Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Sean Gaffney

The Ideal Sponger Life, Vol. 1

by

By Tsunehiko Watanabe and Neko Hinotsuki. Released in Japan as “Risou no Himo Seikatsu” by Kadokawa Shoten, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Ace. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Wesley Bridges. Adapted by Jessica Cluess.

Well, here we are again with another isekai. They tend to be male power fantasies, but this one’s even more blatant about what it is than most. Based on an (as yet unlicensed) light novel, our hero is a Japanese salaryman working for a shady company and not enjoying his life, until he’s transported to another world! (Not hit by a truck, which is honestly what I was expecting.) There he meets the beautiful and busty Queen, ho explains why he’s there. Due to plot reasons, he has royal blood from the other world in him, so he needs to marry the queen and get her producing an heir. That’s all he has to do. Despite this world being pretty patriarchal, he’s not required to rule the land a la Realist Hero or anything. He’s savvy enough to realize that’s the catch (she wants to rule herself, not pass a baton), but decides to go for it anyway. Of course, this being an isekai, he immediately is an influence regardless.

It has to be said, even for a male power fantasy this one’s pretty nice to the hero. He’s briefly threatened by guards when he approaches the queen, but that’s about it. She happily explains everything to him, and even allows him to return to Earth for a month so he can settle his affairs and say goodbye to his family, which is more than 90% of isekai heroes get. He also thinks ahead, taking a portable generator and tons of books/CDs/DVDs/a fridge with him when he goes, as he knows this is standard fantasy world. I’m assuming there will be the typical adventure things later on in the series, but for the moment he is there to marry and knock up the queen. Which he does, or at least presumably. He also needs to learn the language, as it turns out that while he can hear everyone in Japanese, they aren’t really speaking it – it’s a magic ability he has. This means learning to read and write, and also teaching Excel Spreadsheets to the kingdom, which I suspect may win him enemies.

Given that we see it on Page 1 (in a sort of premonition), it should not be a surprise that there IS sex in this, which isn’t 100% explicit but gets as close as it can to that line. I’ll be honest, I was expecting more plot to interfere in the actual consummation, since I’ve seen this type of thing before, but no, this time both hero and heroine are actual adults, and the whole point is to produce an heir, and so coitus ensues. This also allows us a brief look at the queen, Aura, when she isn’t wearing the queenly mask, as we see her on the wedding night trying to act smooth and seductive, but once she’s alone in the bedroom she shows off a blush that suggests she’s just as innocent as he is. Nor is he a majestic lover, either – while they both seem to have happy sex, the line “I guess this means you’ve finished” seems to imply it was better for him than for her.

I’ve heard this series described as “come for the boobs, stay for the political intrigue”, and that seems accurate. Certainly the latter is what motivates me to try another volume. There’s some good setup here, assuming you can get past the sex scenes and objectification of the queen that’s also in these pages.

Division Maneuver: A Hero Reincarnated

by

By Shippo Senoo and Nidy-2D-. Released in Japan by Kodansha. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Andrew Cunningham. Adapted by Dayna Abel.

I’ll freely admit, I had not originally planned to read or review this at all. We have come to a point in the North American light novel market where you simply can’t read absolutely everything. And that cover made me say “Oh boy, another masturbatory aid for teenage boys!” But I had a gap in my schedule before Yen’s March light novels hit like a bat to the head, and I thought “OK, I guess.” In the end, it balances out that I’m pleased that I read the book, and I’ll likely pick up the second (and final) volume. So I’m here to tell you about why yet another book with teens in powered suits at a magical academy is something that you might want to take notice of, rather than, say, Infinite Stratos, or Seirei Gensouki, or The Asterisk War, etc. And I will also warn you that my first impression of the book is ALSO very true. If you’re reading this book, hope you like endless descriptions of boobs.

So once there was a hero. He was a bit headstrong and stubborn. He fought to save the Earth from hideous tentacle monsters (who thankfully only want to eat humanity, not do anything else with it) and he sacrificed himself to take out the evil queen monster. Unfortunately, she’s not quite dead. So he’s reincarnated back into the world as a young man and resolves to get stronger and try again. The big problem there is his new self has virtually no magical aptitude. Fortunately, he runs into his old teacher, who also happens to be the headmaster of the magical academy for awesome magical students. She trains him in fencing, martial arts, and the like to the point where even though he has virtually no magic, he can still beat most everyone. When he arrives at the school, he joins an elite unit, learns to actually use teamwork (something his former self was bad at), and falls in love with his sempai, who is also the little girl saved by his former self right before he died.

I’ll start with positives. Hanabi, the heroine, is not the sort of heroine I was expecting when I picked up this book – cool, hands off, tsundere, constantly yelling at the hero, etc. She’s a bit battle hungry, actually, and falls in love with Kuon faster than he does with her. He’s 13, by the way, which makes this relationship a bit “ergh” (she’s 18), but nothing seems to happen beyond making out. I also liked her best friend, who is a standard character type, but it’s one I like. Honestly, by the end of the book I was thinking that some of the cast were going to die – it gets fairly brutal at times. Now for the downside… well, you saw the cover. The color illustrations merely exacerbate it. Hanabi is a walking pinup and the author and illustrator want you to know it. Kuon thinks about her breasts all the time. It gets very aggravating for anyone over the age of 19. Oh yes, and our hero has no magic aptitude – except that he can STOP TIME. Which is apparently a martial art? I dunno.

So I liked the character relationships and plot enough to read more, but unfortunately, the fanservice and the questionable romance mean we once again have a light novel that I can only recommend to its intended audience. Teenage boys, go get it.

My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected, Vol. 7

by

By Wataru Watari and Ponkan 8. Released in Japan as “Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatte Iru” by Shogakukan. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jennifer Ward.

