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Pick of the Week: Pick of the Seven Days

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MICHELLE: Confident that MJwill choose Seven Days, I’ll instead cast my vote for the fifth volume of Farewell, My Dear Cramer. The best part about any sports manga is when the members of the team find the place they belong, and that’s beginning to happen here. Players who were formerly alone, or at least alone in the amount of love they had for soccer, are finally among like-minded individuals. I was a little unsure about this series at first, but now I’m fully hooked.

SEAN: My love for this series has been very variable, and there’s no question it ran too long, but I’ll go with Mission of Love’s final volume as my pick this week. Certainly if you pick one Ema Toyama series, this is the one to get.

ASH: While I’m very happy that Seven Days is getting a well deserved re-release, my pick this week goes to Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji. I really wasn’t expecting this series to be licensed, but I’m really looking forward to reading the original manga after greatly enjoying its anime adaptation. (Zawa zawa zawa…)

ANNA: I’m going to pick The Golden Sheep Volume 2, because I hope it will spur me to finally read the first volume.

MJ: I hate that I’m so predictable, but YES OF COURSE my pick this week is Seven Days: Monday-Sunday. I enjoyed this so much when it was originally released by DMP, and I’m thrilled to see it back again. Hurray!

KATE: I second Ash’s pick; I’ve been curious about Kaiji since Denpa made this licensing announcement in 2018, and am looking forward to finally getting to read it!

Gal Gohan, Vol. 1

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By Marii Taiyou. Released in Japan by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Animal. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Andrew Cunningham. Adapted by Bambi Eloriaga-Amago.

Sometimes Japanese manga companies have a broad spectrum of things they release across all genres and age groups… and sometimes they specialize. Hakusensha is one of the latter – it has no shonen titles per se, and is best known over here as the top shoujo publisher with its magazines Hana to Yume and LaLa. But… they do also have Young Animal. As with most magazines with ‘Young’ in the title, it caters to the young adult male, with each cover featuring a cover and insert section of an idol singer or model. Unlike the shoujo end of the company, Young Animal titles rarely get licensed over here – the most famous one still going is probably Berserk, which has lots of the gool ol’ ultraviolence. But there’s also fanservice and ecchi titles, and Young Animal has plenty of those as well. A good example of which we’re reviewing today, Gal Gohan. That said, like some of the best ecchi manga, there’s a certain purity of tone to it.

Shinji is a relatively new teacher, having difficulties making connections with students and doubting himself as with all good newbie teachers in manga like this. Shinji, however, teaches home ec, which makes it even harder – he doesn’t even see the students as much. Meanwhile, Miku is a very stereotypical “Gal” – tanned skin, loose socks, accessories, etc. – and is in danger of flunking out of school. The jaded principal suggests bribing her teachers with cookies, and so she goes to Shinji to try to get some help. Things go badly at first, but he gradually realizes that under her Gal exterior is a rather tender young maiden, and she starts to fall for him pretty hard – to the point where she decides to join the cooking club, even though – well, actually, because – it’s just the two of them. How far can Miku take her teasing… and how serious is it meant to be? And can Shinji avoid the temptations of his student?

This pretty much is the perfect setup to a series designed to entice young men. Miku is pretty, outgoing, busty, and is not ashamed to panty flash her teacher… at first. As the manga goes on, she starts to get a little shyer about that sort of thing, hinting that her teasing has gotten closer to an actual crush. Despite being a manga about a cooking club, there’s minimal attention to the recipes or preparation – this is not a foodie manga. You’re here to see if Shinji can resist the extreme forwardness of Miku (he has so far), and if Miku can get across to her teacher that she’s not just teasing but really does like him (she hasn’t so far). Part of Shinji’s reticence is simple – he’s her teacher, she’s his student, this is a forbidden relationship. But we also do get a bit of him not quite understanding a “maiden’s heart”, which allows Miku to be frustrated in a cute way.

I’m assuming anyone reading this knows what sort of manga they’re getting. But it caters to its readers very well, enticing without getting too over the line – Miku’s teasing and flashing of her body is relatively innocent compared to where the series could have gone. Worth a read if you like this genre.

