Bookshelf Briefs

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

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 15 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – Nanami has gone back in time to try to find the source of a curse that’s affecting Tomoe in the present. She’s pretty vigilant about not interfering in the bond between Tomoe and Yukiji, the human woman he once loved, with the timey-wimey result that she ends up being the reason such a bond exists in the first place. My favorite part of the volume, though, is when she meets up with Akura-Oh, a yokai who knows Tomoe and has a fondness for canned peaches. Akura-Oh is blunt and honest, and it seems like maybe she can get through to him a bit, until the stark truth of his yokai nature reveals itself and Nanami is forced to flee. A couple of side stories—about underwear and Tomoe becoming a feel-copping drunk—round out the volume, and though they be fluffy, they’re also pretty fun. I continue to enjoy this series. – Michelle Smith

Kimi Ni Todoke, Vol. 19 | By Kahruo Shiina | Viz Media – One of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about this series is the way it takes standard shoujo plot elements and makes them seem fresh and adorable just due to the strength of characterization Shiina has built up in her ensemble cast. Sawako and her friends celebrate the new year in a slightly different way, as everyone has paired off into couples. Everyone is starting to think about their plans for what to do after graduation, and Sawako and Shota have some decisions to make that will likely affect their future. This is one of those shoujo series that is a perfect comfort read. – Anna N

My Little Monster, Vol. 2 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – In general I’m used to shoujo romances with one relatively normal person and one eccentric/broken/inaccessible type, so it’s refreshing to see My Little Monster focus equally on how screwed up both halves of our main couple are. Haru right now seems more easily rehabilitated – he still has a hair-trigger temper, but just smiling goes a long way for him. Shizuku, however, is likely going to take a lot longer, and flashbacks to her rather depressing childhood set things up for a cliffhanger that’s almost a mirror reverse of the last one. Add to this a well-thought out rival arriving, and a healthy dose of humor (mostly provided by Asako), and you have a second volume that builds nicely on the first. -Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 71 | By Eiichiro Oda | Viz Media – Luffy’s alliance with fellow pirate Trafalgar Law has opened up some really interesting directions for the story! In the long term, Law and Luffy are planning to take down one of the Four Emperors, which is the first time Luffy’s gone after a specific target in his bid to become King of the Pirates. Suddenly it all feels a bit more serious! In the short term, Law has brokered a deal with one of the warlords of the sea, which involves a prisoner exchange… more new territory for the Straw Hats. And while that’s going down, various members of the crew get swept up in various local goings on, which is pretty typical, but somehow the ideas Oda’s come up with feel fresh and new. Fresh and new on volume 71?! Yes, indeed. This is why One Piece is simply not to be missed! – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You”, Vol. 2 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Unlike My Little Monster, which is basically pure shoujo, there’s no mistake that Say “I Love You” skews to an older audience. There’s a lot of sex happening here, mostly casual one-nighters to satisfy teenage urges. Of course, it’s there to contrast with the innocence of our heroine – both of the characters who are seeing doing this are noted to be quite unhappy or hollow inside, and Yamato regrets what he once did. In fact, the focus on playboy Kakeru and bitter rival Aiko are the best parts of this volume, with neither one being reduced to a cardboard cutout. Now we just need to work on Mei – look at that cover, that is not someone who’s a happy camper. Recommended for older teens and josei smut fans. – Sean Gaffney

The Wallflower, Vol. 32 | By Tomoko Hayakawa | Kodansha Comics – Given that nothing has really progressed in the last twenty volumes or so, it’s not a surprise to hear that this volume reads a lot like a Greatest Hits LP. There’s a chapter where Sunako backslides and hides in her room with her horror stuff; one where Ranmaru’s playboy antics are contrasted with the pure love of Tamao; Sunako helping a ballet club as their ancient disaster of a club room is haunted; and Kyohei undergoing his own Sunako-esque transformation, becoming an innocent scholar who hates violence. This is fun, with lots of humor and some amusing visuals. But there is no one reading this for anything but the humor or the pretty boys anymore – romance fans have abandoned ship. – Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 2 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. – Given I was getting into the world and characters in volume one, I hadn’t paid as much attention to all the food preparation. I certainly did more with this volume, as every single chapter features extended cooking with recipes read aloud, which takes up over half the book. It may not quite be a foodie manga, but it’s as near as dammit. As for the characters, Shiro was somewhat less aggravating this time around – he’s more fun to read when he’s suffering, as the author has realized – and I liked the intro of ‘older than she looks’ coworker Shino. Mostly, though, this title is for two types of readers; those who love food, and those who love Yoshinaga’s works. Both will find it satisfying. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean, Michelle, & MJlook at recent releases from Viz Media and Kodansha Comics.

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 14 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – Unless I am very much mistaken, no one is actually reading Dengeki Daisy for the matters of code-related espionage that the characters are swept up in, but I would personally appreciate some details. The way that videos cut off before divulging crucial pieces of information, or that characters discuss their plans in the vaguest of terms, might suggest that Motomi-sensei is saving up big reveals for later, but I honestly don’t think so. I think she just decided that she didn’t need to work that stuff out. Probably she’s right—the high points of the volume are all one-on-one Teru/Kurosaki scenes—but it makes it hard to care about a plotline that dominates the volume. Only two more volumes to go, at least. – Michelle Smith

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 5 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – I was really impressed with this volume of Midnight Secretary. There’s so much going on here – Kaya’s final admittance that she isn’t just a really good secretary to Kyohei, Kyohei’s family situation and his relationship with his mother, his dealings with kindred spirit Marika and the ongoing threats of someone simply taking Kaya from him and making a meal of her. And yet what I really took away from all of this is the fact that both Kaya and Kyohei are no longer content with titles like boss, secretary, or lover, but see each other as a person that encompasses all these things. And yes, for Kaya that includes accepting Kyohei as a vampire fully. Now we need to see if his clan is able to accept her. – Sean Gaffney

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 2 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – I am predisposed to like Phantom Thief Jeanne, I think, since I enjoyed the anime and have a fondness for ’90s shoujo in general. It’s also nice to read about a heroine who is utterly competent. True, Maron isn’t as sure of herself as she lets on. Inside, she’s scared of being rejected by her parents, but she’s trying to convince herself that she’s strong by acting as if she doesn’t need them. I don’t love that Chiaki proves he understands her by telling her “You’re weak,” but we learn later that he’s also scared of the same things, so it doesn’t end up being a weird power imbalance issue. And though the goofy comedy and absolutely ineffectual police are my least favorite part of the manga, I appreciate that Miyako’s motives for wanting to catch Jeanne are explained. All in all, a very solid volume. I’m looking forward to the next! – Michelle Smith

The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 2 | By Nakaba Suzuki | Kodansha Comics – In general with series like these, particularly in the early stages, instead of measuring them by good plotting or crisp characterization, you instead measure them by how many badass moments each volume possessed. and in that respect this second SDS volumes acquits itself pretty well. We see the third Deadly Sin, Ban (representing Greed), who is so badass that his enemy’s attack simply gives him a really good shave. And we get our first badass moment for Elizabeth. She’s been somewhat iffy so far, taking Meliodas’ harassment far too easily and being something of a victim. But here, fighting against the Holy Knight and discovering his weakness, she showed true badassery in her own right. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – If there’s a fault in this final volume of Strobe Edge, it’s that most of the conflict has already passed, so we’re just waiting for the final ‘can we get over this lack of communication?’ hurdle before it ends. Indeed, it ends so quickly we get two ‘epilogue’ chapters, one giving some much-needed depth to perky friend Manabu, and the other detailing Ren and Ninako’s first date. That last chapter almost shows off the series in miniature, and why it’s been fun to read – despite the tears and heartbreak, Ninako is simply achingly sweet, and you can’t help but want to spend more time around her and her thoughts. I’ll miss this. – Sean Gaffney

