Michelle Smith

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 5 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – Chise is an all-loving heroine sort of girl, and when she sees someone she naturally wants to help them. Which is fine, and leads to some nice heartwarming scenes here, but it also does a number on her body, as she simply can’t use all that magic and not pay for it in some way. This leads to much of this volume taking place in Fairy Land (and a return to winter later), where we meet a doctor with a harsh but effective bedside manner, and Elias is once again mocked by everyone who seems to see him as being too selfish. Again, it’s not clear how bride-like this series will ever get, but I’m content with detailed descriptions of magic plants and rituals and gorgeous art in the meantime. – Sean Gaffney

Barakamon, Vol. 11 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – It’s hard to follow a volume as good as the last one, and much of this new Barakamon is spent wrapping that story up and starting a new one. No one really expected Handa to get married, and he doesn’t, but it is interesting seeing the idea of an arranged marriage for him being tossed about among all the other characters who’ve grown close to him. Once his parents have departed (and I think his father understands him better now, if not the reverse), we see the return of old rival Higashino, who Handa still doesn’t remember but who seems dedicated to theoretically ruining his life, although as always most of that is merely in Handa’s head. Will he be able to grow the best vegetable garden ever? Results are unclear. – Sean Gaffney

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 7 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – Ever since the very first chapter, we’ve known that Eriya was going to show up eventually. And sure enough, he’s now here, conveniently at a time when Aki is still dealing with amnesia. Kana isn’t sure what to make of this—she’s having enough trouble dealing with the fact that Aki’s love for her is now history, though he seems to be backsliding a bit there. That said, Eriya seems to be evil, or at least rather selfish, using a chance at a “normal school life” to try to win Kana over for himself, with the use of liberal hypnosis to make the school OK with this. Kana is, by the nature of the series, a somewhat passive heroine, but I really hope she’s able to do something about this next time. – Sean Gaffney

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 7 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – There are two distinct halves to this volume, and they don’t fit together terribly well. We begin with Aki having forgotten his feelings for Kana, due to trading the “lust” stigma in exchange for her release from her Tsubakiin captors. Eve the succubus and her dealer try to take advantage of Aki’s personality shift to cause the final stigma, “envy,” to manifest—mostly by making him kill deranged humans but also through a random beauty contest—and it also seemed like the story would be developing its love triangle by bringing Kana and Jin closer together, but then both of those threads are abandoned in favor of Eriya’s return, which might have been surprising if it hadn’t been foreshadowed so heavily. I’m afraid that as this series approaches the end, it’s going to get as convoluted as Shouoto’s Kiss of the Rose Princess did. That would be a shame. – Michelle Smith

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 3 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – If ever there was a spinoff that felt like a spinoff, it’s this series, which never lets me forget throughout its entire reading that more important things are happening to the actual hero elsewhere while this is going on. The three ‘detectives’ are amusing, and they do achieve something, but compared to Tatsuya and Miyuki they’re mostly there as victims. Miyuki, of course, is not going to be your garden variety victim, and the best parts of this book show off how much of the “darkness” within herself she wants to hide from her brother so that they can live happy, normal high school lives. I suspect, as with the previous two volumes, this will read better after I’ve read the second irregular novel. – Sean Gaffney

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 3 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – I’m guessing the author heard me when I said in my last review I’d drop the series if the cute little sister got erased. She not only doesn’t, but gets actual things to do, as she is able to tell that her brother is in trouble and get help for him! (Of course, this implies that she too knows more than she’s saying, and may have dark secrets of her own, but I’ll deal with that when I come to it.) As for said big brother, he is indeed in peril from one of the most dreaded monsters of all, the bratty girl sort, who is desperate to eat his soul but also toys with her food far too much, so she’s not going to be long for this world. I still have no idea where this is going, but it’s fun. – Sean Gaffney

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 3 | By HaccaWorks* and nanao | Yen Press – I compared the first volume of this series to Natsume’s Book of Friends, but now it has evolved to the point where there’s hardly anything similar about them. Of the Red… has a more defined plot—a delightfully creepy one that heightens the ethical dilemma for our hero—as well as multiple action scenes, as one of Yue’s new friends, Tsubaki, is revealed to be an extremely desirable and tasty target for the local ayakashi population. (Also, his sister seems to be protecting him somehow, and his dad recognized Yue as someone called “Yoshiki.”) The mysteries continue to unfold but the answers do, too, which I really appreciate. I continue to really enjoy this series and look forward to volume four! – Michelle Smith

