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Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!: Princess of the Six Flowers

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By Natsume Akatsuki and Kurone Mishima. Released in Japan as “Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!: Chūnibyō demo Majo ga Shitai!” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

The subtitle of this volume should be very familiar to Yen On fans, as it’s a take on the light novel series Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers. Whereas in the Rokka series you spend each novel wondering who’s going to be accused of being a traitor, in KonoSuba you spend each novel wondering who’s going to be the designated straight man. Here it’s Darkness, who is forced to act the noble lady far more than she’d like, given that most of the book takes place in a royal castle or in the homes of noble lords. That said, Megumin is mostly under control here as well, with a few notable exceptions. Heck, even AQUA, of all people, shows off her skills during a big battle and is revered by the city for keeping casualties to a minimum. Yes, the entire cast are fantastic… with the exception of Kazuma, who as usual needs to descend to his lowest point before he can rise again.

The cover girl is Iris, the young princess of the realm, who Kazuma desperately wants to see as a little sister so he can add to his list of fetishes (no, really, that’s basically what he says, though at least he has no romantic interest in the 12-year-old princess). She is, for the most part, content to go along with this, as her real big brother is away fighting the demon lord and Kazuma treats her like a normal little girl rather than a royal princess. Unfortunately for Kazuma, he rapidly runs out of cool stories to tell her, and the stories he does tell, as we’ve seen, involve him being clever but the others doing the heavy lifting. And then there really IS a demon lord attack, and Kazuma proves why whenever he’s headstrong and impetuous, he is the absolute worst. Given the rest of the squad saved the day, he’s basically ripped a new one by the princess’ bodyguard in a vicious yet 100% accurate takedown.

She has a point. Aqua, Megumin and Darkness, in a group of four, are all eccentric, impossible to handle weirdos. The same group, however, in a pack of 200 adventurers, are able to function far better. But of course, for better or worse, Kazuma *is* part of their group, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. And he does get to show off his actual talent, finally, in the last quarter of the book, where he helps Chris the thief (remember her?) try to steal a dangerous artifact that has made its way to the princess. When he’s in trouble and actually thinks, Kazuma is very impressive. He’s the opposite of a hero like Luffy. There’s also the standard KonoSuba humor here, which most of the audience is expecting, but it’s a sign of good writing that I’m ignoring it in favor of discussing Kazuma’s character and how he can be incredibly frustrating at times.

A cliffhanger makes me think that the next volume will be Darkness-oriented, and I hope she gets to be silly again. Till then, KonoSuba fans will like this even as they yell at Kazuma for being… well, Kazuma.

I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Vol. 2

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By Kisetsu Morita and Benio. Released in Japan as “Slime Taoshite 300 Nen, Shiranai Uchi ni Level MAX ni Nattemashita” by Softbank Creative. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel

The afterword for this second volume has the author telling us that GA Bunko’s editors told them that the first volume was the biggest seller in the history of the publishing label. Which, given this is the same publisher as Is It Wrong to try To Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, is quite impressive. But I can see it. Unlike DanMachi, the average reader does not have to deal with any of those pesky male heroes, and the girls are all cute/sexy/maternal (delete where applicable). [EDIT: It turns out that DanMachi is on a different imprint at the same company, so the two may not be comparable after all.] The series is still trying, for the most part, to keep a “my pace” sort of drama, with plotlines taking the form of things like “we’re opening a maid cafe” and “we have to design a dress for a ghost”. And, of course, the heroine is still an amazingly powerful person but absolutely does not seek to show it off or take advantage of it unless absolutely necessary. Which it is one or two times here. This is such a peaceful series.

The cast remains the same as the first book, with one or two additions. Halkara, the busty elf who was the weakest part of the first book, is better here – there’s still a lot of focus on her bust, but doubling down on the clumsiness and bad luck makes her a more entertaining comedic figure. It can also lead to drama, as with the longest story of the volume, where Azusa and company go to the Demon Lord territory to accept an award (for achieving peace in Vol. 1 by stopping the dragon war) and Halkara accidentally headbutts the demon lord to the brink of death, something punishable by execution. Fortunately, Azusa is clever, and even more fortunately, Azusa is a Level 99 powerhouse, showing off her amazing fighting skills and taking out all the demons trying to arrest them. It all ends up good anyway, as the demon lord (who is also female, to go with the rest of the main cast) proves to be more of a troll – in the internet sense – than actually evil.