Vampire Knight, Vol. 18 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – It’s interesting to see how much this volume focused on the relationship between Yuki and Zero, given how far we’ve come since the fisrt couple of volumes. At times it’s hard to even believe you’re reading the same series as Vol. 1. and yet they still have a deep connection. In the best moment of the volume, Yuki starts to spin a story of what would have happened if they’d met as normal boy and girl. Zero is quick to cut this off, noting they’d never have met at all. Their past is what connects them, and what leads to their strong feelings. But of course, nothing can happen until Kaname is taken care of, and this means Yuki in the end forces herself to make a very upsetting decision. The last volume should be a real barn-burner. – Sean Gaffney

xxxHolic Rei, Vol. 1 | By CLAMP | Kodansha Comics – As one of the few readers who didn’t hate the ending of the original xxxHolic series, I’m also probably one of the few who did not approach its rewound sequel as a welcome return to the good old days. This is not to say that I’m unhappy—quite the contrary. I couldn’t be more thrilled to see Watanuki & Co. once more. What it does mean, however, is that I’m probably one of the few readers who can view the new series’ impending mystery without trepidation—for mystery there certainly is. And since CLAMP has done me no wrong thus far (at least not with xxxHolic), I can feel relatively secure that I’ll enjoy whatever they’ve got in store for me this time. In fact, I can’t wait. So while the return of the series’ witty banter and endless teasing, are enjoyable, I’m in this for the long haul. Let’s hope it’s a good one… again. – MJ

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

Alice in the Country of Hearts: Love Labyrinth of Thorns | By QuinRose and Aoi Kurihara | Seven Seas – This is a standard Alice volume in many ways, but it also seems a bit… dialed down? Like it was supposed to run in Ichijinsha’s magazine for 7-year-olds, so they made it more kid-friendly? The at seems slightly more ‘cute’, there’s no sex like we’ve seen in several of the other series, Ace is being relatively nice and considerate (for Ace… he does almost kill Alice here, but we can’t have everything). Even Nightmare is acting in pure mentor mode, allowing Alice and Julius to recognize their feelings by way of manipulation and tricks. It’s Alice Lite, but in its own way it wouldn’t be a bad one-shot to get a newbie to the series. Even with the implied Julius/Ace shipping. – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi, Vol. 3 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – Most of this volume is, to be honest, harem-by-numbers. But it’s a decently written harem-by-numbers. There’s fanservice, but it’s not to the point that it gets disturbing. Our hero gets trapped in a women’s bath, but manages to avoid the comedy beating I was expecting. Tsugumi is having trouble dealing with both her gender and her unrecognized crush on Raku, but it’s mostly pretty cute. Where Nisekoi excels is in the way that it draws faces. A harem comedy tends to live and die by its expressions of embarrassment, terror and arousal, and all three of these get shown off here, particularly in the card game scene. All this plus Chitoge may be advancing the plot… next time around. This is fluffy fun. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – I admit upfront that I am positively besotted by this series. It’s rare that an episodic series charms me so thoroughly, but I really do love everything about this one. The chapters in this volume find Natsume acting as an intermediary between his friends and yokai—in the first story, yokai are lost in his classmate’s home, and in the second, an sweet old lady in one’s friend’s past turns out to have been a yokai all along—and being asked to keep the yokai’s secret when full disclosure is feared to lead only to pain and rejection. As ever, the yokai are endearing, and I admire how the series can be consistently sweet but never sappy. With another series, I might be annoyed by the lack of purposeful plot direction, but I never tire of Natsume’s Book of Friends. – Michelle Smith

Otomen, Vol. 18 | By Aya Kanno | Viz Media – Oh, Otomen. Even to the end, you alternate delighting and frustrating me. The first hanfl of this is a wonderful conclusion to the series (I loved how Ryo’s face was hidden till the dramatic climax) and everyone got to be awesome. Then suddenly the publisher realized they had 100 more pages to go till the volume ended, so we insert a ridiculous amnesia arc that almost had me throw the book across the room, complete with derailing of the main villain of the series, Asuka’s mother. Sigh. Oh well, at least I got a nice wedding finale out of it. And they actually waited 10 years till they were both settled into their chosen careers. Despite aggravations, I did enjoy Otomen, Ryo especially. More of Ryo as the best cop ever. – Sean Gaffney

Psyren, Vol. 16 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | Viz Media – I understand that Psyren ended suddenly, as many series in Shonen Jump are wont to do, and it does show a bit, as this volume seems a bit crammed and rushed. At the same time, I was just about ready for this series to end, so this is still a good stopping place, and no gaping plot holes seem to be unaddressed. I did wonder if they were going to torch that ‘fourth future’, as they seemed to imply they would, but in the end even that gets a happy ending. Things are good. Bad guys are defeated, many superpowers are shown off, our hero didn’t die of brain damage, and he gets the girl. To be continued in the Psyren novel, which I suspect will only come out in Japan, but this is a good stopping place anyway. – Sean Gaffney

Say I Love You., Vol. 1 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – So, imagine a plot kind of like Kimi ni Todoke, except that the lead girl is pricklier and the lead guy more experienced with the ladies. Mei Tachibana has sworn off having friends after being betrayed, but ends up capturing the interest of Yamato Kurosawa, the most popular boy in school. She’s resistent to his overtures of friendship at first, but when he actually comes through for her in a scary situation, she decides that maybe it’s okay to trust him a little. The story moves swiftly from there, and not only have she and Yamato become a couple by the end of the volume, but she’s also made a good female friend and they independently challenge those who talk trash about the other. It’s kind of great. I do wonder how this concept has thus far been sustained over twelve volumes, but I am definitely curious to see where this goes. – Michelle Smith

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 4 | by Maki Minami | Viz Media – I thought the first volume of the series was more enjoyable than I expected, although it didn’t totally win me over. The fourth volume continues to be amusing, even if it isn’t laugh out loud funny. Hime, the cute girl with the “Princely” voice struggles with her first big professional gig, with even more to battle against as the entire cast and the director absolutely resents her. While she can now produce a lovely voice when she has a certain pair of spectacles as a prop, her next challenge is to combine her voice with building a character. She continues to drop in on the aloof Senri Kudo, and seeing his wordless and gruff overtures to her was quite entertaining. Reccomended if you need some light and fluffy shoujo. – Anna N

This week, Sean and Michelle look at recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and One Peace Books.

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 12 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – Things are happening quickly in this penultimate volume of Dawn of the Arcana, and when I say “quickly” I mean I was often left going, “Wait, what?” Last volume, Nakaba suddenly became quene of Senan, and here, without much preamble, she intercepts Caesar’s invading force (he was sent by his father) and, again without much preamble, they begin a revolution that swiftly ends with Caesar killing his father and becoming king of Belquat, just in time for a rather perplexing cliffhanger moment to ensue. I’m not saying that this isn’t good or interesting, because it is, but I can’t help but think how much better it would be if we were seeing some serious effort involved in these momentous undertakings. It could really have been something wonderfully epic, but in its current state it’s like Basara Lite. Still recommended, though. – Michelle Smith

Inu x Boku SS, Vol. 3 | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – There’s a lot of emphasis in this volume on both the wacky antics of the main cast and the heartwarming relationships between them. Ririchiyo is opening up more than ever, and starting to admit her feelings, though dealing with them is tough. And Carta is just adorable. And yet the entire volume feels ominous, as there are also several hints that this isn’t going to last, and in fact that we may lose some of the cast soon. The discussion about reincarnation in particular reads as a ‘let me tell you about this now as it will be important later.’ Complete with the ominous text at the end of the book, it would seem that all of the wacky and heartwarming moments in this volume may taste very bitter soon.-Sean Gaffney

No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, Vol. 3 | By Nico Tanigawa | Yen Press – There’s both hope and despair in this volume of WatMote, which I enjoyed more than Volume 2. We meet a girl (seems to be a class president type) who actually seems to be looking out for Tomoko’s well-being, and we also see her genuinely enjoying the school festival with Yuu-chan. The despair comes from things like Tomoko’s teacher forcing attention onto her (which makes her cry she’s so upset) and the tragic fantasy of starting a ‘do nothing club’ with fellow loners, only to realize that even that isn’t real. There’s lots of funny stuff in this manga, but I think most people reading it are doing so with a bit of wincing sympathy and no small amount of worry.-Sean Gaffney