After the bleakness of the last volume, it’s good to see that this one is at least slightly more light-hearted, though as always the author can’t seem to resist ending on a downhearted note. That said, things are a lot warmer here, and the extra side-story that adapts a drama CD even tries to retcon the last book by showing that Hachiman was eventually roped into an after party anyway. This brings together most of the main protagonists, and features what may be the funniest part of the book, where Hachiman’s “hobbies” are found to be wanting (people watching doesn’t count) and they try to find him some new ones. It does reinforce a running theme of this series, though, which is that as much as Hachiman wants to push everyone as far away from him as possible, there is a growing core of people who worry and care about him. The trouble is, some are also falling for him, and at this point, that’s not a good thing.

It’s time for the traditional trip to Kyoto, with temple visits galore, something that has most people excited, even Yukino, who seems to be far more into the trip than she pretends. That said, the Service Club also has a new request, and it puts the “romantic comedy” back in the spotlight. Tobe, best known so far as “Hayama’s #2”, is in love with Ebina, best known so far as “that BL fangirl”, and wants to ask her out, but is nervous, so wants to enlist the help of Hachiman’s group. Needless to say, given this group, this involves 2/3 crushing verbal abuse and 1/3 sympathy, and even Yui is finding it hard to bring the sympathy. The trouble is, as it becomes apparent, Ebina does not want that sort of relationship – not now, and not with Tobe. And that makes everyone nervous, because the way Hayama and Miura’s cliques are set up, if a confession results in awkwardness and pulling away, it will destroy both groups.

If you guessed the solution to this was “Hachiman taking things on himself so as to deflect everything to him”, then congratulations, you are familiar with how this series works. That said, much as it was interesting to see a more serious and even poignant side to Ebina, the “main” romance is mostly there to highlight the main love triangle of Hachiman, Yukino and Yui. There’s plenty of ship tease between him and both girls here, as he holds Yui’s hand as they go through a dark and creepy temple set, and sneaks out for ramen with Yukino and Shizuka (a chapter that features Yukino at easily her cutest and most vulnerable in the series to date). But, just as everyone knows with Ebina and Tobe, the reader is aware that if the love story advances further, the core friendship of these three is going to be broken. Especially if Hachiman keeps up his “please crucify me” solutions to everyone’s problems.

So the question is, what’s next? Can the Service Club maintain its status quo? Well, my guess is yes, as the next volume is “7.5”, and is a collection of short stories. (Note that unlike, say, Devil Is a Part-Timer, these .5 volumes were not released as DVD extras, and are therefore able to be licensed here.) That said, this seventh volume of OreGairu is a bit less bleak, but you’re starting to see that the train is rushing forward towards a final destination that may simply be “crash”.

Bookshelf Briefs 3/11/19

by , and Leave a Comment

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 10 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – Welcome to the first volume of Chise Potter, though hopefully we won’t get a Professor Quirrell. Chise gets settled in at college, choosing a dorm by choosing cats, which in my opinion is how every college should do it. Elias follows along, of course, as a teacher, and there’s a gaggle of new characters, most of whom I didn’t really get much from at all. Chise is, thankfully, much less awkward at being social than she used to be—in fact, it’s her roommate who’s the tough nut to crack. That said, most of this volume was pure setup, and I suspect it will read better after I’ve read the next two. I’m definitely grateful that this series is continuing, though, and it’s worth the eventual reread. – Sean Gaffney

Cutie Honey: The Classic Collection | By Go Nagai | Seven Seas – My first real introduction to Cutie Honey was through Shimpei Itoh’s modern manga adaptation Cutie Honey a Go Go!. It was a fun series, so I was looking forward to delving into Go Nagai’s original manga from 1973. Fortunately, along with an essay by novelist Hirayama Yumeaki and an afterword by Go Nagai, Seven Seas has collected the entirety of Cutie Honey in a single hardcover omnibus. Cutie Honey is an entertaining if somewhat absurd series. Much of the manga’s humor tends towards the lewd and admittedly some of the jokes aren’t as socially acceptable as they may have once been. Between the titular heroine’s transformation scenes and the frequency of characters’ clothing being ripped to shreds, there’s a fair amount of nudity in the action-oriented manga. Since the cast is primarily made up of women, it’s mostly female nudity, but the men aren’t immune from sudden clothing loss either. – Ash Brown

Durarara!! re: Dollars Arc, Vol. 4 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Aogiri | Yen Press – Once again, I’m left feeling that the anime and novels handled this material better—the wait between releases doesn’t help, plus the author’s plotting, which involves everything happening at once, makes the manga more diffuse and confusing than it has any right to be. The best bits probably involved Ruri and Shizuo’s brother, who bond over their difficulty with basic human emotions, like so many other Narita couples. Last time I said Izaya was about to jump start things, but he’s absent from this book, meaning that it meanders a bit too much. It really needs someone making everyone’s lives miserable again. Which I’m sure will happen soon. Maybe. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 9 | By Izumi Miyazono | Viz Media – The final volume of this series ties up everything that’s been getting in the way of Asuka and Ryu getting married. Ryu decides he does love Asuka and resolves to return and fight to save their relationship. Asuka realizes that she doesn’t have to get married NOW and uses that to spend three years doing so well at her job that she can now take a year off to get married and have a baby and NOT have to worry about being fired for being a married woman. Heck, even Asuka’s friend who was perfectly happy to not get married is getting married. So in the end the title proves to be true, and you’re really happy to see the two of them finally work everything out. A very good josei series, bring on more of them. – Sean Gaffney

