Bookshelf Briefs

As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 12 | By Matoba | Yen Press – When you have a main couple as innocent and naive as this one, it’s going to take a lot of struggle to get them together. Indeed, even figuring out what love actually is is tough for Miss Beelzebub, much less that she’s in love with Mullin. And then, just as she’s ready to tell Mullin how she feels, he’s seized by self-hatred and doubt, thinking she’s far too high a station for him. This leads to her being depressed and avoiding him, which… repeat as needed. Thankfully, they do eventually manage to confess to each other. The series may not end with the wedding on the cover, but this is good enough. It was sickly sweet at times… but that’s why everyone read this series in the first place. – Sean Gaffney

BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 4 | By Kaori Tsurutani | Seven Seas – While the series is based around the premise of a teenage girl and an elderly woman bonding over BL, it’s become apparent that this is Urara’s book. Which makes sense—she’s the one searching for a goal. The creation of the doujinshi is very much an up-and-down process, one which we see throughout this volume. It ends at “Comitia 128,” with our unlikely friends manning their own booth. Sadly, said booth—at least so far—has no actual buyers. Honestly, I would have hoped the sheer oddity of the pairing behind the table would have been a draw, but I suppose it’s hard to look beyond the tables. I think this ends with the next book, so it’s time to binge before the finale. – Sean Gaffney

Her Royal Highness Seems to Be Angry, Vol. 1 | By Kou Yatsuhashi | TOKYOPOP – This seems to be a classic case where I’m really intrigued by the ideas this brings to the table, but the execution is not as stellar. A young woman has it all—powerful magic, her isekai’d-from-Japan boyfriend, and a kingdom who loves her—then it’s all destroyed and she’s killed. When she wakes, she’s in the body of a noble far into her future. Magic is a sad shadow of its former self, and she herself is, essentially, a villainess. Most of the book, unfortunately, then sort of slips into standard shoujo romance, but I like the idea that she doesn’t HAVE any memories of her current self, and has to fake it and deal with everyone’s hatred. I might check out the second volume. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 12 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – It amazes me how this book can still be so funny even after all this time, and I credit this to its central premise, which is that everyone in it is a complete dumbass—but never all at the same time. It’s a comedy rule; there has to be someone to react. Sometimes it’s Sakura, despairing about a relay novel that gets out of hand. Sometimes it’s everyone else in the cast watching the continuing car crash that is Seo trying to get Wakamatsu to recognize her feelings. And sometimes it’s Hori and Kashima, where his confession turns out to be, perhaps appropriately, a giant excuse for drama. These kids are all terrible at life, and are all so endearing, I don’t know what I’ll ever do without them if this ever ends. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 13 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – It’s good for you! Builds character! That’s what it feels like most of the first part of this volume feels like, as Shirayuki is off to the North, meaning she and Zen will be spending a long time apart. That said, it’s as much about their little group of five than it is about the couple, as it’s clear Shirayuki is going to miss Mitsuhide and Kiki just as much. And as for Obi… well, the love triangle that dares not state its name comes pretty close this time around. (It’s a well-known fact that a majority of the series’ fans, at least in the West, want her to hook up with Obi instead, so the plot twist is not surprising.) All this plus a long, unrelated short story to pad out the volume! Still great, though. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 5 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – A large chunk of this book focuses on Anya and her difficulties at school—not only is it an elite private school, but she’s a girl who spent her life as an orphan, experimented on and abused, and she’s lied to Loid about her age to seem older. So, needless to say, schoolwork is proving tough. Normally she can get by by using her powers (i.e. cheating), but that doesn’t work during the new moon—which matches with exams. It’s tense, but also leaves us plenty of choice hilarious bits. Elsewhere, Yor attempts to learn to cook, and we introduce a colleague of Loid’s who is obsessed with him and VERY upset she was not chosen to be his fake wife for this mission. Everyone should be reading this Eisner-nominated manga. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 11 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – One of the reasons that folks seem to be more tolerant of Takagi than they are of Nagatoro or Uzaki is that, for the most part, Nishikata enjoys hanging out with her, and while he finds the teasing frustrating, it’s not because she’s bullying him, it’s because he’s so competitive. Half the time Takagi doesn’t even need to tease him—he shoots himself in his own foot. Even when he literally ends up fanning her like a queen, it’s on him. And, once again, the fun comes from realizing they already ARE a couple, it’s just he can’t really admit that. The most interesting chapter has one of their friends briefly ponder using Nishikata as a fake boyfriend, but it doesn’t even last long enough for Takagi to ponder jealousy. – Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 15 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical Comics – The back cover blurb for this volume says, “A hard-working middle-aged gay couple in Tokyo experience new challenges both at work and at home.” Really, that about sums it up. Kenji has taken over management of the beauty salon and must figure out how to delegate some of his new responsibilities so that he’s still able to have dinners at home with Shiro. Most of Shiro’s story is about his parents, who are considering selling their house and moving into a retirement home. In between, there is some shopping for ingredients, a lot of veggies getting chopped, many burbling pots, and incalculable TBSP of soy sauce. Oh, and also everyone tries not to eat too many carbs, which is extremely relatable. I’m particularly keen for the next volume, as Shiro will be meeting Kenji’s family for the first time. Good, as per usual. – Michelle Smith

Beauty and the Feast, Vol. 1 | By Satomi U | Square Enix Manga – I was worried this would turn romantic, and it still may, but for the moment my fears are unfounded, as this is mostly sweet and devoted to food. A young widow who loved to cook for her late husband rediscovers its joys by cooking for her neighbor, a baseball-playing teen with a bottomless stomach. He’s earnest and doesn’t talk much, she’s earnest and a bit older-sister type… the manga would risk being dull except we also have his childhood friend, who’s clearly in love with him and upset that he has not realized this at all. (His lack of drive is a plot point; the coach sees it too.) The food also looks very tasty, and makes me curious about those really huge rice cookers. Sweet. – Sean Gaffney

I Think Our Son Is Gay, Vol. 1 | By Okura | Square Enix Manga – Having enjoyed That Blue Sky Feeling, I was happy to have the chance to read another work by Okura. The first volume of I Think Our Son Is Gay is an absolute delight. The story unfolds in a series of short, largely humorous vignettes told from the perspective of a loving mother who has some very good reasons to believe her oldest son is gay. Hiroki hasn’t explicitly said as much, but he’s very easy to read and becomes adorably flustered, so the fact that he likes boys becomes obvious to both his mother and younger brother. However his father, who isn’t home much, unfortunately hasn’t come to realize it yet—his unthinking expression of casual homophobia is unintentionally hurtful. I Think Our Son Is Gay doesn’t ignore this sort of tension and pain, but as a whole the work comes across as overwhelmingly supportive and accepting of the endearing Hiroki. – Ash Brown

In/Spectre, Vol. 13 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – In/Spectre tends to work best when it invests the reader in the solution to the mystery, so I can see why some people might be annoyed with the resolution of the plot from the previous volume, which is very much “I asked my ghost friends, and they said the character you’ve totally forgotten about did it.” That said, this is more of a “whodinnadunnit” and how to avoid getting framed. After that we get a one-shot whose point is “other yokai find Kuro terrifying” (the previous story touched on that as well), and then the start of a new arc, which looks fascinating as Kotoko is forced to have Rikka as her Watson rather than Kuro. So, good volume, but I want to read fourteen more. – Sean Gaffney

Our Teachers Are Dating!, Vol. 3 | By Pikachi Ohi | Seven Seas – If you think that good stories rely on conflict and discord, you probably didn’t even bother to try reading this in the first place, but it’s definitely time to get off the train now. This series is built on “aaawwwwwww,” and it’s not letting up. Hayama and Terano are still hideously in love, to the point where they can barely stand to be apart from each other—so why not move in together? There’s a skiing holiday (oh no, we are trapped in the lodge and must make love!), bathing together (as the cover demonstrates)… heck, the series even manages to make a quickie in the back of a car seem adorable. It will never be deep, but it does what its readers want very well. – Sean Gaffney

Sex Ed 120%, Vol. 1 | By Kikiki Tataki and Hotomura | Yen Press – The title and concept don’t really inspire confidence, but this turned out to be really good. Part of it is a sex ed manual of sorts—if you don’t know what a dental dam is, you will by the end of this book—but it’s also the story of a very curious teacher who wants her students to be informed and the students themselves who take in her lessons. One is into BL, one is seemingly asexual but very much loves animals (non-sexually), and the third is a lesbian trying to hide her relationship, though everyone knows by the end of the volume. It’s also an all-girls’ school, so a lot of plots I was worried about don’t apply here. I also like the other teacher, aka the Voice of Reason, a lot. Give this a try, you’ll be surprised. – Sean Gaffney

Species Domain, Vol. 9 | By Shunsuke Noro | Seven Seas – In this volume, we see the growth of Kazamori’s character in many ways, showing off her maturity and the fact that she’s now a major part of the school—it’s no surprise she joins the new Big Four. Ohki is more of a surprise, especially as he has to be added as a secret “fifth” member. He’s always been difficult to get a handle on, and Kazamori almost seems to have stopped bothering, but her disinterest in his latest inventions seems to be hitting him a lot harder than we’d expect. Meanwhile, Tanaka is still trying to get himself to appreciate Dowa’s full beard, trying to start small and work his way up. It’s dorkily awkward. I’m far behind on this series, so expect my review of volume ten a little sooner. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 6 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This is not quite the cishet version of Our Teachers Are Dating!, but it comes close, as this newlywed couple continue to run on sweet schmoopy moments and bouts of really good sex. Even discussing a friend who’s getting a divorce, Sumika ends up turning it into a romantic moment for the two of them. Here we see more of their childhood, where it’s clear the two have loved each other since elementary school, and also get more insight into Sumika’s father, who thankfully is less abusive than I feared, and more “communicates badly with his communication-challenged daughter.” There is SOME conflict here, but it’s easily resolved, and there’s less of the dumb humor we saw in Ao-chan Can’t Study. Fun. – Sean Gaffney

