Bookshelf Briefs

A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch, Vol. 1 | By Hiro Kashiwaba | Seven Seas – Jeanne, an elderly witch, summons Torata, an ordinary house cat, to protect her from the local villagers who view her very existence as a threat. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn more about both characters: Jeanne has been harassed, imprisoned, or shunned for her magical powers, while Torata recently lost his kindly human owner. Can these two wounded souls forge a meaningful connection? All signs point to yes, though the maudlin plotting and cartoon bad guys dampened my enthusiasm for their friendship; both characters’ backstories are so overwrought that the reader feels more cudgeled into submission than persuaded that Jeanne and Torata deserve our sympathy. At least the cat is cute. – Katherine Dacey

Gold Kingdom and Water Kingdom | By Nao Iwamoto | Seven Seas This was a very odd series, with an art style that I’ve seen before in Japanese magazines, especially josei and seinen, but rarely licensed over here. It’s unique. As for the plot, it was a good story, but I’m also pleased it was complete in this volume. Two kingdoms, each with their own issues, arrange a truce, and a wedding between their two countries. Unfortunately, both countries sabotage said wedding. It’s up to the groom from the Water Kingdom and the bride from the Gold Kingdom to try to pretend that this was exactly as planned so that they can find a way to avoid war. There’s some nice intrigue, and an action-filled ending of sorts. It’s a series I’m happy I read, though I’m unlikely to come back to it too much. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 36 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – This is one of those volumes that is almost entirely drowned out by its cliffhanger ending, which shows Bakugo with a fatal injury to his heart. Now, we all read shonen manga, so we know he’s not REALLY dead, but the question is how long that will be up in the air. That said, my favorite part of this otherwise all-action volume was seeing All for One have to briefly struggle… against Jiro, riding on top of a flying Tokoyami (and apparently having too sexy an ass for him to handle). Now that most fans read the series weekly, it’s easier to have instant reactions, and I loved the one brief, shining moment when it gave the impression that All for One would be taken down by the cool rocker girl. Still, yeah, Bakugo’s dead. Totally. What now? – Sean Gaffney

Neighborhood Story, Vol. 1 | By Ai Yazawa | Viz Media This was such a deeply nostalgic experience, even though I’d never read it before. Anyone who’s read Paradise Kiss will want to get this. Taking place a generation before that story, it’s still drenched in fashion and style, and the complicated, messy shoujo art is also very indicative of the early 1990s, when it first appeared. Our heroine, Mikako, clearly has a thing for her childhood friend Tsutomu, but his own popularity with girls and her desire to be her own woman cause them to constantly push each other away. Well, OK, more like she’s doing 90% of the pushing. Mikako is an amazing ball of fun, and I love the “Waaaaarrrp!” she shouts as she runs off very fast (I think this was in ParaKiss as well). It’s not all fun and games, but this was an absolute joy to read. – Sean Gaffney

365 Days to the Wedding, Vol. 1 | By Tamiki Wakaki | Seven Seas When reading this, I remarked on Twitter that it was an Izuku Midoriya/Yui Kodai AU fanfic from AO3, and that’s not too far off. Two workers at a travel agency are horrified to find it’s opening an office in Russia, and single people are more vulnerable to being sent abroad to start it. So Rika decides that she and Takuya will pretend they’re getting married in order to avoid the issue. There’s just one slight problem, which is that they’re both deeply introverted. Takuya’s deepest relationship is with his cat. Rika tends to enjoy looking at maps more than dealing with others. But the two of them have a nice chemistry, and are slowly starting to enjoy each other’s company. This has about ten or so volumes to it, so won’t resolve immediately, but this is a good start. – Sean Gaffney

Tsugumi Project, Vols. 1-2 | By ippatu | Kodansha Comics – In this post-apocalyptic thriller, a plane full of convicts parachute into Japan in search of a secret weapon; the first to successfully retrieve it earns his freedom. What they discover is a strange wilderness populated by apemen and monsters with nary a human in sight. The hero, Leon, is a stock action type—stoic, resourceful, and determined to succeed at all costs—as is his on-again, off-again companion Doudou, a motor-mouthed bumbler with a knack for getting into trouble. The real star of the show is the artwork, as ippatu has a flair for drawing stunningly beautiful creatures and wastelands; among his most striking creations is a humanoid with the face and torso of a young girl and the body of an ostrich, an elegant gloss on the ancient Roman harpy. If only the rest of the story didn’t feel so rote. – Katherine Dacey

The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, Vol. 4 | By Takashi Ikeda| Seven Seas – This is the final volume of the series, and as you’d expect, there’s no big ending climax or great revelations. Wanko gets a good role this time that looks like it might actually work out, Ellie decides to collaborate with her friend on a new project. (Said friend was in love with her as well, which seems to be news to Ellie.) Even the “drama” in this series is not all that dramatic—they deal with a potential stalker, but it’s just someone who is dealing with gender identity issues and wanted to know how Ellie made such a good “man.” Aheh. And there are any number of chapters that just open with our two ladies in bed together, sleeping peacefully and happily. A definite feel-good series; I’m so glad we got to see it. – Sean Gaffney

We Started a Threesome!!, Vol. 1 | By Katsu Aki | Seven Seas As with other briefs this week, reading this was an exercise in nostalgia, as Katsu Aki’s art style has not changed one iota since he began his career, meaning this really reads like a late ’80s/early ’90s series, even though it’s only from a few years ago. As for the plot, childhood friends Lia, Suisei, and Emito are in a polyamorous marriage. Lia has past trauma, Suisei suspects he’s only in this because he’s good in bed, and Emito is a sheltered young man who worries the others are carrying him. Honestly, given the cover, and the sheer amount of sex in this volume, it’s a lot more serious than I expected. That said, the seriousness is all “soap opera” stuff, albeit with some attention paid to poly dynamics, as well as a possible repressed attraction between the two guys. Recommended for fans of the author. – Sean Gaffney

