Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Blog

My Girlfriend Cheated on Me, and Now My Flirty Underclassman Won’t Leave Me Alone!, Vol. 1

by

By Yu Omiya and Ale. Released in Japan as “Kanojo ni Uwakisareteita Ore ga, Koakuma na Kouhai ni Natsukareteimasu” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Benjamin Daughety. Adapted by RFD.

I try not to carp too much about a book that fulfills all its goals and doesn’t really do much wrong, even if I personally was not entertained. I picked this up because it promised to be about college kids rather than the usual “second year of high school” start we tend to get in romcoms. Indeed, everyone in this is in college. There are drinking parties. The main character is not a virgin. (Well, according to him, but given the plot of this book, I’m not sure I trust his word.) The flirty underclassman is very cute. And very flirty. Our hero not only has a flirty underclassman, but also a BFF, who is also hitting on him constantly, not that he is aware of this. And there’s even the ex-girlfriend, who shows up in a couple of scenes. The main character makes questionable decisions, but rises slightly above “everyone falls for him as he treats women normally”. But only very slightly. As for my opinion? Meh.

Yuuta is preparing for his one-year-anniversary with his girlfriend Reina, but when he goes to her home he sees her holding hands with another man. Naturally, he breaks up with her. (I will pause in case you need to see a doctor for being unable to unroll your eyes.) Now, it’s Christmas, and he’s started smoking and is generally miserable, with only his incredibly hot best friend Ayaka to keep him company. Then he accidentally runs into a girl handing out flyers dressed as Santa, and helps pick them up after they fall. She’s Mayu, and she gloms onto Yuuta immediately, going out for a meal with him, then offering to clean his house, and by the end of the volume she’s almost moved in. Meanwhile, Ayaka keeps inviting Yuuta out to mixers and parties, which he reluctantly goes along with because they’re besties. Oh, and Reina? Says she wasn’t cheating on him.

If you thought “is this cheating going to all be one big misunderstanding because our college-aged young man has the emotional maturity of a nine-year-old?”, congratulations, you have read enough books in this genre. The girls in this are mostly fun, and Mayu, albeit a bit invasive, is genuinely likeable. Yuuta is frustrating. He’s mature except when the narrative needs him not to be. He knows how to compliment a woman, he knows when to ask what’s wrong and when to shut up, and he’s “safe” in a way that some other guys in this volume aren’t. But boy, you’d better be ready for “gosh, why are all these women in my life can’t imagine” obliviousness. As for the “she was holding hands with another man so I broke up with her”, we’re never actually shown the break-up or the aftermath, we just hear about it after the fact, so it could have been maturely done… but doesn’t sound like it.

If you like harem romcoms, this isn’t a bad one. I assume if you like harem romcoms, you’re used to the oblivious lead male. I do warn you, if you’re rooting for his best friend or his ex, please remember who’s on the cover of the first volume and in the title. I think I’m good with stopping here, though.

Pick of the Week: Grim and Gritty or Sweet and Fluffy?

by , , , and Leave a Comment

KATE: The cover of Blades and Guardians is indeed giving me Lone Wolf & Cub vibes, so that’s my pick of the week. My gentle nudge of the week is to all the youngsters who haven’t read NANA. To mark the series’ twenty-fifth anniversary, VIZ is in the process of reissuing Ai Yazawa’s soapy classic. Volume three arrives in stores this week.

ASH: I’m not sure how I’m only now finding out about Blades of the Guardians (especially considering the recently released film adaptation with Jet Li), but a martial arts epic with great artwork is absolutely something I will be reading.

SEAN: I’ll go with something on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and make my pick They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning, which I have heard is incredibly sweet and adorable and feels like just what I need.

MICHELLE: I’m always intrigued by mystery manga, so Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow definitely appeals to me. However, I could also use something less grim, so my official pick is the eighth volume of 10 Dance, a series I greatly look forward to getting caught up on.

ANNA: I’m going to pick magical girls this week! With the anniversary release of Shugo Chara! and the release of Magical Girl Dandelion it does seem like magical girls are having a mini moment.

The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain, Vol. 7

by

By Bakufu Narayama and Ebisushi. Released in Japan as “Danzaisareta Akuyaku Reijō wa, Gyakkō-shite Kanpekina Akujo o Mezasu” by TO Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Alyssa Niioka. Adapted by Vida Cruz-Borja.

