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Invaders of the Rokujouma!?, Vol. 24

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By Takehaya and Poco. Released in Japan as “Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!?” by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Warnis.

The majority of this volume concerns itself with the ins and outs of ground forces combat, as the rebels, under Elfaria and Theia, are growing more popular as people are seeing more of their end strategy (“try not to kill people”), and contrasting this with the military under Vandarion, who has a goal that’s pretty much the opposite (“make casualties as high as possible”). We don’t really learn anything we didn’t already know here, but there are lots of cool battle moments, and I liked the stalemate that ensues when it turns out that the main commanders have their families taken captive, so that they literally cannot surrender without seeing those families killed. That said, we do have subtler villains as well – Elexis, Maya, and Darkness Rainbow, who continue to sit around and wait for Vandarion to go too far. Indeed, for those who enjoy BL tease that’s going absolutely nowhere, there are worse ships that Koutarou/Elelix (which sadly does not QUITE work out to ‘Kotex’ as a ship name).

We’re also seeing the past catching up to the present, in many ways. Much of Vandarion’s “kill a lot of people” attitude seems to be due to his past incarnation taking control of him at times (not that he minds). Meanwhile, past incarnations taking over is how Harumi fights, and she gets several really awesome moments here, possibly as she’s not going to be able to do much in the near future – her collapse is the cliffhanger of this volume. The reader has pretty much figured out that her lifelong illness and her reincarnation as the powerful Alaia are connected, and throwing around that much power in this book will no doubt have consequences. And then there’s Koutarou, who at some point is just going to have to come clean and admit he’s the Blue Knight both past and present, but I think is holding off just to have a “normal” life for a little longer.

With a cast this large it’s inevitable that some folks are going to get more attention than others. Yurika is mainly absent here, and Sanae just shows up near the end to save the day with spiritual power. Shizuka gets the bulk of the last battle, as she and her “uncle” face off against their obvious enemy, a giant robot dragon powered with magic. (You can tell that the author is still having a lot of fun pulling stuff out of his hat.) Theia also gets some battles, which she excels in, and press conferences, where she does less well. Reporters have, I suspect, figured out that she has a crush on her “Blue Knight” at the very least, and she can’t dodge the question forever. But mostly what we get here is the fact that not only is Koutarou’s “harem” all in love with him, but they also manage to function well as battle-hardened soldiers. Which is very convenient given what needs to be achieved.

Will Harumi die? (Probably not, though she may be MIA for a bit.) Will Vandarion finally destroy himself so we can move on to more nuanced villains? (God, I hope so.) And when the heck is the next volume out? (It’s out already.)

Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen, Vol. 2

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By Keishi Ayasato and Saki Ukai. Released in Japan as “Isekai Goumon Hime” by Media Factory. Released in North America Yen Press. Translated by Nathaniel Hiroshi Thrasher.

The first thing that threw me off about this second volume of Torture Princess was seeing the main antagonists get whittled down so fast. We’re given a list of about twelve in the first book, which deals with taking out the most dangerous one (though for Vlad fans, an echo of his soul is left behind to provide considerable plot points in this book). I had assumed that the next few books would have us going through the list one by one. Imagine my surprise a seeing the main antagonist here, the Grand King, using four or five different villains with her mind control, all of whom get dispatched in some way or another by our heroes. Oh, and they also take out another one at the start. Isn’t that going too fast? What will you do if you run out of bad guys? Actually, the cliffhanger ending to this book suggests what might happen. For the moment, however, let’s concern ourselves with the Grand King, a woman who doesn’t like Elisabeth but sure loves torture.

