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Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs, Vol. 1

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By Tadahiro Miura. Released in Japan as “Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san” by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Ghost Ship. Translated by Kayla Albarado. Adapted by David Lumsdon.

When I was first researching this manga, more than one site told me that it was “the spiritual successor to To-Love-Ru”. Which makes sense. Jump usually has one title that is written purely for the sake of teenage hormones, and for years To-Love-Ru was the one. And so, perhaps after briefly checking to make sure none of the cast are based on anyone’s wife, we have Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs, an ecchi Jump title which offers pretty much a lot of the same things that To-Love-Ru gave the reader. There’s a guy surrounded by a bunch of hot young girls. There is an awful lot of tripping and falling into boobs. There is a lot of violence towards the lead guy by said girls after that happens. And no doubt most of them will fall for him, though so far we only have the titular ghost. It’s Harem Comedy 101.

Our hero is Kogarashi, who has had a pretty unlucky life – he’s easily possessed by spirits, and it’s made his life very difficult, as well as made him very poor. Fortunately, he’s learned (almost out of necessity) to be an exorcist so that he can deal with these things. He’s also found an inn with attached hot springs where the rent is dirt cheap – because, of course, it’s haunted. He meets the residents, all of whom are gorgeous girls, and also the girl haunting his room, who is a cute fluffy-headed poltergeist with a bad habit of making things float around her when she is flustered, which is most of the time. Yuuna is a cute girl, so Kogarashi can’t exorcise her. Instead he befriends her, which works out even better (and also makes her fall head over heels in love with him). Then we discover the other residents are also… not ghosts, but various types of supernatural entities or those that deal with them. Can he get along with everyone? And what about school?

As you might be able to guess, this is not exactly the most original title in the world. At the same time, it has a job to do and does it well. Everything is in the standard ecchi harem language, but there was no point where I was bored or turned off by any of the various goings-on. Kogarashi is more of the “confident” Jump hero in the Luffy/Soma tradition, which makes a nice change from the meek nerds that usually inhabit such titles (as, for example, To-Love-Ru). Yuuna is as you’d imagine, but I did like the way she was translated/adapted, as she uses a certain amount of “Scooby-Doo” style exclamations at times, which is amusing as she’s a ghost, but also apropos as it shows she’s older than she should be. We’ve barely met the other residents yet (there’s a demon slayer who I still call Motoko as she hasn’t really differentiated herself from the Love Hina character), but I’m sure that will come soon.

So this won’t win any awards, but if you’re here for amusing comedic romance with lots of large breasts, and don’t mind no actual romantic resolution for 25 volumes or so (because did I mention it’s a comedic romance manga?), this could be the title for you.

The Queen’s Thief, Books 4-5 by Megan Whalen Turner

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A new installment of The Queen’s Thief is here! That proved an excellent incentive to reread the first three books (which I deeply love) and finally tackle the fourth book as well as the handful of short stories that’ve appeared as paperback extras.

A Conspiracy of Kings
A Conspiracy of Kings is a coming-of-age story for Sophos, the sweet, scholarly boy we met in The Thief who also happens to be the heir to Sounis. Some of the barons are in revolt, and when the villa in which he’s staying is attacked, Sophos tries to save his mother and sisters but ends up captured himself. Although he’s resourceful enough to escape and hide out amongst enslaved field hands, he nonetheless is bitterly self-critical and sure his father is disappointed in him (as usual). And yet, throughout the course of the novel, he exhibits a great deal of courage, makes some hard choices, and—though still the sweet, scholarly boy underneath—ultimately becomes a worthy king.

A Conspiracy of Kings strikes me as a simpler book than The King of Attolia, probably because Sophos is earnest and idealistic rather than guarded and secretive, though that’s not to say that he’s incapable of carrying out a secret plan or clever strategy. The book does have an unusual narrative style, beginning in the third person with Sophos already in Attolia, switching to first person as he tells Eddis his story up to that point, going back into third while everyone’s together in Attolia, going back into first when he returns after claiming the throne and fills Eddis in again, and then back into third for the ending.

