Michelle Smith

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 13 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media -As this series goes on, it’s taken a turn for the dark. Not surprising given it’s about child assassins, but there honestly hasn’t been any actual assassination yet. At least not for the kids—a flashback to Irina’s past shows just how young she was when she started her seduction assassinations, and it’s clear she targeted lolicons. As if that weren’t enough, we meet Nagisa’s mother in this volume, and find out a lot about why he is the way he is—she’s a horribly abusive parent, emotionally manipulating him into having the life she didn’t—even if he’s a boy. It’s a sign of Nagisa’s growing moral sense that he doesn’t choose to give up on her. Still excellent, but this volume adds “grim” to that. – Sean Gaffney

Black Butler, Vol. 23 | By Yana Toboso | Yen Press – I don’t love Black Butler or particularly care about the characters, but I continue to follow it in a desultory fashion. In this volume, Ciel and Sebastian are tasked with investigating a music hall that enchants rich and poor alike. The chief suspect is a fortune-teller who discerns Sebastian’s nature right away, so we get lots of Ciel investigating on his own while Sebastian lurks about outside, foisting his affections onto alley cats. The highlight of the volume is an absurd, multi-page boy-band-esque performance by the prefects Ciel encountered a few volumes ago. Though there’s really nothing here that moves or interests me in any profound way, I will probably keep reading it nonetheless. – Michelle Smith

Danganronpa: The Animation, Vol. 3 | By Spike Chunsoft and Takashi Tsukimi | Dark Horse – As with the previous volume, the big weakness of this adaptation is its rushed pacing—at times it was hard to follow what was going on, such as Monokuma killing off the Chihiro AI computer, which felt out of nowhere. We winnow the cast down further, and this time the murderer is not as sympathetic—make that murderers, as we have some multiple manipulations going on here. Much of the second half revolves around us trying to believe that optimistic girl Aoi is the next murderer, which is so unlikely that I’m relieved that they didn’t bother to drag it out. As it is, though, things wrap up next volume, so is anyone else going to die? Aside from the bear that started all this. – Sean Gaffney

Magia the Ninth, Vol. 1 | By Ichiya Sazanami | Seven Seas – Given the sheer number of ‘demon hunter’ manga out now, which are all a variety on ‘groups of people hunt ghosts/yokai/demons that possess humans and turn their emotions negative,’ you really need to be unique in order to keep people reading. The creator of Magia the Ninth tries to do it by using classical music—the bishonen demon hunters in this series are all named after composers, and their magic attacks are their most famous works. There’s also some attempts at goofy humor to lighten the mood a bit. Still, apparently it wasn’t all that unique, as it wraps up in volume two, which means that a lot of the characters and foreshadowing being doled out here won’t amount to much. Something of a trifle. – Sean Gaffney

Masamune-kun’s Revenge, Vol. 3 | By Hazuki Takeoka and Tiv | Seven Seas – There aren’t any major new characters or plotlines introduced in this third volume, and as such it feels a bit like it’s coasting. Of course, there’s still a lot to play around with. Masamune can’t get his revenge if Aki hates him, so he has to work on that. As always, he fares much better when he’s not being manipulative. I wish I could say the same for Neko, but I suspect that she may be the villain here, and volume four may end up shredding a lot of plans. Other than that, there’s really not much going on here—like Masamune, the series feels like it’s backsliding a bit and getting flabby. To be fair, it was hard to top the start, which may be Aki’s most glorious rejection yet. At its best when she’s at her worst. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops, Vol. 2 | By Neko Nekobyou and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – Well, last volume was very comedic, but this one certainly isn’t. It turns out we haven’t heard all of Lux’s past, and like everything else in the Sword Art Online series to date it’s intertwined with the death guild Laughing Coffin. Honestly, having them use lackeys that they brand and threaten with death—I think they’d rape her if they could get away with it in SAO, frankly—is one of those “of COURSE they did that” moments, and Lux is sweet enough that it really hurts. Now, of course, her past is being used against her by a nihilist comrade with a grudge against her magically having new friends. Guess how well Lisbeth and company will take that. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 2 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – I am very relieved that the thrilling last-minute substitution, while certainly a rush for our hero, was called out for the giant illegal move it was. Unfortunately, that would seem to sideline two of our main characters—Hyodo leaves to recover and Shizuku is somewhat upset that she wasn’t informed about Hyodo’s injury. But that’s OK, as we have new characters waiting in the wings, a brother/sister team who are opposites in personality. There’s a lot going on here comparing ballroom partners with romantic partners, and to be fair Fujita does seem to mesh faster with the new girl. And then there is the art, as always the #1 reason to read this series. Addictive. – Sean Gaffney

