Manga Bookshelf

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Sean Gaffney

Bookshelf Briefs 2/19/19

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Crocodile Baron, Vol. 2 | By Takuya Okada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Crocodile Baron was initially part food manga, part whimsical story about a gentlemanly crocodile novelist named Alfardo J. Donson (a stellar name). In its second volume, the food is still there—I mean, technically, Alfardo and his pal Rabbit Boy travel around and eat various foods—but there’s even less focus on it than before, and it wasn’t much to start with. Now, it’s more about the quirky characters they meet, from a chameleon who wants to get the scoop on Alfardo’s wild side to a lonely jackal to a spoiled rich bunny girl to a competitive beaver. It’s good for a few chuckles, but there’s not much about it’s that’s exciting or compelling. The third volume is its last, and that’s the right length for this offbeat series. – Michelle Smith

Kase-san and Cherry Blossoms | By Hiromi Takashima | Seven Seas – This seems to be a transitional volume of Kase-san, telling a few stories from around the high school years but also putting things in place to get our girls into college, which they do. There’s a certain intentional disconnect between Yamada the emotional girl who cries at everything, which we certainly see at several points here, and Yamada the mature young woman, which she is slowly coming with the help of Kase. This may also be why we get another love scene towards the end, which shows us that “cherry blossoms” is also a metaphor. And they agree to use first names, which I suspect is not going to lead to a series name change. Still adorable and sweet. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 17 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Superpowers/quirks can be awesome and empowering, but they can also be terrifying. Usually they’re both. That’s especially the case with Eri, whose quirk literally erased her father from existence. Fortunately, she has folks like Mirio and Izuku trying to save her. Unfortunately, Mirio’s quirk is erased, and I get the feeling (the cover doesn’t help) that it’s going to be permanent. In amongst all the chaos (which features Toga impersonating Deku, something you’d think she’d have saved for a less pointless moment), the goal seems to be to get Eri to believe in them and reach out her hand to be saved. Which she eventually does, and just in time, as Izuku almost kills himself. Again. Fantastic. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 25 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – The most interesting part of this volume to me is how it handled Mafuyu’s memory loss of large parts of her childhood. For a while it was almost a joke—”lol, head trauma from falling off a jungle gym”—but now it appears that mental trauma may be a cause. What’s more, it appears to have had an effect on Takaomi, who was not always the smiling sadist Mafuyu is used to. It all seems to come down to the new teacher, who turns out (like everyone else in this series) to be connected to the delinquent battles of West and East High. Oh, and there’s also Hanabusa’s little sister, who I’d almost forgotten about. Lots of funny jokes, here, don’t get me wrong, but this is a very plot-heavy Oresama Teacher. – Sean Gaffney

Please Tell Me! Galko-chan, Vol. 5 | By Kenya Suzuki | Seven Seas – There’s more of what everyone wants from a Galko volume here. Lots of random discussions, a few sex-related but some not. There’s the “we watch foreign movies and discuss them” mini-chapters, which I guess are a thing now. There’s the author’s artstyle, which still makes this a series I really wouldn’t recommend to kids —there’s no actual nudity, but there’s lots of extremely large breasts and butts. To my surprise, there’s even a serious storyline near the end, as Galko’s older sister goes on a date with Otako’s older brother, planning to take his virginity, but it turns out his purity actually makes her feel bad about it (and it doesn’t happen in any case.) Still interested. – Sean Gaffney

Shortcake Cake, Vol. 3 | By Suu Morishita | Viz Media – It turns out that I never reviewed the first two volumes of this series. I certainly enjoy it enough, but my guess is that this is going to be one of those shoujo series where I don’t have much to say. There’s a love triangle. The heroes are 1) quiet intellectual and 2) seeming playboy. The heroine has a few issues as well (and a nice set of nightmares, which may have been my favorite part of the book). The cast is likable. That said, if I currently have titles like Yona of the Dawn and The Water Dragon’s Bride at the top of my Shojo Beat list, this one sits comfortable at the end of the middle tier. It’s quite enjoyable, you won’t regret purchasing it, and you will totally forget about it till the next book comes along. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 7 | By Yuki Shiwasu | VIZ Media – Takane’s coping better with being poor, helped by Hana providing regular meals and Kirigasaki requesting a transfer to help maximize Takane’s efficiency at work. He’s slowly regaining ground and it’s clear he appreciates what Hana has done for him. When he gives her a key to his new apartment, it’s not just that he trusts her but that he also finally understands that all the extravagant gifts really were meaningless to her but this will be a significant one. For her part, Hana’s still determined to keep the fact that she’s in love with Takane a secret from him—ostensibly because he’d be insufferable but partly because she’s afraid how their relationship would change if it came to light. I do look forward to some fun gloating when that day arrives, but the best moments are always the sweet ones. I continue to enjoy this series a lot. – Michelle Smith

The Voynich Hotel, Vol. 3 | By Douman Seiman | Seven Seas – By the third and final volume of The Voynich Hotel, all the seemingly disparate storylines and characters converge in a rather dramatic and admittedly violent fashion, which honestly is not all that unusual for the series. Even the gags that initially appeared to be one-off throwaways are ultimately revealed to be of great significance to the plot. Astonishingly, Seiman manages to combine ancient goddesses, witches, demons, undead, yakuza, hitmen, serial killers, drug dealers, tourists, amusement parks, maids, wrestlers, pop culture references and so much more in ways that somehow make weird and darkly amusing sense. The manga’s humor ranges from the completely random to the decidedly risqué. Along with quirky characters, peculiar settings, and bizarre happenings, The Voynich Hotel makes for an exceptionally strange but engaging and sometimes even surprisingly endearing series. I greatly enjoyed it and wouldn’t mind seeing more of Seiman’s work translated in the future. – Ash Brown

We Never Learn, Vol. 2 | By Taishi Tsutsui | Viz Media – Much to my relief, the core “three girls” seems to stay the same by the end of this volume. Not that we don’t meet more characters—Sawako is a self-proclaimed rival to Rizu who, like most self-proclaimed rivals in anime and manga, turns out to be a really good friend who just expresses it through rivalry. More intriguing is a teacher in the school, Kirisu, who seems determined to show the girls that they’re not playing to their strengths this way, and that Nariyuki’s study help will hurt them in the long run. She has a very valid point, but it’s not a point that you should be making within the confines of Shonen Jump, so they’re allowed to continue, despite the constant threat of mild fanservice. – Sean Gaffney

I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse, Vol. 12

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By Namekojirushi and Nao Watanuki. Released in Japan as “Ore ga Heroine o Tasukesugite Sekai ga Little Mokushiroku!?” by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mana Z.