Innocent, Vols. 1-3 | By Shin’ichi Sakamoto | Dark Horse Comics – I was waiting for this release for a while, and in terms of the artwork and the general style of the manga, it was worth the wait. Sakamoto’s works mostly fall into the “grand guignol” genre, which means you need to have a strong stomach and be prepared for over-the-top posturing. That said, I will admit that the book attempts to have me care a lot about the presumed decline and fall of the sensitive good boi ™ who is being asked to be France’s greatest executioner but the book does not really succeed. Charles just is not sympathetic enough… indeed, no one in this book is really likeable enough. Which, I mean, fair, it’s France right before the revolution. But it does mean that I’m not here for the plot and character, I’m here for the LOOKS. – Sean Gaffney

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 10 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – We’ve mostly moved on from the initial gimmick of this series, which is that, well, Kubo won’t let him be invisible. Most people can see Shiraishi now, and he’s able to interact with his class much more easily, to the point that we have to get a flashback to when they first met to remind us of what things were once like. That does mean, though, that the rest of the manga is mostly cutesy romance moments—Kubo’s not even teasing Shiraishi much anymore. There’s just things like putting on too much hand cream, or doing a Romeo and Juliet play, and the like. I really like this manga, but this is definitely a sign that it needs to wrap up soon. Good news: it’s only got two volumes to go. Sweetness can only get you so far. – Sean Gaffney

The Moon on a Rainy Night, Vol. 2 | By Kuzushiro | Kodansha Manga – The best part of this second volume in this series is the introduction of Kanon’s younger sister, who is seemingly friendly towards Saki but ends up being fiercely protective of her older sister once Kanon has left her side. It’s understandable; she doesn’t want to see Kanon hurt again. We also see Kanon dipping a toe into trusting people again, joining a club where she’s explicitly told the actual requirements will be low-maintenance and helping her find a place to call her own. Saki, meanwhile, is trying to learn more about Kanon—I like how she researches the meaning of “the well child” after having it thrown at her—but more importantly, is falling in love with Kanon, and I don’t think she’s quite ready to deal with that yet. Still an excellent series. – Sean Gaffney

My Girlfriend’s Child, Vol. 3 | By Mamoru Aoi | Seven Seas – This continues to be the series for which words like “stark” were invented. Sachi has definitely decided not to have an abortion now, and her mother is in her corner. As is her boyfriend. Unfortunately, her boyfriend’s family, as well as her older brother, are very much not in agreement, and they make this very clear to both of them—he’s basically thrown out of the house and has his cell plan cut off, and she’s getting told over and over again how her life, as well as her child’s, will be miserable if she goes through with having the child. That said, we also see why those who are naysaying are being so obstreperous about things—they have more experience, and more tragedy in their life, than Sachi does. Still well worth reading. – Sean Gaffney

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 18 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – The best joke in this volume, bar none, is that we’re heading back to school for the new semester—the last semester having ended almost five years ago, in volume six. That’s quite an extended break. I also really liked the bit where the wannabe bad guy tries to take over one of their classmates and do the same old stuff we got at the start of the series with the bugs, only to find that everyone is now far too powerful for all that. That said, much of this volume is setup, as well as reassurance that Kyutaro is still basically the same. Honestly, both he and Fumi have the same “is this really me and how many different selves do I have?” issue, so really, they belong together. That said, I do hope we’re getting to the final arc soon. (Volume 21 is out in Japan.) (Shhh.) – Sean Gaffney

A Sign of Affection, Vol. 7 | By Suu Morishita | Kodansha Comics – It’s been over a year since the last volume of this came out, and I forgot how much I missed it. The major event of this volume is that Itsuomi asks Yuki to move in with him, and they have to figure out everything that comes with that, including what it’s like to live with someone who’s deaf. And then there’s Oushi, who is in love with Yuki but does not actually want to make her unhappy, and is given advice that won’t do him any good but is likely the best that he can get at the moment—wait for this first romance to turn bittersweet and break up, and then he can swoop in. Sadly, they’re in a shoujo manga, so I’m not expecting a permanent break up, though no doubt there’s more drama to come. One of the best shoujo manga out right now. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 7 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – Taiki has been dealing with a lot. We do get a bit of his romance issues here, as he’s still awkward around Hina, mostly as he’s a teenage boy who has a girl who says she likes him, and even though he doesn’t feel the same way it’s hard not to feel a bit horny about it. But it’s the badminton that’s the most interesting part. He’s pushing himself far too hard, and I thought the message of the book was going to be “don’t forget to relax and remind yourself that sports are fun.” But no, this is a Japanese shonen sports series. So the message is actually “try harder, and harder, and break yourself into bits, and eventually you’ll get past that wall and victory will be yours!” And that happens here, if only in practice. Let’s see if it can translate into a real match. – Sean Gaffney

Bocchi the Rock!, Vol. 1 | By Aki Hamazi | Yen Press – I never did watch the <iBocchi the Rock! anime. Its lead character’s social anxiety—and the exaggeration thereof—ended up making me uncomfortable. Still, I’ve had this problem with sounds and images before, so wondered if the written page might be better. And I admit I was able to get through this with few issues. What I didn’t expect was that this would be because, without the anime’s directorial attempts at spicing things up and animation tricks, Bocchi the Rock! is a very normal 4-koma series in the Kirara mold, with Bocchi’s anxiety sometimes barely registering due to the tight panels of the required format. The most interesting part for me, as you’d expect in a 4-koma series like this, was the relationship between the four leads, and it’s definitely worth reading if you enjoy 4-koma. – Sean Gaffney

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 9 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe | Viz Media – Obviously the anime did not time itself with the release of this volume in North America (it was released in Japan in September 2022), but it seems like kismet that, after a fabulous but controversial arc about the true nature of demons, we’re headed back to that well in this book. We also see the welcome return of Denken, one of the most interesting mages from the Tournament Arc, and his own regrets about seeing the city he was from turned into gold by a demon’s powers. And into this comes Frieren, who takes one look at what’s happening in the golden city and says that it’s impossible for Denken to win. This series is at its best when it examines the cliched fantasy tropes. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 10 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – Sarasa is fun, funny, and the main reason most readers are probably following this. But she doesn’t have the training that a lot of these theater kids have, and when she goes out of control (as can be seen near the end of this volume), it can not only be impossible to stop her but actually damaging to the actresses she’s appearing with. She needs to be smacked down a bit, I expect. Ai, on the other hand, is flourishing in Sarasa’s absence (the two switched rooms with the twins for the sake of the Orpheus and Euridyce performance they’re doing), and is starting to realize that not all the advice she spurned from those in her idol group years was wrong or bad. That said, the main attraction to readers for this volume might be the girls in suits. They’re amazing. – Sean Gaffney

