Bookshelf Briefs

This week, Anna & Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media & Kodansha Comics.

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 13 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – Dawn of the Arcana comes to an end with this thirteenth volume, and though I could still argue that some plot elements are a bit rushed, that seems a conscious decision to allow more room for characters’ emotional responses to events, and so I must ultimately approve. Case in point: after Loki’s surprise usurpation of Senan, ample time is devoted to Nakaba’s overwhelming sorrow and grief, and it’s very well done. Then, a single panel references her off-camera remarriage to Caesar and years seemingly pass. And then we bring it back ’round to Loki and his backstory for an affecting conclusion. In fact, it seems that Nakaba’s relationship with her former attendant, and their love for each other despite all that transpired, is actually more important than her romance with Caesar here at the end, and I kind of love that. I really enjoyed this series, and hope we see more from Rei Toma in the future! – Michelle Smith

Honey Blood, Vol. 1 | By Miko Mitsuki | Viz Media – When a series of attacks in her neighborhood is rumored to be the work of a vampire, Hinata Sorazono is dubious. That is, until her new next-door neighbor, Junya Tokinaga (author of vampire romance novels), piques her interest. Could he be a vampire? In a flash, they are in love and angsting about whether to seal their relationship with a kiss that will bind them in a contract wherein Junya can only feed on Hinata’s blood and will therefore finally be able to die when she passes away. While there’s nothing outright objectionable about Honey Blood, I found it difficult to connect with the story. It felt like the author was going for some epic romance, but the characters are so flat that it just wound up generic. Interestingly, in the bonus material Mitsuki-sensei admits that the series was not popular when serialized, so it concludes in the next volume. – Michelle Smith

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 16 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – Nanami continues to dwell within Tomoe’s past, trying to make contact with the fallen kami responsible for the curse affecting Tomoe in the present. In reality, there’s not a great deal of plot here—Akura-Oh, Tomoe’s erstwhile companion in mayhem, has decided to kidnap Yukiji on the way to her wedding. Nanami, trying to protect the woman Tomoe loved, takes her place, and then ends up rescued by Tomoe, who wants her to stay by his side. I am pretty sure we’re going to a “Nanami was the one he loved all along” place, but I don’t even mind if my prediction comes true because it’s worth it just to see a lovestruck Tomoe say the words, “I’ve been desperately in love with you.” Even if it doesn’t translate to the present, just seeing these two be open about their feelings is truly gratifying. – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 2 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – You might think that a super sweet love story involving pure-hearted characters being nice to each other and never getting bent out of shape would be boring, but that is not the least bit true about My Love Story!!. Nothing can get Takeo and Yamato down, be it her friends initially making fun of them until Takeo proves his coolness by saving them from a burning building, or the Judo tournament that takes up Takeo’s free time, or birthday plans gone awry when Takeo decides that he has to be at his best friend’s side during a difficult time. I basically smiled throughout the volume like an utter goofball. Two particular things I love are the depiction of Takeo and Sunakawa’s friendship and the subtle way Takeo’s good deeds are overlooked because of his appearance, while Sunakawa gets credit instead merely for being handsome. See, it’s cute and it has depth! – Michelle Smith

Say I Love You, Vol. 3 by Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Hazuki continues to develop the growing relationship between Mei and Yamato while fitting in plenty of time for her supporting cast. Aiko continues to struggle with seeing Yamato acting so developed to Mei. She’s unhappy about her own relationships and the rumors that are spreading about her. Yamato acknowledges her feelings but lets her know that a relationship with him isn’t ever going to be a possibility. Mei and Aiko also talk, and Mei’s usual forthright manner. There’s a cute chapter showing what happens the first time Yamato takes Mei to his house after school, where Mei meets Yamato’s very jealous and slightly maladjusted younger sister. There are the inevitable struggles with Valeintine’s day too, but at this point I’m so invested in the characters I don’t even mind the standard shoujo plot devices. Looking forward to the next volume! – Anna N

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 4 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – I’m enjoying being able to experience this series all over again in a new edition and new translation. Here Maron is shocked when she learns about the true motivations of her angelic sidekick Finn, and she even manages to take a trip into the past to visit her past self, Joan of Arc. Maron’s resilience in the face of overwhelming odds is endearing and while she might be full of courage when it comes to fighting the Dark Lord, she still needs to get her personal life together and actually admit to Chiaki how she feels about him. The balance between a cosmic struggle between good and evil and the pain of high school romance has seldom been done better than this series. Even though this is an early work by Tanemura, her signature style is well in place. Highly recommended. – Anna N

This week, Sean, Anna, MJ, & Michelle look at recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, & Kodansha Comics.

Accel World, Vol. 1 | By Reki Kawahara, HIMA, and Hiroyuki Aigamo | Yen Press – When I reviewed the Sword Art Online manga, I was fortunate that I had not read the initial light novel first, so I was able to enjoy it for what it was, then read the novel and see additional depth. With Accel World the novel came out first, an the manga can’t help but suffer next to it. Not that there’s anything particularly bad about this adaptation; I dislike Haruyuki’s character design, but that’s on the original author and designer. It gives visuals to a static light novel. But nothing is really added to make this essential, so if you’re a fan of the Accel World light novels, I’d recommend just sticking to them. This is OK, but it doesn’t grab you and say “read me too!”. – Sean Gaffney

Food Wars, Vol. 2 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – I felt a bit ambivalent about this series after reading the first volume, because I enjoy manga about food battles a bunch, but I’m just less of a fan of random nakedness and upskirt shots. The second volume of this series shows Soma, the brash hero and champion of neighborhood Japanese cooking move into a rundown dorm with a ragtag band of roommates, challenge a top student to a Donburi cook-off, and continue to make people’s cooking fall off with the power of his cooking. Soma is set up for additional challenges in upcoming volumes. I found myself still on the fence about this title, because while I do enjoy the cooking bits, I also find myself really distracted and wondering how these culinary students will function in the real world if their knowledge of basic food safety is so lacking that they think cooking beef in a bikini is a good idea. – Anna N

Goong, Vol. 16 | By Park SoHee | Yen Press – There are few slow releases I look forward to with as much verve as Goong, and this volume reminds me very much why. Relentlessly (and unapologetically) soapy as this series may be, it still manages to be refreshing in its own way, time after time. Volume sixteen seems particularly so, as its characters aggressively push through the layers of misunderstanding that have served as the backbone of the series’ plot for… well, pretty much forever, in order to finally get at some real truth. Even cowardly Yul gets in on some of this truth-seeking, setting up the story’s teen royals to eventually (hopefully) blow apart their family’s messed up legacy for good. As always, I’m grateful for this series’ omnibus-sized chunks of soapy goodness, and I eagerly wait for more. – MJ

