Michelle Smith

Cage of Eden, Vol. 20 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Cage of Eden ditches the rape threats and infighting, thank goodness, and gets back to one of its two big strengths—exploring things and discovering horrifying secrets. This also leads to a death, and we haven’t gotten a character death in a while, so it would almost be a surprise if it weren’t telegraphed heavily beforehand. Meanwhile, it’s always been apparent that our heroes are not just on some J. Random Dinosaur island, and it’s also becoming very clear that something else is involved. The unrecognizable cars and robots are also a clue. The next volume is the final one—will it have answers? More to the point, can it possibly resolve everything in that short a space? – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 3 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamachi| Seven Seas – The setup of the first two volumes leads to the chaos that I said would occur, and it’s certainly chaotic, as we are introduced to yet ANOTHER group of overpowered teens and tweens who hover between sociopathic and just needing a hug. Railgun readers should already be familiar with this sort of thing; Index novel readers will have to wait a while for it to make sense. That said, anyone familiar with Aiho Yomikawa will love this volume, as she shows off both what an incredible badass she is and the compassion and love that drives it—though admittedly, in the world of Index, those who say “no, they really are using us as guinea pigs” are always correct. Sorry, Yomikawa. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 20 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – This is a transitional volume, as we wrap up, for the moment, Hayasaka’s family and the manipulations of Momichi. If nothing else, this should show the average reader not to mess with mind control, as Hayasaka’s memories, combined with the trauma of his well-meaning but also somewhat appalling father and Momochi’s hypnotism, are something resembling swiss cheese. (The funniest moment of the volume, if only as it’s so unexpected, features Saeki going to Momochi’s room every day. We expected the rug to be pulled from under us, but not that way.) So naturally, now that he’s finally recovering, is the time when he may finally realize the truth about Super Bun. Always recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 4 | By Aya Kanno | Viz Media – There’s far less Henry and Richard having ambiguous sexual tension here, but that’s only because the political machinations of almost everyone comes to the fore. Everyone wants the throne or wants to influence the power behind it. George is pitted against Edward, and poor Anne refuses to be used as a pawn, but is unfortunately overheard and misunderstood in exactly the worst way. Throughout all this flits Richard, who honestly is at his best when being a stereotypical shoujo hero for Anne, but we all know that’s not what’s going to happen, and so does he. Of course, this assumes that he can survive the latest coup attempt to take out his family. Shakespeare and shoujo go together amazingly well. – Sean Gaffney

Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 4 | By Aya Kanno | VIZ Media – After Richard flies into a rage and nearly kills his beloved Henry, not yet knowing that he and the former king he blames for his father’s death are one and the same, he is sent off to stay with Warwick for a while. He spends time with Warwick’s eldest daughter, Anne, and is relieved that he can feel romantic thoughts towards a woman, and hurt when he mistakenly believes she was faking it on her father’s orders. It’s a hardened Richard who observes Warwick and George’s uprising against Edward and coolly considers whose side it would be more advantageous to join. If it sounds like a lot happened this volume, it does, and that’s my only real complaint. Everything is fascinating and dramatic, but it all happens so fast. I feel like it’d have more emotional impact if we just slowed down a little bit. – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You,” Vol. 13 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – I could have done without the author’s afterword saying that Megumi needed to be “punished” because she was so mean in prior volumes, as I think it’s conveyed well enough as being simply what the business is: Megumi’s big in Japan, but that means nothing in France. We’ll see how trustworthy her patron is—I’m not sure I trust him just yet. In the non-Megumi part of this volume, which is much smaller, we get the ever popular “I don’t care if you don’t love me just go out with me” appeal, which is a horrible idea and literally everyone knows it. But hey, this is what happens when the main couple have worked out all their issues. Still recommended, but we’re in extra innings here. – Sean Gaffney