Don’t Be Cruel, Vols. 1-2 | By Yonezou Nekota | SuBLime – I hated this at first. In the opening scene, one character handcuffs another to a fence and demands sexual gratification, saying, “Don’t get the wrong idea, now. That wasn’t a request. It was an order.” Nemugasa (the victim) is being blackmailed by Maya (the perpetrator), so continues to obey his commands, but their relationship evolves and by the end of the volume, they’re in love. (But not before Nemugasa is roofied by his tutor and given over to someone else for a plaything!) What’s frustrating is that there were glimmers here of something I might’ve liked, moments where the developing dynamic was interesting, but I just couldn’t get over those early scenes and often wanted to throttle the characters, Maya especially. As a result, I can’t really recommend this even though I kind of want to read the next volume. – Michelle Smith

Fate/Zero, Vol. 2 | By Gen Urobuchi, Type-Moon, and Shinjiro | Dark Horse – After all the setup of the first volume, most of this second one is devoted to a battle between two servants—or at least, it starts off with just two servants. Saber is, of course, the Arturia we’re familiar with, but Lancer is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, another Irish mythological hero. Their snark and battle is fun, but gradually everyone starts dropping in—literally, in the case of Iskander—and adding more chaos to the battle. As with the first volume, Iskander’s sheer force of personality, and everyone’s reaction to it, is the highlight—though Gilgamesh’s arrogance comes close. Fate fans should enjoy this, and it hasn’t gotten too dark yet, though I’m sure that will change. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 12 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – While there is the occasional ship tease (and I remain surprised at how little Erina has done to date, given she’s supposed to be the main heroine—Soma spends most of his off time with Megumi here), for the most part Food Wars! continues to keep its focus reassuringly on food. All three remaining contestants are brilliant, but Soma is particularly impressive because, while he’s confident, he’s not arrogant about it. Indeed, we see him reach out to almost everyone in the dorm trying to find a way to improve his fish dish. Of course, Akira and Ryo are not really villains either, so they’re both just as impressive if not more so. Will Soma win next volume? Probably not. But it’s always fun to see. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 5 | By Junko | Kodansha Comics – Mutsumi has been the least developed of the four male leads, so it was only a matter of time before we got a volume devoted to him. He seemed to always have Kae’s best interests at heart, and you wondered if he even loved her at all—or is he simply more mature than the others? No, as it turns out, he’s simply never quite examined the feelings of love yet, and we find why when his over-the-top brother shows up. They end up competing in a “famous” card game called Castle Cards, and it’s a game where Mutsumi has never won—but take a wild guess what happens when it’s Kae’s affection on the line. This is still amusing, but it’s a bit less parodic now and a bit more normal. I’ll still read it. – Sean Gaffney

Komomo Confiserie, Vol. 4 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – I’d complained about Komomo in the last brief I did of this series, and it’s possible the author heard me, as we get to see a little more fire in her this time around. A rival appears, all the way from France, and given this is a short series, wastes no time behaving in an overtly evil way, even going to the point of having the confiserie vandalized just because she doesn’t get her way. This leads to the best part of the entire volume, in which Komomo channels her inner royalty and absolutely lets her have it, in a truly glorious scene. The second half is not as good, as we meet a friend of Natsu’s whose goal is apparently to push the two together quickly—possibly he knows the series is wrapping up. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 18 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – As expected, most of this volume is devoted to a giant battle, with first one side looking like they’re going to win, then the other side having a comeback, etc. Those who enjoy cool moves and epic battles will love it, but it does make things rather difficult in terms of writing a brief. The best part of the volume is probably the end, where Aladdin and Alibaba reunite, and it’s as heartwarming and amusing as you’d imagine, even though it them gets shoved aside to explain more of the plot. I hope Morgiana isn’t too far away either, to be honest. In the meantime, I’m now more concerned about Titus, whose sense of self has been a major part of this arc, and now we’re finding it may all be for naught. Still addictive. – Sean Gaffney

