Michelle Smith

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 5 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – It’s been a while since the last volume of Ace of the Diamond and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy it! Eijun, who began the series as a hothead, has matured without losing the emotional side that makes him sympathetic. Seeing him not only grow from Chris’ tutelage and execute one truly amazing pitch during their last inning of play together but then bawl his eyes out when he makes varsity and Chris doesn’t is, honestly, pretty darn sweet. He may be brash, but he’s a good kid. Even better, we get more insight into Furuya, who is currently stronger in pitching but lacks in people skills. I love that he doesn’t see himself as better than Eijun at all and is, in fact, motivated by him to try harder. This is such a good series and I delight in the knowledge that there are 40+ volumes still to come. – Michelle Smith

Chihayafuru, Vol. 5 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Well, this volume is lacking on miracles, as the Mizusawa High team makes it only a couple more rounds without Chihaya (who has fallen ill) before they are defeated. Still, there’s another day for the individual tournament, and it’s here that Chihaya meets the reigning queen, Shinobu Wakamiya, a high-school first year who trounces Chihaya by a twenty-card margin. This is completely what Chihaya needs, though, since now her dreams have achieved a solid shape: do what it takes to beat Shinobu. Taichi, meanwhile, is determined to attain his class A ranking so that he can face Arata. I absolutely love that he’s decided to devote his entire self to karuta now and look forward to all of the intense rivalty to come! – Michelle Smith

Descending Stories, Vol. 3 | By Haruko Kumota | Kodansha Comics – OK, there are extended flashbacks, and then there are flashbacks that make you think “why didn’t you just tell this story instead?,” and I think that’s what we have here. Don’t get me wrong; I’m greatly enjoying Kikuhiko and Sukeroku’s story, and the love triangle that seems to be bubbling beneath them both. I also liked the extended rakugo performance we saw here, a reminder that that’s really what the series is about. But I admit I sort of agreed with Yotaro in the afterword—isn’t this his story? I wouldn’t blame the reader for having forgotten all about him by the time we get back to the present in what I assume will be the next book. Good, just oddly paced. – Sean Gaffney

Flying Witch, Vol. 3 | By Chihiro Ishizuka | Vertical Comics – I have to admire a series that is always peaceful and soothing, yet not boring. In this volume Makoto and her cousins visit a cafe recommended by Akane, where the waitress is a shy ghost and where Makoto meets a witch her age named Anzu. She receives a hideous souvenir t-shirt from Akane, shows Nao cute edamame blossoms, and picks a plethora of radishes. A witchy newspaper delivers news about a flying whale, which the girls go see. Then they leave when they get hungry and go home to have hotcakes. And that’s it. Makoto can’t even summon any worries to ask about during a fortune-telling session. But, y’know, I’m okay with that. Plus, there are cute cats, one of which turns out to be an anthropology buff. There are times I’m definitely in the mood for manga like this. – Michelle Smith

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 20 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – Erina gets the cover here, and the bulk of the story as well. We’re finally starting to dig deep into her psyche, after so many volumes casting her as cold, grumpy, annoying, and unlikable. It stems from abuse, naturally, and also being exposed to Soma’s father, who showed her there was a different way to view food. That said, I suspect most Food Wars! fans have said “too little too late,” but that will just lead them to heartache. Meanwhile, to no one’s surprise, Soma did not win against the top chef of the school, but it’s alright as he gets out of his punishment on a technicality. Now we head to the next set of exams, and if you don’t do things the Azami way, you’ll be expelled. So now what? Can’t wait to find out. – Sean Gaffney