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, Vol. 1 | By Shio Usui | Seven Seas – It’s always worth buying a new yuri volume that features two adults, and this one does not disappoint. Hinako is trying her best to live the life that everyone and everything says she should be living, but she’s still pretty unhappy with it. She also finds herself drawn to Asahi, the cool and collected (and scary to the other workers) manager at the place she works, who turns out… to be a lot cuter than she expected. Meanwhile, Asahi’s sister finds out that she’s made friends with another woman and pushes hard for them to bond some more, as Asahi’s life revolves around work and her sister and that’s about it. This has just gotten started, but I really like both heroines and hope they make it work. – Sean Gaffney

Farming Life in Another World, Vol. 2 | By Kinosuke Naito and Yasuyuki Tsurugi | One Peace Books – I may have been a bit too generous with my brief of the first volume. I think the main issue is that the series does not allow our hero to leave the “village” that he has created—he’s considered too valuable, so others act as his envoys. Which is fine, but… the series never leaves his POV, so they just fly off, then come back. I suspect the series is popular with young men because it does not shy away from talking about how he’s having sex with over 50 women… but I wonder what they get out of it, since none of this is ever shown. You’re left with a book heavy on the food and farming but light on adventure or sex, the reason you’d think folks would be reading it. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 19 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – Again, a book of two halves, and it’s all about the front half, as we resolve the “Hayasaka quits” plotline. It’s very tense and dramatic at times, and I enjoyed seeing Hayasaka briefly fantasize about a more typical romantic comedy resolution to things before being confronted with the sordid reality: Kaguya is upset and feels betrayed. And, well, with good reason. That said, Kaguya clearly understands that Hayasaka was doing this under threat, so they’re able to resolve their past and start over as friends. It’s really nice. The rest of the book is more typical, though we’re definitely setting things up to resolve the Tsubame subplot—is she going to betray Ishigami? Probably not, but I would not expect her to win. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 27 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – This marks the start of a very long and very devastating arc, and it’s clear almost from the get-go that it’s not going to go as well as planned. It’s impressively planned too, as the heroes really do try to take everything into account… but the villains are also very, very good at being bad guys. Indeed, the end of this volume revolves around the very question of “can bad guys be redeemed?” and the answer—yes, but you’ll need to do prison time—does not appeal. So the series shows it can kill off regulars, but will it go further? Certainly Mirko facing off against the Nomus involves a painful sacrifice for her, and the students all question whether they should really be there… a question the reader might be wondering as well. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 25 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – This is down to about once a year now, but I still love it whenever it comes out, whether it’s telling more light-hearted stories, like the one here about a weak yokai hitching a ride out of a dangerous area, or more serious stuff, like the story that takes up the rest of the book, one of the longest arcs to date (and it ends on a cliffhanger), involving Natsume, Natori and Matoba teaming up to take on a nasty customer who seemingly works for an even nastier one who likes to collect yokai-related items. We get lots of (seemingly) identical ceramic cat dolls that look like Nyanko-sensei, some very scary paper dolls, and a real sense of danger on all sides. This feels like the sort of shoujo title you’d read in a horror magazine. – Sean Gaffney

Remina | By Junji Ito | VIZ Media – I’m not exactly a horror manga aficionado, but the premise of Remina intrigued me. Sadly, I ultimately found it strangely unaffecting. When a scientist discovers a new planet and names it after his daughter, she becomes a celebrity. And when said planet swiftly devours the rest of our solar system and heads for Earth, public opinion suddenly shifts as people become convinced that killing Remina the girl will compel Remina the planet to disappear. It’s a neat concept, but nothing lands with any weight. The destruction of the other planets happens so fast, for one thing, and Remina is largely passive (often “rescued” by creeps who then turn on her when she rejects their advances) and frequently expressionless. There are several panels, for example, where if not for dialogue reading “sob sob sob,” I never would’ve known she was crying. For better Ito, I recommend “The Enigma of Amigara Fault.” – Michelle Smith

Sadako at the End of the World | By Koma Natsumi | Yen Press – I’ll have to admit, I’ve never actually read Koji Suzuki’s novel Ring. Even so, I’m still very familiar with the premise of a cursed video tape and the character of Sadako who emerges to kill anyone who watches it—with so many adaptations and references to it in pop culture, Ring is a touchstone of Japanese horror. Sadako at the End of the World is a somewhat unusual but surprisingly effective take on the character and curse. The conceit is that Sadako has been brought forth by two young girls in a post-apocalyptic setting. In their innocence, they don’t recognize Sadako for the vengeful spirit that she is and are instead delighted to finally have someone else around for company. Natsumi takes a humorous approach, but at heart Sadako at the End of the World is a work of horror, even if it can at times be unexpectedly charming and endearing. – Ash Brown

We’re New at This, Vol. 5 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Now that our newly married couple have managed to have their first time, they may like it a bit TOO much—it’s strictly regimented to Friday and Saturday evenings, so that they get enough rest for their jobs. As always, there is a core underneath all the comedic fanservice, which is properly communicating with your partner, and not just assuming you know what they’re thinking. Even Sumika and Ikuma are having trouble with this… the rules have been set, but that doesn’t mean that Sumika doesn’t want her husband noticing when she’s horny and ready to go anyway. This is never going to get very deep, and you’d better be OK with sex and nudity, but it’s still a favorite of mine. – Sean Gaffney

Days on Fes, Vol. 1 | By Kanato Oka | Yen Press A manga about the joys of music festivals is something we’ve seen before, but usually it’s from the perspective of the band playing onstage. This new title is devoted to the happiness found in being a concertgoer at these festivals, told from the perspective of two high school girls—one a festival veteran, the other a newbie—and the veteran’s older brother, who runs a cafe, and his friend/employee, who is… Eeyore, frankly. Aside from the fun festival stuff, including an impromptu fashion show the girls give us, I was left wondering if this is a BL or yuri manga—the two guys, especially, given off a very couple vibe without actually being one. I’ll definitely be reading the next volume. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 43 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – I originally thought I wanted to see Haikyu!! end with Karasuno triumphing at the National Tournament. Furudate-sensei doesn’t go that route, though, and this volume in particular proves why that was absolutely the right choice. After two years in Brazil honing his skills playing beach volleyball, Hinata returns to Japan and joins a pro team (alongside some familiar faces) in the top tier of Japan’s volleyball league. This volume finds him facing off against Kageyama (and some familiar faces) for the first time since middle school, with even more familiar faces among the spectators. We needed this final arc to see how good Hinata has become, how it’s become clear even to those who once doubted him that he is a very valuable player even without Kageyama by his side. The best part, though, is the obvious respect Kageyama has for Hinata. They’ve grown in so many ways. Sniff. – Michelle Smith

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 12 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – The majority of this book is about the summer break from school, and attempts of the group to go to the beach as a fun activity. The difficulty is that Najimi ends up not going, so the rest of the cast, who rely on Najimi to be so over-the-top extroverted that they drag everyone else with them, is feeling awkwardly quiet. But once we get there we get a lot of fun in the sun. That said, we may be setting up an important plot point ahead, as in order to get rid of some unwanted guys hitting on her, Tadano says that he’s Manbagi’s boyfriend… something that afterwards she does not entirely seem to be opposed to. Are we headed for a love triangle? Still one of my favorite school comedies running right now. – Sean Gaffney

Satoko and Nada, Vol. 4 | By Yupechika | Seven Seas – The final volume of this story is mostly happy and heartwarming, though it can also be quite realistic—when their time together is up, Satoko and Nada go on to have separate lives, though the epilogue does show them meeting up again years later. Still, the impact they had on each other’s lives is astounding. As for the manga itself, it’s still showing off the differences between not only Japan and Saudi Arabia, but also both nations and America. Both women end up living strong, fulfilling lives, and you will be very happy to have watched part of it. This is one of my favorite pickups of the last few years, and at only four volumes it also would make a great gift set. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 45 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – It feels like a dam has burst, reading this volume. The back half of the book contains some of the most amazing art in the entire series, with Kyoko literally running away from everything as fast as she can only to find Ren proving that he can run faster and confront her harder. That said, the front half of the book is also excellent—this series is now 45 volumes long, and has come a long way from a girl and her rage gremlins that surround her trying to get revenge, but it’s nice to know that whenever there’s a real problem, Ren can always turn to a giant chicken for advice. That said, she’s not a man, she’s a Kyoko Boo, so I’m on tenterhooks waiting for her response. Which, erm, is not scheduled by Viz yet, alas. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 14 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media Throughout this series we’ve been wondering exactly why the human world is relying on doofuses like Braver to try to save the princess from her presumably horrible fate. OK, let’s be fair—no, we haven’t. We’ve been watching Syalis be a combination of evil gremlin, naive doofus, and teenager growing up. But it comes to mind in this new volume as her mother the Queen, running away from home after an argument with her husband, stays over for a bit with Syalis. We’ve met the Queen before, but it’s no surprise to find that she and her daughter are quite similar… or that the King is likely to be far less accommodating. Also, there’s that pesky human/demon war. Can these problems be solved? – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 12 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – Well, so much for moving in together. After the last volume saw Zen and Shirayuki finally be able to be in the same building with each other, this new one sees Shirayuki being reassigned, meaning a long time away from Zen. Yes, Snow White with the Red Hair appears to be turning into a long-distance dedication. (Can we get fantasy Casey Kasem?) Oh yes, and the Queen, who apparently is allergic to being in the castle, has decided to abdicate in favor of the eldest son, which leads to a big ol’ ceremony and also the reintroduction of characters we thought might be gone, like Kiki’s wannabe fiancee. In any event, it appears we’re definitely headed for a new arc in the next book. – Sean Gaffney