It occurs to me that as The Queen’s Thief series continues, the further we’re getting away from Eugenides. The Thief was first-person from his point of view, The Queen of Attolia was third-person, The King of Attolia viewed Gen and his relationship with the queen through the eyes of a palace guard, and now we have a story about Sophos in which Gen appears occasionally and spends some of that time behaving with icy formality. I appreciate the expanding world the characters inhabit and genuinely enjoy spending time with everyone, but I do love Gen best and hope the focus returns to him someday.

Thick as Thieves
After waiting so long for a new book in the series, learning that it would be about Kamet, the slave of the Mede ambassador Nahuseresh, was somewhat of a disappointment. Now, I feel compelled to apologize to the author because I really should’ve had more faith in her. Kamet is a smart, distrustful protagonist with somewhat of a superiority complex and his evolution throughout the novel is fascinating.

Thick as Thieves is most similar to the first book in the series, since it involves a road trip peppered with storytelling. An Attolian soldier has been dispatched by Eugenides to steal Kamet out of spite, and after initially planning to decline the offer of freedom (thinking of all the power he will one day wield after he is gifted to the next emperor), Kamet is forced to accept after learning that his master has been poisoned and that he must escape quickly or face torture and execution. A Goodreads reviewer describes what follows as “bloodshed, betrayal, and bromance,” and I really cannot improve on that description. Although he initially thinks the Attolian is an idiot and plans on ditching him at the earliest opportunity (rather than return to uncivilized Attolia) he comes to like and respect him very much. I also love how one little piece of information lets readers know exactly who this soldier is, although Kamet does not use his name until near the end.

I don’t want to spoil the ending, but that’s the part of the book that really shines. (Alas, the road trip does drag a little in parts.) There are quite a few surprises—including one satisfying “I knew it!” moment—and the conclusion is both sniff-inducing and exciting, as conflict is still brewing between the Empire and the small countries on the peninsula, though the latter (thanks to Eugenides) appear to have acquired some powerful allies. This is such a great series and I hope we’ll see Kamet again in what follows.

The short stories:
“Thief!”, originally printed in Disney Adventures Magazine in 2000, is a prequel short story about Eugenides as a kid. There’s not much to it, but I liked seeing Gen interact with his older brother and favorite sibling, Stenides.

“Eddis” was included in the 2007 paperback edition of The King of Attolia. In it, nine-year-old Helen—wonderfully described as round, solid, sturdy, and not too bothered by the fact that she isn’t pretty—slips away from the palace to go exploring. Her destination is a desolate temple where she is visited in the night by a trio of gods, who refer to her as “the last Eddis.” It’s a neat story that not only fleshes out Helen’s background a little bit and explains why she uses the masculine “Eddis” rather than “Eddia,” but ties in nicely with her motivations in A Conspiracy of Kings.

“Destruction” was included in the 2011 paperback edition of A Conspiracy of Kings. In this brief story, we witness the ceremony to dispose of Hamiathes’s Gift in the fires of the Sacred Mountain in Eddis. Frustrated Sounis is in attendance as is Attolia, who never takes her eyes from Eugenides. Scant though it is, I find I appreciate having a mental image for this occasion, as well as the moment in which Eugenides achieves certainty that the stone is really gone.

“Knife Dance” is included in the new paperback edition of The Queen of Attolia. In it, a juggler named Druic is coerced by his jerk of a brother to perform a certain Eddisian knife dance—”one of the Mysteries of the Thieves”—for the court of Attolia. Both the king and his god have something to say about it. I liked this one, and the ending was very satisfying.

“Wineshop” is included in the new paperback edition of The King of Attolia. It’s extremely short and depicts Eugenides enjoying his final moment of anonymity before coins bearing his likeness enter circulation and how Teleus spoils it all. There’s one part of it that makes me wonder if Eugenides knew that was going to happen. It would not surprise me.

Sword Art Online, Vol. 13: Alicization Dividing

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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.