Please note that spoilers are far more unavoidable than usual this volume. If you want to remain unspoiled, please try to read the review after the book. I’ll stick the cover art here to hopefully mask it.

So, let’s talk about the Unreliable Narrator. Starting off by spoiling a 100-year-old book for you, the most famous example is probably Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It upset a lot of people when it came out, and folks who were especially invested in trying to figure out the mystery, rather than reading it as a cracking good yarn, especially felt betrayed. They said it was cheating, not playing fair. The author said that all the clues were there if one kept an open mind. And the narration did actually play fair. There were omissions, and subterfuges in it. But you didn’t see a whole chunk of book being given first-person narration by someone who then turned out to literally be lying solely to the reader. That’s why this volume makes me mad.

The book alternates, at least for the first half. Claudia’s part of the book has her learning that the Church has chosen a new Saint, and that she is one of the two who have been chosen to help the Saint during her canonization, which will involve not touching men, not eating meat, etc. She’s also dealing with a refugee problem, which is tricky because, as both her brother and her maid/best friend point out, she gets too emotionally invented in everything. She also gets very mad at herself for not seeing things that are only obvious in hindsight and not being perfect. Typical Claudia, in other words. The other half of the book follows a sister in a girls-only monastery who gradually opens her heart to the injustice of the world, saves a young boy from being whipped to death, and uses her new Saint position to help war-torn refugees. Then the author says “whoops, I had the switch on her back set to good by accident” and everything turns terrible.

I’m not sure if I was supposed to be fooled by the Sister (nun)/Sister (sibling) thing, but it was made pretty obvious from the start that this was supposed to be Fermina. And I thought I was going to see… well, exactly what I saw, but I thought we’d go about it a different way. The first half has lots of Fermina’s POV, as we see her viewpoint gradually change as she’s exposed to good people and also the injustice of this world. And then she’s picked up by the Church, who we’ve already seen are going to be evil so Claudia can suffer. I was pretty sure we were either going to see sweet lies poured into her head, or literal brainwashing, but that had been signposted, so I was fine with it, and the Claudia stuff was excellent. Then the Saint POV disappears from the narrative for about 100 pages, and I went “uh oh”. Then we get the final Fermina POV chapter, where she reveals that in fact this was all a setup from the start, which she knew, and she’s secretly been as evil as ever. This is not a case of “if you read the unreliable narrator right you can guess it”, this is a case of “LOL, you fell for it!”. SO ANNOYING. Especially as I was OK with Fermina learning a hard lesson and getting better only to fall again, and am very unhappy she’s as one-dimensional as ever.

This has a nasty cliffhanger, which you can likely guess, and I’ll keep reading. But boy, this left a bad taste in my mouth.

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 12

by

By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

Given that the bulk of this series is our two main leads flirting hard with each other, deliberately or no, it makes sense that this is also what’s going on with the author. Oh, sure, the start of the series was different. We had the push and pull of “when will they discover they both know and admit their feelings”. But ever since they got together as a real couple, the books have been the author as Lucy, holding a football, saying, “I bet this is the one where they finally give in” and the reader as Charlie Brown running up to kick it, even as we know intellectually that no sex is going to happen until the final volume of the series, and probably not even then. This doesn’t run on porn, it runs on horniness, and the true tease knows that you need to keep the audience on edge as long as possible to make the release all the sweeter. If it happens at all.

Christmas has passed, which means both Yoshin and Nanami are going off to visit their respective grandparents, and will be apart for about a week. Though come on, this is the modern era, they just video chat every night. We meet Yoshin’s grandparents, who are astonished how much he’s changed, as well as his tall, cute older cousin, who you’d expect would be a subplot involving a jealous Nanami till you remember what series you’re reading. (Nanami does get jealous later, no worries.) After that it’s time for a shrine visit, where they run into Nanami’s two besties and their problematic significant other, as well as the problematic class president. Finally, the two of them convince their parents to let them go on a hot springs date in Hokkaido for two days and one nights – with one condition. You can guess what that condition is.

The reason, of course, that this remains so horny and yet so wholesome is that Nanami is absolutely the one pushing harder to go further, while Yoshin is steeling himself to not even do anything beyond kissing and hugging till they’re married. This gives her all the power, which is why it’s relaxing. We see that at the shrine, as he wishes that the gods help him nail down his libido so he doesn’t do anything he’ll regret, while Nanami’s, I suspect, were probably the opposite. At the hot spring hotel, they get closer than they’ve ever been – thanks partly to an in-room open air hot spring, and in part thanks to some horny college girls hitting on Yoshin without realizing he’s under 18 and also taken. They’ve now seen each other naked – by accident, and the interstitial art has to give Nanami the largest hand towel known to man to make it OK – but that’s as far as it gets. This series knows it’s in it as long as the publisher demands.

