Michelle Smith

New releases from Kodansha, VIZ, and Vertical are on the menu for this week’s Bookshelf Briefs.

Black Rose Alice, Vol. 6 | By Setona Mizushiro | VIZ Media – From the moment it was licensed, I was aware that Black Rose Alice is on hiatus in Japan—this volume was published there in 2011—and that the story would go into indefinite limbo after volume six. What I did not expect is that it would not be painful! Instead of abruptly cutting off without any hint of resolution, this is the end of “part one,” and while there is certainly plenty more story that could be told, some very important things wrap up, too. We get the full backstory for Kai and Reiji, there’s seeming closure where Koya is concerned, and, most significantly, Alice makes her choice. I eagerly await part two, but at least I don’t feel annoyed in the meantime. – Michelle Smith

Cage of Eden, Vol. 19 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – I long for the good old days of Cage of Eden when our heroes merely had to battle prehistoric 50-foot reptiles. Sadly, they’re now facing a sociopathic human, who’s decided that the best way to get the masses on his side is to allow them to rape the girls in Akira’s group. That doesn’t happen, but it reminds readers that Cage of Eden is, shonen togetherness and action scenes aside, mainly designed for the 13-year-old boy who likes big tits and girls being threatened. In the end, the entire escapade proves fruitless in any case as the villain isn’t even a real doctor! Luckily, things are resolved here, and the next arc is the final one. I’ll keep reading, but this series has outstayed its welcome. – Sean Gaffney

Chi’s Sweet Home, Vol. 12 | By Konami Kanata | Vertical, Inc. – It’s bittersweet to say farewell to a series as great as Chi’s Sweet Home, but man, this final volume packs a powerful emotional punch! The Yamada family is torn—should they take Chi with them to France or call the number on the ‘lost cat’ poster with her picture on it? The decision is ultimately made for them when Chi’s mom gets injured while protecting her daughter from an oncoming car. Many sniffles ensue. I knew I was in trouble when Yohei made me get all verklempt on page five but the moment he realizes how important Chi’s feline family is to her and his resigned acceptance of returning her is especially heartbreaking. In fact, the excellent non-verbal storytelling showing how deep the bond between Chi and Yohei is, even if they are from different species, left me literally in tears. And if crying over fictional cartoon cats is wrong, I don’t want to be right! – Michelle Smith

Love Stage!!, Vol. 4 | By Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou | SuBLime – After an opening chapter that is literally about Izumi avoiding Ryoma because his butt hurts, Love Stage!! finally does what I’ve been wanting it to do and focuses on the boys’ careers. Izumi has made his debut and, after making an impact with several high-profile commercials, gets offered a part in a TV drama from his favorite director. Unfortunately, this guy is a rampant sexual harrasser, so Ryoma accepts a role, too, squeezing this commitment into his already packed schedule so he can protect Izumi. I appreciate that we finally see Izumi exhibit enthusiasm for the craft of acting and also that he impresses his co-stars with his raw talent. I hope the series maintains this balance of love and stage going forward. – Michelle Smith

My Hero Academia, Vol. 2 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Our premise having been given in the first volume, this second one is devoted to fleshing it out, with the arcs being carefully structured just in case the series did not take off. (Unsuccessful Jump series tend to run two volumes). So we see a confrontation between our hero and his rival, showing why their childhood friendship turned sour, and showing off their faults and strengths admirably. We also expand the cast, meeting a few new hero students, of whom the frog girl made the strongest impression. And we also get introduced to a new set of villains, which shows off the author’s strong sense of design, and also allows us a nice little cliffhanger. Exciting fun. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 11 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – This series is wrapping up soon, and thus is trying to show off how much its characters have developed and resolving their relationships. And they have developed—Natsume still tends to show a stubborn immature side left over from the bullying she received, but she also shows how she does see Sasayan’s moods and can try to help when he’s depressed—without the artificial cheer that comes with it. As for Haru and Shizuku, they start off apart but that doesn’t last, partly as they’re meant for each other and partly as Yamaken forces the issue by confessing—again—and getting shut down—again. After sagging a bit in the middle volumes, this series has found its feet again, and this volume is particularly strong. – Sean Gaffney