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 2 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – I have to wonder whether an editor suggested that Takeuchi write about dance simply because she draws motion so well. Even if one cannot envision the steps, the exhilaration is clear, and I particularly love the way she draws the male physique whilst dancing. Plot-wise, Tatara dances in public for the first time thanks to Sengoku and his machinations, and ends up demonstrating an uncanny ability to achieve unity with his partner. This skill is put to the test when he acquires a new partner (a middle-schooler named Mako) and challenges her brother/former partner to a duel for having had the temerity to cast her aside in favor of Shizuku. I hope we get a more in-depth look at dance competitions next time! – Michelle Smith

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 11 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. – Every time Shiro Kakei admits to someone that he’s gay, my heart grows a size. It seems to be coming a little easier to him this time, too. In this case, he’s responding to his landlord’s inquiry, as the latter is worried he might move to Shibuya, where a same-sex partnership law has been passed. Also in this volume, Kenji buys a suit for a birthday dinner and looks like a yakuza, Shiro is double-booked for sakura-viewing (and makes delicious looking bento treats), two of the lead’s coworkers (Shino and Tabuchi) take turns cooking, and Shiro apologizes to yogurt. It’s as charming and entertaining as ever, with multiple things to make a hungry reader drool, though I’ll have to pass on the carrot and tuna salad. – Michelle Smith

Maid-sama!, Vols. 11-12 | By Hiro Fujiwara | Viz Media – I wonder if the author has now been told she can pursue her endgame as she pleases, as things continue to happen in these two volumes of Maid-sama!. Turns out that while Usui is the black sheep of the family, that doesn’t mean he gets to run away and settle down with some normal Japanese girl (if you can define Misaki as normal). As for Misaki herself, she’s trying to take a good look at why she’s constantly angry all the time, and it’s earning results, even if repression is likely not the answer. We’ve gotten to the point where external forces are the only thing keeping these two apart, so we get to ramp them up. (Also, is Misaki’s sister sweet on Hinata or is it me?) Recommended for Maid-sama! fans and angry girl fans .– Sean Gaffney

The Prince in His Dark Days, Vol. 2 | By Hico Yamanaka | Kodansha Comics – Atsuko Okawa is being paid a million yen to impersonate a missing rich kid named Itaru. Though Itaru spent most of the first volume “off-camera,” the possible reasons for the disappearance were still the most intriguing thing about the series. I didn’t really expect any deviation from Atsuko’s fish-out-of-water, gender-bending masquerade, so spending time with Itaru was a pleasant surprise, even if the timeline was a little confusing. Itaru is having an identity crisis, and is terrified of vulnerability after a lifetime being renowned for arrogance and toughness. It’s actually fairly captivating, which makes going back to Atsuko’s story kind of a drag (no pun intended), even if I did like the shoujo soap opera cliffhanger at the end. If you were kind of “meh” about the first volume, the second might change your mind. – Michelle Smith