Last time we focused on how weak Kaito was compared to his Torture Princess benefactor and his Ball-Jointed Doll Maid who loves him. He is aware of this, so spends much of this book trying to gain more power of his own that he can use to protect the few things in this new world that don’t disgust him. He’ll need that power, too: the Grand King has sealed off Elisabeth’s powers and she is incapacitated for much of the book, and the Grand King is also leading an army of mind-controlled slaves to go to Elisabeth’s castle and kill everyone. Sure, Hina can take out a lot of them, but there’s only so much she can do on her own. No, Kaito needs more power. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to look far to figure out how to get it, he just has to do what he’s proven to be best at: suffer, get tortured, and bleed. A lot.

Again, the big drawback in this book is also its biggest draw: the torture. It’s cartoonish in nature, particularly when you get the descriptions of innocent humans with innards everywhere and insanely eating their own stomachs, etc. Fortunately, we actually manage to save one or two people here, though I won’t be surprised if in a book or two Kaito finds out the boy and girl he saved turn out to be used in the new leather coat he just bought or something grotesque. The strength of the book likes both in its grand guignol tone and characters. No one is shy and repressed in this book – Kaito comes closest, but after what he does towards the end of the book you end up both impressed and also appalled. His relationship with Hina reminded me of a darker turn on Subaru and Rem: appropriate, as like Rem in the current Re: Zero arc, Hina ends up in a magical plot coma, which is likely for the best, as her and Kaito’s story comes to a very satisfying conclusion here in Book 2 of about 11, so no doubt we need to figure out where we go from here.

Again, this is a book only for those who can tolerate a LOT of graphic violence – it’s the entire plot. For those who can, though, Torture Princess still proves surprisingly resilient. To my continued surprise, I’ll be reading the next one.

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 1

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By Maki Enjoji. Released in Japan as “Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo” by Shogakukan, serialized in the magazine Petit Comic. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by JN Productions.

Sometimes an author’s style is so prominent that you can guess they are the creator after only a few pages despite knowing nothing else. With Maki Enjoji it takes three pages. The first page of this new josei title has the male lead asking the female lead if there’s “something wrong with your head”, and we then cut to a two-page spread of her gnashing her teeth in anger at him while he smirks for the reader. That really sums up exactly what to expect for this entire series, and I’m not being sarcastic or silly, it’s a fantastic talent. Know your audience. We’re going to get an outwardly mean and belittling guy who turns out to have a softer side that he doesn’t show the heroine. We’re also going to get a heroine who can go toe to toe arguing with him, while still also feeling vulnerable and sympathetic. It’s also seven volumes long, having just ended in Japan, and that seems almost exactly the right pace for a series like this.

Five years ago, Nanase was on the street when an old lady collapsed, and a young doctor happened to come by and help save her. Nanase immediately fell for this “prince”, and decides to dedicate her life to becoming a nurse so she can meet him again. Now, she’s at the same hospital he’s in… but he’s a jerk! Turns out Dr. Tendo has a terrible reputation among the nurses, and he doesn’t even seem to recognize Nanase? What’s a girl to do? Well, fortunately, the answer is “keep doing her job”, as well as push back against him verbally whenever she gets the chance. As the volume goes on she does get the chance to see his softer side, though not necessarily directed towards her, and also learns what it’s like to deal with the minor triumphs and major tragedies that come from being in pulmonology. Can she learn on the job while also dealing with this handsome guy?

This first volume does a petty good job of balancing out Nanase’s priorities. She straight up admits that she became a nurse so that she could meet him again, and was ready for it to be a fairytale romance. This goes a long way towards explaining Dr. Tendo’s horrible attitude, as I imagine he has no time for nurses who are not there to do the job. Fortunately, she is also that, and is not going to quit (as he tells her to, a lot) just because of this disappointment. The initial “screw-ups” are kept to a minimum as well… Nanase is a pretty good nurse for someone just starting off. Sometimes the book gets a bit overdramatic (we get a saving someone from jumping off a building right away), but is also dedicated to improving herself, be that dealing with the fact that patients die, or learning how to cope with sexually harassing patients. Meanwhile, he sees her compassion.

