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Pick of the Week: Brides, Princesses, and Vampires

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MICHELLE: There are new volumes of several series I enjoy coming out, and I’ll definitely be picking those up, but what grabs my attention the most is a josei debut. Nina the Starry Bride doesn’t have the most original-sounding plot, it seems, but a) it’s josei and b) I can’t help it—that cover is just really neat! I look forward to checking it out.

SEAN: I love josei manga, and will certainly check out Nina. But my pick(s) are the one-two punch of Shonen Sunday titles, as Komi Can’t Communicate and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle are two of my top favorites right now.

ANNA: I’m interested in Nina the Starry Bride but I’m also curious about Call of the Night because I generally like Shonen Sunday titles and vampires!

ASH: Since it’ll be the last time that I can choose it, I Hear the Sunspot: Limit gets my official pick this week. I’ve been greatly enjoying the series and its predecessors from the beginning, so I don’t expect that to change with the ending.

Call of the Night Vol 1

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Call of the Night Volume 1 by Kotoyama

I’m always a little curious about Shonen Sunday titles, as they tend to be a little more sophisticated than Shonen Jump manga so I was intrigued by the idea of a shonen vampire romance like Call of the Night. Ko Yamori starts out by being the typical hapless shonen protagonist but he’s isolated and has just started having terrible insomnia. He’s not attending school regularly and one night he slips out of his house and starts wandering around in the middle of the night while searching up ideas for insomnia cures on his phone. Seeing many people posting about the benefits of alcohol he stands in front of a vending machine contemplating buying a beer when he’s suddenly accosted by a mysterious blond girl in a cloak who says she can help him if he’s having trouble sleeping. She brings Ko back to her place to crash, and he quickly discovers that his new acquaintance is a vampire named Nazuna.

Call of the Night

Ko finds the idea of becoming a vampire immediately intriguing but Nazuna finds the topic incredibly embarrassing because the only way for a human to become a vampire is to fall in love with one and let that vampire drink from them. Ko is determined to make this happen, and while Nazuna likes to joke about sex, the idea of any type of emotional intimacy is something that she shies away from. Ko and Nazuna keep finding each other in the middle of the night and hanging out. There’s an undercurrent of loneliness to this manga that makes it a little more interesting and poignant than I was expecting, as Ko and Nazuna keep seeking each other out. Ko’s not done with the human world though, as he reconnects with an old friend of his who encourages him to go back to school. Kotoyama’s art is stylized and angular, making the world of the night seem more mysterious. I definitely felt intrigued by the end of the first volume and I’m curious to see how this relationship will develop over time.

The Reincarnated Prince and the Hero of Light

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By Nobiru Kusunoki and Arico. Released in Japan as “Herscherik” by M Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by afm.

The last two volumes of the Herscherik books have had the subtitle refer to a new vassal that is the focus of that particular book, so you might be coming into this one wondering who the Hero of Light is going to be. But no, Herscherik has a full army of weapons in his cache now, both in terms of the men he has at his side and also his family, who are increasingly rebelling more and more against the chains of Marquis Barbosse. He has tried assassinating the royal family to depress the King into doing his bidding, he has tried introducing lethal drugs into the kingdom, and he has tried using his own daughter in a plot to kill Herscherik, one that ends in her own death instead. And yet here is Herscherik, a literal seven-year-old running rings around him. Of course, the reader knows that’s because he has the mind of a brilliant Japanese middle manager in hi, but no one ELSE knows that. So there’s only one thing left to do: send Herscherik off to die in war.

Yes, in an incredibly convenient coincidence, the country next door has decided to amass a huge invasion force at the border, so the army needs to take their much smaller force and go investigate. Barbosse suggests that Herscherik should go, despite being seven, as … well, he comes up with excuses over and over as to why no one else in the family should go, to the point where by now everyone in the room is aware he’s doing his best Snidely Whiplash imitation. But that’s fine by Hersch, who has also decided to stop pretending to be an innocent seven-year-old and act his age + his reincarnated age. As a result, they head off into an obvious trap and, well, get ambushed. Surprise! That said, Herscherik is a good two or three steps ahead of Barbosse here, and, of course, has Kuro, Orange, and Weiss, who together are the equal of at LEAST one invading army.

