Michelle Smith

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 12 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – I’ve talked before about how much I enjoy Irina’s crush on Kurasuma, and his seeming obliviousness to same. Seeming being the word there, as here we see he’s deliberately not seeing it so she won’t lose her edge. Of course, this is because he sees her as an assassin and not a woman. And as with women scorned through history, it makes Irina vulnerable to others who want to use her skills and go after the real target—Koro-sensei. Luckily, the kids have learned their lesson from the last book and are better than ever. Unluckily, that means very little against this new assassin, whose killing presence is very reminiscent of Nagisa’s. Add this all up and you get another excellent volume. – Sean Gaffney

Black Clover, Vol. 3 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Still hugely enjoying this, despite its almost anti-originality. There are new powers discovered that call out only to the right one to wield them; huge battles where our hero is seemingly defeated only to power up at the last minute; saving the villain’s life because he’s not REALLY the villain, of course, just another guy like the rest of us; a dysfunctional bunch of arrogant heroes who will no doubt be hideously powerful and also learn humility. Oh, and look, some of them are Noelle’s siblings. And it all ends with the villain about to kill a defenseless child for the lulz, and our hero coming to the rescue. It would be horrible were it not well-drawn and plotted, with sympathetic heroes Classic Jump, really. – Sean Gaffney

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 6 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – After a pair of strong volumes, I was expecting more from this one, but ended up feeling a little disappointed. It isn’t bad, just not as good. Reeling from Aoi’s rejection, Himari meets a new teacher with a penchant for telling ghost stories and collecting magical objects, including a mirror that allows her to eventually accept the fact that, reciprocated or not, her feelings for Aoi won’t change. After an ultimately pointless visit from a demanding cat ayakashi, we do get some hints about the mysterious teacher that might prove interesting. Oddly enough, the best part is the baffling but intriguing bonus story. I don’t have absolute confidence in Shouoto-sensei’s ability to pull all of these threads together, but I’ll keep reading. – Michelle Smith

Golden Time, Vol. 5 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Umechazuke | Seven Seas – I think this is the start of the adaptation of the second light novel, and it shows, as this is mostly all setup with very little payoff. Banri and Kouko are together now, but as his memories return more and more (not helped by more head injuries, which can’t be good for him), it becomes increasingly apparent that Linda was his true love before the accident. Linda is having a breakdown now that he is remembering things, and Kouko is as always a complete emotional whirlwind, which is fun when she’s mocking her ex or trying to set her up with the still underdeveloped Oka, but can be extremely aggravating when you need someone in this soap opera to be sensible. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 4 | By Amu Meguro | Viz Media – I’ve wanted to see more of Yashiro, the sharp and somewhat sarcastic best friend of the heroine, since the book began, and this volume allows me a whole pile of her. It shows off why she’s had so much trouble opening up—her family tends to ignore her, and the only real affection she’s gotten to date is from her much older tutor, who’s dating her but also cheating on her. This sort of character, in a shoujo manga, really is served best by a partner who wears their heart on their sleeve, and luckily Misaki is completely unable to hide any emotion whatsoever. Luckily, the tutor is wise enough to realize that she really is better off with someone other than him, and cheerfully breaks up with her. Fluffy angst is the best angst. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 4 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – One of the best things about The Prince of Tennis was the many memorable rival teams Seigaku faced. But I think Haikyu!! has them beat with Nekoma, a consistent team with an arsenal of attacks, memorable characters (including several analogues to Karasuno players), and appealing backstory. I actually found myself rooting for them, and would totally read a spinoff about them! But it’s also great that they forced Hinata to start consciously aiming his hits, rather than depending on Kageyama all the time, beginning the duo’s evolution from “a monster and his club” to “one monster and another monster.” Also, Karasuno losing the practice game at this point will make an eventual rematch on the tournament stage even more pivotal and exciting. I’m looking forward to it! – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 10 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – I love this series so, so, so much. Reading it makes me happy. I especially enjoyed this volume because it spends a lot of time on Takeo and Sunakawa’s friendship. First, Suna is there for Takeo when the latter is worrying about Ichinose the pastry chef confessing his feelings to Yamato, but then he starts feeling lonely when he realizes Takeo has gotten better at communicating his good intentions to others and might not need him anymore. He has a hard time admitting how he feels, and also later struggles to advise Takeo about his growing desire for Yamato. (Could this be further evidence of his asexuality?) Of course, there is plenty of romantic cuteness between our lead couple, but for getting to know Suna better, this volume is a standout. – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 10 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – Last time I hoped Yamato would figure out what was going on and shut Ichinose down. Well, she didn’t really figure it out, but we do get a rejection. Being Yamato, of course, it’s as sweet as pie, assuring Ichinose that his skills as a pastry chef are amazing without her as a muse AND reaffirming she’s head over heels for Takeo. In fact, these two are such a solid couple it might be time to take things to the next level, something Takeo has been brooding over but can’t quite get out due partly to his shyness and partly I think due to having Yamato on a pedestal. Luckily the class trip is coming up, giving them lots of opportunity to go further, though I doubt anything major will happen. Still adorable. – Sean Gaffney