It’s a good setup for exactly what fans of this author want: romance between two people not afraid to speak their mind at each other.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/10/19

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Animeta!, Vol. 1 | By Yaso Hanamura | J-Novel Club – Nineteen-year-old Miyuki Sanada never had anything to be passionate about until she encountered a certain magical girl anime. Now, she’s managed to get hired at the studio that created it, but training is grueling and the pay is abysmal (and her fellow new hires are jerks). Her skills aren’t great, but Miyuki’s a heroine with enthusiasm to spare and already makes some progress in this first volume. I really know very little about how anime is made—particularly nowadays, where digital technology plays a part—so all of that information and the handy flowcharts were fascinating. Miyuki is somewhat of a cipher as a character, but for now I’m okay with that. I look forward to seeing her skills develop and learning along with her. – Michelle Smith

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 16 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – This always seems to end up on the end of my list of Viz when it comes out, but it’s a credit to the title that it still remains riveting regardless. Yuzu dominates this volume, finishing the concert by leaping into the audience (giving their handlers a heart attack), and then asking the band to go on hiatus for a year so that he can sort out his family issues. We also hear about the fate of his father in greater detail, and see that he and his mother have essentially been pushing at each other without listening. That said, when a band takes a year’s hiatus—especially one not that famous yet—it’s the kiss of death. The solution? Get the new single to number one. This is ending soon, and it’ll be a race to the finish. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 22 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – The majority of this volume is a flashback, as the cover might indicate. Still, we also write out Shiemi in this volume, at least for now, and as she’s realized that maybe she does like Rin romantically after all. I’m not sure I trust her in the hands of her family, however. Meanwhile, Rin and Mephisto are going back into the past to see about Father Fujimoto’s past, as well as that of his mother, Yuri. It’s the classic combination of “asshole” and “plucky,” and is quite interesting, despite Mephisto continuing to point out that, being a tragic backstory, there’s only tragedy ahead. I’ve heard this flashback lasts a number of chapters, so next volume should delve deeper into Fujimoto and Yuri’s story. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

The Golden Sheep, Vol. 1 | By Kaori Ozaki | Vertical Comics – Years ago, my husband and I were watching Freaks and Geeks when we had a realization: it was undeniably excellent, but it was simply too effective at portraying the shitty things kids do to each other to be fun. The Golden Sheep is like that. Tsugu Miikura has returned to her hometown after six years away to find her former friends much changed. Yuushin has become a delinquent who regularly beats up Sora, who feels like he deserves it for abandoning Yuushin during a time of family crisis. Asari acts on her spiteful jealousy when Yuushin pays attention to Tsugu, leading Tsugu to be ostracized by the rest of the class. It’s painful for readers and characters alike, but mercifully there’s a surprise change of venue at the end of the first volume. I hope everyone’s able to move past their adolescent trauma in the two volumes that remain. – Michelle Smith

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 7 | By Petos | Kodansha Comics – It appears “once a year” is the new schedule for this title, so it’s probably both good and bad that it ends on such a cliffhanger. Before that, though, we get the introduction of a new character (she’s on the cover): Kaoru, a kijimunaa who allegedly can read people’s minds. She’s had standoffish relationships with her prior classmates, which she thinks is because of this but also may be due to her misreading them entirely. No matter, there’s no way she’s not going to be accepted by this group. Meanwhile, she can also see that Tetsuo and Sakie are very much into each other, and this nudges the dullahan girl into a confession that he pretends not to hear—at first. Excellent title, but man, long wait to get here. – Sean Gaffney