My Little Monster, Vol. 4 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – A good 80% of all shoujo manga licensed for the North American market is about kids in high school, but for the most part it’s rare that I see a cast who are hampered by immaturity, puberty, and a desperate need for life experience as the cast of My Little Monster. I’d said in the first volume that I felt Haru was too dangerous, and that feeling hasn’t gone away, as his jealousy is starting to lead to subtle death threats. Shizuku’s inability to communicate properly is shown to be a family trait, and Natsume just has massive trust issues as well as a big crush that may or may not be love. This is the sort of cast that makes a long-running series not repeat itself, even if they can frustrate. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 4 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – I’ve praised My Little Monster before for its characterization, but I really do think it can’t be mentioned enough. Even though the previous volume featured the school festival and this one covers Christmas and New Year’s—overused shoujo tropes all—because the characters are well developed, it feels fresh and interesting. Shizuku has confessed again to Haru, but his inability to accept her refusal to give up studying (and cram classes with a guy who likes her) manifests in some potentially disturbing ways. Shizuku is largely ignorant of these for the most part, but I wonder if we’ll be moving into darker territory soon. I also really enjoyed the supporting characters in this volume, particularly Yamaken (the guy who likes Shizuku despite himself) and Natsume (who’s struggling with romantic feelings of her own). This was probably the best volume of the series yet! – Michelle Smith

Soul Eater, Vol. 22 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – This volume consists of a big old melee fight, so I don’t quite have enough to say about it to warrant a full review. Not that this isn’t excellent; the villains may be mooks, but they’re infinite mooks, so eventually our heroes will wear down and die. Stein is allowing his madness to drive him to a certain extent, which makes him formidable but also dangerous and worrying. But most of all, there’s Maka confronting Crona, and Crona’s admitting that after killing Medusa, there’s no turning back. Maka still plans to beat the tar out of Crona, but I think this volume tells us there will not be any easy redemption here, and that we may see more sacrifices soon. Dark yet endlessly fascinating. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Michelle, & Anna look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Kodansha Comics, & Viz Media.

Alice in the Country of Clover: Knight’s Knowledge, Vol. 2 | By QuinRose and Sai Asai | Seven Seas – I will say this for the creators they rarely take the easy way out and have Alice come to terms with everything and accept that she is loved. She’s a tough nut to crack for a reason – she’s a mess of repressed traumas and griefs, and her low self-image will not let her accept what the others are offering. On the down side, as a long-running manga series where each volume is “who will she end up with and how”, this can be frustrating for the reader, as they really would like Alice to get past her self-esteem issues and choose a man. And of course, in this particular series Ace only loves Alice when she *is* screwed up. This makes for fun times, mostly. – Sean Gaffney

Arata: The Legend, Vol. 19 | By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – Why has it taken me this long to figure out that Kadowaki and Arata are rather like Yui and Miaki from Fushigi Yuugi, in that they are former friends with a history of betrayal who are now foes in a fantasy land? In any case, this volume features the battle against Isora, a sho who fights with runes, basically. After Arata cannot answer whether he considers Kadowaki to be his friend or his enemy, Kadowaki himself suddenly shows up to rescue Arata, who later returns the favor, and it’s all kind of great. Kadowaki is able to understand Isora’s villainous motivations, but Arata seems to realize he really needs to tell Kadowaki that he doesn’t hate him, despite all the torment he suffered at his hands. I’m a sucker for a good redemption story, so found this to be quite a good and satisfying volume. – Michelle Smith

D-Frag!, Vol. 2 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – This manga is dedicated to wringing maximum humor from every single character it can. Kazama may be the straight man, but even he’s not above a gag or two, even if it’s just about his being a tsukkomi. As for Takao, her tsundere tendencies are surpassed only by her ability to be physically, mentally and emotionally abused by the rest of the cast. The big surprise here may be Sakura, one of the more forgettable girls in Volume 1; here we see her happy, smiling nature never goes away, even when it should; her takedown of Kazama’s willingness to coast and a brutal and shocking swerve in an otherwise silly and goofball series. But make no mistake about it; darker moments or no, D-Frag! is still all about the humor. – Sean Gaffney

Girls Und Panzer, Vol. 2 | By Girls Und Panzer Project and Ryohichi Saitaniya | Seven Seas – I have to assume that the audience for this series is going to be drawn to the “cute girls at school doing stuff” premise, rather than the tank battles. It’s still meant to be moe. That said, hope you like tank battles; this manga is devoting as much time as possible to the battlefield and seeing our heroes under fire. Akiyama, the star of the manga series and hyperactive tank fan, is given a command of her own as the new tank hasn’t had time to get a crew yet. She does a commendable job, as her otaku tank knowledge allows her to stay calm in battle. And, of course, everyone learns a valuable lesson about friendship. This manga remains light-hearted and fun, and lovingly filled with tanks. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol 16 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I am really enjoying this storyline, where human turned shrine goddess Nanami has to go back in time to save her fox spirit Tomoe from a terrible curse. The Tomoe she encounters in the past is violent and selfish, but even in his unenlightened state, he finds himself drawn to the human girl despite his better judgement. This volume focuses on the way Nanami’s life becomes further entwined with Yukiji, the human who previously captured Tomoe’s heart. Suzuki’s manga seem to often be at bit more episodic than intricately plotted, but it is interesting to see how both Tomoe’s past and future are bound up in Nanami’s actions. While Nanami tries to fulfill her quest, Akura-oh is stirring up even more trouble. I’m looking forward to seeing if Nanami and Tomoe’s relationship progresses even more when they next meet in the future. – Anna N

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 12 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – Iku and Dojo go for their chamomile tea date and are adorable. Then they have to pretend to be a normal couple out shopping in order to procure some items for a disguise for an author whose novel was used as the inspiration for terrorist attacks (and now his freedom to write is in jeopardy). And they are adorable. And then Tezuka and Shibazaki foil an attempt to kidnap the author and share some adorable moments of their own. All in all, there were quite a few scenes of proto-couple-y goodness, which I appreciated. At one point, Iku talks of reading the imperiled author’s works for the characters rather than the plot, and I realized… that’s exactly how I feel about Library Wars. The plots always feel flimsy and silly, but they put together characters that I like in a gentle shoujo way, and I can’t really complain about that. – Michelle Smith

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 7 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – When the first volume of Midnight Secretary failed to fully win me over, I procastinated on continuing it. However, I’m glad I didn’t let that first impression prevail indefinitely, because it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable series, and Kaya’s professional competence and dedication to her job were a highlight throughout. In this final volume, Kyohei has been expelled from the vampire clan for refusing to give up on his relationship with Kaya, but the clan isn’t quite done meddling, and is indirectly responsible for Kaya’s mother realizing that her daughter is in love with a vampire. That angst doesn’t last too long, and soon wedding plans are underway and there is talk of a baby that is, like, destined to be vampire Jesus or something. All in all, it was a better-than-expected supernatural romance! – Michelle Smith

The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 4 | By Nakaba Suzuki | Kodansha Comics – There’s really a ton of backstory being dished out in this series, and at times it feels it’s coming a bit too fast – here we get an explanation of why King is so angry at Ban, a demonstration of his “other form”, Elaine’s tragic backstory, and adding King to the chain of ‘loves someone else’ that’s been building up. What with Elizabeth now finding her sister working for the other side, there’s precious little time for the comedy or fanservice that was present in previous volumes. And I find that’s a good thing – Melodias is far more likeable as a dark and mysterious hero than he is when he’s trying to feel Elizabeth up. Odd as it seems for me to say, more serious stuff in the future, please!. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Seven Seas and Viz Media.

