the dullest Jo we’ve had to date. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 4 | By Canno | Yen Press – Most sports manga fail to show the heroes moving on to a professional career, with a few exceptions like Captain Tsubasa. In reality, a lot of sports careers end just the way we see Mizuki’s end here—she comes close to the Nationals, but doesn’t make it, and realizes that this is it, she has to stop doing track and decide on an actual career. There’s also her relationship with Moe, which may actually be hindering her for a spell—it’s gotten to the point where she forgets running was fun—but eventually proves stronger than both thought, and we get a proposal (of sorts) and a kiss. This is a bit stronger than Hana & Hina, even if it’s just as fluffy, and I’m pleased to see it continue. – Sean Gaffney

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade, Vol. 7 | By Koyuki and Mamare Touno | Yen Press – The comedy is kept to a minimum here, as we get the more dramatic parts of the third and fourth novel, intermixed with how it’s affecting the West Wind Brigade. Kawara’s on the cover, and we get a bit more insight into her character—basically, she’s an instinctual fighter but a bit of an idiot who got into the game because she wanted to be a shonen hero, and the West Wind Brigade was the only one that would take her in. It does also show off her strengths as well, though. That said, easily the most interesting part is the ending, where we get a surprise appearance by a seemingly insane Nureha, who’s met by a battle-crazy Soujiro. I want to see how this battle turns out. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 10 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – I appreciate that Horikoshi is willing to let Bakugo be a completely unlikable jerk, driven by rage and jealousy and every single negative emotion, and yet still show that he realizes the difference between good and evil—that he’s decided that he wants to be a HERO rather than a villain, even if that means going against what comes more naturally. It’s a terrific scene that really made me like him. On the flip side, the disguises used to infiltrate Evil HQ are hilarious, particularly Deku and Momo. The humor is needed, as this is something of a grim arc, especially with the arrival of a Bigger Bad towards the end. This volume shows off everything that has made this the hot new Jump title. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 24 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – Even though it’s obvious Onodera’s going to lose, give credit to the author for not making it easy. She and Raku have really developed a close relationship, and even if it’s not romantic I hope they can stay friends. More to the point, the fact that Onodera is willing to help Raku track down Chitoge by FLYING TO AMERICA with him (because Chitoge has, like many tsundere heroines in denial, literally run halfway across the Earth to escape her love issues) shows off her truly ridiculous kindness. There’s the last popularity poll in this book, and Chitoge and Onodera are separated by barely 100 votes. That’s impressive for a harem title. In any case, it wraps up next time, so keep reading. – Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 84 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – It’s been a while since we had a volume that focused on further sad backstory for one of the Straw Hat crew, but that’s what we get here, with many hard-to-read scenes about Sanji’s abuse at the hands of his family, intercut with a silly fight in which Luffy defeats a bunch of cracker soldiers by eating them. Because Big Mom is threatening to kill Chef Zeff if he doesn’t comply, Sanji is forced to both insult and attack Luffy in an attempt to get him to abort the rescue, but of course this doesn’t work. In addition to this riveting drama, there’s also the question of whether Pudding (Sanji’s seemingly sympathetic bride-to-be) can actually be trusted, more information about the ponegliffs (yay!), and a glimpse at the unintended consequences of toppling Doflamingo. Plus, Brook actually gets something important to do! This series is still excellent. – Michelle Smith

Anne Happy, Vol. 7 | By Cotoji | Yen Press – It’s sports festival time, and out heroines are doing their best to at least survive the events, though in Botan’s case that may be difficult. The volume consists of what you’d expect—everyone’s quirk is in full force, the Unlucky Class ends up very very far behind in the rankings, mostly as they’re up against a sports class that compete in national events. Sayama continues to attempt to get over her terminal shyness, and makes small strides. Small strides is in fact the point of this series, as the class in general is doing OK but not well enough to make it in the world. This may become more important later on. In the meantime, Anne Happy is unassuming and cute, with minimal ambition. If you enjoy cute girls falling over, you’ll like it. – Sean Gaffney