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 27 | By Taeko Watanabe | VIZ Media – For the most part, I quite enjoyed this volume of Kaze Hikaru. It mostly centers around Kamiya serving as Hijikata’s attendant and following his orders to pretend they are in a relationship in order to discourage Councillor Ito, who has gone into full-on predatory homosexual mode. While I’m not fond of this characterization, I do like that the situation forces Kamiya to get to know Hijikata better. As she witnesses some of his vulnerabilities and moments of surprising humility, her hatred of him begins to fade. I’m glad of it, as this mindset has led her to make too many impulsively foolish decisions in the past. Alas, Ito turns out to have something more substantial on his mind than bedding Hijikata, and we’re reminded that the collapse of the Bakufu is just around the corner. Too bad it’ll be another year before we get the next piece of the story. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 18 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – Perhaps being told that it’s time to wrap this up, Toyama finally comes through after a couple of substandard volumes and gives us an excellent one, mainly driven by Yukina finally getting up the nerve to a) tell Hisame to get bent, and b) tell Shigure that she’s written her book using their own romance as the basis. This stuns him, naturally (his mother collapsing during the filming does not help), but I suspect he’s going to take it pretty well, especially after he reads it. Hisame, meanwhile, is acting like an immature brat, as literally pointed out by Mami, and Yukina’s actions end up driving him to his own writer’s block. I’m, actually looking forward to the nineteenth and final volume. – Sean Gaffney

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 12 | By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu | VIZ Media – A new arc begins in this volume, and because various things are set into motion, it feels a little disjointed at times. Emma and the others make contact with a supporter in the human world and wait for further contact, but it never comes. Meanwhile, they continue their search for the Seven Walls and suddenly, a year and seven months have passed since the destruction of Goldy Pond. I liked getting a glimpse of what’s been going on with Phil and it was neat seeing some human antagonists, too. I also like that Lucas and Yugo have come to care about the kids so much that they’re willing to sacrifice themselves so the children can get away when the enemy finds them. I guess I’m just a little bummed about the time jump and all the clever strategizing we didn’t get to see. Still, this remains a really good read. – Michelle Smith

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 5 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – Given that she’s had probably the least development of the heroines to date, it’s no surprise that this volume leans heavily on Yotsuba, who also gets the cover. She shows off a few sides that should be surprising but aren’t really, notably a tendency to put the needs and desires of others ahead of her own needs—does this include her feelings for Futaro? And then there’s the girl from his past, who is clearly a Quintuplet but the hair and false name make us wonder which one. (Honestly, she reminded me of Teasing Master Takagi-san, and it distracted me). Compared to other shonen romcoms like, say, the one I’m reviewing further down, this fires on all cylinders. Well done. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 11 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – The resolution of the kiss on the nose actually ends up being the lightest part of the book, as we introduce what amounts to the series’ first serious villain. Takane’s cousin Yakumo is back in town, and determined to ruin Takane’s life. Oddly, merely exposing he’s engaged to a high school girl never seems to occur to him. Instead we end up with kidnapping, blackmail, and attempted rape. This left something of a sour taste in my mouth, though the sheer ridiculousness of the helicopter did end up distracting me so that I forgot about it. Sadly, I doubt we’re finished with this guy, and I want to get rid of him and get back to Takane and Hana snarking at each other. It’s what the series does best. – Sean Gaffney

We Never Learn, Vol. 6 | By Taishi Tsutsui | Viz Media – Reading this at the same time as Quintessential Quintuplets is probably a bit of a mistake. Magazine has always done better romantic comedy/dramas than Jump anyway, and this is definitely a weaker volume for We Never Learn, as it has no drama to speak of. Instead there are gags about confusing Rizu’s test score with her cup size, a “whoops we’re all naked in the same bathhouse” chapter, and an introduction to Kirisu’s sister whose highlight is that she doesn’t seem to fall in love with Nariyuki—yet. Again, I have heard that the teacher is by far the most popular character in this manga, which worries me—teacher/student romance is not how I want this to end. Maybe a figure skating ending instead? A weak entry. – Sean Gaffney

The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms | By Nagabe | Seven Seas – Out of all of the manga series currently being released in English, The Girl from the Other Side by Nagabe is consistently one of the most striking in both storytelling and illustration. I was therefore very excited to see more of Nagabe’s work licensed. The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms is a collection of eight short BL stories featuring anthropomorphic animals who either attend or teach at an academy for wizards. The stories are largely independent from one another, although they do share the same setting and there are a few recurring characters and events as well. Tonally, Nagabe has achieved a remarkably effective balance between lightness and darkness with these tales. There are moments of levity and endearment, but the narratives frequently also have unsettling undercurrents to them. The result is a collection that can be both delightfully charming and subtly (and occasionally not so subtly) ominous. – Ash Brown

Manga the Week of 10/16/19

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SEAN: A fairly packed middle of the month, let’s get right to it.