As you might gather from the title, Kirito and Eugeo are divided throughout the book, as the cliffhanger from last time leaves Kirito and Alice hanging off the edge of the tower, and Eugeo needs to go on by himself to duel the last of the Integrity Knights there to stop them. This once again allows the author to alternate between third-person Eugeo POV and first-person Kirito POV. I’m not entirely certain if the hate-on fans have for Kirito is as omnipresent in Japan as it is here in the West, but I get the sense that Kawahara is playing with the reader a bit here. Eugeo is the straightforward, pure, noble type hero and Kirito is the snarky little cheater. Possible the funniest moment in the book is when Kirito wears Eugeo’s sword, and he and Alcie talk for a bit about how difficult using two swords actually is. Kirito doesn’t bring up his past as he feels embarrassed by it. Even Kirito is sick of Kirito. That said, Eugeo does not end up in a good place either.

As I said before, Kirito and Alice end up hanging off the tower by their swords, and have to find a way to climb up about twenty floors. This allows them to snark at each other, bond during fights, and of course for Kirito to tell Alice what’s really going on with the Integrity Knights. I will note that this scene should look fantastic when animated, though I suspect my fear of heights will mean I would never be able to watch it. I was most interested in how Kirito and the author are both telling the reader to think of Alice Zuberg, the little girl and childhood friend, as a separate person from Alice Synthesis Thirty, the Integrity Knight. Kirito knows that saving the former means killing the latter, and is feeling increasingly bad about that. More to the point, Eugeo is clearly there for Alice Zuberg… but Alice the Integrity Knight is obviously being set up as another of Kirito’s love interests.

Speaking of Eugeo, his fight against Bercouli was pretty awesome, and I was amused by the idea of a time-traveling sword slash. Eugeo gets the better of him in sort of a double suicide attack, but unfortunately is then found and brought to the administrator, whereupon he runs up against the necessity of the plot. Kirito and Eugeo are both great protagonists, but there can be only one Kirito in Sword Art Online. And come on, you know that the two friends were going to have to battle at some point. So yes, much as we’d like Eugeo to be strong and throw off the obvious brainwashing, he falls, and the cliffhanger shows that he is now an Integrity Knight with his memory removed. (Speaking of which, Alice, Eugeo and Kirito all have flashes of Kirito being present in their childhood – something Kirito clearly doesn’t recall now. I do wonder what’s going on there.)

So we’re all set up for friend vs. friend next time around. Will they finally be able to take down the Administrator? Well, possibly not, as we’re only now at the halfway point of the Alicization arc. One last thing: Kirito and Alice discovering the true nature of the Senators may in fact be the darkest, most horrifying scene Kawahara has ever written. Well done. I shuddered.

Pick of the Week: Sweet and Bizarre Adventures

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KATE: There’s plenty of product this week, from long-running shojo favorites like Kimi ni Todoke to new light novel series. My vote, however, goes to Chi’s Sweet Adventure, a spin-off of the Chi’s Sweet Home anime. I’m not expecting anything too ground-breaking here, just some cute kitty antics. What looks good to you?

SEAN: It feels odd to be picking nonfiction as my pick of the week (and prose for the second week running), but the Mari Okada autobiography, From Truant to Anime Screenwriter. I am looking forward to a lot of Viz stuff as well, but Mari Okada is definitely my pick this week.

MICHELLE: I’ll go with the 29th and penultimate volume of Kimi ni Todoke, even though I fully intend to hoard my copy and read it along with the final volume, since we have to wait until December for that one (sniff)!

ANNA: There’s a ton of great manga coming out this week! I’m going to have to go with the latest volume of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Chronicles. I might be hopelessly far behind in my reading of this series, but I love that it is getting the deluxe hardcover treatment.

ASH: I’ll join Anna this week in declaring JoJo my pick! I’m actually double-dipping for Stardust Crusaders because the deluxe edition is so handsome. There’s plenty of other manga coming out that I plan on giving a read, too, though!