Next time, Valentine’s Day! Which will be a bit, as it only came out in Japan a month ago. Till then, enjoy these sweet kids not banging.

One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future, Vol. 2

by

By fukurou and johndee. Released in Japan as “Jiji Baba Yuusha Party Saigo no Tabi: Oita Saikyou wa Iroasenu Mama Mirai e Susumu you desu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

I do enjoy some good foreshadowing. It’s the kind where you know this is going to be important later, and think “ah yes, the author is doing that deliberately”, but also not enough so that’s it’s constantly on your mind. By the time we get to the big reveal in this volume, I remembered the ominous mentor guy, as well as the terrible country that sat out the war because they were simply too terrible, but I was distracted by the main plot of the first half, which is the same as the main plot of the first volume. The hero’s party are all now 90 years old, and no one recognizes them, but at the same time everyone knows what they achieved back then. Or at least what the history books say. The funnier first half of this book shows that history is not always written by those who make it, and distortions can be… horribly embarrassing.

Our group of six, making their way slowly to see Ferd and Elrica’s great-grandchild, have arrived at the large magic academy that is run, in part, by Lara and Sazaki’s son. We also meet their own great-grandson Connie, who looks much like Armin from Attack on Titan, and has fallen in with a group of students who include “the shonen guy who has a creepy intuition that is always 100% accurate” and “the girl being forced to relearn everything she knew as her mentor was a lunatic”. There’s also classes, which the hero’s party sit in on. And Connie has everyone over for a round of tabletop gaming… though they are a bit frustrated by the fact that the game appears to be unwinnable. Everything is light and fluffy, and everyone’s smiling the same as a-a-a-a-a-always…

Trying not to spoil TOO much about the last half of the book, but that does make it difficult to write more, so here we go. I do love a good Lotus-Eater Machine, and that’s what we’re getting here. This allows some things to happen that would otherwise have horrible consequences for all involved (Hagen would likely have to leave school, and Emmeline might honestly have to be executed) but still allow everyone to look cool. As for the party themselves, well, this is possibly the one part of the book I wasn’t fond of. I read this series for the fun of seeing powerful old folks doddering around and being powerful but mostly passive. Here they need to get involved in past battles all over again, only the script is rewritten so it’s not as good. This means a lot of fight fight fight. Not why I’m here.

Still, the day is saved, our heroes are off, and we meet more young kids who may be the next generation of heroes. We’ll find out more… when/if we get a third, and presumably final (check the publisher) volume. Good stuff, clever gimmick, did not need the shonen battle arc.

In Another World with Household Spells, Vol. 4

by

By Rika and HIROKAZU. Released in Japan as “Isekai ni Kita kedo, Seikatsu Mahou shika Tsukaemasen” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by sachi salehi.

Despite the fact that Patience is 11 years old going on 12 in this volume, this is still a series full of nobles, and as such we know that marriage is going to always be on the table. And yes, arranged marriages can be made at a young age, though obviously just “waiting till they’re older”. And Patience, as everyone tells her but she refuses to believe, is a very hot property, financial woes or no. Who will she end up with? Obviously the music-obsessed father and son are out, though the son is certainly a better choice than the father. If she continues to try to invent all the things, Caesar is probably the best choice. Prince Keith is a really obvious choice, but let’s face it, Patience is never going to be royalty. And then there’s Percival, who offers to be husband and wife diplomats with her, which would allow her to do everything she’s already doing and travel the world. Sometimes an obvious choice is really obvious.

Most of this book consists of Fun Academy Life, and there aren’t really any climactic conflicts, other than trying to keep Patience away from the music-mad noble who will kidnap and marry her. She continues to take classes in nearly everything, and passes nearly everything. She’s in the Music Club, still locked in eternal political battles. She’s also in the Alchemy Club, inventing so many things that listing them would take the rest of this review. (Hrm… nah.) And she’s preparing for the noble equivalent of the Culture Festival, along with a ball where she and the other students have to make their own ballgowns. She’s definitely standing out with the polka dots, but since she’s trying not to use household magic even she’s struggling to make it in time. And she’s also attracting the notice of damn near everybody, as I said.