The debut from J-Novel Club features another contender for the “most ridiculous title” award, with There Was No Secret Evil-Fighting Organization (srsly?!), So I Made One MYSELF! (Sekai no Yami to Tatakau Himitsu Kessha ga Nai kara Tsukutta (Hangire)). The story of a young man who gets telekinetic powers and then discovers he’s NOT approached by anyone else is clearly meant to fall on the “funny” end of the spectrum.

They’ve also got the 13th and final volume of Demon King Daimaou, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 10 (which I believe finally has the wedding), and Kokoro Connect 7.

No print debuts for Kodansha, but they do have Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card 6, Gleipnir 4, Hitorijime My Hero 5, O Maidens in Your Savage Season 4, Sailor Moon Eternal Edition 5 (maybe, its date has slid before), That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 11, and Tokyo Tarareba Girls 9.

ASH: Both O Maidens in Your Savage Season and Tokyo Tarareba Girls are very, but painfully, good.

SEAN: Digitally we debut My Boss’s Kitten (Buchou no Nyanko), an Ane Friend series about an abandoned bride and her sadistic boss. Recommended for shoujo fans who like sadistic guys who no doubt turn out to be sweet deep down.

MICHELLE: No, thanks.

MJ: What Michelle said.

SEAN: There’s also The Great Cleric 3, Mikami-sensei’s Way of Love 7, Peach Girl NEXT 6, Saint Young Men 3, Shojo FIGHT! 7, and Yozakura Quartet 24.

MICHELLE: This time, I really will get caught up on Saint Young Men!

ASH: I’m holding out for the print which is actually happening for real!

MJ: Yes, so excited for print!

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: One Peace has a 5th Hinamatsuri, as well as the 14th Rising of the Shield Hero, now popular enough to be brought into Isekai Quartet.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying Hinamatsuri‘s goofiness.

SEAN: Seven Seas has the final volume of Dreamin’ Sun, a series that made me want to re-read orange instead. They’ve also got Himouto Umaru-chan 7, the 2nd and final Mythical Beast Investigator, and a 3rd print volume for Skeleton Knight in Another World.

MICHELLE: I will finish out Dreamin’ Sun, but I agree that orange was the better series.

ASH: It’s a tough series to beat.

SEAN: Tokyopop gives us a 6th Konohana Kitan.

And Udon has the 11th Persona 3, also a final volume.

This is actually this week, but Vertical snuck out 9 digital releases of the Monogatari novels, which catches them up to the print releases.

Viz debuts The Drifting Classroom: Perfect Edition, a massive 750-page hardcover that takes in this seminal horror series.

ASH: I am very excited for this release! Drifting Classroom is a tremendous series, so I’m glad to see it being brought back in print.

SEAN: And they have Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction 7, Fire Punch 8 (this time yes, it really is the final volume), Golden Kamuy 12, and Tokyo Ghoul: re 13.

ASH: Here for Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction and Golden Kamuy!

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction.

And we’ve got the last of the September runoff from Yen Press. On the Yen On end, we debut The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life (Ikinokori Renkinjutsushi wa Machi de Shizuka ni Kurashitai), the story of a lowly alchemist who goes into stasis to hide from the enemy and comes out to find she’s suddenly the LAST alchemist. Sounds like a slow life series to me.

MJ: I don’t generally read light novels, but there’s something about this one that appeals to me, so I guess we’ll see.

