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The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 9

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By Satoshi Wagahara and 029. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Kevin Gifford.

Sometimes there’s one scene or chpater of a book that has more impact than the rest of the volume. This is not uncommon, and does not mean that the rest of the book is lacking in any way. It just means that the chapter or scene in question is JUST THAT GOOD. In Vol. 9 of this series, we get that in a chapter entitled “The Hero Discovers That She Can’t Go Home Again”, which flashes back to show us Emi arriving back on Enta Isla and how she ended up in the position we saw her in at the end of Vol. 8, captured by Olba and being blackmailed. We see her being a detective, we see her learning more about her parents (indeed, possibly far more than she’d have liked), and we see that the bond she has with Alas Ramus may not be as direct as she’d though,. though to her credit she doesn’t reject Alas Ramus in any way because of this. And we see her longing for Japan, and modern times. If this light novel series ends up with the main cast back in Enta Isla, they’re going to need to modernize.

As for the rest of the cast, well, they’re back in Japan, getting ready for a rescue mission. This is not as easy as it seems – Maou has to get people to cover his shifts for a week, so that he doesn’t get fired from his McRonald’s job (the way I suspect Emi is going to be fired from her call center one). He and Suzuno need to buy supplies, which leads to them clashing over everything, as he’s a penny-pinching scrounger, and she has enough cash that “just buy the best thing” is always the first option. And they also have to deal with Rika, who after the events in Vol. 8 now knows their secrets. Do they erase her memory or let her in on the full story, which might put her in danger? The answer is not surprising, but it’s nice to see them asking the right questions. It’s also nice to see Chiho has come so far in nine books, and even though she can’t come along on the rescue mission her intelligence and calm is a great help.

Of course, Chiho is in love with Maou, and we see some jealousy flare up here, mostly as Acieth has the appearance of a clingy 14-year-old who keeps going on about being inside Maou. More seriously, though, Suzuno begins to realize that she may also be developing feelings for Maou. This is something of a surprise, as the ‘harem’ aspect of this series has really mostly been a love triangle before now, with Emi and Chiho – not that Emi will admit it, but she’s still the clear favorite. But when Suzuno hears the backstory explaining why Maou raised up a demon army to invade Enta Isla, she begins to realize that he’s not the demon she’d thought. Combine this with the ongoing revelations that the Angels may be the actual villains of this story, and she has the classic example of a maiden’s trembling heart. The sleeping bag helps take the edge off that, though.

Unsurprisingly, things end in a cliffhanger here, with every single character in Enta Isla about to get involved in something nasty. I’m not sure how long this arc will be, but I am sure that if you’ve been reading Devil Is a Part-Timer, you absolutely will not be disappointed with this book.

Manga the Week of 1/3/18

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SEAN: A new year, new manga, and new series to get way behind on.

MICHELLE: Truth.

ASH: Woo!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a debut, Yokai Girls, perhaps the most unsurprising license ever given ecchi yokai series are the new zombies. This ran in Weekly Young Jump, and is about ghosts and fanservice, not in that order.

ASH: I’ll usually give anything having to do with yokai at chance, but it may take a while for me to actually get around to trying this series.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has quite a few releases, starting with Ao Oni, a horror series that’s based on a video game, and very much in the “kill the cast off over and over” genre.

In Another World with My Smartphone has a 6th volume, this one focusing on Touya’s youngest love interest, Sue, and her attempts to not be married off.

And Invaders of the Rokujouma!? goes back to finish its side story with Vol. 8.5.

Kodansha has a lot, as you’d expect, mostly digital. Actually, entirely digital. On the Del Rey rescue end, we have a 17th Pumpkin Scissors. Newer titles include Ace of the Diamond 7, Ayanashi 2, Drifting Dragons 2, Real Girl 10, and Space Brothers 31.

MICHELLE: Ace of the Diamond is a lot of fun.

ASH: As usual, I’m glad that so much manga is being translated, but I really hope more of Kodansha’s digital-only titles turn out to be digital-first.

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 5th Dreamin’ Sun and a 7th Not Lives.