RIN-NE, Vol. 19 | By Rumiko Takahashi | Viz Media – I think I may finally have reached the end of my rope with RIN-NE, which continues to showcase one-shot supernatural wackiness with the occasional ghost with a grudge. My many assumptions about the series—including the one that Sakura’s strong emotions were left behind when she almost died—seem to now be replaced with ‘maybe she’s simply dull.’ I have called this Takahashi’s retirement series before, and the lack of effort involved in each successive week depresses me. And unlike Ranma 1/2 or Urusei Yatsura, I don’t have beloved nostalgia to sustain me. We do get a new character here, but the chief gag seems to be that he may be gay (but of course is not). Yeah, I’m done. -Sean Gaffney

The Bookshelf brigade brings you beaucoup des briefs!

Bodacious Space Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace, Vol. 2 | By Chibimaru | Seven Seas – This is definitely one of those movie adaptations where they assume you know everything about the source, and having not seen the BSP anime yet, I did feel at times like I was missing something. It also feels a bit cut short, but that’s not uncommon for movie adaptations. The humor is very well done, though, with Chiaki’s horrible day, and Grunhilde’s play script to allow for dramatics. In the end, though, it’s the story of a young boy and his feelings for his father, as well as that father’s legacy. It shows space is cool, computer viruses and conglomerations are bad, and that goodness and rightness will always win in the end. This was fluff, but pretty fun. -Sean Gaffney

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 7 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – I’m quite fond of manga that transcend genre and surprise you, but I think A Centaur’s Life may be taking it a bit too far. Some of the chapters are terrifying, such as the alien invasion story taking place in this world’s equivalent of the deep south (complete with casual racism by the father figure), and a land-grabbing story which seems to show that the snake people are literally infiltrating in order to gain some sort of political advantage? But then there’s more scenes of toddler centaurs using the toilet, and I just throw my hands in the air. Some of the cute stuff is quite cute, mostly involving the teenager monster kids—I liked seeing Nozomi’s rival/twin—but honestly, this series needs focus desperately. -Sean Gaffney

Evergreen, Vol. 3 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Akira Caskabe | Seven Seas – The angst is dialed back a bit in this volume (though there’s still a fair amount) in favor of heartwarming first-love type scenes, with Hotaka and Niki finally together and being self-conscious, blushing and adorable, as most teens are. More surprising to me was that On-chan wasn’t a nickname, but her real last name—and that she is at least able to admit to herself, and Soga, that she likes him. Which comes as a surprise to Soga, and possibly the reader. The trouble is he’s the sort to push people away, and he does so beautifully here. The bigger trouble is that next volume is the last, and I think it has a bit too much plot left to wrap up smoothly. We shall see. -Sean Gaffney

Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 7 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – It’s hard to believe this series is nearly over! Time surely flies. It’s also impressive just how much it has improved over the course of its run. Now I actually kind of care who Anise ends up with romantically, and was completely surprised by a plot twist that, had I been inclined to think critically, I might have seen coming. There’s a nice dramatic atmosphere to this volume, too, with much emphasis on this being their “last day,” so it seems as though the story will barrel on through to its conclusion, leaving behind the unfunny comedic gags that bothered me about early volumes. I’m pleasantly surprised to be looking forward to the finale. – Michelle Smith

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol. 14 | By Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa | Viz Media – This volume contains all the thing I love about Library Wars: romance, action, convoluted statements about censorship, and evil being foiled. The Library Forces continue to advocate for an author who is being censored by trying to smuggle him out of the country. In the process Dojo gets wounded and Kasahara is left to deal with the situation on her own. As a librarian, the reference to IFLA amused me greatly. This series is might not be the flashiest shoujo series but it is consistently good, and I put down each volume with a smile. – Anna N