What struck me most about this volume of Little Apocalypse was what a well oiled machine Rekka’s heroine saving has become. We get three heroines arriving one right after the other, and Rekka and company know what’s going to be happening – he’s got to save them all. He picks out his crack team of Rekka’s Angels based on who he feels would fit best with what’s planned, and for the most part he’s absolutely right about it. The girls occasionally fight over him, but it’s “offscreen” so we don’t actually need to see it, and when times get tough they’re all business. They’re also the main “muscle” of the story – Rekka admits point blank that he’s the sort of person to rely on the powers of others, and they certainly have a lot of power. That said, there are certainly some spanners in the works in this volume, both on the heroine end and the plot end.

Our heroines this time include Haruka Tenou… erm, I mean a phantom thief who has unfortunately put a cursed tiara on her head; Setsuna Sakurazaki… erm, I mean a noble samurai girl from 500 years in the past trying to save her princess; and another princess, this time from Atlantis, 1000 years in the past. As you can imagine, there’s going to be some time travel here, but by now everyone mostly shrugs it off. The phantom thief is the easy part of Rekka’s mission (and honestly the dullest – she’s too perfect). The samurai is more of an issue, as Rekka, due to events, chooses to prioritize the other two girls first, which pisses her off, especially as she hasn’t yet seem Rekka in action and doesn’t trust him. Why would you trust a guy with a harem of girls who says he can fix everything? Moreover, the Atlantean princess, who as a tragic ghost was noble and sweet, as a living being is… well, a spoiled princess.

The other spanner here is the plot twist near the end, which I thought was rather clever. You know that things are going badly when R can actually talk to Rekka about his actions – usually she can’t influence him. It also allows Rekka to save the day at the end with a very clever device that relies on his “greed” – not for money or power, but his desire to save all the heroines (who are listed in order, which is helpful as I’ve forgotten some of them). I was also amused, if somewhat ruefully, at the twist at the end. Rekka thinks that, due to the fact that two of his three heroines this book live in the past, that he’s not going to have them joining the cast herd. Nope – here they are, and the explanation actually works. This is what you have to face up to when you’re a man whose inability to get it romantically led to the end of the world.

So a strong volume in the series, and we’ve only four more to go. How many more heroines can we stack on? And will Rekka manage to graduate?

Pick of the Week: Not Just Silver Spoon

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SEAN: I am, of course, picking Urusei Yatsura. For reasons I have already stated. That said, I suspect I know where the other picks will be headed. Again. Which is fine, as I love that too.

MICHELLE: I haven’t read that title in question yet, and thus feel weird picking it, so I’m actually going for the second volume of Ran and the Gray World. Although there’s one character I could entirely do without, the premise is neat, Ran’s brother is pretty awesome, and the art is freaking gorgeous. I just hope the story goes in a direction that isn’t creepy.

MJ: I mean, do you even have to ask? There’s some good stuff on the list, but y’know. Silver Spoon. Always Silver Spoon.

ANNA: I feel the same way about Michelle about Ran and the Grey World, but I have read a little bit of Urusei Yatsura before, and while it might not be as polished as Takahashi’s other works, it is a true manga classic. I’m glad it is going to be in print again, so it is my pick.

KATE: I’m going to be predictable and recommend Silver Spoon again, but I’m also going to back Sean’s play with Urusei Yatsura. Hiromu Arakawa and Rumiko Takahashi are the undisputed Queens of Shonen and deserve some love from American readers!

ASH: I’m looking forward to reading more of Ran and the Gray World and of course Silver Spoon, too. But all else being equal, I tend to favor debuts for my official picks, so this week I’ll be choosing Urusei Yatsura. Though, I suppose technically it’s not a really a debut… but it will be the first time I’m reading it!

How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, Vol. 8

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By Dojyomaru and Fuyuyuki. Released in Japan by Overlap, Inc. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

After a book that was mostly politics last time, we spend much of this book with warfare, as the tiny kingdom of Lastania is under attack by a horde of monsters from the demon territories. This is relevant to Souma and company because Roroa’s brother Julius, who has been wandering around ever since he got his ass handed to him in the early books, has settled down in this kingdom due to falling for the kingdom’s insufferably cute and plucky princess, Tia, who is on the cover despite not getting nearly as much focus in the book as I expected. Julius is a bit desperate here, as the Kingdom is falling to the monsters, so asks Souma for aid even though it may mean his own death. That said, readers of this series know that Souma is (usually) not one to carry grudges, especially not against members of his fiancee’s family. He also has the ability to show up and lead a charge to wipe everything out, which he does.

Given the nature of this series, there’s not really much of an actual threat here. We do see a few of the regulars get to show off their skills, including Hal, Kaede and Ruby, now pretty much working as a well-oiled OT3; Kuu and Leporina, who remain the perfect overenthusiastic royal and harried bodyguard; and Komain and Jirukoma, who are reunited here as Jirukoma is part of Julius’ forces. Honestly, despite all the battles, you get the feeling that the author is more interested in the romance. Leporina clearly has feelings for Kuu, but is waiting for him to mature enough to see them. Poncha, Serina and Komain appear to be forming an OT3 of their own, but Komain may be the only one who actually realizes this. Jirukoma hooks up with one of the Captain’s of Lastania’s forces, Lauren, in a classic “I am too dim to recognize obvious signals” sort of way. Oh yes, and on Souma’s end, Maria is still hinting she would not mind hooking up with him, Excel is hitting on him to the displeasure of ALL the fiancees, and we also hear about a beautiful young warrior from not-China as a tease for the next book. (Hopefully Realist Hero’s not-China holds up better than Smartphone’s not-China.)