Sankarea: Undying Love, Vol. 6 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – Sankarea continues to be a balancing act between wacky harem comedy, heartwarming family romance, and pure undiluted horror. We get all three of those in this volume, as Chihiro deals with his zombified cat, Bub, causing havoc in a way he’s determined to fix (partly as he loves his cat, but partly as he worries it could happen to Rea). Meanwhile, Rea is determined to get Darin to act more like a normal 14-year-old girl. The big thing in this volume, though, is that Rea is different from the other zombies, as she did things out of order. How much of a difference this will make in the end I’m not sure, but given Rea and Darin are going to EvilCorp, I suspect next volume will be more serious.-Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – There never really was any uncertainty about how Strobe Edge would end, so in that respect it feels like it’s taken a long time to get here, especially with Ninako’s recent hesitancy to go for it with Ren because of how it might damage his friendship with Ando. And yet, because the series officially concludes halfway through this volume, it somehow manages to feel a little too quick, too. Weird how that happens. Happily, a bonus chapter at the end of the volume reinforces the ending, and gives us another glimpse of how well suited Ren and Ninako are for each other. There’s also a bonus chapter focusing on Ren’s small, enthusiastic friend Manabu, which would’ve been nice to see earlier in the series. All in all, not a surprising conclusion, but a satisfying one all the same. – Michelle Smith

Whispered Words, Vol. 1 | By Takashi Ikeda | One Peace Books – Kazama Ushio loves girly girls and is initially oblivious to the fact that her tall, athletic, and uncute best friend, Sumika Murasame, is in love with her. The moments focusing on the incremental progression of the central romance are the highlight of this 3-in-1 omnibus, but there’s also a lot of episodic randomness and unsuccessful attempts at comedy. I would’ve been disappointed had not Sean mentioned that the series is due to take a more serious turn; I predict that will suit me better. I’m also hoping for improved editing in volume two, because it was truly awful here. I lost count of how many times the wrong word was used (“through” instead of “throw,” “choose” instead of “choice”) or text was strangely formatted, but what really bothered me most were the numerous instances of untranslated dialogue. Get it together, One Peace! – Michelle Smith

This week, Michelle, Sean, and MJcheck out recent releases from Yen Press, Viz Media, and Seven Seas.

Bunny Drop, Vol. 10 | By Yumi Unita | Yen Press – This final volume of Bunny Drop (comprised of short stories) does nothing to clarify the mixed feelings I have about the series. I appreciate having more time with Rin and Kouki as kids, especially seeing how Kouki reacted to having a father figure like Daikichi in his life, or how he ended up on a delinquent trajectory in middle school. There’s also a fun chapter about how Rin’s mangaka mother met her assistant/husband. If the whole volume had been set in the past, that might have been ideal, but the final story, “And Then,” affords readers a glimpse of Rin and Daikichi’s married life, which basically looks just like their pre-marriage life. Their dynamic seems exactly the same to me, and though I suppose I prefer that to scenes of them making out, it’s also kind of depressing that Rin never really got out and experienced life on her own. – Michelle Smith

Magi, Vol. 5 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – Inequity is a sad reality in most worlds, fictional or no, and Magi is no exception, as Alibaba’s flashback shows us his origins and reveals how much of the ‘villainous gang’ presented her are simply fighting for basic needs. The current ruler, of course, is a typical ‘they deserve to starve to death’ type King, but at least the good guys now have Sinbad on their side. That said, the real highlight of this volume is the debut of Judar, who has a real over the top villainy to him that appalls the senses. Naturally, he’s a magi as well, meaning he’ll have to fight with Aladdin – a fight that is evenly matched even with Ugo’s help. In fact, Ugo seems to be almost enraged. A nice solid volume of Magi. – Sean Gaffney

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 20 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – While it may seem a bit unbelievable that I’ve waited this long to delve into the newest volume of Pandora Hearts, I’ll admit that the fact that we’re nearly caught up with Japan (and are therefore now experiencing longer wait times between volumes) has me feeling a bit anxious. How can I survive without my regular dosage? How? And volume twenty does nothing to relieve my condition, what with its increasingly tense plot, relationship building, joyous reunions (welcome back, Alice!), and dramatic (if not wholly unexpected) ending. Sean recently joked that the site might have to shut down in mourning when this series ends, and I suspect he’s on to something. Oh, Pandora Hearts, how I love the way you hurt me. Still recommended. Y’know. Just in case you wondered. – MJ

Strike Witches: Maidens in the Sky, Vol. 2 | By Humikane Shimada, Projekt Kagonish and Yuuki Tanaka | Seven Seas – I had my issues with the first volume of this series, but it did in fact make sense and have an actual story that introduced the main heroes. This second volume, unfortunately, drops that in favor of pandering to those who have seen the anime, dropping in at least 10 different characters who apparently starred in that version of the story. Which is nice for those who wanted to see them, but for me it’s just a parade of names and quirks. Between that, the ‘look, panties!’ art, and the fact that our heroine is incompetent except when people’s lives are at stake, I’m afraid that I found Strike Witches intensely frustrating overall. – Sean Gaffney

Sweet Rein, Vol. 2 | By Sakura Tsubasa | Viz Media. – The lead relationship in this manga is a bit fuzzy to me (Kaito, in particular, needs more to do besides be the perfect reindeer boyfriend), so I am pleased to see that we had a lot of focus on Kaito’s brother, Rihito, and his much more grumpy and standoffish relationship with his newfound Santa, who is a young man working extra jobs in order to support his younger sister after their parents died. There’s a bit of BL tease here, but mostly it draws on the reindeer/Santa relationship, and how it manages to draw out Rihito’s nicer side almost despite itself. On the whole, though, and not helped by a very weak unrelated one-shot at the end, this isn’t as strong as its first volume. – Sean Gaffney

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 4 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – One thing I really like about this manga is that the romance barely exists. This series is about Hime’s acting career, and even if she does bond with Senri, there’s no sense that it’s going to resolve anytime soon, nor should it. Right now this is about Hime learning how far she has to go (I loved her realization that all her lines sounded the same), and dealing with a highly competitive and biased acting world that may be out to get her before she even begins. As with Minami’s previous series, Special A, the reader has to accept the fact that Hime’s shininess is one of the things that will never go away. The key is finding out how to use that shininess for good… and by good, I mean good acting. – Sean Gaffney

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

Bunny Drop, Vol. 10 | By Yumi Unita | Yen Press – For many fans, Bunny Drop was a tricky series (for reasons documented by nearly everyone), and though I found the final volumes more palatable than I expected, I was never able to buy the supposed attraction between Rin and her much older guardian, Daikichi. For me, like most fans, I suspect, volume ten provides a single-volume capsule of exactly what I loved most and least about Bunny Drop. On one hand, this collection of side stories offers a welcome return to the series’ early charm. Most of the volume is devoted to tales from Rin’s childhood (along with a Masako side story that is surprisingly delightful). Unfortunately, its final chapter, depicting Rin and Daikichi’s married life, further illustrates the complete lack of romantic chemistry between them. Still, as a huge fan of the early series, I consider this volume a win. Thanks, Yen Press! – MJ

Dictatorial Grimoire: Red Riding Hood | By Ayumi Kanou | Seven Seas – The dramatic arc behind this final volume is not really Red Riding Hood – who’s also the wolf, in an excellent plot twist – but rather the relationship between Otogi and Cinderella, who turns out to be not quite what he seemed. But then given that this is based around Grimm’s Fairy Tales, it makes sense that things would get darker towards the end. Luckily, Otogi is better than his father and uncle, and is able to save the day and come to terms with Cinderella’s past. I wish that the volume had more of Hatsushiba kicking ass (she literally gets locked in a birdcage towards the end), but won’t carp too much. This has been a fun little series, with lots of amusing characters. – Sean Gaffney

Happy Marriage?!, Vol. 5 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – Anytime we see Chiwa interacting with Hokuto’s family I get fascinated, which is a good thing, as Chiwa and Hokuto’s struggles to communicate with each other are really starting to frustrate me otherwise. It’s a decent example of people who fall in love but barely know how the other person works, but man, is it teeth-grinding to read. Much better are the machinations behind the scenes of Hokuto’s family, and Chiwa trying to be supportive and yet learn more at the same time. (There is also a gag showing how ignorant Hokuto is about things like foreplay that made me laugh out loud.) It’s not a happy marriage yet, but we’re only halfway through the series, and it’s been worse. But please, take the time to speak with each other! – Sean Gaffney