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 4 | By Takuto Kashiki | Yen Press – I joked on Twitter that after the girls from Girls’ Last Tour died, they were reincarnated as Hakumei and Mikochi, and while Hakumei may be a bit too sensible for that to map exactly, there is very much the sense of exploration across both volumes, even though the two should be more familiar with their setting. We meet Mikochi’s sister in this volume, who is a writer and a tease, not in that order. There’s a festival chapter (sort of), a hot spring chapter (sort of), and a chapter which will make you cry at the death of a coffee grinder. In short, most of why readers read this series is on full display here. I enjoy this more and more with each volume, and always smile as I read. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 7 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – There’s some good comedy here at the head and tail of the book. My favorite chapter was probably the one involving Miyuki, who is no longer sleep-deprived, losing the bags under his eyes—which terrifies everyone and makes Kaguya realize that her love of them may be a fetish. But the bulk of this book is to introduce a new major character, Miko, the girl on the cover who is super earnest and also super awkward. She’s running against Miyuki in the election, and her ideas are great but her stage fright isn’t. Fortunately, Miyuki takes a page from Hachiken’s book and makes himself the bad guy to fix things—fortunately he wins anyway. I want to see how Miko adds to the dynamic. – Sean Gaffney

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 2 | By Waco Ioka and Midori Yuma | Viz Media – I enjoyed this second volume more than the first, not uncommon with Shojo Beat stories. Aoi’s still having trouble getting anyone to give her a job, but after she gives some home-cooked food to a passing drunk who turns out to be really important, she’s making important connections. More to the point, Aoi compares her story explicitly with Beauty and the Beast, and she’s not wrong. There’s also a jealous woman who attempts to sabotage things and is caught and about to be humiliated. That said, that’s the cliffhanger, and I’m fairly certain Aoi’s going to save her with the power of niceness. I am OK with following this yokai series now that Kamisama Kiss has ended. – Sean Gaffney

Maiden Railways | By Asumiko Nakamura | Denpa – Somehow, I’d gotten the impression that this was a girls’ love anthology, but in reality, only one couple depicted herein fits that bill. Instead, we get stories about a pickpocket helping an inattentive husband make up with his wife, a girl who’s moving away seizing the moment to confess to a boy, a ghost with lingering regrets, and a guy whose wife thinks he’s cheating on her because he works late and brings home cake. Trains figure prominently in each story—in a couple we get some detailed timetables as one party tries taking a different train to catch up with someone, but in some stories the action is just rooted around a train station, or perhaps about a beloved late relative’s model train set. They’re all low-key and they’re all enjoyable, even if they ultimately don’t leave a strong impression. I look forward to Doukyuusei by this author, coming soon! – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 42 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – Kyoko’s audition for the role of Momiji continues. She’s emerged victorious over the scheming Kimiko in terms of swordfighting, but that alone isn’t enough to convince the director to cast her. Overhearing another actor deduce that Kyoko likes Ren, Kimiko manages to convince Kyoko that Ren is in love with her, with nearly disastrous results. There are some frustrating things in this volume, like Kyoko almost telling Moko about her feelings for Ren but chickening out and her taking in some intel about Kimiko liking some other guy without actually questioning her conclusion that Ren’s secret love is Kimiko. I know, I know. Shoujo gotta shoujo. But I am just so ready for some real movement on this point, as much as I love seeing Kyoko kick ass career-wise. Soon, please? – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Choosing Sides

by , , , , and Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: I’ve already awarded my pick to The Girl from the Other Side a time or two, so though I’m definitely happy to read more, I should probably branch out a bit. There are several other titles I’m interested in this week, but I’ll award my official pick to That Blue Sky Feeling, which I admittedly haven’t read yet but which looks right up my street.

KATE: At the risk of being Manga Bookshelf’s most predictable member, I’m voting for the latest volume of The Girl From the Other Side.

SEAN: Quite a few titles I’m interested in but nothing I’m devoted to, so I’ll go with the title I plan to read first, which is Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete 4-panel Comics. I love Arakawa being silly.

ASH: I’m curious about Candy Color Paradox and I really enjoyed the debut of That Blue Sky Feeling, but The Girl From the Other Side easily remains one of the best series that I’ve read so it gets my pick this week.

ANNA: At the risk of being overly predictable, I’m going to pick The Girl From the Other Side too!

MJ: And I’m going to be absolutely predictable and go for Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete 4-panel Comics! Arakawa always wins with me, and her comic… uh, comics are a sublime treasure.

Der Werwolf: the Annals of Veight, Vol. 3

by

By Hyougetsu and Nishi(E)da. Released in Japan by Earth Star Entertainment. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen.

The author described this as being a “slow” volume, which is a bit of a stretch given that one third of the way in our heroes are fighting a kraken. The plot of this book is essentially “Veight goes around to the rest of the Southern Territories and convinces them to join forces”. One area has the aforementioned kraken that needs to be taken out. Another, a town made of labyrinths designed to trap enemies, is already being targeted by the villainous Senate, and Veight and company have to convince people that a) they’re not responsible for the assassination of the ruler, and b) stop all the assassins who are. Fortunately he has help from a number of old friends as well as a new character, Parker, who is… well, he’s Brook from One Piece. Though he can at least disguise himself as “not a skeleton”. The puns, unfortunately, are still there. That said, does Veight even need help?

Veight continues to be the best reason to read these books. We’re used to harem protagonists that are clueless about the girls who like them, but Der Werwolf has little to no romance as of yet, so with Veight it’s more “he is unaware of his nature”. It’s not clear if he’s doing this deliberately to avoid the issue or not, but Veight’s tendency to pick the most dangerous solution has been noticed by most of his subordinates, and they aren’t very happy. It’s especially funny when he chastises others for the exact same thing, and is somewhat amazed when called out on it. To be fair, Veight probably COULD take out everything that goes against him by himself. We see more of his ludicrous “I can use magic and am also a werwolf” combos here, and they’re enough to get an enemy army to run away in fear.