Giant Killing, Vol. 6 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – ETU has managed their first win of the season, and the fans are fired up. They manage to extend the streak to two games, but Sera is growing frustrated with his inability to score and his journey from self-doubt to determination progresses throughout the volume. Meanwhile, the old faithful trope “the previously unmentioned injured teammate returns” comes into play, with oddball Natsumi making his debut. It’s interesting to see a tried-and-true sports manga staple alongside the elements that make Giant Killing stand out from others in its genre, namely that a pro soccer season is way different from elimination-style tournaments, allowing the narrative to swiftly hop from match to match, sometimes skipping a few, as Tatsumi assesses the team’s mood after a series of draws. As a result, this series continues to feel fresh. – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 16 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – Karasuno has reached the semifinal round of the Miyagi Prefecture qualifier and it’s a rematch with Aoba Johsai, which turns out to be an immensely entertaining nail-biter that goes to three sets. Hinata and Kageyama potentially discover a new move they can work on in the future, each member of the team gets a triumphant moment, and Yamaguchi overcomes his nerves to achieve his first success with the jump floater serve. I always love it when characters who’d been somewhat in the background get their turn to shine, and I also loved that we actually got to see some interaction and evolution amongst the Aoba Johsai team, making one even root for them a little bit. Be forewarned, though: there’s an excruciating cliffhanger at the end of this volume! – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 16 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – After seeing Yamaguchi choke under pressure last game, the highlight of this book is undoubtedly the start of it, where he manages to push past that failure and show off the serving that he’s learned—and it’s terrific. As for the rest, it’s back and forth and down to the wire, as we knew it would be. Aoba Johsai are really good, and we get a few flashbacks to show us that they’ve had their own ups and downs just like our heroes—including a player who tends to get FILLED WITH RAGE who desperately needs discipline, and manages to do it himself here. And of course loving shots of volleyball, which you can tell the author really loves. Looks like well see the end next time—who will pull it off? -Sean Gaffney

Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 20 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – There really was zero chance that Soma’s contest with Eishi Tsukasa would end with Soma becoming the new first seat, but still, I didn’t expect that to fizzle out as much as it did. Thankfully, the rest of the volume makes up for it. I really enjoyed the scene between Erina and Soma in which she a) eats the totally delicious-looking tempura egg rice bowl that he makes and b) comes to completely reject her father’s plans for the homogenization of Totsuki cuisine. It’s great to see her fired up and training other students how to pass Central’s exams. (Also, by the end of volume 20, the cast is only at the end of the second term of their first year. We’ve hopefully got a long run ahead of us!) – Michelle Smith

Flying Witch, Vol. 3 | By Chihiro Ishizuka | Vertical Comics – I was right, the idea that this series has a plot was laughable. Nothing much continues to happen in this third volume, though we do expand the cast a little more with the addition of a secret cafe for supernatural beings, run by a mother/daughter combo and their shy ghost waitress, who is probably the cutest thing in the volume. There’s no real romance to be seen—Kei barely exists in the manga, and when Akane briefly thinks he has a girlfriend, it’s shot down immediately. What people are reading the series for is the cute girls doing magic (sometimes) very peacefully and seeing impressive sights, such as flying whales that resemble ancient civilizations. Flying Witch is a calm oasis, though risks putting you to sleep. – Sean Gaffney