My Neighbor Seki, Vol. 8 | By Takuma Morishige | Vertical Comics – It’s been a while since we’ve had Seki’s antics, and I find that this was an even more enjoyable volume of Seki than usual. There’s another one of the “Godo misinterprets Seki and Yokoi as a hot sexy couple” chapter, even as Yokoi is merely trying to figure out what the hell Seki is planning now. There’s a lot of Seki’s games rebounding on him this time, as he gets lost in imaginary toys, has a hilarious disaster with natto, and sprays his crotch with water in the worst possible way. As for Yokoi, all she wants is a nice sweet story from Seki’s playthings, but more often than not his nihilistic side takes over, such as his post-apocalyptic Game of Life. Even the cover gag is great. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 4 | By Amu Meguro | VIZ Media – It’s hard to believe this charming series is already halfway over! Onise’s friend, Futami, makes good on his promise to confess to Nao, and after he’s rejected is surprised to find that Onise is still willing to be his friend. Awesomely, Onise had completely trusted Nao the whole time, and then he sings a song of friendship. No, really. After he and Nao achieve first-name status, the focus shifts to fleshing out their friends. I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about Yashiro, who has been lonely her whole life and who clung to her ne’er-do-well boyfriend until she realized she deserved something more. I really appreciated that he wasn’t depicted as pure evil and did care enough about her to let her go. Whether she and Misaki will eventually become a couple is up in the air, but I suspect the answer is yes. – Michelle Smith

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 22 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – Kamisama Kiss continues towards its conclusion and benefits from the increased focus. This volume finds everyone in the Land of the Dead, having followed Kirihito there as he searches for Akura-Oh’s body. Tomoe thinks he’s going to be able to kill him, but he can’t, and later helps the lost spirit of a little girl, which seem to be signs that his heart is softening towards humans and that he, therefore, will eventually succeed in becoming one. Meanwhile, Nanami has been hiding the fact that she’s only got six months to live, and we get a great (though lamentably brief) scene where Mizuki is prepared to sacrifice someone else just to save her. She stops him, of course, and finally tells Tomoe what’s going on. He’s upset that she didn’t rely on him, but claims there’s a way to save her. Three volumes to go! – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 3-4 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | VIZ Media – Seirin has steadily progressed through the Inter-High qualifiers, but now they must play two tough opponents on the same day. First, they face off against Seiho, who took them out of contention the prior year, and it was great to see the second-year characters get the chance to shine as they got payback. Seirin next advances to the match against Shutoku, a team with one of the Miracle Generation players on it. It’s a super-exciting game, in which Kagami gets perilously close to the “I can win on my own” line until Kuroko snaps him out of it. One of the great things about these two-in-one editions is that one volume-ending cliffhanger is nullified, but the buzzer-beater cliffhanger at the end of volume four is inescapable. Argh! Now I am good and hooked. – Michelle Smith

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 4 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – After an event-filled third volume, this new book seems to be spinning its wheels a bit, I’m afraid. This is always the difficulty with adapting visual novels, which fans buy knowing that there will be piles and piles of dialogue, only some of which may be relevant to the plot. Focusing on what interested me, then, the revelation that Tougo’s mother was abducted by a man in a fox mask right in front of him puts a chilling spin on current events. And I always enjoy seeing the two cute yet slightly insane yokai girls, who get a side-story cameo here and I wish did more. As for the main plot, I’m hoping things will pick up in the next book. – Sean Gaffney