Like a Butterfly, Vol. 3 | By suu Morishita | Viz Media – If you get frustrated when two people who obviously really like each other but are too shy/stubborn/self-loathing to actually speak to each other, then this volume of Like a Butterfly must be pure torture. Suiren keeps trying to get Kawasumi to have a conversation with her, or say a word to her, or even look her way, and he is resolutely not doing any of these things, even going so far as to stop going to the group roof lunches. This is not only frustrating to everyone else in the cast, it’s frustrating to Koharu, who likes Kawasumi and has confessed to him but can’t get past it because he won’t admit his own feelings and confess to Suiren. Basically, it’s a high school romance cocktail, and very old school shoujo manga, which makes sense given this series is ten years old. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, Vol. 1 | By Yodokawa | Yen Press – I enjoyed this, but it didn’t really go the way I was expecting it to. I’d heard it was a yuri series, and there’s a bit of that here, but the setup shows it’s more interested in contrasting the sensible, somewhat tightly wound manga editor Asako with the laid-back, relaxed, and at loose ends former idol Miyako. They bounce off each other well, and a lot of the first volume deals with the fallout of Miyako’s sudden retirement, be it stalkers harassing her or her grumpy grandmother trying to take her back home. Miyako is a lot of fun, even though she’s a bit of a mess. Asako is responsible and likeable, even if she’s a bit of a mess. The two clearly need each other badly, and I’m hoping future volumes capitalize on this. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 22 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – We’re starting a new arc in this book, which involves a lot of things that readers of this series love. There’s a perfume that makes people go mad and literally eat other people. There’s some sort of immortality drug, which (judging by the cliffhanger) may even work on people who are down to just a head. There’s a bunch of new characters from the FBI, including two hot women who Kuroko immediately pays attention to. That said, Kuroko does very little this volume—even the standard sex scene goes to the bad guys this time around—and indeed the plot itself seems to involve Urara getting into a huge fistfight with a monstrously huge guy. Which, let’s face it, is another thing that readers of this series love. – Sean Gaffney

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 8 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship The first half of this volume is a parody of idol groups, as all of Rentaro’s girlfriends become one huge idol group for a Culture festival event. Unfortunately, not all of them have idol group talent, and their coach wants to concentrate on the good ones and ditch the bad ones, which won’t fly in THIS series. In the second half of the book we meet the newest girlfriend, a huge girl (she’s 6 foot 7) who tends the school gardens and is a lover of all living things, to a ridiculous degree. She has a complex about her height, and she also has a complex about the fact that this is a man with thirteen other girlfriends. I think she’ll fit in quite nicely on the “sweetie pie” end of the cast. – Sean Gaffney

Skip and Loafer, Vol. 8 | By Misaki Takamatsu | Seven Seas – At the end of the last volume (my review was all about Yuzuki, sorry/not sorry), Mitsumi and Shima agreed to start dating, though they’re both so awkward about it that they call it dating for a trial period. That in itself should clue you in about how well this volume goe—if the start of the book was everyone’s dream come true, the rest of this book is like Alex Norris’ Webcomic name, as we all say “oh no.” The whole book is excruciating but necessary, and it’s really driving Shima and all of his hangups into a corner, especially when he thinks the best way to resolve a conflict is not defending Mitsumi but in not revealing their relationship at all, something she understandably gets very angry about. Fortunately, I doubt this is the end for them. – Sean Gaffney

#DRCL Midnight Children, Vol. 1 | By Shin’ichi Sakamoto | Viz Media – This is one of those books that I wouldn’t normally pick up except for that art. Horror is not always my thing, and I’m not sure I needed “what if Mina Harker were battling against sexism at an English boarding school and also looked like Anne of Green Gables?” But there is that art. WOW. That art. This book gets its way entirely through vibe. That’s not to say the story is not good or compelling—it is, and I like seeing some of the characters usually left out of adaptations get a look in. But when you’re seeing Renfield in a nun costume killing rats and making them dance like puppets, or men on a ship with plants growing out of their backs to destroy the crew? You’re a vibe manga. And what a vibe manga it is. Very recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 27 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – How much you enjoy this volume of Komi Can’t Communicate may depend on how much you enjoy Among Us, as a large chunk of the volume is devoted to the cast all playing a massive Among Us game, trying to find the imposter. (With the serial numbers filed off, of course.) Mostly what this does is demonstrate to us how far Komi has come since the start of the manga, and how well she now CAN communicate with others. That said, in many ways she is just a pure young maiden, and when the idea of kissing comes up, on the cheek is really the farthest she can go for the moment. That said, I’m pretty sure that more significant kisses are going to be happening soon. Doesn’t have the highs of the books in the teen volumes, but still good. – Sean Gaffney

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 14 | By Afro | Yen Press – Last time I mentioned we might be seeing new characters, and sure enough the two girls we met in the previous volume are new students at the school. This would be a great opportunity to increase the members in the camp. Except… camping is now so cool that every club is offering camping along with their normal activities, so no one wants to join a club for JUST camping! The new characters fit in pretty well, which is to say they are cute but also eccentric. As for the older cast, well, we don’t see as much of Rin in this book as usual, but we do see Aki go on her first solo camp adventure, and discover the wonders of nature surrounding your tent and the inability to know how harmless that nature is. This is hard to review, but is basically “nice.” – Sean Gaffney

