Michelle Smith

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 2 | By Amu Meguro | VIZ Media- The vast majority of this volume is definitely super, super sweet. Nao sorts out who she truly has romantic feelings for, and her subsequent rain-soaked confession scene to Onise is one for the shoujo hall of fame. Reader, he cries and it is adorable. I also loved the scene where her uncle Sou warms to Onise, seeing in him the same desire to make Nao happy that he himself possesses. Also, there is an incredibly cute turtle. I can’t help, however, feeling apprehensive about this new friend Onise has made. Perhaps Ayaha is completely straightforward, but does he have ulterior motives? He makes me nervous. I will definitely be following this series ’til the end. – Michelle Smith

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 4 | By Junko | Kodansha Comics – I did say last time that this is not a title one reads for the depth. In many ways, it’s like The Wallflower, in that four hot guys are forced to deal with the antics of an eccentric girl. Unlike The Wallflower, though, they all have feelings for her… or, to be more accurate, desires. Shinomiya is the focus of the last half, and being “the other blonde” in the group, he desperately needs it. But let’s face it, I think BL fans read this series more than typical romance fans, so the soccer backstory and rivalry between Igarashi and Nanashima will be far more interesting. As for Kae, she proves once more to be nice, sweet, batshit about BL, and utterly unaware that there’s a three-way battle for her going on (does Mutsumi count?). Mildly recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Magi, Vol. 17 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I’ll admit, this volume went in a direction that I was not expecting, as the evil Dumbledore tries, in his classroom, to explain to Aladdin and company why they are using the human underclass as magic livestock and letting them suffer. It turns out to be a cyclical abuse story, with magic users once being worked to death by uncaring humanity, including killing the daughter of the headmaster. That said, I’m fairly certain that this explanation is not going to fly with Aladdin, no matter how many cute little girls we see on the cover you save. Even worse, we see two warring countries trying to use the magic city for their own ends… and one side as Alibaba on it. I expect a lot of battling next time. – Sean Gaffney

My Monster Secret, Vol. 2 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – Having set up last time that this series consisted mostly of girls who are secretly “monsters” in some way, shape or form, and that it was going to be dedicated to gags rather than a serious romantic or thrilling plot, we can expect the second volume to expand the cast accordingly. And so we see Shiho, who seems to be a werewolf guy but is in reality a sex-changing werewolf with a lusty side… and by side I mean all of her. And there’s Akane, the school principal, who’s a demon that’s MUCH younger than she looks and whose great-granddaughter is their seemingly normal teacher. Not a lot happens to push the plot forward here, but there’s lots of great laughs, and that’s really all that matters. – Sean Gaffney

School Judgment: Gakkyu Hotei, Vol. 2 | By Nobuaki Enoki and Takeshi Obata | VIZ Media – I may not be the target audience for this series—someone out there must’ve really appreciated all of the emphasis on sixth-grade boobies, but it wasn’t me!—but I am a big fan of mysteries, so hoped I could at least enjoy that aspect of it. Sadly, I found the whodunits in this volume to be deeply boring, particularly the interminable plagiarism case. I’m not sure what it is that makes reading this such a slog for me. My interest did perk up when we got more information about the deadly classroom arbitration in Inugami’s past, for which he and two other surviving classmates were initially held responsible until they studied law and proved their innocence. The real perpetrator and motive are still unknown, and something tells me the third and final volume will deal with solving that case. I hope so, at any rate. – Michelle Smith

School Judgment: Gakkyu Hotei, Vol. 2 | By Nobuaki Enoki and Takeshi Obata | Viz Media – Shonen Jump is supposedly for young Japanese boys, around he ages of 8-12. In reality, of course, it tends to skew towards kids of all ages, and adults of all ages as well. So, for the kids, we have the story itself, which continues to deal with wrongful accusations, this time also extending outside the classroom environment, and introducing a second attorney to be a slightly better rival than Pine—though he ends up losing just the same. On the down side, we have lots of sexual shots of grade-schoolers in bikini swimsuits, as if they’re meant to be the same age as Nami or Orihime. Thankfully, this ends in one volume, where we’ll presumably meet the third wrongfully jailed contemporary of Abaku’s. – Sean Gaffney