Maid-sama!, Vols. 3-4 | By Hiro Fujiwara | VIZ Media –Although I lost count of how many times Usui put his hands on Misaki without her consent, these two volumes seemed to tone down his obnoxiousness level to some extent. Oh, he still attempts to be controlling, but the emphasis is more on Misaki being capable in her own right, and there were even a couple of moments between them that I liked. (I liked the “girls are not weak and delicate” message, too.) Still, I can’t help but feel that a character as great as Misaki really deserves to be in a different manga with a better love interest. I would be super happy if she were completely unaffected by his overtures and just called him out for being a tremendous ass, but alas, that is not how shoujo manga works. I hope my respect for Misaki can make it through this series intact. – Michelle Smith

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 1 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – I’ve been looking forward to Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun for a long time, and it didn’t disappoint. Talented artist Chiyo Sakura has a crush on brawny Umetarou Nozaki, but when she attempts to confess her feelings, he thinks she’s a fan of his manga and recruits her to be his assistant. This is a 4-koma manga, so what follows are strips about Nozaki coming up with ideas, being inspired by kooky classmates, trying to grasp the logic of dating sim games, and accidentally drawing BL doujinshi. The layout and sensibility are 4-koma—thus far, most characters have a single personality trait—but it also is basically telling a chronological story, which I like. While it might not have made me laugh outright, I did smirk and snerk often, and I will definitely be continuing with this one. – Michelle Smith

Sean and Michelle weigh in on some new manga from Kodansha Comics and VIZ Media!

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu | By Junji Ito | Kodansha Comics – I laughed, I cried, it was better than cats. Seriously, though, I enjoyed this tremendously. Manga artist J-kun is less than enthusiastic about his fiancée’s creepy-looking cat, Yon, coming to live with them in their pristine new home. Soon, however, he is learning to wield a cat toy in an appropriately tantalizing manner, attempting to convince a cat to sleep on his bed, and worrying desperately when kitten Mu has a health scare. There are some great examples of non-verbal storytelling here—I especially like the depiction of the battle for cat tower supremacy—and fabulous panels capturing the frenzy of kitties at play. It’s not all light-hearted, but that just makes it more wonderfully poignant. Very highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Maid-sama!, Vols. 3-4 | By Hiro Fujiwara | Viz Media – There are several things I enjoyed in this volume, such as the fact that Aoi’s desire to dress in women’s clothing isn’t treated as something perverse or strange, and basically anytime Misaki shows off how much she cares about everyone around her and how observant she is. But Usui continues to suck the joy out of the series. It’s not just that he’s perfect and does everything effortlessly—I’ve loved characters like that before. It’s that his presence makes Misaki weaker, and I don’t mean because she’s falling in love with him, I mean she becomes a weaker character in general. This puts me in the odd position of reading a romantic comedy for everything but the romance. Oh well. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi, Vol. 12 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – There’s no overarching plot for this volume, which instead gives us a series of one-shots that seem like a Nisekoi’s Greatest Hits in a way. We show off Raku’s bond with Chitoge, his bond with Onodera, Onodera’s sister being jealous and also falling for Raku at the same time, Tsugumi’s continued issues with self-worth and self-hatred, Ruri’s stoic awesomeness, and everyone waffling about the love quadrangle. It all ends up at a summer festival, where the need to keep up the pretense of dating and the fairly large number of people who know that this is a false front hits a wall. It leads to a good cliffhanger. Overall, though, this is pretty much just killing time while the author spins out some longer plot points for the future. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 3 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – There’s an expansion of the cast in this new volume, with several new heroes who may or may not crop up again. We also get a sense of the organization behind it, and how superheroing in this area has a lot of political back and forth behind it. But the series lives and dies on Saitama, and his reactions and lack of reactions are what make it worthwhile. There’s a lot of these here, and I’m not sure which I like more, his honestly inspirational speeches about perseverance to a superhero thinking of quitting, or his flat ‘what’ gaze at… well, many, many things. All this plus actual female heroes in the series, even if they’re just cameos. I look forward to seeing where this goes next. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 19 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – I never thought I’d say “wow!” about a volume of Oresama Teacher, but volume nineteen delivers! I absolutely loved the fairy-tale feel to the first few pages, where we get an inkling of the arrangement between Momochi and Hanabusa—it really gets one in the mood for what follows. And what does follow is Kurosaki, Yui, and Saeki going to Hayasaka’s house after he fails to return to school after being suspended, and discovering all sorts of things about his life, not the least of which is his first name. Tsubaki-sensei imbues the palatial Hayasaka home with a nicely creepy, “it was a dark and stormy night” sort of feeling, but in the end the truth of it all is both better and worse, and actually ties in with some things we’ve noticed about Hayasaka in the past. Tsubaki-sensei deserves a gold star for this one! – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You,” Vol. 10 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Given this runs in a sort of josei magazine in Japan (Dessert is one of those ‘borderline’ cases), I’m actually surprised that it took until the 10th volume to see the events that happen here. It makes sense, though—the main couple doesn’t have nearly as many issues as, say, My Little Monster, and given that the main obstacle to a deeper love has been Mei’s own self-worth issues, once those are dealt with with a truly wonderful and heartwarming Christmas, it feels earned. What’s more, the reaction of her friends is excitement and joy, something I also greatly appreciated. Each volume of this series builds on the last, and my only concern is that I expect some roadblocks to keep the manga active. -Sean Gaffney