Their debut is a spinoff of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, entitled Kanna’s Daily Life. Given Dragon Maid doesn’t have much of a plot, I can’t imagine how much more slice of life it can get, but…

Viz time. No debuts this time around, but Nisekoi is coming to an end with its 25th volume. Given how poorly romantic-oriented Jump titles have done over here before (looking at you, Strawberry 100%), it’s impressive to see how popular Nisekoi was… at least until fans knew which girl one, at which point the knives came out, as always. Oh well.

MICHELLE: Haikyu!! is ever a favorite.

ASH: I’ve fallen a bit behind, but I enjoy Haikyu!! immensely.

SEAN: Shonen titles include a 7th 7th Garden (No, not a typo), an 18th Blue Exorcist, Haikyu!! 19, Naruto’s 21st 3-in-1, as well as a 2nd volume of Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend, Naruto’s comedy spoof.

There’s also a 5th 3-in-1 of Rurouni Kenshin (still not cancelled, though Japan cancelled the sequel series), an 11th Twin Star Exorcists, and an 18th World Trigger, which was the last volume out before its current hiatus.

On the shoujo side, there’s a 6th Anonymous Noise, a 28th Kimi ni Todoke (which just ended in Japan, I believe), a 21st Natsume’s Book of Friends (yay!), and the 4th Water Dragon’s Bride.

MICHELLE: I will be reading all four of those, though I am also most “yay!” about Natsume’s Book of Friends.

ASH: It appears I will be echoing Michelle, again. Yay, Natsume! I need to get caught up on Water Dragon’s Bride, too.

ANNA: I’m most excited about Water Dragon’s Bride. It is such a consistently great series.

SEAN: Do you have something you want here?

Graineliers, Vol. 1

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By Rihito Takarai. Released in Japan as “Grainerie” by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the magazine GFantasy. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Jocelyne Allen.

There are some series with a complex plot and deep, developing characterization, and then there are those series that want to get along just by style or mood. Graineliers definitely feels like one of the latter, and fortunately it’s very good at portraying the style and mood to keep a reader turning the pages. The author has mostly done BL series before, and in fact is well known here for the series Ten Count and Only the Flower Knows, but this is not a romance work. Instead it’s (I know, try to contain your surprise) something of a supernatural thriller (GASP!)set in a world where plant seeds can given superpowers of a sort… well, honestly, it seems more like a curse than anything else. In this world we have our handsome and tortured hero, who is seen on the cover baring his chest to show off that instead of manly, virile chest hair he has manly, virile plant roots growing there.

The cast is pretty likable. Luca is our cover boy, who actually becomes a cover man after escaping from the coma being exposed to a seed puts him in. He’s curious but sensible, and it’s actually his father’s experiments that lead to the plot going forward. His friend Abel (the traditional handsome blond to be the best friend of the hero brunet, though there’s no shoujo heroine here, and in fact GFantasy straddles the line between the two genres) rescues and hides him, and finds after he awakens that he now has some characteristics of plant life, including apparently just needing water. Unfortunately, the vaguely evil government is not likely to look kindly on this, so Luca has to hide his features. He’s also not alone, as a cute young girl trying to help her beloved grandfather turns out to share a similar fate, in what’s probably the big “startle” panel of the volume.

It’s always hard for me to review books like these, where nothing really wowed me but there are no crippling flaws either. It’s a solid, readable manga that knows what its fans want to read and gives it to them. Luca and Abel are close and slashable, but can also be read as regular old best friends. For the most part the book is fairly serious, though there was an amusing joke at the end that surprised me, mostly as I wasn’t expecting anything of the sort. There’s also a fair bit on the seeds that this world contains, and why the government might be trying to suppress knowledge of them. Basically, it’s the first fifty pages of a mystery, setting things up but hard to read on its own.

But the setup is good, and leaves you wanting to see what happens next. That said, we’re almost caught up with Japan already, and after Vol. 2 drops early next year there may be a bit of a wait. Definitely a series to grab if you like mystery with a dash of fantasy and a heaping teaspoon of pretty boys.

Manga Giveaway: Winner’s Choice!

