Assassination Classroom, Vol. 11 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – This is a volume I’d been expecting for some time, and it’s a story that needed to be told. When you take a group of bullied, persecuted students, given them amazing skills and actual teaching and care, and then watch them succeed beyond their wildest dreams, you’re going to have something like this happen. Our heroes are getting too self-satisfied and too cocky. And so, naturally, they make a mistake, which is bad enough, and then try to weasel out of it, which is much worse. Koro-sensei’s punishment was much needed, and of course it also reassures us that they’re still good kids at heart. For a manga about a yellow blob in a classroom where everyone’s trying to kill the teacher, this is still top-drawer stuff. – Sean Gaffney
Black Clover, Vol. 2 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – This seems to be another one of those titles that I enjoy almost despite itself. It really is astounding how many other popular titles you can see it trying to emulate. I mentioned Fairy Tail last time, but there’s a lot of Naruto here as well, as well as The Seven Deadly Sins. But the big obvious one this time is Magi, which again fulfills the rule of being a title from another company that is now being given a Jump spin. Oh yes, and one of the bad guys, Lotus, reads like Shunsui from Bleach as well. But the kids are nice and likeable, the fights are fairly interesting, and there were one or two times I laughed. Black Clover is anti-original, but it’s not actively bad, and those who enjoy “a Jump manga” will enjoy it. – Sean Gaffney
Haikyu!!, Vol. 2 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – As you’d expect, most of this volume deals with the first competition our heroes have, even if it’s just a practice match. This allows Hinata to deal with the hideous nerves he has due to finally being able to achieve his dream and worrying that he’ll screw it up. Kageyama’s response to this mid-game, by the way, is probably the funniest moment of the book. We also meet the stars of the other team, and a new player for Hinata’s team, whose amusing secret ends up being both a cliffhanger and a punchline. For the most part, though, this volume is about breaking down the volleyball game and why Kageyama and Hinata, when they’re finally in sync, are so dangerous together. It’s good shonen sports fun. – Sean Gaffney
Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 11 | By Kaoru Tada | Published by DMP – It’s here, it’s here! A new installment of Itazura Na Kiss is so very welcome, it almost supersedes any irritation over Kotoko’s perpetual incompetence. As the volume begins, she and Naoki have been separated for a year while he interns at a hospital in Kobe. While her continued mistakes can be frustrating, they often lead to sweet scenes in which Naoki is remarkably patient and reassuring, so that’s a plus. I also really liked the scene in which he challenges her to assist him in an emergency surgery and, for the first time, they end up saving someone’s life together. Too, they also helped some other characters get together; Naoki advising Yuuki, who’s so like him and yet also his own person, about acknowledging his feelings for Konomi was another highlight. I don’t know how long it’ll be ’til the twelfth and final installment, but my enthusiasm has been rekindled. – Michelle Smith
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 19 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I’ve talked before about the author’s constant need to undercut any awesome moment Alibaba has the potential to have with either abject defeat or an amusing gag. That happens here as well, but it seems to be part of a larger aspect of Magi: anyone, no matter how confident or powerful, is capable of failing miserably in the right circumstances. OK, maybe not Sinbad, but he’s not here right now, is he? (Nor is Morgiana, and I really want to see her soon.) But our heroes and villains fight on anyway, being driven by those who inspire them out of strength (Koha and Koen) or determination (Marga and Titus). That said, this is still a volume that’s mostly just fighting, which again means all I can say to sum it up is: huh, cool. – Sean Gaffney
My Hero Academia, Vol. 5 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Yeah, I was not about to see Uraraka win as I’d hoped, but she put on an impressive showing against Bakugo, even if the audience didn’t quite seem to notice and thought he was bullying her. (He noticed, trust me.) More surprising, though, was seeing Midoriya losing in the semis, as the stage was clearly set for him to battle Bakugo in the finals. But there’s a more important lesson to be delivered here, about expectations and parents and doing what you want to do with all you’ve got, and Todoroki needed to learn it—though he had trouble applying it to the final, much to Bakugo’s frustration. In any case, we have the tournament arc out of the way early, so I suspect we’ll see a few more villains next time. – Sean Gaffney
One Piece, Vol. 79 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – Well, it’s not quite the end of the Dressrosa arc, but it’s close! Although Luffy’s “Gear Four” has dealt Doflamingo a blow, it’s not a state he can sustain, and he needs ten minutes before he can use it again. In the meantime, gladiators, citizens, and even the sympathetic Navy admiral Fujitora rally together to try to buy time by delaying the approach of Doflamingo’s razor-sharp birdcage. It’s pretty suspenseful, and we also get welcome flashbacks as to where Sabo’s been all this time, but my favorite part is how Luffy defeating Doflamingo (for, of course, he eventually does) earns him many new enemies, especially those who had yet to receive the shady products they had already paid for. The world is widening once again, but first, the Straw Hats must get off the island before the Navy nabs them. Stay tuned! – Michelle Smith
Say “I Love You,” Vol. 15 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – I was surprised when the last few volumes focused more on the secondary cast than our hero and heroine (who had finally gotten together), but that’s nothing compared to my surprise at the end of this volume, where everyone graduates from high school and yet the manga does not end. This is so unexpected that the author feels the need to address it in her notes, stating this was what she planned on. I’m not quite sure I buy that, but it will hopefully lead to more interesting places. Much of the volume is spent reminding us how far Mei has come since the start, and she seems to have grown up beautifully. Can her relationship be sustained after “happily ever after,” though? – Sean Gaffney
Say I Love You., Vol. 15 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – All things considered, this is a pretty melancholy volume. The first few chapters focus on Ren, who finally confesses his feelings to Mei and then tries to convince himself that being rejected didn’t hurt. Kai and Megumi say some awful things to each other, though they eventually patch things up. And the gang graduates from high school, “splitting up to find new versions of ourselves,” with much wistfulness and a farewell tour for high school memories. The manga is continuing, which I think is good news, but I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to look like, or which characters we’re going to keep following. Have we seen the last of the Aoi siblings, for example? I guess I’ll have to wait until October to find out. – Michelle Smith