The book reads as if the editor said “you know those scenes you always get near the end of a book that make the reader punch the air? Could you fill the book with them?”. Every confrontation is a joy, and while sometimes the plot does verge on the ridiculous (I will give the fall from the cliff a pass because every book needs at least one hand wave) other parts are very well crafted, bringing in events from the first three books and tying them together, and also answering the very obvious question we’ve had for some time: given Barbosse can kill off the royal family with impunity, why hasn’t he done away with the youngest prince? The book is also very good about talking about the difference between doing what’s right for the nation and doing what you personally want to do, and how even Hersch finds that hard to handle at times. And, as I mentioned before, the dramatic confrontations are to die for. (Literally, sometimes.)

The series is not over, and reassuring us that we’re still only in the prologue of the Tales of the Prince (though we do meet the author of the books here, a scrub in the army trying to survive so he can send his pay back to his family), but this book definitely closes the book on the plot that’s run through the previous three. Where does it go from here? We shall see. Till then, enjoy a fantastic light novel series that makes the reincarnation isekai bits work well and also not be overused.

Days on Fes, Vol. 1

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Like many Gen-Xers, I cut my musical teeth at rock concerts. I didn’t have much experience going to festivals—they were rare in the 1980s—but I did catch the first Lollapalooza tour as it passed through the Boston area in 1991. My memories of that day are impressionistic; it was hot, dirty, and loud, and I considered leaving when I learned that Siouxsie and the Banshees had cancelled their appearance. I’m glad I didn’t, though, as the festival helped expand my musical horizons, introducing me to the sound of rap-metal and the Rollins Band, and reminding me just how phenomenal Living Colour was. Reading Days on Fes reminded me of that formative experience, though not in the way I’d expected. I imagined that a manga about rock festivals would focus on the music, but Days on Fes is equally concerned with food stalls, merch, and concert-going logistics, even dedicating one chapter to finding the perfect campsite at an outdoor festival.

The first volume follows two characters: Otoha, a goofy high school student, and Gaku, her thirty-something brother. In the first half of the book, Otoha persuades her classmate Kanade to attend the Meteorock Festival with her, while in the second Gaku drags his Eeyore-esque employee Ritsuru to the Fries & Sushi Festival. Both siblings face predictable hurdles in getting to the venue, from lack of interest—Kanade confesses that she doesn’t like rock—to lack of funds—Ritsuru bemoans the fact that he’s too poor to afford a ticket. Once at the festivals, however, both Kanade and Ritsuru succumb to the excitement of eating good food, wandering the grounds, drinking beer, sleeping under the stars, and—yes—hearing some concerts.

The most satisfying passages in volume one focus on getting ready for a festival. Oka vividly captures the feeling of pre-concert anticipation, carefully documenting the small but important rituals that festival-goers observe, from picking out an outfit to deciding what to bring; he even includes a two-page spread detailing the contents of Kanade and Otoha’s backpacks. Though this illustration serves a legitimate educational purpose, showing the festival n00b what they’ll need—suncreen, snacks—it also speaks volumes about the two girls’ personalities and expectations for the festival itself. Less satisfying are the performances. Oka relies on reaction shots and close-ups of musicians’ faces to convey the excitement of hearing live music, but the blandness of the illustrations undercuts the efficacy of this time-honored strategy for showing what can’t be heard: whoops, claps, whistles, boos, sing-alongs. The dialogue provides the only clue that these performances were good; characters spend more time talking and thinking about how the music effects them then they do listening to music.

For anyone old enough to remember the original Lollapalooza tour, the contrast between the lackluster performance scenes and the rhapsodic discussions of festival foods may be jarring; it often feels like Oka has channeled too much energy into depicting the things you can buy and do at a festival rather than what you might hear. For younger readers, however, Days on Fes offers a safe but tantalizing glimpse of what it might be like to attend Coachella or Bonnaroo, as well as a down-to-earth reminder that festivals are an expensive habit—a message that’s sure to be music to parents’ ears.