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 3 | By Sakaomi Yuzaki | Yen Press – Food is not only a joy to see in this volume because of the way the main characters gleefully prepare and devour it, but it can also be a way to find comfort from real life. The chapter where Kasuga has to talk to her father is nauseating but also very true to life, and we’re also introduced to a new neighbor, Nagumo, who has trouble eating a lot of food, and is also massively introverted in general. Fortunately, the power of food and friendship is strong in these women, and I loved seeing the get-together near the end with the three of them and Notomo’s friend Yako, the “normal” one in the series. That said, these two have pretty much realized they’re in love with each other, but haven’t taken things further. Next book, perhaps? – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family: The Official Guide | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – This is a standard guidebook, which means you should not expect anything earth-shattering in it. It doesn’t even have a short story or short manga, opting instead to have the author do various interviews with other manga creators, such as Blue Exorcist‘s creator. That said, if you wanted a guidebook for the series you love, this is the one to read. It goes through volume nine, which is to say right before we learn about Loid’s past, so that’s not in there. But you can learn how tall Loid is, or see the original character design and descriptions for Yor (the word “dumb” appears here, though I’d argue “ditzy” would fit a lot better). And there’s color pictures with annotations for all the promotional art the series has had, which is a lot. You don’t need me to tell you to get a guidebook, but if you like SxF this shouldn’t disappoint you. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 10 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – This book has two major events that dwarf everything else in it. The first is the massive 80-page chapter at the start that has a flashback to Loid’s childhood, which as you can imagine is filled with the horror of war and the death of loved ones. Heck, even when we think he’s avoided the death of loved ones it’s still coming. The second is the introduction of Melinda Desmond, Damian’s mother and Donovan’s wife. The series has been positioned to show Donovan as an abusive, or at least neglectful father, and that’s true, but seeing Melinda in this chapter may be even more chilling. There’s clearly something going on there, but we’re not sure what, and all we know is that she’s SCARY. This book is a turning point in the series. – Sean Gaffney

Tamon’s B-Side, Vol. 1 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – If you read Takane and Hana and thought to yourself “I want a different plot and different characters, but the exact same humor and vibe,” I have good news, because that’s what you’re getting here. Utage is a bonkers idol fan with a part-time job, and her top idol that she stans is Tamon. But when she arrives at her part-time housekeeping job one day, she discovers it’s Tamon’s apartment… and that in real life, he’s a desperately introverted self-loathing pile of poo, who is constantly saying he wants to quit. The premise is that no idol of hers is going to have that attitude, so she’s going to snap him out of his funks and get him back in the groove. The humor is that the two of them are completely bananas. I had a lot of fun with this. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 14 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The main couple in We’re New at This do not feel that they’re ready for children of their own yet, and they’re probably right. They both need a bit more maturity. But they’re getting there, and the scenes where we see them with other kids, or dealing with Sumika’s pregnant friend, shows they will eventually be terrific parents. As for the “horny” side of this title, it’s absolutely still there too, with an entire chapter devoted to shaving pubic hair, and how Ikuma likes it on Sumika and Sumika does not. The author’s other series, Ao-chan Can’t Study, was also ridiculously filled with sexual stuff, and I get the sense that’s the hook to draw readers in so that they can get hit with the very sweet, relationship goals stuff that is the other half. – Sean Gaffney

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 11 | By Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha Comics – This isn’t a yuri manga, but I would not blame fans for chipping Coco and Agott as hard as possible, especially after this book. Coco is a lovely girl who inspires everyone around her, but like so many of those characters she thinks very little of herself and her own needs. Agott dwells on herself and the others who have wronged her in the past too much, and oddly finds inspiration in Coco being stuck and frustrated like a normal person. Sadly, Coco’s original idea is practical but not cool, so no one likes it. But with a little help from her bestie, it becomes 100% cool and useful. It would be a shame if they aren’t able to achieve anything because of the incursion of a giant monster over the city tied in to Custas… oh, hi, cliffhanger. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 6 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – A lot of things are finally done in this book. We get Hina’s confession, and Taiki’s subsequent rejection, as well as the two of them trying to go back to the friendship they had before. We get Chinatsu hearing about this, which neither of them know about, and now she’s awkward around both of them. And, most importantly, we get Chinatsu’s growing feelings for Taiki. So far the romance in this sports romance manga has been more one-sided than anything else, but it’s now swinging the other way, and we even get the standard “a storm has trapped us in an inn for the evening in the same bedroom” plot. As for the sports part, well, Chinatsu’s team lost, but there’s still one more semester to go. Good solid Jump manga. – Sean Gaffney

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 11 | By Petos | Kodansha Comics – This took almost a year and a half to come out, but it serves up the finale pretty well. Takahashi and Sato got together last time, so there’s not really much else about them except “boy, they’re sweet.” Instead we go back to this series’ bread and butter, how people feel about demis. The decision to do a podcast, which will allow semi-anonymity but also let the girls talk about their demi status and also how they’re also dealing with the same issues regular humans do is inspired, and it makes sense that the one to take the reins as the main driver behind this is Hikari, our first “heroine.” I also appreciate how they rope in the rest of the cast, even the zashiki-warashi, who is briefly visible. Honestly, if you’re going to read a cute manga about monster girls, this should be the one to read. – Sean Gaffney

Like a Butterfly, Vol. 2 | By suu Morishita | Viz Media – I have to say, the art in this is really fantastic. Shoujo titles tend to come in two varieties, “cluttered and messy” and “expansive and lots of white space,” and this is the latter, where a conversation (or, given this series and who stars in it, a failed conversation) can take up an entire chapter. I’m not all that fond of one of the main conceits of the series, which is that Suiren is so gorgeous that she cannot go anywhere by herself for ten feet without being accosted by guys, but then, I’m a guy, so I can’t really speak to that. But yeah, this has the same strengths as the first book: really shy beautiful girl tries to tell really shy handsome guy that she likes him. It’s a lot of fun to read. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 35 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – This volume starts the final arc that is still ongoing right now, and so can feel a bit like setup. That said, my shipper heart will forever love this one, which has a ton of IzuOcha in it, from their bonding over sympathizing with villains towards the start to Toga basically outing Uraraka’s love after Izuku ends up grabbed and taken to the wrong place, throwing off all the heroes’ plans. The rest of what follows is “there will be fighting,” though it was nice to see Aoyama playing his part (and, notably, Aizawa didn’t say he WOULDN’T be expelled but also insisted he’s still one of his students, which is a very Aizawa thing to say). And, as always with long-running Jump series, this reads better in volume format. – Sean Gaffney