Bookshelf Briefs 4/30/18

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Again!!, Vol. 2 | By Mitsurou Kubo | Kodansha Comics – Imamura sets about convincing the former members of the ouendan to rejoin the club. Although he has success with drummer Tatsuhiko Okuma (who has an extremenly ardent, unrequited crush on Usami), the other second years want nothing to do with it. Thankfully, he finally manages to convince a pair of third years to return by exposing the cheerleaders’ evil plot via a puppet show. (Yes, really.) Things are looking up, Usami is smiling, but… he’s still stuck in the past, and he’s a member of a club he never intended to personally join, and what’s more, he has knowledge that the school’s sports teams aren’t going to win anything. The volume ends with the suggestion that he might try to change that, but it seems like what he really needs to conquer is his own deep-seated belief that he’s a bad-luck charm. This is a fun series. – Michelle Smith

DAYS, Vol. 8 | By Tsuyoshi Yasuda | Kodansha Comics (digital only)- It’s the semi-finals of the Tokyo qualifiers for the All Japan Tournament, the final chance for Seiseki’s third years to play on the national stage. Unfortunately, with Oshiba and Kazama injured, and captain Mizuki forced to sit out because of penalties in previous games, Seiseki is missing its offensive powerhouses. Tsukamoto plays his first official game in some time, and it’s truly gratifying to see him gradually realize that he doesn’t suck anymore. He has a real affinity for regaining possession of stolen balls, and once he begins to have some confidence in his skill, soccer, which previously was just a way of hanging out with friends, starts to become fun in its own right. Seeing him seize the opportunity for a shot without hesitation is quite a big deal, even though he misses. Looking forward to volume nine! – Michelle Smith

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 1 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – While it may not be as immediately dark as some of Asano’s other manga, Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction still has an ominous and disconcerting atmosphere to it; already there is plenty of heartbreak along with the more lighthearted moments. Kadode Koyama is a young woman in high school who is having a difficult time finding the motivation to devote to her studies when the world itself is coming to an end. Three years ago, aliens appeared from outer space, the attack changing both everything and nothing about human life on Earth. While the story itself is intriguing, Asano’s artwork is a real highlight of the series. With dramatic angles and cinematic framing, Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction is always visually dynamic even when the manga focuses on the more mundane aspects of the characters’ lives. Well, as surprisingly mundane as things can be when living through an alien invasion. – Ash Brown

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 8 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – For a series that’s supposed to be about Miyuki, the side manga really isn’t concentrating on her POV as much as you’d expect. Of course, given Miyuki’s incestuous love for her brother, perhaps that’s for the best. Instead, this volume is Honoka-and-Shizuru heavy, as we see Honoka’s triumphant win at Battle Board (as well as her triumphantly skintight wetsuit, which shows off her large chest to a ridiculous degree) and also see Shizuku’s battle with Miyuki in Ice Pillars Break, whose conclusion is fairly obvious but still emotional. It’s hard to strive to do your best when you hang around with people so far above you every day, let alone when they’re good friends. Excellent – Sean Gaffney

Imperfect Girl, Vol. 3 | By NISIOISIN and Mitsuru Hattori | Vertical Comics – Good news, the series stayed away from disquieting relationships, though there is a bath scene together. This series has been about a girl who has suffered abuse, and her traumatic mindset after the death of her parents. Said death is shown here, a bit unrealistic but evocative, as is somewhat expected of Nisioisin. Speaking of which, the revelation of the stories that the narrator wants to tell now is a nice fourth-wall break, as they’re all if Nisioisin’s other series, from Zaregoto onward. The conclusion is perhaps a bit too pat, but honestly at this point after all the exhausting tension of the three-book series, pat is good enough for me. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 6 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – To answer my question from last review, yup, this volume begins with a ridiculously over-the-top sex scene between Kuroko and the mother from last volume. As for the daughter, she’s attending a new school, which is an elevator school that also features Hinako and her friends, as well as a mad bomber, some unfortunate bullies, and a seemingly meek young woman whom Kuroko helps to stroll down the path of a twisted lesbian killer. For all that Kuroko is theoretically helping the police, there’s never any doubt that she’s also killing because she loves it, and gets away with it here. I emphasize again: I enjoy reading Murcielago, but it is a nasty series, and you need to accept that going in. Everyone here is awful. – Sean Gaffney