New cast members include the ghost I mentioned before, who (like everyone that falls into Azusa’s orbit) proves to be friendly and eager to please, and can even help with the cooking. And there’s also Flatorte, the blue dragon who was the antagonist of the first book. She’s now back and tricked by the demon lord into being Azusa’s slave, though Azusa nips that in the bud immediately, to her credit. If nothing else, she will offer a different kind of personality – the main flaw of the book is arguably that everyone is far too nice and sweet. Now, that is the POINT of the book, which is why I said ‘arguably’, but it can all feel very pat. There’s one story where Halkura gets herself in trouble (again) and our heroes have to take out a corrupt governor. They do this in the space of about 5 pages, in what must be the fastest takedown of this sort of character ever. It’s almost embarrassing.

If you like exciting adventures, run, don’t walk away from this series. If, on the other hand, you want the light novel equivalent of a nice hot cup of tea, this is a great buy.

Manga the Week of 9/5/18

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SEAN: Back to School! You’ve bought all your school supplies, but save money for manga too!

Ghost Ship starts us off with a 4th volume of Yokai Girls.

J-Novel Club has one debut this week. Gear Drive stars a young woman in a world where magic is commonplace. However, she doesn’t have a specialty… yet. Could her specialty be gears? Bet it’s gears.

There’s also a 3rd volume of The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar (watch the anime!) and a 5th volume of Outbreak Company (anime aired some time ago).

Kodansha has a whole pile of digital stuff, including Peach Girl Next, the sequel to the just re-released Peach Girl. It’s about… what happens next.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ANNA: I barely remember Peach Girl, and don’t think I am going to reread the digital version, but I am sort of curious about what happens next!

SEAN: There’s also Beware the Kamiki Brothers! 5, Can You Just Die My Darling? 4, Cosplay Animal 7, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 2, My Boy in Blue 2, The Prince’s Romance Gambit 2, and Those Summer Days 4. Getting so far behind.

MICHELLE: Desperately far behind.

SEAN: In print, there’s only one: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Side: P4 Volume 3. If you can translate the code of all those letters and numbers, you can get the manga’s secret message.

ASH: It’s a fun addition to the Persona franchise.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a digital debut with the 6th Boogiepop novel, Boogiepop at Dawn.

ASH: Released in print a decade ago, and to be released in print again in an omnibus in the near future, I rather liked the volume.

SEAN: Vertical gives is an 8th Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.

And there’s Viz! A lot of Viz, as always. The debut is Shonen Jump this time, with Dr. STONE, a manga that’s been a big hit in Japan. It’s got the writer from Eyeshield 21 and the artist from Sun-Ken Rock, and it’s a post-apocalypse adventure.

MICHELLE: Oh, interesting! I’ve been meaning to finish reading Eyeshield 21.

ANNA: That does sound interesting!

ASH: The creative team involved certainly caught my attention if nothing else. I generally enjoy a good post-apocalypse adventure, too, though.

MJ: I’m interested!

SEAN: Also Jump or Jump-esque: Astra: Lost in Space 4, Boruto 4, Demon Slayer 2, Haikyu!! 27, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 4, One Piece’s 25th 3-in-1, Seraph of the End 15, and Twin Star Exorcists 13.

MICHELLE: Haikyu!!

ANNA: My kids are so devoted to this series they wanted to get their own volleyball to start practicing in real life.

ASH: Haikyu!! and Demon Slayer are both high on my list.

SEAN: On the shoujo end, no new debuts, but we get Anonymous Noise 10, Queen’s Quality 5, Skip Beat! 41, and The Young Master’s Revenge 3. Skip Beat! Is always wonderful whenever it comes out.

MICHELLE: Skip Beat! I’ve really been dying to see how Kyoko’s latest audition turns out. I need to get caught up on Queen’s Quality, too.