A Silent Voice, Vol. 6 | By Yoshitoki Oima | Kodansha Comics – The entirety of this volume deals with what happens in the first few pages, where Shoya is able to rescue Shoko from leaping off of her apartment balcony, but ends up falling himself and going into a coma. What follows is an explosion of emotions from everyone, and I hope you don’t shy away from people being hit, because there’s a whole lot of that going on. Shoya’s friends have to examine their own actions, and wonder if they’re really done enough to reach out and heal wounds, or have they just gone with the flow? I liked Miyoko’s plot, and Naoka’s is fascinatingly realistic, but this volume is mostly all about Shoko and her suffering, which I hope lessens by the finale. – Sean Gaffney

Brace yourself for a briefy onslaught!

Akuma no Riddle, Vol. 3 | By Yun Kouga and Sunao Minakata | Seven Seas – Sadly, this series is proving to have diminishing returns, and I wonder if it’s being written for a set number of volumes, as I feel it’s not really taking the time to develop each assassin before we get their tragic backstory and they’re summarily removed from the story. As I predicted, the Takarazuka pair are one of the main focuses here, and turn out to be somewhat star-crossed themselves, so it’s appropriate that they kill each other. (Or do they? There’s some “recovering in hospital” talk here.) As for Azuma, I think she’s realized that there’s something deeper going on with Haru, but doesn’t really seem to care. I’m still following this, but do wonder what it will do when it runs out of girls .– Sean Gaffney

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 4 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – Given how this series is trying to develop Chise as a bride, and Elias is very much a paternal mentor character, at some point the author was going to have to, if not walk things back, at least even things out a bit. On Chise’s end, this comes by letting her grow into more power, as she gets a staff of her own, and now finds she can recall happy memories of her past in Japan, not just nightmares. For Elias, it shows us that in many ways he is just as innocent as she, and that much of what we assumed was a guiding hand was simply his total inability to ‘get’ human emotions. Now that Chise understands this as well, will they get closer? I don’t really care, so long as we get more pretty fantasy, to be honest. – Sean Gaffney

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 8 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – I begged for more focus last time, and unfortunately that’s not what I get. I suppose that’s one of the selling points of the series, you never know what you’ll get in any chapter. At its best, you get discussion on the true nature of modern art and discussion on how siblings can be very different even if they’re from the same family. At its worst, you get that cover, and a fantasy sequence where half the cast are menaced by sentient clothing-dissolving goo. And at its most problematic, we see this series’ fantasy version of Nazi Germany, which tries to show that racism is something we should overcome, while at the same time noting that it’s ubiquitous in human nature no matter if the species aren’t human. I can’t decide who would enjoy this. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 11 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – As I expected, the villain who specializes in imitation finds that he’s weak to last-minute improvisation on Soma’s part. Also as expected, he has a somewhat sad backstory, though honestly it’s only average compared to some folks here. The best part was Soma convincing him not to leave the school but keep striving to do better as a chef. Meanwhile, Ryo and Akira prove to be almost equally matched—in fact, so equally matched that it ends up being a tie, meaning that the next volume will have a three-way final. I expect Soma will lose, as it’s far too early in a Shonen Jump series to have him win a competition like this. The joy will be in seeing how he responds to that adversity. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 11 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – Man, there were a lot of fanservice-y reaction shots in this volume! I guess that’s to be expected, given that we’re in the semi-final round of the Fall Classic, but it does still bug me that in one moment, female chefs are lauded as “culinary monsters” and in the next, everything is all about their boobs. Sigh. Anyway, the actual cooking in this volume is pretty great, especially the beef stew battle between Soma and copycat Mimasaka. Also, as a Southerner, I was amused by the crowd’s reaction to the foreign notion of mesquite. I was less captivated by the matchup between the other two semifinalists (eel and prunes?! UGH!) but am looking forward to the finals! – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 8 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – This is perhaps the first volume of My Love Story!! that I wasn’t 100% happy with. Oh, don’t get me wrong; there’s still lots of wonderfulness here, particularly between our main couple. But if you are going to have a guy forcibly kiss someone, and then have Takeo whack him and tell him that this was the wrong thing to do, don’t then reward him anyway 20 or so pages later. It sends the wrong message. I’m also not too pleased with the guy introduced towards the end, though we don’t get to see too much of him. Most of the obstacles to Takeo and Yamato have been subtly handled, but this looks like it may be as subtle as a brick. That said, despite these faults, this remains essential reading. – Sean Gaffney

Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 1 | By Matsuri Hino | VIZ Media – I suppose the good news is that I ended up liking Shuriken and Pleats more than I expected to. Mikage has been raised as a ninja, and while that imbues her with admirable characteristics like level-headedness and competence, it also means that she hasn’t been encouraged to feel emotion or consider her future goals. After her master is killed, she attempts to heed his wishes for her happiness by moving to Japan and becoming a regular schoolgirl, but gets embroiled in more trouble. Honestly, all the stuff about rival ninjas and seeds and poisons and antidotes is incredibly boring, but I liked Mikage’s journey towards becoming a regular girl in mourning for someone she loved very much. I’ll definitely read the second and final volume! – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 33 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Well, I only have myself to blame. After ending my last review worried that Komatsu was going to be kidnapped or killed off, we get a bit of both, as he’s now in a coma with a void where his heart should be. As a result, Toriko and friends have to head to a kingdom of giant plant life, ruled by a monkey king that we don’t see much of but I suspect will prove to be difficult. We also get some disturbing post-fight images, as several monkeys that face off against Toriko are later shown to have killed themselves in order to make amends. Toriko, thankfully, finds one who hasn’t yet and explains why it’s the wrong thing to do. Still not as much food love here, but there’s typical Jump battles to make up for it. – Sean Gaffney

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 7 | By Miki Yoshikawa | Kodansha Comics – We actually get a lot of new information here. First of all, witches can have their powers removed—which comes as a relief to Maria, whose future-vision is a pain in the ass. The guy who can do it turns out to also be running for student council president. We meet Miyamura’s sister, who was close to finding the seventh witch before something completely broke her. But perhaps most importantly, Yamada has finally realized that his feelings for Shiraishi are love. Naturally, this leads to more problems, but I am pleased with how things are progressing, and at this rate I suspect the series should be done in four or five more volumes. (Looks at current volume count.) Oh. – Sean Gaffney

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 9 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – There’s a lot packed into this volume, ranging from showing how much more Class E is actually learning from Koro-sensei, to kicking off some romantic ship tease between Irina and Karasuma (good to see his the typical romantically clueless male). But the most important part of the volume discusses what it actually means to be an assassin, and how it’s different from being a soldier, or being a fighter. Koro-sensei is teaching the class the skills they need at assassination, but do any of the kids really have the desire to kill someone? (Or even the tragic background that we see Irina has here.) But, most importantly, will Kayano ever get to do anything ever? We may at least find that out next time. – Sean Gaffney

Golden Time, Vol. 3 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Umechazuke | Seven Seas – Any chance at romantic moves forward is shut down in the first few pages—Kaga rejects Banri’s confession, but hopes they can be friends. Honestly, it’s for the best for both of them. Banri is still dealing with his amnesia—and judging by the flashback we see, was quite different back then from his present self. Kaga, meanwhile, is still a hot mess of issues, which she handles in the most extroverted, aggravating way possible. Then there’s the added issue of Linda, who clearly knew Banri in the past—and he is aware of this—but is keeping it from him for some unknown reason. Essentially, we continue barrelling along far too fast, and the ensuing car crash, when it comes, will be awful in the best way. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 2 | By Amu Meguro | Viz Media – Now that we have resolved the whole “he’s really mean” plot that kicked this off, and Nao is able to realize that she does not, in fact, have romantic feelings for her uncle after all, the series can go on to do what it does very well, which is be sweet and charming. When you have two very awkward leads (and their awkward friend—Yashiro is really the odd one out here), there’s usually a lot of cute blushing, awkward almost missed dates, and apologies. Of course, as we find near the end, Taiga can’t quite get away from the fact that everyone still views him as a thug. And there’s also the dreaded new guy who enters the picture at the end of the volume. Enemy? New love interest? Ah well, at least it will be sweet. – Sean Gaffney