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, Vol. 10 | By Shirow Masamune and Rikudou Koushi | Seven Seas – Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. The first half of this is standard Pandora, meaning somewhat dull and also filled with dumb comedy, though I did appreciate that Vlind’s two assistants seemingly look similar to Hyatt and Elgala. The second half, dealing with Mr. Keith Brooklyn, his wife, and their child, is a lot better, getting into the nature of “quality of life” and what it means to be truly happy, and utilizing Nene’s special superpowers for a good, loving reason. I know more than to expect this sort of thing to continue, but it was greatly appreciated as a break from the fanservice and global conspiracy. – Sean Gaffney

Spirit Circle, Vol. 3 | By Satoshi Mizukami | Seven Seas – Fuuta is getting better at reconciling his past lives with his present (and figuring out that his family and friends are also connected to him in the past), but he’s not getting along any better with Kouko, and she’s determined to destroy him for what he apparently did as Fortuna—which we still don’t know, and which Fortuna himself seems to be trying to actively stop him learning. As for the life we see this time around, it’s a tale of old samurai, and he and Kouko literally lose an arm and a leg each to each other. The author is very goo9d at showing the emotional impact of a scene, even if he’s not the best at facial expressions. (That hasn’t changed since Biscuit Hammer, really.) Addicting. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 8 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – Day two of the Inter-High continues. Although this volume features the triumphant return of Onoda and Tadokoro—which is great, and features Tadokoro crying manly tears of profound gratitude—most of the action has to do with the two teams currently battling it out for the lead: reigning champions Hakone Academy and Kyoto Fushimi, led by deceptive and ever-so-creepy Midousuji. We see how he converted the previously unified members of the Kyoto Fushimi team into his foot soldiers (and there are hints that a rebellion might come soon from within the ranks) and how he exploits the totally justified and sympathetic weakness of Hakone’s ace sprinter, Shinkai. Although readers surely want to see Shohoku take the victory, it’s neat that for this section at least, I find myself rooting for Hakone to smack Midousuji down decisively. Hopefully that will transpire in the next volume! – Michelle Smith

Baccano!: 1933 The Slash -Bloody to Fair-

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By Ryohgo Narita and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

“There’s always someone better than you.” A truism that this two-volume arc of Baccano! seems to be taking to heart. Last time we saw Maria devastated when her swordplay lost out to Adele’s spear, and the repercussions of that reverberate though this book. But it doesn’t just end with her. Adele herself gets shattered when Maria’s clever thinking is actually able to deliver a bad wound, and the newly introduced Christopher Shaldred can try all he wants to be a cool, constantly talking killer, but we already have Clare/Felix, so he’s inevitably going to come out second best, especially when you realize that Felix prolonged the fight solely for the reason that he wanted to fight back to back with his fiancee. And then there’s Tim, who finds that not only is he easily manipulated by Huey, but also gets verbally destroyed by Senator Beriam. The theme here is “stay humble”, though to be honest nobody really learns that lesson.

By the time this book had come out, Narita had already started his other popular novel series Durarara!!, and I have to admit that of all the Baccano! novels, this one feels the closest to DRRR!! style shenanigans. That said, DRRR!! never gets quite as bloody as Baccano! does, and the massacre of the employees of the Nebula Building is (at least temporarily) a bit horrifying. Again one is reminded that there really aren’t too many “good guys” in this series – even Jacuzzi and Nice are gang leaders, and honestly I think the only reason they don’t get taken to the cleaners at the end is because Chane is part of their gang. The new villains are also pretty bad, and continue the theme of “someone better than you” – Tim’s Larva group from the prior book is as nothing compared to Huey’s experimental Lamia children, and it’s notable that after the fight at the end of the previous book, Adele is ready to go off the rails at a moment’s notice.