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 4 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – A Centaur’s Life is starting to find its footing, and this volume is a definite step up from the previous ones. There’s less emphasis on odd lolicon-esque scenes, and more genuine interaction with the world itself, as we are introduced to Sasasui, a snakefolk from Antarctica who forces Hime to deal with her old fears and possible prejudices, and who also gets to be the newbie that allows certain things to be explained to her. This can get a bit lecture-y (watch out whenever the characters point to a chart), but for the most part the series avoids that pitfall and remains a very odd slice-of-life series with a nice market in moral lessons, and Sasasui is a great introduction to the cast, with a reserved personality that fits in well. – Sean Gaffney

Happy Marriage?!, Vol. 7 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – For some reason Diamond never shipped this to me, so I ended up getting it a month late. I wasn’t really all that bothered, to be honest. This is a series that excels at what it does, but what it does is variations on the same plot – our two leads experience jealousy, uncertainty, and self-confidence crises which they both think they must deal with on their own without working it out together. And all seems to be resolved (or at least reset to zero) by a healthy sex life, which Chiwa still tends to find embarrassing. We do now see that others are stepping in to seed discord rather than the two doing it of their own accord, but I’d really like to get rid of the question mark in the title and have some resolution here. – Sean Gaffney

Magi: Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 7 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I can honestly say it was a delight to get caught up on Magi after having fallen several volumes behind. Here’s a series full of compelling characters with interesting backstories moving within a world in turmoil that we’re gradually learning more about. It’s like the focus began on Aladdin and his friendship with Alibaba and slowly spread outwards until now the former is finally learning about the purpose of his existence and the heretofore unmentioned enemy while the latter is endeavoring to be as brave as Aladdin thinks he is by leading his broken homeland into democracy. I might miss the promised adventuring that gets postponed by these weightier responsibilities, but the storytelling—and character development—is so good that it’s hard to complain. Still, if only it could pass the Bechdel test… – Michelle Smith

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 7 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – It’s no coincidence that a new Tomu Ohmi series was licensed almost immediately after Midnight Secretary, while Maki Enjoji only had the one – Ohmi’s is simply the better of the two “competing” josei titles, with a more likeable hero and heroine who are far more clued into each others’ moods and their own issues. Kaya struggles with jealousy, but it’s a far more mature inner monologue, and I found it much easier to take. The supernatural content also reaches a climax here, as the couple find a way to deal with Kyohei’s banishment while staying true to themselves – and indeed making sure the clan is tied to them in the future. This is probably my favorite of Viz’s Petit Comic licenses, and josei fans shouldn’t miss its final volume. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi, Vol. 5 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – I’m still surprised at how much I’m enjoying Nisekoi, given its straight up harem comedy plot, with no supernatural events or other things to distract from things. This is all about ‘who will Raku end up with’, and readers are aware that it will be resolved, if it ever is, only after a long, long number of volumes. Still, it’s compulsive reading – everyone is likeable, people do dumb things but they aren’t out of character or so stupid you want to kill them, the cliffhangers are still A+ (particularly the one at the end of this volume), and even the antagonist introduced last time, Marika, is softened a bit and given a sympathetic backstory – her accent slipping was hilarious. Misekoi is top-notch harem comedy, and hard to put down. – Sean Gaffney

Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media and Vertical, Inc.

Cage of Eden, Vol. 15 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Romance is not really one of the main reasons to read Cage of Eden, but it’s been clear from the beginning that Akira and Rion love each other, and the start of this volume reinforces that, with both admitting they’re being strong for the other (though not admitting that out loud, of course). Elsewhere, it’s becoming apparent that the cast have not ended up in the past, mostly due to finding modern machinery that suggests that everything on this island was created by man. Yes, it’s a vast international conspiracy. Not that this matters to Ohmori, who ends up being crucified and set on fire to serve as a cliffhanger. Cage of Eden is still fun, pulpy trash, and I still like it a lot. – Sean Gaffney

Chi’s Sweet Home, Vol. 11 | By Konami Kanata | Vertical, Inc. – One thing I generally do not expect to be whilst reading Chi’s Sweet Home is stressed. Chi’s adorable kitten antics typically have the opposite effect! In this volume, however, we see her future with the Yamada family genuinely in peril. Throughout the series, Chi has had flickers of memory of her mother and siblings, and in the last panel of this volume, she finally comes face to face with the former, who has never stopped looking for her. On top of this, there’s a “lost” poster bearing Chi’s face, and Mr. Yamada has a job prospect that would require the family to move to France. Will Chi be able to stay with Yohei, or will she return to her original home? I am more upset about this cliffhanger than I care to admit. – Michelle Smith

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 12 | By Hiro Arikawa and Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – After last volume’s exhausting action-filled heroics, I was expecting a step back, and I’m mostly right, though there is some action here as they try to protect an author who may be kidnapped by the government to stop him writing. Instead, we get romantic progression, mildly on the Dojo and Iku front (they’re cute together, but forward motion is as slow as you’d expect), but quite a lot on the Tezuka and Shibasaki front, as she starts to take a more active role and tries to stop Tezuka’s brother from more emotional damage. And if stopping this involves kissing him, well, SO BE IT. This is still one of my favorite shoujo series from Viz, and has really come into its own. – Sean Gaffney

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 4 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – After the big reveal at the end of volume three, which I shan’t spoil, volume four opens with a bit of backstory and explanation that nicely turns the whole magical girl concept of this series on its end. Happily, or perhaps not, Jeanne’s saintly status is restored when a thoroughly random trip back in time culminates with the original Jeanne d’Arc transferring her powers directly to Maron, who returns to the present reinvigorated. It’s really feeling like we’re heading into a final arc, even though there haven’t been many hints as to what shape that will take. But first, there are romantic confessions to agonize over and to gently reject, and then another big reveal at the end. Occasionally far too silly for me, Phantom Thief Jeanne is nonetheless a good read and probably the best Tanemua series in existance. – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 33 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – I know some people are getting tired of seeing Cain and Setsuka, but those people are not me, particularly when it leads to scenes as sexy as the one we get at the start of this volume. Indeed, the tension between Rena and Kyoko, their burgeoning feelings for each other – which for Kyoko is an issue, since love for her is also a trigger for emotional trauma – and the desire to bury themselves in their roles to escape themselves are all present here. There’s also comedy, mostly in Kyoko’s OTT reactions in her head to what Setsuka is doing, but also having to deal with a Cain fangirl, and facing up to jealousy. The fact that Kyoko admitting she’s in love may be a tragic event is part of what makes Skip Beat! still so interesting. – Sean Gaffney

The Wallflower, Vol. 33 | By Tomoko Hayakawa | Kodansha Comics – You would think, given how often the series has dealt with them, that yet another chapter about Noi and Takenaga having a fight would just tread the same water as before. But this is more about how friends in a peer group interact with other friends, as the outgoing Noi finds more fun at the amusement park with Ranmaru and Kyohei, and Takenaga has to deal with jealousy as well as needing to ‘look cool’ despite his introverted qualities. The rest of the volume isn’t so hot, though I was amused at the chapter featuring a Tim Burton lookalike coming to Japan and trying to utilize Kyohei and Sunako in his new film (spoiler: it’s a disaster). This series desperately needs to end, but I still enjoy its zombie progression. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Michelle, MJ, & Anna look at recent releases from Viz Media & Yen Press.