The rest of the characters are not as good as Veight, sadly. I’d mentioned Parker was Brook from One Piece, and am wondering if “undead skeleton + puns” is a thing in Japan. There’s also a viceroy who decides, to make himself stand out, to act flamboyantly gay, and all the little stereotypical tick boxes are checked there, but fortunately he only shows up near the end. And we also get a glimpse of the Senate, which seems evenly divided between “evil” and “stupid AND evil”. Probably the best new character was Shatina, the daughter of the murdered viceroy, who starts off as a terrified teenager but, by the end of the book, has to be talked down from turning her city into a tool to get monstrous revenge on all those who have wronged her. The author would seem to agree, as the short story after the main book has her and Firnir, the centaur girl, bonding as they explore the underground labyrinth below Shatina’s own labyrinth of a city.

Der Werwolf’s most impressive feature continues to be its readability – you never get bogged down in prose the way you do in so many other light novels. I look forward to seeing more of Veight being ridiculously overpowered and totally unaware of it.

Aria The Masterpiece, Vol. 1

by

By Kozue Amano. Originally released in Japan by Enix, serialized in the magazine Stencil. This edition released in Japan by Mag Garden. Released in North America by Tokyopop. Translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley.

Third time’s the charm? This is definitely the year of lost causes getting another break. First we had Urusei Yatsura, cancelled over and over by Viz back in the 90s, getting a deluxe omnibus treatment. And now Aria, beloved by bloggers and a cult classic, but cancelled when ADV Manga collapsed and then cancelled again when Tokyopop hibernated, is getting its own deluxe treatment. These editions came out in 2016 in Japan, and this volume has the “Aqua” volumes, i.e. the start of the series before the Enix split that led to Kozue Amano moving to Mag Garden. It is a standard Japanese omnibus, meaning that it looks great but also eliminates most of the author’s end comment pages and extra side stories. What you get here are the first nine chapters, looking significantly better in this format than they did on first release here. The translation is the same, I’m fairly sure.

The series is a LOT more popular than it was back in the day, though, mostly as the anime was a bigger hit than expected. For those still unfamiliar, the series takes place on Mars, now renamed Aqua, sometime in the future. It’s been terraformed to be a water planet, and Neo Venezia is one of its stunning cities, done up to be just like Venice. This means they need gondoliers, and that’s where our heroine, Akari, comes in. She’s flying up from Earth… erm, Manhome… to join Aria Company, one of three companies in the city that are considered the cream of the crop. Of course, when she gets there she discovers that the company is just her and her mentor, Alicia. Plus President Aria, who I will discuss later. Even worse, her rowing technique, while awesome in terms of speed and flair… is less awesome as she’s rowing backwards. Fortunately she quickly gains skill, and also acquires a best friend/rival (who has a crush on Alicia) and a teasing guy friend/rival (who also has a crush on Alicia).

That said, as Aria fans know, the plot and characters are great, but they’re secondary to the scenery. Neo Venezia is the star here, and the larger format shows off the art to an even better degree. I especially loved the chapter that introduced Cait Sith, the huge, vaguely supernatural cat that will also, in a way, mentor Akari throughout the series. I was also very amused at how quickly everyone falls for Akari’s shining optimism and love of life. Aika attempts to be grumpy, with “no sappy lines allowed!” being a running gag, but it doesn’t work at all. It’s also not hard to see why everyone (including me) loves Alicia… she’s a fantastic gondolier, clearly cares for those around her, especially Akari, but most importantly, is the very definition of “ara ara”, the phrase that she spouts constantly in the original Japanese.

Manga or anime, Aria is the equivalent of a peaceful breeze running through your hair as you go down the river in a slow boat. It’s worth buying again.

Kokoro Connect: Michi Random

by

By Sadanatsu Anda and Shiromizakana. Released in Japan by Enterbrain. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Molly Lee.

A running theme of both Kokoro Connect and Book Girl, a series I’m finding it very easy to compare to, is that, unlike your typical anime or manga, problems and traumas are not magically “solved” or gotten over just because the characters now realize they exist. The first volume of this series had Iori talking about how she’s never been able to really figure out who her true self is, and theoretically she had moved past that. But it’s not that easy, especially when you’re a teenager, and Kokoro Connect is pretty much using a sci-fi plot to examine the mindset and foibles of emotional teens. And the phenomenon this time around, where the five protagonists occasionally broadcast their thoughts to each other, is the absolute worst for someone like Iori who’s hiding her darker self. As a result, everything blows up after Taichi decides to finally confess to her on Valentine’s Day. The confession does not succeed, but that’s only the start of everything being terrible. Oh, and they also have to save their club from losing its advisor.

The rest of the cast also gets a good look in. Yui and Aoki both have POV scenes, which is important as they both individually meet Heartseed, something that’s unusual. Yui in particular is getting a lot more aggressive and natural, and is slowly coming to terms with liking Aoki, though despite her inner thoughts she’s not ready to act on it yet. And of course Taichi confessing means Inaba is on the losing end… but let’s be honest, most readers never saw Taichi and Iori as the main couple, mostly as, due to her core issues, Iori is a lot less developed than Inaba is. I think Taichi is better off with Inaba, particularly if he’s going to remain as stupid as he is in this volume, sacrificing first his reputation and then his body in order to solve the issues. Sure, Inaba’s main character description is basically “hot mess”, but at least the two are sure of themselves. That said, we aren’t even halfway through this series of books, so who knows?