ANNA: No surprise, I’m excited about all these series!

ASH: I quite enjoy a fair number of them myself.

MJ: I’m also planning to get caught up on Queen’s Quality!

SEAN: What manga are you secretly reading under your desk during class?

Ultra Kaiju Humanization Project, feat. POP Comic Code, Vol. 1

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By Tsuburaya Productions, POP, and Shun Kazakami. Released in Japan as “Ultra Kaijuu Gijinka Keikaku – Feat. Pop Comic Code” by Akita Shoten, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Champion. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Thomas Zimmerman. Adapted by Janet Houck.

Yes, I know. I don’t know why I do this to myself either. I’m sure many people who are used to me saying that I haven’t seen the anime/game this is based on will be completely unsurprised to know that when it comes to Ultraman in particular and tokusatsu in particular, my experience with it is zero. So naturally, I am the perfect audience for a series that reimagines the classic villainous monsters from the series as high school girls in a fairly standard light comedy high school series. It’s not even the first time this premise has been done! One of the Dengeki magazines also has a series where the kaiju are humanized. So, with all that in mind, I can’t tell you whether a hardcore fan of the Ultraman series will get a great deal out of this. I can tell you that as a fan of all-girl high school light comedies, it was okay.

The other gimmick here is that the planning and character design are by POP, the creator of the insanely popular Moetan franchise which helps teach English to Japanese folks. This probably explains why their name is added to the title in the style of a rap single. The premise is that when the various kaiju are destroyed on Earth by the good guys, they die and wake up as a cute high school girl in your average everyday school. Here most of the girls concentrate on drinking tea, having fun, eating manju, etc. The newest arrival, Mefilas, is seemingly made of sterner stuff, and occasionally tries to get the others to be interested in obtaining the Earth’s heart, etc. For the most part, though, there’s antics involving a kaiju who’s afraid of water (she was drowned in the Ultraman battle), a kaiju with tea rooms seemingly everywhere, and Mefilas’ growing yuri crush on her friend Eleking, which is pretty much completely one-sided.

The manga does a decent job of trying to bring in individual quirks that match up with the original kaiju episode, and the character profiles helpfully give us a picture of what they looked like before. There’s also a vague semblance of a plot, as Melifas and her fellow fired-up partner Alien Temperor investigate a new, mysterious kaiju girl who seems to be a villain, though it’s not quite clear why yet. As for the comedy, well, it’s silly stuff. If you’ve read any of the many series that run in Manga Time Kirara _____, then you’ve seen what’s going on here. We get trying to start a club, eating too many sweets and needing a dentist, etc. So if you’re a tokusatsu fan, I’d only pick this one up if you like cute girls being cute. If, on the other hand, you’re a fan of cute girls being cute but have no idea what tokusatsu is, you’d probably still find this entertaining.

Sword Art Online, Vol. 14: Alicization Uniting

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By Reki Kawahara and abec. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

(Of necessity, this review is going to have to spoil events in this book. If you want to be surprised, read the book first.)

It has to be said, given the length and breadth of the Alicization series, and the complete absence of most of the rest of the original cast, that Kirito and Eugeo’s relationship feels like the strongest and most valid in the series. Yes, this includes Asuna, who is almost entirely absent from this book save for the cliffhanger ending. But Kirito and Eugeo are meant to be two sides of the same coin, each yearning for what the other has, with Kirito’s cynicism being set off by Eugeo’s innocent idealism. Even the fate of Alice Synthesis Thirty, who nearly sacrifices herself a couple of times for Kirito in this book, has her own Eugeo counterpart in Alice Zuberg’s state of being and eventual fate. Kirito and Eugeo is the main reason to watch the upcoming anime to see what they do with it. And it’s also what makes this volume the most heartbreaking of the books to date.

