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Manga the Week of 8/30/23

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SEAN: As August sinks slowly in the West, what manga is left over?

Yen has a few more leftovers than usual. The debut from Yen On is Looks Are All You Need (Kao Sae Yokereba Ii Kyōshitsu), from the creator of My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me!. A shut-in girl can’t deal with people, so how can she possibly attend the looks-oriented prestigious arts school she wants to get into? By utilizing her VTuber skills.

ASH: Seems like that could work.

SEAN: And there’s also I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss 6, where Aileen is about to be executed. Again.

In manga, the first debut is Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture (Junkyouju Takatsuki Akira no Suisatsu), based on the light novel that came out a month or two ago. It runs in Comic Gene.

ASH: I’m still interested in folklore studies and this title; I haven’t managed to find time to read the novel yet, but maybe I’ll have the chance to fit the manga in.

SEAN: I Don’t Need a Happy Ending: A collection of short stories (Mikanuji Tanpenshuu: Happy End wa Iranai) is a yuri collection from the creator of Assorted Entanglements. Expect spiciness.

The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls (Kaibutsu Shoujo Zukan) is a shoujo manga from Asuka. Monsters are supposed to scare people. Sadly, this manga concerns itself with a group of poor monster students who get scared instead.

And Mieruko-chan Official Comic Anthology is what it sounds like.

Also from Yen: Doomsday with My Dog 3, I’m Quitting Heroing 3, and Pandora Seven 2.

Viz has the digital-only WITCH WATCH 7. I will die on this hill.

Square Enix Manga has Grimoire NieR: Revised Edition, which… is a game guide, so not sure why I have it here.

And they also have SINoALICE 4, which is merely a death game manga.

Seven Seas has a big danmei debut: Guardian: Zhen Hun. A supernatural detective comes across a mysterious professor in his investigations. Is he connected? Are they both really hot? Of all the danmei series I’ve heard about, this is the one I’ve heard about the most.

MICHELLE: *Kermit flail*

ASH: I have heard good things and an looking forward to this one, too.

SEAN: The manga debut is The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be (Himegimi wa Kishi Danchou), a shoujo series from LaLa about the Knight Captain agreeing to pretend to be the Prince’s fiancee for political reasons, but finding being a royal more difficult than she expected.

Also from Seven Seas: Does it Count if You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? 2, Don’t Call it Mystery Omnibus 3-4, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 12, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 8, and The Valiant Must Fall 2.

MICHELLE: *further flailing* (for Don’t Call It Mystery, specifically)

ANNA: *joins in on the flailing* for Don’t Call It Mystery

ASH: Didn’t the first volume just come out? I’m behind already!

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 3rd volume of The Death Mage.

From Kodansha Books, we get My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1 3.

From Kodansha Manga, the big news is the 11th volume, and the return, of Nichijou! We haven’t had a volume since the series ended in 2017. Cannot wait.

ASH: Oh, wow!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 8, EDENS ZERO 24, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 6, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 7, Real Account 23-24 (the final volume, at last), the 2nd Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement manga volume, and Shangri-La Frontier 7.

ASH: Real Account lasted longer than I thought it would.

SEAN: The digital debut is Blade Girl (Blade Girl: Kataashi no Runner), a josei manga from Be Love with a familiar premise – it’s the exact same as Run On Your Two Legs. A girl who lost a leg a year ago is frustrated and angry… but what if she finds the answer with prosthetics meant for the paralympics?

ANNA: Yay for josei!

ASH: Oh! Maybe this one will eventually be released in print, too!

SEAN: Also digital: Guilty 12, Wandance 6, and With You and the Rain 5.

J-Novel Club has a new digital light novel debut. Moon Blossom Asura: The Ruthless Reincarnated Mercenary Forms the Ultimate Army (Tsuki Hana no Shōjo Asura: Gokuaku Hidō no Yōhei, Tensei Shite Saikyō no Yōheidan o Tsukuru ) is a dark fantasy about a soldier of fortune who finds herself reincarnated into a fantasy world… so now she’s killing people WITH MAGIC. For those who like evil protagonists.