Yukarism, Vol. 4 | By Chika Shiomi | Viz Media – It is refreshing to read a series that seems exactly the right length, without plots drawn out or cut short. In its final volume, we get a resolution of the ongoing magical time-travel reincarnation, and it involves lots of self-sacrifice, anguished screams, and quite a bit of blood as well. The threat of a love triangle was always defused once we knew the relation of Kazuma and Yumarasaki, and instead we get misguided obsession, followed by forgiveness. I am also pleased that things were resolved without a mindwipe returning it all to the way it was before—that’s how it was headed, but the author refused to go down that road. This manga gets my vote as the biggest surprise of 2015—it’s a keeper. -Sean Gaffney

Sean and Michelle briefly review new releases from Kodansha, VIZ, and Yen Press.

Barakamon, Vol. 7 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – We’re back on the island, with the calligraphy once again taking a backseat to Handa’s somewhat hapless life among the natives. Sometimes this leads to running gags (broken windows galore) and sometimes to heartwarming sweetness (visiting the island’s 99-year-old matriarch). There’s also an expansion of the cast as we meet Miwa’s parents, introduced through a horrific misunderstanding. One set of parents is still notable in their absence, though, and Handa thinks about asking Naru about her own situation but opts instead to avoid getting serious with her. There’s no major revelations or developments here, but it’s sweet in a relaxed, daily life way. – Sean Gaffney

First Love Monster, Vol. 2 | By Akira Hiyoshimura | Yen Press – Perhaps reading my misgivings about the first volume of this series, the second one tries to make it more obvious that this is meant to be a comedy rather than a romance. We meet another resident, who looks like a new “rival” for all of about three seconds before she reveals her true intentions, and the one sensible 11-year-old among the cast winds up falling for a girl who is (sigh) the male buttmonkey of the cast dressed in drag. Oddly, despite my sounding like I didn’t like it, this series is best when it’s at its most broadly comedic. When trying to examine the genuine emotional turmoil of a young girl and her elementary school boyfriend, things simply get too uncomfortable. – Sean Gaffney