For all that Kawahara wrote a story about a death game where people die in real life, he’s been pretty good about not actually killing most of the main cast. When there is a death, it tends to have major impact on the characters going forward – see Sachi and Yuuki, for example. This volume, though, is absolutely filled with horrible deaths, both seen and unseen. The actual plot is pretty simple – it’s the end of the fight to the top of the tower. Eugeo throws off his mind control fairly quickly all things considered, but that’s not really helping any of them defeat Administrator, who is simply too damn overpowered. And so one by one characters come out of the woodwork to buy time so that the hero can figure out what to do. And no, that hero’s not Kirito this time, who spe4nds much of the book dealing with the fact that he’s getting his ass handed to him. It’s up to Eugeo to make the ultimate sacrifice, destroying Administrator for the sake of the world, even if it costs him his life.

Actually, while Administrator is the weak part of the book, being the usual ‘I have no nuance I am just eeeeeeevil’ Kawahara villain, she is impressively tough, in that she even survives Eugeo’s final attack, only to get taken out by her minion’s overpowering creepy love for her. Still, she is a piece of work. The ceiling of her tower will go up there with the depiction of the Senate in the previous book as one of the most disturbing things in SAO. As for the state of the world now that Administrator is gone, we’ll have to see. It may have to deal with life without Kirito for a bit, as things have apparently been going on in the real world in his absence, and his “fluclight” is seemingly damaged right at the very end. Will this mean an entire volume with no Kirito narration?

Kawahara says in the afterword he debated letting Eugeo survive in the LN version, but decided not to. Much as I love Eugeo, I think it was probably the right choice. In the meantime, this is a very strong volume of SAO, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here – we still have four books to go after this, let’s remember.

Chio’s School Road, Vol. 1

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By Tadataka Kawasaki. Released in Japan as “Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro” by Media Factory, serialization ongoing in the magazine Comic Flapper. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Alexander Keller-Nelson.

Sometimes you can think yourself to death. We’ve all had that happen to us. You worry about how you’re going to achi9eve something, or how you’re going to talk to that person, or even how you’re going to get to school on time in the morning, your brain goes into overdrive, and you come up with some silly options that no one would actually do unless they were in some sort of comedy manga. Fortunately, Chio is in a manga, and so is able to do the silly things for our entertainment. A typical glasses-wearing, semi-introverted gaming girl, her late night habits lead her to be late almost every day, and things are not helped by random construction, or running into the popular girl and having to interact with her, or even just trying to find a bathroom. That’s the plot, really – we don’t really see Chio much at school, though she does have an equally socially inept friend. It’s just “what happens to Chio next?”.

I get the sense that the author came up with the idea for the first chapter and the publisher wondered what it would be like as a series, because “what if someone really did try to go roof hopping” really is a great one-shot premise, and it even gets highlighted in the cover art. It’s not as easy as it sounds, to no one’s surprise, especially when you’re trying to ensure no one notices you. The rest of the book is not quite as high concept – the chapters with Chio having to deal with interacting with other students, or talking with her equally unpopular friend about boys, are not quite as good as the rest of the book, and the reader gets the sense that this probably works better as a monthly serial in a magazine than it does collected into book form. (I’m also not sure the kissing in the back alley scene works well, as I suspect it will lead yuri readers to expect more tease that likely is not going to happen.)

The best chapters highlight the desperation of Chio’s needs and her motormouth inner monologue, where things just escalate to ridiculous levels. Getting past the gang member with his motorcycle in the path leads, inevitably, to Chio having to pretend to be a feared, deadly schoolgirl assassin, with appropriate glaring, and it’s quite well done, especially the anticlimactic payoff. Likewise, something as simple as Chio trying to find a bathroom spirals out of control and also highlights one of Chio’s other flaws, which is her selective obliviousness when it comes to digging herself into holes. I think whether you enjoy this book depends on how much you can tolerate Chio – she can be somewhat exhausting, and you get the feeling she’s her own worst enemy most of the time. Still, that’s the fun. As long as you don’t sympathize with her too much, Chio’s School Road should be a very entertaining series.