There are a few drawbacks to this volume. I’ve talked before about the “Native American” stereotype for the refugees, and we get more art showing it off here. Still don’t like it. Given we’re focusing on how Julius has been reformed, partly due to the power of love, I wish we’d had a bit more time spent with him and Tia, who pretty much exists as a thing to protect. That said, I approve of villains who can reform, and Julius’ guarded conversations with Souma were excellent. I also liked an exhausted Souma confessing his fears of becoming too jaded and uncaring when he becomes king, and Roroa and Naden’s reassurances. I would like to see Liscia again – we do get a scene with her, revealing she’s pregnant with twins, but the nature of the universe, and the “realist” part of it, means she’s still being treated like fine china.

So a mostly solid Realist Hero here, and we’re edging closer to the actual coronation and wedding(s). That said, it appears we have another detour coming up next. Does Souma need an artist?

One Piece, Vol. 89

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By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz. Translated by Stephen Paul.

So, as I have said before, and will again, I have difficulty doing full reviews of these volumes of One Piece that are just a bunch of giant melee battles. And yet, One Piece is also one of the series where I am dedicated to giving full reviews to each volume – no Bookshelf Briefs as that would be cheating. So let’s see what we have here. First of all, I pretty much enjoyed this volume as much as I have the last few, which if anything else puts this arc above Dressrosa, where I was desperate for an ending by the second to last volume. As this manga moves towards the inevitable Volume 100, it’s nice to see that Oda really is mastering his craft, and still learning from his mistakes. The last few arcs have had him “write out” members of the Straw Hats because he doesn’t want everything to be too cluttered – in this arc that means no Zoro, Robin, Franky, or Usopp. This also allows him to introduce a truly ridiculous number of minor villains and allies.

Big Mom’s pirates are the villains here, but even among them there are varying degrees of Good and Evil. We’ve already seen Big Mom’s empathetic but also horrifying backstory, and have gotten hints that Katakuri, Luffy’s opponent throughout the volume, is a “noble villain” sort. We get that confirmed here with the peanut gallery help from Flampe, one of the many family daughters, and a brat with a brother complex that, like most brother complexes, doesn’t take much to get destroyed. Her attempts at ‘helping’ her brother in his fight by shooting needles at Luffy completely miss the point, especially if you view the fight as a “many battle between men”, which, this being Shonen Jump, it absolutely is. Naturally, when Luffy Haki’s up and gets serious, Flampe is one of the first to foam at the mouth and fall unconscious. There are rules of cool in One Piece, and only certain characters can flout them and get away with it.

Meanwhile, the replacement cake has finally been delivered, and there really is an awful lot of discussion about it being poisoned, and Big Mom possibly being affected by the poison. I’m gonna be honest, I simply cannot see Sanji poisoning a cake, at all, for any reason, so I think they’re waiting in vain here. I think it’s pretty much just pure delicious – which is at least enough to slow Big Mom down, as she has to eat it if nothing else. It even makes her nostalgic for her childhood party that went terribly wrong. That said, this also means it’s time for Sanji and Pudding to break up, at least for now. There’s no real romance in One Piece, and we were never going to get a big damn kiss, but we come as close as Oda is ever going to show us, and it was pretty cool. Again, when he’s not being a comedy lech, I really like Sanji.

There’s a cliffhanger ending to this volume, of the sort that’s “did all our heroes get killed just now?” Probably not. Still, it definitely looks like next volume we’re moving on to a new arc, and gathering up the rest of the Straw Hats. Which pleases me, but this arc has been, on the whole, very sweet.

I Shall Survive Using Potions!, Vol. 1

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By FUNA and Sukima. Released in Japan by Kodansha. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Garrison Denim.

This was honestly not at all what I expected. I expected this series to be a very ‘slow life’ sort. The heroine would be reincarnated in another world, start a potion shop, get a couple of assistants, etc. Kind of like Killing Slimes for 300 Years, that sort of thing. This is 100% not that sort of series. Kaoru is not interested in a quiet life, just a life with freedom. Like Katarina from My Next Life as a Villainess, she has “evil eyes”, i.e. the sort that slant up, and wherever she goes she changes the lives of people around her. But Katarina is a sweetie pie, whereas Kaoru is more of a tactical nuclear missile. As the book moves from place to place, and Kaoru and her potions affect more and more people, the reader’s jaw begins to drop as to what will happen next. And woe betide the evil baron or sketchy gate guard who gets in the way of a really good plan. Kaoru is here for one reason alone: Kaoru.

A brief summary: Kaoru is a 20-something OL who’s on her way home on the train when she literally EXPLODES and dies. This is the fault of higher beings who were trying to do something else and she got caught up in it. They offer to reincarnate her in a medieval-style world, and she proceeds to ask/blackmail them into giving her a LOT of things. Language skills, a box of infinite holding, etc. And the ability to create any potion she can think of, along with containers for same. The kicker here is that she thinks she’s going to be in a standard light novel fantasy world. But no, there’s no magic here beyond dragons, and it’s more ‘hunting’ than ‘adventuring’. As such, when Kaoru uses her potions to heal a gravely wounded hunter, the general reaction is “WHAAAAAAAAAT?”. Now Kaoru finds herself moving from kingdom to kingdom, getting involved, healing people with potions, and trying to live a free life.

There are so many light novels out there that are male power fantasies, where the hero gets a harem of slave girls, awesome adventurer powers, etc. that it’s weird to read a female power fantasy like this. Most of the other series we’ve seen over here with female protagonists (including Make My Abilities Average!, by the same author as this) tend to have them as nice girls who are “plucky”. Kaoru is not that sort of heroine, and is almost anti-plucky. Occasionally she is in mild danger, such as when she’s captured by the evil nobles who want to get her potion abilities, but she’s got a plan, which involves knocking out the maid, dressing up as her, stealing the entire room, and walking out. (The poor maid eventually gets her dress back, and we’re reassured is not beaten or anything.) That said, most of the people whose lives Kaoru makes miserable are men, and sometimes you get the feeling she’s going out of her way to be awful to them. That said, she really does help a number of people suffering from grievous injuries, rich or poor. As well as, um, de-aging a female knight who’s too old to get married so she can try again.