86 –Eighty-Six–, Vol. 3: Run Through the Battlefront [Finish]

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By Asato Asato and Shirabii. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Roman Lempert.

True to its title, this is the second half of the story that began in the second volume. The Legion now have a massive Railgun that they used to destroy 40% of the Federation’s forces. Given that the Federation lacks Kamijou Touma, they need to defeat it by more military means. Fortunately, the railgun was slightly damaged when it was dealing out masses of deaths, so there’s time to send a strike force. That said, the chance the strike force survives and takes out the Railgun is basically 0%. It’s essentially a suicide mission. And so, as you likely guessed, it’s time to send out the 86, who are not fitting in well with the other soldiers and don’t seem to want to retire somewhere and grow potatoes. It’s very much a “if you love war so much why don’t you MARRY it?” sort of attitude, and our heroes just sort of shrug and get on with it. They’re the only ones who can really do this anyway. But will they have help?

As you might expect, a great deal of this book is very grim. We see soldiers with wives and families tragically blown to bits, and drivers shielding their superiors and ending up as corpses. There’s also the 86, who are, as is pointed out, still children, but we’re not really in a position in this war when they can avoid using them. They want to try not to be like the Republic… but when things go badly and someone has to be sacrificed, it’s all too easy to go with the ones who everyone already pities, especially when they’re so… well, stoic. Especially Shin, who in this book contrasts himself with Kiriya, one of the Legion’s main forces but still with memories of Frederica, his “princess”. We get POV from both of them in the book, and near the end Shin realizes that the main difference between them may simply be that Shin isn’t dead… something he’s not confident is a good thing.

Fortunately there is a bit of… well, I won’t say humor, but less bleak stuff here. I did laugh out loud at the reveal halfway through the book. We all knew it was coming, but it’s still really funny seeing every single one of the 86 (yes, including Shin) scream “ARE YOU AN MORON?!” at the same time. We also get the appearance of Lena, who has been fighting a losing battle against the Legion on her own end, and ends up meeting with Shin at the final battle with the Railgun. Neither one know who the other one is, though Shin eventually figures it out. It’s a reminder at how good Lena is at strategy, and I look forward to her actually joining the main cast again after this. She’s also a reminder that Shin actually was more emotional and occasionally smiled in the first book, something we haven’t seen at all in this two-parter. Frederica has helped, to be sure, but maybe Lena is just what the 86 need – someone who accepts them without pity.

The author has said the next book will be lighter in tone, something I don’t believe for a minute, but it should at least be another one-volume book. In any case, if you enjoyed the first two book in the series this is still a very good read. It’s not quite as good as the first, but that’s a high bar.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 21

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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.

It can sometimes be hard to remember that Hak, in the context of this series, is a normal human. He does not have any Dragon Warrior powers, but gets by by simply being very, very, VERY strong. This becomes very clear about two-thirds of the way through this volume, where the tension that has been slowly building about how long can Su-Won and Hak get away with not meeting face to face finally breaks – there’s just no avoiding it in the melee battle to save Riri that is going on. Indeed, it’s the unspoken communication between the two that saved Riri’s life, and I really long for some sort of alternate universe where the two of them fight crime. But unfortunately, they are enemies. Ju-Do certainly doesn’t forget that, and he alone is ready to take down Hak for the benefit of the Kingdom. But there’s more complexities going on here than can be dealt with by a murder. Hak and company saved so many lives. They do have to ignore each other right now.

The first half of the book is quite serious and action packed, though I’m not entirely sure Zeno saving Yona by literally dropping himself like a bomb on the enemy can be called 100% serious. Su-Won is once again doing far more than a King should be doing, which to be fair Riri is very grateful for. He’s still not really recognized by his subjects or indeed neighboring kingdoms, which leads to scenes like the one we get here, where a thousand soldiers are taken down by him and his four generals… and yes, the Happy Hungry Bunch, an alliance that makes both uncomfortable. The second half is lighter in tone, starting with Hak, whose nerves are frazzled by having to ignore Su-Won here because of circumstance, becoming a cuddlebug and hugging Jaeha and Zeno, both of whom react appropriately for such an occurrence.