What the Font?!: A Manga Guide to Western Typeface | By Kuniichi Ashiya | Seven Seas – While there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of manga with anthropomorphic characters, I can safely say that What the Font?! is the first I’ve come across featuring fonts personified, putting a literal face to typeface. Ostensibly, the story is about Marusu, a salesperson who has been put in charge of a proposal layout despite having no formal background in design or typography. But What the Font?! isn’t really about telling a story; it’s about providing Marusu (and by proxy the readers) a crash course in Western typefaces, their history, aesthetics, and uses. Most of the volume is presented as four-panel manga accompanied by informational tidbits. The humor isn’t always particularly funny or invigorating, but some of the jokes are quite memorable as Ashiya finds ways to successfully convey the characteristics of fonts through human personalities and behavior. What the Font?! is an accessible and frequently entertaining introduction to typography. – Ash Brown

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 9 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – By the ninth volume of Dead Dead Demon, any hope that this series was a “lighter, softer” version of Inio Asano’s usual manga has long since left town—this is the bleakest, most depressing volume in the series to date, with even the Doraemon parody going into the “you will die old and alone” bin for its “comedy.” Last time I said that I could not see the current situation ending in any way but tragedy, and that’s absolutely the case, as Kadode essentially turns this series into a new volume of Death Note, to the point where it takes Oran beating her up in sheer horror to make her… well, let’s just say we know why Oran hopped universes. As for the universe they’re in now? Not optimistic. Brilliant, but ugh. – Sean Gaffney

I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway!, Vol. 1 | By Sou Inaida and Atakai | TOKYOPOP – Another villainess otome that can best be described as “Bakarina only taking itself seriously,” this volume does not really make any major mistakes but also suffers from not really doing much to stand out. The heroine is trying to avoid her death flags, but doing it in perfectly sensible ways, and the fact that the boys fall for her anyway baffles her. Again, I like the message, which is that being good rewards you with good things happening to you, but I keep waiting for the deconstruction or the zany antics. If you really love otome game villainess stories, read this, but if you want a serious Bakarina, read Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter instead. – Sean Gaffney

I’m in Love with the Villainess, Vol. 1 (manga) | By Inori and Aonoshimo | Seven Seas – This early digital version is out a good four months before the print release, but I’ll still take it, as I adore this series. This being the first volume, and thus concerned with setting the table, it’s filled with light and goofy comedy, as Rae is very, very concerned with getting Claire to make angry faces at her, which are the poses she loves to see. There is a bit of foreshadowing of future events here, which the manga should be getting into soon, but for the most part, this is breezy fun, and I especially love how Rae explains that Claire’s bullying is much better than the garden variety sort—she does it herself, she makes sure there’s no permanent damage, etc. Rae sees the beauty of Claire, and soon we will too. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 28 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – As the series begins to come to a close, it’s definitely getting around to wrapping up the main problems that the final arc has left our cast with. Maki learns that sometimes your actual memories can be papered over by other things, such as grudges and hatred, and you have to remove those to see what’s underneath. Toko learns not only that when it comes to madcap, zany schemes she has nothing on this school’s students, but also that she can’t win against her older brother… who also cares about her far more than she imagined. And then there’s Mafuyu, who manages to be cool and awesome in about five different ways even when in her Natsuo persona. Not as popular as Nozaki-kun, but I will miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Rainbow and Black, Vol. 1 | By Eri Takenashi | Seven Seas – I have a soft spot for weird, peculiar manga, so the bizarre creature on the the cover of Rainbow and Black immediately piqued my interest in the series. What sold me on the first volume, however, was the lead character punching out a man within the first few pages. (Unfortunately, this does lead to her losing her waitressing job, but the ill-behaved customer absolutely deserved what he got after groping her.) Shirahoshi Kuroe is a college student who likes things to be very clear-cut; life, of course, has a tendency to be anything but. And so when circumstances lead to Kuro taking in an abandoned “happy mouse”—an animal that defies being neatly categorized—she finds herself having to start thinking about things a little differently. In part, Rainbow and Black is a cute story about (incredibly strange) pet ownership, but it’s also about Kuro’s charming growth as a person. -Ash Brown

A School Frozen in Time, Vol. 1 | By Naoshi Arakawa and Mizuki Tsujimura | Kodansha Comics – On an especially snowy day, eight students of an elite prep school find they are the only people to have shown up to class. Not only that, once they’re inside the building, they can’t leave. Soon, all watches and clocks stop at the exact time that a suicide occurred two months ago during the school festival, resulting in the death of a classmate that none of them can remember. And what’s more, that classmate’s spirit might actually be among them right now! I enjoyed this first volume a good bit. The creepy vibe is well done, and though I at first found the characterization a bit shallow, it improves as it goes along. It seems we might focus on one kid at a time as they finally remember who it was who died and are then eliminated from the scenario in bloody yet ambiguous fashion. Okay, I’m hooked. – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 45 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media –I have been reading Skip Beat! for thirteen years now. THIRTEEN. And for the majority of that time, I’ve been anticipating something that finally, finally, finally happens at the end of this volume. The build-up is suitably epic, as Kyoko begins the volume believing Ren is in a sordid relationship with a porn star, but after he explains the embarrassing truth to her (in Bo costume), she’s back to believing it’s manipulative Morizumi that he loves. Still, she wants Ren to be happy more than anything, and right now the girl he loves thinks he’s a creep, so Bo convinces him to confess his real feelings. Cue Ren spotting Kyoko in the lobby, a two-page sprint scene, a dramatic elevator entry, and Ren finally clearing away all the Morizumi mess until Kyoko believes him: it’s been her all along. Sniff. Can’t wait for volume 46! – Michelle Smith

Black Clover, Vol. 24 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – New arc, new villains, new desperate fighting, new nameless characters being killed to give our named leads resolve and fury, and the same old fighting. I’ve said before that, in ripping off every shonen series around it, Black Clover is not really doing a bad job. That said, it’s also not standing out—by definition, this is gonna be pretty generic. Asta shouts and beats up bad guys, Noelle snarks at him, Charmy is back to being superdeformed and eating far too much, etc. You can easily see why this is now the third-longest-running series in Shonen Jump. But you can also see why it’s roundly mocked, and is never going to be at a point where it amazes the readers with its clever surprises. – Sean Gaffney

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 9 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – I forgot to brief the last volume of this, which means it’s been almost a year and a half. This “caught up with Japan” series, however, is always worth a deep read, and this time around, after some amusing but goofy stuff involving succubuses, we get to the core of the volume, which is Laios and Kabru’s contrasting viewpoints. Laios’ desire to have a community in the dungeon where everyone can live in peace and harmony… and also eat animals, which theoretically would be happier dying like this than with their current circumstance, contrasts with Kabru still seeing Laios as a dangerously unhinged madman who won’t stop going on about eating the things that kill everyone in the dungeon. Must read, still. – Sean Gaffney

Fiancee of the Wizard, Vol. 2 | By Syuri Nakamura and Masaki Kazuka | Yen Press -This volume moved a lot faster than I was expecting. It also leaves the titular fiancee on the sidelines for most of the book—there’s a battle to defeat the demon lord, but given she doesn’t have much magic or fighting skill, she’s not involved. The wizard IS involved, and we get quite a few scenes from the POV of his party, featuring a hero who I will politely call “naive” and two more savvy characters, including a princess who Filimena assumes is exactly the sort of person he will immediately fall for. She’s wrong, and as always Edy’s inability to not be an awkward jerk masks his true feelings. This ends with a wedding, but there are apparently more volumes. – Sean Gaffney

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 6 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – The series ends with the seventh volume, which is good, because this is the one where I started to get a bit annoyed with the characters—Dr. Tendo is usually very good at understanding Nanase, but he’s very bad at communicating his own wants, needs, and desires. The sister of the woman he was unable to save is now in the hospital, reminding him that he really does want to do this research—but he also loves Nanase, and does not want to be separated from her. If he managed to communicate this properly to Nanase… well, OK, the series would likely then be six volumes instead of seven. Miscommunication is the lifeblood of most shoujo and josei romance titles, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating. – Sean Gaffney

Magus of the Library, Vol. 4 | By Mitsu Izumi | Kodansha Comics – Word of warning for this volume: you will meet about 25 new cast members, complete with character bios. Fortunately, I don’t think we will have to remember them all at once. In any case, most of this volume is a standard “first days at school” sort of story, complete with the stern teacher, our hero stressing out about which path he will be taking, and a reunion with the person who was the biggest influence on his life. Now comes the question of where the story will be going as there’s a bit of an implication that the mentor is going to be kicking down a few pillars of society. Oh yes, and there is also the gorgeous art, which is still probably the main reason to read this series. – Sean Gaffney