By the end of this book I was enjoying it quite a bit. I will warn that it may make some readers uncomfortable. Kaoru is a lot to take, and can tease men or destroy their lives at a whim. But then, that’s what it means to live the free life, rather than the slow life.

Manga the Week of 2/20/19

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SEAN: Usually I go in alphabetical order by publisher when I do this, but sometimes I need to shill, and this is one of those weeks.

Urusei Yatsura is one of the seminal titles of anime and manga. It started a brilliant career for its creator, Rumiko Takahashi. Its female lead, Lum, is recognizable even by those who don’t follow anime. It was licensed here back in the 1990s, but that wasn’t the right time for it. This is. It’s coming out in 2-in-1 omnibuses, the art looks fantastic (all right, the art looks really crude and 1978, but the restoration looks fantastic), AND it’s the first Takahashi title to get a digital release in North America. I realize the early volumes can be hard to take. These aren’t likable characters. But God, they’re funny. Pick up this little slice of history.

MICHELLE: I don’t expect to find this funny, but I feel like I ought to try it, at least. I do like Takahashi in general.

ANNA: An important part of manga history! I’m glad it is being issued again.

ASH: I’ve been wanting to read the series for a while now, but the old edition was becoming difficult to find. Glad that I’ll finally get a chance!

MJ: I’ve never been as much of a Takahashi worshiper as I feel like I should be, but I guess this gives me another chance to try to become one.

SEAN: And now back to the routine, which means Ghost Ship. We get To-Love-Ru 11-12, To-Love-Ru Darkness 9, and World’s End Harem 4.

J-Novel Club has another debut next week with Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! A young man has dreams where he’s in a fantasy world fighting next to a beautiful young elf. One day, he wakes up… no, he’s not in the fantasy world. Instead, the elf is now in Japan. It’s Isekai Reverse!

There’s also Ao Oni: Forever, An Archdemon’s Dilemma 4, and the 13th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

Kodansha print-wise has Fire Force 14 and Grand Blue Dreaming 4.

Digitally, we debut World’s End and Apricot Jam (Sekai no Hajikko to Anzu Jam), a Dessert series about a young apartment manager who finds that one of the tenants (whose keyboard she accidentally breaks) is actually a famous musician!

There’s also a pile of digital-only ongoing series. Back Street Girls 8; DAYS 12; A Kiss, for Real 7; Living Room Matsunaga-san 5; Perfect World 8; and Tokyo Revengers 4.

MICHELLE: Hooray for DAYS. I think A Kiss, for Real also looks pretty cute.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 2nd Hinamatsuri.

Seven Seas debuts a spinoff of a spinoff, as the Railgun manga gets its own side story, A Certain Scientific Railgun: Astral Buddy. It stars one of Misaki’s two henchwomen.

There’s also the 2nd Fairy Tale Battle Royale, Freezing 23-24, a 6th Holy Corpse Riding, and the 5th Saint Seiya: Saintia Sho.

Vertical has a 3rd volume of Chi’s Sweet Adventures.

In addition to Urusei Yatsura (see above), Viz also gives us Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 10, Ran and the Gray World 2, the 4th and final RWBY manga anthology, and a 9th Tokyo Ghoul: re.

MICHELLE: The first volume of Ran and the Gray World was pretty neat! I hope they jettison the creepy dude in volume two, though.

ANNA: I have a feeling that is not going to happen, but the art really blew me away so I’m still curious about volume 2.

ASH: Same!

MJ: I’m definitely here for the next volume of Ran and the Gray World!

SEAN: And now Yen buries us in books, though as always a few titles seem to have slipped to the week after next.

On the Yen On end, the debut is Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir!. It’s a reincarnation isekai. And again, our hero isn’t a human. He’s a dog. A… very big dog. OK, a wolf. A VERY BIG WOLF.

MICHELLE: Wow. That title is something else.

ASH: Sometimes the titles and concepts are more impressive than the actual execution of the story. I wonder if that will be the case here.

SEAN: There’s also A Certain Magical Index 18, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria 5, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon: Sword Oratoria 8, the 7th My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected, the 9th Re: Zero, and a 3rd volume of Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online.

The one debut for Yen’s manga side is a spinoff: Kakegurui Twin, a prequel to the main series.

Non-adaptation titles include Barakamon 17, Dimension W 13, Forbidden Scrollery 6, Gabriel Dropout 6, Girls’ Last Tour 6 (a final volume), Hatsu*Haru 5, Laid-Back Camp 5, Prison School 12, School-Live! 10, Shibuya Goldfish 3, Silver Spoon 7, Tales of Wedding Rings 5, Though You May Burn to Ash 4, Trinity Seven 15.5 (a half volume?), and Val x Love 5.

MICHELLE: More volumes to add to the Barakamon and Silver Spoon to-read piles!

ANNA: I haven’t read the first couple volumes of Silver Spoon but I will one day!

ASH: Shhh, don’t let MJhear you. (But you really should give it a try; Silver Spoon is great!)

MJ: SILVER SPOON SILVER SPOON I AM NOT LISTENING TO ANNA LA LA LA.

SEAN: It’s a light month for light novel adaptations, though. We see the 2nd Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon: Familia Chronicle, a 9th Overlord, and the 2nd Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization.

ROCK THE PLANET! Buy Urusei Yatsura! And what else?

Cooking with Wild Game, Vol. 1

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By EDA and Kochimo. Released in Japan by Hobby Japan. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Matthew Warner.

Given that this title starts off with a young man waking up in a forest with no idea where he is, it’s time to tick off the isekai/reincarnated checklist. And actually, the series so far seems to hold up pretty well after ticking the boxes. There is no adventurer’s guild here, nor do we go dungeon crawling. While the town it takes place in seems to consist of outcasts, there don’t appear to be slaves. Our hero does not have any new and fantastic powers from entering this world. He knows how to cook, but that’s from his life in Japan, and he doesn’t have skills above “I’m seventeen and still learning from my dad”. He doesn’t even meet God! That said, his skills are certainly needed as he meets a group of people who have forgotten how delicious food can be, and his job is to help them rediscover that. He’s helped by a blond, dark-skinned… no, wait, she’s not even an elf! They’re dark-skinned from their lifestyle.

