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The Manga Review, 9/9/2022

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It’s been a relatively slow news week–manga-wise, at least–so I’m going to dispense with the snappy intro and get to the links. As always, if there’s a website, podcast, or YouTube channel you’d like to see featured in this column, let me know. Feel free to share a link in the comments or send me a message on Twitter; my handle is @manga_critic. On to the links!

NEWS

Seven Seas just unveiled three new manga licenses: Does It Count If You Lose Your Virginity to an Android?, Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound, and orange–to you, dear one. Look for all three series in spring 2023. [Seven Seas]

On September 15th, anime scholar Helen McCarthy will be giving a free internet talk about the history of anime and manga zines. The session is open to all; click on the link to register. [Sainsbury Institute]

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of The Rose of Versailles‘ publication, Riyoko Ikeda revealed that a new animated film is in the works. No release date has been announced, but there’s a teaser trailer for the curious. [Otaku USA]

FEATURES, PODCASTS, AND INTERVIEWS

Wondering what’s arriving in bookstores this month? Bill Curtis has you covered with a complete list of September’s manga and light novel releases. [Yatta-Tachi]

For folks who like their manga discussions with sound and pictures, head over to YouTube for Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg’s thorough, thoughtful analysis of Akira Toriyama’s Manga Theater, a collection of short stories published in 2021. [Cartoonist Kayfabe]

The Manga Machinations crew continue their retrospective on Q Hayashida’s Dorohedoro. [Manga Machinations]

Ashley and Loyola Rankin discuss volumes 9-17 of Love*Com, a delightful comedy about the complicated relationship between a tall girl and a short boy. [Shojo & Tell]

The latest Manga In Your Ears podcast focuses on two recent titles: Go For It Again, Nakamura and One-Punch Man. [The Taiiku Podcast]

Over at Screentone Club, Elliot and Andy dedicate their latest episode to Nights with a Cat and The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! [Screentone Club]

Dee argues that The Story of Saiunkoku offers a unique lens through which to view the the myth that Chinese civil service exams were the foundation of a meritocratic society. “Through its young, marginalized civil servants, Saiunkoku provides an intersectional critique of the ‘bootstrap’ mentality, highlighting how oppression creates hurdles that often require more than just ‘hard work’ to clear,” she observes. [Anime Feminist]

ICYMI: Kelly Ewing explains the appeal of Taiyo Matsumoto’s deliriously weird No. 5. “The non-linear way in which Matsumoto tells the story… contributes to the dream like quality of the book,” she observes. “Reading No.5 is very much like riding a wave. It dips, it crests and then it kind of crashes down on you. It’s a visual stream of consciousness.” [Panel Patter]

Emmanuel Bochew interviews pioneering artist Macoto Takahashi, whose 1958 series Arashi o koete (Beyond the Storm) helped introduce one of shojo manga’s most famous visual tropes: the galaxy-eyed heroine. [Anime News Network]

Danica Davidson chats with author Matthew Klickstein about his latest book, See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture, which “tracks the history of geek culture and fandom over the past century” by “focus[ing] on the prehistory, history and expansion of the community that really helped forge it, Comic-Con.” [Otaku USA]

REVIEWS

This week’s must-read review comes to us from Anime UK News, where Sarah praises Tales of the Kingdom for artist Asumiko Nakaura’s “ability to tell a story economically yet utterly convincingly in images. She knows how to ‘work’ the page and how to position the images in just the right place to evoke the desired response in the reader. The Middle Eastern/Arabian Nights-style fantasy setting brings out a certain flavour of Aubrey Beardsley’s art (or perhaps it’s a homage) in one or two images – and yet the beautiful art is unmistakably her own, distinctive work.”

You’ll also find bite-sized manga reviews at Beneath the Tangles and Manga Bookshelf.

New and Noteworthy

Ongoing and Complete Series

Manga the Week of 9/15/22

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SEAN: Has fall arrived yet? Certainly not QUITE here as of yet.

ASH: So close! I can’t wait.