The Prince in His Dark Days, Vol. 1 | By Hico Yamanaka | Kodansha Comics – I always do enjoy it when the first volume of a new series sets a mood, but it can be difficult when that mood is ‘horribly bleak and depressing.’ Atsuko is poor, her father is drunk, she’s doing compensated dating and it is suggested she’ll be doing prostitution soon. Luckily, she’s kidnapped by a group of rich young men, at first because the family heir wants to dress up in her clothing, and secondly when said heir disappears, and they ask her to dress up as him for a while. Most series with that premise would play it for laughs, but this is dead serious, and even the young hot bodyguards have tragic backstories and hidden secrets. A good start, but I’d hate to binge read something this heavy. – Sean Gaffney

The Boy and the Beast, Vol. 2 | By Mamoru Hosada and Renji Asai | Yen Press – I don’t think I ever reviewed the first volume of the manga adaptation of this, but it’s a very nice adaptation. It hits the high points of the book and shows how Kyuta and Kumatetsu both irritate and inspire each other. The journey to discover what strength is is more hilarious and less character building than the novel, but that’s fine—the jokes are excellent. We also get the timeskip here, meaning Kyuta now ends up back in modern-day Japan and meets Kaede, a high school girl with a troubled relationship with her parents. That said, the two worlds are separate for a reason, and the next volume will get deeper into that. My guess is this runs four volumes. It’s worth a look, and great for kids. – Sean Gaffney

Complex Age, Vol. 2 | By Yui Sakuma | Kodansha Comics – Volume one ended with the cliffhanger of Nagisa being spotted at a cosplay event by her hardass coworker, Hayama. However, it turns out that Hayama is a cosplayer, too, and they become friends, only for Nagisa to watch helplessly as Hayama is driven to resign once someone at the office finds her sultry in-character photos and distributes them. Coworkers are not the only threat to Nagisa’s precious world, but the other one involves a big surprise that is the real reveal of this volume. Maybe other readers saw that coming, but I surely didn’t! I really want Nagisa to be able to triumph here, to be able to retain her sense of joy in a pursuit that isn’t hurting anyone, but in a series so capable of surprising me, I honestly have doubts that we will get a sunny, happy ending. And that’s a good thing! Don’t miss this one. – Michelle Smith

Don’t Be Cruel, Vols. 3-4 | By Yonezou Nekota | SuBLime – In order to evalate this double volume on its own merits, I decided to try to forget the horrible way the series began. Now, we find Maya and Nemugasa changed by their relationship, to the point where previously irresponsible Maya has begun to give serious consideration to his future. He starts studying like mad, and comes to appreciate how hard Nemugasa’s been working all this time. I liked that part, but of course, there is drama and misunderstanding aplenty, especially when a quick fast-forward takes the guys into college, where Nemugasa ends up prioritizing a friend who got dumped over a hot springs outing with Maya, and nearly gets dumped as a result. I don’t know; I still find both of these guys somewhat annoying, and the bonus chapter about a fellow student and a teacher was pretty icky, too. I may be done for good now. – Michelle Smith

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 14 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki – “Reinvigorating” is the word that comes to mind to describe this volume of Food Wars!. As part of the stagiaire program, Soma has been assigned to work in Shinomiya’s high-end French restaurant, which is his biggest challenge to date. He had been secure in his knowledge of how family restaurants operate, but this one is completely different. It is excellent to see him flounder and rebound, and his typical cockiness is tempered somewhat as a result. He’s still confident, but also respectful and eager to learn. By week’s end, he’s managed to incorporate elements of Shinomiya’s techniques into a traditional dish, putting him one step closer to finding his own specialty. Much like a shounen battle manga, we get glimpses of how the other students are getting stronger in their assignments, too. Then it’s time to meet the Council of Ten. I seriously love this series. – Michelle Smith

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 8 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – I’ve reached the point where I would drop this if I didn’t know that it was going to end soon. The relationship between Kana, Aki and Eriya is front and center in this volume, and Kana’s love for Aki really doesn’t enter into it at all. Each volume she’s gotten less and less to do, to the point where she’s literally a passive mind-controlled hostage by the end of this book, dressed up as Eve for no reason other than dramatic effect. Slightly more interesting is Eriya’s backstory, which manages to be quite grotesque, though suffers from the art being too pretty—imagine what this series would have been like had Kaori Yuki written it. (Imagine the body count, which would have tripled.) For diehards only. – Sean Gaffney