Black Butler, Vol. 17 | By Yana Toboso | Yen Press – Ciel remains undercover at Weston, the Eton-inspired school where he has enrolled to look into student disappearances at the queen’s behest. In order to secure a meeting with the elusive headmaster, he must lead his house to victory on the Quidditch cricket pitch, which he does via ungentlemanly tactics. It’s a good thing I’m a sports manga fan, because otherwise this might’ve gone on too long, but I kind of liked the outrageousness of it. Unfortunately, it leads to a big reveal that made me feel absolutely nothing. And maybe that’s my main issue with Black Butler—it’s acceptably entertaining, but I just can’t really care. Was there someone, somewhere, who was thoroughly shocked by the final page? It’s hard to imagine that being the case. Anyway, I’ll probably keep reading out of idle curiosity. – Michelle Smith

Blood Lad, Vol. 5 | By Yuuki Kodama | Yen Press – Happy as I am to have this omnibus appear quicker than I thought it would, I am nonetheless kind of bummed that a promising new character doesn’t stick around for long. Instead, an old enemy becomes a super-powerful new enemy, and though it’s kind of cool to see the demon world united against a common foe, and to see our core group of protagonists looking for options to defeat him, it does still feel like we’ve been here before. Maybe I’m just grumpy ‘cos this volume wasn’t as funny as some others have been. Still, Blood Lad remains as compulsively readable as ever, even if I’m not entirely convinced that the overall trajectory of the series makes sense. As long as it remains enjoyable on an per-volume basis, I’ll keep reading. – Michelle Smith

The Infernal Devices, Vol. 3: Clockwork Princess | By Cassandra Clare & Hyekyung Baek | Yen Press – Adapting full-length prose into graphic novels is always a tricky business, and when dealing with multi-volume series, it is inevitably trickier with time. Condensing a single prose novel such that it may squeeze itself into the much sparser skin of a single graphic novel may read as “efficient” or “fast-paced,” but three volumes in, the cumulative effect of this process is much more likely to resemble “rushed” or even “nonsensical.” Sadly, both of these things may be said of The Infernal Devices. After holding up relatively well over the course of its first two volumes, the weight of the third is finally too much for this format to bear. Fans of the prose series are likely to be frustrated by what’s missing, while the rest of us are left simply confused, and Baek’s pretty pictures are not quite enough to compensate. Not recommended. – MJ

Loveless, Vol. 12 | By Yun Kouga | Viz Media – It’s been over a year since the last volume of Loveless came out. My strongest memory of it was the scene in which Soubi obeys Seimei’s command to become his fighter once more, leaving Ritsuka behind, and I wanted volume twelve to explore this. Perhaps some scenes from Soubi’s perspective, showing remorse? That would do nicely. But instead, we get some backstory on Seimei’s other fighter/obedient minion, Nisei. And just when that’s starting to become legitimately intriguing and I start to sympathize with a really quite unsympathetic character, Kouga suddenly tosses in a whimsical chapter about one of Ritsuka’s dreams. I don’t mean to complain, because there were still many good moments in this volume, but it was overall a bit disjointed and didn’t pack the emotional wallop I was hoping for. – Michelle Smith

Seraph of the End, Vol. 2 | by Takaya Kagami and Yamato Yamamoto | Viz Media – This shonen series continues to put together a team for brash hero Yuichiro. As he trains to become a member of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, he finds yet another classmate to antagonize in Shiho Kimizuki, a tall, glasses-wearing boy who easily academically outshines Yuichiro. The new recruits are eager to get their demon weapons and the unconventional Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose decides to simply throw his most promising students into a pit of demons and see who survives. In the meantime, we get a bit of background into what has been happening to Yuichiro’s former best friend and adoptive brother Mikaela among the vampires. There are flashes of cynical humor in this shonen title that I quite enjoy, and so far I’m enjoying this series. With the youthful team powered up and ready to take on some vampires, I’m looking forward to more action in the next volume. – Anna N

Skip Beat!, Vol. 33 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – Hooray for new Skip Beat! Unfortunately, because of the time lag between releases, it feels like we have been on this “Ren and Kyoko impersonate the Heel siblings” arc for ages. What’s significant here, though, is that Kyoko finally admits to herself that she is reacting to steamy moments not purely in character, but as herself, and that she’s committed the gravely stupid move of unlocking her heart. What I love is that she is desperate for Ren not to find out, lest he be disappointed in her, and how the actions of a smitten costar serve to remind her of how completely she lost herself in devotion to Sho. It took 33 volumes for her to realize she loves him… how many more until he’s actually aware of it? I’d happily sign up for 33 more, but please… let’s move along from this arc soon, okay? – Michelle Smith

This week, Sean, MJ, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Viz Media, and Vertical, Inc.

Devils and Realist, Vol. 2 | By utako Yukihiro and Madoka Takadono | Seven Seas – Much of the first volume of this series was the lead character being shown various demonic and fascinating things and simply refusing to accept them, attempting to find a rational example for everything. He’s still doing that to an extent here, but this volume is mostly dedicated to showing him that no matter how he defines what’s happening around him, the trouble is that everyone either wants him dead or making a decision for them. As such, there’s a lot more Devils than Realist here, and even the priests can’t be trusted. I’m hoping that starting soon William will find a way to introduce his own brand of rationalism into the demon world instead of shutting it out. – Sean Gaffney

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 8 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – A lot of this volume is devoted to characters who are unable to have normal friendships managing to find something similar by pretending they are bitter rivals. Kobato and Maria, Maria and her sister Keito, who is also a Sister – a nun has some bad habits, so to speak – and between Sena and Yozora, which Kodaka realizes when he enters Sena’s room, which looks more like a shrine to Yozora than anything else. So much of Haganai is friendship via conflict that when we start to see the softer side of things – such as Kodaka and Sena’s growing attraction to each other, which comes to a head at a karaoke party – we also feel we don’t want to break up the chemistry of the group. Luckily, we’ve a ways to go. – Sean Gaffney

Happy Marriage?!, Vol. 7 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – The conclusion of the previous volume found Chiwa feeling like she and Hokuto were finally “walking together at the same pace,” but they soon discover that even though they love each other, there’s one thing they can never agree about: Hokuto’s father. Hokuto is convinced his dad is responsible for the death of his mother, and refuses to visit his dying father in the hospital. Chiwa can’t bear to see Hokuto so heartless, and he ends up moving out for a while, but they soon realize that though they don’t know how to solve this problem, they still love each other. I thought this was actually a rather insightful thing for a couple to be fighting about in a manga, and though Happy Marriage&! certainly relies heavily on well-trod tropes for its drama, it’s occasionally a pleasant surprise. I’m glad I revisited it! – Michelle Smith