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 2 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – I don’t think I even reviewed the first volume of this. When the Irregular volume was delayed from November to April, its spinoff manga was left in place, sadly. As a result, we see an alternate telling of a story I haven’t read yet, told from the perspective of the sister of the main novel character. On the plus side, the world is well-formed, and should please those who like ‘magic academy’ series in general. On the minus side, the heroine seems to be flawless with the exception of her massive brother complex, and anyone reading this had better have a very high tolerance for incestuous feelings of yearning. I suspect this series will work better after the novel comes out next month. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 13 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – The thirteenth and final volume of My Little Monster includes assorted goodies for the die-hard fan. There are a few chapters from the point of view of characters whose perspectives we don’t generally see, a lovely wedding ceremony (with Nagoya the chicken included!), quite a lot of 4-koma, some character profiles, fanbook excerpts, even a maze. I’d say we did learn a few new things about some characters, and even though I wish for more detail about Natsume and Sasayan’s future, the glimpse we get here will sustain me. It says a lot about this series that Robico’s joke sequel announcement at the end of the volume made me go, “I’d read that!” Any chance to spend a little more time with these characters was and will always be welcome. – Michelle Smith

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 24 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – One of these days, I’ll have to read Pandora Hearts straight through because I am still forgetting things in between volumes. As a result, some of what happens in this final volume is rather confusing. The basic gist, however, is that the world the characters inhabit is crumbling, and our heroes must find a way to stabilize their existence without changing the past. The characters are well-served here—I was happy to see the living draw upon their memories of the departed when deciding which side they were on and the ending also delivers major feels. Happy, sad, lovely and bittersweet, it’s everything I could’ve wanted the conclusion of this story to be. Well done, Mochizuki-sensei. – Michelle Smith

Presented with apologies for the delay.

Bloody Mary, Vol. 2 | By Akaza Samamiya | VIZ Media – For a moment there, I thought I could grow to really like Bloody Mary. Perhaps it was all the slashy situations that were happening, but the atmosphere briefly coalesced into something equal parts nifty and creepy. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long, and I was soon irritated by the nebulous nature of the narrative. Perhaps just a couple more explanatory panels would help, as I kept going, “Wait, why are they breaking into that mansion again?” Why is this happening? Why is that happening? A revelation that should be big lands with a squelchy plop. There’s potential here, for sure, and I’m not ready to give up, but I’m still underwhelmed for the time being. – Michelle Smith

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 13 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – The latter half of this book is merely OK, setting up what promises to be the next big arc by introducing a student council girl with a grudge against Sena, and teasing Sena and Kodaka’s engagement. But let’s face it, this volume’s big, big reason to read it is that first chapter with Rika, as we hear her run up against Kodaka’s hardcore determination to ignore any forward development in this series, and it nearly causes her to snap. The elephants in the room—that the group is already friends (and thus the club’s purpose is complete), and that he has at least 3 girls in love with him, is something Kodaka is desperately trying to forget, and it can’t last much longer. Very well done. – Sean Gaffney