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 4 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – This is the first volume of this series that I’ve read after reading the source novel it’s a spinoff of, and it’s amazing how much more sense it makes now. In fact, it’s becoming clearer why Yen licensed this spinoff but not the main manga series—the two must be mostly identical, as Honoka and Shizuku don’t get much to do here, so the majority of this is the events of the first volume, only from Miyuki’s perspective rather than Tatsuki’s. This isn’t a bad thing, as Miyuki’s thoughts, brother complex aside, are quite different from the stoic male lead viewpoint. It would appear that the next spinoff volume deals with the third novel’s plotline, so I am relieved the book will be out first. – Sean Gaffney

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 8 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – Last time I asked if Yamato would get involved, and sure enough that’s what happens here, as we get several new revelations that answer many questions we’ve had since the first volume. Some are less surprising than others (Amana Kotono’s identity has been something I’ve expected for ages). There’s also some lovely heartwarming stuff here between Haruna and Makie, both of whom are desperate to see the other happy even if it means sacrificing everything. Luckily, it all works out, at least for now. As we get further into the series, the mystery behind these “mental models”—i.e., why the battleships are cute girls—deepens and deepens. That said, I’ll betcha next time we get more sea battles. – Sean Gaffney

Complex Age, Vol. 2 | By Yui Sakuma | Kodansha Comics – Many years ago, I wrote fanfiction under my own name, because I was young and stupid. One of my worst nightmares is that my workplace finds some of the stuff I wrote, which was also young and stupid. As such, I identified a bit too much with Hayama, who Nagisa found was also a secret cosplayer, but who is discovered at work and, while not fired, is basically embarrassed to the point that she quits. It’s depressing and highly realistic. As for Nagisa, she’s having more trouble at home, where her mother is furious that she’s still doing this at her age—mostly as her mother seemed to do the same thing back in the day and has lingering regrets. This series is well-written and intensely painful at the same time. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 2 | By Izumi Miyazono | Viz Media – After a first volume where the issue was the differing relationship goals of the lead couple, this second volume’s plot is more prosaic, although equally relatable—how to find time to do couple things when you’re in a state of constant busyness. This is something especially prevalent in the entertainment industry, as Ryu finds himself taking on more and more work and having less and less time for Asuka. Luckily, they finally manage to get together by the end of this book. As for Asuka, she’s stopped worrying so much about marrying Ryu and has started to accept their relationship as it is, though has been told to think about why he’s so adamant. A nicely mature romance, in the best sense of the word. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 2 | By Izumi Miyazono | VIZ Media – Asuka Takanashi, a successful career woman who really wants to get married, and Ryu Nanami, a popular newscaster who’d rather die than tie the knot, have fallen in love and started a relationship. We soon learn that Asuka believes she is going to be able to persuade Nanami to see things her way. How I wish the story would not end with her succeeding, but I suspect that it will. For now, we get a bunch of interrupted sexy times, busy schedules leading to canceled dates and hurt feelings, a tiny glimpse of Asuka being competent at work and a whole chapter on Nanami doing the same, and, finally, consummation of their relationship. I might sound critical, but I really do enjoy this series. – Michelle Smith

Idol Dreams, Vol. 3 | By Arina Tanemura | VIZ Media – When Idol Dreams revolves around adult Chikage, it can be almost interesting. For the first half of this volume, we focus on her attempts to get some kind of relationship going with Haru and she finally is able to confess that she has loved him all this time. Only, Haru has noticed how Chikage lights up when she talks about Tokita, and how the latter looks at her, and concludes that Chikage actually has no idea what love really is. As he backs off, Chikage takes her pills and transforms into Akari, whereupon two different guys (these being teenagers) are competing for her affections. This mousy dingbat has four love interests?! Anyway, she decides the best way to learn about relationships is to start dating a fifteen-year-old she doesn’t love, because that couldn’t possibly screw him up or anything. Still frustrating and creepy. – Michelle Smith