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The end of the year is almost here and I’ll soon be entering semi-retirement as a manga blogger, but there’s still time for one last giveaway here at Experiments in Manga. The winner of this final contest will have the opportunity to choose any single volume of manga released in 2017 as a prize. (Basically, no boxsets. Omnibuses are still fair game. The volume will likely still need to be in print.) And as usual, the giveaway is open worldwide!

WINNER’S CHOICE!

2017 was a great year for manga. Publishers continued to expand their print and digital offerings. Genres and titles that at one point seemed untouchable in the past were licensed and released. There were deluxe editions, rescues and reissues, and so much more. I recently wrote about some of the debut manga published within the last year that to me were notable for one reason or another, but that post featured only a very small tip of a very large iceberg. This is a great time to be a manga fan.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win your choice of a manga released in 2017?

1) In the comments below, tell me which volume of manga released in 2017 you would like to win and why. (Need some help figuring out what was published? Check out non-preorders from pages 4-15 of RightStuf’s online manga catalog for some ideas.)
2) For a second entry, tell me a little about something that you read in 2017, manga or otherwise, that you particularly enjoyed. (It can be a release from any year.)
3) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

And there you have it! Participants have one week to submit comments and can earn up to three entries for this giveaway. Comments can also be sent directly to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com if needed or preferred. I will then post the comments here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and contacted on January 3, 2018.

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced–Congratulations, Nate E.!

Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!: You Good-for-Nothing Quartet!

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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.

KonoSuba returns with its fourth light novel, though unusually there’s plenty of manga in this volume, which adds an extended ‘what you will see in this book’ manga chapter (none of it is seen), as well as a two-page spread in the middle. This is perhaps not surprising given that our heroes spend much of their time at a town devoted to hot springs. The subtitle this time around is a parody of the manga Yozakura Quartet, started by Del Rey and finished by Kodansha Comics digitally in North America, from the artist behind DRRR!!. You would think, given Wiz’s presence on the front cover, that she is the fourth member of the group to merit the title, but no, Wiz is sensible (and quite powerful) throughout, except for her horrible shopkeeping skills. No, Kazuma is just as bad as the rest of his crew, and this volume is happy to emphasize that.

We’re on a vacation this time around, ending up, as I indicated, at a city renowned for their hot springs. Sadly, Aqua keeps turning their springs into plain old hot water whenever she uses them, so things aren’t going well. You’d think she’d be happy, given that the town is filled with Axis Church followers – i.e. HER followers – but she’s as whiny and put upon as ever. Darkness, meanwhile, is having a ball – as a follower of Eris, she’s treated like absolute dirt, which makes her incredibly happy (and by happy I mean aroused). She’s a bit less happy with the fact that the group is now perfectly willing to use her family name to get their way, something she’s really rather avoid. As for Megumin, aside from a few stray moments, she’s the sensible one this time around. Kazuma may seem a better candidate, but not only does he die AGAIN, but he also gets everyone in trouble by not realizing that this ISN’T a transported-to-a-game world and that some “easy-level” monsters are in fact not so easy.

No one really reads KonoSuba for the plot, which is good as there isn’t much. Our villain is seen meeting with a busty woman who is never seen again, so I imagine she’ll pop up as an antagonist in future books. No, KonoSuba is read for the humor, and there are many, many wonderful jokes here – the dog food and “Legendary Sword Excalibur” being two of my favorites. (Let’s take a moment to realize that Kazuma, who is on the verge of being allowed to reincarnate into a nice life on Earth, is literally annoyed into returning to the KonoSuba world.) The cast are all terrible, with the exception of Wiz, and possibly Yunyun, who shows up at the end to deliver the ridiculous cliffhanger. We’re now caught up with the anime, meaning Book 5 should be new to most readers. (I’m going to take a wild guess and say the anime did NOT end with Yunyun’s request.) If you like tremendously silly light novels, KonoSuba is exactly what you’re looking for.