This then leads to a wonderful chapter where, having moved back to the forest to camp out, Hak and Yona try to have a heart to heart. There’s an earnest core here, as Yona has felt fairly “princess in need of rescuing” this arc, which makes her unhappy, and Hak is dealing with her being in danger PLUS Su-Won, so is, as I said, a bit frazzled. But Hak is hugging others, and Yona wants to be hugged… except (she thinks to herslf) she hasn’t had a good bath in a while, so she must stink. Hak has not, in fact, noticed this, and later says she’s been filthier before (not the right thing to say), which leads to an amazing battle between the two of them, Yona avoiding his touch and Hak trying to capture her. It all ends well, though, with hugs being had, and Hak being reassured. That said, though, Yona still is apparently unaware of her own feelings towards Hak. How long will that last?

To no one’s surprise, this is an exceptional volume of Yona, and brings this arc to a close. What happens next? Intrigue? Action? Shenanigans? All of the above? Please read this series.

You Call That Service?, Vol. 1

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By Kisetsu Morita and Hiroki Ozaki. Released in Japan as “Omae no Gohoushi wa Sono Teido ka?” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jasmine Bernhardt.

This book lets you know right away that it’s a comedy, and, with the exception of one or two bits near the end, does not really let up on that throughout the volume. The characters do comedic things, the setup is written to be highly amusing, there’s a lot of boke/tsukkomi humor, and you get the standard harem novel staples, lots of girls after the hero, misunderstandings, etc. There is even a psycho lesbian and a yandere stalker girl, which Japan seems to find far more hilarious than I ever have. Actually, that seems to be the issue I have with this entire book. It really really sets itself up to be a laff riot, but it’s not particularly funny. There were times I smiled at an obvious gag, and there were points where you could clearly tell I was supposed to laugh, but the laughs just were not coming across. Which is a problem when your series is a comedy.

Our hero is Ryouta, whose grandfather made a misplaced wish that has cursed him to be attractive to all girls around him, which is a pain when the girls are mentally unstable or his immediate family. He’s walking in the mountains one day to get away from it all and happens on a city… and a young girl, who quickly bites him on the neck. She’s a vamp–erm, part of the Sacred Blood Empire, which this entire city is now made of, and wants Ryouta to be her minion. Sadly, he’s less obedient than she’d like. As they live together and go to school, he meets more Sacred Blood denizens, all of whom have their eyes on him, and learns about the Emperor, all the while yearning for the one girl in his life he actually felt love for, his elementary school crush. In the end, all these plotlines converge and Ryouta has to decide who he wants to be loyal to.

This was written in 2011, which is several generations old in light novel years, and it shows. The lead girl, Shana… erm, Taiga… no wait, Louise… Nagi? Ah, I got it, Shiren, cries out to be played by Rie Kugimiya, and Ryouta is the sort of bland, nice-but-snarky harem lead that you get in this sort of thing. The first 2/3 of this book is mostly them interacting, and while it’s comedy that I don’t find funny, it’s not all that bad. Shiren is clearly desperately lonely, and Ryouta realizes this fairly quickly. That said, there was one part where I did actively scream “fuck this”. As I said above, I’m not fond of “psycho lesbian” as a character trait to begin with, and this one went from zero to murderous in about ten seconds… then, after being forced to lick our hero’s blood in order to avoid dying, suddenly is into him as well. It’s one of the plotlines you’d assumed writers had given up on because it always gets bad press these days… but here it is.

The author is VERY prolific, having also written I’ve Been Kiling Slimes for 300 Years (which IS funny, though not always as funny as it wants to be) and the upcoming A Mysterious Job Called Oda Nobunaga. Both of those are likely better than this, which I recommend only to those anime fans who want to watch anything with a small, angry blonde with twintails.