DAYS ON FES, VOL. 1 • ART AND STORY BY KANAKO OKA • TRANSLATED BY AJANI OLOYE • LETTERING BY ALEXIS ECKERMAN • YEN PRESS • RATED TEEN • 208 pp.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 28

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By Mizuho Kusanagi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Yona” by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by JN Productions, Adapted by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane.

As many have noticed, this has gradually become a light novel review site, with the manga that I read generally being reviewed in Manga Bookshelf’s Briefs columns. There are one or two exceptions, though, the most obvious of which is Yona of the dawn, a series I keep finding new things to say about (even though I’m still one volume behind in my reviews). This volume is an excellent example of why I keep coming back to it. There’s really big goofy comedy, as Kyo-Ga is knocked unconscious due to Happy Hungry Bunch antics and essentially becomes a giant comedy prop for a while. There’s romance, as we see in the scene where Yona and Hak take comfort in being each other’s strength. There’s politics, as Keishuk has arrived at the absolute worst time, and we get more of “what is Yona’s goal”. There’s cool action sequences. And there’s intrigue, as the cliffhanger makes you wonder if Ogi is going to be selling Yona out. There’s SO MUCH GOING ON.

Yona of the Dawn sometimes has a Shakespearean feel to it, particularly with everyone being worried about where Yona is and what she’s doing. Su-Won’s position as leader is fairly secure, and yet… everyone assumes that as long as Yona is alive, she can easily lead a rebellion to take over. This is very Richard II/Henry IV stuff here. It does not help that Yona is wandering around the land with a bunch of superheroes/monsters (delete where applicable), who could and have taken out entire armies on their own when at full power. But no one knows what Yona’s real goal is. Well, the reader might have a clue. The highlight of the volume is Yona’s big speech where she talks about how everyone is expecting her to get revenge for the death of her father, and… she doesn’t have to? She doesn’t have to forgive Su-Won, and won’t, but she can simply go around doing good things? Sadly, I suspect forces will continue to stop her doing that.

We also get a glimpse of Kyo-Ga and Tae-Jun’s mother here, and I enjoyed her showing off another classic comedy stereotype, the regal woman with the fan over her face who (almost) never speaks… until she does, as her fury at how Keishuk treats her son forces her to complete entire sentences, to the surprise of her attendants. She’s a very different kind of powerful woman from Yona, and doesn’t exactly clash with her, but she does worry that Yona is not doing what the traditional woman should. Putting herself in danger every day, after all, is dangerous. But this is what Yona has chosen to do, and she’s not backing down now. (Yona in general is filled with women wielding power in very different and varied ways, and I really appreciate that. This is not to say that Yona is not vulnerable, but for the most part that’s a side of herself that she tries to show only to Hak.

As you can see, there are always new things to discover about one of the best shoujo manga currently being published in English. Always a must-read.

Manga the Week of 4/14/21

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SEAN: There certainly is a lot of manga coming out. Remember years ago when some weeks had three or four titles?

ASH: It’s almost unimaginable any more.

SEAN: Airship has the 11th Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest in print, and the 4th volume of The Invincible Shovel in early digital.

Cross Infinite World has another villainess reincarnation story with Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook with My Fluffy Friends: the Figurehead Queen Is Strongest At Her Own Pace (Tenseisaki de Suterareta no de, Mofumofu-tachi to Oryouri Shimasu: Okazari Ouhi wa My Pace ni Saikyou desu). A woman newly shunned by her fiance, the prince, finds herself now married to a different prince – one who hates women! But… his kingdom is filled with adorable creatures, and she doesn’t have to do anything but her hobby – cooking! No death flags here, just fluff.

ASH: I mean, I do like cooking stories?

SEAN: Denpa’s website lists femme fatale: The Art of Shuzo Oshimi for next week. An artbook dedicated to the creator of Flowers of Evil, Blood on the Tracks and more.