Idol Dreams, Vol. 1 | By Arina Tanemura | VIZ Media – Tanemura describes Idol Dreams as “a magical-girl series for adults,” and it kind of is, given that the protagonist, Chikage Deguchi, is a mousy, 31-year-old virgin who regrets the state of her romance-free life. But her age is really the only thing mature about Chikage, as her mentality fits much better into the 15-year-old body a former classmate’s experimental drug provides her. I like that Chikage plans to embrace this opportunity to change herself, but it’s still pretty creepy to see this grown woman crushing over the 15-year-old boy band member who provides her with her first kiss while she fills in for an advertising photo shoot (as you do). I can’t help but wonder what kind of reaction such a plot gimmick would get if the genders were reversed. I will probably read the next volume, but I don’t expect my opinion to change much. – Michelle Smith

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu | By Junji Ito | Kodansha Comics – In case you were wondering, this is indeed just an amusing cat diary, which chapters like Yon getting out of the house or Yon giving preferential treatment to Ito’s wife. (Mu plays a far lesser role). But of course the joy of reading this manga is in seeing Ito’s over the top expressions, familiar to those who’ve read his horror manga, applied to such mundane topics. He even draws his wife without pupils, giving her an evil, soulless look that belies the actual material. The art is 3/4 of the reason to pick up this book—the other 1/4 is that these are indeed cute yet willful cats, and Ito’s struggle to master them and play with them at the same time is hilarious. Cat lovers will need to pick this up. – Sean Gaffney

LDK, Vol. 1 | By Ayu Watanabe | Kodansha Comics – The initial setup of LDK sounds extremely trope-y: second-year high-school girl Aoi Nishimori lives alone in an apartment, hunky but cold-hearted school prince Shusei Kugayama moves in next door, and “a series of crazy happenings” result in them having to live together. Burgeoning romantic feelings ensue. And because of this surfeit of tropes, I excused Shusei’s initial behavior as a trope, too. Sure, he’s a git, but he is being hounded by fangirls, and that can’t be fun. But as the volume wore on, and he did more and more egregious things—culminating with forcing Aoi to try on a swimsuit while handcuffed to him—I began to realize he’d crossed the line into flagrant asshole territory. Aoi does confront him and he apologizes, so I’m willing to read one more volume to see if any change seems imminent, but otherwise I am pretty disappointed. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 11 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – The manga has been building up to Yukina finally making her choice between the childhood friend milquetoast Akira and the brooding yet caring Shigure. The trouble is that it’s not even close to being over yet. And so Yukina ends up making… the wrong choice, one that we immediately know is wrong, and Yukina soon finds out, as she still can’t separate her own personal life and the novel she’s writing—especially now that she’s in competition with another author. In addition, perhaps thinking that these people making terrible decisions were becoming too sympathetic, we meet Shigure’s brother Hisame, who is introduced in such a way that he may as well have “I Am Evil” on his shirt. Still so wrong, yet so addictive. – Sean Gaffney

Yukarism, Vol. 4 | By Chika Shiomi | VIZ Media – Sadly, Yukarism comes to a close in this fourth and final volume. Selfishly, I wanted more, but in terms of the story, wrapping it up here means there weren’t any painful filler episodes to dilute the tense atmosphere Shiomi-sensei managed to maintain until the finale. I’m not going to spoil the specifics of how things are resolved, but I will say it was a very satisfactory conclusion and I got teary-eyed at least twice. Ultimately, though I was a little critical of the first volume, Yukarism soon won me over in a big way and it ended up becoming not only a keeper that I can foresee myself rereading but also a series that I think I will be foisting upon others who are not yet maniacal manga fans. I consider this a must-read for any shoujo fan. – Michelle Smith

Sean and Michelle take a look at manga from Kodansha, Seven Seas, Vertical, and Yen Press.