Now, to be fair, the female lead is a tsundere. If you hate tsunderes, you may want to find something else to read. I quite liked Ai Fa, though, who is dealing with a lot. Her mother died years ago. Her father, after teaching her to hunt (which women don’t really do in their village) also dies, leaving her as the sole member of the family. Of the two big families in the village, one son tries to rape her (she fends him off) and the other tries to marry her to a second son (she declines). As such, she’s something of a pariah, going into the forest to kill food so she can survive. It’s no wonder that when she finds our hero Asuta, dressed as a chef, incredibly pale, and saying he’s from Japan, she’s inclined to want nothing to do with him. But he can cook, and that fact alone warms her up quite a bit. Plus, he’s nice and doesn’t try to take advantage of her. Well, except when he was sleeping and tried to eat her.

As noted above, Asuta is a nice guy, whose only real eccentricity is a tendency to overanalyze people by what they smell like. He’s here in this world with boar-like creatures and onion-like veggies and has to improvise, and a lot of the dialogue is cooking details. If you enjoy foodie manga, you might get a kick out of this. Aside from one scene that seems designed to provide fanservice involving a giant snake, there’s not really much skeeziness here. We also meet potential rivals for any romance, but honestly, Asuta and Ai Fa look pretty smitten with each other, so they’ll have to work really hard to top it. This title isn’t going to be winning any awards for excitement and adventure. But, like most good foodie manga, it brings a smile to your face when people eat the food, especially towards the end of the book. (Which does not end so much as stop – an epilogue may have been wiser than a side story.) I’ll be reading the next volume.

Bookshelf Briefs 2/12/19

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Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 3 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – There we go, that horrible realization that you’re in a love triangle. Futaba’s not sure if she loves Kou, though she’s definitely leaning that way, but when she finds that Yuri also loves Kou—and says so—she’s determined to bury her feelings for the sake of her friendship. Given this is a shoujo manga, you can imagine how well that goes, and thankfully by the end of the book all has been confessed—and Futaba is at least telling herself she loves Kou. I am less thrilled with the plotline involving Shoko, which is, groan, a teacher-student romance, and one where the student is coming on really strongly. We’ve seen this in many shoujo manga before, and sometimes it’s handled well (Kimi ni Todoke), so we shall see. – Sean Gaffney

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 3 | By Io Sakisaka | VIZ Media – For the sake of her friend, Yuki, Futaba tries not to like Kou, but it’s no use. I really liked that it was important to her to be honest with Yuki, especially since readers are spared a plot that hinges on misunderstandings and secrets. Oh, there’s still a bit of jealousy, but both girls are trying to play fair and maintain their friendship. Meanwhile, Kou’s still got a lot of angst and is doing his best not to care about anything, but Kominato can’t stand that members of the honors class snub Kou for his abysmal midterm scores, so organizes a study group on his behalf. More than being invested in Kou and Futaba’s relationship, I hope he gets over whatever it is in time to go rescue the cute stray cat he’s been petting. – Michelle Smith

Arakawa Under the Bridge, Vol. 5 | By Hikaru Nakamura | Vertical Comics – It’s not just Rec—anyone who ends up under the bridge seems to lose it a little bit, including his assistant Shimazaki, who has gone full-on cultist by the time we get halfway through this omnibus. But more importantly, is the series ending soon? Things are getting far more serious and we’re getting closer and closer to Nino leaving for Venus. Of course, this is literally lampshaded in a fourth-wall break by the characters, who say whenever a gag series turns serious, the end is near. I’m not entirely convinced they’re correct, but enjoy the drama while you can. And also a rare moment of Maria actually being on the losing end for once (but nice white-line-hopping nonetheless). – Sean Gaffney

Dangan Ronpa 2, Vol. 2 | By Kyousuke Suga | Dark Horse Comics – This is definitely turning into one of those titles that’s only truly enjoyable if you’ve played the game it’s based on—which I haven’t. As such, I feel it’s really, really rushing the pacing, a problem I didn’t have as much with the adaptation of the first game. It also has to be said—Komaeda is really, really annoying, and while I know that’s his schtick, it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. In the meantime, we have more murders, more discussion of said murders, and our first “ironic” execution. I think Dangan Ronpa fans will get a kick out of this, and enjoy seeing their favorites animated. But I can’t possibly recommend it to newbies of the franchise—which I could with the prior series. – Sean Gaffney

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 4 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – Since, after the events of the last volume, we are short a main cast member, we get introduced to two new characters here, both arriving from the countryside to the big city. Interestingly, Makoto is transgender (though they’re not really sure if that’s the right label), choosing to go to Tokyo in an effort to be more accepted for dressing up and looking cute. It’s quite well handled, and I look forward to seeing how both they and Futaba move forward. As for my favorite character, Oran, we get an odd flashback that I’m not sure I completely believe showing a very different side to both her and her brother. And then there’s that cliffhanger. This is still riveting. – Sean Gaffney

The Delinquent Housewife!, Vol. 3 | By Nemu Yoko | Vertical Comics – The volume starts with Dai’s classmate and friend Yoshino kissing him, and it only ramps up from there. Yoshino knows that Dai has a crush on Komugi, and she hates it—sadly, her answer to this is to blame Komugi and try to destroy the relationship she has with Dai’s family, which makes me want her to fail where I would otherwise be rooting for her, because I’m sorry, Dai and Komugi’s ongoing tension still makes me uncomfortable. Especially as Komugi really is doing better—she’s gotten much better at the normal housewife stuff, as we see in a montage. I want her to be part of the family—but not with Dai. Next volume is the last, so we’ll see how this plays out. – Sean Gaffney