J-Novel Club has a veritable plethora of digital releases. Are You Okay with a Slightly Older Girlfriend? 2, Banner of the Stars 6, Black Summoner 4, Der Werwolf 11, The Ideal Sponger Life 2, Slayers 7, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: the Wayward Journey 11, The Tales of Marielle Clarac 6, and Tearmoon Empire 4.

Kodansha Manga has one print release, which is Witchcraft Works 15. Kodansha Books also has the 3rd volume in the Pretty Boy Detectives Club series. Thus all the Kodansha print releases next week are ex-Vertical.

MICHELLE: I didn’t love the first Pretty Boy Detective Club as a novel, but I’m still looking forward to the forthcoming anime!

SEAN: The digital debut next week is a full-blown josei title. It even runs in Be Love! Nina the Starry Bride (Hoshi Furu Oukoku no Nina) is an orphan girl who ends up being sold as a slave… to the royal family? Turns out she looks a lot like the recently deceased princess. Now she has to live her new princess life… no matter how much she does NOT want to. I’m interested in this, despite the well-worn premise.

ANNA: I am too, but I have a very poor track record with digital titles.

ASH: Likewise.

SEAN: Also out digitally: the final 16th volume of GE: Good Ending, Peach Boy Riverside 6, Shojo FIGHT! 16, Tokyo Revengers 20, and the 27th and final volume of Yozakura Quartet, whose first volume was put out by Del Rey in 2008.

ASH: Oh, wow, Yozakura Quartet is a series I haven’t thought about in a long while.

SEAN: One Peace has the third and final volume of I Hear the Sunspot: Limit.

MICHELLE: Oooh.

ASH: It’s a big one, too! (I got my hands on an early copy.)

SEAN: Seven Seas has some debuts, both based on light novels they’ve also released. Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells (Hazure Waku no [Joutai Ijou Skill] de Saikyou ni Natta Ore ga Subete wo Juurin Suru Made) runs in Overlap’s Comic Gardo, and Muscles Are Better Than Magic (Mahou? Sonna Koto Yori Kinniku da!) runs in Kadokawa’s Comic Walker.

ASH: For some reason I was expecting Failure Frame to be about windows and defenestration.

SEAN: We also get Gal Gohan 7, The Girl from the Other Side 10, Harukana Receive 7, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 6, Love Me for Who I Am 3, My Next Life As a Villainess! 5 (manga version), and Reincarnated As a Sword 5 (also manga version).

ASH: Always glad to see a new volume of The Girl from the Other Side (although I will admit to being behind in my reading).

SEAN: And there’s three more Alice books – Nightmare, The Lizard Aide, and Toy Box – that get digital releases.

SuBLime has a 5th Candy Colored Paradox and The World’s Greatest First Love 14.

ASH: I’ve largely been enjoying Candy Colored Paradox.

SEAN: Viz debuts a new Shonen Sunday series, a phrase not heard often these days. Call of the Night (Yofukashi no Uta) seems to combine romcom and vampire stories together, and looks fun.

ANNA: Always up for more manga vampires.

SEAN: Viz also has more Shonen Sunday! Case Closed 78, Komi Can’t Communicate 12, Persona 5 6, Pokemon Adventures Collector’s Edition 7, Pokemon Adventures: Black 2 and White 2 3 (that title hurts me to type), Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 14, and Splatoon: Squid Kids Comedy Show 3.

ASH: Yay, Sleepy Princess!

SEAN: Lastly, Yen Press debuts the manga version of the beloved light novel In Another World with My Smartphone. This early in the series there’s far less genocide to worry about, so I will cautiously recommend it. It runs in Kadokawa Shoten’s Comp Ace.

What manga will you read while waiting for your vaccination appointment?

The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious, Vol. 6

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By Light Tuchihi and Saori Toyota. Released in Japan as “Kono Yuusha Ga Ore TUEEE Kuse Ni Shinchou Sugiru” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Matt Rutsohn.