My Picture Diary | By Fujiwara Maki | Drawn & Quarterly – Although eventually formally published, My Picture Diary is an autobiographical work by Fujiwara Maki, wife of the renowned mangaka Tsuge Yoshiharu, which was originally intended to serve as a personal family record for their son Shōsuke. Nearly every day from January through April of 1981, and then sporadically throughout the remaining part of the year, Fujiwara drew an illustration to accompany a brief note about her daily life. Addressing the same time period as Tsuge’s manga The Man Without Talent, My Picture Diary provides more context and insight into Tsuge’s work but also shows Fujiwara as an artist in her own right. Before marrying Tsuge, Fujiwara was involved in avant-garde theater, only later turning to writing and illustration as creative outlets. With Fujiwara’s charming illuatrations and honest portrayals of the ups and downs of family life, it’s easy to see why My Picture Diary continues to remain in print in Japan. – Ash Brown

Nejishiki | By Tsuge Yoshiharu | Drawn & Quarterly – When Drawn & Quarterly first announced its series of Tsuge Yoshiharu’s mature works, immediately knowledgeable fans of alternative manga started talking about “Nejishiki,” arguably one of Tsuge’s most important contributions to avant-garde comics. It is now finally readily available in English, lending its name to the third volume of the series. Nejishiki collects seven of Tsuge’s short works, including “Nejishiki,” originally published between 1968 and 1972, most but not all in the influential alternative manga magazine Garo. Also included is an extensive essay by the series’ translator and comics historian Ryan Holmberg which places Tsuge and these particular selections into greater context. (I greatly appreciate this aspect of the series.) The stories in Nejishiki are surreal, disconcerting, and provocative, many utilizing dark, and often sordid, eroticism to convey the psychological underpinnings of their characters and narratives. Certainly not always the most comforting to read, Nejishiki is without a doubt a volume with impact. – Ash Brown

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 12 | By Maybe | Yen Press – I stopped briefing this for a while, but am still reading it, despite the various issues it has. (It’s also getting an anime soon.) This final arc has basically been “the past hero was exactly like you and also had a bunch of girls who liked him, but they weren’t as strong, so everyone died, and as a result I won’t let you have your happy poly relationship,” which our hero and heroines beat back with the power of pure shonen manga. Honestly, this whole series sometimes feels like a textbook example of “shonen by numbers”—lots of cute, voluptuous girls not quite having sex with our hero (though we have at least gotten to the sex with the main girl) and lots of fantasy battles. This ends soon, I believe. Keep reading if you are already. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 26 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – This book starts to put in the effort of getting us to know and care about the new cast, and sort of half succeeds, mostly when we get an extended sequence devoted to them. The “princess knight” protecting Komi works quite well. The soccer player who runs into Manbagi is clearly being positioned as a “pair the spares” boyfriend for her after Tadano’s rejection, but right now he’s such a basket case that isn’t happening. Fortunately, the best reason to read this is Koomi and Tadano as a couple, and they’re absolutely adorable—even if Komi is so pretty that neither his mother nor sister believe he’s actually dating her. This series has gone on too long, but has not yet jumped the shark. – Sean Gaffney

Lupin III: Thick as Thieves | By Monkey Punch | Seven Seas – If you read the first Lupin collection released by Seven Seas a year and a half ago and said “I want exactly the same thing, but with different stories,” good news: you have your wish. Another collection of Monkey Punch’s best manga stories featuring Lupin, this has none of the characterization of the movies, or even the first TV series, but it gets by because of the fascinating fluid, abstract art style, a sense of humor that is bleak, juvenile, and furious alternating, and a knowledge that we enjoy seeing Lupin do what he does best in this manga: steal things, escape from peril, and have sex with beautiful women. Sometimes he does all of these at the same time. This succeeds on pure moxie. – Sean Gaffney

Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 3 | By Wataru Yoshizumi | Seven Seas – My attempts to be nicer to Miwa reckoned without… well, Miwa, who I still despise. But now I’m shipping Meiko with “single.” In any case, this volume introduces us to another terrible parent, in a series that specializes in them, and it’s even more annoying in that it’s a terrible parent who has to inform Yuu and Miwa that yes, he slept around, but not with Yuu’s mother, so we get a terrible parent who doesn’t even advance the plot. That said, Yuu and Miki manage to do that themselves, and are together… for now… and Ginta has accepted that he’s lost. Arimi has as well, if less gracefully. It’s still a shoujo classic, and re-reading it reminds you why it was so popular as a gateway here in the West. – Sean Gaffney

My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 8 | By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka | Seven Seas – This wraps up the “Keith is kidnapped” plot in the first half, which is good, as I’m glad to see the back of it, and also bad, as Katarina/Keith is at the very bottom of my favorite pairing list. The second half of the manga is more interesting, telling an original story for the volume. Marsha knew Katarina before she gained her Japanese memories, when she was a hellion. But then her family was exiled for some mysterious reason. Now she’s back, and she’s determined to win Jeord’s heart and destroy Katarina Claes! That goes about as well as you’d expect. It’s nice seeing something new, though it’s not revolutionary. – Sean Gaffney

Nichijou, Vol. 11 | By Keiichi Arawi | Kodansha Manga – Nichijou is back after being away for over six years. In fact, it had an actual ending, and the creator moved on to a new series, City, which had much of the same style of humor. But it was not as beloved as Nichijou, and Kodansha editorial love to see creators return to popular works (see: GTO), so we’re back with the girls in high school as if the flashforwards in volume ten never happened. If you liked Nichijou‘s random, abstract humor, you’ll like this; the author hasn’t lost a step. That said, we’ve sort of returned to square one, and the characters very much take a backseat to the gags here. Which is fine, it’s a gag manga. But I hope in future volumes we’ll see some of the depth we got in volumes nine and ten. – Sean Gaffney

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Vol. 3 | By Hitoshi Ashinano | Seven Seas – The bulk of the back half of this third omnibus sees Alpha going on a long, extended trip around Japan (much to the distress of Kokone, who comes around several times but finds Alpha not there). The reason for this is a typhoon has destroyed her cafe, and fixing it up will require money. Since Alpha has no good answers, you could argue that her extended road trip is a good way to escape from her problems, and you’d be right, but the scenery is so gorgeous we don’t care. We also realize how time is passing—when we first met Takahuiro he was a young boy, but now he’s taller than Alpha. Bittersweet at times as you recall this world is slowly dying, it’s also still achingly sweet. – Sean Gaffney