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 10 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – There’s so much I could talk about with this volume of Sidonia. The ongoing oddball harem formed around Tanikaze, which is fine feeling like a family but gets very jealous when it comes to the man himself. There’s also the somewhat disastrous attempts to replicate what’s been done with Tsumugi, which almost ends in tragedy. There’s Izana’s ongoing relationship with her grandmother, who looks so similar to her they could almost be identical twins. Yet what I will most recall from this volume is seeing Tahiro, whose possession so disturbed me five volumes ago, blowing her brains out now that her usefulness to Ochiai is at an end. There’s still a good deal of horror left in Sidonia’s quiver. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol. 12 | by Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa | Viz Media Sometimes the key emotional moments in a series seem to have more resonance if more time has been spent building up to them. Library Wars could be a bit hit or miss in earlier volumes, but I always loved the premise of an action oriented series about paramilitary librarians. This volume will be very satisfying to long-time readers, as Iku and Dojo finally go out on a date. Seeing Dojo’s calm and restrained reactions as Iku spazzes out a bit was quite adorable, but the part of this volume that made me want to stand up and cheer was the romance between Tezuka and Shibasaki. Shibasaki does a bit of traditional shoujo gender role switching, with stellar results. On the library side of things, the team is charged with protecting an embattled author, and there might be some more promising developments with Tezuka’s brother thanks to Shibasaki’s intervention. This continues to be a fun series. Anna N

Loveless, Vol. 12 | By Yun Kouga | Viz Media – One of the downsides of consuming something in bulk, is that it’s difficult to top that kind of immersive experience, or even come close to matching it. This is certainly the case with Loveless, with which my own series of omnibus binges could best be described as a soul-consuming love affair. After all that, how could any single volume possibly live up? It couldn’t. It doesn’t. I’d be lying if I suggested otherwise. What the series’ twelfth volume does offer, however, is proof that the series can hold up even without the fervor of new love. While the volume contains a bit more non-linear fluff that I’d ideally prefer, it also provides a lot of substance, especially as regards Ritsuka’s supposed personality change and Seimei’s controlling relationship with his fighter, Nisei. These sections are honestly riveting, and I’m left desperate for more. Just as it should be. Still recommended. – MJ

Spell of Desire, Vol. 1 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – There’s a lot that’s swirling around the first volume of this new josei-only-not series from the creator of Midnight Secretary. Repression and control as both a positive and negative thing, and when it feels all right to give in to your passions, especially when you haven’t ever had to deal with them before. Tying this into witchcraft helps to make it at least a bit more metaphorical, and while the male lead hasn’t really done’ anything for me yet, I do quite like Kaoruko. The premise of the series seems to hint that we’ll eventually meet her missing mother as well, which promises to deliver some thrills. This first volume still feels a bit incomplete in the end, however. I hope future volumes will give it some solidity. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media and Seven Seas.

Alice in the Country of Clover: Nightmare Trilogy, Vol. 1 | By QuinRose and Job | Seven Seas – Another month, another Alice book. This one has, as you may imagine, Nightmare as the love interest, and mostly delves into Alice being upset and angry that people are afraid of him, and trying to find ways to get them to see the real man. Who is still a giant loser at times, so he’s not helping. Also not helping is the art in this book, which is some of the weakest I’ve seen in the entire series. That does not bode well given this is the first of three. On the bright side, Joker shows up, continuing to force Alice to truly examine her heart and feelings (big sister doesn’t come into play here). There’s also some amusing humor, mostly at Nightmare’s expense. Still, in the end this is one of the weaker entries in the Alice books. – Sean Gaffney

Black Rose Alice, Vol. 1 | By Setona Mizushiro | Viz Media – If I were to tell you that this is a shoujo series about vampires, you might think that you’d know what to expect. It’s not, after all, a unique premise. Except that’s exactly what Black Rose Alice is: unique. Dimitri Lewandoski is an ambitious tenor in Vienna in 1908 when he is killed in an accident and ultimately brought back to life by a vampire master who has entrusted him with the procreation of the species. The horror and the “colonization” spur a personality shift in Dimitri, and by the end of the volume he’s striking a bargain that might reanimate the body of his true love, lifeless for a hundred years. That’s pretty strange stuff, and I haven’t even mentioned the bugs! Happily, it’s not too strange and when I finished the volume I was left with a profound sense of “What? That’s it?! I want more!” And that is perhaps the highest recommendation I can give. – Michelle Smith

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 22 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | Viz Media – We’ve just finished a major fight arc, and are about to head into what will be the final arc, so in a sense this is the last breather volume in the series. Like many breather volumes in shonen fighting series, it feels a bit out of place at times, with both heroes and villains putting all their ducks in a row. We do get to see an extensive battle between Nura and a priest who is upset at a forced sword going to an evil Ayakashi (it’s OK, Nura’s one of the GOOD evil Ayakashi), and an attempt on both sides to unite previously fractured clans. That said, Kana and the rest of the class’s presence has become token, and even Tsurara looks to be left behind for the big fight. Nura is starting to overstay its welcome, so it’s good it will be ending soon. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol 16 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – The evil student council in Oresama Teacher is generally surprisingly ineffective, sending agents one by one to take down the public morals club, only to find that the dimwitted delinquents in the public morals club end up befriending their enemy. Here we have more of an orchestrated campaign, as blackmail letters start arriving and picking off the public morals club one by one. Soon only Mafuyu and Hayasaka are left to battle things out with the return of their fiendish faculty mentor Saeki. I see troubled times ahead for Yui, as the wanna be ninja has joined his former masters. Oresama Teacher is always silly diverting fun that pays off for the reader. I was happy to see bancho and his pigeon make an appearance in this volume as well. This is the only long-running comedy series that has managed to hang on to my full attention, and I enjoy the ridiculous situations and occasional bursts of violence featured in each volume. – Anna N

Toriko, Vol. 23 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro| Viz Media – It’s impressive how even in the middle of what is basically a fight between two opposing sides firing power attacks, Toriko can continue to be all about food. The one thing that gets our heroes to work together and take out the monster this time is hearing that the more damage it takes, the more delicious its flesh will taste. And of course there’s Komatsu, who was given ten minutes to make an antidote simpler to cook, took five minutes, then spent the rest of the time figuring out how to make it tastier. It’s no wonder he seems to have picked up another harem member, this one a nameless cook arriving with Setsuno. The way it deals with food makes Toriko a consistent fun title to read. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Anna look at recent releases from Viz Media and Seven Seas.