SEAN: Yen Press is taking the week off, for the most part. No light novels, and only two manga. One of those is a debut, however. No Longer Heroine (Heroine Shikkaku) is a shoujo series from Betsuma. It’s also 12 years old, showing that yes, older titles can still be picked up. Our heroine is a childhood friend! She’s going to get married to her guy! Because childhood friends always win in Japanese series… right? Right? (cricket noises)

ANNA: OK, I have to admit my curiosity about slightly vintage shoujo.

MICHELLE: I typically like series from Margaret and its offshoots, so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one!

ASH: Count me interested, too!

SEAN: And we also get the 23rd volume of Triage X.

No debuts for Viz, but we get new volumes of Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3, Call of the Night 9, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai 4, Fly Me to the Moon 13, Mao 7, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 8, Pokémon Adventures: X•Y 3, Rosen Blood 4, and Yakuza Lover 6.

ANNA: Some things here I need to get caught up on!

SEAN: SuBLime debuts Love Nest, a Dear+ series that’s actually another spinoff from Sayonara Game.

ASH: I still need to read that one.

SEAN: And they’ve also got the 5th and final volume of Jealousy.

There’s a new Steamship debut, Ladies on Top (Onnanoko ga Daicha Dame desu ka?). This Ura Sunday Jyoshibu series is about a 24-year-old OL who’s had a series of bad relationships because the guys take the lead. Then she starts dating a 28-year-old co-worker who likes aggressive women and awakens her hidden dom…

ASH: I haven’t read a Steamship title yet, but this one caught my attention, so it may be the first.

SEAN: Square Enix debuts the manga version of My Happy Marriage (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon), whose light novel Yen is putting out. It runs in Gangan Online. The light novel is excellent… but expect the title to be ironic, at least for the start.

ASH: It’s interesting to me how these cross-publisher titles seem to be happening more frequently these days.

SEAN: They’ve also got the 6th manga volume for The Apothecary Diaries.

ASH: Yay!

SEAN: Seven Seas has Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid in COLOR! – Chromatic Edition. This one-shot collects the best/funniest/most heartwarming scenes in the manga and does them in full color.

One Peace Books has the 19th volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero’s manga.

In print, Kodansha Manga has the debut of a series already out digitally, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability (Tensei Shitara dai Nana Ouji dattanode, Kimamani Majutsu o Kiwamemasu). It is what it sounds like.

There’s also the 2nd and final volume of A Silent Voice Complete Collector’s Edition.

ASH: I’m double-dipping for the additional content.

SEAN: Digitally, we see new volumes of Ace of the Diamond 39, The Fable 6, Falling Drowning 3 (the final volume), A Kiss with a Cat 4, My Maid, Miss Kishi 3, Police in a Pod 16, The Shadows of Who We Once Were 4, Shangri-La Frontier 7, and WIND BREAKER 6.

MICHELLE: I thought Falling Drowning was pretty interesting and look forward to completing it. And, of course, here’s my obligatory pledge to catch up on Ace of the Diamond.

SEAN: Kaiten Books has a digital release for the 7th manga volume of Loner Life in Another World.

Two light novel debuts for J-Novel Club. Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade (Shinigami ni Sodaterareta Shoujo wa Shikkoku no Tsurugi wo Mune ni Idaku) has a baby discovered by a mysterious person in the middle of nowhere. She is taught combat and magic… then her mystery benefactor disappears! Now she has to leave the middle of nowhere to find them. (The title perhaps gives away who the mystery person is.)

ASH: Spoilers!

SEAN: There’s also Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke (Moto, Ochikobore Koushaku Reijou desu). Our heroine is raised to be a mage and the fiancee to a prince… then all the magic talent goes to her sister, so she’s tossed aside. Now she tries to make her way as an adventurer… but wait. Why is she suddenly finding herself in modern-day Japan? Her life is a game? And she’s a side character? Like heck. She’s going to catch her own good end.

We also get a manga debut, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World. This is the manga version of the light novel we’ve already talked about. It runs in MAGICOMI.

J-Novel Club also has Demon Lord, Retry! 8, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 18, Perry Rhodan NEO 9, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ 6, and the 2nd The Saga of Lioncourt manga.