Psycho-Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami, Vol. 1 | By Midori Gotou and Natsuo Sai, based on a story by Gen Urobochi | Dark Horse Comics – Once again, I am reading a prequel to an anime I have never seen. I am familiar with Gen Urobochi, however, which means I’m trying not to get too attached to this cast of supernatural detectives who I assume will die in pain and agony. For the moment, however, they’re busy hunting down criminals whose emotional state has been judged to be criminal—technology can do that now, apparently. If you haven’t seen the anime, the reason to get this is that it’s a pretty good police drama with some good action scenes. If you have, then you likely know more than I do why to get it. Pretty good. – Sean Gaffney

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 5 | By Aya Kanno | Viz Media – For one of the greatest of all Shakespearean villains, Richard III makes a pretty nifty shoujo heroine… as well as a shoujo hero, fittingly enough. Here he’s romanced, somewhat unwittingly on his part, by King Henry’s son. Yes, that’s King Henry again, as he’s back on the throne, though it suits him incredibly badly. Kanno gets Henry’s disturbing religious zealotry pitch-perfect, impressing me. He’s also something of a zealot when it comes to Richard, and after Richard is wounded, their interaction takes up much of the last part of the book. If Richard has realized that he loves Henry, where can this go? Nowhere good, that’s for sure. And, as I suspect I’ll be saying a lot in the future, poor Anne! – Sean Gaffney

RIN-NE, Vol. 22 | By Rumiko Takahashi | VIZ Media – It’d been a while since I’d read any RIN-NE, but a mini-marathon this weekend really hit the spot. A few new characters have now joined the mix, most notably Anematsuri-sensei, whose “Peeking Ball” figures into several of the stories in this volume. Mostly, we get stuff like a scythe that functions like a scratch-off lottery ticket, a judo enthusiast cursed by the tree he keeps kicking, one school vending machine haunting another, etc. Probably the best chapter was the one in which we glimpse the characters’ dreams as they attempt to capture a supernatural critter. However, while I do enjoy the gentle, no-pressure read that RIN-NE offers, I can’t help wishing Takahashi were employing her talents on something with a little more plot. – Michelle Smith

Rose Guns Days Season Two, Vol. 1 | By Ryukishi07 and Nana Natsunishi | Yen Press – I mentioned the last volume left things up in the air a lot, and unfortunately, Season Two doesn’t help to answer much, as it becomes apparent we’re going to focus on a new cast for the most part. Oh sure, Rose is around, as is Wayne, and the others get brief cameos. But Leo seems to actually be gone, and taking his place at the protagonist we have “Rapunzel,” a young girl with amnesia who ends up taken in by Rose’s crew. As we get to know her and the group of three misfits assigned to protect her, Rose deals with a growing unease between the Chinese and the Japanese, which honestly we could have predicted after the last arc. Not as good as Higurashi or Umineko. – Sean Gaffney

Twinkle Stars, Vol. 1 | By Natsuki Takaya | Yen Press – I reviewed the two volumes collected here five years ago, but couldn’t let Yen’s much-anticipated release go by without even a brief to commemorate it! Happily, I think I enjoyed the story even more than last time. Star-crazy Sakuya Shiina, like Tohru Honda, hides family trauma behind a cheery disposition and does her best to understand the people in her orbit, namely her cousin/paid guardian Kanade, who has evidently burnt out on the world, and a boy named Chihiro Aoi who wants to escape from reality. Nearly everyone except for Sakuya’s forthright friend Yuuri seems to be nurturing a secret, with readers receiving brief glimpses of some of these, and I am so excited to be able to get the rest of the story! It may not be much like Fruits Basket, but I bet it’ll be very good indeed. – Michelle Smith