Anonymous Noise, Vols 8 and 9

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Anonymous Noise Volumes 8 and 9 by Ryoko Fukuyama

Oh, Anonymous Noise! It is a series I often find frustrating, because I love the stylish covers, dynamic paneling, and idea of high school kids working hard to find their way in the music industry, yet I do not enjoy the dynamic of the central love triangle where Nino with the extraordinary yet erratic singing voice gets tossed between two tortured musicians like a long-haired, face-masked hot potato. I do fully expect that my occasional feelings of ennui with this manga is due to my having read maybe too much (is it possible!?) shoujo manga, and if I was much younger I would be following this series with unquestioning devotion.

That being said, these two volumes focused a little bit more on musicianship than romance, so I found myself able to relax much more and enjoy the story. Volume 8 opens with Nino and Yuzu being assigned to wrangle the music for the debut of some fashion models turned singers. As always in shoujo manga, fashion models are the worst. Their new clients are petulant and very picky about their debut song. This only makes Nino and Yuzu want to try harder to write an awesome song! There are plenty of angsty plot developments with the extended cast as well, as Momo deals with a life crisis and Miou continues to try to get over Yuzu. Nino stretches her abilities as a lyricist by trying to fit the song to the voice of the singer, and everyone is ready for their next adventure, a tour!

Anonymous Noise 9

I have to admit, I wish some of the side jokes in Anonymous Noise were expanded a little bit. The mini-tour is an excuse to showcase Nino’s enduring obsessions with local foods. Silent Black Kitty gets back together again as Momo devotes himself to his music, and I’m sure the result will be yet another battle of the bands in an emotional confrontation. Nino struggles with consistency for her live performance. One thing I do like about the way music is portrayed in this manga is that it is rarely effortless. There’s a lot that comes together for someone to become a successful performer, and even though Nino’s talent is recognized, she still clearly has a long way to go before she’s a true professional. One of the ways em>Anonymous Noise is so successful at this episodic format is that each volume tends to end with a dramatic revelation or new crisis point, which happens in volume 9 when Yuzu is having issues with performance. Nino’s determined to come up with a solution to protect his dream, and everyone’s devotion to music helps offset the tortured romance. The story is propelled forward and this makes it a compelling read, even if some of the character dynamics in the manga aren’t as interesting.

Bookshelf Briefs 8/27/18

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Bloom Into You, Vol. 5 | By Nakatani Nio | Seven Seas – Yuu works with Kanou to get the ending of the student council play rewritten so that the character Touko’s playing won’t disregard the her of the present to pretend to be the her of the past. When Touko sees the new script, especially the requirement that she now say a line about how her choices have been wrong, she’s rather put out and expects Sayaka to support her, but instead, Sayaka is with Yuu on this one. Finally, though, Yuu seems to be getting through to her with an impassioned speech about, “You’ve been you all this time!” I do think Touko probably needs to be in therapy, but it seems like her love for Yuu, something her sister never had, might be showing her the path to her real self, and that’s kind of neat. I’ll keep reading! – Michelle Smith

Giant Killing, Vol. 13 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – There are twenty minutes left in ETU’s game against Tokyo Victory and their early one-point lead is in jeopardy as Victory’s previously injured ace, Mochida, takes the field. It’s probably too early in the series for ETU to achieve an outright victory over the league champions, but they at least hold them to a draw, with Tsubaki playing with a lot more confidence than in their prior matchup. It’s awesome to see how much he’s grown. Next, over midseason break, some of the players have been drafted for an exhibition game between the league’s Japanese all-stars and its foreign players, with ETU management hoping an MVP recognition might appease their sponsors, particularly the son of a wealty donor who is not as enamored of the club as his father is. Basically: this is grown-up sports manga and it’s great. – Michelle Smith

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1 | By Takuto Kashiki | Yen Press – It’s the manga’s subtitle that reveals the conceit that separates Hakumei & Mikochi from any number of other slice-of-life series currently being released. The two titular characters, like everyone else in the manga, are tiny. Like, using-beetles-as-a-mode-of-transportation small. Overall the tone of the manga is calming and optimistic although it’s not without its moments of danger and drama as the story follows Hakumei and Mikochi through their day-to-day lives. Mikochi is the more quiet and reserved of the two while Hakumei is more energetic and outgoing. The two young women live with, support, and look out for each other. The artwork of the series is detailed, with particular attention given to creating a well-realized setting and portraying the beauty of nature. At this point there’s no evidence whatsoever of humans encroaching upon the surprisingly gentle world of Hakumei & Mikochi, and I suspect that will be the case for the entire series. – Ash Brown