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 2 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – The joke I’d heard about this volume was that the manga decided to turn into a foodie series, and there is an awful lot of attention devoted to the preparations of the wild animals that our heroes kill and eat while in the jungle. It also shows off their chemistry, and when we visit Asirpa’s village we find that they are very much in favor of hooking the two of them up. That’s unlikely to happen right away (if at all), though, as Sugimoto decides that it’s unfair to take her away from her loving family and friends and immediately goes out and gets captured and tortured. He’s a self-proclaimed immortal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t graphically show what he goes through, so it’s a foodie manga with a gore warning. Very good, though. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 6 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – I thought this was going to be the final volume, and it does wrap up the novel it’s adapting, but apparently more stories are coming, though I wouldn’t believe Kotoko as to the content. Things wrap up nicely here, with the artist finding new and entertaining ways to show off what is basically a giant internet forum argument and make it a compelling mystery, as well as showing the sordid creepiness that comes from strangers raking over the past of a broken family. Also, the romantic triangle is resolved with no surprises whatsoever—the most interesting girl wins easily. I had a lot of fun reading this series, and am delighted that there will be original stories coming after. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 25 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – Another shoujo manga comes to a close, this one with a more satisfying ending than some, though it be full of fast-forwards. Nanami has been allowed to remain at Mikage Shrine until she finishes high school, and before that time is up she and Tomoe decide to get married while they’re still ayakashi and kami. I’m grateful that one of her friends brought up that getting married as a teenager is not generally a good idea, but I find that I don’t mind it in this case, since they’ve been through so much together. The ending is satisfying and bittersweet, a combination I really appreciate. Too, if you get the limited edition of this volume, it comes with a snazzy hardcover extra including an illustration gallery and a bonus manga! I’ll miss this series, and look forward to reading Suzuki’s next work. – Michelle Smith

Plum Crazy!: Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat, Vol. 2 | By Natsumi Hoshino | Vertical Comics – Much like Flying Witch, it’s hard to even fill up a Bookshelf Brief with what happens in this volume—cats are cute!—but I’m going to try anyway as it really is a fun series, and Plum is a very sympathetic heroine even as she’s getting bitten and scratched and otherwise pummeled by the tsundere kitten Snowball. You can tell the author is very good at observing cat behavior, both on their own and with groups of humans—the reaction of the kids at the ballet school to “NEW KITTY!” was hilarious. There are a few sweet moments as well, but for the most part this series is going to be a mild tickle to the funnybone, as you smile and nod your head at the wacky cat antics. – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 6 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – Most manga is more or less predictable—readers pretty much know what to expect with a sports manga or shoujo romance. Princess Jellyfish is an exception. At the end of the last volume, at which point Kuranosuke was hit hard by the reality of the fashion business, I never would’ve guessed at the place where the characters find themselves at the end of this volume. It’s too good to spoil, really, but I’ll mention the standout moments are Shu delivering Kuranosuke’s dress to his mother in Italy, where we see how much she really does love her son, and a certain character saying to herself, “So this time, I’ll be the one. I have to save everyone.” Reader, I sniffled! I have no idea where this story is going, and that is truly delightful. – Michelle Smith

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 7 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – Last time I said that Ballroom‘s fault was that it tended to hammer on the angsty drama a bit too much, and this volumes takes that drama and doubles it. Honestly, it was pretty hard for me to plow through, particularly the first half. I really enjoy watching the dancing and the art is terrific, but there needs to come a time when we see our leads genuinely enjoying themselves, and they’re both just wallowing in misery here. It’s even piled on with their major rivals going to Germany instead of coming to the competition they were going to meet up at. Sports titles always get like this, and I know we’re going to have to have a breakthrough next time, which will be amazing. But only read this to get to that. – Sean Gaffney

DAYS, Vol. 5 | By Tsuyoshi Yasuda | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Coming off the intense emotions of the fourth volume, in which Seiseki loses at the Inter-High Tournament, volume five at first feels like generic, episodic summer filler. The guys cram for finals so they can avoid remedial classes, then there’s a chapter at the beach, and one at a festival, and then it’s training camp time. But in each of these chapters, something important happens character-wise. In the beach chapter, we learn more about Kurusu and his relationship with his grandfather; at the festival we check in with Sayuri, who laments that soccer has stolen Tsukushi away from her; and at the training camp we get to know Haibara, an upperclassman whose rowdy behavior is just an act to cover his lack of self-confidence. And meanwhile, Tsukushi continues to make incremental improvement. Although not as exciting as its predecessor, this is still definitely a solid volume. – Michelle Smith