Our Teachers Are Dating!, Vol. 2 | By Pikachi Ohi | Seven Seas – We continue to read the Pixie Stix of yuri manga, and it certainly delivers, being so sweet you may want to read Inio Asano afterwards for balance. There are a few “new couple” problems here, mostly as they haven’t really opened up to each other yet because they’re still in the first bloom of love. Most of this volume revolves around the school festival, so we get to see them compete in a three-legged race, walk around buying things from their students, dress in each other’s work outfits (and, later in an omake, in each other’s old high school uniforms). They are also still very physically attracted to each other—sex is plentiful here. Still a must-read for those who like sweet yuri manga but without the high schoolers. – Sean Gaffney

Penguin Gentlemen | By Kishi Ueno | Yen Press – Sometimes something magical can happen when a manga creator throws seemingly random and disparate interests together in a work. In the case of Penguin Gentleman, that oddly compelling combination consists of good-looking clothes, good-looking men, and good-looking… penguins?? At its heart, Penguin Gentleman is an informational and educational manga about these aquatic, flightless birds. Ueno’s enthusiasm for them is catching; I felt like I had to share all of the interesting things I was learning with others. However, it’s the manga’s ridiculous conceit that makes it so entertaining. For whatever reason (a reason actually is given, but it’s not at all important), the main characters of Penguin Gentleman are penguins who have taken on human form. And dress in tuxedos, of course. And work together at a bar, because why not? There’s not really much of a story, just the humor resulting from translating penguin behaviour into a human setting. – Ash Brown

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 12 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – There’s a celebratory parade at the start of this volume… one which Sariphi is not participating in, despite the feelings of the king. Now, to be fair, this allows her to have an adorable adventure with a platypus who is trying to grow stronger (and also see the King), but it does not change the central problem, which is that even though Sariphi has managed to win over most of the court by now, the relationship between beastmen and humans is still fractured almost beyond repair. So she decides to act as an envoy to bring a peace offering… with results that are amusing but also a little alarming. We’re clearly coming close to the endgame here, and I like that this volume has Sariphi taking control. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 11 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – At long last, Zen and Shiroyuki are taking that important step—they’re moving in together… well, OK, not quite. Zen is having Shiroyuki moved into his section of the palace, with the rest of his aides such as Mitsuhide and Kiki, who are still… kind of teased? You get the sense the author knows folks really want them to be a couple, but also doesn’t really want to go there given their regular interaction is so much fun. Speaking of Kiki, she also gets to pose as Zen’s supposed bridal candidate, mostly to get the rumors off his back, because he is NOT ready to go full public with his herbalist just yet. That said, the cliffhanger promises a sea change in this story. Still must-read shoujo manga. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 4 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics – Thank goodness the author realizes that they could not have a young, horny married couple who are constantly turned on by each other be virgins for TOO long. Yes, at last, our leads have consummated, oddly as a result of the normally steady Sumika forgetting tickets to a concert they were going to. This is framed with a flashback showing her stern, unforgiving father yelling at her, and contrasting this with the far more easygoing Ikuma forgiving her. This is really good, as it gives good character background, explaining a lot of why Sumika is the way she is, and also allows for a good reason that they finally can move past embarrassment or overexcitement and show how much they love each other. Oh yes, and still funny. – Sean Gaffney

BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 3 | By Kaori Tsurutani | Seven Seas – This third volume might even be stronger than the first two. Urara wants to invite Ichinoi to the winter Comiket, but after realizing just how hellishly long the line and walk would be in that season she bails on it… and indeed drops contact for a while, which makes her feel terrible. Then, when studying for college is taking too much toll on her, she reconnects, but this only reminds her that even after growing up and living your best life, you too will eventually have to sort it all into things to keep and things to throw away. The narrative doesn’t hammer this into the reader, it’s subtle and lovely. Something to cherish. – Sean Gaffney

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 9 | By Ukami |Yen Press – There’s no major new characters introduced here or any plotlines that are not “excuses for character-based humor,” but that’s fine, because character-based humor is what Gabriel Dropout does best. That said, there are also a few heartwarming moments here as well, particularly in the festival arc, as everyone gets separated. Gabriel is, as always, weak to physical exertion, but will still come through in a pinch. Raphael finally meets someone she can’t seem to tease in the form of Mei, and almost forms a motherly bond with her. And as for Satania and Tapris… well, no, that’s not heartwarming, but it is hilarious. This series probably has nowhere new to go, but I don’t seem to mind at all. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 26 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Most of this book is taken up with Endeavor showing our three male leads the ropes, which actually goes pretty well, and also having his daughter invite everyone over to their place for dinner, which goes a lot less well. Even if you leave out the fact that Natsuo ends up getting kidnapped by a villain with what might be the oddest quirk we’ve seen to date, the dinner itself is even more awkward than you might have imagined, and hammers home to Endeavor how much he can’t make up for the abusive father he’d been most of their lives. He needs a distraction, and we’re about to get one—Izuku’s ominous narration implies that a horrific event is coming soon. Still must-read shonen manga. – Sean Gaffney

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 5 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – This remains one of the best titles currently being released for fans of sweet romance, and I urge everyone to try to get past the “he likes to smell her sweat” premise. We get to meet the parents here—hers, at least—and discover that Asako seems to get her heavy sweating from her dad, who also seems to have her perpetually worried disposition. Fortunately, Kotaro is able to make a good impression. Then we get more of them trying to move to a place of their own, which comes with a lot of good advice for young couples trying to do this, as well as “how to look over a potential home for possible huge flaws.” And, well, the manga is still more than a little horny too, but also in a nice way. Highly recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Tono Monogatari | By Shigeru Mizuki | Drawn & Quarterly – In 1910, folklorist Kunio Yanagita published Tono Monogatari, a collection of legends from Japan’s Tono region as conveyed to him by a local storyteller, Kizen Sasaki. Nearly a hundred years later, many of the stories found in this pivotal work were adapted as short manga by Shigeru Mizuki. A folklorist in his own right, there couldn’t have been a more perfect match between creator and subject matter—Mizuki’s love for these supernatural tales and their place of origin is readily apparent from his pages. Similarly, another scholar of Japanese folklore, Zack Davisson, has now translated Mizuki’s Tono Monogatari into English, writing additional supplementary material and essays to accompany it. The volume is a treasure. Mizuki’s beautifully detailed landscapes establish Tono as the real place that it is even while the stories themselves focus on the uncanny. Reaching through time, the chilling tales are often short fragments, but effective in their brevity. – Ash Brown

Chihayafuru, Vol. 24 | By Yuki Suetsugu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Hooray, I’m finally caught up again on Chihayafuru! This volume finds Chihaya and friends lending their support to Harada-sensei as he vies for the Master’s spot. It’s satisfying seeing Harada-sensei begin to make use of the intel Chihaya provided about the current Master’s weakness, but absolutely the best part of this volume is spending more time with reigning Queen Shinobu, learning how lonely she is, and seeing once again how much she really needs someone like Chihaya in her life. I deeply hope that after this we’re able to see the two of them communicating more and supporting each other. I also really appreciate that despite being this intimidatingly good rival, Shinobu is also written with such warmth and sympathy. I want to see her happy. – Michelle Smith

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 18 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The front half of this volume is filled with silliness and setting up future plotlines down the road, mostly in terms of Ishigami finally asking Tsubame on a date, but this volume is dwarfed by its back half, as we get one of the most serious chapters yet showing us Hayasaka’s day… which involves reporting on everything Kaguya does to her family… and her telling Kaguya that she’s quitting. Needless to say, Kaguya takes this as maturely and responsibly as you might guess, and the two of them head off to the class trip basically looking like a couple who just broke up. This is clearly going to spill over into the next book, and I expect it will be more serious. That said, there’s still tons of laughs here. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 11 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – Manbagi takes a backseat here, and you get the sense that the author is mostly thinking of adding her to the cast herd—and boy, there sure are a lot of characters now, aren’t there? The best parts of this volume are developing the burgeoning… whatever between Komi and Tadano, who clearly are over the moon for each other but too reticent to do anything about it. Here we have a trip where their families run into each other, and a stargazing trip that heavy rain turns into snuggling up in a cabin to keep warm. The author of this series knows that its readers eat this like catnip, but is also aware that they can’t go to that well every single time. That’s why the cast keeps expanding all the time. – Sean Gaffney

Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu, Vol. 1 | By Mito | Seven Seas – If there’s one combination of genres that I can’t seem to resist, it’s that of BL and food manga. And so I very happily picked up the debut of Manly Appetites and was delighted by its sweet silliness. While food is a legitimately important part of the manga’s story, so far the series doesn’t focus much on the food itself—there are no recipes given and hardly anything that could count as a cooking sequence is shown. Instead, the manga revolves around a single gag: Minegishi loves giving his office coworker Otsu food to eat, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he might be crushing on Otsu, too. Granted, Otsu doesn’t seem to be picking up on it either, much to the dismay of another colleague and friend. Manly Appetites is a cute and fluffy manga with lots of blushing, ridiculous humor, and charm; I’m looking forward to reading more. – Ash Brown