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 25 | By Karuho Shiina | VIZ Media – Much like Skip Beat!, Kimi ni Todoke is another long-running shoujo title that is just consistently good. I love everything to do with Chizu and Ryu here, and when she finally decides to support his baseball dreams (even if it means him leaving her behind for a few years) and begins to cheer at his game and pray for victory, I got all verklempt. And then the sweet scene between them afterwards made me full on bawl. You did it again, Shiina-sensei. As if this volume weren’t good enough, it ends with a pretty powerful fight between Sawako and Kazehara. We’ve never seen her be so honest and straightforward about her feelings and complaints, and it’s pretty exhilarating to feel, even if briefly, that their relationship might really be in jeopardy. It’ll be a long wait for the next volume. – Michelle Smith

NTR: Netsuzou Trap, Vol. 1 | By Kodama Naoko | Seven Seas – Let’s face it, most yuri titles out there are not meant to appeal to lesbians, or even to women at all. They are there for young men (or, if we’re being honest, older boys) who think that girl-on-girl is hot. Netsuzou Trap is definitely for the latter—the prefix, NTR, is the Japanese abbreviation for “cheating,” and tends to be used to humiliate or shame the woman. And that is, to a degree, what happens here, as a girl is trying to go further with her boyfriend but keeps getting interrupted by her best friend, who is apparently trying to both help and seduce her. The melodrama is obvious, the yuri is non-consensual for the most part, and I can’t recommend this to anyone but 18-21 year old guys. – Sean Gaffney

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life, Vol. 4 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – First of all, it has to be said: my favorite character is barely in this, as Mai gets only one panel in the entire volume. (It does show her trolling, if that helps.) Instead, we have three types of storylines here: Yukko and Mio being silly and hyperactive, Nano and the Professor being cute and immature, and the rest of the cast, which expands to include a young teacher who has an obsession with finding out how Nano ticks, but also has the worst luck in the world. (She’s female, by the way—the artist has drawn her very androgynously). Even without Mai, though, Nichijou has it where it counts—the humor is still excellent, and the plots are still weird, as the author starts to use repeated gags to great effect. Tremendous fun. – Sean Gaffney

Nichijou: My Ordinary Life, Vol. 4 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – Last time I wrote that I was having doubts about Nichijou, and would give it one more try. I’m glad I did, because there was a lot to like this time around. My favorite parts involved Sakamoto, the talking cat who lives with Nano and the professor, especially his adorable proficiency at karuta. There were a few other amusing visual gags, flights of fancy, and funny punchlines, along with not-so-amusing gags, punchlines, etc. Still, it all balanced out into something enjoyable. I still loathe the professor, which I feel weird saying since she’s a little kid, but since all of her scenes this time involved Sakamoto, it was okay. More Sakamoto! – Michelle Smith

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 10 | By Miki Yoshikawa | Kodansha Comics – This is the longest arc we’ve had to date, and as a result we’re allowed to do things like not resolve the cliffhanger ending at all, mostly as Shiraishi is promptly removed from the board, causing Yamada and company to have to try to think of something else. That something involves Leona, still refusing to go to school but apparently far more connected to the Student Council President than was once thought—in fact, it’s a sweet and depressing story. There’s also some sweet and depressing in Odagiri’s subplot, as she’s offered Yamada on a silver platter but won’t sell him out as she knows he loves someone else. An excellent combination of romantic comedy and fantasy thriller. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Morning, Vol. 6 | By Shoko Hidaka | SuBLime – Volume six is somewhat of a fresh start for this complicated BL series. Akihito Kuze is the reluctant viscount who has been scheming to retire from his position in favor of his lover, Tomoyuki Katsuragi, who also has a claim to the title. Meanwhile, Katsuragi has been scheming in Akihito’s favor. Now we’re in the aftermath of Akihito refusing to play along with Katsuragi’s plans for the first time, which has left Katsuragi feeling adrift. Akihito is able to navigate the changing world with ease, but Katsuragi is unable to see that he too could flourish as an individual—the way he revitalizes a struggling spinning business is proof of that—if he could get over his loyalty to the peerage system. Pretty atypical BL fare, eh? I don’t think I’ve ever read a BL series this complex before, and it really should not be missed. – Michelle Smith