They’ve also got Cooking with Wild Game 22, the 2nd Dragon Daddy Diaries: A Girl Grows to Greatness manga, Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored 3, the 5th Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World manga, Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner! 4, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 7, and Record of Wortenia War 20.

Ghost Ship has World’s End Harem 15 – After World.

Cross Infinite World has a debut. Rising from Ashes: My Dear Emperor, You’re Putty in My Hands! (Torotoro ni Shite Sashiagemasu, Kōtei Heika. Moto Konyakusha ni Ie o Yakareta Tsuihō Miko wa, Ringoku Kōtei ni Chōai Sarete Sainō o Hanahirakaseru), a novel which has otome game villainess, ex-fiancée finds love in the neighboring kingdom, AND Inner Palace politics all in one. This is the 3rd series by this author licensed by CIW.

They’ve also got The Dragon’s Soulmate is a Mushroom Princess! 3 and Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess 2.

Lastly, no print light novels from Airship, but they do have an early digital: Loner Life in Another World 7.

Sic Transit August. All manga must pass.

The Manga Review: The Dog Days of August

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Pour one out for Comic Book Resources: on Wednesday, a staff member hijacked CBR’s official Twitter feed to decry parent company Valnet for firing editorial staff and abandoning the site’s commitment to in-depth reporting and thoughtful criticism. Heidi MacDonald has the details. In other news, Kadakowa’s recent efforts to remove pirate manga apps from Apple and Google went unheeded, so the publisher is taking steps to find out who created those apps… the production of Susumu Higa’s Okinawa was delayed after the original printer demanded editorial changes to the book… the live-action version of Rohan at the Louvre arrives on Amazon Prime next month… Titan Manga has rescued Speed Grapher from publishing limbo… ABLAZE announced its fall 2023 publishing plans… Harta will publish the final chapter of Delicious in Dungeon next month… Yuki Kaku has collaborated with Givenchy on a one-shot story for UOMO magazine… and Nami Sano, the creator of Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto passed away at age 36.

AROUND THE WEB

Marion Pena sits down with former NBA player Johnny O’Bryant to discuss his latest venture: Noir Caesar. The company just released two news series, XOGENASYS and Primus7, and has several other projects in development, including an adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s Alabaster and a live-action version of Me and the Devil Blues. [The Beat]

In the latest installment of My Fave Is Problematic, Rebecca Fleeman puts JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure under the microscope, noting the degree to which the series often conflates queerness with villainy. [Anime Feminist]

Anime Feminist polls its readers for the best beginner yuri manga. [Anime Feminist]

Jon Holt and Saki Hirozane translate manga scholar’s Hiroshi Miyamoto’s essay on Happy Mania. [The Comics Journal]

Job alert: VIZ Media is hiring two manga editors. N.B. to prospective job seekers: you must be willing to relocate to the Bay Area. [VIZ MEDIA]

Cat nip for translators—that’s how Jocelyne Allen describes Smoke Blue, a “a bewildering and yet entirely satisfying mix of translation tips and hot guys getting hot and heavy.” [Brain vs. Book]

Masha Zhdanova weighs in on three recent VIZ releases: My Special One, Akane-banashi, and Cat-Eyed Boy. [WWAC]

Kara Dennison offers a helpful list of swoon-worthy shojo manga you can read on the VIZ app. [Otaku USA]

Trevor Van As explains what why Junji Ito is a “master of the genre,” capable of producing “imaginative, visceral” stories filled with “shocking concepts” that stay with you long after you finish reading. [How to Love Comics]

That Manga Hunter sifts through the VIZ Signature catalog in search of good manga for older readers. “If you’re looking for alternative manga, mature non-smut manga, and manga intended for adults, then Viz Signature isn’t a bad place to start,” they opine. “The imprint contains series from a wide range of manga of various art styles and genres. If you’re coming from American comics and graphic novels, of superhero origin or otherwise, this is also the imprint for you.” [That Manga Hunter]