Takane & Hana, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – There is still a very big issue with the age difference between Takane and Hana and the fact that she’s still in school, and as the series comes towards its conclusion, we know that eventually we’re going to have to see the consequences of it. That doesn’t happen here, but we come close, as Hiromi, struggling to understand a father who’s nothing like his idol, and having their secret exposed to that same father, promptly runs away from home. If nothing else, what follows shows how well Hana is maturing, handling the Hiromi situation like a pro (cell phone batteries aside), and also handling Takane quite handily too. They’ve both become experts on each other. That said, pretty sure everything goes public and falls apart next volume. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 21 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – Fights, fights, and more fights. Punching the clothes off the women in the cast multiple times because that’s how we roll with Akamatsu. That said, the Love Hina days seem long ago as he really is here for the battles and not much else. We get some backstory for two more of the UQ Holder team, which is good to see but unfortunately all I keep thinking of is how much one of them looks like Nagi from Negima, which reminds us how bad the author is at drawing different people. There are some surprising villains here, as the mind-controlled puppet side brings over a few very powerful guests. Fortunately, Yukihime shows up at the end to kick ass. I suspect that will take up most of volume 22. For Akamatsu fans only. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 2 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Thankfully, while it still comes up once or twice, the second volume of this romantic comedy does not continue to be “will they ever have sex,” but instead focuses on the quirks and faults of the main couple, who are both adorable—and also very into each other. Honestly, I could watch Sumika doing anything and be entertained—her character type is right up my street. Ikuma is harder, but the author makes a bit more effort here, with an amusing chapter on trying to hide a binge of camping equipment expenditure from his non-outdoorsy wife, or seeing her in her native school nurse environment. (She does not like students clustering around him.) This is cute, funny, and still sometimes sexy. – Sean Gaffney

All Sean, all the time.

The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 13 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – The series is still striking a good balance between, on the one hand, the world of magic and the supernatural, which is by its nature secretive, distrusting and filled with nasty murder and betrayals, as we see with Lucy’s backstory. And on the other hand we have Chise, who is not quite on the levels of a Tohru, but still tends to be kind to others and have them want to be kind right back to her. She also has connections the school does not know about, as when Lucy finds out that Chise and her brother Seth are far better connected than she expects. Elias is still there, but the “Bride” part of the story has faded into the background in this arc, and honestly I enjoy it better now. – Sean Gaffney

A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 11 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamaji | Seven Seas – It’s become fairly clear that, while Index is a giant magic vs. fantasy battle novel with harem elements, and Railgun prides itself on its action and strong women, Accelerator’s spinoff is dedicated to the darkness, to try to see how horrifying we can get Academy City. As we see here, and indeed in previous volumes, there seems to be no bottom to the nefarious experiments on Academy students that are performed in the name of Science. And while Accelerator may still be calling himself a villain, he’s also making sure that other “experiments” that are suffering get rescued. Well, hopefully—the arc isn’t over yet, and a happy ending is not guaranteed. – Sean Gaffney

The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess, Vol. 1 | By Toka Akiharu | Yen Press – This falls into the ‘great idea, execution not so much’ bin. The premise is lights out—not only is our heroine the villainess, and doomed to be murdered… but it’s her own junior high story! What’s worse, she was at an age when “dark” was sexy, so the heroine is always threatened with rape, which she has to stop so as not to get killed. Unfortunately, the manga itself falls prey to Hakusensha Syndrome, which is when the art in a book is so busy and the textual asides so thick that it gets very messy. It was sort of nostalgic, as it reminded me of the old CMX/Tokyopop days, but this could have used a bit more room to breathe. – Sean Gaffney

Mama Akuma, Vol. 1 | By Kuzushiro | Yen Press – This was pretty much exactly what I wanted it to be when I first heard about the premise. A demon who takes pride in always filling every request is summoned… by a fourth-grader who wants him to be her mama. This is hard. He takes on the form of her late mother… no, not that. She wants him to fill the role of a mother, mostly as her dad is rarely home and her older brother is, well, a teenager. The reason it’s heartwarming to read is that, by dealing with her, the demon is gradually starting to realize that all the time he fulfilled those wishes of death and destruction, it was NOT what his clients really wanted. Now he can learn about humanity. And also bond with her family. Definitely reading more of this. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 16 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – Perhaps making up for the last volume, there are TWO scenes of lesbian sex in this volume, though Kuroko is not in either of them. She’s busy wrapping up the circus case, where the perpetrator is not all that much of a surprise, but there’s also a second antagonist who gets a bit more to do, and allows us to very briefly see behind Hinako’s mask… if it is a mask. We also get a funny chapter about chestnuts, which if nothing else tells you what ‘kernel’ in Japanese is a euphemism for. The series is still filled with blood, gore and nastiness, but I feel as it’s gone on Kuroko has become less evil and a lot more goofy. Which honestly I’m pretty OK with. Recommended for those who like violent lesbians. – Sean Gaffney

A Sign of Affection, Vol. 3 | By Suu Morishita | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – There’s a minimum of drama or angst in this series, but I don’t care, because it does sweet and adorable so well. The relationship between Yuki and Itsuomi finally becomes official in this volume… and yes, then he immediately leaves the country for a month or two, because that’s what he does. But she’s content to wait and send him sign language videos, and he is telling her what it’s like in Cambodia and the like. The lettering in this volume is also fantastic, occasionally reversing and getting bigger and smaller to show that Yuki is not quite able to make out with lip reading what others are saying. This is getting print soon, and quite right. It’s become one of my favorite shoujo series. – Sean Gaffney

Whisper Me a Love Song, Vol. 1 | By Eku Takeshima | Kodansha Comics – Well, this was cute as a button. Now that it’s no longer the only sort of yuri there is, I do like to dip into the occasional high school girls romance. Here we have Himari, who is cute, excitable, and prone to misstating things and Yori, whom she meets substituting for a band’s singer, who is seemingly more reserved. Himari immediately confesses to Yori, who is blown away and falls hard for Himari. There’s just one problem… Himari meant she loved Yori’s singing. Now Yori’s determined to make Himari realize Yori likes her romantically, but… that seems a high road to climb. This is pretty adorable, and doesn’t get as annoying as series like this can. Plus I love one of the bandmates, who has sleepy eyes, a weakness of mine. – Sean Gaffney

Goodbye, My Rose Garden, Vol. 3 | By Dr. Pepperco | Seven Seas – Last time I said that this series never quite tipped over into melodrama, but let’s face it, that’s what happens here. I mean, it’s good melodrama, and you really feel the tortured emotions of these girls who just want to be able to love each other. If I’m honest, the fact that this series has a happy ending feels a bit unrealistic given everything that’s been stacked against them since the start, but that’s OK, because it fits the work emotionally, and no one wants to see this end with someone visiting another’s grave. If you enjoyed Emma but wish it had more lesbians, Goodbye, My Rose Garden should be right up your street, and I always enjoy seeing Japanese authors write Victoriana. – Sean Gaffney

New Game!, Vol. 10 | By Shotaro Tokuno | Seven Seas – Kou is back and in charge, and the most interesting part of this volume was her decision to make Aoba the main character designer for the new game, even though she’s not the most talented artist in the room. Sometimes you just want a style. Elsewhere, Kou and Rin’s relationship continues to be “Rin is as blatantly gay as possible, Kou does not get it, but it’s getting more and more blatant by the volume,” and I figure a dam has to break at some point. As for the others, Nene is promoted to full-time employee after, of all things, an airsoft battle, and we see some of the aftermath of the previous game the team released, including some BL doujinshi popping up. This is cute, and nothing else, but it is very cute. – Sean Gaffney

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 7 | By Tomoko Yamashita | SuBLime (digital only) – I don’t think there’s any currently running series that leaves me quite as desperate for the next volume as Tomoko Yamashita’s thoroughly excellent The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window. In this volume, we have Mikado learning to value the safe places he has had in his life while shying away from behind Rihito’s safe place, various people trying to dig up information about the professor, Erika’s mother finally growing a backbone and urging her daughter to run away while she can, and many not-so-subtle hints about the professor’s true identity. There’s a lot of plot, there’s a lot of emotion, and there are a lot of striking visuals. I love it so much and am bummed that it recently ended in Japan. At least there’s a forthcoming anime adaptation to look forward to! – Michelle Smith

Practice Makes Perfect, Vol. 4 | By Ui Hanamiya | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – There’s a bit less sex in this final volume, mostly because it is a final volume, and we have to wrap up all the plot threads that are not “let’s treat sex like practicing for a sport.” I was pleased to see that the manga made all the right choices. There’s a brief “I’m jealous the girl I love spends her days surrounded by hot guys,” but it doesn’t last and the hot guys are all rooting for him. I will admit I *hate* very public proposals, but if I can get over that, it was sweet. Best of all, Nohara is forced to choose between getting married or her career… and she chooses the career, going to Italy for two years and enduring a long-distance relationship. They even both get Olympic golds! Though not in sex. I hope this sees print; it was great. – Sean Gaffney

Pretty Boy Detective Club, Vol. 1: The Dark Star That Shines for You Alone | By NISIOSIN and Kinako | Vertical – As someone who can appreciate both pretty boys and mystery novels, I was intrigued by Pretty Boy Detective Club. Actually, I am still intrigued by the premise and think it would probably make a fun anime. As a light novel, though, I really wasn’t a fan. This first book in the series is told from the perspective of Mayumi Dojima, self-proclaimed “extreme contrarian,” who enlists the aid of a group of eccentric middle-school detectives in finding the elusive star she saw ten years ago. Mayumi’s narrative voice is not particularly enjoyable to begin with, but also because we’re following her, we see absolutely nothing about how the boys investigate her case and almost nothing about the boys themselves, except superficial things and one recurring joke about how one of them is in love with a first grader. I truly did want to like this but ultimately it merits only a “meh.” – Michelle Smith