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 3 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas Entertainment – There’s no better way to make me hate a shoujo heroine than to have her melodramatically run out of the house after an outburst (in the rain, naturally), crying over lightning and internally wailing, “Someone! Please come and get me!!” Zen’s critiques used to seem overly harsh, but I was cheering him on this time when he said, “You should be thanking me for coming after your sorry ass.” Things don’t improve much as Shimana takes forever to realize that she has feelings for Taiga the landlord, though I did like Zen’s tearful confession to her. It’s intriguing, too, that princely Asahi, originally the supposed love interest, has faded so far into the background. Some of the subplots are picking up, as well, so despite my irritation at Shimana I’ll probably be back next time. – Michelle Smith

Genshiken: Second Season, Vol. 11 | By Shimoku Kio | Kodansha Comics – Again, the best moments are when this series treats things a bit more seriously. The scenes between Madarame and Hato are excellent, as they both try to figure out what is going on here, how Hato identifies, what attracts Madarame, and can either of them even try to make this work for real? The answer is probably no, but the tension is real here, and I greatly enjoyed it. Sue’s stuff is done well too—it’s very clear that we’re stuck between Hato, Sue, or no one, and you suspect Kio will go for the easy third choice. And then there’s Hato and Yajima, which is mostly trying to get past Yajima’s self-hatred and Hato’s inability to see her a a woman. Better than it should be. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 8 | By Amu Meguro | Viz Media – I had actually forgotten that this was the final volume of Honey So Sweet, though the cover should have tipped me off. Much of the book is devoted to Nao’s uncle, who has been putting his life on hold until Nao grows up and is ready to take care of herself… which reminds Nao that she’s still not all that great at that sort of thing. I did appreciate that the old flame who arrived stayed mostly old, though there are hints that may eventually change. On a lighter note, I’ve liked Yashiro best in this cast, and seeing her struggle with direct communication is fun. This was a sweet and cute shoujo fluff series, and just about the right length. You’ll enjoy it. – Sean Gaffney

Plum Crazy! Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat, Vol. 2 | By Natsumi Hoshino | Seven Seas Entertainment – If you liked the first volume of Plum Crazy!, you’ll probably like this one, which is more of the same. I do wonder if readers reacted negatively to the Nakarai family not doing anything to stop new kitten Snowball from repeatedly attacking incumbent resident Plum, because there’s more emphasis on her bad behavior this time around, including a chapter in which Taku’s friend attempts to distract Snowball with other toys, only to make her aggression toward Plum worse. I can only assume we’re supposed to find these kitten antics cute (and I’m sure I’m taking this too seriously), but as a cat owner, they actually kind of stress me out. I very much look forward to Snowball growing out of this phase. Maybe then I’ll be able to relax and just enjoy the kittehs. – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 39 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – I avoided reading this book for a while. Kyoko’s mother was the one part of her life I was dreading the confrontation with, and I had worried it would be too sympathetic. I should have trusted Nakamura more, as I think she strikes an excellent balance between explaining Saena’s behavior without downplaying the horrible abuse Kyoko suffered growing up. Kyoko can’t hate Saena, but also doesn’t quite forgive her. Instead she throws herself into a possible new role, finally working alongside Moko. That said, I have a feeling the role will prove to be a lot more trouble than it’s worth. These volumes were good, but I’ll be happy to get back to acting. – Sean Gaffney

Species Domain, Vol. 3 | By Shunsuke Noro | Seven Seas – I knew at some point we were going to see Dowa without her beard, so I wasn’t too surprised here. That said, kudos to the author for having her grow it back pretty quickly, showing that the character’s own desires are more important than looking “cute” for the audience. A more important detail here is Ohki’s “science” abilities, and how much of it is explained by genuine scientific principles. In a world like this, where there is literal magic, it’s hard to tell what is really going on—though Ohki seems very upset at the idea. There’s still lighthearted stuff, of course, with the constant fun that is Kazamori, as well as big sisters and little sisters. If you want a non-skeezy monster girls title, Species Domain is a good choice. – Sean Gaffney