Barakamon, Vol. 12 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – The absence of Naru’s immediate family was always very unstated in the series, and it’s unsurprising that Handa thought they were both dead—the reader likely did as well. But her father, at least, is shown not to be dead, but to be away at sea most of the year, and his return for Christmas is what carries most of this volume. Naru is very Yotsuba-esque most of the time, but she is a seven-year-old girl with real feelings, and her need for her father is telling even as she sort of elides it. Her dad, meanwhile, is a well-meaning goof, but should really step up more, and Handa is, as always, a good bridge between the two. Barakamon is sweet and good-hearted and always puts a smile on my face. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 5 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – I don’t normally watch the anime versions of the manga I read, but a friend introduced me to the Nozaki-kun anime and it’s pretty great. In fact, watching it gave me a better sense of the comic timing in the series, and I think that has carried over to how I read the manga, because I enjoyed it even more than before. Scenarios in this volume include Kashima having a cold and various guys volunteering to speak for her, the gang going on a drama club training camp, and Nozaki’s search for a cute merchandise-friendly mascot for his series. There is a gag relating to the latter that made me laugh out loud, but I also enjoyed a glimpse at the process for how such things are incorporated into a series, as well as a brief lesson on how cover designs come to be. A little informative, a lot amusing! – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia, Vol. 6 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – I did ask for villains, and here they are, including one who seems to be angry at people who are heroes for the wrong reason. This volume has a lot to say about what makes a good hero and what makes a villain. Midoriya gains a mentor, who is impressed at the fact that he can think on his feet and is trying to teach him how to be more intuitive. But more importantly, Ida is bent on revenge against the man who destroyed his hero brother, who will likely never walk again. This is understandable, but revenge is always a BAD reason to be a hero. Luckily, we also see Midoriya being clever here, and he not only saves Ida but also calls for help, something I wish more shonen heroes did. Excellent series. – Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 80 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – For a while now, I’ve been ready to move on from Dressrosa, but I’ll be damned if Oda’s farewell narration to the island and its inhabitants didn’t make me a little verklempt. That said, this is one of those volumes full of updates on the world at large, hints about plots to come, and glimpses at future foes. I always enjoy it when the story’s scope widens this way, though it makes me wonder exactly how long the series is going to be (and whatever happened with those obelisk things Robin was studying?). The crew reunion at the end of the volume comes as a welcome relief, and I am further manipulated by Oda into being totally invested in the Sanji cliffhanger. Still addicted after 80 volumes! – Michelle Smith

Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 12 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | VIZ Media – When last we left off, ineffectual Ienari was the shogun and his odious mother, Harusada, was capriciously poisoning those of his heirs that displeased her. In this volume, she gets her comeuppance in a satisfying way, plus Ienari grows a spine and makes perfecting and distributing the redface pox vaccine his priority. The story could almost end here, with a victory for the good guys, except that wouldn’t be nuanced enough for Ooku. Instead, time passes swiftly and we see Ienari gradually being corrupted by power and the knowledge of his (and Aonuma’s, Gennai’s, and Kuroki’s) contributions lost to history because Japan cannot admit any weakness with foreigners literally on the horizon. Captivating and bittersweet, this is a series with broad scope and I trust that Yoshinaga has a destination in mind. I’ll be waiting for volume thirteen! – Michelle Smith

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 11 | By Miki Yoshikawa | Kodansha Comics – And so Yamada-kun finally wraps things up and comes to an end. Yamada cleverly uses his wish to get rid of the witch powers, most of the witches are pretty happy with that, and most importantly, he confesses to Shiraishi and they become an official couple. This has been a terrif… wait, what? The series is still going? Yes, that’s right, welcome to “this is too popular to cancel,” the inverse of “cut short,” as we now have the adventures of the new student council, with some old friends but also some new characters. How this will develop I’m not sure, given it’s barely begun, and I’ll definitely give it a shot, but I do sort of wish that things had ended here, as it was perfect. – Sean Gaffney