Ghost Ship has a 4th volume for Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon.

Cross Infinite World has a new title, The Saint’s Belated Happiness: Newly Single, Now Living with the Demon Prince (Iki Okure Seijo no Shiawase – Konyaku Hakisareta to Omottara Mazoku no Ouji-sama ni Dekiaisaretemasu!). The saint has spent years saving the world… so many years that she’s now 27, so her fiance the prince dumps her for being too old. Going home, she finds a young boy… with horns. Who rapidly grows up to be The Demon Prince. He probably cares less that she’s a Christmas Cake.

Airship, in print, has Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 6.

Digitally, the early debut is The World’s Fastest Level Up (Sekai Saisoku no Level Up!). You’ll never believe this. This boy has a skill. But everyone thinks it’s useless and hates him. Then, he finds out it’s the most powerful skill ever! Now he’ll be the strongest with the help of hot pink-haired heroine and hot blue-haired heroine! … sigh.

There’s also the 3rd volume of Loner Life in Another World, which at least I know is not taking itself seriously. Mostly.

Is it me, or is print manga just in a massive lull? What are you getting next week?

Reign of the Seven Spellblades, Vol. 6

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By Bokuto Uno and Miyuki Ruria. Released in Japan as “Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

It has to be said, when your goal is to kill a bunch of teachers and get away with it, it will become harder and harder as time goes on, mostly because the other teachers are starting to investigate. That’s the dilemma that Oliver and Company (I’m so sorry) find themselves in here, as the headmaster is starting to get very annoyed about these deaths, and is investigating absolutely everyone. That said, our conspirators do seem to have the next victim chosen, and their plan may very well be to upset her so much she spontaneously combusts in rage. That said, this book mostly deals with two things: 1) Oliver’s recovery from the last book, which is much harder than he expected and needs a drastic solution, and b) the tragic but triumphant story of Diana Ashbury, and a reminder once again that Reign of the Seven Spellblades as a series is likely to end with Nanao the sole survivor walking away from the smoking corpse of a campus.

First off, let’s get the one terrible thing about this book out of the way: there’s a creeper who is defined by a) his desire to rape another man, complete with lascivious grin, and b) his enormous erection, which is described far more than I would really like. He’s a massive negative stereotype, and it’s something of a relief that he doesn’t show up much more in this book. That said… this series is really, really horny. We recall Oliver’s magical handjob from two books ago, and now we get his burgeoning relationship with Nanao, where they’re not having sex but everyone assumes that they are. So honestly, when Oliver was having his soul problems I was expecting our sextet to come up with a more AO3-fanfic sort of solution. That said, their actual solution – a game of hug tag – is adorable and sweet.

And then there’s Ashbury. One of the things that this series hammers home over and over again is that much o the cast is obsessed with one thing or another, and with Ashbury it’s speed. She’s head and shoulders above anyone else, and the faculty have their eye on her to break the world record for speed on a broom… without the inevitable death that comes along with it. But even in this part of the book things are tied together in a shipping sort of way – Ashbury’s catcher (and, it’s implied, romantic partner) has been missing for the last two years, and so while she’s amazing, she’s not the amazing she wants to be. The final quarter of the book is absolutely stunning, and I also loved the bond that develops between Ashbury and Nanao, and wish we could see more of it. Still, this ending was pretty much the series in microcosm.

I haven’t even mentioned the student council elections, but that’s OK, because I suspect they will take up a lot of the next book. Till then, this is absolutely terrific to read, but can also be very painful. In a good way.