There’s actually little to no household magic in this volume aside from Patience occasionally using it as essentially a Sonic Screwdriver. For the most part she’s relying on her knowledge from Japan and her drawing ability (which is remarked on twice in succession, which made me wonder if it’s an error or a gag) to so the usual “inventing mayonnaise” sort of thing we always seen in these reincarnation isekais. Fortunately, she struggles – yes, she can draw a bicycle and get a reasonable facsimile, but rubber, if it exists here, is unknown, so they have to make do. And she also is not particularly good at noble politics. She can certainly freeze out petty teen Louise, who is trying to intimidate Patience without success, but Margaret can still wrap Patience around her finger, and Patience’s noble relatives can also make demands. This means she barely has time to see her brothers… except no, the brothers are all over this book. She sees them all the time. She’s just obsessed.

Next time we get the ocean, and possibly a resolution to Patience’s “but we are poor disgraced nobles” problem – the Queen hints her fortunes will soon rise. In the meantime, this is fun relaxing “let’s invent all the things” isekai.

Manga the Week of 3/4/26

by , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: I’d make a March Comes in Like a Lion joke, but there’s no new volume of that series, and frankly February is Lioning pretty hard right now. Anyway, manga.

ASH: It’s dependable even when the weather isn’t.

SEAN: Airship has new print volumes for Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 12, A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 4, The Too-Perfect Saint 5, and True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 3.

And in early digital they have The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 14 and The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 2.

Ghost Ship has the fourth volume of Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party With His Mom! and the second volume of Virgin Ventures.

Inklore has a 2nd volume of King’s Maker.

ASH: BL manhwa with a good dose of court intrigue is probably something I should be reading.

SEAN: J-Novel Club is taking the week off – the only release next week is Looks like a Job for a Maid! 2.

Kana debuts Blades of the Guardians, a historical manhua described as “True Grit meets The Last Samurai”. I think this will appeal to fans of Vagabond and Lone Wolf & Cub.

ASH: Oh, yes. Yes, it does.

ANNA: Indeed!

SEAN: Kodama debuts MAGICA, a series I know nothing about except that everyone who sees it can’t stop talking about how gorgeous it looks. It does look gorgeous.

ASH: I had to look it up, too, but now I’m intrigued. The full-color artwork is very striking.

SEAN: Kodama also has the 11th and 12th omnibuses of Baki the Grappler and Smile! 2.

Three print debuts for Kodansha Manga. Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow (Furitsumore Kodoku na Shi yo) is a mystery series from Magazine Pocket. A detective called to the scene of a burglary finds the corpses of 13 children. Now he has to track down the house’s owner.

ASH: That cover is beautiful even if the premise is distressing.

SEAN: Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind (Ohitori-sama ni wa Naremashita node. Konyakusha Houchichuu!) runs in Comic Lake. It’s a broken engagement series, as you can see (I’m officially separating those out from villainess books), about a young woman whose fiancé pays no attention to her at all. So she decides to pay no attention to him, and stop caring about love. Suddenly, guess what?

ASH: I can only imagine!

ANNA: I have no idea!

SEAN: A double dose of debuts is next. We get Shugo Chara! 20th Anniversary Edition, an omnibus of the original shoujo manga from Nakayoshi. She’s a magical girl! And we also get Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker, the new sequel running (also in Nakayoshi) about Amu as a middle schooler.

ASH: Oh, wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve thought about Shugo Chara!.

ANNA: Alright!!!!

SEAN: Also in print: 10 Dance 8, The Heroic Legend of Arslan 22, How to Deal When Your Intimidating Neighbor is Actually an Omega 2, and Wind Breaker 20.

ASH: Great to see a new volume of 10 Dance!

ANNA: Note to self about reading this!

SEAN: Digitally there is How to Grill Our Love 19, Manchuria Opium Squad 11, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 20.

One Peace Books has Tetsu’s Coffee: A Beginner’s Guide to Coffee for Manga Lovers, which uses the power of manga to tell you how to make a really good cup of joe.

ASH: This book probably belongs in my house.

ANNA: Ooh I do enjoy a didactic manga from time to time.

SEAN: No danmei for Seven Seas this week, though we do get Lout of Count’s Family 7, which is Korean danmei, and The Twelve Kingdoms 4, which is far too fancy and good to be in the Airship imprint.