And so the series that really should have ended after Book 2, and then had another perfectly good stopping place with Book 5, continues with a new arc. So we get the usual sense of the author taking stock and continuing with what works while throwing out what doesn’t. Somewhat vexingly, this means that the romance, such as it is, between Seiya and Ristarte is at an all-time low in this book – on both sides! Ristarte has one or two brief fantasies about Seiya here, but for the most part has simply grown used to his treatment of her, and he is (as its typical at the start of these arcs when we don’t have all the information we need) being rather rude to her. On the bright side, there’s less actual physical abuse, as we bring along a different God for that, but that does not mean that there are not moments that are literally designed to humiliate her. The book can be frustrating.

Last time I wondered if we’d have a Civil War in Heaven, and we come close, though it’s more of a one-sided battle. Yes, Mersais and their allies are back, and they’re here to destroy everything. Now Ristarte, along with Cerceus, is seemingly the only survivor and must try to salvage something from this and restore the spirit world… which means summoning Seiya again, of course. He’s got to train in the Underworld now, but that doesn’t make his training… or attitude… any less bananas. Then we find out what’s happened to the actual worlds they usually save – they’ve become dark, twisted versions of themselves. So we need to go back to the beginning, as Seiya and Rista return to Gaeabrande, the world of the first two books, which is now ruled by the Dragon Lord, as humans and demons alike forge an alliance to stop his dreadful reign of terror. Wait… isn’t the Dragon Lord a bit familiar?

As always with this series, what interests me most is Rista’s character development. The very fact that we have to being the God of Cakes… erm, Swords along with her and Seiya is a sign that she’s moved past the punching bag that she used to be, and for the most part has settled into realizing that when Seiya says he’s going to do something ludicrous, it’s usually necessary. That said, she and Seiya are still clashing. Because these are twisted, dark worlds that will theoretically be fixed and restored once they defeat the Big Bad, Seiya is seemingly of the opinion that it doesn’t really matter if they have to kill people to solve the problem, as they won’t really be dead. Rista, as she herself points out, can’t have that callous a viewpoint – seeing people suffer in front of her causes her pain and distress. I’m inclined to be on Rista’s side here, and thus am annoyed at Seiya right now. Still, he’s always had a good reason before, and this arc isn’t over, so I’m sure we’ll get another one soon.

We’re almost caught up with Japan, so I suspect these books will come out far slower soon. Still, if you’ve been enjoying the series for its goofy comedy and seeing Rista get humiliated, there’s plenty of that here, including her having to imitate a gorilla. I will cautiously read the next volume.

Penguin Gentlemen

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Penguin Gentlemen by Kishi Ueno

The premise of this manga – penguins who happen to run a cafe where they are all very buff men wearing tuxedos – seemed so ridiculous I couldn’t help wanting to check it out. This single volume manga certainly gets the deluxe treatment, with a hardcover edition and plenty of color pages. Now and then I really enjoy a didactic manga, and that’s what Ueno delivers. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of a storyline focusing on penguin cafe work, because I enjoy a good food manga as well, but for readers who want to dramatically up their knowledge of penguin behavior, species variants, and random facts about penguin habitats this is the book for you!

Penguin Gentlemen

The character designs are one of the most amusing aspects of the book, as Ueno showcases differences in penguin markings and size into the hair styles and tuxedo uniforms of all the waiters. The main boss of the cafe is the King penguin, who is dwarfed in size by the stoic Emperor penguin who looms over everyone. The penguin gentlemen discuss their characteristics in the setting of the cafe, with plenty of comedic bits. The characters switch back and forth often between their anthropomorphic human forms and their natural states as penguins, but Ueno is great at rendering the heightened emotions of the characters even when they are in bird form. I read this book in several sittings, simply because I was not able to absorb all the information about penguin egg hatching, body language, and markings without a break here and there. The last section of the book that focuses on penguin courtship rituals is particularly hilarious. If someone wants to learn many scientific facts about penguins and be entertained along the way, Penguin Gentlemen certainly delivers.