Black Clover, Vol. 9 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – We wrap up the Battle with the Midnight Sun here, and our heroes spend some significant time recovering—though for Asta, that time may end up being far longer than he’d really like. We also end up seeing Yuno again. Remember Yuno? Asta’s rival who we saw at the very start of the series? He’s back, and of course is ridiculously strong. The rivalry between him and Asta has ridiculous amounts of BL tease, because this is a Jump manga, but I’m fine with that. There was also a nice non-reveal with a masked captain of Yuno’s unit, who turned out to be masked for different reasons than we’d thought. In any case, new arc should start soon, as we try to figure out how to heal permanent damage. – Sean Gaffney

Demon King Daimaou, Vol. 3 | By Shoutaro Mizuki and Souichi Itou | J-Novel Club – There is one reason that the jaded light-novel fan should give this book a try, and that’s the appearance of the villain, Mister X, who is over the top crazy and in his desire for villainy and despair that is “Art!” reminds me of nothing less than an evil Great Gonzo. Other than that, it’s situations normal at Daimaou, Inc. We get a bit more depth for Hiroshi, Akuto’s fanboy, but it doesn’t really work nearly as well for me, as the characterization feels off from the prior two books. And there are the heroines, with Korone getting a nice fakeout “I am going back to be executed” moment, Keena being Akuto’s conscience, and Junko being, well, Junko. Daimaou is a perfect buy for those who have to buy everything. – Sean Gaffney

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 4 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – This was a super shoujo-riffic volume of manga, even though there are some funny bits too (particularly the bonus comic). Shimana encourages Zen’s brother, Ken, not to give up on his boxing ambitions, and in gratitude he shows her Fujiwara’s high school yearbook, which only brings up more questions. In between, there are Christmas presents and bittersweet longing and earnest conversations about dreams. Also, there are at least three and probably more scenes that involve Shimana tearfully running away from a conversation and slamming a door. It’s repetitive, yes, but at least she doesn’t ever spend very long in a sulk. I enjoy Asahi stirring the pot and Zen being a good, sweet friend, but I’m not sure I want Shimana and Fujiwara to get together. He’s right—she is still a kid. Maybe Zen will win her over in the end with his panda wiles. – Michelle Smith

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 3 | By Nagabe | Seven Seas – The beginning of this volume is super tense! Shiva’s aunt has come for her, accompanied by several of the soldiers that only recently were trying to kill her, and Teacher does his best to rescue her, to no avail. One particularly impactful page-turn, revealing Teacher struck by many arrows, made me realize that because this series is so unique, there’s no variations-on-a-theme template to rely upon and, as a result, I really believed Teacher could actually die. He doesn’t, but what happens when Shiva gets back to the village is dramatic enough, along with a cliffhanger about her real origins. The art continues to be a delight, as well—I particularly love the panels that emphasize Shiva’s smallness and the nonverbal depiction of Teacher’s devastation after she’s gone. Now to manage the four-month wait for volume four! – Michelle Smith

Girls’ Last Tour, Vol. 3 | By Tsukumizu| Yen Press – The odd finally manages to win out over the cute for this volume of Girls’ Last Tour, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We see again and again how depressingly apocalyptic this world the girls are traveling through is, and on more than one occasional it almost leads to their horrible deaths. They also meet someone in the final section, though this is a robot rather than a human—but the essential story beats remain the same. And there’s even some fanservice for anyone interested. I’ve said before that this reminds me of Strawberry Marshmallow, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was Miu’s bizarre self-insert fic with her and Chika—though I suspect it’d earn her a smack or two. Oddly compelling. – Sean Gaffney

Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear, Vol. 6 | By Masume Yoshimoto | One Peace Books – Well, I did ask for more of the bear, and I certainly get that here. Unfortunately, I also get another bear, who’s painted as the obsessed female stalker of our main bear. The humor that follows, showing a tsundere bear trying to be seductive (and failing), only works about one third of the time. It doesn’t help that the series already has a tsundere, Hibiki, and we get an amusing chapter devoted to imagining what might make her actually confess. Honestly, though, the highlight was the final chapter, where the bear tries to get Machi to take a train as part of his “make her a functioning adult” plan. It doesn’t work—she gets on the wrong train, and is now at the ocean. Will she die? Probably not. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 4 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – This series continues to play to a very limited audience, the sort who likes lesbians and likes sociopaths, and REALLY likes the combination of the two. If that pleases you, this volume will too, though be warned another sympathetic cutie is butchered horribly. As for Kuroko, she’s actually out of commission for part of this, having been brainwashed by the head villainess of the book. Fortunately, we needed some more characterization for Chiyo, Kuroko’s yakuza girlfriend who’s in a state of constant rage from, well, dealing with Kuroko’s tendency to bed anyone female. Spoiler: she’s badass. As for Rinko, the child killer from last time… well, I don’t want to spoil it. Suffice to say I laughed, but it was rueful. Murcielago is hilarious and you will feel bad. – Sean Gaffney

My Monster Secret, Vol. 8 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – I suspect it’s going to be harder and harder to drag out the “we’re not really dating” card after the ending of this volume. Which is fine, as I will freely admit that the relationship between Asahi and Youko is one of the two best reasons to read this book. The other is the humor, and there’s plenty of that on display as well, as we see angel feathers that make people act out the Seven Sins; Koumoto-sensei celebrating another birthday of being a single woman, as no one will let her forget; and Nagisa getting turned big (as opposed to being in her alien suit) in order to once again fire up the love triangle. There’s stuff that doesn’t work (anything with Shimada), but this series still has more hits than misses. – Sean Gaffney

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 7 | By Aya Kanno | VIZ Media – Wow. And also “holy crap.” I’m going to completely forego any spoilers this time, because the surprises in this volume need to be experienced as they come. Suffice it to say that Richard does not handle the revelation about Henry’s true identity well, and Henry doesn’t handle captivity and his lusty feelings for Richard well, either. All of these sad, broken people being crushed by… well… the game of thrones. Although a smidge of me still dares to hope Richard will find happiness by the end of the series, the ending of this volume suggests otherwise. I actually had to look up whether the series was concluding in the next volume, though that doesn’t appear to be the case. I should have known better than to choose something else for pick of the week, even if it was my beloved Chihayafuru! – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 40 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Still counting down towards the end of this series. At least Toriko gets to add another item to his menu, meaning he only has two to go. But unfortunately, this one is more about the ridiculous fights than the ridiculous food, and whenever that happens it’s never good news. The author is better at food porn. He’s also better at ho yay, as the reunion of Toriko and Komatsu is loaded with an absolute ridiculous amount of subtext—I would not blame readers for forgetting Rin exists. As for the evil plot, it creeps incrementally forward, leading to a cliffhanger as Toriko and company finally challenge God. I’m finishing the series as I’ve already read 40 volumes, but it’s only for the hardcore now. – Sean Gaffney

Cosplay Animal, Vol. 2 | By Watari Sakou | Kodansha Comics – I think I will continue to enjoy Cosplay Animal as long as the heroine remains ludicrous and the tone remains fun, both things that I can tick off with this second volume. Yes, there’s a gay guy who makes out with his employees that’s sort of a bad stereotype, but he barely stands out here next to Rika, who is dealing with not having enough stamina during sex, trying to get some with her boyfriend while being forced to work at a hot spring (she broke a vase), and, in the story that edges between the most serious and also the most ridiculous (I called “no way” a few times), trying to student-teach at Hajime’s school. Not for those easily offended, but if you like pure trash, you’ll love Cosplay Animal. – Sean Gaffney

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 4 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – I have resolved myself to the fact that the main romance in this series is probably going to be between Shimana and the landlord, who’s getting more tsundere by the volume. This is not good news for Zen, who always looked like the sort of overeager guy who’s destined to be romantic runner-up, but I’m not sure he expected it this soon. We wrap up the boxing plotline here and start to get into Fujiwara’s past and present, including the fact that he’s a lawyer because his family wants him to be, but not particularly happy about it. Since the point of this series seems to be “don’t throw away your dreams and accept a bad reality,” I expect that to change, especially with Shimana’s basic shininess working against it. I’m still not over the moon about this series, but it’s always a solid read. – Sean Gaffney