ASH: I am still so incredibly happy that The Twelve Kingdoms was rescued.

ANNA: I need to pick up a few volumes!

SEAN: For debuting manga, we have A Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits (Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu), the manga version of the LN Seven Seas also puts out. It runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus.

ASH: I like alchemists.

SEAN: They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning (Kesa mo Yuraretemas) is a romcom from Shonen Champion. This is from the creator of My Monster Secret. Every morning, two shy yet adorable teens get on the train and don’t confess to each other. This manga is from the perspective of the rest of the train car, who all are desperately rooting for them.

ASH: That actually sounds really cute.

ANNA: This does sound cute.

SEAN: We Are Not Beasts (Ore-tachi wa Kemono Janai) is an omegaverse series from LiQulle, and is from the creator of Stay by My Side After the Rain. It’s a one-shot about an omega who’s sought after by two strong alphas, but wants to be self-reliant. Can that wish stay intact when he inevitably goes into heat?

Also from Seven Seas: Black Night Parade 9, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (manhua version) 13 (the final volume), I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 5, The Kingdoms of Ruin 12, Mocha the Cat and His Forever Family 2, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 10, My Goddess is Precious Today, Too 2 (the final volume) and Tales of the Hundred Monsters Next Door 2.

Square Enix Books has an 8th print volume of The Apothecary Diaries.

ASH: I really need to start reading the novels!

SEAN: And Square Enix Manga has the 3rd volume of Assassin & Cinderella.

Steamship has a 3rd volume of SEX DRIVE – My Pitiful Makeup Artist.

Udon Entertainment has, according to retailers, Elden Ring: Official Art Book Volume III: Shadow of the Erdtree. It looks expensive and fancy.

ASH: Udon does a pretty good job of fancy.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Magical Girl Dandelion (Mahou Shoujo Dandelion), a Sho-Comi series (Christ, when was the last time we got ANYTHING from Sho-Comi?) about a girl who is offered the chance to be a magical girl, but unfortunately her best friend is a villain!

ASH: Uh-oh!

ANNA: This sounds cute.

SEAN: They also have Chainsaw Man 20, Dragon Ball Super 24, Let’s Do It Already! 8, Nana 25th Anniversary Edition 3, Nue’s Exorcist 5, RuriDragon 3, Snow Angel 4 (the final volume), A Star Brighter than the Sun 5, Super Psychic Policeman Chojo 2, and World Trigger 28.

ASH: Nana remains excellent.

ANNA: Yes!

SEAN: And that’s it! Relatively short for a first week of the month. What interests you, my good fellow?

The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: A Remedial Lesson in Crime and Politics

by

By Mitsuru Inoue and Suzuno. Released in Japan as “Isekai Teni Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerarete Iru Ken” by Earth Star Luna. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Gierrlon Dunn.

The running gag of this volume, and indeed this series, is that people meet Aoi, underestimate her because she’s young and small, get their asses handed to them (physically or mentally), and immediately become her minions and/or supporters. Not the first time I’ve read this sort of plot, and it can be funny provided there’s more to it than that. There’s a BIT more. Aoi is absolutely dedicated to advancing sorcery throughout this world (theoretically so she can return to Japan, but I get the feeling that’s not happening), and does not actually care about all of the political mess and possible wars she may cause along the war. In fact, it’s brought up that if two countries *do* go to war, Aoi can probably just, y’know, stop them. You will be dragged kicking and screaming into the modern era of magic. And believe me, some folks here are kicking and screaming. Because they’re being used as test subjects.

This volume is essentially divided into two. In the shorter part, Aoi wonders why she’s seeing fewer students, and discovers they’re being lured into a gambling den run by a crime syndicate. With the “help” of Prince Rox and his men (but pretty much just taking out everyone on her own), Aoi reforms all the crime syndicates in the city to be good businesses from now on. In the longer second half, Aoi and her posse of important supporting characters go to the Holy Maple Leaf Empire, as part of an exchange to learn about their healing magic. What we end up learning is that their healing magic is impressive, but Aoi’s “literally everything” magic is out of this world. Which is a problem, as this Empire believes magic has reached its final form, and does not need any new research. She’ll fix that.