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 10 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – New arc starts here, with more than one snake possessing people and wanting out. Unfortunately, one of those snakes is in Kyutaro, and does in fact get out at one point, which leads to a scene that manages to be both scary and sexy, because he attacks Fumi late at night when they are both, not to put too fine a point on it, rather horny. Honestly, this is one of those series that’s worth reading for the art alone—it’s simply terrific here, especially when we get to see how badass Fumi can be, wielding both a sword and a headbutt with equal perfection. It looks as if we’re going to have snake vs. snake battling next time, which hopefully will not lead to clan vs. clan. I always enjoy when a new volume is out. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 11 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – The kidnapping arc finally wraps up, with a lot of action and also a lot of heartfelt debate about what it means to be a good leader, including a glorious scene where Sariphi plays Fenrir like a fiddle, telling him “his majesty would come to where I am” knowing that it will get him to do it as well. After a very bloody battle, which takes up most of the middle of the book, His Majesty is so worn down he actually gets ill enough to turn human… a dangerous thing given that he’s in his chambers. Fortunately, he has his queen by his side. Also fortunately, there’s another wonderful battle scene, mock this time, between Lanteveldt and Jormungand. This remains a highly underrated shoujo series. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 10 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I always seem to fall behind with this series—as I review volume ten, volume eleven is due out—but reading it always reminds me how much I enjoy it. For one thing, we finally get Kiki’s backstory, and I enjoyed it—it’s not tragic, and she’s on relatively good terms with her father. The issue is that she’s being told to get married and return home, and she’s not ready to do either yet. The manga seems to be shipping her and Mitsuhide hard, but I dunno. As for our title character, she’s as happy as can be right now, which is perhaps ominous given this series is 21 volumes and counting, but it’s nice to see. Unless you’re an Obi shipper. Of whom there are a whoooooole lot. This is still wonderful. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 1 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This comes from the creator of Ao-chan Can’t Study, so the fact that it’s all about sex is not particularly surprising. More accurately, it’s all about our newly married couple NOT having sex—they’re childhood friends, and do love each other, but are both rather embarrassed about the idea, and both easily can “not be in the mood” if things aren’t perfect. The volume—and likely the series—involves them trying to get the other one into the mood. Best part of the manga is the wife, Sumika, who is the ‘deadpan stoic’ sort, which makes it funnier that she’s a rather horny newlywed. The husband, Ikuma, is alas more of a standard nerdy drip. Still, there’s enough fun here for me to read more. – Sean Gaffney

Black Clover, Vol. 23 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Given we came to the end of a very long arc last time, it makes sense that there’s a lot of goofy comedy before we start the next arc (which has a timeskip!). Fortunately, Black Clover is pretty good at being dumb and goofy in a shonen way—I’ve said before that it’s ripping off every single shonen series in the world, but it’s not doing it badly. Therefore we get a lot of silly love confessions, and priestesses who wear spiral “nerd” glasses like Mousse from Ranma 1/2. Oh yes, and Asta is not executed—for now. They still think he’s totally evil, though. Hopefully fighting a devil may help to change that opinion. This has become one of the longest-running Jump series now, and it’s easy to see why it’s still going. – Sean Gaffney

Days of Love at Seagull Villa, Vol. 1 | By Kodama Naoko | Seven Seas – Another yuri series from this author, this book starts with one of our heroines fleeing to the countryside after her boyfriend gets her best friend pregnant. She’s there to teach (and boy, her class could use some lessons in “don’t slutshame and don’t bully”), but she’s also staying with a young woman who’s raising a kid alone after her whole family was killed. The two are seeming opposites, but turn out to possibly have much in common. The yuri so far here is just a drunken kiss, but I’m sure there will be more to it. That said, the series seems content to introduce its cast and then start to simmer things to a slow boil. That’s good too. I want to learn more about this village. – Sean Gaffney

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Everyday Misadventures!, Vol. 1 | By FUNA and Yuki Moritaka | Seven Seas – I was expecting this to be a 4-koma sort of volume, but it isn’t. Instead it’s just goofy comedy chapters without the ongoing plot that we get in the normal series. So you get things like Reina trying to learn to cook, and Mavis getting hit on by women again, etc. The usual stereotypes apply—Pauline has large breasts, Mile is… well, Mile, Reina is hot-headed, etc. There’s also a flashback to Adele’s experiences at school, where it turns out that all the school’s “Seven Mysteries” are just her being stupidly overpowered. No one should get this who’s not a fan of the original, but those who are should be quite pleased. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 14 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Most of this volume is trying to rescue everyone from the evil village “god” and his even more evil minion, who is unfortunately more overpowered than most of our team. On the cool side, most of the rest of the group gets un-petrified after recovering their bodies from the ocean floor, thanks to the power of Taiju being really strong and really dumb. On the less-cool side, Kohaku and Ginro are now petrified, though frankly that’s a good thing in Ginro’s case, as he was bleeding to death. This is probably the biggest villain that Senku and company have had to face before, so it makes sense that he’s finally taking a very dark step (as he himself says) and bringing guns into this world. Great fun. – Sean Gaffney

Eniale & Dewiela, Vol. 1 | By Kamome Shirahama | Yen Press – I was told when I saw who the author of this series was that I should not expect it to be much like Witch Hat Atelier, and that’s an understatement if anything. Oh, the art is still amazingly gorgeous, but the content is very much designed for those who enjoy the dynamic of, say, Gabriel Dropout. An angel and a demon are best friends despite sniping at each other the entire volume. Eniale is a bit of a featherhead. Dewiela has a bit of a temper. Together, they get involved in Very Wacky Situations. How much you enjoy this will depend on how wacky you find the situations. I found it fun, but I think I would enjoy it better in a magazine chapter by chapter than in volume form. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 13 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – This series about four couples—heavily overbalanced towards two of them—finally comes to a close by going back to its leads, as Riko’s mom is moving due to her job and… is NOT asking Riko to come with her. Yes, the final volume involves everyone trying to self-sacrifice the most, with lots of tears and angry words. Of course we know that Riko really needs to be with her mom, even if they may not have the best relationship, which of course means that she and Kai are now far from each other. Fortunately, it’s the final volume, so this can be resolved with a flash forward to college. This was a solid series, but I’ll remember it for Takaya and Ayumi more than anyone else—in fact, possibly just Ayumi. – Sean Gaffney

I Love You So Much, I Hate You | By Yuni | Yen Press – Ayako Asano and Saori Fujimura are both accomplished, successful career women working closely with each other at their company. But outside of the office they’re even closer—they’ve actually started sleeping with one another. Two women becoming romantically involved isn’t so much of an issue, but the fact that Ayako is both married to a man and is Saori’s boss poses some significant problems. I Love You So Much, I Hate You is a mature manga dealing with some mature themes. Initially, there are definite imbalances in Ayako and Saori’s relationship, each woman approaching it from a different starting point and hoping to get different things out of it. However, over the course of the volume their needs and desires begin to align. But it’s not easy for either of them for a variety of reasons; granted, a relationship that starts out as an affair is bound to be complicated. – Ash Brown

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 5 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – Nanase and Dr. Tendo are a couple now, so, inevitably, we must introduce the rivals. This volume gives us the first one, a rich young man with a medical condition who cynically says that people only care about him because of his money. He runs into Nanase, who is, well, herself, and falls head over heels in love with her. I was impressed how the author took this old-standard josei manga trope and simply… had the leads act like adults. There are a few misunderstandings and small fights, but there’s no huge blowup or breakup, mostly as Dr. Tendo is very familiar with who Nanase is. That said, Nanase still has self-image issues, and the cliffhanger implies a stronger rival on the way. Maki Enjoji is always good. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 17 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – While we’re still dealing with the consequences of Miyuki and Kaguya dating, the series really has gotten very good at the tiny little jokes. Including possibly the DARKEST ‘in between chapters’ gag I’ve ever seen, where Iino talks about how she enjoys pain as it makes her “feel safe.” As for Chika, I think she has realized that the author increasingly doesn’t know what to do with her. She probably does not have a big character-building arc like the other four, so she’s essentially the goofy one that annoys people, something she is catching on to. Though the funniest chapter in this book features Karen invading the main title from her spin-off manga—still sadly not licensed—and almost getting everyone arrested. – Sean Gaffney

Practice Makes Perfect, Vol. 3 | By Ui Hanamiya | Kodansha Comics (digitial only) – This volume has our lead couple finally going all the way, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems. For one, the first time HURTS, and even successive attempts are nine parts pain to one part pleasure for Nohara (who, amusingly, is still trying to handle this in a “sports” way, as is Yano). There’s also the fact that Yano thinks that Nohara is going to break if he tries to be anything but super super gentle, which… also is not helping, though it leads to the volume’s best joke. Fortunately, the next volume is the last. Unfortunately, it appears that we’re going to get a “hey, the girl I love spends her days surrounded by hot guys!” chapter. Still, this Rated-R manga is still a lot more fun than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1 | By Tatsuki Fujimoto | Viz Media – It’s a little hard to live up to the hype that this title has gotten on social media, and I admit this first volume did not wow me as much as I’d expect. It seems to run on gonzo and gore, and (from what I’ve heard) gets better as it goes along. That leaves us with this volume, where a young man trying to pay off his father’s debt gets nearly brutally murdered, only to fuse with a chainsaw dog, making him the titular character. He’s taken in by an agency whose head seems so deeply, deeply suspicious I’ll be very surprised if she turns out not to be evil. It’s OK, though, because it means he might one day squeeze her chest! I might have liked this better in a different year, but I will give it another shot with volume two. – Sean Gaffney