And then there’s Maria. I savaged her pretty badly in the first volume’s review, and to be fair she was incredibly annoying then. That doesn’t completely change (Luck confronting her at the end may be the funniest scene in the book, especially as by then the reader had ALSO forgot what her original mission was), but she manages to overcome her fears and doubts, gets a ridiculously cool two-sword move (honestly, this book would be fantastic animated), and possibly hook up with Tick – she says he gets to decide if they’re friends or lovers, to which I think Tick’s response can best be described as “Buh?”. She’s certainly better off than Firo, who runs around trying to save Ennis only to find Ennis never really needed saving at all. and then has Ennis say that she thinks of Firo… as family. Good thing these two are immortal, they need all that time.

Narita’s afterword says that the publisher wanted to get away from the 1930s again (so The Children of Bottle apparently did pretty well), but he said he had far too many 1930s plots still to tell. As such, be prepared to start a THREE-part arc next time, as we advance one year but otherwise have the same old ruckus. Plus maybe we’ll see who rescued Christopher, last seen bleeding out. As for The Slash, the second part definitely is better than the first. This is a fun ride.

Oh yes, Dallas is in this too. Sorry, totally ignored him.

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 9

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By Izumi Tsubaki. Released in Japan as “Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun” by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the online magazine Gangan Online. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Leighann Harvey.

It’s been a long nine months since we last saw Nozaki-kun here, the curse of having caught up with Japan. I’m relieved to say, though, that the wait is worth it, as this series’ one and only job is stillo being done incredibly well: I laugh a whole lot when reading this. In fact, one joke made me laugh so much I had to put the book down for a few minutes. (It involves the art club and their “perfect guys”.) Characterization remains strong but static: apart from Hori maybe realizing that Kashima is attractive as a woman (though that doesn’t necessarily translate to any love epiphanies), no one here grows or changes, but remains the same lovably exaggerated idiots we want and expect. Chiyo’s Nozaki-love is up to eleven, Seo continues to be the best troll, and Nozaki’s people watching is as entertaingly wrong as ever.

If there’s a straight man left in the series, it’s probably Mikoshiba, whose attempts at getting Mayu and Wakamatsu interested in visual novels is a hilarious disaster, given that they’re not really playing the game for the same goals. Mikoshiba continues to be Chiyo’s BFF (yes, even though he’s a guy), trying in vain to help her and Nozaki get closer. This culminates in the guys and girls having (separate) sleepovers, which predictably involves Mikoshiba an company staying up late and gossiping about the romance game they played, while the three girls (who have no idea how an actual slumber party works) just talk about what male underwear looks sexiest.

I’ve been reviewing this series with full reviews since it began, and I admit it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge given that there’s not much to say here beyond “this is what I thought was the funniest”. But it is funny, and I can admire the craft that Tsubaki brings to the title in developing each gag. This series is not really much at all like Oresama Teacher beyond the love of “tsukkomi” style punchlines. Nozaki-kun has to be punchier, faster, and not wait for the gag to land. It can also be hard to think up material every week – you might see some of that in Nozaki’s watching the drama club improv, where they all talk about how easy it is to end a scene by having everyone drop dead or be murdered.

I’m not sure when Nozaki will end – I suspect when Tsubaki and Square Enix decides it’s run its course. We’ve already had an anime,. and a 2nd season is not on the horizon. That said, I’m not sure I’d expect much resolution in any ending – much as the fans might want the three “main couples” to get together – or even Mikoshiba and Mayu – I’m inclined to agree with the drama club. Ending with a romantic kiss is cheap and easy. Especially for a series like this. Making us laugh, though? That’s guaranteed.

As for tanukis, well, just look at the cover.

Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, Vol. 1

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By Hirukuma and Ituwa Kato. Released in Japan as “Jidou Hanbaiki ni Umare Kawatta Ore wa Meikyuu wo Samayou” by Kadokawa Shoten. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Prowse.

If you’re going to be selling, as a regular series, a story about a guy reincarnated as a vending machine, you’d better go all in. Some stories work better as parodies (see the upcoming “Do You Like Your Mom?”), but I’m pretty sure this would not be any good if it weren’t 100% serious about its vending machine hero and the world he now lives in. The author says he wrote the book as a sort of push against the typical isekai harem protagonist, and I can see that. Yes, the machine gets a “blessing” that allows him to have a super cool force field, but it uses up HP fast, and its airtightness means it’s hard to keep humans inside. He also can’t move – he’s a vending machine. And his conversation is limited to six programmed phrases – he’s a vending machine. And he’s not getting a harem… well, OK, that remains to be seen.