Idol Dreams, Vol. 3 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – We spend more time with the adult Chikage this time around, and as a result the problems feel deeper. Haru clearly still has feelings for her, as they both realize that his rejection wasn’t a rejection but in fact her simply being too stunned to answer. As for Tokita, he couldn’t be more obvious about is feelings if he wore a neon sign. I’m not sure if Haru is meant to be a villain here or not—but he’s certainly being more forceful than Tokita. Meanwhile, in the fifteen-year-old part of this, “Akari” gains Ru as a boyfriend, despite telling him that she doesn’t think of him that way. Add to that that she’s getting sloppy in her taking of the youth medicine, and this could go south very quickly. Problematic but readable as ever. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vols. 25 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – Last time I asked for forward progression and I got it, but alas, not all dreams come true, and the forward progression we see here is Ryu’s team losing their game. That said, what’s important from a character perspective is Chizu accepting that they’re going to be apart, and that she feels it’s OK to wait for him. (There’s implication they have their first time after the game, but as it would involve telling Pin, implication is all there is.) As for Sawako and Kazehaya, they’re both so protective of each other’s feelings that they end up backing into a fight about her desire to go to the educational university. Of course, it’s really about the fact that they haven’t opened up completely to each other, particularly Kazehaya. Excellent as always. – Sean Gaffney

Komomo Confiserie, Vol. 5 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – My guess is that the audience let the author know they enjoyed raging, fired-up Komomo, as that’s what we get here as well, and once again it’s the best part of the book. Unfortunately, the rest of the book seems to be trying to drag out “they get together” till the required length, and I admit I was startled to see Komomo’s family regain their fortune—it seems very pat, even if she chooses to stay with Natsu. The whle thing was even a private wager between the two families. Still, it was pretty sweet, and at five volumes it ends at just about the right time. I’m just not sure I enjoyed how much Komomo was manipulated through the entire series—she’s best when she’s righteously furious. – Sean Gaffney

Komomo Confiserie, Vol. 5 | By Maki Minami | VIZ Media – There have been times when I was sufficiently entertained by Komomo Confiserie, but I have to say I found this final volume both boring and frustrating. First of all, it’s entirely obvious who is going to end up together, so the random introduction of Natsu’s friend as Komomo’s last-minute fiancé fails to deliver any dramatic impact whatsoever. Then Natsu is an ass, kicking Komomo out of the one place she wants to be, and then he has the gall to chase after her when she’s justifiably upset about being replaced. Although this does lead to the one great moment, when she calls him out for his crap, we are soon swept up in sudden love confessions and blah blah. I find myself agreeing with Natsu—Komomo is too good for you. I’m glad this series is over before it completely trampled on my residual Voice Over! goodwill. – Michelle Smith

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 17 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – The best way to keep your harem series balanced is not necessarily to show that the lead has good chemistry with all the girls, or to show off how cute and different in personality they are. It’s to show that no matter what girl he chooses, it will make sense within the plot we’ve read. It’s really obvious that Chitoge is the lead because that’s what this genre does in Japan, but Onodera winning makes perfect sense. And as we see in an extended arc here, so does Yui, despite the fact that she was introduced late. Aside from romance, there’s some funny bits (the best is Raku and Onodera desperately trying to get to the field trip site), and some heartwarming sweetness that doesn’t even involve romance. Highly enjoyable. – Sean Gaffney

Paradise Residence, Vol. 3 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Kodansha Comics – This is the final volume, and it reads very much like a “you’re cancelled” sort of ending, which is a shame after the long-runner that was Oh My Goddess!. Still, there wasn’t much further this could really have gone, unless he wanted to do more than merely tease that our two heroines have amazing chemistry with each other. In fact, when Suzuna meets Hatsune’s family (who are, of course, bike mechanics, because this is Fujishima), they all profess they want to marry her. The latter half of the book gives us a genuine villain in the daughter of the school chairwoman, taking over for her ill mother and determined to do away with the titular dorm, which is old and out of date. Spoiler: the dorm stays. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 3 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – I don’t mind volumes that are all setup if the setup is entertaining, and that’s exactly what this omnibus is. We go to training camp, where the new first years all have to deal with their weaknesses. We meet the driven second-years, who are the stars of their own story and determined that they will be the ones going to the Interhigh. (There’s a cliffhanger, but I doubt these guys are going to beat basic narrative.) And we start to get introduced to other schools, who no doubt will prove to be thorns in the side of our new kids. Oh yes, and a new sempai, the one of the cover, who proves to be quite nice despite grinning like a villain and twisting his body in half. Excellent sports manga. – Sean Gaffney