Die Wergelder, Vol. 2 | By Hiroaki Samura | Kodansha Comics – Because the English-language edition of Die Wergelder is being released as two-volume omnibuses, it’s been a long while since the last one was published. I’d forgotten some of the finer details of the manga’s plot, but that didn’t pose too much of a problem as it mostly serves as a vehicle for stunningly drawn action, astonishing depravity, and unapologetic violence and brutality. Die Wergelder is deliberately disturbing, its roots firmly established in the tradition of 1970s Pinky Violence films. (This is not a series to be lightly recommended.) One of the focal points of Die Wergelder, and one of the areas in which the series excels, is what Samura terms as “Flashy And Pretentious Martial Arts.” Among others, kung fu, capoeira, and kalaripayattu are all featured in this particular omnibus. The manga’s fight sequences are glorious. Die Wergelder is still not for the faint of stomach or heart, though. – Ash Brown

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 28 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – I’m starting to get pretty weary of Food Wars!. Maybe it’s just this Central Arc, but this whole volume—in which Yukihira, Takumi, and Tadokoro go up against three members of the Council of Ten—has this formula: 1) Central member presents their dish, wish they are convinced is the winning one. 1a) Judges’ clothes blow off. 2) Resistance member presents their dish and it’s more awesome than anyone expected. 2a) Judges’ clothes blow off. Repeat three times. There are some slight variations, like Takumi predicting exactly how Eizan would scheme to interfere with his dish, or Tadokoro not actually succeeding in her matchup, but it’s getting to the point that when I see a judge tasting something in the bottom panel of the left-side page I just sigh because I know exactly what’s coming next. Can’t we go to an internship or something different soon, please? – Michelle Smith

Shortcake Cake, Vol. 3 | By suu Morishita | VIZ Media – The pace of Shortcake Cake is hard to describe. It’s at once leisurely and swift. The former is exemplified by some nice scenes we get in this volume of all the students at Hoshino Boardinghouse studying together for their midterm exams. The latter comes into play with Ten’s relationship with Riku. Because she didn’t know him well, she initially rejected his feelings. He’s been conscientious about not making things awkward for her and this, plus just spending more time with him, is making her reconsider. I really like the emphasis on friendships in this series and I really do like Riku very much, but I’m not sure I buy into the romance progressing this swiftly. It makes me think it’ll end quickly and Ten will end up with Chiaki instead. This series is ten volumes and counting, after all! – Michelle Smith

Takane & Hana, Vol. 7 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – Having shifted the power balance back towards Hana the last time, we’re headed back in the other direction now. Not that Takane is back in the money or anything, but he’s adjusting thanks to Hana essentially being his live-in chef for a while. What’s more, Hana has finally realized her own feelings, and sort of hates them. Which makes sense—Takane is a lot, and loving him can be a giant pain in the ass. There’s also an obligatory Valentine’s chapter, which mostly revolves around Nicola’s smooth playboy persona and how much this can be a giant pain in the ass for Mizuki, whose family we see are essentially a bunch of trolls. Takane & Hana isn’t as constantly funny as the early volumes, but it’s still really good. – Sean Gaffney

Koimonogatari: Love Tale

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By NISIOISIN and VOFAN. Released in Japan by Kodansha. Released in North America by Vertical, Inc. Translated by Daniel Joseph.

Most fans of the series over here have long been spoiled, of course, but I imagine it must have been irritating to some Japanese readers, who have been teased in past books that this book will have Senjogahara’s narration and thought processes, bought the book with Senjogahara on the cover and interstitials, opened it up, and had Kaiki telling them they’ve been duped. Yes, this Love Tale is being told by Kaiki, last seen with a beard and talking with Kanbaru about her problems. This takes place about six months before that, however, and is the story of Senjogahara hiring him to help with her own problem – Sengoku and her death threat. Her god powers have meant that Araragi and Shinobu are getting nowhere in this regard, and Kaiki has saved Senjogahara’s life before – horribly so. And so Kaiki sets up to deceive Sengoku, something that he thinks will be a piece of cake after talking with her for ten minutes. But is that all just a lie?

After the deadly dullness that was Shinobu’s narration last time, I’m pleased to say that Kaiki’s narrative voice is excellent. He plays at being an arrogant jerk, but the cracks show through constantly, so that’s fine. It’s also fun to see Araragi’s life and surrounding people from the perspective of an adult not connected to him – Kaiki finds a lot of Araragi’s antics disturbing, and there’s a running gag of everyone in the book referring to Shinobu using, well, a derogatory nickname, I’ll leave it at that. Kissshot sure has fallen far. I also like to see him confused at things that the reader will get – “Swear to cat” is a good example. His discussions with Senjogahara range from hilarious to touching, and you sense him shying away from the true feelings she had for him back two years prior. It’s disappointing that we don’t get her narration (in fact, spoilers, we never will, not even some 15-odd books later), but her fans should be pleased, as there are many scenes in the book showing off how far she’s come since Araragi first caught her nine months before.

Kaiki starts the book by claiming that a good deal of it is a lie, but of course he may be lying there as well. We do get a lot more insight into Sengoku’s personality and why she is the way she is, though I do think she’s not quite as infantilized and simple as Kaiki makes her out to be – if nothing else, he underestimates her at the end, though attributes that to her inability to let anyone get close to her. The description of her home life strikes an interesting comparison to Hanewkawa’s – something Kaiki himself does when he meets Hanekawa 2/3 through the book. And, as with my review of Onimonogatari, I will skip over the best part of the book, the climax where Kaiki breaks Sengoku but also convinces her to step down as a god. It’s magical. The book should end happily for most people, but since Kaiki is narrating, and he’s a self-proclaimed “villain”, there’s one last sting in the tale.

In the end, this is one of the strongest volumes in the Monogatari series, with lots of great jokes, tons of dense prose, and some keen insight into human nature, filtered through the voice of a man who insists that we take nothing at face value. Great stuff. Next time we’ll focus on Ononoki, who gets some small scenes here (and has a new character tic, something she lampshades).

Pick of the Week: Sweet and Tart

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MICHELLE: Although it may not have the most original premise, the digital debut of My Sweet Girl appeals to me the most this week. I think that the word “boyish” is largely responsible for my interest.