Our hero is Boxxo (yes, really – thankfully it’s not his own choice of name), a young Japanese man obsessed with vending machines and the things that come out of them, who one day is killed in a brutal vending machine accident. He wakes to find he is now a vending machine, dispensing mineral water and corn soup. Unfortunately, he is sitting at the side of a lake deep in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by frog enemies trying to break him, and if he doesn’t sell things he’ll eventually run out of lifespan. Then he meets Lammis, a super strong, super spunky, super naive girl who has been abandoned by her party and is on the verge of death. He gives her food and drink, and in return she picks him up and carries him to the nearest settlement. (I did mention the super strength, right?) As the book goes on, he finds he can add new items (provided it’s something he previously bought when he was a human), camouflage himself, and other cool adventure powers. As for going on quests… you’d be surprised how important convenient food and drink can be in a battle.

As you can see, the premise can be as silly as you’d like. This is absolutely ridiculous. But the characters are all treated as real people rather than stock isekai types, even the guards at the door, the innkeeper and her daughter, and the town madam. (Oh yes, Boxxo can also sell condoms. I was surprised it went there, but it’s handled quite well. No, Boxxo is not going to be using them, he’s a vending machine.) Boxxo and Lammis get on great from the start, she’s very good at figuring out what he means when he’s using his stock “welcome!’ phrases, and having her around means the story is not totally stationary. I mean… the book has a subplot of Lammis falling in love with Boxxo, and it actually plays out as really sweet and cute rather than weird and creepy. I could have done without the constant breast size discussion, but that’s what you get in this genre, and at least Boxxo’s lack of a human body means he’s rather blase about it all – mostly.

I was going to be cute and say this was the best vending machine isekai I’d ever read, but that’s selling it short – it was a really good read, period. I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected, and definitely want to see what happens next. You will believe that a fantasy world can be transformed by a simple machine that gives you Pringles when you want them.

Manga the Week of 5/2/18

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SEAN: There’s a lot of manga out in May, but mercifully slightly less than March or April. What do we have next week?

Cross Infinite World has another Japanese webnovel for us. Mia and the Forbidden Medicine Report stars a girl determined to help the sick, and her adventures in a fantasy-tinged land.

Ghost Ship has a 4th To-Love-Ru Darkness.

J-Novel Club has a couple of debuts, one of which is very interesting indeed. Mari Okada is a prolific anime screenwriter who has won awards, and From Truant to Anime Screenwriter: My Path to “Anohana” and “The Anthem of the Heart” is her autobiography. A truly unique license that sounds fantastic.

ASH: That does sound interesting! Okada worked on the anime adaptation of Wandering Son and The Woman Called Fujiko Mine among many other great series.

ANNA: Huh, that does sound interesting!

SEAN: The other debut is more typical. The Unwanted Undead Adventurer starts off in a fantasy world, so not an isekai. Unfortunately, our plucky young adventurer was eaten, and now exists as a skeleton. Can he conquer dungeons anyway? What do you think?

There’s also a 2nd New Life + and a 12th Invaders of the Rokujouma!?.

Kodansha is mostly taking a break from digital next week, but they are debuting even more new series, so we get the debut of Beware the Kamiki Brothers! (Kamiki Kyoudai Okotowari), a 6-volume Betsufure series. I tend to be very wary of shoujo covers with a pensive female lead and smug male lead. We shall see.

Seven Seas has the 7th Lord Marskman and Vanadis, and a 2nd Nameless Asterism. They’re also putting out a 2nd digital volume of the Strawberry Panic light novel.

ASH: I liked the first volume of Nameless Asterism well enough to see how the Gordian Knot of unrequited love continues to develop in the second.

SEAN: We have a new publisher, though they’ve done work on visual novels in the past. Sol Press debuts two new light novels titles digitally, with print apparently coming out later on. We have Battle Divas: The Incorruptible Battle Blossom Princess, as well as Strongest Gamer: Let’s Play in Another World. Go check them out!