Idol Dreams, Vol. 4 | By Arina Tanemura | VIZ Media – When we left off, 31-year-old Chikage Deguchi had decided to date a teenager (in the guise of her 15-year-old self) whom she didn’t love in order to learn about relationships. And, judging from her reaction, she hadn’t even considered telling him the truth about herself until her friend brought it up. Compounding this folly, when she realizes that he’s exhausting himself trying to impress her (he’s in a boy band, naturally) she contrives to dramatically break his heart. Way to screw with a poor kid’s head!! Are we supposed to root for this freakin’ clueless dingbat?! I don’t know why I even keep reading this, honestly. Perhaps it’s time to officially call it quits. – Michelle Smith

RIN-NE, Vol. 25 | By Rumiko Takahashi | VIZ Media – As per usual, nothing changes in this volume of RIN-NE. It briefly looks as though Rinne might actually have a chance at obtaining a gold shinigami license after defeating his dad but.. nope. The rest of the stories are the standard episodic fare about ghosts who need to pass on or Sabato’s hijinks. I did find it odd that there were two stories in this volume that were very similar, both involving a bespectacled spirit who was about to declare his love in a roundabout way, then discovered the girl he loved was dating a coworker/classmate, and died while rushing to prevent the message from being seen. Sakura makes a remark that suggests this might have been intentional, but it’s not at all clear. That would be a whole other level of repetitiveness for this series! – Michelle Smith

Scum’s Wish, Vol. 5 | By Mengo Yokoyari | Yen Press – Cosplay Animal was gloriously fun trash. Scum’s Wish is also trash, but it’s not nearly as fun, as you continue to watch young people who are dealing with out-of-control hormones make the wrong decisions and then regret it. Moka’s date is pretty much exactly what she wanted, and yet you wince as you turn each page, as her pain and despair rip out at you (even though she’s smiling and keeping up a fairy-tale inner monologue). As for Hanabi, she finds an older guy who seems to be into her, but she’s not ready to sleep with him, and that’s exactly what he wants. The book ends with her alone, realizing she has no real friends. Two more volumes of this may be all I can take, but it’s very well written. – Sean Gaffney

Toppu GP, Vol. 2 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Kodansha Comics – It’s hard to even scrape up enough words for a brief, honestly, given that this volume is 180 pages of “motocross is cool.” But really, Fujishima is a master at what he does by now, and there’s no denying it—when you see these races, you DO think it’s really cool. Toppu suffers a loss here, and his frustration also is conveyed very well on the page —the winner is smug without being dislikable, and I like their rivalry. We also get a girl his own age who clearly likes him, and is not happy with the gorgeous, older and perfect Myne, who (at this point) can do no wrong, and has still not been killed off to advance the plot, though I wouldn’t count that out. Do you like bikes? Read this. – Sean Gaffney

Alice & Zoroku, Vol. 2 | By Tetsuya Imai| Seven Seas – I’ll be honest, I have next to no interest in the science fiction part of this series, which involves mysterious powers, political intrigue trying to control those powers, a woman with a tragic backstory who is happy to use said backstory to kidnap children if it allows her to be close to her husband, etc. It’s told in a reasonable manner, but mostly left me cold. Where the series really takes off is when Zoroku is on the page—his righteous rage and straight-ahead manner no doubt frustrates his family endlessly, but they’re exactly what Sana needs, and his speeches to her were the highlight of the book. It’s an interesting balance between the two, but I’m still invested enough in the story to see where the author goes with it. – Sean Gaffney

Beasts of Abigaile, Vol. 2 | By Spica Aoki| Seven Seas – Most shoujo series live and die on the strength of the heroine, and that one big plus that Abigaile has going for it. Nina is spunky, righteous, and inspires others. She’ll sacrifice herself in order to save someone else, and also do her best to make friends AND try to figure out why she’s changed and how to escape this prison. We also get a little better look at why she left Japan, as it becomes clear it wasn’t just bullying but boomerang bullying. Naturally she’s about to get that here, as we have Eva clearly ready to take up the torch and become the Evil Girl who is there to make Nina’s life miserable. Not much in this series is surprising, but I enjoy its heart being on its sleeve, and fans of werewolves and shoujo will want to get it. – Sean Gaffney