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 6 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – There’s still a little bit of “but I’m just his secretary” here, but that ends up being overshadowed by all the fallout from Kaya thinking she’s pregnant. It turns out she isn’t, but the idea that she might be is not entirely unappealing to her. That said, the vampire world is unhappy with it, so much so that they send the clan leader over to threaten and disturb Kaya, implying that her feelings are being artificially induced. And when Kyohei is able to convince her otherwise, even stronger measures look to be taken. The links between vampires and humans have been bubbling over this whole series, and given the next volume is the last one I expect it will all end in tears… no wait, this is josei romance. It should be fine. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 4 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – There is a story and character development happening here, but I am finding myself drawn more to the technical aspects of this manga, which are exceptional. I’ve mentioned before that Komi is very good at keeping his harem “balanced”, and his excellent ability at drawing goofy faces. Now here we see that he can do devastatingly good cliffhangers as well. Three of these chapters have cliffhangers that make you desperate to come back next week for more, which is all you can ask of a serialized story. We also get a new girl introduced, Marika, who is immediately set up to be an obvious villain, showing herself off as Raku’s “fiancee” and demanding he break up with Chitoge. This succeeds where other modern harem manga fail. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 2 | by ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – Sometimes I forget about manga I read digitally unless I get nagging e-mail reminders. I hadn’t realized that there were now three volumes of One-Punch Man now available. I am delighted that the second volume was just as ridiculous as the first. One-Punch Man goes up against an evil mad scientist who has built an underground lair called the “House of Evolution”. One-Punch Man is accompanied by his new trusty cyborg diciple Genos. The unlikely duo face off against an army of clone scientists and a monster genetically engineered assassin. There’s a great joke later on in the book featuring a superhero bicyclist, and One-Punch Man is showing signs of finally wanting some superhero notoriety for himself. Highly recommended if you enjoy dumb humor and people punching things! – Anna N

The Sacred Blacksmith, Vol. 5 | By Isao Miura and Kotaro Yamada | Seven Seas – Given there’s no hint of it on the back cover or in the first half, I feel obliged to say that this volume has a rather traumatic rape scene in it, featuring Cecily and a new villain. We do see Cecily trying to recover from the resultant fugue state she goes into, and she does to a degree, but her final confrontation with said villain is then undercut by the entrance of Luke, who fights in her place to protect her. It left a very bad taste in my mouth, and I think I’m going to be dropping this. There are still a lot of fantasy underpinnings here, and everyone has at least two motivations for everything they do. But the rape and its aftermath have made me very apathetic towards reading more of it. – Sean Gaffney

Sweet Rein, Vol. 3 | By Sakura Tsubasa | Viz Media – There’s no “Final Volume” on the back cover, and the series does not end so much as stop, but I’m pretty sure this *is* the last Sweet Rein, unless Hakusensha restarts it again a la Millennium Snow. It’s light but sweet, giving us more human/reindeer antics and the occasional not-quite romance (the two leads have still only kissed on the cheek). The Santas seem to function as shinigami a lot of the time, bringing closure to a rich boy and his butler as well as a reindeer whose master was killed, leaving him behind. This adds an element of darkness, but even then the series can’t help but resolve things with a sugar coating. There’s also an extra story dealing with Penguin Revolution, for old CMX fans – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media, Seven Seas, and Kodansha Comics.

Demon Love Spell, Vol. 6 | By Mayu Shinjo | Viz Media – As the author notes in her final comments, this title was always meant to be a series of short stories with a pre-determined ending. That ending, of course, being ‘when will they finally get together?’ Well, they do in the end (though it’s fast – this ran in Margaret, so the lovemaking passes quickly by), after a fair amount of angst over whether an incubus can really be trusted, and whether Miko can really admit to her feelings. There’s a few nice fakeouts along the way to keep the drama going. The first half also features one of the sexiest ‘old man spirits’ you’ll ever see – but then this is Shinjo. A highly enjoyable series, with nice given-and-take between the two leads and little power imbalance. Also sexy. – Sean Gaffney

Demon Love Spell, Vol. 6 | By Mayu Shinjo | Viz Media – The fact that I forgot this series existed instead of anticipating the release of the final volume is really not a very good endorsement, but it still doesn’t change the fact that this is the best Mayu Shinjo manga I’ve read. (And, in fact, the only one I’ve bothered to finish.) True, some elements of the last chapter were a little convenient and/or predictable, but the ending is still satisfying. The best part of the volume, though, is the first story—about a neglected cherry tree and the desperate pleas of one girl to save it from being cut down. Logically, I know I shouldn’t get sniffly over obvious attempts to tug at my heartstrings, and yet I always do. So, if you’re looking for something a little sappy and a little smutty, check out Demon Love Spell. For a Mayu Shinjo manga, it’s not bad. – Michelle Smith

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends – Now With 50% More Fail! | By Chiruwo Kazehana and Shirabii | Seven Seas – This collection of short stories is basically a taster for those who enjoy the regular series but want a bit less plot (such as there is) and a bit more harem comedy. I could have done without the armpit fetish chapter, as well as the one examining Maria’s constant use of the word poop. As for the Yukimura chapter, it dances around the issue of gender so much that you get even more suspicious. The best chapters ignore the crass humor and go for showing how these disparate idiots really are bonding with each other as friends, even if they’ll never admit it All in all, though, I’d only get this if you have to have everything Haganai – it’s skippable. – Sean Gaffney

My Love Story!!, Vol. 1 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – I am not shy about proclaiming my love of Kawahara’s High School Debut, and so it was perhaps a given that I would love My Love Story!!. I expected to be utterly charmed by the good-hearted, non-bishounen lead as he embarks upon his first love, and indeed I was, but I was actually pleasantly surprised to find that the series seems to be just as much about male friendship as it is about a sweet romance. Takeo isn’t adept at reading people, and so it takes him a while to realize just how good and faithful a friend Sunakawa has been to him all this time, and that Sunakawa has been doing his best to ensure Takeo’s happiness. If warm and fuzzy slice-of-life is your game, then I heartily recommend this series! – Michelle Smith

Sankarea, Vol. 7 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – I keep waiting for this to slide away from horror and into moe love comedy, and it never quite manages it. Sure, there’s a part here where a zombie little girl is introduced, and Furuya has to control his urge to snuggle up with her, but this is presented as actively creepy rather than lolicon fetishey. The rest of this volume amps up the horror even more, with even the hopeful bits (part of Rea’s brain is still alive, making Furuya wonder if she can be saved) having an edge of darkness to them – this darkness mostly being supplied by Darin’s eviler-than-thou father. Ending with a double cliffhanger putting Furuya’s life and Rea’s memory at stake, this is surprisingly gripping. Can’t wait for more. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media, Yen Press, Seven Seas, and Kodansha Comics.