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 10 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – What I said in my last review applies, only more so. I’m wondering if the author even has a plan at all, or is just happy to coast on monster girls as long as possible. Here we wrap up the arc in the alternate universe, which ends with the ‘it was all a dream’ cliche so dreaded by readers everywhere. We get a test of strength among the class, which a baffled Hime wins without ever really knowing why. We get the introduction of Suu’s sister, which gives us the idea of a giant snake as a bratty goth-loli wannabe. For the most part, though, this wasn’t really very funny, and didn’t have as much of the total bafflement I’ve enjoyed before. Also, stop showing us girl monsters on the toilet. Jeezus. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 5 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – This was another excellent installment of Haikyu!!. The Inter-High qualifiers are upon us, and I loved getting glimpses of some of the other participating teams. I especially loved Furudate’s extended look at those who were defeated in the first round, including a poignant montage and emphasis on the losers’ regrets. In this way, we also meet Karasuno’s girls’ team, and now I want a spinoff. For their part, the Karasuno boys also bring the feels as they overturn the prevailing opinion that they merely used to be good. The panel with an about-to-jump Hinata superimposed over a crow spreading its wings actually made me verklempt, as did the moment when he realizes how cool being a decoy can be. I wish I had more to read! – Michelle Smith

Nichijou, Vol. 5 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – I was happy to see more Mai here as I requested, whether she’s torturing her friends in a game of Red Light Green Light, torturing her friends by drawing baffling buddha backgrounds on their yaoi manga, torturing the Professor by letting her dogs “play” with her, to the point where they bite Mio and Yukko for the lulz, and in general shows that she does not remotely grasp human interaction whatsoever. In non-Mai news, we see more of the scientist who’s desperate to examine Nano but gets tripped up by… well, everything. Western fans will be baffled by the surreal chapter based around nagashi somen. And in the best chapter in the book, our three girls struggle against the rain and her vagaries of an angry temple god. Terrific. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 18 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – The field trip continues, and has many sweet and funny moments, but it’s not what the meat of this volume is. No, we’ve reached what appears to be the start of a final arc (spoiler: it’s not), where Chitoge is told that they’re moving back to the US, so she can come with and stop pretending to be Raku’s girlfriend. Needless to say, she’s devastated by this, as are the others, as she’s never had friends like this before, and of course is also in love with Raku. We’re starting to realize he’s in love with her as well—Shu blatantly asks who he likes, and while he says it’s Onodera it’s the first time he’s really waffling on the question. Will she leave? Will she stay? Will Claude kill Raku before that’s decided? Yup, cliffhanger. One of the best volumes yet. – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 3 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – The effort Kuranosuke expends to support the dreams of others is truly impressive. Not only does he spearhead the fashion designer idea as a way to earn enough money to avoid Amamizu-kan’s destruction, but he manages to provide costumes and audience to a struggling student production, nudges Mayaya out of her comfort zone, and utilizes his politican father’s party to drum up attendees and press for a Jelly Fish fashion show. I love that he both accepts the Amars as they are and challenges them to participate in the outside world. In this way, he’s given them, and particularly a fired-up Tsukimi, an outlet for their hopes and fears as the reality of their neighborhood’s eventual destruction begins to hit home. Highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 5 | By Aya Kanno | VIZ Media – Wow, what a volume! Political scheming abounds in the action-packed moments, as Richard’s rescue of his brother forces Warwick to abandon his plan to make George the king and pivot instead back to the Lancasters, just as the other Edward (the one in love with Richard) counted on when he agreed to help Richard out. And in the quiet moments, we spend time with a couple of people still in love with Richard (Edward and Anne), and in the worst/best part of all, Henry and Richard manage to have another blissful interlude together, during which Richard finally admits to himself that he’s in love with Henry just as Henry says he will not permit himself to love anyone. Oh, the treachery and the angst! It’s riveting. Keep ’em coming, Kanno! – Michelle Smith

Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 2 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – Well, that was one big thud of an ending. When this was licensed I heard it was two volumes long, which made me wary, and that after it ended the author returned to Vampire Knight material, which made me warier. Sure enough, this has “cancelled early due to low reader support” written all over it. Mikage’s stoic ninja finds many things to feel emotional about, but alas, we’re left with the uncomfortable ‘father role’ as the main romance, though it’s blessedly one-sided. And, this being a ninja manga, there’s plots, counterplots, fights on top of speedboats, etc. The main problem with this series, though, is that in the end there was not one plot twist I didn’t guess beforehand. Hino fans should reread Vampire Knight instead. – Sean Gaffney

That Wolf-Boy Is Mine!, Vol. 2 | By Yoko Nagiri | Kodansha Comics – The trouble with getting rejected and saying “I hope we can still be friends!” is that you need to actually have the resolve to do that, which is difficult when you’re still massively in love, not to mention getting mixed signals. As for Yu, we see signs of him getting jealous, but I don’t think he’s even consciously aware of what that is. Honestly, I wonder if Yu’s grumpy friend Rin might be a better match for Komugi, though as a blonde guy in a shoujo manga, he’s inevitably going to be second-best. What’s more, we’re getting some suggestion that Komugi’s background may not be what it seems, something that will no doubt lead to much drama but also allow her to end up with one of these guys. Good, but can be dull at times. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 9 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – As a Negima reader, I found it somewhat hilarious that as part of her training Tota, she sends him into the jungle in order to imitate his predecessor’s “cross a world in a short period” plotline. Even worse, his companion is Kirie, the Chisame lookee-likee, making it even more obvious that he’s just having fun for his fans. That said, this is quite a strong volume, showing off cool fights, embarrassed blushes, aborted love confessions, and our hero literally PUNCHING TIME in order to meet Evangeline’s young self again. New readers will suffer even more, though, as Ayake and Chachamaru show up at the end here, Konoka and Setsuna’s descendants are coming, and that Shinobu clone as well. Akamatsu’s greatest hits, but they’re good hits. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!, Vol. 5 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Well, I was wrong about training harder. They do, but we don’t see it much. Instead, we head right into the big tournament proper, and get the first two matches. The first one is against an old classmate of Sawamura’s, and we see how far along our heroes have come compared to the other teams. There’s a great shot halfway through showing all the losing teams—including the Karasuno Girls’ team, whose captain clearly has a crush on Sawamura, always a danger in a manga with a 99% female fandom. The rest of the book shows their match against the team that beat them last year, though, and they’re still tough as nails. But now we have our short but valiant secret weapon! Very shoneny, in the best way. – Sean Gaffney

Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, Vol. 2 | By Natsuki Takaya | Yen Press – Well, I did ask for more on Liselotte’s past, and I certainly got it. We also get a lot of her channeling her inner Tohru, trying to meet the witches in the forest to assure them that she means them no harm but merely wants to live here in peace and harmony. Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially when an assassin is sent after her, complete with an eyepatch so that you know he’s a true rogue. And we learn a bit more about Engetsu, who is sort of Liselotte’s old dead love Enrich, but also sort of not. How this plays out is anyone’s guess, but it certainly looks pretty, and has some nice cool fighting. I still find it a bit underwhelming, but honestly that’s been true of any non-Furuba Takaya title. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 20 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The most important thing in this volume for me is that Morgiana returns, and she does what we love to see her do best: rescue Alibaba and princess carry him. She seems to be a lot less stoic after her trip of awesome training. The rest of this volume consists of a) lots of battling against the big evil thing of evil, which proves quite difficult to defeat as it is literally made of evil; b) a lot of backstory that shows that Aladdin has a lot more going on than everyone expected, which honestly most readers had guessed; and c) theoretically killing off some characters (I’ll believe it while I see it), while bringing the most obvious one back from the dead right after he’s passed. Fun, but I really want a new arc. – Sean Gaffney