LISTENING IN

Join the Mangasplainers for an in-depth conversation about Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, Naoki Urasawa’s re-telling of the classic Astro Boy story “The Greatest Robot on Earth.” [Mangasplaining]

The Manga Machinations gang just finished a three-part series on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s breakthrough series Fire Punch. [Manga Machinations]

For spoiler-free commentary on Kyoko Okazaki’s River’s Edge, tune in to the Spiraken Review. [Spiraken Review Podcast]

Alain and Kate highlight Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand in their first-ever Manga of the Month podcast. [Reverse Thieves]

Gee and Ray unpack Moto Hagio’s groundbreaking boys’ love saga The Heart of Thomas. [Read Right to Left]

Which manga did Andy and Elliot dub “Salaryman Cardcaptor Sakura“? Find out on the most recent episode of Screentone Club! [Screentone Club]

In the latest installment of Manga In Your Ears, Kory, Apryll, and Helen compare notes on Mizuno and Chayama and What Did You Eat Yesterday? [Taiiku Podcast]

REVIEWS

Paging Mushishi fans! This week’s must-read review comes from OASG contributor Helen, who shines a light on When a Cat Faces West, an overlooked gem from Yuki Urushibara. “When a Cat Faces West is a lovely, quiet series about supernatural happenings and the myriad ways that they can be both harmless and deeply unsettling,” Helen notes. “I never felt like the series crossed the line into soft horror but it’s definitely ‘softly unsettling’ at points… a difficult mood to pull off well but it does so splendidly.”

Shall we gather at the river? TCJ posts two reviews of Kyoko Okazaki’s River’s Edge: one by Helen Chazan, and one by Brian Nicholson, while WWAC contributor Kathryn Hemmann offers their own insight into the story’s “gritty millennial malaise”… Johanna Draper Carlson sings the praises of Why I Adopted My Husband… Megan D. revisits Kia Asamiya’sSilent Möbius… and Rebecca Silverman reviews Nazuna Saito’s Offshore Lightning, calling it “one of those books that you find yourself thinking about long after you’ve finished reading it.”

New and Noteworthy

Complete, OOP, and Ongoing Series

Otherside Picnic, Vol. 8

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By Iori Miyazawa and shirakaba. Released in Japan as “Urasekai Picnic” by Hayakawa Bunko JA. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

For the most part, this book is an emotional journey. It’s about Sorawo, a woman whose emotions have always been something of a foreign country (to herself, not necessarily to others) learning about what love is, what it means to love someone, and how that can change a relationship. And she has perfectly normal fears. She has a great relationship with Toriko now, one defined in the first book: they’re accomplices. But Toriko wants something more, and Sorawo knows it. That said, in case you were worried that this book would be all fluff and lack the sheer horror of the previous books, fear not. The middle of the book is here for you. What’s more, given that the book is about Sorawo’s feelings about Toriko, it makes sense that the horror is all based around Toriko. Let’s just say I hope this is never animated – I deal far better with horror as a written word than I do with horror as a visual medium.

Toriko has confessed to Sorawo, and says she wants a response. But she knows Sorawo is who she is, so she’s giving her a week to come up with this answer. This allows Sorawo to do a minor tour of the supporting cast to get some advice. College friend Benimori gives probably the most sensible advice, and seems delighted to find Sorawo, who has a bit of a reputation at their college, going through a real relationship. She talks with Natsumi, whose advice seems to be more about Natsumi than it is about Sorawo. She talks with Kozakura, who points out that their desire to go to the Otherside constantly, something almost everyone else would find terrifying, is what unites them – but that Toriko would stop doing it without Sorawo. And then finally, after a bus ride home that devolves into a series of Toriko-related visions, she goes to her apartment and confronts the girl she loves but barely knows.