Bookshelf Briefs 12/26/17

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Absolute Duo, Vol. 2 | By Shinichirou Nariie, Takumi Hiragiboshi, and You Asaba | Seven Seas – I gave this one more volume, but last time I said that if you didn’t realize there was another released you’d barely care, and if anything I was understating it. Most of the volume consists of the class fighting against each other, showing off their various cool moves. Of course, it all ends up with the characters we’re familiar with facing each other, and the introverted busty girl turns out to have a sword as large as her chest. The trouble is that there are so many other series coming out with magical schools, including many with only one major male character, and this does not have anything that lets it stand out above the pack. The definition of ‘meh.’ – Sean Gaffney

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 12 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – Most of this volume is dedicated to trying to take out Kongou, the arrogant blonde warship on the cover who sees herself as invincible and whose fate is therefore almost pre-determined. Again, we see the value in not only treating the mental models as real beings with values and feelings, but also trusting others—Iona wins as she trusts the humans on her crew to do things for her so that she can concentrate on this. Even the two chibis who were captured last time, whose names I still can’t really remember, are able to see this and compare it to their own side. That said, Iona does make them wear tracksuits as punishment, so it’s clear that the good guys torture too. An excellent mecha series. – Sean Gaffney

Flying Witch, Vol. 4 | By Chihiro Ishizuka | Vertical Comics – Um… cute! Fluffy! More cute! Seriously, some series I don’t have enough to say about for full reviews, but Flying Witch may be the first series that I genuinely enjoy but don’t even have enough to say for a Bookshelf Brief. Sometimes the focus is magical, as when Makoto meets up with her bike-riding senpai for a status report, or befriends a pokemon-like creature on the beach. And sometimes it’s pure high school slice-of-life, as when they all make lunch in home ec class… and forget to cook the rice. My favorite chapter may have been the apple-picking, which was filled with amusing sight gags and lots of cuteness. There is no plot and no character development, but Flying Witch remains light fun. Very light. – Sean Gaffney

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 3| By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – Everything I said about the second volume applies here. There’s quite a bit of nasty gore, including intestines being used in ways they probably shouldn’t be, much killing of animals, a whole lot of urine and feces, etc. There is also a large amount of what amounts to early 20th century Ainu recipes, as we learn the finer arts of how to kill and eat various animals in the wild. Fortunately, there is also some light relief this time around, coming from some very eccentric side characters, as well as our heroes getting drunk on sake, with all that that entails. I’m still not sure where Golden Kamuy is going with its treasure map, but as long as it has fun characters and delicious (if sometimes gross) food, I’ll keep reading. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 27 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – So for about two-thirds of the volume, I wondered if Ohtaka was really going to pretend that she had killed off Alibaba after all, as well as sent Judar! Into! Spaaaaaaaace! But not quite, as we now have the separate adventures of Judar and a sort of… Alibaba toy… fighting aliens on another planet. Which is probably for the best, as it puts them away from the war that begins in this volume. The best part of the book is the growth, painful though it is, of Aladdin, who has to come to terms with the fact that Hakuryu is likely correct. “I may be unhappy… but I don’t want YOU to decide how I live.” The fact that it’s done sympathetically makes it even worse, and Aladdin has a lot to think about. Next time: war! – Sean Gaffney

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 27 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – Despite appearances from last volume’s cliffhanger, Hakuryu actually won his duel with Alibaba, as the latter has had his soul banished to another dimension by Hakuryu’s new djinn. That’s certainly dramatic enough, but Aladdin’s victory over Judar is even more chilling—he casts a permanent spell on him that causes him to continue moving in the same direction forever, “no matter what objects he strikes or what damage he takes.” Cool! Part of me sincerely wishes both of these deeds were allowed to stick, but oh well. I can’t say I am sad to see Alibaba’s spirit and Judar reunited on an alien world. Meanwhile, war is brewing and it’s looking mighty intense. I am already looking forward to one day undertaking a marathon reread of Magi. I suspect it’ll be even more potent when consumed without interruption. – Michelle Smith