Waiting for Spring, Vol. 2 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – The childhood friend who was thought to be a boy being a girl is fairly common in manga and anime, but seeing the reverse is a lot less common. The author sensibly keeps the attention on Mitsuki’s reaction to the whole thing, with her realization that this makes a number of childhood conversations very embarrassing. On the bright side, she’s getting closer to Towa, though he seems to be taking things a lot more seriously than she is at this stage. This is very much a ‘warmup’ volume, continuing to develop the characters and introducing a rival without moving things forward too much. It’s not fantastic, but it’s enough to make you want to read more. – Sean Gaffney

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 3 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – This continues to be a lot darker than I was really expecting—a couple of villagers are straight up murdered in front of us, not to mention the war that ensues. It’s well done, but there’s no denying that the main reason this holds up well is because of the relationship between Asahi and the two men in her life—especially now that one of them actually IS a man. Getting her voice back is also unsurprising, as now that she’s grown up it will help the storytelling, both in terms of potential romance and in terms of Asahi’s status as a priestess. And of course she still wants to go home, even after so many years. There’s a lot going on in this series, and I’m grateful it’s so well told. – Sean Gaffney

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 7 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – Tatara Fujita and his partner Chinatsu are trying to meld together as a pair, but it isn’t going very well, particularly due to Tatara’s uncommanding lead and Chinatsu’s inability to follow. They decide to get help from Hyodo Social Dance Academy, and though Tatara does learn more of the basics there than he had at Sengoku’s studio, he’s still impatient to compete, leading to a humiliating forfeit at the Grand Prix. Summer rolls around and, in true sports manga fashion, it’s time for a training camp in the mountains. This volume’s theme seems to be “strife and striving.” Until recently, this series had been on hiatus in Japan and I was worried we might not get to see the outcome to all of this, but I’m happy to see a new volume has come out since I last looked. A bit on the melodramatic side sometimes, but totally addictive.– Michelle Smith

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 11 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – One of the good things about this series is the way that not all of the ‘traitor’ mental models are changing sides due to love on Gunzou—in fact, almost none of them are. We’re gradually seeing that the mental models, as they gain more experience, are becoming more and more like humans. Which means they can screw up—I laughed out loud at Haruna’s “fake name.” But it also means they can bond with other humans, like Iona and her crew, or save other humans when it doesn’t gain them anything, like the two chibis who help Iori to not die in the engine room. As you can see, I may be very bad at names in this series, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it every time. – Sean Gaffney

Barakamon, Vol. 14 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – We’re back on the island for this volume, as Handa goes forward with his decision to start a calligraphy school rather than try to follow in his father’s footsteps. That said, trying to make a real living at a school on an island where no one wants to pay that much money is going to be tough. Meanwhile, Miwa’s family is also having issues with finances, as her father decides to close the liquor store as he’s losing to the larger chain. Miwa’s frustration and indecisiveness is quite realistically shown—she doesn’t just go “I’ll take over for you, Dad” but has to be led there slowly because her future hasn’t really occurred to her. And the best news of all, Kanzaki goes back to Tokyo, and will not hopefully irritate future volumes with his presence. – Sean Gaffney