I emphasized the horror, but rest assured there’s a lot of funny stuff here as well. The entire scene with Natsumi is amazing, complete with Natsumi calling Sorawo a “raging lesbian”, which is projecting if ever I saw it. Kozakura’s talk with Sorawo goes off the rails thanks to the presence of Kasumi, and leads to a self-help guide from hell. And the last part of the book, with Toriko and Sorawo opening up to each other, while also filled with sweet, touching moments, has its share of hilarity. We’ve known for a while that Sorawo is an unreliable narrator, but Toriko describing how Sorawo is ogling her constantly ever since they first met drives that home very well. Of course, we the reader have also seen that, but it’s been in the context of her internal monologue, so it hadn’t been apparent that it was written all over her face as well.

The sweet emotional bits are there as well, of course. I loved Toriko trying to do research into what she feels Sorawo’s issues might be – it’s a sign of how much she’s prepared to devote to their relationship, but also a sign of how little Sorawo opens up about her past – her matter-of-factness is disturbing, not edifying, even when she has to bluntly say “my family did not sexually assault me”. We also finally get a long look at Toriko’s mothers, what they did and who they were, as Sorawo finally realizes that in order to be Toriko’s lover, she needs to know who Toriko is and where she came from. And then there’s the part of the book that I think everyone will be talking about, the sex scene. At first disappointing, though very true to what Sorawo has told us, the reader, about her sexuality so far, it then rapidly moves in a very different direction. What follows is not only fulfilling for both of them but also 100% in character – both for them and the book. Kozakura would be completely unsurprised. They’re freaks, of course they have freaky sex.

We’re caught up once again, so I’m not sure where the series goes from here. We were introduced to a new character, who I didn’t have room to talk about, so it may do something with her. That said, this book is for those who’ve been waiting forever for these two to get together.

Accel World: Conqueror of the Sundered Heavens

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By Reki Kawahara and Hima. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jocelyne Allen.

There’s more spoilers than usual for the last third of this book, so if you avoid them FYI.

It’s been a while since we last checked in with Accel World. The previous volume was supposedly the end of the long, long, LONG arc and the start of another one, but that turns out to not quite be true, as most of this is setup for a massive cliffhanger. There was also a bit of frustration, as Haruyuki’s sacrifice felt like it was going to lead to a lot of angst for everyone. Which is kind of does, but that angst is mostly kept off the page. One of the more frustrating aspects to Accel World is that so many of the exciting scenes, or battles, or much needed group meetings happen away from Haruyuki, so we don’t really learn as much as we’d like. And the first two thirds of this book is much the same, really. Get ready, though, as the last third is THE PAYOFF.

Things have been happening since the end of the last book. Tezcatlipoca has been running amuck, and everyone in the Accelerated World is blaming the traitor, Haruyuki. Thus they’re challenging him to duels constantly. Haruyuki being who he is, he’s accepting all of them, but he’s really good by now, so he usually wins. Then, after briefly dropping by to make sure the owl is taken care of during the summer, and possibly recruit fellow owl caretaker Reina to join the student council, he goes off to a meeting of his new allies, White Cosmos. For the most part, they’re exactly what everyone but Haruyuki would expect – a bunch of normal, if somewhat eccentric, people with their own agendas. Admittedly, some of those agendas include forcing Haruyuki to total point less, but hey. After all that, though, he’s forced to do something he’s been avoiding all this time: talk to Kuroyukihime.

Or rather, to Sayuki. Yes, Accel World finally gives in and admits one of its biggest mysteries since the start of the series. Haruyuki has known her name since the start, but he hasn’t actually said it till now, and we also get the name of her sister as well. And there’s a very good reason for all of this: we finally get a mutual confession and a kiss. The idea that Haruyuki is not only in an enemy group now but may be forced to fight against all his friends – and possibly get pushed to lose his points/memories, as well as the same anger for Kuroyukihime, leads them to finally take that big step. Unfortunately, any additional progress (as well as the long postponed trip to see Haruyuki’s family) will have to wait, because the mid-range guilds have been trying to take out Tezcatlipoca and have instead unleashed something much worse… more new characters to have to remember. Oh, and a new game. So long, Brain Burst, it’s been nice.