Re:Monster, Vol. 3 | By Kogitsune Kanekiru and Haruyoshi Kobayakawa| Seven Seas – I suspect that the readers of Re: Monster fall into two categories: young teenage boys who want masturbation fodder, and older boys (at least at heart) who want to laugh out loud at the pure ridiculousness of this power fantasy. Everything in this volume is the same as the last two, only MORE. Mi becomes a hot dhampir (complete with spectacles, to make her even more of a Rider ripoff), Kichi and E hook up in the most muscley romance ever, the redheaded swordsman eats monster meat and thus also starts gaining weird abilities (and oral skills), and this remains the most hilariously NOT T-for-Teen series Seven Seas has ever released. Recommended if you’re shameless or a young teenage boy. – Sean Gaffney

Say “I Love You,” Vol. 18 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Sometimes shoujo series end by simply connecting all the dots, and that’s what happens in this final volume. The hooked up couples get married or have kids (or both), Megumi finally returns to Japan and gets decent work again (and a boyfriend, possibly, though that’s going to take a lot longer than just a pat ending can deliver), and everyone is happy and content. I’ll admit it, it seemed a bit too pat for me at times, but after eighteen volumes of a whole lot of angst, I am willing to see everyone here smiling and married off. This was one of the first Dessert series to be licensed, along with My Little Monster, and we now have a flood of titles from that magazine, so it was a trailbalazer. I’ll miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 7 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – The end of day one of the Inter-High is in sight! With only two kilometers to go, Imaizumi must help propel Kinjou to the finish line, and struggles mightily to stay even with his counterpart from Hakone. But just as the two aces make their break, who should appear (in a very effective two-page spread) but super-creepy Midousuji, who has saved his energy for this moment! What ensues is a three-way battle for first place, in which you get sequential panels with dialogue like, “Haauuughh!!,” “Rarrrrgh!!,” and “Haaargh!!” All of the racing stuff is exciting, of course, but my favorite moments were Hakone’s Toudou being really complimentary to Onoda, Makishima worrying about his teammates, and Onoda’s insistence on day two that he is not going to leave a struggling Tadokoro behind. I’m sad I have to wait until April for more! – Michelle Smith

Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, Vol. 1

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By CLAMP. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Nakayoshi. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics. Translated by Devon Corwin.

I won’t lie, it can be a bit disappointing to see CLAMP return to the well of old hits. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle was a menage of most of their series with a few new characters, xxxHOLIC ended only to return as an ongoing sequel, and now we have that old standby, Cardcaptor Sakura, getting a sequel with the characters in middle school. Now admittedly writing brand new material is not a guarantee of success – Gate 7 is an excellent example of that, and is still on hiatus. As a result, I can’t blame the creators for returning to a guaranteed draw. That said, there’s not really much here that’s new or innovative – instead, it’s the same old favorites back again. Sakura’s here, her family, Tomoyo, and yes, Syaoran has returned as well, and can now go to school with his “we’re too young to be dating” girlfriend once more. Except… the cards are changed.

Sakura’s having prophetic dreams of mysterious hooded enemies, and they’ve essentially blanked all her cards. But she gets a powerup as well, so now (you knew this was coming, admit it) she will have to go around collecting cards again, though they seem to be the Cool Millennial version – they’re transparent and fancy, and the sweet, mild ‘Windy’ has now apparently become ‘Gale’, and there’s a ‘trapped in a room’ card that becomes ‘Siege’. The cards sound more mature. Tomoyo is mostly delighted, as this means she gets to film Sakura in new costumes – though she misses her catching the first card, which seemingly devastates her. (As with the first series, Tomoyo’s motivations tend to be deeper than they outwardly seem. Also as with the first series, Tomoyo is the main reason I’m reading this.) As for Eriol, he still seems to be keeping things from Sakura, no doubt “for her own good”, but sigh. Didn’t we learn this lesson before?

I mentioned the gang’s all here, but that’s not entirely accurate – while most of Sakura’s muggle friends have returned to her school, Rika has gone to a different school and will presumably not be appearing. Given that her relationship with her adult teacher, complete with a pseudo wedding ring, was easily the creepiest aspect of the original series, it’s no surprise that CLAMP decided to quietly push her out the door rather than give it more attention. (Kaho is still with Eriol, but that’s far vaguer, and in any case Eriol is one of those “I’m really decades older than I look” sorts.) Everyone else gets a “greatest hits” appearance – Sakura’s father is still kind and widower-ey, and mentions he hasn’t seen Nadeshiko’s spirit lately. Touya and Yukito are still very vaguely gay, and while Yukito seems a bit more savvy as to his true nature, it’s still Yue in the driver’s seat when that nature is needed. And Yamazaki is still making up amusing and obvious lies for Syaoran to fall for.