SEAN: There’s an awful lot of yuri out this week. My Solo Exchange Diary is certainly on my list. But I think I’ll make Kase-san and Cherry Blossoms my pick this week, as it’s just that sweet.

KATE: Hmmmm… this is one of those weeks where I feel torn between recommending something fun and frivolous — here’s looking at you, Sleepy Princess — and recommending something more serious like the second installment of My Solo Exchange Diary. So I’ll split the difference and recommend the latest volume of Tokyo Tarareba Girls, a josei title that vividly captures the anxiety that single, unmarried women can feel in a coupled-up culture. It’s witty, rueful, and often cringe-inducing — I can’t tell you how many times I’ve yelled at the characters — but worth a read.

ANNA: I’m also intrigued by My Sweet Girl, I’m always up for more shoujo and it looks cute.

ASH: Kate has pretty much summed up my own feelings about this week’s releases! (And has phrased it better than I could have, too.) I’ll join her in recommending Tokyo Tarareba Girls as my official pick, but I’m sure that I’ll be reading Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle and My Solo Exchange Diary pretty soon, too.

MJ: I’m don’t have a really obvious pick this week, so I think I’ll go along with Michelle and cling to the word “boyish” in that description of My Sweet Girl. Count me in for that.

My Next Life As a Villainess! All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 2

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By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka. Released in Japan by Ichijinsha. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Shirley Yeung.

When I was reviewing the 2nd and final volume of It’s My Fault That My Husband Has the Head of a Beast, I noted that it was a very open ending for a series that wrapped up there, not resolving much of anything. The 2nd volume of Bakarina has the opposite problem – unsuspecting readers who finish this book will definitely think it’s the final volume, which isn’t true. While none of the cast have been able to get their feelings through to the dense Katarina yet, the book takes us through to the end of the “Fortune Lover” game that her prior incarnation had been playing, and she successfully navigates it without getting a horrible Bad End. We even meet Maria Campbell, the actual heroine of the game, and she’s sweet and kind and also falls head over heels for Katarina, because of course she does. Problems are solved, tragic backstories ferreted out, and they all lived happily ever after and ate lots of snacks.

I will issue a word of warning: while there are still tons of hilarious parts to this volume, the second half of the book turns serious, and one of the backstories features sacrificial murder of a loved one. It’s not played for laughs at all, nor should it be. Katarina starts her school life, meets Maria and defuses any problems there by her love of sweet, and all seems to be well… except that the same things happen that occur in the game – Katarina is accused of being a terrible bully to Maria. Fortunately, in this world it’s not true, so this is rapidly defused, but it’s clear that someone is out to get Katarina. Someone with Dark Magic, which can control a person’s mind and also means they’ve killed to get it. The culprit is not exactly a mystery, frankly, but it’s handled quite well, especially as Katarina doesn’t have any foreknowledge of the events – her past self never got to the “hidden route” before she died.

Speaking of past lives, we find here that another of the main characters turns out to be a reincarnation, though she isn’t consciously aware of it. This allows Katarina, at a time of great peril, to get advice from her former friend who HAD played the game, and allows her to try to save the villain – because remember I said tragic backstory? Plus this is Katarina, and much as she may be silly and dense a lot of the time, she’s a kind and loving heroine, to an extreme. This means that she’s allowed to talk the villain down by simply saying that she’ll listen to him and she understands his pain. Bakarina is having fun with its heroine’s personality, but it’s not really subverting or deconstructing anything except perhaps the fact that literally everyone falls in love with her. She is 100% shiny and pure.

So with everyone living happily ever after, where does the series go from here? Well, they’re all still at school (though Nicol graduated, and time definitely seems to be moving faster than these sorts of books usually do), and this world may be based on a game but clearly isn’t actually a game, so I’m sure that something will come up. And maybe Katarina will realize the others’ feelings for her!… yeah, OK, no.

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 8

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By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu. Released in Japan as “Yakusoku no Neverland” by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Satsuki Yamashita.

The cast of characters, and the first few volumes in general, try to give equal emphasis to Emma, Norman and Ray as the three protagonists, keeping a healthy balance. But… I think the readers tend to think of Emma as the ‘lead’, and she’s certainly featured more when Jump does a ‘one character from all our series’ picture. Emma fans will be quite happy with this volume, which definitely revolves around her. The first third or so finds her and Ray trying to desperately escape demons that can regenerate, trying to intuit how to kill them. They’re not helped by their guide (still nameless, which begins to get annoying towards the end of the volume), who doesn’t want to kill them but is trying to convince himself that he can easily let them die. He’s no match, however, for Emma’s shining beacon of hope, who talks him down by guessing exactly what happened to him and pointing out that his now dead) friends would never have wanted this. It’s really sweet.

Unfortunately, Emma is then kidnapped and brought to a hunting ground for demons, with kids as the prey. Emma tries her best here as well, and is remarkably clever, deadly, and optimistic. Sometimes, though, optimism can’t save you, and a couple of people that Emma promises the world to end up dead. For all that it’s a series about kids being raised to be eaten for their delicious brains, there hasn’t been much actual death so far except right at the start. (I continue to maintain that Norman is alive because we didn’t see him die.) It gives these deaths added impact, and Emma briefly falls into despair. Luckily, we get to meet a lot of new kids who are basically doing for the hunting ground what she’s done with Grace Field… helped by an adult who seems very familiar. This part of the book is probably the most heartwarming, and Emma, seeing that even in despair there’s still hope, is back to her old self.

There’s lots of little touches in this volume I liked. The author gives a lot of attention to the guide’s past friends, even if they’re all long dead, so that we can imagine what things must have been like for them, and they seem like a great group of kids. I am also very pleased at the series of faces that Ray makes as Emma tries to convince the guide to help them by being her shiniest – this is why Ray is Emma’s best friend, but he still can’t help going “what the hey” every time he sees her in action. (He should know, he’s seen it used on him.) And, in case you’d forgotten the horror part of Promised Neverland, the shot of Theo revealing that Jake and Monica were killed by the hunters then cuts to the demons having a delicious meal – and we can likely guess who it is. The author can still make you shiver.