I Don’t Know Which Is Love, Vol. 1 | By Tamamushi Oku | Yen Press – If you have been reading all those ridiculous harem comedies, the sort where it gets more and more ridiculous with each new love interest, and wished that there was a version for the yuri fan, I have good news for you. Our heroine is going to college to find a girlfriend after getting rejected in high school. She finds a number of girls, all of whom fall for her immediately. The harem members themselves include an up-and-coming idol, her roommate, her teacher, a drama student trying to lure her into acting (with a fetish for voices), and one girl who simply wants to have sex with her and is prepared to get very aggressive, full stop. The entire series would be questionable if it weren’t taken at such a fast pace and if it weren’t clearly designed for comedy, not romance. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 26 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – This isn’t the final volume of the series—there’s two more after this—but this is the resolution of all the plots we’ve had going forward; the rest is a victory lap. It’s a good resolution. Rescuing Kaguya and resolving her family issues is shown to be hard enough that it requires everyone working together to solve it (as well as a few frankly ludicrous physical feats on the part of Miyuki), but not too hard—after all, everyone survives even after having been shot at, chased over cliffs, etc. And, of course, we get the most dramatic confession of love ever, flying over the trees while dangling from a rope ladder under a helicopter. Of course, there are still a few loose ends, notably Ishigami’s love life, but that can probably be saved for later. Let the main couple have this. – Sean Gaffney

Medalist, Vol. 7 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Medalist will finally get a print release soon. It deserves it so much. One of the reasons it’s so great is that it balances its look at figure skating between its two leads. Yes, Inori is learning fast (a bit TOO fast, worryingly) about fantastic new moves that might help her catch up to her rival, including the biggie, the quadruple salchow. On the other hand, we also follow Tsukasa as well, who is leaning how best to coach her, when to recognize that she’s pushing herself too hard… and when to realize that he can’t help her and to call for help. All this combines with some truly stellar artwork, showing off the fast, gracious and athletic moves of these athletes to the hilt. It’s probably only getting print because an anime was announced, but I’ll take it. Read this. – Sean Gaffney

Offshore Lightning | By Nazuna Saito | Drawn & Quarterly – “Being alive is so much stranger than we think. More complicated, too. And it doesn’t make a lick of sense.” Collecting eight short manga from the early 1990s, two from the early 2010s, and an accompanying essay by Mitsuhiro Asakawa, Offshore Lightning is a brilliant introduction to the work of Nazuna Saito. Working within the gekiga tradition, the humanity present in Saito’s stories is remarkable, demonstrating great insight as well as empathy. There is an ever-present desire for human connection within Offshore Lightning, a deep sense of longing which still recognizes the absurdity of life with both humor and grace. Taking as her subject ordinary people, their lives, and their often fraught relationships, Saito shows that even the common can be interesting, engaging, and meaningful. It’s wonderful to see more alternative manga created by women make its way into translation; I would read more of Saito’s work in a heartbeat. – Ash Brown

The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Vol. 20 | By Carlo Zen and Chika Tojo | Yen Press – I read the Tanya manga but don’t usually review it, since I leave that for the light novel. But the manga is its own thing, especially in its treatment of Visha, who gets a far larger role in the manga than she does in the novel (or even the anime). Indeed, there’s even a third, new recruit in the manga who is also a woman (unnamed as of yet), so the manga is making it so it’s not ONLY Tanya and Visha in an all-male group. On the bright side, Visha’s adoration of Tanya and willingness to overlook her more evil moments are funny and a bit disturbing. That said, her love for Tanya actually DOES seem romantic in the manga, and so you need to do the weird “35-year-old man in the body of an 11-year-old girl = ???” but mostly just ignore it. The manga is fun but odd. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 5 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – Sometimes trying to be kind can just look like mixed signals. That’s what Taiki’s having to deal with in this volume of Blue Box. He takes Hina to the festival, but ends up spending most of it with Chinatsu, as they try to help a child find their mother. The two clearly have the chemistry of a main couple. Taiki doesn’t want to say anything because they’re living together, and it would be awkward if he confessed his feelings or not. But it’s pointed out to him that by doing so, he just makes it seem to Chinatsu that he’s going out with Hina—who is clearly interested in Taiki, something he doesn’t get either. Basically, for a sports manga, there’s sure a lot of romcom in this. – Sean Gaffney

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 8 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe | Viz Media – Generally speaking, you can’t always save everyone. Unfortunately, even when you don’t save them, sometimes the problem still remains. That’s what we see with the bulk of this volume of Frieren, as the traveling main characters come across a village where most everyone is already dead. The reason they’re dead is a demon that’s been using multiple swords, and the demon is still there. Opposing it is the grumpy Genau, who’s already seen everyone around him die, so is very unimpressed with Stark’s comparative low abilities. You know, for a slow life manga, this series sure has a lot of battle scenes. Which will probably make it flow better when the anime is out this fall. Still recommended. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 18 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Manga – This arc wraps up with Kotoko’s story-spinning abilities in full flight, as she tells the story of the “yuki onna” first as if it’s not true and everything can be explained by humans, and then as if it is true and there definitely was a yuki onna. We, of course, having met said yuki onna’s sister, know which version is actually the case. But it’s presented, as always, as just another story that may or may not be the truth. (And Kotoko really, really seems taken with the idea of our swordsman hero being impotent for some reason.) After the heavy angst of the previous arc, this was a mild and relaxed arc by comparison, with the death happening long ago. Next time we’re promised some shorter stories. Good times. – Sean Gaffney