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 3 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – After Zen infuriating me in the second volume, I’m pleased to state that he’s much more tolerable here, possibly as I’m now sure that he’s not going to be endgame. That said, I do now suspect that endgame is going to be her landlord, which… well, on the bright side, he’s not her teacher. Much of this volume follows a theme of ‘dramatic shoujo,’ with the desire to chase your dreams warring with the reality of needing to actually deal with life crises, which may mean abandoning those dreams. Zen works much better in this plot than he did getting really angry at Shimana because he had no idea how to deal with love. This isn’t my favorite series by this author (I prefer orange), but it’s nice and solid shoujo. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 6 | By Izumi Miyazono | Viz Media – While I’d appreciate this even more if Kamiya weren’t a creep and stalker, I do like the fact that the author is well aware of it and not really playing it as oh-so-sexy. In fact, sometimes it manages to be funny. A large part of this book involves Asuka and Ryu, still not getting married, deciding to get an apartment together—and naturally guess who their neighbor is. I also really enjoyed Asuka’s family, as her mom explains the reasoning behind why she got married, and her brother manages to be protective but not a brat. More to the point, I just really love Asuka and Ryu as a couple, married or not. The cliffhanger implies fresh disasters, but that’s OK. This series has really leveled up. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 8 | By Amu Meguro | VIZ Media – It feels like so many shoujo series have ended recently, and here’s one more. It doesn’t quite take the pair-the-spares approach, as one guy in the group remains single, but I do admit the sudden love interest for Sou is out of left field. However, seeing Yashiro and Misaki finally get together was freakin’ adorable, as is Onise’s crying when he realizes how much Sou loves Nao, followed by Sou actually laughing at Onise’s blinding honestly. A brief glimpse at the future six years hence is followed by the original short story that was the basis for the series. It’s cute, it’s frothy, and I’m totally okay with that. – Michelle Smith

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 12 | By Junko | Kodansha Comics – On the bright side, the couple I wanted to get together actually got together, and the author’s notes implied this was something she actually planned in advance (never a guarantee with this series). On the other hand, I’m always wary in a reverse harem (or indeed a regular harem) when the couple gets together and the series is still ongoing. Is this really going to last? It also doesn’t help that we get a lot of backstory of how they got to know each other in a flashback after the fact. Still, it’s sweet enough, The comedy comes from them behaving like a newlywed couple in class, much to the frustration of nearly everyone. As for the drama, god help us, we have another pissed off third party breaking things up. Variable even when it’s good. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 23 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – Well, it’s finally become clear what the endgame is, as Raku realizes what his feelings really are. That said, we’ve got two more volumes after this, and he isn’t sure if his love for Chitoge is greater than his love for Onodera, even if the audience is. And so all the heroines who are still in Japan get one last lap around the track so show off why they would also be an awesome choice for any guy reading this series. What interested me most was 1) Fu-chan, Haru’s friend, who is as close to a girl in love with her female best friend as you can get in a Jump series, and 2) the ongoing beta pairing, which seems to get closer and closer to reality the more violent Ruri gets. (She’s not a lead girl, so isn’t attacked for violence, I guess.) Good but dragging on. – Sean Gaffney

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 8 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the euphemisms “eating” and “taking a meal” in this series, so it’s nice to see that it’s made more explicit here—no, they don’t say “kill,” but you literally see the endgame happening on a pile of corpses that are the previous “meals.” We also see Tougo getting guilt-tripped into accepting his own sacrifice, showing him flashbacks that give us a lot more context regarding Akane’s disappearance. Combine that with the role his younger sister played now being complete, and what can he do except be eaten? That said, we have two more volumes to go after this, so I’m fairly confident that this isn’t the endgame. How do we avoid the meal, though? – Sean Gaffney

Sweetness & Lightning, Vol. 8 | By Gido Amagakure | Kodansha Comics – Tsumugi has started elementary school, which means tasty school lunches that she and her father replicate at home and a field day for which Tsumugi powers up by eating tonkatsu (lucky!) the night before and during which she runs with such determination that it actually made me cry. Meanwhile, Kotori has managed to convince her parents that she’s serious about taking over the restaurant. It looks like the series might be doing something new going forward—now that Inuzuka has enough skill to tackle new things on his own, he might be doing that while Kotori trains with her mother. That’d be interesting, too! Also, I am seriously considering attempting to make my own tonkatsu! – Michelle Smith