If you enjoyed Cardcaptor Sakura, there’s no reason not to read this – it’s cute and fun. I do hope that it at least tries to go to some new places, however.

My Week in Manga: December 18-December 24, 2017

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My News and Reviews

Well, this is it! The final My Week in Manga feature here at Experiments in Manga before my semi-retirement. The fun isn’t quite over yet, though–later this week there will be one last giveaway. For anyone who wants a head start, I’ll be asking participants to tell me a little about some of the favorite things that they’ve read in the past year. And while the list doesn’t include all of my personal favorites, I recently posted my own random musings on some of the notable releases from 2017.

Quick Takes

Children of the Whales, Volume 1Children of the Whales, Volume 1 by Abi Umeda. With such a striking cover, and interior artwork to match, I couldn’t help but be curious about the first volume of Children of the Whales. It also doesn’t hurt that the manga is the start of shoujo fantasy series, a category of work that I generally tend to appreciate. And indeed, I thoroughly enjoyed the first volume of Children of the Whales. The setting is incredibly intriguing, the majority of the story taking place on the Mud Whale, a largely self-sustaining ship-like island that has been adrift on a sea of sand for nearly a century. Most of the people on the Mud Whale can work a kind of magic based on the power of emotions. However, they are very short-lived; only the few people who aren’t magically inclined reach old age. This has an interesting impact on their civilization. Control over one’s feelings is very important culturally and the community as a whole has a disconcerting lack of knowledge about their own history and the greater world. And so when they encounter a human from outside the Mud Whale she is greeted with excitement, but her arrival is also a harbinger of greater misfortune.

Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler, Volume 1Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler, Volume 1 written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Tōru Naomura. The cover art of Kakegurui is fairly eye-catching as well. The series takes place at Hyakkaou Private Academy, a school for the wealthy elite in which the entire social structure is based on how well the students can gamble. In many cases, this translates directly to how much money they can throw around or how skilled they are at cheating the system. Yumeko Jabami is a new transfer student whose sweet demeanor makes her appear to be an easy mark. However, her classmates soon discover that her personality completely changes when presented with a risky enough proposition. That and she has the skill and luck needed take any one of them down. Despite the dramatic artwork and high stakes, I actually didn’t find Kakegurui nearly as engaging as I hoped or expected it to be. While entertaining, I didn’t feel particularly invested in the characters or their plights. The games played were interesting, with some clever twists, but as a whole the first volume didn’t seem to have much depth to it.

Pick of the Week: Week And Year

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ASH: It doesn’t seem like there are any truly quiet weeks when it comes to manga releases anymore, but the last week of year does tend to be smaller than others. Still, it’s not hard for me to find something to read. My pick for the week is the most recent volume of Land of the Lustrous, a series I appreciate for its philosophical musings and striking artwork even if its plot can be a little haphazard.

Looking back over everything published in 2017 there have been some tremendous releases; it’s been a great year for manga. The debut series that left the greatest impression on me was Nagabe’s beautiful and haunting The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún. The manga is both charming and unsettling, with Nagabe’s exceptional storytelling and atmospheric artwork making it one of the most stand out releases of the year.

MICHELLE: I absolutely agree with Ash for my pick of the year, though honorable mention goes to Chihayafuru.

For this week, I’m most looking forward to the fourth volume of The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window. This complicated, suspenseful story is BL at its best.

SEAN: The week itself does not impress me that much, so I will pick the new volume of The Full-Time Wife Escapist.

And though it seems a bit premature to make a Pick of the Year for something that only debuted in December, I’m still so blown away by The Promised Neverland that I’m going with that one. It may get too bleak for me in future, but for now I can’t look away.