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 8 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – This volume focuses primarily on the relationship between Tanikaze, Izana, and Tsumugi, and their bonding into a family unit – they even find an apartment off in the far reaches of the ship and move in together. This is awkward not just because Tsumugi is a gauna hybrid who looks like a snake-worm thing (if I’m being charitable… please don’t sneak into Tanikaze’s bed looking like that, Tsumugi, it leads to filthy thoughts), but also because Izana’s love for Tanikaze is starting to reach a breaking point, especially as he still seems oblivious to Izana. Is it just because Izana is a hermaphrodite? Is it because Tanikaze still can’t get over the death of Hoshijiro? And does it even matter given that Izana may not live to see the next volume? Dang, this manga is addicting. – Sean Gaffney

Sweet Rein, Vol. 2 | By Sakura Tsukuba | Viz Media – I’m hard-pressed to think of how this manga could possibly be more frothy and insubstantial. Kurumi (a Santa Claus) and Kaito (her reindeer) spend their second Christmas together bringing joy to a bunch of orphans, then it’s summer and their bond is tested by a “Dark Santa,” and then it’s Christmas again, but they’re still 17. Meanwhile, Kaito’s brother finds his Santa and they somehow get into an argument with another beach hut noodle vendor (yeah, it’s summer again) that can only be settled by… a beach volleyball tournament. Ye gods. And yet, despite it giving me multiple things to roll my eyes over, I don’t dislike Sweet Rein. It probably helps that the way Tsukuba draws reindeer is so darn cute. It also doesn’t hurt that it’s only three volumes long; I’ll probably be completing the series as a result. – Michelle Smith

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 1 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. – I was campaigning for this series to be licensed when there was only one volume of it out in Japan, so it’s a relief to find that something I lobbied for sight unseen has turned out to be so good. (I mean, it’s by Fumi Yoshinaga, so the odds really were in its favor.) Shiro Kakei (lawyer) and his boyfriend Kenji Yabuki (salon stylist) have been together for a few years. Budget-conscious Shiro shops the sales and every evening prepares a multi-dish meal for them to share. The food segments are fun, no doubt, but what’s even better is when the food serves as a springboard for gay life topics, like their conflicting opinions regarding how open to be about their relationship or Shiro’s profound relief that he never got married to make others happy. It’s great stuff, and I’m so grateful that it’s here at last! – Michelle Smith

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

Alice in the Country of Clover: Nightmare | By QuinRose and Job | Seven Seas – A word of warning: this is another volume where only half of the story is what’s actually on the cover. The rest are short vignettes from Alice and Crimson Empire. The main story features Nightmare, as you might guess, and focuses on his annoying ability to read Alice’s thoughts, as well as his poor health. The other stories have Alice with Peter and Ace on a picnic; Alice and the Bloody Twins falling into a pit trap, and various Sheila x male love interest stories from the other continuity. The art style is quite different from what I’m used to – it’s meant to be more stark, but I think it just makes the art look like a bad reproduction, sadly. If you want more Alice, here it is, but this is 2nd tier stuff. – Sean Gaffney

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 13 | by Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – This was a great final volume of a shoujo series that is just unusual enough to make it extra memorable. Sometimes final volumes seem a bit rushed, but this one hit all the emotional beats a reader would want in a very deliberate way. Maria’s growth is demonstrated through her care of her female friends and in her budding relationship with her new found family. There’s never any doubt who Maria will end up with at the end, and Shin arrives while Maria is in the midst of singing her heart out to him. In shoujo love triangles, I always feel a bit bad for the second lead guy, but I really enjoyed the way the volume concluded with Yusuke’s point of view. Each character got a proper send-off, and I felt like the series had a fitting conclusion. – Anna N

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 20 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | Viz Media – I really like the way this volume of Nura uses the humans who make up his class at school. We saw a couple of volumes ago that Natsumi was used as a sort of monster template, and now we see our villain calling it back to haunt her. This allows her friend Maki to show off how awesome she is, even in the face of truly terrifying stuff. (Why isn’t their yuri about these two?) Much of the rest of this volume is devoted to fighting, and Rikuo looking cooler than ever. The villains still aren’t defeated,. though, and I suspect we have a ways to go. But it’s nice to see a shonen superpower series not forgetting about all the Muggles left along the way, and allowing them to kick but as well when necessary, both physically and emotionally. – Sean Gaffney

Sweet Rein, Vol. 2 | By Sakura Tsukuba | Viz Media – Sweet Rein may be too sweet for some, but I’m enjoying this gentle fantasy light romance series about a teenage girl Santa and her reindeer. This volume doesn’t have much of an ongoing storyline, as Kurumi embarks on her third Christmas delivering presents, although the author helpfully notes that despite passing three Christmases, Kurumi is eternally 17. Along the way there’s a bit of tension as the duo encounter a “Dark Santa,” and Kaito’s brother meets his Santa, who is not very enthusiastic about the idea of Christmas at all. Kurumi and Kaito’s relationship takes a bit of a backseat in this volume, but I’m still enjoying this series. It might be a bit predictable, but it is a nice low key cozy read. – Anna N

Toriko, Vol. 21 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Much of this volume seems to combine the food plot that is Toriko’s raison d’etre with various Buddhist teachings, as Toriko learns that being a loud and boisterous guy is not going to get him Bubble Fruit anytime soon. There’s meditation, and inner peace, and finally there’s damn near starvation in order to get the fruit to accept that he respects it as food (as opposed to simply wanting to eat it). Naturally, this leads to a monumental power up. And just in time, really, as the temple he and Komatsu are staying at is under siege by Gourmet Corp. Various former allies are now enemies, including Komatsu’s old cooking friend. I suspect Toriko will win the day, but the majority of this volume was about finding peace in food, not beating folks up. – Sean Gaffney

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

Alice in the Country of Clover: March Hare | By QuinRose and Soyogo Iwaki | Seven Seas – These one-shots can be interesting if you like to see the main male characters in different roles than they usually take. Blood Dupre makes a very good big brother type, and Peter White is rather scary when we see him actually try to act on his desires for Alice – it ends up being sexual assault, albeit cut off, and even though he later apologizes it’s still disturbing. Unfortunately, the main pairing of Alice and Eliot, while sweet, is rather dull overall There’s less of the callous disregard for life that I saw in the earlier series featuring this pairing. So in the end you’re left with a mostly fluffy book. Which is OK once in a while, but I usually expect something deeper and more disturbing from my Alice spinoffs these days. – Sean Gaffney

Bloody Cross, Vol. 2 | By Shiwo Komeyama | Yen Press – There’s a lot less of Tsukimiya and Hinata in this volume and a lot more of Tsuzuki, and I’m not really sure it’s to the book’s benefit. Tsukumiya remains a great lead character, particularly when she’s being cagey or indulging in blackmail. Likewise, we want to find out what’s going on with Hinata, and the cliffhanger clearly is there to drive us crazy. Most of the rest of the volume, though, is a lot of bland fighting, a lot of bland pretty boys, and Momose, who is the diligent catgirl demon type who always seems put into works to interest people who are not me. If you enjoy quasi-religious fantasy with lots of swinging swords, explosions, and triple crosses, this will be pretty good. But I think even the hardcore fans of that sort of genre will find this on the bland side. – Sean Gaffney

Deadman Wonderland, Vol. 1 | By Jinsei Kataoka & Kazuma Kondou | Viz Media – Something I’ve appreciated in the current manga market is its abundance of re-releases, including omnibus editions of older manga, and license rescues of series that I missed the first time around. Deadman Wonderland falls into the latter of these categories, having received its original, incomplete release from Tokyopop before the demise of that company’s North American publishing division. Set in a post-apocalytic “prison” park, in which inmates are forced to battle for their lives for the public’s amusement, this series’ re-licensing amidst today’s rash of “survival game” manga seems like a no-brainer. But though the plight of falsely-accused protagonist Ganta is certainly compelling, I’m not sure I have the stomach for the series’ gleeful violence. Walking a thin line between horror manga and brutality porn, the enthusiasm of the series’ creators feels eerily like that of the prison’s eager spectators. Can I continue? Time will tell. – MJ