Bookshelf Briefs 12/5/19

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Anonymous Noise, Vol. 17 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – I had thought this would be a race to the finish, but honestly it’s feeling more like a leisurely victory lap. The single is doing well, Nino is singing duets, Yuzu is finally getting through to his mother after literally taking her on a world tour, and the last of the beta couples finally get together. Oh yes, and Momo has written a new song, one that he really, really wants Nino to sing. The main pairing is still, I suspect, going to be Yuzu and Nino, but this is a nice final threat—after all, this is how the two of them bonded in childhood, as we see in a flashback. The next book is the final one, so however it goes, we’re near the end of the journey. I enjoyed this, though it was never as lights-out as some other shoujo titles. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Morning, Vol. 8 | By Shoko Hidaka | SuBLime – Blue Morning manages to be unique and complicated until the end. Hidaka-sensei does a good job of giving happy endings to side characters, like Akihito’s friend Soichiro, that feel earned rather than sappy, and which initially suggest that Katsuragi really will take Akihito’s offer to accompany him to England for two years of study. In the end, though, Katsuragi has too much that he wants to accomplish in Japan and stays behind. I love that, as much as these guys love each other, they each have aspirations (both personal and on a societal scale) that they cannot abandon. All of this independent effort leads up to an absolutely marvelous final page wherein, without any bits of clunky narration signposting the moment, Akihito and Katsuragi are finally walking side by side as equals. I have really enjoyed this series and see myself rereading it someday. – Michelle Smith

Farewell, My Dear Cramer, Vol. 4 | By Naoshi Arakawa | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Warabi Seinan’s girls’ soccer team has been working hard and has successfully made it to the finals of the Inter-High preliminaries for their prefecture. They’re up against the reigning champs, who had insufficient intel on just how good Warabi is these days. It’s an intense match, full of girls who passionately love soccer and their appreciation for “friends who really get each other.” This series really has improved a lot since its initial volume. It’s still a little strange that we were introduced to Suo and Soshizaki first, yet the majority of the story continues to focus on their teammate Onda, and the action is still sometimes a bit hard to follow (it would probably be good if I could conclusively tell which team scored the cliffhanger goal), but it’s hooked me sufficiently enough now that I can heartily recommend it. – Michelle Smith

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 9 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – Kagura and Tarou finally get their arc. Sadly, it’s easily the dullest part of this volume, and you sense that the author has written four pairs but really only cares about two and a half of them. (Sorry, Miki and Kiyo, you’re the half.) That said, the pairings that do get attention are well-crafted. Ayumi, desperate for a story now that the love lives have cooled down, runs a “hottest guy” poll. The prize is a hot springs trip. Kai, who has been struggling to be more affectionate (read: hugs) with an aloof Riko, decides that he’s going to go all out. But of course Takaya is hot too. And there’s upperclassmen as well, right? Who’s the winner? I won’t spoil, but it’s a very amusing choice, and works well for the plot. Good despite Kagura being boring. – Sean Gaffney

Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World, Vol. 4 | By Iruka Shiomiya, based on the novels by Keiishi Sigsawa | Vertical Comics – Even when telling a story that has a happy, uplifting climax, the writers of Kino’s Journey just can’t help but do a last-minute twist of the knife. The story of a young women who is resolved to show her airplane can fly is such a story, making you punch the air in happiness until we get the crowd’s reaction to the whole thing, which is… not bad. Sort of the opposite, but unsettling. Also unsettling is a short story about a couple grooming their child for a war he doesn’t want to fight in, and a city that revels in the anti-war paintings of a man who lives outside the city… till they hear why he really paints them, and their reaction destroys him. Kino’s Journey wants you to hate war. It succeeds. – Sean Gaffney

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, Vol. 12 | By Shirow Masamune and Rikudou Koushi | Seven Seas – So we still don’t have Vlind’s full name—it seems to be VlindXX XXXX, but we do get a little more about her camera crew, who, like Vlind, are also very reminiscent of another series the artist used to draw back in the day. If they’re meant to be Hyatt and Elgala, then Elgala has shrunk quite a bit, though she still has her snark. Meanwhile, Hyatt has not only gained a lot of height but is also now married to Watanabe, if her last name is any indication. It also talks about her health having been bad and throwing up blood, so it’s not exactly being subtle. As for the rest of the manga, well, when I spend the entire review talking about the cameos on the first page, I think you can guess. – Sean Gaffney