Black Butler, Vol. 24 | By Yana Toboso | Yen Press – When a new volume of Black Butler comes out, I always think, “Ooh!” but then I read it and I’m like, “Oh yeah.” Because every time, I experience a mixture of mild interest and “I really don’t care about these characters.” In this installment, Ciel is up investigating a popular music hall that is extracting blood from its customers. Rather than raze it, he decides it’s wiser to set up an alternative to capture people’s hearts, and so he does, and we get another boy band performance from more students at the boys’ school. I suppose if one reads this series for fanservice reasons, this is plenty satisfying, but since I don’t, it’s rather ho-hum. I don’t know why I can’t just drop this series, but I guess I like it just enough to keep going with it. Faint praise, indeed. – Michelle Smith

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 3 | By Nagabe| Seven Seas – After the first two volumes were unsettling with occasional suggestion that things might get a bit scary, this volume jumps headfirst into terrifying, especially towards the end of the book. I will also give it credit for a major fake out—I was fairly certain that one of the characters reintroduced here was either a fake or dead, and the fact that they’re not really shook me. Of course, they’re not untouched by the events going on in the book. The whole infection thing appears to be very real, and we understand Teacher’s feelings and hands-off attitude with Shiva a lot better now. And, of course, the best reason to read this series: the art is amazing. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 9 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – I’m happy to report that there was no sign whatsoever of Hori cajoling Miyamura into being rough with her in this volume. Instead, we get a series of vignettes about the Hori family kotatsu and how it lulls the unsuspecting into lengthy naps, plus a recurring theme about Hori eating too many tangerines. I really liked the final scene between Hori and Miyamura, as it’s the kind of important romantic development we haven’t had in a few volumes now, but my attention was most captivated by Yuki and Tooru, who are still pretending to be dating. Yuki doesn’t want to drop the ruse, even when it breaks Sakura’s heart, yet also doesn’t want to suggest that it could be the real deal, lest she lose what closeness she does have with Tooru. I find I’m pretty invested in the outcome of their side drama. – Michelle Smith

Please Tell Me! Galko-chan, Vol. 4 | By Kenya Suzuki| Seven Seas – By now you know what you’re getting with a volume of Galko-chan. There’s not as much constant sex talk as the first volume, though it definitely crops up, and the art occasionally loves to emphasize the bodies of the girls. On the bright side, while the author clearly loves large breasts, the bodies are drawn relatively realistically for such characters. But honestly, the real reason to read this series is the friendship between Galko, Otoko and Ojou, and their daily conversations and obsessions. Galko’s obsession with Western films is getting more and more attention, and we even get a Snakes on a Plane mention. One of the better slice-of-life style series out there. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops, Vol. 4 | By Neko Nekobyou and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – I will admit, it’s possible that the outcome of this volume—which wraps up the storyline with Lux’s past in SAO—was a bit too overwhelmingly sweet and heartwarming. SAO doesn’t really lean on the whole “power of friendship” trope as much as some other shonen series, but Girls’ Ops is not afraid to take it and run, with our villain doing her best to break Lux and her new friends apart, and completely failing to do so. And the villain is saved too, and turns out to be another ojou like Lux (and Asuna—honestly, the game must have been expensive as it had a lot of rich kids playing it). And Silica got to be smart and cool! I like that. The series does continue, likely in another year or so. – Sean Gaffney

Tokyo Tarareba Girls, Vol. 8 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics (digial only for the moment)- Just as Rinko has found easy-going happiness with Mr. Hayasaka and has moved in with him, her friends and Mami turn up on her doorstep with the revelation that Key might be in love with her. To Rinko’s credit, she protests a great deal while en route to see him, but the fact is… she got in the car of her own free will. And man, Higashimura-sensei is so wonderfully cruel about depicting what ensues. Once Rinko and Key meet again, their chemistry is undeniable, resulting in some great dramatic moments, but these developments are intercut with scenes in which sweet Mr. Hayasaka thinks how nice it is to have someone to come home to and plans the nice dinner he’s going to make for their private housewarming party. It’ll be brutal to see how much he is hurt by this, but I still desperately want that final volume ASAP! – Michelle Smith