Maid-sama!, Vols. 11-12 | By Hiro Fujiwara | VIZ Media – This is a fairly uneven installment of Maid-sama!, though the one constant throughout is Misaki attempting to come to grips with and then successfully express how she feels about Takumi. First, they go on a double date to the hot springs, and then Takumi’s family drama suddenly ramps up. Next, it abruptly turns back into a comedy as his half-brother has a penchant for making his valet dress up like a ninja as he spies on Takumi. Throughout, there are various assertions that Misaki isn’t good enough for Takumi, with Takumi dissenting, et cetera. And then, at the end, Aoi designs some costumes and briefly stops being a jerk. I don’t know why I kind of expected a volume of Maid-sama! to be uniformly good, but I did. In any case, it’s decent enough and the story is moving along. Sort of. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 13 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – You know how most people were about Black Bird? Or Hot Gimmick? That’s how I’ve come to feel about Missions of Love. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love it. I love seeing these damaged, deeply manipulative teens walk all over each other. I love the fact that Yukina is amazed that she might still be ignorant of what love is, despite the entire series being based around that premise. (“Apparently I’m frigid.” made me laugh out loud.) And then there’s Mami and Akira, whose plotline keeps happening just off camera, all the better to keep Yukina guessing. And of course there’s Shigure, who is understandably frustrated at being away from all of this. Good thing she’s dragged to him for the cliffhanger. Read this amazing trash. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 9 | By ONE and Yusuke Marata | Viz Media – The deeper stuff I mentioned last time is continuing, as the villain we met last time decides to go around beating up literally everyone he comes across, and most of the heroes seem to be able to do little to stop him. I’m sure Saitama and Genos will end up in his path eventually, but in the meantime we have Blizzard, a stereotypical yakuza boss who’s also a hero, and decides that Saitama is good enough that she wants him to be part of her hero gang. Naturally, Saitama is unimpressed, and has some nice lectures on what it means to be a hero. Also naturally, most of her bluster is just that—she’s the Tornado of Terror’s little sister, and it weights on her. I love how this series views superheroes. Highly recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 21 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – For a while there, it looked like we weren’t going to get any follow-up to the “Hayasaka finds Super Bun’s scarf in Mafuyu’s closet” cliffhanger, and so I was doubly disappointed by the boring hometown interlude set during winter break. Happily, once school reconvenes, we learn that Hayasaka has been waiting for the opportunity to ask Mafuyu about it, but just then, a Super Bun impostor is sighted, and the rest of the volume primarily consists of chase scenes. That probably sounds boring, but it’s actually something fun and different. I can’t remember if we’re supposed to recognize the dude who’s behind it all, and I’m sure it’ll end with Hayasaka still not learning the truth, but for now it’s quite enjoyable. – Michelle Smith

Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 2 | By Matsuri Hino | VIZ Media – Mikage Kirio is attempting to leave her past as a ninja behind and fulfill her late master’s wish for her to lead the life of a normal high school girl. There are a couple of nice moments when she achieves this, reflecting on the warm welcome she receives from her new group of friends, and marveling at their skill in finding the most delicious meat buns in town, but most of the volume is in a hurry to wrap up the not-very-interesting seeds-as-bioweapon plot. It’s not exactly unsuccessful—it all makes sense, at least, which is more than I can say for some series—but it’s terribly rushed. Still, it’s nice to see serious Mikage smiling for once, and overall the series has left a pleasant impression. – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 36 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – We wrap up one arc and start another here, so there’s not really a lot of fighting. What there is is backstory and explanations, so many of them in what is almost one big infodump. Some of it is truly interesting—I love the idea of the Earth as a meal that’s almost finished cooking, and it’s nice to see that the chefs are all going to have their own little adventure (led, no doubt, by Komatsu, who apparently awoke his own gourmet cells—he’s come a long way.) But yeah, much of this is setup for the volumes to come, with Sunny griping as always, Coco being the sensible one, and Toriko and Starjun having to work together—something which comes surprisingly easy to them. Solid, but unexceptional. – Sean Gaffney