Bookshelf Briefs 9/6/22

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Blue Lock, Vol. 2 | By Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura | Kodansha Comics – Blue Lock really is a lot of fun, if you can get past the fact that a program designed to foster egotistical behavior on the field will accordingly foster egotistical behavior the rest of the time, too. Raichi, in particular, is just a major asshole. Still, this volume has many positives. The teams within each wing are having a tournament with only the top two eligible to remain at Blue Lock. Team Z loses their first match, but finds a way to work cohesively as a team while enabling each player to demonstrate an independent striker spirit. Most importantly, though, Isagi finally realizes what his own personal secret weapon is and achieves an important breakthrough at the end of the volume. So far, I have ended each volume of this eager to devour the next. It might be time to try to get caught up with the digital release. – Michelle Smith

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 23 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – After spending the first part of this volume dragging Chika for being so unobservant of the main romantic couple (with one or two heartwarming moments mixed in), it’s time to sift over to our other main couple… except they’re both not interested. Miko is starting to understand that she’s in love with Ishigami, but has no idea what to do next, and ends up trying “aggressive.” Ishigami is far more interested in gaming on Discord with his new friends, which include another one of his hot classmates. And then there’s Osaragi, whose support of Miko this entire time is kicked over for the (supposedly) shallow house of cards that it is. That last part is easily the most interesting, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. – Sean Gaffney

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 30 | By Taeko Watanabe | VIZ Media – Some volumes of Kaze Hikaru are more gripping than others, and this is definitely one of them. With Yoshinobu’s rise to the rank of Shogun and the apparent assassination of the Emperor twenty days later, Ito ratchets his scheming up several notches, culminating in a plan to cultivate the appearance of a rift within the Shinsengumi that would enable him to theoretically go spy on an anti-Bakufu faction. Hijikata is dubious; Kondo endorses it. It’s 1867 now, and so even though Sei and Okita continue to make incremental romantic progress, the weight of history is hard to ignore, especially when the volume ends by foreshadowing an “unforeseen tragedy” that lies ahead. There are few series that can inspire as much dread as Kaze Hikaru. I close with my traditional lament that this does not come out more often. – Michelle Smith

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 20 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – Komi Can’t Communicate is always at its best when it’s advancing its romantic plot, and we get that in abundance here… though not with Komi. A skiing trip with the gang takes up most of the first half of the book, then they all get on the bus to go home… except Tadano and Manbagi, who were accidentally left behind. With little choice, they have to find a room for the night, as that was the last bus. This pretty much leads to all the romantic cliches you can possibly imagine, including a confession of love to a sleeping partner… who turns out not to be sleeping. Fortunately, Tadano’s low self-image means he doesn’t really believe it, but the romance scale has started to fall away from Komi for the very first time. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 20 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – This is a book of two halves, as the story arc is wrapping up. The first half is everyone else hearing about Mitsuhide rejecting Kiki, and their somewhat stunned reaction to this. The second half shows us Zen and Shirayuki trying to make the most of their limited time together, which includes such lewd things as kissing, but that’s about it. And now they’re separated again, and we no doubt continue a new arc next time, though that arc may involve Kiki definitely having to give in and get married now. Snow White with the Red Hair is definitely carving its own path, and is not really interested in what readers think (or else Mitsuhide and Kiki would be together, as would Shirayuki and Obi). – Sean Gaffney

Knight of the Ice, Vol 11

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Knight of the Ice Volume 11 by Yayoi Ogawa

I often feel a little wistful at the end of a series, especially one as consistently entertaining about Knight of the Ice, but the final volume concludes in a fashion that will satisfy readers, even though the outcomes were easy to foresee at the start of the series. As Kokoro prepares to take the ice at the Sochi Olympics, the field of skaters is shaken up by a dark horse contender with multiple quads from the United States. Kokoro also has to face a major competition without Chitose by his side to support him, since she’s recovering from necessary heart surgery. It is great to see the progression in Kokoro’s personality and how he’s able to make more decisions and assert himself as a skater, instead of drifting through life in an attempt to live up to his family’s expectations.

Ogawa nails the tension of Olympic ice skating as different skaters attempt to skate their best due to a variety of reasons, sometimes succeeding and sometimes having the small mistakes and spills that happen in competition. I always appreciate the paneling and action sequences of Knight of the Ice, which really serve to heighten the When Kokoro pops his quad lutz, readers are treated to a detailed discussion of scoring system issues, making the moments of Kokoro’s next decisions to modify his program on the fly even more dramatic. Even issues with Russian judges come into play as the final scores are tallied, making this manga enjoyable for a casual or more serious skating fan. One thing I really liked about this series was the way it developed all the supporting characters as well, and many of Kokoro’s compatriots get a sense of conclusion at the end of this volume as well.