Lovesick Ellie, Vol. 6 | By Fujimomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The drama in this volume mostly hinges on communication fails and I’m sorry to say that it’s getting old. Some of it is pretty good, like when Sara’s feelings get hurt when she realizes that Ellie never told her when she and Akira officially started going out. But it’s frustrating when Ellie irrationally decides that Akira does not actually care about receiving the Valentine’s Day chocolates she made for him. It’s just so stupid because it’s obvious that it means a lot to him! The cuteness of the resulting smoochy times just can’t make up for such a dumb moment. To top it all off, the friendless boy with whom Ellie sympathizes, despite Akira’s jealousy, is now poised to be a rival for her affections. Whee, a love triangle. My favorite. I hope I can continue to enjoy this series going forward, but I’m not so sure. – Michelle Smith

Scum’s Wish, Vol. 8 | By Mengo Yokoyari | Yen Press – The final volume of Scum’s Wish ends as it began, with the horrible pangs of unrequited teenage love. Neither Hanabi nor Mugi gets what they want, and while it would be really easy for them to take comfort in each other, they can’t bring themselves to do it. They just don’t have those feelings. It’s well-portrayed. Slightly less so is Akane, who seems to end up with Narumi because of his acceptance and love of who she is, including the awful bits—it’s fine if she cheats on him, he says with a smile. This leads her to the revelation that she really does want to marry him, but it feels, like most of Scum’s Wish, a bit more sordid than I’d like. There’s a sequel, but I suspect this may be it for the title over here. It was good, but painful. – Sean Gaffney

Stupid Love Comedy | By Syusyusyu Sakurai | Yen Press – For a manga with “love comedy” in the title, Stupid Love Comedy has surprisingly little romance in it. Suzu Sakura is a manga creator described as a natural genius but who requires quite a bit of oversight from her editors in order to keep her on schedule. Stupid Love Comedy opens with her being assigned a new editor, Osamu Hasegawa, who is less inclined to put up with her antics and excuses. Feelings of love aren’t completely absent from the story, and in some ways the series is set up like a reverse harem (every guy Sakura works with is incredibly attractive), but for the most part the true love of the various characters is the creation of manga. The stories and characters of Stupid Love Comedy are based on real-life people and experiences, the series providing a humorous, entertaining, and at times outrageous behind-the-scenes look at the manga industry. – Ash Brown

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 3 | By Maybe | Yen Press – Last time I said the series was avoiding the obvious harem fantasy tropes, and while I enjoyed this volume as well, I can’t say that here. From catgirls to “my future husband must defeat me in combat,” it’s all present and correct. What’s more, Wife #1 Hime is starting to feel a bit jealous, and also somewhat inadequate compared to the powerhouses Satou is picking up. Still, she’s first among equals, and I think that fans of harem romances will… well, OK, fans of harem romances will be upset there was no nookie here either—Souma explicitly wants to wait till he’s back home in Japan. Next time we’ll get a new princess, no doubt, but I think the series works best when it’s focused on Satou and Hime. – Sean Gaffney

Toppu GP, Vol. 3 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Kodansha Comics – Everyone loves Myne, the Belldandy of this series, though she doesn’t really seem to have her eye on anyone. Which is good, as the romance would get in the way of the bike-racing and bike-training. The majority of this is basically watching awesome motocross racing and giving advice to newbies on how to get better, which includes things like “don’t ride when you are frustrated or you’ll injure yourself.” Toppu is a lot more young and teenage than the Keiichi ever was—actually, to be honest, he resembles the Keiichi at the start of Oh My Goddess!, before he became sexless by design. This comes out once in a blue moon, but it’s still a good title for Fujishima or biking fans. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 9 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – Day Two is over, and it will come as no surprise to anyone to learn that Midousuji’s way of biking is not going to come out on top. He gets a tragic backstory that makes things more understandable, but at the end of the day I still sort of hate him. Fortunately, this volume is far more balanced between the three teams, giving everyone a chance to show off, be really shonen, and demonstrate to the reader how cool, powerful, and exhausting this all is. The book reads as fast as the race, as you find yourself pulled along by the lineart. So with two days down and one to go, I expect some downtime in the next book. However, I still can’t wait to read it. Addicting. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Again!! Again (Again?)