I was not all that enamored of the dramatic ending, which featured Inaba getting kidnapped and tied up by thugs (somehow I doubt THAT fear will linger into future books) and everyone coming to the rescue. Better was confronting Iori, which amounted to Inaba basically yelling at her until she broke down. It’s something that should be obvious, but the entire book talks about how it’s easier to think of solutions than to actually put them into action. The book also amusingly has a lot of “but this isn’t fiction, this is real life” references, which I might have appreciated more were it not for the rescue from thugs fictional drama. That said, the dialogue (wonderfully translated as always, though with Inaba in this book it’s at least an R rating just for language) is fantastic and quotable, and I really like these kids. Next book is short stories, so perhaps we can take a break from teen angst and move into teen comedys being SNAFU.

Oh yes, and “Random Paths” seems to be the translation of the title.

Maiden Railways

by

By Asumiko Nakamura. Released in Japan as “Tetsudou Shoujo Manga” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazines Melody and Rakuen Le Paradis. Released in North America by Denpa Books. Translated by Jocelyne Allen.

We’ve seen the occasional short story volume in North America, but they’re still a rarity compared to picking up long-running series. Sometimes, though, you’re in the book for quick bites… or in this case, short trips. As the title might suggest, this volume’s short stories revolve around trains and train stations. Except for one chapter, they’re not interested in makes and models in a trainspotting sort of way. The train is a vehicle into the heart, as we see various couples and singles meet, interact, and move forward around the train setting. The author is known for being skilled in the shoujo and josei world, and also has some noteworthy BL to her name, including Doukyuusei, which came out digitally here eons ago and which Seven Seas is finally putting out in print this summer. There’s no need to worry about the engineer here – this train is in good hands.

The stories are interconnected only in the setting, though there is a final chapter that shows all the protagonists of the previous stories moving past each other in a nice callback. The first story is mostly from the POV of a young wannabe pickpocket as she gets involved with a husband who thinks that his wife is cheating on him with his younger brother. It’s honestly probably a good thing she’s there, as I found the husband really aggravating (deliberate, of course, but still…) and the story works better from her semi-detached POV. Things work out well, mostly as she’s very familiar with the schedules. (OK, not so well for her, but don’t pick pockets, OK?) The second story involves a love triangle/square among high school students who are graduating, and also involves catching a lover by knowing the timetables- I was reminded of the Monty Python skit about murder and train schedules.

The third story, if I’m honest, may be what a lot of readers are here to see, as it’s the “yuri” story in the book. A high school girl who’s getting romantic attention but isn’t interested… at least not in that person… runs into an older woman who’s breaking up with her lover. Loudly. The difference between the two personalities is the reason to read this (though the height difference is also cute). The fourth story may have been the one I enjoyed the most, as a husband buys cakes every Thursday from a shop, but is hiding a deep, dark secret. Is he cheating? His wife resolves to follow him, but we know the answer isn’t that. This is the story in the book most closely related to trains and their makes and models, and I found it rather sad and sweet. The last story is also sweet and sad, and has two women bonding at the station after the last train leaves about their boyfriends. This is really the only story with a spoiler, so I’ll leave it at that, but it was also quite good.

As noted, the book ends with a story that interconnects all the other ones (though I could have done without the implication that the pickpocket might be romantically involved with the security guy) and shows that this sort of thing happens all the time on this train. It’s a nice gimmick that leads to some well-told stories. Definitely worth a read, and I’d love to see more by this author.

Manga the Week of 3/13/19

by , , , and 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s the lightest week in March, but there’s still quite a bit. Kodansha keeps holding back, that’s the problem…

Dark Horse – again, theoretically, bar last minute delays – has Mob Psycho 100 volume 2. Which we already talked about last week, so I’ll just copy/paste Michelle and Ash here…

MICHELLE: The first volume of Mob Psycho 100 intrigued me enough to try a second volume, so I’ll be snagging that one.

ASH: Likewise! I’m looking forward to reading more of the series.

SEAN: J-Novel Club gives us a 4th Amagi Brilliant Park and a 6th Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar.

Kodansha, print-wise, has That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 9 and… yeah, that’s it.

Kodansha has a digital debut as well. Love Massage: Melting Beauty Treatment is one of those shoujo/josei hybrids that runs in Ane Friend. It seems to be about massage, though judging by the title and the cover, this is a bit more saucy than that other shoujo massage manga, The Magic Touch.

MICHELLE: Huh. Provided it’s not too smutty, I might check this out.

ANNA: Maybe…I’m usually intrigued by anything with a percentage of josei.

SEAN: Also there is the 12th and final volume of Tsuredure Children, the 4th Peach Girl NEXT, and a 2nd World’s End and Apricot Jam.

Seven Seas has a pile of stuff. Their debut is The Ideal Sponger Life, a manga based on an unlicensed light novel series about a man summoned to another world… to marry the princess and get her to bear a child! This apparently starts very “same as every other isekai” but quickly gets political, so may be a slow burner. It runs in Young Ace.

MICHELLE: I thought that sounded kind of neat until I saw the gigantic bazooms on the cover.

MJ: *sigh*

SEAN: In other Seven Seas news, Devils and Realist comes to an end with Vol. 15. There’s also The Bride and the Exorcist Knight 3, The Girl from the Other Side 6, Harukana Receive 3, Machimaho 2, Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General 3, and Tomo-chan Is a Girl! 3.

MICHELLE: I will always rejoice for more The Girl from the Other Side.

ASH: Same. The series is a treasure.

ANNA: Indeed.

SEAN: SuBLime has a debut as well, with Candy Color Paradox. This BL series by long-running author Isaku Natsume runs in Shinshikan’s Dear+. Rival reporters in hot pursuit of a scoop. Will they find love?

MICHELLE: It looks kinda cute!

ASH: The creator’s previous series released in English, False Memories was rather charming, so I’ve hopes for this one, too.