Also from Yen On is The Asterisk War 11, The Irregular at Magic High School 13, A Sister’s All You Need 5, and Strike the Blood 13.

And there’s two manga out as well, as we get the 7th Hakumei & Mikochi and the 14th No Matter How You Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault That I’m Not Popular!.

ASH: Oh! It’s been a while since the last one, hasn’t it?

SEAN: So yeah, that’s a lot. Anything catch your eye?

Middle-Aged Businessman, Arise in Another World!, Vol. 2

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By Sai Sumimori and Ichijirushi. Released in Japan as “Around 40 Eigyou-man, Isekai ni Tatsu!” by Kodansha. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Taishi.

The trouble with a series starring an overpowered family is there’s very few ways that it can be taken forward. We already have a guy who’s brilliant at sales and marketing, hella strong, charismatic, etc. His goddess wife is busty, gorgeous, can stop her rambunctious kids with magic spells, and, it is mentioned a few times, loves sex with her husband. Their kids are 1) so smart they’re past university level, and now joining Dad at his job; 2) ridiculously strong and powerful, and 3) good at magic and can talk to magical beasts despite being five. It’s a great family to read about… for about a book. But this is book two, and I think right about the time that Shouzou ran across the ocean to talk to a water dragon without, y’know, falling into the water that the author realized there needed to be a new cast to focus on. As a result, we pull back to examine the local kingdoms, and meet a slothful young prince and a calculating young princess.

Sharlo is shown to be a very familiar type to Japanese readers: thought to be mediocre compared to his genius younger sister, he took things hard, holed up in his room, gained about 120 pounds, and sits there eating potato chips. He is not, needless to say, prince material, but needs to be leveled up due to political dealings. As such, Shouzou has him become an adventurer and start off with the job that absolutely no one wants: sewage cleaning. As a result, we gradually see there’s a decent person under this who acn also be fairly savvy when he wants to be. He was just abandoned by his minders for not being perfect. In another kingdom, Yuliana is 11th in line for the throne, but is good enough for her father, King Evil IV, to arrange a marrage for. The princess, despite her maid’s protests and fat-shaming of the prince she’s supposed to marry, decides to investigate… by disguising herself as her maid’s bodyguard and going to Sharlo’s kingdom. Romantic comedy bits ensue.

The protagonists are nice enough, and I liked their story, but it has to be said it’s not the story I signed up for. Shouzou flits in and out of the book, stopping a bad guy here and there, nudging our couple in the right direction, doing various political dealings, etc., but the book doesn’t know how to make him the main character again, so doesn’t bother. The book also has one of the most hiarious “cut short” endings I’ve ever seen, seemingly setting up events for the next book in the series… then saying “but Shouzou had to leave that for the denizens of this world, as he would be leaving soon. The end!”. It reads like the editor put it in after the book was submitted to show the series was over. I did enjoy the side story, showing Sharlo’s genius sister, who has a bit of a brother complex but not, thankfully, in a “I want to marry my brother” sort of way, trying to find her own fiancee and being gently reminded she’s 8 and should grow up first.

If you enjoyed the first book, definitely read this one. Sharlo and Yuliana are likeable enough, and reminded me a bit of some Realist Hero characters. But the series seems to end here, possibly as if it continued our OP family would go back to Japan and leave it as a normal fantasy book. And who wants that? We isekai or die here.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 20

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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.

In general, Yona of the Dawn is not a series that relies greatly on “our heroine is in peril, she must be rescued”, so it’s almost refreshing when we see a volume that mostly relies on that. Not that Yona is sitting around on her laurels. After she and Riri are brought to a slave labor camp, she quickly guesses that the “alcohol” they’re given in lieu of water is laced with the addictive drug they’ve been trying to shut down for so long. Then she and Riri both escape, and Riri even kills a guard when doing so, showing how far she’s come since her introduction. Unfortunately, it’s hard to escape in this sort of situation, leading to a cliffhanger where Riri tries to sacrifice herself to save Yona, they’re both exhausted and injured, and time is running out. Even if you don’t necessarily see this as a ship, as a friendship it’s top tier.