Moriarty the Patriot Vols 1 and 2

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Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi

I was intrigued by the concept of Moriarty the Patriot, because I was curious how the manga would flip Moriarty from being the antagonist into being the protagonist of his own story. It turns out that Moriarty has an intrinsically sympathetic goal – full scale class warfare! This first volume details how the evil mastermind Moriarty is adopted into a family of nobles, with a slightly sociopathic older brother named Albert who is determined to wage war against the nobility with the benefit of his younger brother’s genius.

The chapters in this first volume often involve an episodic approach to plot, with Moriarty intervening in the lives of people who’ve been taken advantage of by so-called nobility. His focus on revenge is certainly satisfying, and by the end of the volume, he’s surrounded himself with a core group of companions who are similarly bent on striking back against the British class system.

Moriarty the Patriot Volume 2 Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi

I found this second volume a little less interesting because it had more of the expected story beats that I’d assume would show up in a Holmes adaptation. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more Moriarty in this volume. Here the reader sees Takeuchi’s version of Holmes meet Watson and figure out how to deal with his landlady Mrs Hudson. While it was enjoyable, there wasn’t as much dramatic tension because other than his lower class affectation, Holmes is pretty much what one would expect. As Holmes hurdles into his next case, I’m curious to see if he’s going to be at odds with Moriarty once more, and I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen when they start clashing over cases involving spectacularly murdered noblemen.

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 1

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By Yuumikan and KOIN. Released in Japan as “Itai no wa Iya nano de Bōgyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

It feels like it’s been a while since I’ve read a light novel that’s come out long AFTER the anime adaptation, as opposed to before. Unlike other licenses where the Japanese publisher is clearly pushing it because they know they’ve got a surprise coming in the next year or so, the Bofuri light novels remained untouched until well after the series had already finished. And so we’re left with a flipped sort of question, as instead of being grumpy about whatever vital scenes the anime cut from the book, we can read the book and see what extra content we get. The answer, honestly, is “not much”: this book is covered by the first three anime episodes, and that seems about right. You will notice where the anime added or changed things (Frederica does not show up early to direct Maple in the book), but you won’t be getting details about Kaede’s home life or things like that. Which is fine, we’re here for the game.

For those unfamiliar with the premise, Kaede is a teenage girl who’s not all that into gaming, but her gamer friend Risa has convinced her to try the hot new virtual reality game, New World Online. Sadly, Risa can’t game right away as she got a bad test score, so Kaede starts the game on her own. It’s a VR game, so Kaede (who calls herself “Maple” in game, a pun on her name and probably a reference to Maple Story) thinks that if she’s attacked she’ll feel actual pain. As such, she chooses the strongest shield, and sinks all her points into Vitality. ALL of them. As Maple slowly (very slowly… she can’t walk fast as she only has points in defense) starts to play the game, her offbeat way of thinking leads her to make choices that, almost by accident, cause her to level up and gain cool powers. Indeed, she is rapidly becoming a bit of a monster…

While reading this, I’d mentioned on Twitter it felt a bit different from the anime in terms of mood. Don’t get me wrong, Maple is still absolutely OP and broken as a character, but the anime really wants to show that off, while the book is more about Maple’s experiences and interaction with New World Online than its reaction to her. The anime seems like it takes place over only a couple of days in these first three episodes, while the book makes it clear that weeks and months are passing. There’s also more gamer chatter – Maple is “not a gamer” the way that I am “not a gamer”, which is to say she knows the lingo simply by being around Risa. Overall, I’d say the book feels relaxed – the author states they wrote it as a downtime change of pace sort of story, and it feels that way. Some story bits are seemingly dropped halfway, like the chat group full of players talking about Maple, which disappears around when Sally and Maple team up, though if the anime is accurate it will be back. Oh yes, most importantly, this is, so far, a game free of all the Gamergate nonsense you would likely find in real life – the players all seem nice and helpful.

I will note that if you’re on the fence about picking this up because you’ve seen the anime… it’s not essential? It doesn’t add anything major to what you already know. But if you loved the anime and want to read the original’s slightly more relaxed, meandering take, then Maple is here for you.