I admit that this book started a bit slow for me, as it had a lot of scenes I didn’t really care about and was putting off scenes I wanted to see. But when it got to the payoff, it was quite good. Also, hey, a portal! Who doesn’t like portals?

Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight, Vol. 2

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By Fuyu Aoki and Minori Aritani. Released in Japan as “Doinaka no Hakugai Reijо̄ wa О̄to Elite Kishi ni Dekiai Sareru” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Dawson Chen.

This series continues to be excellent in terms of how it handles its heroine, who has spent most of her life being terribly abused. In the first book Chloe successfully ran away (after avoiding an attempted murder) and settled in as Lloyd’s “housekeeper”, but the trauma does not magically go away. She notes that she’s gotten better with knives now, but attempting to tell Lloyd about her past sends her into a huge panic attack. What’s more, when she runs out of house to clean and wonders what to do, it becomes apparent that being worked like a dog as a child has left her with no room for any hobbies. She doesn’t know how to do downtime. Fortunately for Chloe, she comes across the same answer that so many of us do: reading books. Indeed, she’s reading romance novels, ones with a lead man who is very, very reminiscent of Lloyd. Unfortunately for Chloe, family is hard to get away from completely.

The first part of this book is relatively light and fluffy. Chloe discovers the world of books. She’s also getting along very well with everyone in town, and even the bookseller is starting to fall in love with her. Unfortunately for him, she only has eyes for Lloyd… even if the two of them are both still a bit too broken to actually confess these feelings. Meanwhile, Lloyd is having to deal with new recruits, including a noble who has good skill but unfortunately is also an asshole who feels he’s above everyone else. This would normally not be that big a deal, but Lloyd forgot his lunch, so Chloe goes to the castle to bring it to him, and the new recruit menaces her. Cue boss music.

I’ve talked before about how a lot of these light novels have “cartoon villains”, which is to say bad guys with no redeeming features who are there to be as evil as possible. Don’t given them pets, they would kick a puppy. The interesting thing in this book is that we get two definite antagonists, but one of them is, when it comes right down to it, just a massive jerk. He’s abusing his privilege, looks down on everyone, and expects the world to be handed to him. But that’s fine, as he’s also a knight candidate with skill, so he can have the jerk beaten out of him by Lloyd. Lily, however, Chloe’s sister, is not going to get an out. This is why Luke merely menaces Chloe (and gets Lloyd destroying him in a duel for his troubles), while Lily beats the crap out of Chloe until help arrives to arrest her and throw her in prison. Now, Luke invited Lily to the town to begin with, something she tries to take advantage of near the end. But he’s not an evil villain. Just a jerk.

There’s a third volume of this, and I wonder if Mommie Dearest will show up. But definitely a wedding regardless, I think. Good romance novel fluff/angst.

Bookshelf Briefs 8/21/23

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Blue Box, Vol. 5 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – Sometimes trying to be kind can just look like mixed signals. That’s what Taiki’s having to deal with in this volume of Blue Box. He takes Hina to the festival, but ends up spending most of it with Chinatsu, as they try to help a child find their mother. The two clearly have the chemistry of a main couple. Taiki doesn’t want to say anything because they’re living together, and it would be awkward if he confessed his feelings or not. But it’s pointed out to him that by doing so, he just makes it seem to Chinatsu that he’s going out with Hina—who is clearly interested in Taiki, something he doesn’t get either. Basically, for a sports manga, there’s sure a lot of romcom in this. – Sean Gaffney