ANNA: That does sound cute.

MJ: Count me in as cautiously optimistic.

SEAN: Vertical has a 3rd omnibus of May-December romance After the Rain.

MICHELLE: I really need to read this.

SEAN: Viz’s debut is Fullmetal Alchemist: The Complete 4-panel Comics. This collects all the comedic 4-komas that were extras in the main manga, and has a few extras as well, I believe. For the FMA fan who loves to laugh.

MJ: I am not always a fan of these 4-koma extras, but nobody does this better than Hiromu Arakawa, so I am 100% on board for this. Gimme, gimme.

SEAN: They also have Radiant 4, Rin-Ne 29, and That Blue-Sky Feeling 2, which is the one that interests me the most.

MICHELLE: I need to read That Blue-Sky Feeling, too.

ASH: I really like the first volume! Definitely looking forward to reading more.

ANNA: I need to check it out too!

SEAN: See? Not that bad. You’ve got to pick a title or two. (And have Oliver! in your head.)

An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, Vol. 4

by

By Fuminori Teshima and COMTA. Released in Japan by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

De-aging characters is an old and honored narrative tradition, usually used to show how characters who are currently emotionally broken/closed off were adorable little sweeties when they were kids. And that’s exactly what happens here, as during a visit to her abandoned hometown, Nephy runs afoul of a mystery villain and is turned back into a five-year-old girl. Much of this is played for comedy, as you might expect – Nephy as a child is “adowable”, and when you combine the effect with Foll as a “big sister” and Gremory, who has shown that she can not only turn into a young woman but also a little kid, the “cuteness” factor is overwhelming, especially to Zagan. That said, there’s a serious point being made here: Nephy was once a sweet and optimistic child, and years of abuse at the hands of everyone she knew made her emotionally dead. It’s why Zagan ends up wanting to burn the entire town to the ground as a sort of belated revenge.

The main cast continues to increase. Nephteros returning is not really a surprise, but we also see Gremory and Kimaris, the two most visible sorcerers from the previous book, stick around. Nephteros is mostly there to be a grumpy tsundere, which she excels at. It does make you wonder about Chastille, whose role that was originally supposed to be but it quickly went off the rails when the author realized that he just liked her freaking out and crying all the time. That said, the author has realized this and actively points it out in this book, where Zagan sees Chastille “on the job”, so to speak, and she’s revealed to be quite competent and analytical. This is mostly used for comedy, with Zagan repeatedly asking why she can’t just be like that all the time, but is a semi-serious attempt to do something with her. There’s also one or two hints of ship tease with her and Barbatos, which might end up going somewhere, because lord knows she’s not getting anywhere with Zagan.

Elf Bride is not meant to be a harem book, I think, despite the increasing number of women in the cast. Age4 regression or no (and thankfully Nephy is treated purely as a little girl when she is a little girl), Zagan and Nephy are both over the moon for each other, and the only thing holding them back has been their awkward personalities. Seeing what Nephy had to go through as a child has galvanized Zagan, though, and the two finally confess to each other in a scene that would be the most heartwarming in the book if it weren’t for the rest of the cast watching and undercutting it. As to whether this will lead to them going any further romance-wise in future books… I doubt it, somehow. This kind of series runs on adorable.

The cliffhanger implies that next volume will focus once more on Nephy’s dark twin, who’s rapidly coming to be a second protagonist, possibly as she has a more varied emotional response than our favorite repressed elf. I look forward to seeing what happens.

Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family, Vol. 1

by

By TAa, based on Fate/Stay Night by TYPE-MOON. Released in Japan as “Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan” by Kadokawa Shoten, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Ace Up. Released in North America by Denpa Books. Translated by Ko Ransom.

In the beginning there was Fate/Stay Night, a visual novel with three routes, a whole lot of dead cast members, and infinite anime and manga spinoffs. Then there was Fate/Hollow Ataraxia, a sequel to the visual novel which asked the question “what if everyone in the cast was still alive?”. That too has a manga. This… is not that manga. Sorry, Bazett. Instead we have Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family, which asks the pertinent question “what if we adapted FHA but removed everything that wasn’t making food and sweet, heartwarming scenes?”. This also had an anime, which was just as heartwarming. Now we have the original manga, which is kind enough to not only give us the recipes, but also still has Shirou talking himself/the reader through each meal. The result is the perfect Fate adaptation for those who want to see everyone stop dying and just being really nice to each other. It’s as sweet as pie.

The “Emiya Family”, at its core, are the five who tend to eat dinner at Shirou’s house almost every evening: Shirou, Saber, Sakura, Rider, and Taiga. That said, worry not if you’re a Rin fan, she’s all over this volume and a frequent visitor, as are Illya, Lancer and Caster. Heck, even Assassin gets a chapter devoted to him and delicious sandwiches. Archer is around as well, though for most of the volume the joke is that we never see his face. Each chapter follows a similar trajectory: we set up a situation, find the perfect food for the situation, and the food is made over the course of the next few days. This could be salmon Lancer recommended, sweets celebrating Hinamatsuri nd Illya growing strong and healthy, Chinese food to celebrate Rin and Sakura’s new bond, etc. Even when there’s a brief hint there may be conflict, such as when Saber sees Shirou teaching Caster how to cook, it’s quickly defused.

The manga does, I will let you know, assume that you are familiar with the original Fate visual novel and what happens in it. (Though my guess is that, in regards to the chapter with Shinji, they’d rather we forget about it. It’s the only chapter that left an unpleasant taste in my mouth, though at least it’s less “Sakura is trying to please her abusive brother” and more “Shinji is the pickiest eater around.) In particular, if you don’t know the relationship between Rin and Sakura, you might wonder why they’re flirting with each other. They’re embarrassed for a different reason. That said, apart from that, the manga can be read by anyone who enjoys Fate and doesn’t mind a complete lack of conflict. Even Caster is on her best behavior here.