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 6 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – I have to admit, Aya Shouoto continues to have a slight pacing problem that I can’t quite put my finger on but bothers me. I think it’s typified in this volume by Kana’s escape and training, which happens completely offscreen through a character we had no idea was on her side. Sadly, we don’t see that; we see Aki angst instead. Which is fine, I mean, it’s quality angst, but I have to admit I wanted to read something different than the author was giving me. Kana does get more to do in the second half, but for the wrong reasons—amnesia has reared its ugly head, as it always does whenever a shoujo couple dares to resolve its feelings before the series can end. This is still good, but highly uneven. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 15 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi | VIZ Media – Library Wars hasn’t been the most brilliant series ever, but its characters consistently put a smile on my face. That is especially true of this satisfying final volume, in which Iku completes a solo mission admirably well (while drawing on the attributes of her team for comfort and inspiration) and finally clearly communicates her feelings to Dojo. A three-year fast-forward shows us some glimpses of what’s become of the cast, and it’s all pretty great. (Avoiding most spoilers, I will only say the photograph at the end cracked me up.) There is a spinoff/sequel of sorts out there, and I really hope VIZ licenses it at some point, because these are characters I’d like to revisit someday. – Michelle Smith

My Little Monster, Vol. 13 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – Let’s face it, this manga is a victory lap. But it’s well-deserved, and I greatly enjoyed most of it (the fanbook section, while nice to have, featured a lot of 4-komas and profiles that didn’t add much.) Loved the Natsume and Sasayan story, of course, but Iyo’s was also very good. I was less enamored with Oshima and Takaya, but you can’t say it wasn’t signposted. Best of all, though, we get a wedding, which I figured after the ending to twelve would get skipped over. It’s almost a sideplot to Takaya trying to get his love taken seriously, but Shizuka is amazing as always—the shot of her in her bridal gown chugging tea is marvelous. I will miss you, My Little Shoujo Series. Though at thirteen volumes, not too little. – Sean Gaffney

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 2 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – The pacing of this second volume is somewhat slow, and at times it becomes easy to tell that this is based off a visual novel, and is trying to keep a lot of the basics. I also admit that I have trouble telling two of the three leads apart, both being blonds with hair about the same length. That said, as with the first volume, the title works best when establishing a creepy and unsettling mood, as you gradually realize that this is not your typical Japanese town, and that a lot of people know what’s going on here more than our three heroes. I’m not sure how well this will end—certainly if the cute little sister gets ‘erased’ I think I’m out—but right now it’s intriguing enough to keep going. – Sean Gaffney

Rose Guns Days Season One, Vol. 3 | By Ryukishi07 and Soichiro | Yen Press – Well, I suppose I asked for this, as I said last time that I wish Rose’s shiny idealism would get some more depth. And so we get this volume, in which all is in ruins, our heroes are scattered to the four winds, and Rose is literally tortured for her beliefs, and emerges almost completely broken. The keyword being almost, of course—she still has Leo and a few others, and even Stella and Meryl admit that while they were planning on double-crossing Rose before, that’s not happening now. I expect the final volume of this ‘season’ will be wall-to-wall action, but how cynical will Rose get? We shall see. Also, see if you can spot the Higurashi in-jokes this time. Recommended only for fans of Ryukishi07’s work. – Sean Gaffney

Bloody Mary, Vol. 2 | By Akaza Samamiya | Viz Media – Bloody Mary continues to be a tad incoherent in its narrative, but it does it with an almost unending line of extremely pretty anguished male characters, while being so gothic I almost don’t care very much about the finer points of the plot. This volume starts filling in a tiny bit more backstory about Maria’s ancestors (one of whom is suspiciously immortal) and Mary’s past. A flashback gives a glimpse of Maria as a boy, and starts showing the reader just how messed up his family is. In the meantime, student council president Takumi continues to be up to no good. This manga might be mainly for vampire manga fans, but there are plenty of those out there! – Anna N

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Vol. 9 | By Puyo and Nagaru Tanigawa | Yen Press – Kyon and Yuki got together in the last volume, and this one is sort of a victory lap, as Puyo begins to wrap things up and resolve some plot and character points. And so Haruhi accepts that she and Kyon are not going to happen, Tsuruya and Mikuru actually graduate and leave the school, and Kyon and Yuki go out on a very normal, fun and heartwarming date—despite an overenthusiastic Kimidori and trying to avoid Taniguchi and Kuyou. The most intriguing loose end as we head into what I suspect is the final volume is Ryouko, who is realizing that she needs to break away from Yuki for her own good, even if that means—in-joke incoming—moving to Canada. Sweet as always. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 2 | by Amu Meguro | Viz Media – This slice-of-life romance about a traumatized girl and her secretly sweet juvenile delinquent boyfriend strikes the right balance between sincerity and humor. As Nao and Taiga become closer, she has to learn to recognize her own feelings for the first time. They’re supported by friends at school, and Taiga begins to come out of his shell a little bit. However, I feel slightly suspicious of his new friend Futami, and I hope it doesn’t mean a convoluted plot that keeps Nao and Taiga apart is coming up in the next volume. Meguro’s delicate art is as cute as the sentiments in Honey So Sweet. This series is well worth picking up for shoujo fans. – Anna N