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 8 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe | Viz Media – Generally speaking, you can’t always save everyone. Unfortunately, even when you don’t save them, sometimes the problem still remains. That’s what we see with the bulk of this volume of Frieren, as the traveling main characters come across a village where most everyone is already dead. The reason they’re dead is a demon that’s been using multiple swords, and the demon is still there. Opposing it is the grumpy Genau, who’s already seen everyone around him die, so is very unimpressed with Stark’s comparative low abilities. You know, for a slow life manga, this series sure has a lot of battle scenes. Which will probably make it flow better when the anime is out this fall. Still recommended. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 18 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Manga – This arc wraps up with Kotoko’s story-spinning abilities in full flight, as she tells the story of the “yuki onna” first as if it’s not true and everything can be explained by humans, and then as if it is true and there definitely was a yuki onna. We, of course, having met said yuki onna’s sister, know which version is actually the case. But it’s presented, as always, as just another story that may or may not be the truth. (And Kotoko really, really seems taken with the idea of our swordsman hero being impotent for some reason.) After the heavy angst of the previous arc, this was a mild and relaxed arc by comparison, with the death happening long ago. Next time we’re promised some shorter stories. Good times. – Sean Gaffney

Issak, Vol. 1 | Story by Shinji Makari, Art by DOUBLE-S | Kodansha (digital only) – If you’re jonesing for some old-school manly man manga, Issak might be your cup of tea. The story follows a Japanese marksman who travels to Europe—in 1620, no less!—to avenge the death of his mentor by joining a band of Protestant mercenaries. Issak has a nifty gun, a lethal sword, and an almost supernatural ability to get the upper hand in every situation. Alas, the script is kind of a drag, as most of the dialogue takes the form of dull history lessons delivered with all the flair of Ferris Bueller’s economics teacher. About the best I can say for Issak is that it captures the brutality of seventeenth century warfare in realistic detail, so if you want a better sense of how miserable it was to fight in the Thirty Years’ War, this manga is for you. – Katherine Dacey

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 8 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – Most of this volume is dedicated to the Kubo family, plus Shiraishi, at the beach. There’s the usual sorts of things you’d expect: blushing at swimsuits, swimsuits malfunctioning in the water, Shiraishi helping out at the cafe they run, etc. Throughout this, Shiraishi has a minimal amount of “no one can see me” gags—he’s starting to get noticed by people other than Kubo. The other subplots, near the start of the book, are about exams, and the goal of trying hard when you’ve never bothered to try hard before. This is not Kubo or Shiraishi but Tamao, who is the “dumb” character in the series so gets this subplot to prove she can do it if she tries… and is forced. Still cute fun. – Sean Gaffney

Like a Butterfly, Vol. 1 | By suu Morishita | Viz Media – As with the author’s other series, whether you like this book depends on how you like long pauses in conversation, people having difficulty communicating, and feelings developing very rapidly but being figured out very slowly. Unlike A Sign of Affection, Suiren doesn’t have any hearing issues. She is bad at communicating, though, mostly as she’s so beautiful everyone treats her as an object rather than a person, so she’s just turned inward. When she meets shy but earnest Kawasumi, she finds him fascinating and can’t stop looking at him, but isn’t quite sure why. Or why it bothers her that an upperclassman is throwing herself at him every single day. If you liked A Sign of Affection and Shortcake Cake, get this too. – Sean Gaffney

My Girlfriend’s Child, Vol. 2 | By Mamoru Aoi | Seven Seas – This series is not here to give you easy, magical answers. Sachi, after being shown how far along her child is now, is starting to walk back on wanting to get an abortion. But she’s too young to make that decision, it has to come from her parents. The good news is that her boyfriend is in her corner no matter what she decides (the author says he was deliberately written to be a great guy as an inspiration for other guys reading this). Sadly, his mother is basically furious, openly at him but privately at her, and she demands that they break up—and that she get an abortion. This is extremely well done, but also not for the faint of heart—there aren’t any jokes or lighter moments here. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Long Awaited Manga

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MICHELLE: I don’t know much about After We Gazed at the Starry Sky, but I am all for sweet BL, so I will give it my vote this week!

SEAN: My vote this week goes to Otherside Picnic. Manga or light novel? Yes. Both.

ASH: What an interesting and varied bunch of releases this week! My official pick goes to Okinawa as I’ve been waiting for it for so long and have a particular interest in the island and its history for a several different reasons. I may want to balance the heaviness with something a bit more lighthearted, though, and so also have my eyes on the Wotakoi artbook.

ANNA: I’m going to go with Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet just because I’m looking forward to reading a couple volumes of the series to get caught up.