One thing I appreciated was a bonus story that takes place before the first volume, which shows how Chitose and Kokoro reconnected after being close as childhood friends. It served as a nice way to think about how far they’ve both come as they’ve evolved over this series. I’m very glad that we’ve now gotten two Yayoi Ogawa series translated into English, but I have to say after reading both Kima wa Pet and Knight of the Ice, I feel a little greedy for more.

Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash, Vol. 2

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By Tofuro Futsukaichi and Kei. Released in Japan as “Gendai Shakai de Otome Game no Akuyaku Reijou wo Suru no wa Chotto Taihen” by Overlap Novels. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

Oooof. I’m starting to suspect that having villainess books with modern ties is a mistake. Give me a villainess who’s in fake nobility land with some magic and a few broken engagements and I’m golden. But I’m remembering Villainess Reloaded, the story of the young woman who decided to solve everything by bringing a bigger gun. I had to drop that one as I was starting to get the sense that the heroine was morally bankrupt. There’s far less doubt here – Runa is appalling. In the game her life was destroyed because of the modern economy that crashed in 2008. She’s decided to fix the economy… but she’s still not changing her villainess ways. Indeed, she’s doubling down on them. When your heroine decides to build a gated community to protect the rich folks, you start to wonder if reading this series is an ethical problem. It’s a shame, because other than that insurmountable problem, the series is otherwise excellent.

The book essentially divides itself into two alternating sections. Half the time we’re watching Runa the capitalist, still trying to solve all of Japan’s debt problems. She has a time limit as well – the current government that she has so many ties to is falling, and the new government, headed by real-life prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, is far less favorable to powerful families like hers. The other half of the book is Runa’s life at school with her friends, where she does things like the culture festival, a snowball fight, etc. She’s still in grade school here, something that she emphasizes a great deal, but that does not stop her from having to worry about a fiance or hiring a new group of servants-cum-bodyguards. No one thinks that she’s just a cute little girl anymore.

The author REALLY nails Runa’s colors to the mast here. She attends the Republican National Convention in 2000, clearly supporting George W. Bush. She also meets with Norman Schwarzkopf and then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Hugh Shelton for one of her many money-making schemes (though I suspect the author may have been thinking of Colin Powell there). Note that, aside from Koizumi (who is mentioned but never seen), none of these people are actually named in the book, but you know who they are. The main problem is that I can’t tell whether we’re supposed to condemn her actions or not. There are several people, throughout the book, who tell her to slow down and stop buying up all this failed debt, including her own brother and several of her minders. She even admits at one point she’s completely forgotten about the value of actual money. I think the main issue, unstated for the most part, is that she can’t stop seeing herself as the bad guy of the game this comes from. And she doesn’t really want to.

As I said, the writing here is good, and I want to see what happens next. But, as noted above, it may be morally and ethically wrong to read this series. Let the buyer beware.

High School DxD: A Demon’s Work

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By Ichiei Ishibumi and Miyama-Zero. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Haydn Trowell.

Generally speaking I’ve been able to skate by on these High School DxD reviews because I can usually somehow get past all of the boob talk and the “funny” comedy antics and even more boob talk to find something I can actually discuss like a reasonable reviewer, be it the fights, the character development (it does actually exist), or the overall plot of that particular book. So, you’ll have to pardon me if this review in particular seems to be a little lacking in content, as this is a short story volume. Meaning there is no overall plot, and no character development. Oh, and almost no fighting either. In its place, we have even MORE boob talk and “funny” comedy. As such, we are forced to fall back on the usual rule of light novel short story volumes: the longer the story, he better it actually is. That holds true here, as the last story in the book is the longest and one of the few that deserves attention.