Akashic Records of Bastard Magica Instructor, Vol. 1 | By Hitsuji Tarou, Tsunemi Aosa and Kurone Mishima | Seven Seas – Combining a magical academy story with the ‘eccentric guy who ends up being a good teacher’ story that manga likes so much isn’t a bad idea, and Akashic Records does a decent job of it, though it gets off to a sluggish start. Frankly, Glenn is far too irritating to bear, and this one of the rare times where you are 100% behind the angry tsundere from the start. Of course, what he really needed was something to snap him out of his funk, and once he decides to actually turn on his brain and start teaching, things get exponentially better. It’s still a standard light novel adaptation, but I’m interested in seeing where it goes next. – Sean Gaffney

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 4 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – A good deal of this volume is devoted to a flashback showing us how the band In No Hurry came to be, and while a lot of the narrative points I was expecting were absent (why were they all hospitalized long-term?), the emotional beats were there. Certainly it was more entertaining than the love triangle we’re getting here. Not that it’s not well-written—in fact, the reverse may be the case. I’d rather go back to the standard shoujo cliche of having one person have it all together while the others flail. Seeing all three characters do stupid things and then immediately castigate themselves can be exhausting. On the bright side, we get more of Nino screaming, which remains the book’s high point. – Sean Gaffney

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 4 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media – I think I may only enjoy this series when Nino is performing, because the best moment in this volume is the brief one in which she accompanies herself on Momo’s guitar. The rest of it involves romantic angst from the two boys who have appropriated Nino’s voice as their personal property, unsuccessful attempts at comedy, and some (vague and improbable) backstory about how the band came to be. I did appreciate that Nino comes to see herself as a caretaker of her bandmates’ dream, and the parallel that while Nino has been hoping that her singing would bring Momo back to her, Yuzu has been hoping that his music would do the same with her. While this volume was a little on the meh side, I do look forward to the rock festival performance coming up in volume five. – Michelle Smith

Bloom Into You, Vol. 3 | By Nakatani Nio | Seven Seas – The first half of this volume is far more light-hearted than the rest of the series to date, which is fun but may be to its detriment. When it’s relaxing and showing the characters being happy, Bloom into You is like any other yuri series. But when Touko is being so aggressively forward that you want to slug her, or when Yuu is once again reminding us that she may very well be asexual (though that does not stop her from being lonely, as someone else pointedly notes), the series takes it to the next level, albeit a very uncomfortable one. There’s also another pairing casually introduced here that startled me, but I suspect the reason for it was more to have more adult ‘mentors’ the kids can ask for advice. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Complex Age, Vol. 6 | By Yui Sakuma | Kodansha Comics – Complex Age has been pretty upsetting at times, so I confess that I totally looked at the last page to make sure Nagisa looked happy before I committed to reading this final volume. Its pace is somewhat accelerated, covering about a year after Nagisa’s meeting with her mother’s loli-loving friend as she tries to figure out what it is she loves best about cosplay and what kind of new shape it might become in her life. True, her conclusion is somewhat bittersweet, but it’s hopeful too, and I think that’s just the right combination for this series. If you were put off by the rough going in the middle volumes, take heart that this final installment remains realistic, but isn’t gloomy. I’ve really enjoyed this series. – Michelle Smith

Demon King Daimaou, Vol. 2 | By Shoutaro Mizuki and Souichi Itou | J-Novel Club – It’s finally happened: I’ve come across a light novel with so little to say about it that it’s only getting a brief. The light novel world is not exactly littered with deep, meaningful stories, but even among the fluff Demon King Daimaou is still pretty throwaway. That said, it’s not actively bad, and reads quickly—I don’t feel a need to drop it, I just feel no need to worry about what happens next. It’s at its best when at its least serious, such as Akuto’s constant desire to not seem like a villain, and the fact that he always does. (He’s desecrating hundreds of hero’s graves… but for good reasons!) As for the girls, we get a new one here, whose first scene amused me, but they’re as forgettable as anything. Only if you really liked the anime. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 6 | By Izumi Miyazono | VIZ Media – This series is in somewhat of a holding pattern, despite a few changes. Asuka keeps coming into contact with Kamiya, who keeps trying to wear her down on marrying him despite the fact that she’s told him in no uncertain terms to back off and that she isn’t interested, and Ryu continues to be troubled by this. There are a few new elements in this volume with the introduction of Asuka’s protective 18-year-old brother Kanade and the fact that she and Ryu officially move in together, but since a) Kanade puts forth Kamiya as an alternate candidate and b) oopsies, they moved into Kamiya’s building, it’s really just more of the same. Everyone’s Getting Married is still fairly entertaining, but it’s not at all surprising or exciting, even with the possibility that Ryu will be transferred overseas. – Michelle Smith