Say “I Love You,” Vol. 14 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – After so much time devoted to Megumi in France, and her new (and to me suspicious) relationship with a photographer, it was highly jarring to suddenly find that plot mostly dropped and seeing her back in Japan, and looking quite different, makes me wonder if there was a missing volume somewhere down the line. In happier news, the relationship that wasn’t between Kai and Rin lasts about as long as I thought it should, as Kai finds that “go out with me even if you don’t love me” is just not going to work for him. Honestly, I’m still not quite sure where the author is going with Rin and Ren, but given that Mei and Yamato are mostly resolved, it’s onward with the secondary characters, I guess. – Sean Gaffney

Say I Love You, Vol. 14| By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – There’s something of a bittersweet mood (plus a touch of foreboding) about this volume, in which the third-year characters look toward their futures (and the goals they strive for with varying degrees of intensity), the first-year Aoi siblings are caught up in the present (and the pain of unrequited love), and second-year Kai is unable to shed the baggage of the past. Of these, I was actually captivated most by Kai in this volume. Despite the fact that he’s tall and strong now, inside he’s “a big lump of insecurities,” and I loved the moment where carefree Rin, who has cajoled him into giving her a chance, comes face to face with the reality of the darkness within him, something she’s not prepared for. It’s rare that a series can continue to be this good even when the focus has drifted a bit from its main couple! – Michelle Smith

It’s a Vizstravaganza!

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 10 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – First of all, yay, Kayano got to do something! The giant pudding detail was very well done, and there was a minimum of the usual tiny chest jokes that normally surround her. The other important detail to note in this volume is how much other forces from outside the classroom are also trying to kill Koro-sensei, and how their methods are very much “by any means necessary.” Indeed, Shiro may end up being this manga’s Big Bad. What he does to Itona is appalling, and I was pleased that, after suitable recovery and the appropriate tragic backstory, he was able to join the class. This continues to be a top-drawer Jump series, and is now so popular that the author will be at NYCC this fall. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 12 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – I always enjoy Food Wars!, but this was an especially good volume. The three-way battle in the final round of the Fall Classic gets underway, but Soma is at a disadvantage when it comes to selecting the best pike (the theme ingredient) for his dish. Of course, he comes through with an innovative workaround after having been dismissed as a threat by his two competitors, though we’ll have to wait until the next volume to see how the judges react to his final flourish. I especially liked that the art has evolved some, and Soma appears to have aged a bit since the start of the series, and that the over-the-top reaction shots leaned more towards musclebound dudes than scantily clad ladies this time around. Eagerly looking forward to volume thirteen! – Michelle Smith

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 21 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I was rather surprised to see that Tomoe’s plight is not so easily resolved, and indeed not resolved at all this volume. But that allows us to focus more on Nanami, who is struggling hard to get her happy human-sized lifetime with her love, but the question remains how long her life is going to be, especially with Yatori, who’s always been sort of creepy and villainous but ups his game a great deal here. Things are so bad that Nanami is even offered an out, when she arrives at Mount Kurama and reunites with her (slightly older) friends, who tell her she can stay there for the rest of her life, and see Tomoe on occasion. But that’s not good enough: Nanami loves Tomoe, and has to fix this. Still recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Paradise Residence, Vol. 2 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Kodansha Comics – This is just the one volume, and because Fujishima’s volumes are slim, it looks like a lot less compared to its predecessor. I’d say that the content also felt a bit light compared to its predecessor, but that implies that the previous volume had a heavy amount of content, which it doesn’t. This series is fluffy even for Fujishima, who takes the time when he’s relaxing from wrapping up Oh My Goddess (most of this ran concurrently with it) to give us amusing school situations, amusing beach situations, a lot of pretty girls, and of course a brief race with a souped-up car, because we know what the author REALLY cares about. If you love Fujishima, this is definitely worth a read. If not, totally skippable. – Sean Gaffney