Genshiken: Second Season, Vol. 7 | By Shimoku Kio | Kodansha Comics – The manga continues to balance between Madarame’s “harem” and his lack of wanting to really do anything about it, and Hato’s identity issues. The latter makes the far more interesting story, frankly, particularly as it’s a very unbalanced harem—Angela and Keiko are both character types who blatantly aren’t going to win this battle. As for Sue, her denial is getting more and more frustrating, but I will admit that moving her into the apartment next to Hato brings together the two most likelies in this pentangle. I’m enjoying Genshiken in a vague way, but I’m not sure it has much of its original fanbase left, and I think its new fans would like more Hato and less everything else. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 1 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – When I saw the cover and read the synopsis of Horimiya, I thought I would probably like it, but I did not expect to be utterly charmed by it. Belonging firmly in the “it ran in GFantasy so it’s shounen but it feels like shoujo” family, it’s a warm comedy about Kyouko Hori, a pretty and popular high school girl who secretly shoulders a lot of responsibility at home, and Izumi Miyamura, who looks like a gloomy otaku but is secretly a sweet, naturally tactless hottie. What I love most is that though there are inklings of deeper feeling between them, the first volume is all about the strong friendship they form. Miyamura is adorable, but I also appreciate Hori’s competence, and this is a rare comedy that actually succeeds in making me laugh. Horimiya was a delightful surprise and I very much look forward to volume two! – Michelle Smith

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 14 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical Comics – I think Nihei is apologizing to those of his fans who prefer science fiction, action and horror with this volume, which certainly picks up the pace a great deal—it’s as if they’ve realized the end is near. Much to my dismay, the mind-controlling eye worms also make another appearance, and with them a bunch of plot revelations from our wounded but not out of it captain. (It also leads to some suggestive off-screen stuff that I really didn’t need, but is certainly in character for its screwed-up cast.) In any event, half the fighting crew may now be lost, including Tsumugi, and the Gauna are on the rise. I’m still not sure if this ending will be happy, bittersweet or just depressing, but it’s coming soon. – Sean Gaffney

Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary, Vol. 3 | By Shake-O | Seven Seas – I was somewhat surprised to see the latter half of this volume actually have some genuine depth to it—of course, for a series as light and frothy as this one, that’s merely going from one-D to two-D. But yes, Fujimi’s relationship with her grandfather, now dead and apparently in Hell, as well as her former ‘rapid healing’ quirk translating to ‘undying’ after an unfortunate encounter with a tornado, proved quite interesting and fun. Less so the other half, which showed Hitomi’s younger sister (siscon, multiple personalities) and two new girls who serve to contrast each other and metatextually reflect on the manga itself, which is less interesting than the author thinks it is. Silly, but highly variable. – Sean Gaffney

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, Vol. 2 | By Shirow Masamune and Rikudou Koushi | Seven Seas – Brand loyalty can sometimes be a terrible thing. When I read the first volume of this series, I read it at the same time as the loathsomely boring Magika Swordsman and Summoner, and it looked more tolerable in comparison. Now, I’m reading it without that dose of sense, and it’s even more clear that Shirow and Koushi simply reinforce each other’s worst habit—they’re both massive lolicons, and it shows in much of the art, particularly the cover, which makes you wonder whether God even exists in the world anymore. The story itself is mostly amusing comedy fluff, but the fanservice is beyond the pale. Unless you have to read anything by these two authors, skip. – Sean Gaffney

Tokyo ESP, Vol. 1 | By Hajime Segawa | Vertical Comics – There are no shortage of manga about teenagers with special powers and abilities, but prior to Tokyo ESP, I hadn’t read one with such a traditional superhero feel. Enigmatic, costumed figures have released a bunch of glowing fish that bestow powers on certain individuals. Some of the recipients are good—like impoverished teen Rinka Urushiba and her musclebound, former detective father—and some are criminals. (And one is a hippo.) In a setup reminiscent of The Flash TV show, Rinka and her new friend Kyotaro Azuma use their powers to bring the supervillains to justice. But also there is some personal growth for Rinka, a mysterious background for Azuma, and a flying penguin with the ability to revoke powers. I’m making it sound like a chaotic mess, I fear, but it really isn’t. I enjoyed the first volume and look forward to continuing the series. – Michelle Smith