Issak, Vol. 1 | Story by Shinji Makari, Art by DOUBLE-S | Kodansha (digital only) – If you’re jonesing for some old-school manly man manga, Issak might be your cup of tea. The story follows a Japanese marksman who travels to Europe—in 1620, no less!—to avenge the death of his mentor by joining a band of Protestant mercenaries. Issak has a nifty gun, a lethal sword, and an almost supernatural ability to get the upper hand in every situation. Alas, the script is kind of a drag, as most of the dialogue takes the form of dull history lessons delivered with all the flair of Ferris Bueller’s economics teacher. About the best I can say for Issak is that it captures the brutality of seventeenth century warfare in realistic detail, so if you want a better sense of how miserable it was to fight in the Thirty Years’ War, this manga is for you. – Katherine Dacey

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 8 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – Most of this volume is dedicated to the Kubo family, plus Shiraishi, at the beach. There’s the usual sorts of things you’d expect: blushing at swimsuits, swimsuits malfunctioning in the water, Shiraishi helping out at the cafe they run, etc. Throughout this, Shiraishi has a minimal amount of “no one can see me” gags—he’s starting to get noticed by people other than Kubo. The other subplots, near the start of the book, are about exams, and the goal of trying hard when you’ve never bothered to try hard before. This is not Kubo or Shiraishi but Tamao, who is the “dumb” character in the series so gets this subplot to prove she can do it if she tries… and is forced. Still cute fun. – Sean Gaffney

Like a Butterfly, Vol. 1 | By suu Morishita | Viz Media – As with the author’s other series, whether you like this book depends on how you like long pauses in conversation, people having difficulty communicating, and feelings developing very rapidly but being figured out very slowly. Unlike A Sign of Affection, Suiren doesn’t have any hearing issues. She is bad at communicating, though, mostly as she’s so beautiful everyone treats her as an object rather than a person, so she’s just turned inward. When she meets shy but earnest Kawasumi, she finds him fascinating and can’t stop looking at him, but isn’t quite sure why. Or why it bothers her that an upperclassman is throwing herself at him every single day. If you liked A Sign of Affection and Shortcake Cake, get this too. – Sean Gaffney

My Girlfriend’s Child, Vol. 2 | By Mamoru Aoi | Seven Seas – This series is not here to give you easy, magical answers. Sachi, after being shown how far along her child is now, is starting to walk back on wanting to get an abortion. But she’s too young to make that decision, it has to come from her parents. The good news is that her boyfriend is in her corner no matter what she decides (the author says he was deliberately written to be a great guy as an inspiration for other guys reading this). Sadly, his mother is basically furious, openly at him but privately at her, and she demands that they break up—and that she get an abortion. This is extremely well done, but also not for the faint of heart—there aren’t any jokes or lighter moments here. – Sean Gaffney

Insomniacs After School, Vol. 2 | By Makoto Ojiro | Viz Media – It can be hard to start up a club that’s already been shut down before. First of all, there’s the question of what the actual club activities were, which requires Ganta and Isaki to hunt down a graduate who is now running an arcade out in the boonies. Secondly, there’s the question of what to do when your class goes on a camping trip but you’re still suffering from that pesky insomnia? This is especially a problem for Ganta, who tends to behave when sleepy in a way that gets him into trouble. And the most important question, can the series manage to suggest that there’s potential romance for those two kids without them actually doing anything specific? Signs point to yes on that last one. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 9 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – It’s time for our main cast to become second years, which means that they’re the ones who have to mentor the new first years. There’s a lot of excellent new talents, though Sarasa is dealing with the fact that her new kohai does not really see her as a figure of respect yet. The bigger plot point, though, and one which will definitely be impacting Sarasa in the next book, is what happens with Ai. After taking over for Sarasa as Thibault in the first-year play, it’s suggested that she might want to think about whether she’d make a better otokoyaku… and while she appears to give it a bit of thought, the fact that she shows up at the climax of this book with short hair shows she seems to have made her decision. Great stuff as always. – Sean Gaffney

Matcha Made in Heaven, Vol 6 | By Umebachi Yamanaka | Kodansha (digital only) – This fake marriage josei series with a focus on tea-making continues to show the relationship between Chako and Isshin evolving even though he’s away in the land of corporate beverage manufacturers. When a typhoon hits the tea farm, Chako risks herself to try to save Isshin’s special tea crop and he comes to the rescue just in time. While Isshin is still not easily able to express himself like a normal human being, he puts all of his feelings into a tea blend inspired by his feelings for Chako. Her dedication to her family farm and niece is admirable, but I’m hoping that a more secure future for the family tea business makes life a little easier for her. I’m still wondering about the uselessness of her writer brother—he better sell an amazing novel to make up for being an absentee father and non-tea farmer. This series is still enjoyable six volumes in. – Anna N

Scribbles, Vol. 1 | By Kaoru Mori | Yen Press – This just came out last year in Japan, but it seems to be scribbles that were entirely drawn during the Emma period of the artist’s career—don’t expect anything from A Bride’s Story here. That said, I would happily look at anything Kaoru Mori draws, and what she gives us here are gorgeous sketches of men and women in formal wear, informal wear, and even one or two nudes. For the most part this is Emma and Emma-adjacent, so expect maids, maids, and more maids. Each drawing has comments next to it, which are rarely insightful but frequently amusing and show off how much she enjoys drawing attractive people. This is only worth picking up if you’re a fan of the artist, but if you are it’s a must buy. – Sean Gaffney

The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This, Vol. 3 | By Takashi Ikeda| Seven Seas – The career stuff ends up taking a step back here—the big project that Wanko was going to be a part of is cancelled. Meanwhile, Ellie is trying to write a bold new project, but is unfortunately getting some very good advice about it—advice that consists of telling her how unrealistic she’s being. Things are far better on the romance front, and we’re reaching a point that the two of them are getting more and more open about their relationship. Mostly, though, you don’t really read this for plot but mood, and the author is one of the best when it comes to setting a mood. Recommended for those who enjoy seeing adult lesbians doing everyday things. – Sean Gaffney

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 12 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – And here we are at the apocalypse. Marcille is being sweet-talked by the lion/book into essentially becoming God, and the dungeon is now everything above ground as well, which is a bit of a problem for non-dungeon crawlers. The solution—kill Marcille—is one that is obvious to everyone but the main characters, who spend most of the book trying to talk Marcille down and figure out a way to walk this back, which is ludicrously impossible right now. This is not the sort of series that will have an unhappy ending, you can tell, but it will be very interesting to see HOW they can manage to work everything out here and not have the protagonists in jail for the rest of their lives. Very highly recommended. – Sean Gaffney