KATE: I liked the first volume of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. Aside from some totally gratuitous fan service, it was snappy, funny, and heart warming in an unexpected way. The release of volume three seems like a fine excuse to get caught up with Rimuru’s adventures.

As for my pick of the year, it’s Furari, one of the late, great Jiro Taniguchi’s final works. The manga reads like a mash-up of The Times of Botchan and The Walking Man, focusing on Tadataka Ino, a real cartographer who lived in Edo. As with Walking Man, not much happens story-wise, but the book offers a vibrant portrait of eighteenth-century urban life — think Richard Scarry’s Busy Town, Busy People for grown-ups.

ANNA: Although I’m shamefully behind on the series, the most interesting thing coming out this week to me is The Full-Time Wife Escapist. I’m glad others have selected The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, it is absolutely a standout title.

When I was thinking about my pick of the year, the first thing that came to my mind was The Water Dragon’s Bride. Well executed fantasy shoujo should be celebrated! I also agree that Chihayafuru deserves a shout-out as well.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil: Deus lo Vult

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By Carlo Zen and Shinobu Shinotsuki. Released in Japan by Enterbrain. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Emily Balistrieri and Kevin Steinbach.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the first volume of Tanya the Evil on my phone is that it is long. Really very long indeed. You could fit four volumes of Kagerou Daze into one volume of Tanya the Evil. I noticed that this volume has two translators, and I wonder if the main reason for it is that each volume is so long. (I double checked – the second volume is actually longer.) The second thing that I noticed about Tanya the Evil is that it is, at heart, a military novel with a dash of magic and “reincarnated into another world” as its gimmick. If you’re reading it for the reincarnation or the magic, you may be disappointed – if you’re reading it for the military maneuvers, you’re in luck, this is absolutely the book for you. This is the story of not-Germany, its new war hero who has the appearance of a small girl but the mind of a cynical, calculating HR director, and the evil God who sets things in motion.

OK, “evil God” may be stretching the point, as it’s more petulant hissy fit God, but once again we have a book I’d ask the hardcore religious to stay away from. Our hero is a ruthless HR director who is pushed in front of a train after laying off someone with a grudge. He meets God, who is upset at the lack of faith in him these days, which our hero can’t help but snark back at him for. In response, God reincarnates him in a world that is on the brink of war, as a young orphan girl. He keeps all his memories, though, and apparently in addition to being an HR director he was a bit of a military nut. As now we have Tanya von Degurechaff, a 9-year-old child prodigy sent to the front line to battle as a mage because, well, the Empire is mostly OK with this. The problem is that Tanya is just a bit too brilliant, and also somewhat disturbing…

One of the more interesting aspects of this book is also one of its most aggravating: the narration, which is mostly first person from Tanya’s perspective with a few exceptions, alternates between “I” and “Tanya” constantly, as the HR director still tends to think of himself as being slightly separate from the little girl’s body he now inhabits. This really shows off the disconnect that should normally be there for most people who go through the standard reincarnation schtick, but it’s also very disorienting, and by the end of the volume I was wishing the author had chosen a different way to achieve this. The gimmick that works much better in the book is Tanya constantly doing things as a way to ither a) stay alive or b) get herself assigned away from combat, and having her actions misinterpreted as insane gung-ho soldiering by the generals and powers that be. It doesn’t help that her main weapon that makes her even more powerful literally runs on the power of prayer, much to her bitter chagrin.

The author says at the end of the book that those who like happy endings should stay away from this series, and indeed I’m not sure I can read this on a regular basis. For this one volume, though, it was fascinating, even with all the military jargon. Yes, we have yet another Japanese author fascinated with World War I/II Europe, and our heroes are yet again essentially Germany with the fascism toned down (you’ll likely think of Legend of Galactic Heroes as you read it). But I just liked the back and forth between Tanya and the rest of the cast, and also liked the occasional glimpses we saw of her judging humans as something other than meat shields. Well, OK, one human. Pretty much just Visha. But you have to start somewhere. The Saga of Tanya the Evil is a rich and rewarding read, provided you spend the time to plough through it, and don’t mind Tanya’s constant first/third person perspective switches.