Seven Little Sons of the Dragon: A Collection of Seven Stories | By Ryoko Kui | Yen Press – I enjoy Kui’s manga series Delicious in Dungeon immensely, so I was looking forward to reading more of the creator’s work a great deal. After finishing Seven Little Sons of the Dragon, I am convinced that I will sincerely love just about anything created by Kui. Collected in this volume are seven stories that, while unrelated, are all fantastic in nature. A couple explicitly feature dragons (as one would perhaps expect from the title) while the remaining feature mermaids, werewolves, local gods, living paintings, and a family with supernatural abilities. The stories range in tone as well, from the comedic to the dramatic (or some combination of the two), but I would describe them all as touching in their own way. Seven Little Sons of the Dragon is a delightful and highly satisfying collection of short manga showcasing some of Kui’s versatility as both an artist and a storyteller. – Ash Brown

Skip Beat!, Vol. 43 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – As suspected, Momo does NOT get the role opposite Kyoko. Fortunately, it’s because the director wants to use her in a different project. Kyoko is devastated, but has other things to worry about, like an attempt on her life. It happens so fast that I had to go back and reread to see how to got to the roof, but the whole scene is terrific. Meanwhile, the main issue with Kyoko and Ren is they’re simply not communicating well—they think that the other person knows what they mean, but it’s always at cross purposes. As a result, Ren’s in the doghouse again. But given that Skip Beat! looks like it might be trying to rival the length of Glass Mask, that’s not really a surprise. If you haven’t read the previous 42 volumes… well, don’t jump on now. But otherwise, absolutely get this. – Sean Gaffney

A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Vol. 1 | By Makoto Hagino | VIZ Media – Konatsu Amano has just moved from Tokyo to a small seaside town and is on her way to her aunt’s house when she’s drawn to an open house at the high school she’ll be attending. The aquarium club has opened to the public, and while looking around, Konatsu meets kind Koyuki Honami, who happens to be the club’s only member. Pretty and with a reputation for being perfect, Koyuki is actually lonely, and Konatsu is able to relate to her (drawing parallels to a story from literature class along the way) and encourage her not to always pretend things are fine when they aren’t. This is a really low-key story so far, but I do really appreciate that each girl has her strengths and weaknesses and that they seem well suited to support each other. I look forward to seeing how things develop! – Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 12/11/19

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SEAN: Are you ready for another big list of things? Of course you are, that’s why we’re here. Will it be accurate or will books get delayed at the last minute? Again?

We’ll try this again: Dark Horse has the 3rd Emanon. They also have the 4th Gantz omnibus.

ASH: I still need to read the second volume of Emanon, but I really liked the first.

SEAN: Denpa Books debuts (no, really, it’s finally here, I saw it at Anime NYC) Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji (Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji). This classic title is being offered as a gorgeous omnibus which will literally cut your fingers on the chin of the main character. OK< not really. But it does look great. It ran in Young Magazine, and is filled with smart people making bad choices.

MICHELLE: The Amazon blurb promises “a world of debt, debauchery, and delusion,” which is somewhat intriguing, if not uplifting.

ANNA: It does sound intriguing.

ASH: I am very excited to get my hands on this! (I actually saw it last week at a bookstore in the wild; I should have just picked it up then.)

MJ: I mean “smart people making bad choices” is really all the hook I need.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us To-Love-Ru 17-18.

J-Novel Club has the 2nd manga volume of The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar.

But, more importantly, they have the 2nd volume of Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress!. Come read more of the light novel that took the internet by storm.

ASH: I’m thrilled that it was recently announced that this series will eventually be released in print, too, which means I’ll actually read it!