QQ Sweeper, Vol. 3 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – I wasn’t aware that this was the final volume of QQ Sweeper until right before I read it, and it came as a surprise. That said, what it’s actually doing is changing its title and rebooting itself, something that usually happens when a title changes publishers, but no, it’s still going to be in Betsucomi. This is probably why very little is actually wrapped up here, though at least we now have confirmation that Fumi is indeed a very special girl, and she and Kyutaro become closer. This is just as dramatic as the previous volume, with some bullying at the start and major suicidal focus in the second half, so it may not be for everyone. For me though, it was fantastic, and I really hope Viz licenses Queen’s Quality soon. – Sean Gaffney

QQ Sweeper, Vol. 3 | By Kyousuke Motomi | VIZ Media – This is the final volume of QQ Sweeper under this name, but the story doesn’t actually end here. Rather, it just sort of pauses, continuing in Queen’s Quality, which I am hopeful VIZ will license soon. Because, in the end, I really came to like Fumi a great deal. When a manipulative bug-handler coopts a karaoke outing to create hysteria over Fumi’s supposed curse, which in turn leads to bullying followed by insincere friendliness, she comports herself throughout with dignity yet doesn’t shy away from expressing her anger. Furthermore, she’s able to graciously accept Kyutaro’s help when one of the mean girls is further compelled to attempt suicide. It’s nice to have a lead who isn’t spazzy! In fact, I’ve grown to care about both lead characters very much and hope we see more of them soon! – Michelle Smith

School Judgment: Gakkyu Hotei, Vol. 3 | By Nobuaki Enoki and Takeshi Obata | Viz Media – Sometimes you read a series and you know the only reason it was licensed at all is the name recognition, and that’s certainly the case with School Judgment, which would never have even sniffed these shores were it not drawn by Takeshi Obata. We meet our third colleague of Abaku, and if you enjoyed Franziska Von Karma but wished she wore a leather bustier and was twelve years old, you’re in luck! For the rest of us, the fanservice falls flat, and the volume reads like a classic ‘cancelled’ Jump series, i.e. the ending is quite rushed and unsatisfying. If you absolutely must have anything Obata writes, you can get this, but otherwise Ace Attorney is still miles better (and indeed Miles better). – Sean Gaffney

School Judgment: Gakkyu Hotei, Vol. 3 | By Nobuaki Enoki and Takeshi Obata | VIZ Media – In this volume, one last classroom session for class 6-3 leads to the discovery of the identity of the fourth student to survive the massacre five years before. I’ve always felt rather “meh” about School Judgment, but with the introduction of Yui Kijima (the third survivor), my feelings shifted to outright dislike. Not only does she have a sadistic personality, the hyper-sexualized depiction of her as a leather-clad, twelve-year-old dominatrix is really gross. Still, the promise of resolution to the aforementioned massacre kept me reading. Too bad that turned out to be pretty lame, as well. Enoki’s original one-shot, with its craptastic art, rounds out the volume. I’m left with profound gratitude that this series is over. – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 34 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – I will hand it to Viz, there was absolutely no way they could censor out the fact that Toriko and company have to get the testicles of the Monkey King to save Komatsu, or all the many, many ball-jokes that follow, and they don’t even try. For the most part, though, this is setup to a big upcoming battle, complete with ignominious defeat to begin with (complete with fake horrific death scenes), and difficult but amusing training sequences. As for the Monkey King himself, he honestly seems like a lot of fun, and I’m hoping that things might be able to be resolved without his death. Until then, though, it’s a giant tag-team wrestling match with our heroes. Toriko is still not about food, but as a Jump title, it’s good. – Sean Gaffney