Meanwhile, Yona and Riri’s capture has been noticed by the rest of the cast. Our heroes go off to rescue them, though that does mean dividing their forces as they could be in one of two separate places. Tetra stays behind due to injury, but unfortunately this means she has to face a one-two punch of a) Riri’s father, and b) Su-0Won, both of whom show up to ask what’s going on. The series has been running for a while on the fact that Su-Won knows what Yona and Hak are doing but is deliberately ignoring it; that fact is tested to its limits in this book. Tetra tries very hard to explain everything that’s happened without mentioning Yona and her crew, even if that makes things sound suspicious. Later, when Su-Won arrives at one of the two slave labor camps, he and Hak communicate with a stone wall between them, agreeing to arrange a signal so that the army will know when to begin. It’s very tense, and you can see Hak’s frustration and anger at having to once again not acknowledge who Su-Won is because there are greater problems to be solved.

For the most part this volume is fairly series. There is one exception, which is amazingly funny, which involves the fact that the Wind Tribe has arrived to assist Su-Won in rescuing Riri. There ends up being a giant melee battle, during which Hak manages to blow up his allies – twice. The art is deliberately structured for maximum comedy value, as we see the exact same sequence of events only with two different people. This is followed by a few pages of Hak being totally befuddled at the fact that the Wind Tribe is here at all. I always enjoy the fact that, while some characters are funnier than others, Yona does not have a designated comedy guy, and everyone can be silly or serious depending on where the story needs them to be.

Another cliffhanger, though. Will Yona and Riri survive? (checks volume count) Oh, probably. But the excitement is in seeing how. And also who Hak will blow up with his comedy bombs next.

My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 3

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By Kouhei Horikoshi and Anri Yoshi. Released in Japan by Shueisha. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Caleb Cook.

Another volume of giving the readers what they want, which is more light and fluffy stories that Horikoshi would like to tell but doesn’t have the time for. This time they’re set in and around the move-in to the dorms, and indeed “Dorm Life” is the subtitle. That said, the volume is bookended by non-kids in dorms stories, as we see All Might attempting to bond with his fellow teachers at an izakaya, giving us a chance to see most of the faculty completely drunk off their asses (except All Might, who is a teetotaler and also the world’s most awkward man) and the final story, which is a “what if My Hero Academia were an RPG fantasy?” based on the color pages Horikoshi drew of the kids in that style of costume. This story did remind me how often the novel author refers to Uraraka’s poverty, but is relatively cute and breezy. It’s also nice to know that Midoriya still collects All Might figures even in alternate worlds.

The other stories are, as you guessed, set in and around the 1-A dorm rooms. The weakest story in the book features Iida trying to have a normal day while the rest of the class avoids him and makes stuttering excuses. At the start of things the reader guessed “oh, one of those surprise birthday party stories” and waits to see if anything will be subverted. Nothing is, it is a stupidly predictable tale. The story from the POV of Koda’s rabbit is not quite as predictable, if only due to the fact that it’s from the POV of a rabbit, but doesn’t really add much to the narrative except giving us a chance to see more of Midoriya and Bakugou cleaning the dorms as part of their post-fight punishment. There’s also a “scary stories” chapter that tells us, unsurprisingly, that Tokoyami is the best at being scary. I also liked the anti-Mineta measures the girls have set up for the dorm.