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 13 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – It’s been over two years since the last volume of Yotsuba&! came out, and I struggled a bit with getting back into the swing of things. Either that or I’ve turned into a curmudgeon, because seeing Yotsuba’s bossy behavior go uncorrected was starting to seriously bug me. Happily, Azuma picks this moment to introduce Grandma (unless we’ve seen her before and I’ve forgotten since it’s been so long!), who imparts many valuable lessons and life skills onto Yotsuba that her dad hasn’t thought to address. It’s wonderful to watch Yotsuba go from a kid who just wants Grandma’s souvenirs to one who would give them up if only Grandma would stay. And then we get a few moments showing how she and her dad are great together, as well. It’s a strong finish, and one that leaves me ready for volume fourteen already. – Michelle Smith

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 7 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – Arpeggio of Blue Steel is thankfully more about the submarine battle thriller more than harem antics, but there’s no denying that this volume is about Takao trying to prove her worth to the man she’s fallen in love with, even if that means sacrificing her own life. It’s just as battle-oriented as the last one, so there’s lots of depth-charge explosions and tactical maneuvering, and luckily some more mental models who haven’t quite decided what side they’re on yet and get to have ambiguous morality. As for our heroes, they don’t do much except fire one shot—but what a shot! It looks like they’ve attracted even more attention, though—will Yamato get involved? Still hideously underrated. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 15 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – Izumo’s plot is wrapped up here, and even though it involves some personal sacrifice, at least there’s no horrible permanent damage. And we get to see Nori again! Remember her? In any case, the bulk of this book deals with the revelation that Renzo was actually a double agent all along, and by his own choice. This is hardly surprising for the reader—Renzo is simply not the character type to be secretly evil, just secretly chaotic—but it does lead to a lot of soul-searching for our heroes, and a few explanations by Mephisto. Of course, Renzo is still a bit of a manipulative dick, and he knows something’s going on with Yukio. I suspect that may be the next major plot arc, but we shall see. – Sean Gaffney

The Heiress and the Chauffeur, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Ishihara | Viz Media – This is a very short (two volumes total) series that ran in LaLa, so there’s not much time to build up much other than the main plotline, which is a strong-willed but physically weak heroine and her cool chauffeur who clearly has a thing for her but nothing is being done about it because FORBIDDEN ROMANCE. This takes place at a girls’ school, so please enjoy the brief not-yuri that exists there, but for the most part this is a two-hander between Sayaka and Shinobu. They’re both likeable, so I look forward to seeing them hook up next time. There’s also a cute short story about a pair of twins and a thief who steals things that move his heart. Good value for money here. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 24 | By Karuho Shiina | VIZ Media – In general, I am pretty much over school festival stories in manga, but when Karuho Shiina does it, it ends up making me verklempt. It’s now been a year since Sawako and Kazehaya started dating, and though their relationship moments in this volume are poignant (Kazehaya’s desire for Sawako to be happy and attend the university of her choice is at war with his instinct to cling to her), the most affecting part for me was seeing Sawako voted class MVP. Not only that, but this volume is full of mono no aware, as she realizes that “getting closer to the future means the present is ending.” She tries to capture certain moments in her mind to remember forever, and it really gives me a sense that the series could be ending soon. I don’t necessarily want it to, but it would be a satisfying spot to wrap things up. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia, Vol. 4 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – The tournament arc continues, as you can likely see by the huge pile of cast members on the front cover. We see Todoroki’s tragic past and resolve to not knuckle under to his jerkass father, Midoriya realizing that once you’re on the top it’s very difficult to actually stay there (especially in an event like this), and various other heroes big and small showing off what makes them tick and how important it can actually be. (One hero’s power is actually illegal to use except in certain circumstances!) It looks like the cliffhanger will give us Uraraka vs. Bakugo—while I’d like to see a female lead defeat a male in a tourney like this, I suspect the plot will drive Bakugo to the final. But we shall see. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 15 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – Remember when I wrote off Haru from the harem battle, saying that the author was beginning to winnow the candidates down? Yeah, sorry about that. The last half of the volume is one giant Haru fiesta. (Also, is it me or is her best friend completely in love with her?) As for Raku and his high school age girls, they continue to trundle along, with the added chemistry that Yui brings to the mix now. We get a “King Game” with lots of amusing humiliation, and Marika placing far too much value on advice from love magazines for comfort. Still, Nisekoi is starting to spin its wheels a bit, as it’s popular enough to continue along but really needs to resolve its romance soon. Even if, being a harem title, that likely means a huge drop in popularity. – Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 78 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – Is anyone else beyond ready for the Dressrosa arc to be over? Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen in this volume. What does happen, though, is that events become more epic, and although I didn’t quite get swept up in them to the degree I might wish, my enthusiasm for this arc was somewhat rejuvenated. Even while one female character is relegated to pristine/protected status, Robin gets a badass moment shielding her from an enemy attack. Zolo’s up next, with a spectacular finish to his fight against Pica. The supporting characters continue to be great, too. The real show, though, is Luffy versus Doflamingo. What I like best about their faceoff is that Doflamingo has more interesting and critical comments for Luffy than past foes have had. It seems he gets under Luffy’s skin more, and that’s a welcome sight. Now I can say I’m genuinely excited for volume 79! – Michelle Smith