KATE: I’m with Ash: I’ve been looking forward to Okinawa since the Mangasplainers first serialized it on their Substack.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Vol. 15

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By Kumanano and 029. Released in Japan by PASH! Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jan Cash & Vincent Castaneda. Adapted by Lorin Christie.

Spoiler for my last review: she shrugged everything off. Yes, this author loves to play in the psychological trauma kiddie pool but knows which side his bread is buttered on, so instead of dealing with the possible dissociative idea of Yuna and “Miss Bear” being two distinct people, they have decided instead to just have Yuna feel vaguely uncomfortable about it for a bit and then get distracted by a giant floating island. This is one of the lighter and fluffier books in the series, which is unfortunate for me in that normally I’d have far less to write about, but there’s a bit more this time. The author has seen this series’ yuri fandom, and has decided they do not like it. In this volume, despite being propositioned by a girl her own age and having a mother offer her daughter up to Yuna for marriage, Yuna insists a) girl’s can’t get married, and b) she’s never getting married anyway. So if you had “ace Yuna” on your bingo card, congrats!

So yes, identity crisis is quickly forgotten, as the worst Yuna has to deal with in this book is the fact that she’s being forced to wear a different swimsuit every day to please the designer. She does various beach activities with the kids in this one, such as making a water slide, creating ice cream, or shooting off fireworks (without sound, alas). But the big news is the mysterious island, forbidden to go near, that appears and disappears randomly and has appeared once more. Yuna wants to explore that island, and unfortunately due to her lack of stealth Fina, Shuri, and Shia are along or the ride. The island ends up having historical interest, but also being a bit of a spoiler. Let’s just say there are monsters, and Yuna is tented as much as she ever is in this series (which is to say, not much). Then the vacation is over and it’s time to take everyone home.

I have to admit, taking Fina and Shuri to the island surprised me – Yuna is usually a bit more sensible than that. I get why they were taken along, as they totally would have tattled otherwise, and the goal here was to avoid having the “explore the island” secret come out. And yes, Yuna can just throw everyone into her basement via a bear door to play cards, so there’s no actual danger. But still… wait, why the hell am I complaining? This is a series where common sense is useless and you just have to accept we’re in the author’s strange mentality. This is also why Yuna is praised to the skies for giving all the 4-5-year-old orphan kids jobs with a paycheck, and vows to have more child labor in future. Yes, yes, fantasy world, orphans starve otherwise, but come on. At least she doesn’t buy any slaves. We have not quite reached that low point.

So yes, bear series is still “itself”, and aside from infuriating those who ship Yuna with… well, anyone… this is a typical volume in it. When do we get to go to “the land of Wa” anyway?

The Ideal Sponger Life, Vol. 13

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By Tsunehiko Watanabe and Jyuu Ayakura. Released in Japan as “Risou no Himo Seikatsu” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by MPT.

As I’ve mentioned before, this series was originally a webnovel, which ended around the events of the 4th book. Then it became a light novel series, Freya was added to the mix starting with Book 5, and has, frankly, become the main female lead. Sorry, Aura, you just aren’t in this series enough to count anymore. Even in this book, her role consists mostly of either finding out about stuff and telling other people about stuff. Now, to be fair, in this volume Freya does not exactly perform great feats, though you could argue that convincing her family to let her marry Zenjirou counts as one. She is part of the best moments of the book, though, as she has to confess to everyone how this marriage came about – which is this society of fantasy feudalism, is the equivalent of walking up to a married man and saying “I’m down, wanna bang?”. The reactions of everyone else to this news is hilarious, and worth the price of the book alone.