Most importantly, as every good foodie manga should, this volume made me hungry, and wanting to try some of the recipes. If you are like Shirou, Rin and Sakura and love to cook, or are just like Saber and love to eat, this is a terrific pickup. And for anime fans, there are one or two things here that weren’t animated, though future volumes should have even more of that.

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 19

by

By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

This wraps up, for now, the dark magical girl arc of the series, though I’m sure they’ll be back in some capacity. They’re not likely to be the Big Bads of the entire series, though – Maya and Elexis are clearly filling that position. We can also tell by the fact that Darkness Rainbow is slowly losing its cohesion – not that it had much to begin with. Maki defected to the side of the heroes, Crimson is happy to do whatever as long as she gets a fight, Green is, frankly, in denial about a crush on Crimson and also wishes the group could be better friends, and as for Purple, well, she’s the Big Bad of this book specifically. The moment we saw her backstory in the prologue we knew it wouldn’t be pretty. Maki’s defection means we need a new Dark Magical Girl to contrast with Yurika, who has friends, a guy she likes, and magical powers and the smarts to use them. Given all that, why WOULDN’T Purple try to open a hell portal?

Speaking of which, time to gush about my favorite character again. She’s still in “awesome” mode here, and the author says in the afterword that he intentionally made her super weak and whiny because her magic had the potential to be a deus ex machina. Now she’s matured (though I’m sure when they get back to Room 106 and she’s studying she’ll backslide), and we also find out an interesting tidbit from Nana, her predecessor – Yurika became an archwizard in about half the time anyone else did. Including Nana. I also really loved the dialogue about love between her and Koutarou, as both of them hate to see the other looking like a “soldier” rather than a happy-go-lucky teenager. This is what the others want to see from Yurika – not necessarily the lazy whining, but Yurika at peace and not worrying about the next threat.

This wraps up an arc, but there’s plenty of setup for the next few books, which promise to take the action back into space. We learn that the People of the Earth and Yurika and Nana’s magical kingdom (I’ve given up on figuring out if Yurika is from Earth or Folsaria, frankly) are the descendants of the evil alchemists and mages that Koutarou and Clan helped defeat in the past. And, of course, everyone got away – again. So while Folsaria has settled down, I’ve no doubt that after a volume or two of fluff (gotta have contrast), we’ll be headed back to Forthorthe for a while. (We’re right about at two/thirds through this series, though given the short word count of each book it doesn’t seem that long.) In any case, Yurika and company saved the day, and even got a kiss out of it. Well, she and Maki initiated the kiss. And it’s on Koutarou’s cheek. But it’s a start! Please fix this emotionally broken boy.

So a good Rokujouma, with lots of fighting and desperate measures and the like. Also, Yurika, Maki, Clan and Kiriha fuse, which made me imagine this as a Steven Universe crossover.

Bookshelf Briefs 3/4/19

by , and 1 Comment

ACCA 13-Territory Inspection Department, Vol. 6 | By Natsume Ono | Yen Press – And so, ACCA ends as it began, with endless discussions between relatively stoic middle-aged people. This is pretty much the definition of Natsume Ono’s career, so no complaints here. Things work out. Being the leader of a revolution is the last thing that Jean wants, and it’s amusing to see how he’s theoretically promised something to every single territory without actually promising anything. Moreover, ACCA manages to threaten the new ruler without actually removing him, and there are hints that he’ll be nicer—to Jean’s sister if no one else. Six volumes seems like the exact length for this series, and I’m happy to have read it, even when it was intensely talky. – Sean Gaffney

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 10 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – It’s a new direction for The Ancient Magus’ Bride, as Chise is off to attend the alchemist college. The alchemists want to study Chise in hopes of creating an artificial sleigh beggy substitute and in return she gets to audit classes for free. I liked that her primary goal is learning how to help people without sacrificing herself (with the side goal of thus keeping Elias from undertaking any more the-ends-justify-the-means efforts to save her) and also potentially find cures for the two curses now afflicting her arm. Many new characters are introduced, Chise is reminded that she’s “really bad at dealing with people and school,” and the church realizes that Elias’ observer has been lax and prepares to send out someone different. I’m enjoying this arc so far and remain very glad I got caught up on this series when I did! – Michelle Smith

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 13 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media – Yuzu’s back and just in time for In No Hurry to participate in the Tokyo Sailing concert series. The only problem is that Nino is “catastrophically terrible” in rehearsals, which she attributes to having nothing left to yearn for now that she and Momo have finally gotten together. A lot of angst ensues, culminating in a performance where Nino seems unconcerned that she’s damaging her voice, convincing the two main guys in her life that she’s planning on giving up singing. Yuzu seems poised to try to reign her in by joining her on vocals—this would be a huge development—buuuuut then we end the main story to make way for a bonus story that is fine, I guess (it does have a cute cat), but not what I wanted to be reading. This series is still occasionally infuriating, but I guess I’m hooked now. – Michelle Smith

Barakamon, Vol. 17 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – Hiroshi’s absence is felt here, mostly as he does NOT call home all the time or immediately return. Hilariously, Handa tries to fix things by dying his hair blond and doing incredibly bad Hiroshi impressions. The bulk of the humor in this book, though, comes from the arrival of a two-person documentary team, here to videotape the countryside but not really prepared for the sheer presence of most of the cast, (and also having tremendous trouble not flirting shamelessly with each other, something everyone picks up on). Barakamon is wrapping up next volume, and that seems about right—this volume seems to be dragging things out a bit, and most of the main plot points have been wrapped up. – Sean Gaffney