Drifters, Vol. 3 | By Kohta Hirano | Dark Horse Comics – I will admit that the plot of Drifters does still exist, and it’s intriguing. The Black King does not appear to entirely be the Big Bad that he’s made out to be, even if his generals all appear to fall into that role. But let’s be honest – this manga exists entirely to see how often Hirano can draw badasses being badass, and all of Volume 3 answers that question: a lot. When even the good guys are all battle crazed insane freaks, , there’s no telling what will happen next. There’s a fair amount of sexism here. Joan is treated hideously, and the constant harassment of Olminu grates on the reader as much as it does on her. But man, everyone here is clever and badass and has plenty of quips and big grins and they kill things and blow things up, and… it’s just a pure adrenaline rush of a manga. -Sean Gaffney

Genshiken 2nd Season, Vol. 4 | By Shimoku Kio | Kodansha Comics – I joked on Twitter that much of this volume felt like taking a bunch of extrovert bombs and dropping them into a crowd of introverts to explode randomly. It’s also about crushes, and the importance of saying how you feel, even if it means that your love is not returned. Hiro’s admiration/crush on his sempai has driven much of his behavior, and even as she notes she’s marrying his brother, Hiro’s attentions seem to be turning more and more to Madarame. Speaking of Madarame, he continues to attempt to awkwardly negotiate the festival while plotting and scheming goes on all around him, leading to a nasty little cliffhanger where Saki is lured into the clubroom so Madarame can confess… though she’s figured things out anyway. The characters keep you coming back to this excellent manga. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 11 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Manga by Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – A piece of art critical of censorship is about to go on display at a museum in Iku’s hometown, and the Media Betterment Committee aims to prevent it being seen by the public. A gunfight ensues, which at first seems like a completely sanitized shoujo version until Iku actually glimpses a dead person and ends up shooting some people. (It’s still 90% sanitized, but that counts as progress, I think.) Meanwhile, she realizes that she really, seriously likes Dojo and they make plans to go to a café on their day off for some chamomile tea. I’ve gotten to the point with this series where I’ve stopped thinking too much about the premise, or how Iku is the weepiest soldier on the planet, and simply enjoy the nice Iku/Dojo moments, of which there are many. It’s a trick I recommend! – Michelle Smith

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

Bloody Brat, Vol. 1 | Original Series by Yuuki Kodama, Story and Art by Kanata Yoshino | Yen Press – Typically, I’m not much of one for comedic spinoffs of successful series, but the humor in Blood Lad happens to suit me, and I reckoned the adorable Mamejirou would be featured prominently, so I decided to give Bloody Brat a try. I actually found it a bit less funny than the original, but there were still a few things that made me giggle. Most of it, though, is neither awful nor amusing. Staz is late to a territory challenge because he’s stuck in the bathroom without toilet paper. Fuyumi is plagued by magic-sapping ogre undies. Bell gains weight and goes on a quest for a miracle drug. It is impressive how well Yoshino can draw in Kodama’s style, though. In the end, this really is just for pre-existing Blood Lad fans. If you’re of that group, I’d say it’s still worth checking out. – Michelle Smith

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 11 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – This seems very much like a breather volume for this series, after all the action and darkness we’ve had before. Sure, there’s Yukio’s worry that he has evil within him that he is unaware of, but that’s a normal part of his character arc. Also, we get a lot of ship tease between our love triangle, as Shiemi decides to ask Yukio to the school dance, but is rejected, and Rin, who was also going to ask Shiemi, decides not to now, and everyone is wonderfully clueless and it all ends with an OT3 at the Bon dance. (An innocent OT3, I might add.) This is just a breather, though – there’s more darkness ahead, seemingly involving creepy student Nemu Takara and our favorite grumpy eyebrows girl Izumo. I expect we’ll get less fluffiness next time around. – Sean Gaffney

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 5 | by Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – I do so enjoy this mashup of vampire romance and office politics. This volume finally shows strict vampire boss Kyohei showing some vulnerability and admitting his feelings to his secretary Kaya, as he gives up drinking from anyone but her. This causes problems in vampire society and Kyohei’s integrity is called into question, as a predator vampire with only one person to prey on is simply not done. Kaya continues to wonder about the relationship between Kyohei and long time vampire friend Marika, and while she does still manage to keep her professional demeanor on most of the time, her true emotions start showing through. I think this series has a couple more volumes left, which will be just the right amount to wrap things up in a satisfying way. – Anna N

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 2 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – I haven’t really been keeping up with this series at all, so the reveal at the end of this volume actually did come as a surprise to me, even if, looking back at what I read, it should have been obvious. Most of this volume is dedicated to deepening the love triangle of the three leads, and showing how their best friends are trying to nudge them in the right direction (even if said best friends don’t like each other at all, though I suspect there’s a ‘yet’ in there). Mostly this is very standard harem comedy fare, with very little that is original or surprising. But it’s decently told, the three leads never get so annoying that you want the manga to end fast, and the introduction of Tsugumi should provide some more action scenes, if nothing else. This is popcorn manga, and worth reading if you like the genre. – Sean Gaffney

Psyren, Vol. 15 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | Viz Media – One of the things I’ve liked best about Psyren is its focus on the mindset of its villains, and what they are striving for beyond ‘power’. There’s a monologue in this volume about trying to fill the emptiness that each of them feels with violence and greater and greater enemies that’s quite touching, even though it doesn’t lead to any sort of decision to stop. Likewise, if you recruit an emotionally damaged child and teach her how to destroy, don’t be surprised if you end up with an emotionally damaged teen. At least Sakurako is able to move past the differences in her split personality and her own tortured love for Ageha and come to a peaceful understanding. The final volume is up next, and I suspect it will wrap up too fast, being a Jump series – cut short is the name of the game. Still looking forward to it. – Sean Gaffney

Rin-Ne, Vol. 14 | By Rumiko Takahashi | Viz Media – Rin-Ne has always been more along the lines of UY aand Ranma rather than Inu Yasha, meaning everything here is silly and comedic. I particularly likes the possession of Jumonji, where it’s unclear if he’s using it as an excuse to abuse Rinne or not. We also get a new antagonist introduced, because that’s what these series do. Renge is a damashigami, meaning she has to harvest innocent souls before their time. She’s also better at getting the drop on Rinne and Sakura than previous villains have been. Luckily, as with a few other previous villains, she reckons without the true power of Rinne’s poverty and parsimoniousness, which manages to save the day. Rin-Ne is never going to win any awards for best manga, and it’s only recommended to Takahashi fans. Those fans should have fun, though. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 10 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – I’ve been getting a little impatient with the pacing of this series in the past couple volumes, so I was happy to see that the final volume wrapped up everything so nicely. This is one of those series where it is never in doubt that the main couple Ren and Ninako will get together, so I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by mentioning that they finally work through all the issues that were preventing them from officially dating and embark on a real relationship. It is all very sweet and heartfelt. The main story wraps up quickly, and there are a couple of additional side stories with the other characters included in this volume. Sometimes straightforward well-executed romance shoujo is exactly what a reader needs, and Strobe Edge fills this role easily. I hope the conclusion of this series means that Shojo Beat will release more Sakisaka manga in English. – Anna N

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

Fairy Tail, Vol. 35 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Leaving aside the fight between Natsu/Gajeel and Saber Tooth’s Natsu and Gajeel-alike’s that takes up half this book, what struck me most was how it’s trying to have a lot of humor but it feels more and more that this is due to the fact that there will be little opportunity for it soon. We see future Levy talking about everyone dying in 2 days (including her beloved… hrm, Gajeel shiptease there?), and Jellal runs into the mysterious hooded figure, who is clearly someone he knows. And of course there’s the opening scene with Lucy beaten so bad she’s hospitalized. Given that, I am more charitable to the giant fanservice scene that is Chapter 298, and am highly amused by Gildarts’ entire chapter that shows that just because one is middle-aged does not mean you stop being a big dumb shonen hero. – Sean Gaffney