Freya and Zenjirou finally arrive in Uppasala, and get ready to inform the royal family of their betrothal. This goes about as well as you’d expect. That said, Zenjirou revealing that he has the power to teleport shuts up a number of people, and leads to a deal: if Zenjirou can take the traditional coming of age rite that everyone does and succeed, he will earn the right to ask for Freya’s hand. Since Zenjirou is, to put it mildly, not a physical powerhouse, everyone finds this hilarious. They find it a lot less so after they realize exactly how he’s going to win – even if it does end up taking a lot of physical labor as well. As for the other members of the family, the first prince is sent to Capua, there to meet with Aura – but, more importantly, to have a test of strength with Pujol. As for the second Prince, Yngvi, he’s basically Freya, only a guy. No, really, they’re twins.

There’s a lot of good humor in this book. Zenjirou’s plan to survive getting to the hunting site for the coming of age rite is hilarious and also something we should have seen coming. Eric’s reaction to Aura describing Freya arriving in Capua is also highly amusing, as is Pujol’s reaction on seeing the sword that was given to Aura as a gift by Uppasala. There are a few plot points that could carry over to the next volume, such as the fact that Margarette the maid seems to have secret parentage, and the ongoing war between the deeply religious church knights and the less religious rest of the continent. So far the holy wars seem very one sided against the holy, to be frank. And yes, Zenjirou and Freya are now married, and he goes off to spend the wedding night with her – which we do not see. We don’t even get a kiss. They snuggle a bit. These books are now the opposite of horny.

That said, we come to the end of this arc. And good news for Aura fans, the next cover has her on it… and also Freya, because hey, she’s the lead character now. Should start a new arc, though, which is fantastic news provided the series hasn’t ground to a halt in Japan or anything…

I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness: I’ll Spoil Her with Delicacies and Style to Make Her the Happiest Woman in the World!, Vol. 1

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By Fukada Sametarou and Sakura Miwabe. Released in Japan as “Konyaku Haki Sareta Reijō o Hirotta Ore ga, Ikenai Koto o Oshiekomu -Oishi Mono o Tabesasete Oshare o Sasete, Sekai Ichi Shiawase na Shōjo ni Produce!-” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Yui Kajita.

How much you enjoy this volume will likely depend entirely on how much you can tolerate the series’ one joke. This is a comedic romance, despite a dark premise, which has a basic shtick, and it’s that the characters describe things as “naughty” when they’re not actually talking about sex. Allen keeps telling Charlotte that he’s going to force her into experiencing all sorts of naughty delights… but it’s things like eating a cake for dinner, or going to a hot springs, or sleeping in. “I’m Spoiling the Disgraced Noble Lady” would be a much snappier title, but it would probably get fewer clicks. That said, if you can get past the overdone joke, this is a rather sweet book about a misanthrope with a kind heart who takes in a typical villainess heroine and turns her life around – for the better.

Allen is a sorcerer who lives in a remote mansion because dealing with people is a hassle. His sole contact with the outside world are daily visits by the mailwoman and occasional visits from his sister. Then one day he finds a young woman collapsed right by his doorstep – and several guards who tell Allen she’s a wanted woman and they’re to bring her back dead or alive. Allen doesn’t trust them, and with good reason – after getting rid of them and taking the woman inside, he discovers she is Lady Charlotte Evans, the fiancee of a nearby nation’s price. Supposedly a wicked woman who is accused of countless crimes, she is actually an abused child who has been treated like a servant for years and is now being treated as a scapegoat. There’s only one thing for Allen to do now – show her what the good things in life really are!

The main plot is fluffy because the backstory is so horrid. Charlotte’s life, especially after her mother died, has been an absolute misery, and she has trouble standing up for herself or even having actual wants and desires. You could argue that she is not ready for a romance with the awkward yet very powerful Allen, and you’d be right, but this is a romance series, so you’re going to have to lump it. And they are very cute together, especially in the back half once both start to realize that they’re developing feelings. This is especially baffling for Allen, who’s not nicknamed “demon overlord” because of his kind smiles, and who is having trouble separating family, friend and lover in his head. If you’ve read An Archdemon’s Dilemma, this is a very similar vibe, and will likely appeal to the same people who read that.

All this plus a petting zoo filled with monsters. Despite its cruel backstory, at heart this is a fluffy romantic comedy. Just get ready for its one joke. It’s a naughty joke.