This is another one of those light novels where you get a chunk of the book from the main character’s perspective, and then switch to someone else to get their view of things. While that can normally be a bit exhausting, I’d suggest it’s welcome here, simply as Aoi’s deadpan, emotionless point of view can be a bit off-putting. At one point we discover, as I noted above, that the Empire tests its holy powers on either mortally wounded adventurers, or criminals. We are treated to a gore-filled hospital with the screaming of patients, and everyone else looks sick, but we’re in Aoi’s POV, so she’s just like “Yup. Well, anyway”. Even when she’s threatened by a knight of the crown, and taken before the Emperor for having gone way beyond what she was permitted to do, her response is “so what?”. It would take a lot to make Aoi really angry, I think. If only we had a bullied student in the cast who’s there to suffer… oh, good news for the next volume!

I’m still enjoying this, but I do wonder how fresh it’s going to feel several volumes down the line (it’s at 9+ volumes in Japan). For those who like people who kick ass while barely cracking a smile.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter: The Sacred Shield, Guardian of the Key

by

By Riku Nanano and cura. Released in Japan as “Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by William Varteresian.

This review will contain a lot of spoilers, so let’s start with the synopsis. The book is pretty much balanced between checking in on the bad guys, who are bemoaning the fact that our heroes are so good at what they do but still also clearly taking the lead in the “who wins” race. As for Allen and company, they’re in the home stretch, but still need to get lots of vital bits of information, such as more details of what happened generations ago and who was involved, and – most importantly – who Allen really is. Was he really found by his adopted parents the way they say? As for the current generation, well, they’re all concerned with the most important thing: getting Allen that last name, that title, and that nobility so that they can finally write off “but he’s a commoner!” on the reasons no one will accept every single powerful woman in the kingdom being in love with him. Of course, this assumes that the ceremony actually happens…

This series has been hammering home for over ten volumes the fact that Allen’s achievements in this current time are comparable to Allen the Shooting Star, the legendary man from the past whose name he shares. It hasn’t remotely been subtle. As a result, the fact that “Allen’s backstory is more than it seems” is not exactly a spoiler. What’s more, given that we’ve seen any number of formerly good people turned to the forces of evil in this series, including Allen’s best friend, it’s also not that much of a surprise who Allen faces off with near the end of this volume, even if they seen to be an amalgamation with a traitorous noble. Allen the Shooting Star was always destined to meet his Successor, Allen the Head Patter. Unfortunately, the meeting is not really all that much, mostly as it’s a fight because we’re at the point in the book where extended backstory is cut short, but also because another blast from the past shows up.

Leaving aside surprise evil dead sisters, the big surprise here is that Lydia takes a near-fatal wound, and appears to be at death’s door as the volume ends. I’ve always been fairly cynical about this author, so I don’t think there’s any question that Lydia is not going to die from this, but if she did, well, it’s pretty much exactly the way that everyone in the cast worried that she – or any of the other girls in love with Allen – would go, sacrificing herself to save his life. I expect she’ll be sitting the next book or two out, and while I’d love to see Allen go completely feral like she did when she thought he was dead, we know that’s not happening. The author likes to keep the harem balanced, but Tina throws the scales off too much, so sometimes she’s just written out for a bit. With that, let’s see, who’s on the cover of Book 20…

Yeah, there we go. Tina is, alas, still acting pretty immaturely, which may be one reason why she’s not only not #1 in the rankings (Lydia), but not even #2 (Stella). Now she has a book to do something about that. Let’s see what happens. Or maybe… maybe Lydia really IS dead!

(Nah.)

Pick of the Week: Rewinding for More Picks

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: My pick this week is 18-24 inches of snow with blizzard conditions. Oh no, wait, that’s my nightmare coming true. For my pick, I’ll go with Hitting Rewind with You, because it’s been a while since I’ve picked a nice shoujo romance, and I appreciate that “she’s younger than she looks” has become “they’re both older than they look they just like to cosplay”.

MICHELLE: I’m with Sean. Shoujo with an adult lead sounds appealing.

KATE: Holy cow! This week’s new arrival list is longer than a novel by George R.R. Martin. I dutifully waded through all those titles and decided to cast my vote for the latest volumes of Veil and Insomniacs After School, the former for its swoon-worthy artwork and the latter for its tug-your-heartstrings storyline.

ASH: All excellent choices! I’m going to take a little bit of a risk and choose the debut of Dungeons That Surely Slaughter Adventurers as my pick this week. I don’t know much about it, but I have enjoyed some the creator’s previous quirky and off-beat manga, so I’m willing to give it a try.

ANNA: I’m most excited about Veil, assuming it comes out this week.