SEAN: Kodansha has, last I checked, print volumes of Boarding School Juliet 9, Eden’s Zero 5, Granblue Fantasy 2, Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight 10, Missions of Love 19, and Yuri Is My Job! 5. Missions of Love is a final volume. I’ll miss its soap operaness.

ASH: I’ve fallen behind with Missions of Love, but it really is a marvelously melodramatic series.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Ex-Enthusiasts: Motokare Mania, a josei title from Kiss about a girl obsessed with her ex-boyfriend. Seems on the comedy side.

MICHELLE: So much digital josei these days!

ANNA: Honestly, I can’t keep track.

SEAN: And also 1122: For a Happy Marriage 2, AICO Incarnation 3, All Out!! 11, and Farewell My Dear Cramer 5.

One Peace has a 12th manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas has a double dose of Arifureta. The 7th novel comes out in print, and we also get Arifureta: I Love Isekai!, the gag comic spinoff.

There’s also Dragon Quest Monsters + 5, the print version of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 5, The Ideal Sponger Life 4, and Plus-Sized Elf 4.

SuBLime has Seven Days: Monday-Sunday, an omnibus re-release of the title DMP put out ages ago. It ran in Craft magazine, which is not about knitwear.

MICHELLE: I remember MJreally loved this one but I didn’t get around to reading it. I will seize this chance!

ANNA: Aww, I was really hoping for knitwear manga.

ASH: I can think of at least one knitting manga off the top of my head that I would loved to see licensed someday. In the meantime, I’m very happy that Seven Days was rescued and is being brought back into print!

MJ: I was SO excited to note that this was coming out again! I loved it back in its DMP days and I’m not sure I ever got to read its second volume, so this omnibus release is very much welcome!

SEAN: They also have Candy Color Paradox 4.

Vertical gives us a 2nd volume of The Golden Sheep, which reminds me I have been avoiding the first volume and its no doubt incredibly melancholy realism.

MICHELLE: I liked it, for what it’s worth. There’s hope at the end of it.

ANNA: This reminds me that I bought and have not read the first volume.

SEAN: Viz gives us some comedy with Komi Can’t Communicate 4 and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 10.

Lastly, Yen On has a 5th WorldEnd light novel, which is the final volume, though there are short story collections and a sequel series. In addition, Yen Press has the 9th volume of the 3rd Re: Zero arc.

Assuming no release dates change at the last minute, what are you getting next week?

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 11

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The Water Dragon’s Bride Volume 11 by Rei Toma

I was genuinely not sure what to expect in the final volume of The Water Dragon’s Bride. While I naturally tend to assume that a happy ending is a given in a shoujo series, this series has explored the nature of humanity through the slowly changing personality of a god. It has also been unflinching about portraying all the petty and dark aspects of human nature, especially the machinations of humans who attempt to take advantage of the divine.

Water Dragon Bride 11

In the end, the final volume of this series has an elegantly constructed ending that allows for multiple moments of closure, another opportunity to ponder the nature of immortality, and some flashbacks that add additional resonance and meaning to the previous volumes. The Water Dragon God’s power is now fading after investing power into Asahi. Before he becomes too weak and disappears, he announces that he will send her back to her world. Asahi decides that she wants to spend time enjoying regular activities like picking berries and going fishing. Asahi, Subaru, and the Water Dragon God enjoy some brief lyrical moments just doing basic human activities. Toma’s skills in paneling and illustration are shown off to great advantage throughout this final volume, as brief wordless scenes convey a depth of emotion that make dialog and description unnecessary.

As the Water Dragon God prepares his farewell, Subaru gets a chance to be heroic yet again, looking out for Asahi and her future in a way that she might not immediately appreciate. Themes of longing and loss are explored as The Water Dragon God moves into a new plane of existence and Asahi integrates back into the life that she’s left behind twice. Overall, this was a tremendously affecting series, with a mystical and elegiac quality that sets it apart from other fantasy shoujo that I’ve read. I hope more of Toma’s manga makes it over here.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online: 3rd Squad Jam: Betrayer’s Choice (Part 2)

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By Keiichi Sigsawa and Kouhaku Kuroboshi, based on the series created by Reki Kawahara. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