Happy Marriage, Vol. 5 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – With all the yaoi manga coming out, I feel like it is a tiny bit unfair that there are so few currently translated smutty manga for older ladies who enjoy stories about forced marriages and vampire bosses! But it is all the more reason to celebrate the few series like that which are translated! Volume 5 of Happy Marriage continues to document the growing relationship between Chiwa and Hokuto along with plenty of Machiavellian corporate machinations. Hokuto is finally showing his more vulnerable side to Chiwa, but not without plenty of misunderstandings along the way. Even though this manga is fairly predictable, it is still consistently enjoyable. – Anna N

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 14 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – The gap between the volumes for this series is getting fairly long, but that just makes me appreciate it even more. Suzuki’s world building and unique character designs make every volume a pleasure to read. In this volume Nanami throws herself into another adventure in order to save a dying Tomoe. The long-lost Mikage of the shrine returns for a visit and drops a few not very helpful hints about Tomoe’s conditions, leading to Nanami undertaking a dangerous trip through time in order to prevent the curse that threatens Tomoe. Along the way she meets Tomoe’s first love and sees a much more warlike and aggressive version of the fox ayakashi that she holds so dear. It’ll be interesting to see the fallout from the journey through time, especially if it changes Nanami and Tomoe’s relationship in the present. – Anna N

My Little Monster, Vol. 1 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – Neither Shizuku Mizutani nor Haru Yoshida has any friends, the former because she’s obsessed with studying and the latter because of his tendency toward violent and/or bizarre behavior. They somehow manage to strike up a friendship, however, and as Haru learns to relate to the world a little better, Shizuku begins to see the benefits of involving herself with other people. This perhaps makes My Little Monster sound like it’s a drama, but it really isn’t. I snickered quite a few times (even at the back cover, a promising early sign!) and basically loved every time Haru’s pet chicken appeared, which was frequently. Again, I’d stop short of calling this series profoundly great, but it was definitely enjoyable and a nice surprise, since I had no knowledge of it prior to its release here. I’ll be checking out volume two! – Michelle Smith

Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 1 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – I am very seldom in the position of loving an Arina Tanemura series almost without reservation, but such is the situation I find myself in with Phantom Thief Jeanne. I suspect much of this reaction is due to nostalgia—I have fond memories of watching the anime back in the days of VHS fansubs—but I do honestly think Jeanne has much to recommend it. Maron is not your typical happy-go-lucky Magical Girl heroine, and is confident, to boot, with inner dialogue like, “I don’t need to be saved… I’m not a weak little girl.” Too, I really like how Tanemura paces the development of Maron’s relationship with neighbor/rival Chiaki, and how Maron learns he’s been deceiving her just as she’d decided she could trust him. True, the art can be distracting (those eyes!) and there are quite a few unfunny comedic gags, but on the whole this is a series I’m glad to see back in print! – Michelle Smith

Sankarea: Undying Love, Vol. 5 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – Again, the cover tells the story, as things really aren’t going well with the whole ‘don’t eat people’ thing Rea’s trying to achieve. Luckily, the cavalry arrives in time, but now Rea and Chihiro are strangely embarrassed to be around each other. (Gosh, I wonder why?) What was more interesting to me was the Wanko subplot towards the end of the volume, where we see that her crush on Chihiro, and desperate realization that it’s not going to happen, is so bad that she ends up trying to turn herself into a zombie to get closer to him. Fortunately, the near-death experiment doesn’t take, and it seems to give her some sort of closure instead, which is a relief. Still, if you read Sankarea as a harem love comedy, I expect you may have run screaming by now. It’s the creepy horror that keeps things hopping. – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Michelle check out recent releases from Viz Media and Kodansha Comics.

Midnight Secretary, Vol. 4 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – This is a volume of two halves. In the first part, with Kaya and Kyohei separated from each other, they’re both at their best, and she even gets a very tempting marriage proposal – one which, as she turns it down, she notes would likely be better for her than her current situations. Then once she does come back to Kyohei’s side, things turn sour, as his staff think she’s a paid mistress, and a vampire acquaintance reminds her of her place in the hierarchy as a human. To give Kaya credit, she’s able to figure out right away that Kyohei’s vampire pride is getting between them – and we have the added bonus of knowing it’s also due to his growing love for her, and the disbelief that comes with that. At the midway point of this series, it’s still an excellent read for those who enjoy more mature titles. – Sean Gaffney

Missions of Love, Vol. 6 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – I have to hand it to Toyama. Most series that begin with prickly, hard to deal with characters have them soften up fairly quickly as circumstances come along. Not Yukina, who six volumes in remains incredibly frustrating to read about. She’s also frustrating for Shigure to deal with as well, as he finds it impossible to get her to accept his feelings even when he asks her straight out. Things are not helped by a) Mami and Akira, who continue to plot to drive the couple apart even as they grow closer, and b) Yukina herself, whose new order for a forced kiss leads to some very uncomfortable areas – something lampshaded by Shigure himself. All in all, however much you want to strangle its heroine, this remains a compelling potboiler of a manga. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 16 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – This is a darker, more serious volume of Oresama Teacher. Oh, there’s still plenty of laugh-out-loud humor, rest assured. But the presence of Momochi as the Student Council’s latest lancer in their attempts to destroy the Public Morals Club is far more frightening than any of its previous comedic types. The club is broken apart so easily that you worry, and it’s quite notable that Hayasaka’s blackmail letter is never actually revealed – I suspect his background will be at the end of the while series. Yui is also learning the danger of having real friends when you have to betray them – you feel horrible about it. It’s a good thing that Aki and Komari’s plot wrapping up is so cute, as it helps to lighten a funny but dark darker volume. – Sean Gaffney

Ranma 1/2 2-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 | Rumiko Takahashi | Viz Media – Somehow, I have missed out on Ranma 1/2 up until this point. I knew it was an episodic sitcom-esque sort of series, which aren’t really my thing, but as it turns out, I enjoyed this one quite a bit! I’m honestly surprised and I have no choice but to conclude it’s because Takahashi is at the helm. How else to explain that the bickering leads with the occasional glimpse of genuine feeling—Ranma and his unwilling fiancée Akane—do not bother me nearly as much as the bickering leads with the occasional glimpse of genuine feeling in Nisekoi? I also found myself giggling more than expected. Not at the multitudinous conveniently placed bodies of water that trigger Ranma’s gender transformation, but at some of the dialogue. “She’s really a very sweet girl. She’s just a violent maniac.” is a particular favorite. All in all I’m left to wonder why I waited so long. – Michelle Smith

Strobe Edge, Vol. 9 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – I warn you that you will end up very angry at a group of thugs who make their appearance halfway through this volume. Not only do they beat up one of the main characters, but they also ruin the romantic resolution that was so tantalizingly close. And so, with one volume left to go after this, Ninako and Ren are farther apart than ever, even as they both come to terms with their true feelings. Luckily, there’s more to this series than just its two leads. I’ve remarked before on the compelling side characters this story has, and one drama bomb dropped by Ninako’s friend Toda, who in the space of two pages reveals a manga story that I’d love to see and then vanishes from the narrative. Strobe Edge comes to an end next volume, and I hope that Ninako, who has finally learned what love really is, can find happiness. – Sean Gaffney

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

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Blood Lad, Vol. 4 | By Yuuki Kodama | Yen Press – It’s been nearly a year since we had a new volume of Blood Lad, and I’d forgotten just how well it suits my sense of humor. Right from the start, it had me giggling, and even rereading the few lines of dialogue I jotted down had the same effect. Kodama could also give lessons on how to effectively introduce antagonists, as Team Fearless, a group of vampire hunters targeting Staz, is immediately funny, memorable, and interesting. They’ve all got some unique powers, but my favorite is the cat-like leader, Shamkid, who basically grooms his enemy and swallows their hair to gain the ability to predict their movements. After the battle, he horks it back up. Hee! On top of this, we learn what Braz’s endgame has been, which has the potential to affect the entire demon world. Happily, we’ve only to wait until July this time for the next installment! – Michelle Smith