The Invincible Reincarnated Ponkotsu, Vol. 1 | By Reona Umitsuki | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This may be one of the dumbest manga I’ve read since the halcyon days of Sasameke. That said, it’s not trying to be anything else—ponkotsu means “airhead,” but apparently not the same way a tennen is. Our protagonists get reincarnated into heroes. Sanae has absolute brute strength, but only when used by accident. Shota has supposed high defense, but he keeps ending up near death anyway. And Kana can heal Shota (because she has a crush on him)… but only with her boobs. It’s deliberately over-the-top and silly, and sometimes I did crack a smile, but mostly I just sighed, especially towards the end when it briefly tried to be serious. For hardcore ponkotsus only. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 10 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – I was running behind when I reviewed volume nine, so I got to read volume ten straight away. And it’s a big sea change—there’s a new year and new classes, and most of Komi’s friends are not in her new class. Fortunately, Tadano is, so she’s not completely alone. (Also fortunately, this means Yamai is now elsewhere, though we see her once or twice.) In their place we get Rumiko Manbagi, who is a hardcore gyaru with tons and tons of makeup, who is also suffering from her friends now being in another class. The makeup doesn’t last, but she and Komi bond more than any other friend Komi’s had except for Tadano. Speaking of Tadano, Manbaki is acting awfully tsundere with him. A great addition to the Komi cast. – Sean Gaffney

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams | By Naoki Urasawa | Viz Media – I primarily picked up Mujirushi for two reasons: (1) Urasawa is one of those creators whose manga I will always try and (2) the volume is part of the “Louvre Collection,” a series of comics commissioned by the Louvre highlighting the museum and its art. Considering these two things, as well as the somewhat ominous cover image, I really was not expecting Mujirushi to be as much of a comedy as it is. (I also wasn’t expecting masks reminiscent of President Trump’s face to come into play multiple times.) In addition to the Louvre, Mujirushi is also inspired by Fujio Akatsuka’s Osomatsu-kun. In particular, Iyami, a character from that franchise, is pivotal to Urasawa’s story. The real star of the show for me, though, is the whip-smart Kasumi on the cover. Mujirushi is an entertainingly absurd caper, featuring an art heist which is certainly not to be taken too seriously. – Ash Brown

Practice Makes Perfect, Vol. 2 | By Ui Hanamiya | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – There’s a sweet romance going on here, as our two protagonists realize that they’re not really content with this just being practice after all, and I enjoyed the big press conference at the end of the book after they’re found out, where both admit—on air—to being virgins. I read this title more for the hilarious aspects of treating sex as another Olympic sport like volleyball or judo. The two shouting at each other about training harder is great, but I think the top moment of the title was when (pardon me, it is a mature manga) Takaya tries to get advice on how to use his fingers to pleasure Nohara, and whines “they’re going to cramp up!” Still better than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie, Vol. 1 | By Keigo Maki | Kodansha Comics – This did not really go in the direction I expected. Shikimori is indeed cute, and does show off that side of her to her boyfriend. Sadly, he has bad luck and is pretty weak, so essentially needs saving constantly, which inevitably makes her more cool than cute. Of course, he loves that too, but Shikimori is a fragile young woman, and would much rather be cute. There’s no real ‘are we going to break up’ dangers here, and indeed they start the book already together. The reason to read this is Shikimori’s embarrassed blushes and cool poses, which is exactly the same reason that her boyfriend loves her. It’s not the best romantic comedy in the world, but it’s pretty damn cute. I mean cool. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 3 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – There is so much wonderful comedy in this series. Yuri’s huge sister complex, Anya and the dodgeball game (complete with Bazooka Bill!), and everything about the “extra chapter,” where Yor gets shot in the ass during an assassination and has to endure the pain with a massive frown on her face. But there’s also a lot of heartwarming family stuff here as well—Yor doubting her skills as a wife, Anya getting upset whenever Lloyd and Yor aren’t getting along, even that same extra chapter, which is very funny but also has Anya tell an enemy agent to hang it up and go keep his girlfriend happy instead. It’s that balance that makes this one of the breakout hits of the last two years. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 20 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – There’s a lot going on here—flashbacks (or is it flashforwards?), training arcs, lots of big old battles, and, for once, surprisingly minimal perverse antics. (Akamatsu is in shonen fight mode rather than harem nudity mode.) The general question we see in this book… and really the entire series… is “is being immortal a good thing?” Especially if it comes at the expense of a great deal of the solar system. Touta continues to show off how much he’s not like Negi—unfortunately, that makes him far more normal, and there’s less to distinguish him from other idiot heroes. I still enjoy reading UQ Holder, but, as with all of Akamatsu’s series, it feels like it should have ended a while earlier and is coasting a bit. – Sean Gaffney

Cutie and the Beast, Vol. 1 | By Yuhi Azumi| Seven Seas – This looked cute, and gave off a very My Love Story!! vibe, but I was wary of the fact that one of the leads is in his late twenties and the other is a senior in high school. That said, unlike a lot of other romance titles from Japan that adore this sort of couple, the manga makes their age difference the main conflict. He’s a famous pro wrestler, and getting involved with a girl her age, even if she is eighteen, would be career-killing. On the other hand… these two have fallen hard for each other almost at first sight, and can’t stop texting, calling, meeting up, etc. Now, how this will play out I’m not sure. Pretty sure they’ll get together, but I bet his career does take a big hit. Nice to see the manga address it, though. – Sean Gaffney

How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 1 | By Tamifull | Viz Media – “Opposites attract” is a common enough trope, but it is utilized to great effect and with notable complexity in How Do We Relationship?. The manga follows two young women in college as they begin dating each other—the somewhat shy and innocent Miwa and the much more boisterous and experienced Saeko. Navigating a new relationship is rarely easy and a romance between two women has additional sets of challenges, as Saeko in particular is very aware. While Miwa and Saeko’s deepening feelings are obviously core to the story, their relationships with friends and classmates play critical roles as well. One of the things that impressed me the most about the first volume of How Do We Relationship? was just how believable and realistic all of these different relationships were. The characterization of the leads is wonderfully nuanced, too. I’m really looking forward to reading more of the series. – Ash Brown

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 9 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – Most of this Komi volume revolves around Valentine’s Day, which as always presents the author with a conundrum: how do I make them give chocolates and be the cutest couple ever without actually making them a couple or having them confess? Rest assured, though, fans of Komi and Tadano will find endless scenes to love here. My favorite may be Tadano’s sister trying to get him to admit his feelings, then being rather annoyed when he actually comes close to doing so. Fortunately, as the title suggests, Komi is not very good at communicating, so things stay the same for now. Still, I suspect we need something to shake things up. Perhaps a new love interest could magically arrive soon? – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 25 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Shigaraki’s backstory is as terrifying and traumatic as you might imagine—let’s just say the hands he wears aren’t just for show. So it’s back to our heroes, who are practicing how to do hero interviews (Midoriya’s goes as badly as you’d expect) and also preparing for the next round of internships. Oh yes, and celebrating Christmas, which is adorable and also has Eri Santa. As for internships, Nighteye is dead and his agency is too busy to take him in, and Best Jeanist is missing, so Bakugou’s in limbo as well. Todoroki suggests an obvious idea: all three of them could intern with the best dad ever. All of this is clearly setting up a huge battle in the upcoming books, but it’s fun to see. – Sean Gaffney

Ossan Idol!, Vol. 1 | By Ichika Kino and Mochiko Mochida | TOKYOPOP – Adapted from a light novel, Ossan Idol! is the story of Miroku Osaki, a virginal, pure of heart, and unemployed 36-year-old who has spent the last decade as a shut-in. He’s always been overweight, but once he discovers a love of dance, he starts training at a gym with Yoichi Kisaragi, who was once overweight himself. Soon, Miroku is buff, handsome, and charming and the karaoke video he accidentally uploads to the internet becomes a viral sensation. The volume concludes with a famous producer declaring he’ll turn Miroku into an idol, and not just him but Yoichi (41) and dancer pal Shiju (40), too. All in all, this is a pleasing bit of fluff that I don’t have a lot to say about either positively or negatively. I will probably check out volume two, at least, to see where the story goes. – Michelle Smith

Sadako at the End of the World | By Koma Natsumi and Koji Suzuki | Yen Press – The premise of this one-volume manga—What if the girl from The Ring ended up in a post-apocalyptic world?—made me wonder if it would be horror or melancholic like Girls’ Last Tour. It’s pretty much both. Sadako, particularly once the artist gives her a tablet to communicate with, is not as scary here, and the girls she’s with are an innocent delight. But as they meet the few remaining people in this world along the way, there’s a definite sense she’s also going back and doing what she does best to each of them. The ending tries for sort of a fourth-wall-breaking thing but I think it was simply there as the author wasn’t sure how to end it after the cast was gone. A good read overall, though. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 13 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media After reading my brief of the last volume, I feel a need to eat my words. The combination of this new volume and the currently running anime have made me realize: yes, there is real character development here. Syalis at the start of the series was a gag character who would murder at the drop of a hat. Here, while she’s still extremely flaky, she’s doing her best to unite humans and demons, even if this means completing all the Demon Lord’s paperwork—in ONE DAY. Even better, when the Cleric waffles on about his feelings for her and the reason he ran away from the castle, Syalis points out something: who she likes is her own decision. Our Sleepy Princess is all grown up! – Sean Gaffney