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 6 | By Ukami |Yen Press – The last half of this volume of Gabriel Dropout deals with the school trip, and has some good laughs, including two times where I literally laughed out loud (both involve Gabriel). Which is good, because that’s the main reason anyone is reading this series. The characters are not really here to develop, even as we introduce more of them. Another human girl gets a spotlight here, trying to make friends with Mei despite her being a devil and also really shy. Raphiel gets to snark, Vignette gets to overplan, Satanichia gets to do her “evil ojou” impersonation… everything is present and correct. Should you still read this series? Yes. It’s funny. It’s not deep, but I always smile at the end of it. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 5 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – If a direct confession doesn’t work, well, try the forceful kiss again, I guess? Really, a lot of Hatsu*Haru revolves around how bad Kai is at being a cool shoujo lead, and I don’t expect this to end well for him. Meanwhile, Riko’s crush is finally married, so she can theoretically move on—though most of this volume is about how moving on is hard. And in a blow to my shipper heart, Ayumi and Takaya are faking a relationship in order to try to get Kai and Riko together… but don’t actually seem to have any sublimated feelings for each other. Darn. Ah well, the manga is still young. Till then, please enjoy teens being really emotional and awkward about romance. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 9 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – Again we get two stories in this volume, one shorter and one long. The short one shows us Kotoko in high school, being asked to join a mystery club that’s about to be dissolved and in her spare time figuring out that the club is more about a forbidden romance than any actual mystery, though I was amused at “spoiling” a mystery that isn’t a spoiler in the first place. The longer story is more serious, about a young woman with a deadly past that… is not being brought up by the media, and about Kotoko and Kuro solving the mystery and also revealing a lot to us about lucky cat statues. There’s less of Kotoko being silly and horny in this one, but the stories are fun. – Sean Gaffney

NE NE NE | By Shizuku Totono and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – The opening scene of NE NE NE shows the wedding between Koyuki and Shin, an arranged marriage in which the groom is twenty years older than his teenaged wife. While this premise certainly had the potential to enter into somewhat questionable territory, the manga is actually quite charming and sweet. I’m not sure that I was ever entirely convinced by the difference in Koyuki and Shin’s ages based on how they were portrayed as individuals, but I did enjoy seeing their relationship naturally deepen over the course of the volume. Of the two leads Shin is the more fully-developed character—he at least gets a backstory while almost nothing is known about Koyuki beyond the fact that she desperately wants to be a good wife. But even so, they’re adorable, both together and on their own. With an additional dash of humor and magic, NE NE NE is a delight. – Ash Brown

Ran and the Gray World, Vol. 2 | By Aki Irie | VIZ Media – The opening chapter of this volume pissed me off righteously, as it involves teen-version Ran hanging out with Otaro the creeper and telling him, “You’d better not touch me” only for him to immediately glomp her. Actual quote from my notes: “THIS FUCKER DOES NOT LISTEN AT ALL. I WANT TO KICK HIM INTO THE SUN.” He promises he’s got “lots more” in store for her, but thankfully her new magic teacher arrives and the story moves on to deadly magical insects (one comes thiiiiiis close to killing Otaro but, sadly, he survives), magical training, and classmates who have crushes on Jin and Ran. I vastly prefer Ran’s age-appropriate love interest, Hibi, and sincerely hope having a friend her own age inspires her to stay away from Otaro. At least Jin is on to his womanizing ways. – Michelle Smith

Ran and the Gray World, Vol. 2 | By Aki Irie | Viz Media – The good news is that all the reasons that I enjoyed the first volume are here again. Ran is a delight, I also like her brother (and his maybe relationship with a new girl whose looks and personality remind me of Hinata Hyuuga), the bug subplot is creepy but also drives the story forward well, and the art is absolutely gorgeous. The bad news is that the main thing I didn’t like about the fist volume is also here: Otaro, the sleazy older guy from the first volume, is back and still trying to get into Ran’s pants. Even if she weren’t really a young girl using magical shoes, he’d still be the absolute worst, something the manga artist knows—they show him being reprehensible. Maybe he’ll die in the next book? Nah, I’m not that lucky. – Sean Gaffney

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 5 | By Maybe | Yen Press – I was prepared to meet the fifth Ring Princess in this book, which we do (she’s on the cover, in case you hadn’t guessed). It’s the rest of the book that took me by surprise. Things go very bad very fast, and all of our main harem end up being shunted back to Earth in order to save them from the encroaching doom. This is… annoying given that Satou and the Ring Princesses’ sole purpose is to save the world from encroaching doom. It does mean we get to see cute things like shopping for clothes and going to libraries. It’s also fortuitous, as the fifth princess was on Earth all along. Will we be headed back next volume? And will Satou ever manage to go all the way with Hime? Honestly, I suspect no, but this is still fun to read. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Dance to the Beat

by , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: If I’m being honest, I’m most excited this week about 10 Dance and Skip Beat!. But I’ll throw my pick behind Everyone’s Getting Married, a final volume, because I love Viz’s “Josei Beat” titles and wish they could get more of them.

MICHELLE: I’m also most excited for 10 Dance and Skip Beat!! As much as I love the latter, however, I’ve been extolling its virtues on a biannual basis for quite a while now, so I’ll award 10 Dance official pick status this time.

ANNA: I love Skip Beat! so much, but I’m also going to pick Everyone’s Getting Married. I hope the ending of this series means we get another “Josei Beat” license announcement soon.

ASH: Like most everyone else so far, 10 Dance is definitely one of the manga that I’m looking forward to the most this week. The other series actually hasn’t been mentioned yet—Mob Psycho 100. The first volume’s mix of quirky humor and heart makes the series my official pick.