One-Punch Man, Vol. 6 | By ONE and Yusuke Marata | Viz Media – Another volume, another giant pile of cast members added to the pile—this time the top heroes of the city. The most interesting ones include Tornado, who is short, curt, and tends to go superdeformed just like Saitama; King, who everyone seems to respect despite apparently being useless; and Metal Bat, who makes me think of Paranoia Agent if it ended up being about superheroes. Despite them all showing off some awesome stuff, though, as always it’s about Saitama and his mind-numbing ability to one-hit every enemy. Of course, we may have met the first persona that actually does require more than one punch here—naturally, Saitama’s reaction is understated. Hilarious shonen fun. – Sean Gaffney

Genshiken: Second Season, Vol. 8 | By Shimoku Kio | Kodansha Comics – The first half of this volume has a lot of amusing antics, but let’s face it, the second half is where the truly eye-popping stuff happens. Madarame is still having trouble getting his head around the fact that four different people are interested in him, and confesses to Kugayama (when did we last see HIM in this series?) that he thinks he’s just nervous as he’s still a virgin. So he gets talked into going to a host club, and naturally it’s the one Keiko works at. What follows shows off that Madarame has more issues than just his lack of experience to work through—if he can’t notice Keiko trying to get into his pants THAT blatantly, then there’s something terribly wrong. Will this subplot be ending anytime soon, however? Or is it the main plot? – Sean Gaffney

Kimi ni Todoke, Vols. 24 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – Usually, I don’t mind the slow pace of this series, as it has a mood that would be somewhat ruined by Hakusensha-style fast-paced violence. I will admit, though, I did think this volume dragged a bit, as we wait endlessly for Sawako to realize what everyone else does first: she wants to go to the educational university, not the one Kazehaya is going to. As for our other couples (or ex-couples), Chizuru and Ryu are dating but she still struggles with the fact that cheering him on means separating. And Yano is discovering that getting into a top-flight university really is as hard as it seems. This is still an excellent series, of course, and I’m hoping the next volume will give us more forward progression. – Sean Gaffney

Love Stage!!, Vol. 5 | By Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou | SuBLime – After showing signs of improvement in the previous volume, Love Stage!! trots out some truly eyeroll-inspiring material in volume five. After arguing with Izumi about the time he’s spending with their lecherous producer and being intimidated by Izumi’s acting talent, Ryoma is rendered incapable of performing. Instead of dwelling on their professional rivalry, which might’ve been interesting, we instead get a plot in which the producer’s hypnosis causes Ryoma to forget Izumi entirely, leading to much angst and, ultimately, the two of them falling off a cliff. Yes, really. And then they have to huddle together for warmth because a freak thunderstorm has delayed the search party. Siiiiigh. And yet, I will probably read the next volume anyway. – Michelle Smith