As with most of these volumes, I find that this volume of SAO Alternative starts slow and gradually gets going till a 2nd half that verges on fantastic. The first part of the book briefly checks in with all the other teams, showing us what they were doing while Llenn and company were having their adventures by the train depot in the first part. They all gradually get the same notice: one of them is a traitor, please report to the traitor area for debriefing. The reactions range from vague dissatisfaction to rage to deep sadness, and then there’s Pitohui, who is OVER THE MOON. The story then moves to a massive ocean liner that is grounded on the island… except the island is sinking under the ocean, so gradually it becomes a real boat. Can everyone get to the boat before they drown? Can they defeat this new team made up of “betrayers”? And will the betrayers really work together anyway?

There are some nice moments with characters other than the two leads, I will briefly admit. The soldier that Pitohui fought in the 2nd Squad Jam gets a name and some righteous fury, not that it does him much good. SHINC are still the best huge Russian women who are really cute middle schoolers out there, and I really loved it when Llenn and Eva teamed up – if they can’t have their long-awaited battle (and it’s become clear by now the narrative will ALWAYS stop them in some way), this is almost as good. Fukaziroh is also a lot of fun, with quips at the ready, though she also functions as a good sounding board for Pitohui to actually (gasp!) open up. And the final battle between Fukaziroh and Eva is almost as good as Llenn and Pitohui’s. But not quite. Because, once again, we’re here to read about these two girls and their twisted relationship.

A warning for those who love reading SAO spinoffs but hate Kirito: he’s not in this book, but a flashback shows Pitohui, as a beta tester for SAO, fighting a swordsman who is very clearly him. I’m very glad that Pitohui missed getting trapped in SAO despite what it ended up doing to her already somewhat broken self, as I suspect she would have ended up in Laughing Coffin. (So does she.) But it’s seeing Pito’s vulnerability that’s the best part of this book – admitting to Fukaziroh that she’s terrified of Llenn, her real-life bodies own limits impacting her performance towards the end, and her own latent attraction to Llenn, who is not only cute and lethal (especially when in a rage-filled haze as she is towards the end here) but also in real life tall, athletic, and pretty. Sadly, Llenn still seems to have no interest.

I left out the book’s big spoiler, as it’s a very well done twist. And the ship’s AI was wonderful. Other than that… well, people read Alternative for the gun battles, and there are certainly a lot of those here. I read Alternative for the characters, though, and it was great to see some development with them as well. Will we get a 4th Squad Jam next/ Or something else?

Pick of the Week: Old Friends And New

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SEAN: There’s always an embarrassment of riches when it’s Viz week. That said, I can see no reason not to pick one of my favorite manga series of all time yet again. Yona of the Dawn is my pick.

ASH: Yona of the Dawn is a fine choice! (And one of my favorite shoujo series currently being released.) However, the debut I’m most curious about this week is Jujutsu Kaisen, also from Viz, so that’s what’ll get my official pick this week.

MICHELLE: I love Yona of the Dawn but since that’s covered I’ll go with volume 22 of My Hero Academia. Long have I wanted to get more of class 1-B and their various Quirks, as well as more Shinsou, and this arc of the manga delivers on both accounts.

KATE: Holy manga haul, Batman! I could recommend at least eight titles from this week’s new arrival list. If I had to narrow it down to just two, my nominations would be Drifting Dragons, a gorgeously illustrated adventure story about a team of whalers—er, dragon hunters—and the digital edition of Dream Fossil: The Complete Stories of Satoshi Kon, which I reviewed a few years ago.

MJ: There’s a lot of interesting stuff coming out this week, but since the rest of the Battle Robot seems to have it covered, I’ll speak up for Vertical’s 20th Anniversary Edition of Paradise Kiss. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over wanting more Ai Yazawa, but I’m also pretty sure that’s something I’ll have to content myself with wanting forever. Meanwhile, I love the fact that we’re repeatedly celebrating what’s already there.

ANNA: I can’t pick anything else other than Yona of the Dawn, it is such a great series.