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 4 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – There’s a chapter of sex here, in case you were looking for that, but for the most part this series would rather deal with the sweet tensions of a young couple in love trying to negotiate how to do that and still be attentive to the other partner’s needs. Their couple-ness is now generally known to the office, though we have not quite told the parents yet—I suspect that will be next book. More importantly, they are talking about moving in together, something that requires charts and sticky notes, because these two are organized and also adorable. And they are also still very much desiring each other as well—the sex here is hot. One of the best romance mangas to come out in 2020. – Sean Gaffney

What the Font?! – A Manga Guide to Western Typeface | By Kuniichi Ashiya| Seven Seas – This is pretty much exactly what you’d expect. A young woman is told to layout a presentation, but has never done this before. While studying Western fonts, she falls asleep… and meets personifications of many of them, both Serif and Sans. Each font has a personality, they talk about themselves and their history, and then we move on. If you’re expecting Hetalia antics, look elsewhere—there’s no plot to speak of, and the fonts are not the most riveting characters. If you do want to learn about the differences between Western typefaces, though, this is a good enough guide for you, though I suspect it works even better in Japanese. – Sean Gaffney

Whisper Me a Love Song, Vol. 1 | By Eku Takeshima | Kodansha Comics – The cover of this volume is quite striking, and it led me to believe that this would be somehow different from your standard “high school girls in love” story. Unfortunately, it really isn’t. Yori Asanagi is a talented singer who fills in with the light music club band for a performance at the entrance ceremony Himari Kino is attending. Himari promptly informs Yori she’s fallen for her at first sight and Yori believes she means it romantically (instead of merely as a fan), and instantly falls in love herself. Characterizations here are shallow, particularly for Yori’s would-be bandmates, and there’s just not much going on that’s especially interesting. The one exception is that Himari’s enthusiastic appreciation for Yori’s singing is seemingly helping her to overcome some confidence issues. I’ll give this one more volume, I think, to see how it develops. – Michelle Smith

You Are My Princess | By Hiroto Kujirada | Futekiya (digital only) – Itsumi Tachibana is a scary-looking guy who secretly loves kitties. He’s surprised when the princely student council president, Seima Takajo, confesses romantic feelings for him, and suspects he’s being made fun of. After spending more time with Takajo, however, and realizing he’s the only one Takajo allows himself to be unguarded around, Itsumi’s feelings change. Plot-wise, You Are My Princess isn’t terribly unique. The guys get together, they have sex in the final chapter, the end. What makes it special, though, is Kujirada-sensei’s clean and expressive artwork, the nonverbal storytelling, and the little moments in which Takajo drops the facade and reveals real vulnerability. And also kitties. In the end, I enjoyed this cute story and look forward to more by this creator! – Michelle Smith

A Bride’s Story, Vol. 12 | By Kaoru Mori | Yen Press – Being at a yearly schedule for this series is bad, but it could be worse: Yotsuba&! seems to come out every 3-4 years. The best part of this volume sees Mr. Smith and Talas meeting up with Anis and Sherine, a married couple that, as before, remains defined by the lack of husband in their lives. He’s there, to be sure, but this may as well be a yuri couple for all the emotional beats. Also, learning how to write everyone’s name is very awesome and cathartic. Elsewhere, Karluk is reminded that everyone has different skill sets, and Pariya has to deal with unexpectedly being on her own. The “plot” of the series barely exists, and I’m not sure it will last till Karluk comes of age. But it’s peaceful and the art is gorgeous. – Sean Gaffney

Cherry Magic!: Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!, Vol. 1 | By Yuu Toyota | Square Enix – With a title and conceit like Cherry Magic!, I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting much from the series, so I was delighted to encounter a surprisingly charming and lighthearted first volume. After turning thirty without experiencing so much as a first kiss, Adachi finds that he can now read people’s minds when he physically touches them. The ability can occasionally be helpful, but in general he tries to avoid using it. Things take an awkward turn when he bumps into his coworker Kurosawa, inadvertently learning he’s been hiding a crush on him. Kurosawa is a popular and nice enough guy, but Adachi, being romantically inexperienced, isn’t quite sure what he should do with his newfound knowledge—especially considering that Kurosawa hasn’t actually mentioned anything about liking him yet. Cherry Magic! is a silly but sweet romantic comedy; I had fun reading it and would happily read more. -Ash Brown

Farming Life in Another World, Vol. 1 | By Kinosuke Naito and Yasuyuki Tsurugi | One Peace Books – If you liked everything about In Another World with My Smartphone but wish that the magical smartphone had been replaced with a magical farming tool, have I got a series for you. Most of the plot beats are even the same, although Hiraki manages to get it on with most of his wives a good 20 or so volumes before Touya. Despite that last sentence, those who are buying this for the “snu snu” will not be happy—it’s far more interested in the farming, as well as his accumulation of wolves, spiders, and brides. I’m honestly not unhappy that we only got the manga version of this—I suspect it would be tedious in prose. As it is, it’s perfectly good slow-life isekai with a farming bent. – Sean Gaffney

Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 11 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – This is the penultimate volume of the original series, though I understand there are several spinoffs. That said, there’s nothing here indicating that we’re headed for a big finish or climax. Which makes sense—this is not really that kind of series. It does show us how Umaru and Ebina met, which is as cutesy as it sounds. Indeed, cutesy is the watchword for every single chapter. Even the sibling relationship friction, which was what drove many of the early volumes, seems to have been dialed way back as they’re mostly getting along now. It’s a good sign that the series should be wrapping up, really, and so it is. That said, if you love Umaru-chan, this should make you happy. – Sean Gaffney

Revolutionary Girl Utena: After the Revolution | By Chihi Saito | Viz Media – I am, to put it mildly, not a fan of the original Utena manga. So I was initially incredibly uninterested in this 20-years-later single-volume afterword. That said, it does not seem to even take place in the same universe—it feels like Saito was told to make this an anime sequel more than a manga sequel. Good news, this means Juri is gay again. Not surprisingly, I found the Juri/Shiori/Ruka story the most interesting, though I still hate Ruka more than the creators want me to. Elsewhere, Touga and Saionji turn into Scooby Doo investigators, and Miki and Kaoru are still really into incestual subtext. I still prefer Artistic Veggie Platters as an Utena continuation, but this is OK. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 10 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – The “future” chapter showing Nishikata and Takagi married and having a daughter was wildly popular with readers. We don’t get another in the series here—by this point there was a spinoff all its own to take care of that—but we do see an older Chi in middle school, trying to be what her mother was with the guy she likes and failing miserably. It’s pretty adorable. As for the actual cast, they pet dogs, go fishing, eat candy, and make everyone think they are the most sickeningly sweet couple you’ll ever meet without actually being a couple. There’s no “plot advancing” chapters here, but there’s lots of cuteness, and Takagi is the most likeable of the “teasing” girls we see a lot of these days. – Sean Gaffney

That Blue Summer, Vol. 8 | By Atsuko Namba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Rio’s days in the tranquil village of Ueko are coming to an end. She has ended things with Ginzo because it was too hard, knowing they could never be together long-term, and tries to put on a brave face about going back home to Tokyo. But once she gets there and tries to move on, it’s clear she’s just going through the motions. I really liked that I wasn’t sure that the main couple would actually end up together, and also that the romance between a couple of side characters wasn’t just filler but a way to put things into perspective for Rio. What I liked most, though, is why Ginzo loves Rio—she’s the one who encouraged him to embrace his passion for graphic design, who created opportunities for him that boosted his confidence. This has been one of my favorites of the Kodansha digital-only shoujo offerings! – Michelle Smith

Yoshi no Zuikara: The Frog in the Well Does Not Know the Ocean, Vol. 1 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – Despite my good intentions, I have yet to read Barakamon. And so I must ask… is this what Barakamon is like?! ‘Cos it’s good as hell! Naruhiko Tohno is a struggling manga artist who still lives in the remote village in which he was born and raised. He’s been writing fantasy manga for ten years and isn’t exactly gung-ho when his editor suggests he try writing rural slice-of-life instead, but it ends up selling far more than his previous series. I definitely enjoyed the segments about Tohno and his life growing up, particularly the obvious links between his middle-school friends and classmates and the characters in his manga, but I’m a little sad that we don’t spend more time with the characters in his manga, because they were totally charming, too. Guess I gotta go read everything in English by Yoshino-sensei now! – Michelle Smith

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 15 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – I mentioned as I was reading this that it’s astonishing that Watanabe has not turned his hand to horror manga, given everything about Midousuji in this volume, which is simply mind-numbingly creepy. That said, wow, he’s a good cyclist, and he likely will help to goad Naruko into becoming more well-rounded. Elsewhere, we learn how difficult it is to find new members who are as good as the old ones—the previous year was unusual, after all—and also not to abandon a potential member just because you judge them at first to be not worth your time. I hope to see more of our new huge son. It did feel weird that this volume did not have a major race in it, but I’m sure that’s coming soon. – Sean Gaffney