ASH: Oh, a new challenger has entered the arena! I was previously unaware.

MJ: Oh, interesting! I’m not sure I mean these particular books, but always happy to see a new publisher in the game.

SEAN: Vertical has the debut of Chi’s Sweet Adventures, the spinoff of beloved cat manga Chi’s Sweet Home.

And the rest is Viz. There are no debuts this time around. The Jump imprint has new volumes of Black Clover (11), Bleach’s 23rd 3-in-1, Haikyu!! (23), the 7th hardcover re-release of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 2 (technically Seinen Jump), Naruto: Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend (3), One Piece (86), the penultimate Toriko (42), and Twin Star Exorcists (12).

ASH: Haikyu!! and JoJo for me, please!

ANNA: So behind with JoJo but I love it.

On the Shojo Beat end, we see Anonymous Noise 8, Everyone’s Getting Married 8, Kimi ni Todoke 29 (also a penultimate volume), and Oresama Teacher 24.

ASH: I’ll take some more Oresama Teacher, too.

SEAN: That’s actually quite a bit. Do you see favorites in this list?

MICHELLE: My favorites are all in the VIZ camp today, specifically One Piece, Haikyu!!, and Kimi ni Todoke. Hard to believe the last is finally drawing to a close.

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 1

by

By Inio Asano. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Big Comic Spirits. Released in North America by Viz. Translated by John Werry.

This was the series that came directly after Goodnight Punpun for Inio Asano, and he’s on record as saying that he wanted to give readers something a bit lighter and easier to read after Punpun’s depresso-fest. Having read the first volume of this series, it’s… sort of correct? There’s definitely an attempt here to do a sort of Asano version of a slice-of-life series a la Strawberry Marshmallow, with Kadode and Ontan as a sort of grown up Chika and Miu, doing weird things in their day to day life. But of course this is an Asano version of slice-of-life, not actual slice-of-life, and so it’s hard not to see the grey clouds piling up bind the series. Kadode’s family life is depicted starkly but without drama (big drama is rarely seen in Asano’s works), and her attempts at relationships are meant to make the reader feel uncomfortable, I suspect, and succeed. Oh yes, and then there’s the other reason this slice-of-life is odd: aliens invaded Japan three years before, and are still hanging around.

The idea of an alien invasion that has gone on so long that it’s become part of everyday life is not unique to Asano, I believe, but usually in other cases the aliens play a major role. Here they hover offscreen in their giant mothership, occasionally sending out smaller ships to get blown up by pissed-off humans. The flashbacks to the initial invasion are played relatively seriously, but most of the story takes place once everyone is thinking “now what?”, as after that first strike not much has happened. And so life has gone back to semi-normal, allowing the kids to keep going to high school, Kadoda to continue to hit in her teacher, and Ontan to be loud, rude, and eccentric, which seems to be her entire character. There are games to play, love affairs to be gossiped about, and college choices to be mulled over. At least till a possible cliffhanger, you get the sense that “now what?” may be the point of the entire story.

There are a few flaws here, in my opinion. As I said before, Ontan does not seem to have as deep a character as Kadoda, and various scenes suggest that the author kind of wants to set the two girls up as a couple but can’t bring himself to do it. The relationship between Kadoda and her teacher is meant to be vaguely offputting and unsettling, and certainly fulfills its function there, but I also get the sense there’s a “will they or won’t they?” question that is speaking to an audience far more comfortable with teacher/student romance in their manga. Also, please try not to make your high schoolers look like they’re eight years old. On the flip side, of course, this volume is filled with what Asano does best, with evocative art (the contrast between the hyperrealistic backgrounds and the cartoony characters is excellent) and a mood that I think I can best describe as “repressed ennui”. I read an Asano book to feel things, and I certainly did with this one, even if some of those things were frustration.

If you’re an Asano fan, you should absolutely get this. If you avoided him for one reason or another, you may want to give this a try. He seems to be trying to compromise with his audience a bit, and the journey should be fascinating. Also, who could resist that cover?