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SEAN: I know my pick this week should be Cutey Honey: The Classic Collection, despite the fact that I know it will depress me in the end. I’m also interested, as always, in Nisioisin’s works, so Otorimonogatari is also a possible choice, despite ALSO ending on a down note. But I will be good. Please support Cutey Honey so we can get more series like it (by which I mean Shameless School).

KATE: I’m going to be super-predictable and shill for Again!! again. It’s easily one of the best new series of 2018, with humor, heart, and a wicked edge that prevents the story from feeling too pat. I’ll also be picking up Cutie Honey, as I want to support Seven Seas’ efforts to bring more classic manga to the US.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely keen to read more Again!! but The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window comes out so infrequently, to so little fanfare, and is so stellar that I just have to laud it when given the chance.

ANNA: Out of everything coming out this week, no question I’m most excited about Again!!

ASH: And once again… Again!! (And also Cutie Honey)

MJ: I’m going to back up Michelle this week, and encourage everyone to catch up on The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window! It’s so easy for me to forget digital titles when new volumes are released, and this one is worth remembering.

Defeating the Demon Lord’s a Cinch (If You’ve Got a Ringer), Vol. 1

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By Tsukikage and bob. Released in Japan as “Darenidemo Dekiru Kage kara Tasukeru Maou Toubatsu” by Famitsu Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alex Kerwin.

I write a column for Manga Bookshelf called Manga the Week of, where I point out the manga and light novels coming out next week, and briefly try to hype the debuts. Sometimes, though, this can lead to me being embarrassingly wrong about a title, because the cover art and blurb were vague, or even actively misleading. It’s especially true when there really isn’t much known about the new series. So, let me say up front: I was expecting Demon Lord Ringer (as I will call it for brevity’s sake) To be far more comedic in tone, something like Konosuba only with more of a straight man as the lead. Now, to be fair, Ares is definitely a straight man. But the book is not going for funny, instead being a crash course in how much we can take of its intensely serious, brimming with suppressed rage narrator until we beg for the demon lord to win after all. Make no mistake about it: the Ringer is a bit of a jerk.

As you can see by the cover image, as well as the blurb, this is not merely a case of me being too thick (which has also happened before): the premise is actively trying to mislead you. It is accurate, as far as it goes. A hero has been summoned to defeat the demon lord, but the hero’s level is far too low, and as for companions, we have a third princess as a mage who can only use fire magic (the entire book takes place in a forest, so she can’t do anything), a swordswoman who has recently changed her sword style away from her family specialty (so is learning a whole different skill set on the fly), and Ares, who is a priest who clearly is far more powerful than the Level 3 he suggests he is. (Yes, the usual fantasy RPG tropes apply here, as the characters discuss buffs and leveling as if they are real life fantasy terms.) The hero’s party, however, wants to get rid of Ares. And you can’t blame then, really.

There’s a reveal at the end of the book I was very impressed by, one that makes the entire party’s behavior around Ares make a lot more sense. It’s such a good reveal I won’t get into it. It actually made me want to read the second book, which I was on the edge about, to be honest. The book’s prose is good, and Ares is certainly a memorable character. But god, you want to throttle him. He’s given an assistant, Amelia, who seems to have some lingering affection for him (he doesn’t recall their ever meeting in person, which irritates her), and she keeps desperately trying to get him to slow down and not do absolutely everything on his own. And she fails. I was honestly wondering if the big reveal was going to be that he’s the villain after all, but it would seem that’s not the case. But so far, my interest in what happens next has won out over “my god, do I really need to listen to this guy’s simmering fury for another three+ volumes?”.