Cage of Eden, Vol. 13 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Cage of Eden has moved from every 2 months to every 4, never a good sign for a North American release. Nevertheless, it’s ended at 21 volumes in Japan, so should finish up over here. This volumes features a lot fewer attacks by prehistoric animals – zero, in fact. What we get instead is some plot development. Yarai and his group find their building is not what it seems, and also that his teacher is slowly dying. On Akira’s side, we see the introduction of two men from another camp elsewhere on the island, which is led by a doctor who may be Akira’s evil counterpart. And yes, there’s nude bathing, because this is Cage of Eden – monsters may be optional, but breasts are not. It’s still a good, fluffy read, but it’s starting not to justify the investment put into it. And as ever, no real romance. – Sean Gaffney

Fairy Tail, Vol. 34 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Well, if nothing else, I think we know who our next Big Bad is going to be. From the first chapter to the last, Minerva has shown herself to be a rather loathsome, yet insanely powerful figure. Naturally, Lucy ends up getting the brunt of the suffering here – Erza and Cana earlier showed off the massive power that Fairy Tail possesses, but Lucy’s job seems to be punching bag a lot of the time. Meanwhile, Laxus gets a battle of the mind with his father, and Wendy gets a cute adorable shonen battle which ends with true friendship, just as you’d expect. There’s nothing really wrong with this volume, but as with most tournament arcs, things are getting rather predictable. I’d really like some sort of hideous disaster to come along and shake things up a bit. Perhaps Mashima can oblige me. – Sean Gaffney

Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 12| By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – I admit it: I read the ending first. I feared some sort of sappy retcon of what had been established about the Genbu priestess in the original Fushigi Yûgi series, but I needn’t have worried. The ending is a satisfying one, but like volume eleven before it, volume twelve feels pretty rushed. I wish there was more time to dwell on the various sacrifices made to bring peace to an icy and wartorn land. One of the best things, though, is this comment from Watase’s comments at the end of the volume: “I hope you’ll be patient in waiting for the Byakko arc!! Sure, I want to work on it!! Now that I’ve come this far, I can’t die before I finish every arc.” It feels a little wrong to say “woohoo” after the events of this volume, but I admit the temptation is strong. – Michelle Smith

Knight of Sidonia, Vol. 7 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – I’m enjoying Knights of Sidonia a great deal, but it’s sometimes hard to express why in a review, even a brief one. There’s less wacky harem antics here, though it is notable that Tsumugi, the newborn hybrid Gauna, seems to have a massive crush on Tanizake like all the other female (or even ambiguously gendered characters) do. There’s lots of epic space battles for those who like them, with both Tsumugi and Tanizake getting to show off their awesome battle prowess. There isn’t quite as much creepy body horror here as in previous volumes, but it’s there. Mostly, though, this is a series that’s hard to really describe to someone when they ask why it’s good. You just have to give it a try, and see for yourself. Because it’s addictive, and once you start reading you won’t be able to stop. – Sean Gaffney

Midnight Secretary, Vol 4 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – As this volume opens secretary Kaya is torn…between two bosses! She continues to work on her temporary assignment to the Erde company while juggling secretarial and blood donation duties to her vampire boss Kyohei Tohma at night. Kyohei is disconcerted by his feelings of jealousy whenever he sees another man near Kaya while Kaya continues to maintain that providing the president with her blood is just a routine part of her job. Kaya knows that she’s in love with Kyohei, but is determined to just live her life with unrequited feelings because she’s so devoted to her secretarial job. The sudden presence of a new female vampire also throws off the equilibrium in Kaya and Kyohei’s relationship. This volume won’t disappoint fans of the series! Midnight Secretary is so delightfully trashy and gothic, I always enjoy each new volume. – Anna N

Strike Witches: Maidens in the Sky, Vol. 1 | By Humikane Shimada, Project Kagonish, and Yuuki Tanaka | Seven Seas – This turned out to be a lot more harmless than I was expecting – possibly deliberately, I understand there was a manga version in Japan before this that was cancelled for content reasons. Aside from a wacky panty-snatching dog familiar, and panty-rocketed teenage girls, this is your standard girls in school learning how to use their awesome powers manga. The girls in question are soldiers, brought in to battle aliens who have devastated the Earth. The teen soldiers include our heroine, the naive Yoshika, who may have more power than any of the others. If you can get past the basic premise, and don’t mind fanservice, this is a pretty good action comedy runaround. It wraps up next volume, I think, but there’s more spinoffs on the way. – Sean Gaffney

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

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A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 13 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – Recently, A Devil and Her Love Song has been pretty melodramatic, but I’m pleased to report that the thirteenth and final volume is the best in some time. The best parts, though, have nothing to do with main couple Maria and Shin. Instead, I really liked how much focus the group of friends received as a whole, particularly Ayu, with her unrequited feelings for Yusuke, and Yusuke with his unrequited feelings for Maria. Their plight is much more genuinely interesting than that of Maria and Shin, and the ending is actually kind of awesomely bittersweet, if I am interpreting Yusuke’s narration in the right way. Unfortunately, the series struggled a little getting to this point, and I’m not sure if I’m down for rereading it, but at least it comes to a very satisfatory conclusion. – Michelle Smith

Durarara!!: Saika Arc, Vol. 3 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – In the first Durarara!! arc, we saw how seemingly meek and mild-mannered Mikado was far more than he seemed. In this arc, we discover the same thing about quiet and reserved Anri, who is quiet and reserved for a very good reason. The series has several ‘monsters’ in it – Celty, Shizuo and his strength, and now, as we discover, Anri. Yet it also takes pains to show us how human and relatable they all are, and in fact the one inhuman monster left, Izaya, seemingly has no superpowers at all (is jerkass a superpower?). It’s a fun series with lots of fights and smug characters being smug. I expect the Yellow scarves arc, coming this fall, will focus on Masaomi, given what we’ve seen so far. I hear it’s much darker than the Saika Arc. – Sean Gaffney

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol 11 | By Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – I feel like it has been quite some time since I’ve been able to enjoy a new volume of Library Wars. This volume takes a turn towards the grim and solemn side, as a confrontation defending freedom of expression at a museum turns deadly, giving Iku her first traumatic combat experience, and severely wounding superior officer Genda. Dojo helps Iku get through the aftermath as best he can, but the political pressures on the Library Corps prompt Commander Inamine to announce his resignation, leading to even more emotional turmoil in the ranks. Library Wars tends to shift in tone a bit, and this volume didn’t have much of the light-hearted scenes to break up the action and angst. I did find this volume very gripping and I’m looking forward to what happens next, hopefully with a bit of relaxation time for my favorite front line combat librarians. – Anna N

Magi, Vol. 4 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The first half of this volume is devoted to showing off the pure awesome that is Morgiana, and I for one could not be happier. Aladdin may have destiny, and Alibaba may have street smarts, but Morgiana has PURE POWER, and she learns here how to use it to help and save others. Meanwhile, in case the cover didn’t clue you in, we get a new hero introduced in the 2nd half. Given that his name is Sinbad, I expect that he will be playing a large role here. As for Alibaba, well, we’re not really sure what to make of him, as he seems to have joined the side of the villains this time around. Luckily, his friends are there to beat some sense into him (literally at times), and I expect that the nxt volume will give us a nice, tragic backstory to explain everything. This is still a terrific shone action series. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, vol 9 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – I could feel myself getting a little bit impatient with this series during the last volume, and I am still looking forward to the conclusion, just because I generally don’t enjoy romance scenarios where the inevetible main couple is kept apart because they refuse to actually talk to each other about their emotions. This does continue a bit in this volume, but I’m also really enjoying Sakisaka’s art while I’m waiting for Ninako and Ren to hurry up and finally get together. Here Ninako’s holding back from confessing her feelings again for Ren due to her not wanting to hurt Ando, while Ren finally seems to be ready to force the issue. The next volume is the last, which seems about right for this series. Even though the plot elements are a bit predictable, Sakisaka’s execution of standard shoujo manga tropes is excellent, and I hope that more series from her get translated. – Anna N

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 3 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – Most of this volume is devoted to the fact that Hime can’t do her ‘prince voice’ on command, and trying to make it come naturally to her. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done – to date, she’s only done it when the situation really needed it, which isn’t something that an actor can count on all the time. Luckily, she has her manager and friends to help her, even if it may also involve falling for her. (She’s contrasted with another actress who didn’t have the willpower to succeed Hime possesses.) We also get a closer look at Senri, and open one one of the classic genderbender plot t2wists – Hime is disguised as a boy and Senri can’t spot the difference. I expect this to lead to a lot of wacky and tragic misunderstandings. Not as eventful as the 2nd volume, but still fun. – Sean Gaffney