This is a strong time from Shonen Jump series in general, and The Promised Neverland is one of the strongest. It should never be far from the top of your reading pile when it comes out. Also, Emma is amazing.

Classroom of the Elite, Vol. 1

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By Syougo Kinugasa and Tomoseshunsaku. Released in Japan by Media Factory. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Timothy MacKenzie. Adapted by Jessica Cluess.

By the end of the first volume of this new light novel series, I finally had an idea where the author was going with the series. It’s something of a thought experiment, examining a school that functions similar to the Assassination Classroom school. The school has a hierarchy, and once you find yourself in the ‘D’ class, comprised of the seeming failures, its impossible to climb back up and you are belittled and ridiculed by the rest. Naturally, our heroes are in this class. That said, it takes about half the volume to get to the point where the author does anything more than drop ominous hints. Before that, unfortunately, what we get is a painfully normal light novel with the ‘average’ hero who doesn’t stand out, the grumpy beauty who doesn’t like talking to anyone, her contrast in the perky upbeat girl who wants to be friends with everyone, and, sadly, the perverted best friends who only want to talk about sex. You have to crawl through this to get to the point.

Of course, all is not as it seems. Horikita, the grumpy, sullen heroine of this volume, is the closest thing to being exactly what she seems, fortunately – the only hidden side she has is a desperate need to please her brother. Our hero, Ayanokouji, meanwhile, takes pains to not stand out – indeed, by the end of the book it’s becoming clear that he’s going to ridiculous lengths. His scores are average, but they’re the sort of average that requires brilliance to achieve. He’s very muscular, but denies being in any sports clubs. And he seems somewhat desperate to be at the school – I smell a tragic past. Sadly, he’s also almost as stoic and unfriendly as Horikita, which means both the narrator hero and the heroine of this first volume are downers. There’s some brightness with Kushida, the typical perky upbeat girl you see in every shonen school series… only, of course, she has a secret dark side as well. I’m pretty sure they all do.

That said, I’m not entirely averse to the ideas here, provided that they also include later character development. There are hints it may happen. The premise is that the world is fundamentally unequal but we should strive to be as equal as possible anyway, something that the school is seemingly opposed to – though this could all end up being a secret test of character. By the end of the book, Horikita is marginally more social, even if she’s unaware that her very unsociability is why she’s in the class in the first place. So I’ll definitely get the second volume. That said, everyone in this is depressing to read. Even the teacher seems sadistic for no other reason than that she enjoys it. If the series slowly works to make these kids better people and to grow up, I may enjoy it a great deal. If it remains an intellectual thought experiment, though, I’m out.

I understand that the anime, which I haven’t seen, took a number of liberties with the novels, so fans of one should definitely pick up the other. I’d also pick this up if you like Dark!Grey Harry Potter/Naruto fanfics or arguing about rationality on Reddit. As for light novel fans, your mileage may vary.

Manga the Week of 2/13/19

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SEAN: Usually it’s just Jump/Beat weeks and Yen Press weeks that are when I whine about it being a lot, but there’s no question: this is a lot.

Bookwalker has an 8th volume of The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress.

J-Novel Club has a new debut, though the author is familiar. I Shall Survive Using Potions! is from the same author as Make My Abilities Average and Saving 80,000 Gold, and the scenario is similar: teenage overpowered girl. She’s reincarnated by accident, so asks for a lot, and gets it. I’m hoping this is as ridiculous as the author’s other series.

They also have the 8th volume of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, the 12th I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse, the 19th Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, and a 4th Lazy Dungeon Master.

Kodansha, in print, has Tokyo Tarareba Girls 5.

ASH: Yes! This series is so good! (Cuts pretty close to the quick sometimes, too.)

SEAN: Kodansha, digitally, has a lot more, including a debut, My Sweet Girl. This Betsufure title is about a small, boyish, awkward girl who finds love with a popular boy. Not to be confused with other shoujo titles that might sound the same.

MICHELLE: Could be cute!

ANNA: I’m interested!

MJ: That does sound cute! I mean, not original, but totally cute!

SEAN: They also have Boarding School Juliet 8, Crocodile Baron 2, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 5, Kamikamikaeshi 8 (a final volume), Tokyo Alice 8, and The Walls Between Us 4.

MICHELLE: Someday I will read a few of these.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Beauty and the Beast Girl, which is a single-volume release. It’s a yuri manga about the love between a monster girl and a blind girl.

ASH: Hmmm, that could be interesting!

MJ: This sounds kind of awesome. I have a new appreciation for monsters lately.

SEAN: There’s also Kase-san and Cherry Blossoms (the 5th in this uniquely named series), My Solo Exchange Diary 2, and Please Tell Me, Galko-chan! 5. Interested in pretty much all of this.

ASH: My Solo Exchange Diary is another one of those good but cutting series.

SEAN: SuBLime gives us Punch Up! 5 and A Strange and Mystifying Story 6.

MICHELLE: I’m liking A Strange & Mystifying Story since it has moved on to a new couple.

ASH: Huh, I didn’t realize Punch Up! was still ongoing.

SEAN: Tokyopop has three releases next week! The debut is Yuri Bear Storm, whose anime is already famous… or infamous. I hear, much like Utena, that the manga is a bit less weird. It’s a Comic Birz title, of course.

ASH: Gah! I’m so torn about this. A series I’m legitimately interested in but… Tokyopop…

MJ: What Ash said. Like. Yeah.

SEAN: They’ve also got a 3rd Futaribeya and a 3rd Konohana Kitan.

Vertical has a 12th volume of Devils’ Line.

Lastly, Viz gives us a 4th Fullmetal Edition of Fullmetal Alchemist, a 34th Magi, a 2nd Record of Grancest War, and a 5th Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle.

ANNA: Sleepy Princess can always be counted on for funny hijinks.

ASH: It’s true!

MJ: Also, everyone should always read Fullmetal Alchemist and that’s basically an order.

SEAN: Seem like a lot? It’s actually only about half of the volume total for the week after next. What are you getting?