Helvetica Standard: Bold | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – This is a classic example of “not essential but fun,” and comes in three parts. The first is the Helvetica Standard 4-komas, which are essentially Nichijou without the main cast (though we get a cameo or two). They’re funny and strange, not in that order. The second part is Nichijou 4-komas that Arawi wrote for bookstores to promote the series. They’re pretty much what you’d expect, and a few were even used for anime gags (Mai eating the soap bubble). The third part is some miscellaneous stories and some artwork, including a Nichijou Hanafuda set I’d desperately love to buy. If you loved Nichijou, this is a good purchase. Only get it if you did, though. – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 15-16 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – Seirin vs. To-Oh is STILL the main thrust of this volume, and it’s STILL just as exciting as you might imagine. At least for the first half or so. After the end of the game, which features Kuroko (remember him? The title character?) coming up with a really clever reversal of his usual move and THE ZONE playing a major part, we see what you’d expect—some celebration from the winning team, and some introspection from the losers. We also get a cliched American Girl—the “Alex” that Kagami had mentioned training with earlier—who gives us some fanservice, which we apparently need every three volumes or so. On to the next game, which will be tough—the next opponent shut out their rivals, which is ludicrous but oh well. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 26 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I was right: Alibaba and Harukyu clashed horribly in this volume. Alibaba is a nice guy, and that’s not going to change—you’re never going to see him be all cynical and bitter. As a result, he’s like antimatter to Harukyu, who’s filled with so much power AND anger that he can’t remotely control it anymore. Once Alibaba tells him he’s not here to start the killings against those who have wronged them, a battle is the only answer. We also see Judar and Aladdin fight, and Aladdin gets to show off some sweet moves. But it’s all about that cliffhanger—how crippled is Harukyu now, and is Alibaba actually going to be killed off? Well, no, it’s unlikely. But it makes for a nice cliffhanger, doesn’t it? – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 26 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – I know I frequenly congratulate Magi for being more complex than your average shounen manga, but seriously… when’s the last time you heard a shounen antagonist tell the hero “You are so calculating and hypocritical that it makes me sick!” A riveting battle between former friends Hakuryu and Alibaba ensues, with the tragedy of it all being that Hakuryu isn’t entirely wrong about Koen and could have still been a valuable ally against Al-Thamen if not for the pain and anger that has led him down a seemingly irredeemable path. Alibaba doesn’t want to fight, but learning that the people of Balbadd might soon be subjected to Hakuryu’s mind-controlling tactics leaves him little choice. It’s a dramatic confrontation with a cliffhanger ending, which makes me wonder just how intense the final ten volumes of the series will be! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 3 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – Each volume of The Water Dragon’s Bride seems to flow past so quickly, thanks in particular to the clear and simple artwork, particularly in the scenes in which Asahi and the water dragon god are together. In this volume, we get glimpses of the three days per year they’ve spent together as Asahi has grown up, during which his opinion of humanity seems to have warmed. Or, at least, he’s willing to consider Asahi’s wishes when some men from another village attack, hoping to gain her supposed powers for themselves. There’s some low-key jealousy with Subaru, and the love triangle is poised to get more complicated going forward, but there’s just a special feel about this series that makes the scant plot seem more substantial. I’m optimistic they’ll be some satisfying payoff soon. – Michelle Smith

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 8 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Manga – While I could quibble with the anticlimactic arrival of the Yellow Dragon, it does lead to a really important question—what does Yona intend to do now that all of her dragon warriors have been assembled? Will she attempt to retake the throne? As Jaeha points out, she may see Su-Won as a traitor, but the rest of the nation might see things differently. And, indeed, after she decides that she won’t be able to help the people from within the walls of a palace, we get a story about Su-Won not only earning the loyalty of the Earth Tribe’s general but he also finding a couple of ways to boost the economy of the region. I like the idea that Su-Won might not really be an enemy, and that maybe Yona’s dad was a pretty lousy king after all! Looking forward to more, as always. – Michelle Smith