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 15 | By Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arakawa| Viz Media – This is an almost perfect final volume. We see Iku’s growth as a Library Force soldier, we see some truly ridiculous solutions to the problem of how to create a distraction, and of course we see the resolution of the main pairing. My favorite beta pairing is unresolved, but given the personalities of the two people involved, that’s not a surprise. Best of all, the whole cast is shown to have made a difference—the Library Forces in the future don’t need to use weapons, and censorship is gradually weakening its hold. Despite occasionally feeling a bit ludicrous in terms of its plotting, I have loved most of this shoujo manga to bits, and wish Iku and Dojo all the best. Also, license the side-story volumes, Viz? – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 1 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – As excited as I was to read this, I also avoided reading too much about it beforehand. I knew it would involve otaku women living together, but I didn’t anticipate the dilemma the jellyfish-loving protagonist, Tsukimi, would find herself in. With the help of style expert Kuranosuke, Tsukimi periodically transforms into a cute girl, and in that guise strikes up a sweet attraction to Kuranosuke’s virginal older brother, Shu. Opening herself up to the possibility of love brings excitement as well as pain, and I wonder whether Tsukimi will stick it out or retreat to the cozy familiarity of her fujoshi lifestyle. But how long will that even last, with the boarding house scheduled to be demolished? Though this version collects the first two volume of the Japanese release, I still wanted more. I’m relieved to report Princess Jellyfish is every bit as great as I hoped it would be! – Michelle Smith

Real, Vol. 14 | By Takehiko Inoue | VIZ Media – Reading Real as it is released has its drawbacks—since it only comes out once a year and the last volume was mostly about a wrestler, I haven’t seen some of the characters at the forefront of volume fourteen for over two years! Consequently, it was a little hard to get back into their lives, but as always, Inoue made me care very deeply indeed by the end of the volume. While Nomiya’s search for direction after his dream of turning pro doesn’t work out is certainly compelling, it’s the promise of a matchup between the Tigers and the Dreams (and our respective protagonists working hard on both teams) in a forthcoming tournament that makes me the most excited. Add in some encouragement by Yama, and I’m seriously verklempt (and waiting desperately for the next volume, naturally.) – Michelle Smith

Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 1 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – I was unaware that this was only a two-volume series ’til I finished it, but looking back, it should not come as a surprise. Things move much faster than I’d expect from a LaLa manga, particularly towards the second half. Hino describes Mikage as “quirky,” but those who read Vampire Knight won’t be surprised to see she’s mostly calm, action-driven, and tortured by her horrible past, some of which we actually get to see. I enjoyed this while I was reading it, but it feels even slighter than her last series, and that’s saying something. If you wish that there were more shoujo ninja manga, or are a huge Hino fan, I’d give it a shot. And even if you’re meh about it, hey, it’s only two volumes long. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 4 | By Kiseki Himura and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – The last volume of the manga diverged from the novel it was adapting, showing a fight between our heroes that separated them right before the big battle. This allows Asuna to get a little more cool things to do, allowed Argo’s tiny subplot to be slightly expanded, and of course gave us a bit more ship tease and amusing faces. Of course, most of this is the same as the novel in the end, and I do believe that the original is better. But this is quite nice as well, and it will be interesting to see how it handles the second floor and the introduction of the elves. Also, it should keep Argo around, as it’s been doing. More Argo hijinks are always welcome. – Sean Gaffney