In this book: 1) Issei and Rias try to help a woman who summoned a demon to help her love life… but she’s American, and her idea of Japan is more samurai-oriented. 2) Issei and Asia are told they need to get familiars, but Issei’s choices are all super powerful rather than super sexy. 3) Issei explains to the club the story of how he became obsessed with breasts, which involves a creepy old man corrupting a child. 4) The club has to play a tennis match against a rival in order to complete a club activity report. 5) Asia and Rias are turned into little kids by a spell gone wrong. 6) Azazel accidentally clones Issei three hundred times, and the clones are even more breast-obsessed than he is. 7) Sirzechs and Grayfia show up at Issei’s, and remind Rias that she has to perform a ciming of age ritual with a loved one… i.e. Issei.

There are precisely three stories in this book that cannot be summed up by the words “Oh my God, fuck off.” The first story is actually pretty funny, especially Susan’s misplaced sense of what Japan is actually like. The story of Asia and Rias as kids is at least mildly cute, and features Azazel abusing Issei in a much more acceptable manner than the other story he’s involved in. And the final story is the most involved. We meet the other Demon Kings for the first time, and we get another example of the “they are wearing an obvious disguise but no one notices this except the protagonist” joke, which always seems to work for me for some reason. Other than that, please see above. High School DxD may be unabashedly horny, but I have my limits, and they were pushed hard here.

Despite the presence of one or two non-sucking stories, this is a volume that can easily be skipped, IMO. Next time we should get a school trip… and hopefully a plotline.

Pick of the Week: Correspondence Course

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MICHELLE: I’m not entirely sure it’ll be my thing, but Correspondence From the End of the Universe is certainly the most unique tittle to be coming out next week! For that, it deserves at least a look!

SEAN: My pick is the 8th and final volume of Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops, a series that remained dedicated to its premise, which was to do a SAO series with the minimum amount of Kirito and Asuna. It succeeded, and I quite like it.

MJ: Wow, I do actually exist. And, okay, this may be the most predictable move of all my predictable moves ever, but I’m gonna copy Michelle here and go with Correspondence From the End of the Universe. Taking chances for the win?

KATE: I’m adding my voice to the chorus of folks buying Correspondence From the End of the Universe this week; it looks quirky (in a good way!).

ASH: While I’m still astonished (and glad) to have Harada’s manga being licensed in English (and so have my eyes on The Song of Yoru & Asa Encore), I join most everyone else in selecting Correspondence from the End of the Universe as my official pick. Gotta love SF josei.

ANNA: I’m not going to deny the tidal wave of support for Correspondence from the End of the Universe, that’s my pick as well.

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out

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By Hajime Kamoshida and Keji Mizoguchi. Released in Japan as “Seishun Buta Yarou wa Odekake Sister no Yume wo Minai” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

The last two books in the series were pretty much crushingly emotional, with some genuine grief and horror in them, and I imagine that readers are hoping for a slightly more light-hearted volume at this point. Unfortunately, thay may have to wait a bit longer. The eighth Rascal book is not a tragic heartbreaker like the last arc. It’s merely a quiet, unflinching study of how Kaede is trying to get better and move on with her life, and how she’s being hindered not only by her own trauma over what happened in the past, but also the way that the Japanese school system works. And, of course, there’s “the other” Kaede, who hovers over this volume like a ghost, present and influential despite already being gone. Last time Sakuta was able to go back and save Mai from being killed, but there’s no way to really save “both” Kaedes, at least not at this point in the series. He just has to support her as best he can.

Sakuta is getting ready for Mai’s graduation, and being forced to think hard about his own future. Mai wants them to go to college together, so much so that she’s taking a year break to wait for him. This means that he needs to buckle down and actually study rather than being a lazy SOB, his natural state. Things are not helped by the fact that he’s having a dream of her as a small elementary school girl. That said, studying is going to have to take second place to Kaede, whose future is far more fragile. She’s now going to school again… but can’t actually leave the nurse’s office. There are a wide variety of high schools she could attend… but with a complete lack of grades for the last two years, it’s a high bar to clear. And to make matters worse, she’s determined to go to the same school Sakuta and Mai attend. Is that really something she can achieve?