Arata: The Legend, Vol. 18 | By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – The central premise of Arata is that a Japanese high school student, Arata Hinohara, has switched places with the Arata of a world called Amawakuni. In this volume, we learn that five of the “six sho,” the most powerful hayagami-wielders whom Hinohara is tasked with defeating, are actually from our world, as well. Not only that, the whole reason they attempted to assassinate the princess in the first place was to fully open the passageways so they can return with their swanky powers “to conquer or destroy.” That’s a pretty intriguing development. Unfortunately, when one of these guys confronts members of Arata’s entourage whom he could easily kill and put this story to an end, he inexplicably decides to turn them into kids instead. Because I guess we needed some hijinks. This lapse in logic dampens my enjoyment of an otherwise possibly significant volume. – Michelle Smith

Bloody Cross, Vol. 3 | By Shiwo Komeyama | Yen Press – Honestly, the plot in this series seems almost irrelevant, which is a good thing as so little actually happens here. But the manga gives its readers what they really want: shots of cool-looking battles, cool-looking heroes, and our heroine snarking at each other. Hinata is absent for most of this volume, so we bring in a new cursed character who fulfills many of the same functions but gets to be a bit goofier. This is a pretty fun, tasty manga when you read it, but it’s light as air – it performs its function and nothing more. That said, hot demons and angels, the occasional cutaway sex scene, and lots of pseudo-religious fantasy… if this sounds good to you, definitely pick this up. – Sean Gaffney

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 3 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – To a certain degree, much of A Centaur’s Life could have been written with normal humans as a normal 4-koma. We’d see a bunch of rambunctious kids trying to amuse themselves without getting in trouble, a kindergartener enduring bullying and helping her nursery school schoolmates, etc. But they’d be much duller, as it’s the frisson of oddness that makes this series readable. Seeing all the centaur/dragon girl/sheep girl etc. days in the life, watching what television programs are like in a world like this, that sort of thing. The manga still feels awkward a lot, but it’s beginning to improve. And the cliffhanger, involving a new transfer student, promises a lot of change for the next volume. – Sean Gaffney

Magi, Vol. 6 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – What does it mean to be a ruler – and does everyone have what it takes? From the moment Sinbad appeared in this manga, it was clear that he was a natural-born leader, confident in his abilities and there to lend support to those who need it. This is why he is NOT the main character of this manga. Instead we have Alibaba, taking the spotlight with Aladdin unconscious for most of the volume, who spends much of his time wrestling with doubts and fears. Even Sinbad isn’t sure Alibaba can be what’s needed right now. But Morgiana believes in him, and we slowly start to see his love of the people and desire to fight injustice come to the fore. Development of characters like Alibaba is why Magi is still a riveting read. – Sean Gaffney

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 2 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – In this volume of Phantom Thief Jeanne the reader gets a bit more of Maron and Chiaki’s tumultuous relationship issues, as well as a bit of back story as Maron deals with her abandonment by her parents, a plot device that will never really make sense to me. Chiaki’s father is next on the demon possession hit list, and Jeane manages to rescue him despite the danger of being transformed into a life-sized creepy doll. Everything calms down a little bit, but Maron next has to deal with all of the girls who are showering Chiaki with chocolate on Valentine’s Day! Towards the end of the volume Jeanne gets even more power, so it will be interesting to see if the demons she battles will be even more menacing. There’s a nice side story featuring Miyako that examines why she is so obsessed with catching Jeanne, and shows how much importance she places on her friendship with Maron. Overall, a great second volume for this series, I’m really enjoying having an excuse to read it again in this new edition! – Anna N

Say I Love You., Vol. 2 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – My verdict for volume one of Say I Love You. was “It’s kind of great,” and I’m happy to report that it applies to volume two, as well. The main strength of the series is in the characterization. “Prickly loner” Mei Tachibana is falling more in love with her popular boyfriend, Yamato Kurosawa—gradually allowing herself to trust him and feeling like a woman for the first time. And Yamato isn’t as idealized as many shoujo love interests (though he does rescue a litter of abandoned kittens). Contrasted against them are Hayakawa, a guy from an unhappy family background who pursues warmth in a series of fleeting physical encounters while avoiding acknowledging the feelings of the one girl who actually loves him, and Aiko, whose image issues and history with Yamato render her much more complex than your typical antagonist. I’m really enjoying watching this story unfold. Definitely recommended! – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 22 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Another transitional volume, as we finish the end of the fight with Chiyo and then transition to a threat to the entire human world, as the Four Basts have awoken and love to eat humans. (How apropos in a series like Toriko,) The cover features more of the top Gourmet Hunters in the world, who get shown off to us in one huge scene and who I hope we’re not supposed to actually remember in the future. Mostly, though, this is fighting, eating, ans shonen idiocy, as Zebra deliberately turns off the message to our heroes about the Four Beasts right as it was going to tell them vital information. I therefore expect the fights they’re all having to have a nasty twist come the next volume. – Sean Gaffney

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 5 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – Given how much of Special A was devoted to love and romance, and the frustrations thereof, it’s actually quite refreshing to see that the heart takes a back seat to the career here, as Senri is almost entirely absent here. Instead, we deal with the trials of voice acting, as Hime is still not doing particularly well, but is also now dealing with two stars’ rivalry – both over their star qualities and over Hime, who they both have crushes on (despite her pretending to be a boy – I didn’t say romance was ENTIRELY absent). As with Special A, though, and indeed many other shoujo series, our heroine gets by by being extra shiny, nice, earnest and all around great. Now, can we bring the male lead back into the story? – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Michelle take a quick look at recent releases from Viz Media, Digital Manga Publishing, and Vertical, Inc.

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 14 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – Much of the discussion of this volume will likely center around Teru and Kurosaki finally kissing, and it’s just as sweet and adorable as you’d expect. But they can’t really move forward till the main plot is solved, and for all that it’s a romance manga, Dengeki Daisy is intrinsically tied to its thriller plotline driving everything. Be it adding backstory to Akira in order to make the reader better understand him and contrast him with Teru; having the enemy use Teru’s own darker impulses to drive a wedge between her and Kurosaki; or just plain kidnapping her to give us our cliffhanger. Without the thriller, we wouldn’t have this sweet romance. Let’s hope they can work everything out. – Sean Gaffney

Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 10 | By Kaoru Tada | Digital Manga Publishing – Hooray! A new volume of Itazura Na Kiss! And it’s actually less frustrating than most! Kotoko will probably never stop being incredibly dense and Naoki will probably never stop saying unnecessarily hurtful things, but there are still plenty of good moments for them as a couple nowadays. I especially liked the chapter where he asks to accompany Kotoko and her dad on their annual trip to pay their respects to her mother’s grave. There’s also some fun stuff here with Yuuki and the stupid yet good-hearted girl who loves him. It’s been fun seeing him grow up on the sidelines, and I especially like that although he is very similar to Naoki, he’s still his own person, and is ultimately more free with his emotions. I do have to wonder now: will we see Kotoko become a competent nurse at last before the series is ultimately cut short? I have my doubts… – Michelle Smith

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 9 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – Say what you will about Sidonia, it’s never dull. The battle scenes are tense and gripping, but that’s not really what I mean. I mean more the bizarre not quite porn between Tanizake and the Hawk Moth *during* the battle. I mean the constant wacky comedy between Tanizake, Tsumugi, and Izana (Tanizake walks in on Izana again, reaching Keitaro Urashima levels here). And I mean acknowledging that Izana’s love for Tanizake is not just a crush – her body is adapting itself to be more like what he’s attracted to (i.e., female). While giving her two cliffhangers in a row seems a little unbalanced, I’m greatly enjoying her development, contrasting itself with Tanizake’s harder-to-read hero. – Sean Gaffney

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 21 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | Viz Media – There’s a lot of shonen battle in this volume, but I was trying to focus on the little things. Like seeing Wakana, Rikuo’s mother, put in danger – I’d honestly forgotten she existed, particularly as she looks as young as Rikuo and his friends. Speaking of which, as I said last time, I love seeing that the ‘normal’ high schoolers aren’t getting left out of the final battle, and how they try to find a way to be useful throughout. I also liked that Tsurara, even if she still tends towards constant jealousy, manages to recognize that Rikuo needs Kana in his life, and seeing them bond over his stubbornness. I think the arc after this one will be the last, but I’m ready for it. Let’s see what more yokai madness the author can bring. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – And speaking of yokai, after the plot-heavy stuff going on in the previous volume, we take a break here for smaller, quieter stories. Tani deals with a yokai that she gave directions to but hasn’t left her house, and we see the inherent issues with yokai affection for humans. Then Natsume and Tanuma go to an inn and deal with a piece of Tanuma’s past and a mystery. Through both of these stories, we get echoes of one of the main threads of this series: whether the worlds of yokai and humans can ever come together, and if they do, will it be a bad thing on both sides? Even the angst seems pretty light in this one, making it a good choice for those who enjoy Natsume, his friends, and an earned peace. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, Digital Manga Publishing, and Viz Media.