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

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Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar’s Game, Vol. 4 | By QuinRose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Seven Seas – Another volume of Joker vs. everyone else in the battle as to whether Alice will live happily in denial or wake to reality and crushing guilt. Blood gets the cover, and it’s appropriate – of all Alice’s potential suitors, he’s the one that seems to understand why he loves her better than the others, who can’t move beyond ‘bafflingly attracted to her’. Like Ace, Blood enjoys seeing Alice’s changing facial emotions. Unlike Ace, he prefers those to be mostly centered around him and love – and if that means they’re all anger and venom, well hey. It also contrasts well with Peter’s overdevoted yet basically sexless love, and the ‘oneesama’ feelings of Vivaldi. Will we ever see Lorina’s fate in this series? Only if it heads towards a ‘bad end’, which I doubt. – Sean Gaffney

Inu x Boku SS, Vol. 2 | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – While there is still an undercurrent of darkness to this title, I must admit I wasn’t expecting this volume to be quite as light and silly as it was. Carta, in particular, is a walking punchline, with ‘Peking Duck!’ probably being my favorite. Likewise the flamboyant lunacy of Kagerou, Ririchiyo’s fiance, means everything seems divided into nothing but masochism or sadism. That said, everything always gets dialed back when we focus on the cute yet arm’s length relationship between Ririchiyo and Soushi. The story of his upbringing is where the humor ceases, and his letter to Ririchiyo, as well as his realization of what they have meant to him, is very touching. Given the plot and the suggestive covers, I was expecting this to be a lot more fanservicey of a title. Instead, it’s proven quite sweet. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 14 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I spent an enjoyable weekend getting caught up on Kamisama Kiss, a manga I had neglected for far too long. Unfortunately, volume 14 isn’t the best representation of the series, since it’s largely introduction to an arc that finds Nanami paying a visit to Tomoe’s past in an attempt to save him from a 500-year-old curse in the present. That’s not to say there aren’t some very nice moments here—my favorite is the moment when Nanami realizes that her first plan would mean that Mizuki would never have come to their shrine, causing her to rush to his side and reassure him—but everything builds to the final moment, which promises some interesting developments to come. Just not, y’know, in this particular volume. Still, I like the series a lot in general, and have faith that the eventual payoff will be rewarding. – Michelle Smith

No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, Vol. 2 | By Nico Tanigawa | Yen Press – Sometimes I read this and it’s the funniest thing ever, where I take my time and savor each horrible moment. And then sometimes it just hits far too near the knuckle, and I find myself flipping ahead because I really don’t want to cringe as I read about Tomoko’s new humiliations. Balancing on that knife edge is what this series is, and I like the fact that it seems to be different for each reader – I had immense trouble with the entire arc with Tomoko’s cousin, but seeing Tomoko spying on a couple with two younger boys or her father catching her with a massager and a BL tape were hysterical. There’s something that every fan of dark comedy here will love, but buyer beware: each volume will also give you the creeping shakes at how horrible her life really is. – Sean Gaffney

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 19 | By Horoshi Hiibashi | Viz Media – There’s a wrap-up of the events in the past here, showing us Rihan supposedly taking out the Hundred Stories (as well as more of Otome’s psyche being quite fragile). However,k most of what we get here is complete chaos, as the Hundred Stories are back, and using the human tendency for rumors and mistrust to make life a living hell for our heroes. It’s impressive how well the author shows us things going completely to hell – you never quite lose track of what’s happening, but the sheer chaos of the sequences is fleshed out enough for you to care. Even Kana can’t escape the fact that Nura and his clan are yokai now, and it’s understandably making her a little upset. I anticipate next volume will have a lot of fighting, so it was good to see effective setup for that here. – Sean Gaffney

Toriko, Vol. 20 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – This volume mostly consists of a series of smaller short arcs meant to show Toriko and Komatsu on less life-threatening adventures. This ranges from Toriko playing Santa and delivering food to the hungry to the search for the stinkiest fruit in the world, the Durian Bomb. Having once been exposed to Durians, I can sympathize with this last one. This Durian also provides a healthy dose of humor, along with other one-shot gags such as the Full-course Meal of health-nut Aimaru. In the end, though, the best reason to read Toriko is also here in this volume: seeing Toriko obsess about food and be incredibly strong, and having Komatsu reveal how far he’s come as a character and show off his basic innate goodness. After 20 volumes, this title still makes me (sigh, sorry) hungry for more. – Sean Gaffney

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

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Arisa, Vol. 12 | By Natsumi Ando | Kodansha Comics – Yay, it’s over! Although this volume features a bomb, an over-the-top bitchy mom, several stabbings, and a healthy dose of redemption and forgiveness, none of it has any impact. It all just breezes past superficially. I’m kind of bummed that this is the sole example of shoujo mystery/suspense to come out in English in recent memory, because surely there must be better stories out there. One complimentary thing I can say about Arisa, however, is that the heroine (Tsubasa) does not get paired off romantically with the guy who helped with her investigation (Manabe). I thought for sure that would happen, but in the end, he actually likes someone else and Tsubasa derives closure from being able to get closer to her sister, and not from snagging a boyfriend. That counts for something! – Michelle Smith

A Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 13 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – It seems appropriate that the first third of this volume deal with the adversarial relationship between Ayu and Maria, given that this is where it all began. Sure, they’re good friends now, but that does not change the fact that Ayu still loves Yusuke, Yusuke still loves Maria, and Maria is in love with Shin. And sometimes there’s no real solution to those things. Maria, at least, refuses to abandon any of her friendships, and Ayu does come around. After this, it’s a refreshingly happy and positive final volume, as Maria continues to see her family, finds fresh resolve to become a singer, and of course strengthens her relationship with Shin. Even Anna is mentioned as moving forward. the darkness this series had throughout makes this ending all the sweeter, and it feels well-earned as well. A terrific title. – Sean Gaffney

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 5 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – First off, let’s note that, even amusingly censored as it is, this volume has a lot – a WHOLE lot – of nudity. FYI. As for the plot, Yozora tries her hardest (the horse head helps), and there’s the hint that our trap may not in fact be a trap at all, but for the most part this is a very Sena-focused volume. We see her loneliness and need to bond when everyone but her has a cell phone, and we see her obsession for cute things such as Kodaka’s sister. Mostly, though, we see that she’s really fallen for Kodaka, in a tsundere sort of way, and given that she’s slightly less socially inept than Yozora, probably has a better chance of getting together with him. Oh yes, and her family are insane, but I could have guessed that. This was a fun read for fans of harem comedies. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 14 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I sympathize with Nanami, I really do, given that the alternative is Tomoe’s death. But part of me just wants to grab her and scream “DO NOT MESS WITH TIME!” Yes, most of this volume takes place in the past, as Nanami resolves to stop Tomoe’s curse from killing him by preventing the curse from existing in the first place. The volume has plenty of magnificent Nanami moments, but fans of Kirihito and Mizuki will also find things to enjoy here. The other big attraction, though, is the evil past Tomoe, and how his history may already be changing just from meeting Nanami. (Or so we think – who knows? Do not mess with time.) This has the feeling of a multi-volume arc, so be prepared to spend more time in the past. Which I am fine with, as long as Nanami keeps being awesome. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 8 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – There is so much self-sacrificing going on in this volume I want to punch a kitten. Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely to see the angst and people being considerate of each other’s feelings and all, but I can’t help wonder how much longer this is going to go on with Ninako lying to herself? (Checks volume count – two more to go.) I do like the addition of the blunt guy who has nothing to do with Ninako or any of their friends – he makes a good sounding board, and hopefully will not be dragged into any love triangles, even though I suspect jealousy is going to rear its ugly head. I’m still enjoying this, but it’s a shoujo where everyone is sad most of the time, and that means that it needs to run its course soon. You can’t sustain angst over 10+ volumes. Luckily, next time is the penultimate one. – Sean Gaffney