Golden Time, Vol. 8 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Umechazuke | Seven Seas – Linda returns in this volume… though it’s more about Banri returning, as he goes with her to a class reunion. The reunion itself goes off fairly well, and doesn’t really bring back too much. Unfortunately, he does have a bit of a breakdown later on in the middle of a festival dance, which leads to disaster. (And holy crap, that festival guy yelling at the cast was appalling. I really really hated him.) As for Banri and Kouko, it seems they’re doing very well, though I suspect both are trying just a little too hard—I have a nasty suspicion the next volume will be even more dramatic, especially after the medication discovery. Golden Time is heavy-duty romantic drama, but worth the slog. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 15 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Answering the cliffhanger from last volume, we get a few chapters showing us who Karasuno will be facing in the semifinals. The actual winner is not a surprise, but the author does a good job at keeping things tense anyway. As for the main event, it’s what you’d expect from a sports manga. Our heroes have shown off that they’re not the team they were before, but their opponent also has a few tricks up their sleeves, and so things could go either way. I like the constant emphasis on how important momentum is to a game. And of course things end with Yamaguchi, on the sidelines, desperate to make up for his earlier play. Classic Jump sports manga, and you should be reading it. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 27 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – Credit to Pin, he is doing his best to make sure the ship with Ayano does not get further—something Ayano is tearfully aware of as well, though at least she’s started to openly admit her feelings. That said, Pin is up against the author here, and so I’m not sure how things will go. I’m not… TOTALLY against the ship, but I want it to wait till he’s not her teacher in any case. The other big news is that Kazehaya finally confronts his father, and the two learn a lot more about their similarities. They both communicate poorly, though Kazehaya has gotten better now that he’s dating Sawako. As for Sawako, after a long sweet date she admits she’s applying to the educational university, and he can how happily cheer her on. Sweet stuff. – Sean Gaffney

No Game No Life, Please!, Vol. 2 | By Kazuya Yuizaki and Yuu Kamiya | Yen Press – This is pretty much exactly what hardcore NGNL fans would want out of a spinoff manga, which means about half of it is not my cup of tea, because heavy fanservice and fetishes just don’t do much for me. I’m also not fond of the suggestion that Fi and Chlammy is a yuri pairing, and this book really loves to suggest it in unsubtle ways. It’s at its best when developing the characters, be it Steph thinking on her feet (or with her bladder) to escape a dungeon that Jibril has created, or Izuna continuing to learn from the masters—our sibling heroes—on how to both improve her gaming skills and also have more fun. Lacking a proper manga version, this is a decent alternative for those who want pictures. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 12 | By ONE and Yusuke Marata | Viz Media – The tournament is perhaps the least interesting part of this volume. In that, it’s not dissimilar to many other tournament battle manga, though those lack the deadpan blaseness of our hero. Fortunately, there’s also a slew of monsters and villains attacking outside the arena, which allows Genos to remind us he’s still really tough despite being Saitama’s self-appointed lackey. The best scenes, though, involved Blizzard and her sister Tornado, whose family issues certainly seem to be deeply seated—Blizzard’s almost jaded “don’t worry, she’ll be coming to save me anyway” is well done, and you really sympathize with her here, especially with Tornado at her most arrogant. Essential, despite the tournament. – Sean Gaffney