Cage of Eden, Vol. 14 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – We’ve moved past the ‘everyone is fighting against horrible prehistoric animals’ stage of the manga, and the ‘everyone is bathing naked in rivers so you can see their breasts’ stage has at least lessened (the biggest fanservice moment in this volume is for the ladies, as Yarai shows off his manly naked body). So now we seem to be at the ‘actually trying to figure out what’s going on’ stage, as Sengoku and company explore the depths of a pyramid filled with death traps, surprisingly Japanese-made machinery, and even more giant stuff that makes no sense – plants this time. I’m not sure there’s any explanation that justifies all the buildup, but this is still a lot of good shonen fun. -Sean Gaffney

Gangsta, Vol. 2 | By Kohske | Viz Media – This volume develops a bit on the first, teasing us with a little more backstory regarding Nic and Worick and their respective backgrounds. There’s also a lot more worldbuilding, as we meet some rival families and groups who will no doubt continue to influence events. Mostly, though, it’s a volume that shows us just how terrible and knife-edge everyone’s lives are at the moment – violence runs rampant throughout, there’s tons of casualties, Nic goes into a drug-induced berzerker rampage, and even Ally, who spends almost the entire volume staying at the office, is having drug-induced hallucinations leading to psychotic breaks. If you like Black Lagoon but thought it was too cheery, Gangsta is right up your alley. – Sean Gaffney

Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 10 | By Kaoru Tada | Digital Manga Publishing – This volume is an excellent one for showing us how far we’ve come since the first. Yes, Kotoko can still be shallow and aggravating, and Naoki can be heartless and insensitive. But it’s almost in the minority by now, as they deal with fresh new crises; the birth of her friend Satomi’s child, visiting her mother’s embarrassing family (who all have so many stories to tell her new husband), and dealing with Naoki deciding he has to intern in Kobe in order to better specialize (in pediatrics, god help those children). I’ve described Itazura Na Kiss as a bitter coffee of a manga, but the coffee now has milk and sugar in it, and the bitterness is mostly knowing it’s about to be cut short by the author’s death. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi Ni Todoke, Vol. 19 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – I was a little grumpy about a third of the way through this volume, as Kento really is being a little too perfect to be realistic. But then, so is the rest of the cast, if I want to be honest. And it dawned on me that there’s nothing particularly wrong with that. This is a manga filled with nice people having quiet, gentle moments with each other. The only real conflict comes at the end, when Kazehaya’s controlling father shows up to provide a cliffhanger. Everything else is just heartwarming, sweet, and adorable moments. Even Pin, who does get to be goofily obnoxious, gets a sweet, heartwarming backstory here. I should stop trying to make this title more than what it is – just the nicest manga you’ll ever read. – Sean Gaffney

Millennium Snow, Vol. 3 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – Perhaps the best and worst thing I could say about the continuation of Millennium Snow (after a ten-year hiatus) is that it reminds me of Hatori’s much more famous series, Ouran High School Host Club. Remember those episodic chapters in Ouran where the gang would try to help a schoolmate with their problems? That’s basically what’s going on in this volume, as a seemingly cold-hearted nurse turns out to be nurturing guilt over the death of her child and a bullied girl befriends an injured supernatural beastie that feeds on the power of words. It’s kind of dull. However! Ouran also had a sense of humor that appealed to me, and I found myself giggling a couple of times in this volume, namely at the image of an immortal vampire’s hesitant first encounter with a stapler and the notion of his bat servant hastening to the supermarket because “Eggs is on sale!” So, in the end, not the best ever, but I’ll read the fourth and final volume anyway. – Michelle Smith

My Little Monster, Vol. 2 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – It’s not that the plot of My Little Monster is new and original—it is, after all, a romance manga—but I think the characterization of the protagonist, Shizuku Mizutani, is nicely done. As we begin the volume, she’s been rejected by former wild child Haru but has declared she’ll make him fall for her. Unfortunately, she has no idea how to do this, and proceeds to be her usual prickly self even while helping him out of various troublesome situations. Eventually a new character, Oshima, falls for Haru too, and Shizuku is so distracted by this that her schoolwork begins to suffer. She decides that anything that detracts from securing a stable future is unnecessary, which of course coincides with Haru seemingly realizing that he does fancy her after all. It’s a lot better than this synopsis makes it sound, and Oshima is intriguing in her own right. Plus, there is a chicken! – Michelle Smith

Sweet Rein, Vol 3 | By Sakura Tsukuba | Viz Media – If Sweet Rein has a fault, it is that it can sometimes be a tiny bit too sweet at times, but anyone who enjoyed the first two volumes of this series about a teen girl Santa and her handsome bonded transforming boy/reindeer will enjoy the third volume. The volumes follow a fairly predictable pattern of going through the seasons as the characters stubbornly refuse to age. Kurumi has to deal with Kaito during the spring, when all the reindeer have spring fever and become even more irresistible. A reindeer whose master has left him behind fixates on Kurumi in an unhealthy matter, and Kaito finally is driven to actually express a preference in a way that influences Kurumi’s behavior. This is a fun vacation read, as it isn’t terribly demanding on the reader! There’s also a bonus story from Tsukuba’s CMX series Penguin Revolution included in this volume, and I enjoyed being able to dip back into that series as well. This is light romance shoujo at its fluffiest. – Anna N.

Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 5 |By Mizuki Sakakibara, et al. | Viz Media – I haven’t exactly been complimentary in my previous reviews of Tiger & Bunny, citing an inability to connect with the lead duo, but something has really clicked for me in these past few volumes. True, the story still flows swiftly, but it also does so with admirable clarity, focusing mostly on action but without forgetting to flesh out the characters. Not only does Barnabas come to trust Kotetsu more as his partner, which is nice to see and handled in a “show don’t tell” kind of way, but we also learn more about several of the supporting Heroes and how they feel about their responsibilities and each other. The plot, involving a villainous organization responsible for killing Barnabas’ parents, may not be the most riveting thing ever, but seeing this proud guy accept help in figuring things out is enough to keep me interested. I am finally on board! – Michelle Smith