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 20 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – With Hayasaka’s memory now restored, volume twenty first clears up his (needlessly) complicated family circumstances before moving on to reveal the nature of the arrangement Momochi and Hanabusa have made. I like that Hanabusa has been shown to be a good guy, and liked too that Aki was disgruntled that the gang kept Hayasaka’s recovery a secret from him in order to ensnare Momochi, but this is a series that doesn’t delve deep into its characters, so instead of more time with either of them, we get an interlude about Mafuyu and Okegawa unknowingly being penpals (bonus: there are panels from the overworked carrier pigeon’s POV!) and a fast-forward to a Christmas party, during which Hayasaka might’ve figured out Mafuyu is Super Bun! I hope he really did, but I expect comedic deflection in the next volume. We shall see! – Michelle Smith

Shomin Sample: I was Abducted by an Elite All-Girls School as a Sample Commoner, Vol. 1 | By Risumai and Takafumi Nanatsuki | Seven Seas – I almost didn’t get this simply because of the reprehensible cover, and I still cringed every time there was a blatant panty shot in this series. That said, there were one or two moments in the book that I was indeed amused, which shows off my low standards if nothing else. The story is pretty much given in the subtitle above, and most of the good humor relies on the sheltered young girls being naive about everything, The bad humor relies on things like panty shots, walking in on someone in the bath, and whenever our hero isn’t being a smartass (as that’s his best trait). If you read Seven Seas and Yen’s skeezier titles, this is right up your alley. For others, I’d pass, even though it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. – Sean Gaffney

The Wallflower, Vol. 36 | By Tomoko Hayakawa | Kodansha Comics – Spoilers: no, they don’t. But honestly, if that surprises you, you were reading the wrong series. Hayakawa has said for eons she’s good at comedy and bad at romance, and that shows in the final volume of The Wallflower, which at least makes an effort to hit the series’ core themes: Sunako likes dark, Halloween-ish stuff; Sunako can be quite the lady when she tries, but doesn’t care to; and Kyohei and Sunako are perfect for each other and both are ignoring that fact heavily. There’s more non-SD Sunako here than in many, many volumes, which is a nice treat for the readers. I’ve always enjoyed this series even past its sell-by date, but admit it’s time for it to end. And so it has. – Sean Gaffney

Barakamon, Vol. 10 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – This is without a doubt the best volume of Barakamon to date, coming full circle to show off what began the title: Handa’s troubled relationship with his father, and his inability to stop overthinking his calligraphy. He can’t avoid the topic this time, though, as his parents are in town to visit, and we begin to see that Handa’s father is not the heartless strict man that previous chapters may have made him out to be. It all culminates in a father/son battle at Naru’s school, showing off how good his father REALLY is, but also that when Handa isn’t trying, he can have moments of genius that make his father realize that he has a true rival on his hands. A brilliant volume, and I didn’t even get to Kirie, a trans character who’s very well-handled. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 3 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – Being best friends can be very comforting, whereas being in love can be terrifying. So it’s no surprise that much of this third volume of Horimiya sees Hori and Miyamura desperately trying to avoid their relationship changing, even if it means simply sticking their fingers in their ears and going la la la. In the meantime, we meet a couple of new cast members, one of whom seems to have a thing for Ishikawa, in case you wondered if we weren’t going to have more love triangles. It’s all relaxed and heartwarming rather than angsty or wacky, though, and so it just feels good to read. I especially liked the simple presence that Miyamura gives Hori when she’s sick, possibly the sweetest moment in a sweet volume. – Sean Gaffney

Maid-sama!, Vols. 7-8 | By Hiro Fujiwara | Viz Media – This was better than the previous volume, I will grant you. Admittedly, I found both side-stories fairly tedious, even if it gave us a chance to see Misaki as a delinquent. Misaki still spends most of the volume flushing in embarrassment, but is beginning to admit her feelings, even if it’s like pulling teeth. Usui’s perfection may be put to the test soon, as we see his jealousy and longing observing the wacky-yet-loving antics of Misaki’s family. (We also meet her younger sister, one of my favorite characters.) And we get set up for what I suspect will be the next major plot arc, the student council elections. Will Misaki get re-elected, or will the guys manage to get their Dark Horse in? Also, we’re now caught up with Tokyopop. – Sean Gaffney