Inu x Boku SS, Vol. 11 | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – The finale of this series gets a few more extra pages to be able to show the final battle and all of the villainous tragic backstory that precipitates it. It ends up tying in with the time-traveling tree we’ve seen in prior volumes, but honestly, I wasn’t as interested in the villains as I was in seeing our heroes be cool. All the appropriate couples end up together (though surprise, the supposed lesbian isn’t so much in the end), and we even get some closure from the future-that-wasn’t cast as well. I enjoyed this series a great deal, with several of the plot twists taking me totally by surprise (though sometimes, as with the fate of Kagerou, there is utter non-surprise). I’ll miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 21 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – I have consistently enjoyed Kamisama Kiss, but now that we’re moving into the endgame, it’s gotten even better. Tomoe has decided to become human, but his first attempt has left him in fox form instead. Nanami is supposed to stay behind while Mikage seeks treatment, but of course she doesn’t, and her shortcut leads to a run-in with one of Kirihito’s minions who reveals that her life force has been so diminished by what happened between her and his master in Okinawa that she’s got at most six months to live. I am absolutely sure a shoujo manga won’t allow its heroin to die—though I can think of one notable exception—so the parts that I actually found most interesting involved Kirihito’s schemes coming nearer to fruition along with inter-minion power plays. I love the darker atmosphere Suzuki evokes in their scenes; I hope there are many more of them to come! – Michelle Smith

Non Non Biyori, Vol. 4 | By Atto | Seven Seas – I was a bit irritated with the last volume of this slice-of-country-life series, but luckily things are a bit better this time around. Natsumi’s irritating qualities are kept to a minimum, and we get more of Renge, possibly due to reader demand as she is the young, cute (and very strange) one. Of course, you could argue the entire cast is strange in its own way, and the series is at its best when it’s at its silliest, such as the Koshigaya Sisters playing around with persimmons, or a flashback to the day baby Renge was brought to school and caused total havoc. There are some sweet moments as well, of course, such as the trek to see the New Year’s sunrise, but for the most part you read this for good, if mild, laughter. – Sean Gaffney

orange: The Complete Collection, Vol. 2 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – Given how deeply I loved the first volume of orange, it would’ve been hard for the second to surpass it, so the fact that I liked it a little less shouldn’t be construed as disappointment. I merely thought the ending was a bit rushed, with Suwa giving up on his feelings for Naho seemingly without much angst and an argument between Naho and Kakeru that felt somewhat forced. (Surely Naho is intelligent enough to see where her future self went wrong before essentially repeating the mistake!) There are many intensely lovely scenes between the group of friends, however, including a memorable sports festival, and I’m very fond of all the characters. To top it all off, I actually really liked the bonus story, too. This is a manga I will be rereading and foisting on friends for sure. – Michelle Smith

A Silent Voice, Vol. 7 | By Yoshitoki Oima | Kodansha Comics – Those who were wondering if the two tormented leads would ever get together at the end of this may be a bit disappointed by the ending to A Silent Voice, where the closest we get to romantic resolution is Naoka showing off a ring a tall, hot model gave her—which turns out to be from Miyoko. (OK, that’s not romantic resolution, it’s yuri tease.) What is resolved is the film everyone was making, which doesn’t get any awards but ends up being personally satisfying, and Shoko and Shoya, who are both able to come to terms with their past and move on. After a series that dealt repeatedly with abuse and suicidal thoughts, this comes as something of a relief, and I am delighted with the finish. – Sean Gaffney

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 8 | By Miki Yoshikawa | Kodansha Comics – The first half of this is pure setup, as they learn what the power of the seventh witch is (the cliffhanger from last volume being totally wrong), realize what will happen if they figure out who said witch is, and have contingency plans to deal with said fallout. And then, naturally, everything goes horribly wrong. The second half of this volume can be very painful to read, especially for anyone who’s always secretly wondered if maybe their friends all have more fun whenever they aren’t there. Yamada-kun puts a brave face on things, which leads to hilarious scenes of him trying to clean his way to happiness, but an emotional breakdown isn’t far off, and I suspect things will get worse in the next volume. – Sean Gaffney

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 13 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – It’s been a long time since the last volume of Yotsuba&! came out, but after reading a few pages it feels like we’ve never really been away. We get Asagi being bemused at Yotsuba’s childlike logic, Fuuka suffering from the same, and Yanda getting just plain abuse. But the majority of this book is about Yotsuba’s grandmother, who comes to stay with her son for a few days. She’s new to the reader but not to Yotsuba or Koiwai, which leads to many familiar yet unfamiliar situations. She’s also naturally got a dour face, even if her mood is not matching, so we get amusing contrasts between dialogue and expression. But, most importantly, we discuss Yotsuba sleeping on her own for the first time! Will time actually move forward? – Sean Gaffney