The best stories are earlier in the book. We see Todoroki’s extreme discomfort with the generic Western-style room and how he managed to get the Japanese-style flooring and furniture to renovate his. This also involves him meeting Hatsume, who as always is very over the top and working on inventions that are not quite as perfected as she would like. The best story in the book also indirectly features Hatsume. Monoma shows up at the 1-A dorms, ready to be obnoxious and disdainful. Fortunately Kendo, Tetsutetsu and Tsunotori show up to stop him, and things settle down a bit. Highlights include seeing Tetsutetsu’s room is almost a carbon copy of Kirishima’s (these two really need a “same hat! same hat!” gag) and Todoroki bringing out a Pop-Up-Pirate game that Hatsume had given him when Monoma, as always, suggests a challenge. The game, being made by Hatsume, ends up being more like a “dark nabe” sort of thing, with every participant getting some form of punishment. I also enjoyed seeing Pony’s room as, as you’d guess, filled with anime crap.

These books are designed to not affect canon all that much, though we do see the Big Three in a brief cameo from before they meet 1-A. They’re fluffy and fun, and should be enjoyed by most MHA readers. This volume also had less Mineta, which I appreciated.

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol 1

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An Incurable Case of Love Volume 1 by Maki Enjoji

I’ve been looking forward to this manga! I’m glad that the Shojo Beat imprint’s experiments in what I think of as “stealth josei” are successful enough that we reliably get titles like An Incurable Case of Love released here. Often for romance manga, I am irrationally fond of titles that embrace the ridiculousness of the genre with a touch of irony. After reading the first few pages of this manga, I was confident in Enjoji’s abilities to keep me entertained.

An Incurable Case of Love

The manga opens with a love confession going disastrously wrong, as a doctor with a grim look asks a newly minted nurse if “there is something wrong with your head.” The nurse in question is Nanase, who decided to study medicine after a fateful encounter years ago where she tried to help someone in medical distress on the street, only to attract the attention of the dangerously handsome yet kind Kairi Tendo. Of course after one brief meeting with Tendo, Nanase concludes that he is “THE PRINCE I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!” and builds her entire life and educational plans around the possibility of meeting him again. Nanase soon finds out that while Tendo has an exemplary bedside manner with patents, he’s harsh and exacting with the hospital staff and there are rumors that he’s a womanizer as well. Thoroughly disillusioned, Nanase tries to throw herself into her nursing orientation activities. There have been plenty of ridiculous premises like this to start off many romance manga, but one thing I found especially charming about An Incurable Case of Love is the fact that Nanase’s love confession provokes some supportive instead of malicious teasing from her new co-workers. Her new nickname is “Valiant One” and her co-workers take to calling Tendo “The Dark Lord” after Nanase refers to him with that phrase.

The hospital setting provides a twist on on office romance antics as Nanase attempts to put her schooling into practice. While she isn’t perfect all the time, she’s often effective in emergency situations and Tendo’s mannerisms towards her begin to change. I knew I would like this series after reading the first chapter, but I found the rest of the volume equally entertaining. Recommended if you are in need of a dose of josei romance.

Pick of the Week: Nothing but Blue Skies

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SEAN: This week I feel the Manga Bookshelf eye is turning towards That Blue-Sky Feeling, and I have to agree, I really want to see how it turns out.

MICHELLE: You’re definitely right where I’m concerned. There are a couple other things I’ll check out from this week but none with the emotional impact of That Blue Sky Feeling .

KATE: I’m going to make a pitch for volume two of Queen Bee, a cute–if predictable–shojo series about a girl with a serious case of Resting Bitchface and a temper to go with it. I don’t think I’ve ever read a manga quite so… relatable.

ASH: I am absolutely here for That Blue Sky Feeling, but I’d like to give a shout out to Roadqueen, too. It’s not manga, but it looks delightful.

ANNA: I’m now curious about Queen Bee which sounds delightful. But to be honest I’m attempting to catch up on my unread manga pile instead of reading anything coming out this week. Maybe I’ll actually be able to take a volume or two off that stack!

MJ: I’m definitely intrigued by Kate’s description of Queen Bee (and I’m apparently a volume behind!) but it’s hard for me to pick anything else but the lovely and poignant That Blue Sky Feeling. It’s exactly my thing.