I had forgotten that Japanese education is only compulsory through junior high, so high school is optional. This makes things very difficult for Kaede, though, as with a complete lack of junior high grades, it’s hard to get into a good high school, and that makes it hard to get a good job, etc. She’s made great strides, especially now that she has recovered her old memories, but there are still certain obstacles that still traumatize her, especially relating to her old school. And there’s an even bigger obstacle beyond that, one that has her feeling guilty and unloved. Despite that, Sakuta is an awesome older brother here. He’s trying to support what she says she wants to do, coming up with contingency plans on what to do if that fails, and not pressuring her. There’s also an extended section on remote learning schools that is very good at showing how they can be a help if you find the right one, while also showing that everyone automatically thinks they’re sketchy.

Aside from a plot twist near the end, which I found a bit unbelievable, this was an excellent volume in the series. I do wonder how it would be animated, though… perhaps that’s why there hasn’t been any ore of the anime since the movie. In any case, next time we resolve Sakuta’s new dream. Till then, fight on, Kaede!

The Manga Review, 9/2/2022

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Earlier this week, Shueisha and MediBang launched MANGA Plus Creators, a platform for English and Spanish-speaking artists to publish their own original manga. Anyone who uploads their work to the platform is automatically entered in a contest that comes with a cash prize and distribution through the MANGA Plus and Shonen Jump+ apps. (The site will use likes, favorites, and total views to determine the winners of each month’s contest, as well as input from Shueisha’s editorial staff.) While that sounds like a good deal, artists should read the fine print before submitting their work; the artist retains basic intellectual property rights to their creation, but must allow MediBang and Shueisha “to use the contents the User submitted and published on the Service, MANGA Plus Creators by SHUEISHA for free with the purpose of advertising and promoting the Service, the Related website, and the Related service.” Caveat emptor!

FEATURES AND PODCASTS

Comics scholar Paul Gravett just posted a thoughtful list of twenty-six art books and graphic novels slated for a November 2022 release, among them They Were Eleven, Synasthesia: The Art of Aya Takano, and The Boxer. [Paul Gravett: The Blog at the Crossroads]

Alicia Haddick files a report from the Sailor Moon 30th Anniversary exhibition, now on display at the Sony Music Roppongi Museum in Tokyo. The show runs through the end of 2022. [Crunchyroll]

Speaking of exhibitions, Tokyo’s Seibu department store announced that it will be sponsoring a 40th anniversary celebration of Shuichi Shigeno’s professional debut. The show will feature artwork from Bari Bari Densetsu, MF Ghost, and, of course, Initial D. [Otaku USA]

Megan D. highlights some problematic imagery on the cover of Tokyopop’s Peremoha: Victory for Ukraine anthology. [Twitter]

And speaking of Tokyopop, the publisher is actively participating in the Soar with Reading Initiative, an organization that “provides free books to children to address the issue of ‘book deserts,’ areas with limited access to age-appropriate books.” [ICv2]

If you’re in the mood for love, Honey’s Anime has a helpful list of ten great romance manga. [Honey’s Anime]

Kawaii alert: the Mangasplainers dedicate their latest episode to Konami Kanata’s Chi’s Sweet Home. [Mangasplaining]

Helen Chazan posts a thoughtful meditation on Kazuo Umezz‘s preoccupation with childhood trauma and abuse, as evident in The Drifting Classroom, The Cat-Eyed Boy, and Orochi. “This is Umezz’s interest: teasing out, for entertainment purposes, the dissonance between the idealized family and the actual resentments a child feels within their family,” she explains. “Mother is an ideal of nationhood, the soil from which you grew. Mother is also the woman who scolded you, humiliated you, controlled your existence from home while your father worked long hours. How can both stories be true?” [The Comics Journal]

Also worth a look: Caitlin Moore’s essay about My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders. Moore notes that author Monzusu “sought out the stories of ordinary people with experiences similar to her own, eventually turning some of them into a memoir manga. In doing so, she offered neurodivergent people like her a rare chance to tell their own stories in their own words, when most of the world would rather talk over us, and created a tool to help people understand people like us.” [Anime Feminist]

REVIEWS

Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith weigh in on the latest installments of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, In/Spectre,and Knight of the Ice, while the crew at Beneath the Tangles offer a medley of short manga reviews.

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