Maid-sama!, Vols. 7-8 | By Hiro Fujiawara | VIZ Media – As I’ve been rereading Maid-sama! in VIZ’s new editions, I’ve had cause to wonder why I’d been so eager for a license rescue of this series. Now, at last, I remember. After several volumes of harassment, bickering, and episodic filler, Misaki and Usui are finally honest with each other about their feelings. Although I could argue that the smooch they share to the accompaniment of fireworks is somewhat cliché, this welcome development still makes me interested to find out how much the series might improve going forward. I do hope, however, that we’re not expected to take dull-as-dishwater Hinata seriously as a romantic rival, though I do sadistically enjoy it when Usui torments him. Aoi can also feel free to fall off the face of the Earth. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 12 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – Well, there was no way that Hisame was going to be able to keep up being irredeemably evil for the rest of the series, particularly given that the rest of the cast aren’t exactly wonderful people. And so over the course of this volume it becomes apparently that he’s really just a petulant child who enjoys breaking his toys and hates it when they’re taken away from him. Mami is his old favorite, and the idea that she might actually be falling for Akira infuriates him. And his new toy, Yukina, is having trouble coping herself, especially with Shigure MIA for most of the book. Her novel is being affected by the fact that true love is not running at all smoothly. Still 100% trash, and 100% addictive. – Sean Gaffney

Nichijou, Vol. 2 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – The ensemble is an important part of Nichijou, and we get to see more of them here, including Nakanojou’s non-mohawk personality traits, the amusing (and possibly romantic) antics of the Go/Soccer Club, and Misato becoming such a tsundere that aliens literally suck her up into the sky out of embarrassment. At its heart, though, the series knows that it stars Yuuko, whose puns are too lame to react to, whose tsukkomi reactions are simply unstoppable (though at least in the end she manages to get Mai to show something other than her poker face), and whose daydreams involve time cubes destroying the world (possibly as they have more or less than four). Nichijou remains strange and wonderful. – Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 10 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. – I just want to sigh contentedly after finishing a volume of this much-beloved series. Not only does so much of the food look delicious—things that made me salivate this volume include croquettes and pancakes!—but I genuinely adore Shiro and Kenji, and find myself identifying with them a lot, especially in relation to their aging woes. Parents having surgery, middle-aged partners who lament the loss of their youthful physique… definitely some universal rites of passage. No, there’s no big drama here, unless you count a new hairstyle for one of the protagonists or future career prospects for Shiro, but it’s so all so comforting and lovely that I am not complaining one little bit. My love for What Did You Eat Yesterday? knows no bounds! – Michelle Smith

D-Frag!, Vol. 8 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – I fear that this volume of D-Frag! is still on the island beach adventure, and it drags it out a bit too long, in my opinion. There are still some great gags—one of the all-girls’ school classmates being a clone of Oscar from Rose of Versailles led to some hilarious situations—but I am happy to be back at school in the end. As for the plot, we are reminded that this is still a group of kids who will compete in any competitive game, no matter how stupid or how embarrassing the consequences. (Well, except for poor Funabori, who’s simply an innocent bystander.) Even if they have to rewrite the rules as they go along, they will win. As for the supposed harem aspect, well, that’s mocked as much as everything else. Subpar, but still fun. – Sean Gaffney

Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, Vol. 3 | By Nami Sano | Seven Seas – It was inevitable for someone who can draw people into his orbit as much as Sakamoto that he would invariably meet up against a real villain, and we’re introduced to one here: Fukase, a repeat offender who enjoys “erasing” popular kids from the school, and is now out to ruin Sakamoto as much as he can. Of course, Sakamoto is not defeated so easily, and that’s where most of the comedy comes in, as we see him taking on the typical athletic and cultural festivals and coming out on top. Fukase seems made of sterner stuff, though, and I suspect the fourth and final volume will amount to a big confrontation. Or maybe not; after all, this is a gag manga first and foremost. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 3 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – I genuinely anticipate and enjoy each new volume of this series. Miyamura and Hori are both incredibly likable, and I especially liked getting to see a different side of Miyamura in this installment, as he is reunited with a friend from middle school. Spending time with this crowd is lovely. But… I can’t help wanting the two leads to get together, already! I mean, they’re in that stage where they both kind of know that their feelings are mutual but they’re afraid to ruin their friendship and… argh! Why does it bother me when, say, Skip Beat!, still dragging things out for 30+ volumes, doesn’t? Perhaps it’s that their relationship is pretty much the sole focus of the thing. Maybe next volume they’ll either get together or find some career goals and I will be appeased. – Michelle Smith

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 15 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical Comics – The final volume of Sidonia spends 3/4 of its time locked in a deadly final battle with the Gauna. Sacrifices are made, stuff blows up, and there is much shouting of orders and cool mecha things. As for our hero and surprise heroine, both try their hardest to sacrifice their lives for each other. But in the end, Nihei makes good on his promise that this was a bit less bleak and more hopeful than his other works, and we get what’s fairly close to a happy ending. I’ll admit I was somewhat confused at where we ended up, as the characters get even more genderfluid and speciesfluid than we’d seen before, but the ending—with Izana going to explore space, and Tanikaze staying behind to raise a family, is very sweet. -Sean Gaffney

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 15 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – I was pretty concerned when I learned Knights of Sidonia would end with the fifteenth volume. It just seemed like there wasn’t enough time to wrap things up in a satisfying way. However, I’m happy to report that, although it’s true some things feel rushed—man, would I have loved more time with the character who changes genders off-camera!—Nihei-sensei is able to impart sufficient epic scope to humanity’s final battle with the Gauna that I found the result downright cinematic. I especially appreciated that, because of what’s happened in the story up to this point, I didn’t feel as though a happy ending was guaranteed. I couldn’t recommend this series more highly. And if you’ve enjoyed it, don’t forget Vertical is releasing BLAME! starting in September! – Michelle Smith

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade, Vol. 2 | By Koyuki and Mamare Touno | Yen Press – There are still elements of a harem comedy to this, and the cover promises lots of T&A, but covers lie as always. What we get instead is a surprisingly dark examination of the emotions of those trapped in the game during the first book. This takes place in the middle of Shiroe and company’s trek to rescue Serara, and is adept at showing both the chaos that was going on in Akiba while they were away, and also the leadup to what’s going to happen with Hamelin in the second novel. As for Soujiro Seta, it’s not just his looks that keep the female guild members enamored of him—he can be quite scary when he wants to be, while also keeping an optimism that contrasts with the series’ new villain, Magus. – Sean Gaffney

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, Vol. 4 | By Shirow Masamune and Rikudou Koushi | Seven Seas – I had assumed that the Kabapu cameo would be just that, but no, he’s got a much larger role in this new volume, even if he is now mysteriously a black man. Even more surprising is the appearance of Momochi, who is once again Kabapu’s capable secretary, but shows more emotion in two chapters than she did in 27 volumes of Excel Saga—perhaps working for a man like him has finally started to push her over the edge. So it’s not a must read for Excel Saga fans, but I think they’ll find it of more interest than the previous three. As for Vlind, she continues to have Excel’s personality and Elgala’s luck. If this sounds like I’m ignoring the rest of the manga, you are correct. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 2 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – Oh, sports manga. Why do you make me get all verklempt when the underdog surprises those who have underestimated him with a new technique? This second volume is comprised entirely of the first years’ welcome race, and it’s so fast-paced and addictive that I plowed through this chunky two-in-one omnibus in record time (which is fitting, I suppose). It’s too early for Onoda to win, of course, but he shows tremendous potential and impresses the older members of the bicycle racing club, whom it was great to get to know. I am extremely happy this series is 44 volumes and climbing in Japan, so I can continue to devour it for years to come. – Michelle Smith