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 12 | By Ukami | Yen Press – I’ve joked before about the yuri fandom of this series, but this volume brings it to the fore more than any other. There’s a chapter devoted to the internet art meme of “put two characters in a room and they can’t escape unless they kiss.” (It’s not “kiss,” but this is a family manga, so we get the PG version.) Raphiel is, of course, 100% down for this, and unfortunately is hit with a massive attack of nerves when it comes to following through, which is funny in and of itself. The other problem is that Satanya not only seems uninterested, but may actually be ace, which is bad news for yuri fans but good news for comedy fans. The rest of the volume is also fun, but we know why I’m here. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 25 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – I get the basic idea the author had here, which is that Komi has, in her second year, been surrounded by friends she made who know her well, and is living her best life. So it makes sense to put her (deliberately, as it turns out) into a class where no one knows her and she has to start all over again. Fortunately, Tadano is there as well. Unfortunately, so is Najimi, who is no Yamai but I still don’t like them. And then we get the rest of the new cast, who explode at us in a flurry of names and eccentricities, and who mean nearly nothing to me. The bulk of the book is a battle royale using nerf guns, to promote class unity or what have you, but again: this cast has gotten way too big. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 21 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – Last time I mentioned that Kuroko was spending far more time solving murders and far less time going down on hot women with her long tongue of doom. Good news! We’ve hit the end of the arc, so Kuroko gets to hit one of the surviving women in the arc, and by hit I mean “have sex with.” As for the arc itself, it involves a lot of misdirection, family trauma, and very bad things happening to the series’ punching bag who very bad things always seem to happen to—though this time around the trauma is physical rather than mental. Kuroko and Hinako are both very eccentric women who do not care about a single thing, and if that bothers you steer well clear of this. But for its genre (lesbian splattercore), it’s terrific. – Sean Gaffney

An Observation Log of My Fiancée Who Calls Herself a Villainess, Vol. 1 | By Shiki and Natsume Hasumi | AlphaPolis (digital only) – This may be the first villainess title where the male love interest actually interests me more. It’s not just because the series is from his POV. It’s that the villainess herself, Bertia, is very difficult to take seriously, even in comparison to Katarina and other goofy villainesses. Cecil, meanwhile, is a budding shoujo boyfriend, which is to say he’s an asshole who spends his life mostly being bored because he’s good at everything, and finds his fiancée/”toy” interesting. I will also note that AlphaPolis basically just sticks chapters together and calls it a volume, so expect no extras you’d normally find in a volume. For villainess fans. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 25 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I get my wish, as we are indeed starting a new arc. We also wrap up this last arc, getting answers and discovering that most everyone involved was either evil or being blackmailed by someone to be evil. Well, there’s also the “this evil was happening in my dominion, so it’s my responsibility” thing as well. In the meantime, we get to see Obi be cool, Shirayuki be cool, and Ryu is cool and also not dead. A lot of this arc was devoted to Ryu’s growth (which we’re also starting to see physically), and it did a good job, even if I felt that this went on a bit too long. That said, anyone expecting Zen and Shirayuki’s reunion to be anything but fleeting is fooling themselves. – Sean Gaffney

Bakemonogatari, Vol. 18 | By NISIOISIN and Oh!great | Kodansha Manga – I hadn’t been reviewing the manga version of Bakemonogatari, as, while stylistically fantastic, it was pretty much an adaptation of the source I’ve already reviewed. The manga is ending with the Tsubasa Cat arc, though, and Oh!great is trying to cram in everything he can before it ends. So we pause in the middle of the arc for all of Koyomi Vamp, the arc that came after it. We also see Nadeko meeting up with Kaiki, the swindler, resolving her own plotline rather than having him meet Karen in the Nisemonogatari series. It makes the series more interesting, as I wasn’t sure where it would go next. Still only recommended for ecchi manga fans, but it’s great if you’re one of them. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 16 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – The final volume took almost two years to get here after the previous one, and I admit that I started to forget who the cast was (perhaps the upcoming anime sequel will help). The book is basically half the ending of the main series and half prequels and sequels. The main story revolves around Miyamura, who has an alternate universe sequence about his bleak life if he’d never met Hori, and comes to terms with his new self. The sequel involves Hori’s little brother, now in high school, and the girl who was his childhood friend, who is rather troubled by the lack of interest she seems to get. The prequel is how Hori’s parents met, which is hilarious. And hey, no S&M gags! I will miss this, though it went on too long. – Sean Gaffney

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 7 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – I really like how much Kubo and Shiraishi impact each other. Kubo’s impact is more obvious, as Shiraishi is getting more and more “visible” and also showing his emotions more, but he’s also being there for Kubo when she’s vulnerable—which, as we see, she is when she’s not teasing Shiraishi. Something about the two of them brings out their best sides, and it’s really sweet to see. The rest of this book is pretty much “aw, look, this is adorable” over and over, with tons of hot blushing action, and minimal romantic success, as it’s fairly clear these two won’t confess till the very last chapter. Oh well, it’s fun to see then interact cutely with each other. – Sean Gaffney

Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 2 | By Wataru Yoshizumi | Seven Seas – I have a confession to make. When I first read Marmalade Boy, I hated Miwa. Hated Hated Hated him. Hated his smug little face. And I was really irritated when he was coming on strong to Meiko, because after all, she had… her teacher… look, I was much younger and stupider, OK? Obviously the Nacchan plotline reads horribly today, and I wish I could say it ends here. Sadly, that doesn’t make me like Miwa, but at least I will try to be nicer to him. That said, at this point he’s less Nacchan’s romantic rival than he is Miki’s, as “oh my god are they… gay?” is another plotline here that hasn’t aged particularly well. As for Ginta and Arimi, we’re starting to see they’re perfect for each other, even if they don’t. Still happy this is here again. – Sean Gaffney

May I Ask for One Final Thing?, Vol. 2 | By Nana Otori and Sora Hoonoki | AlphaPolis (digital only) – Have to admit, this author knows that this series has one (1) gimmick, and they are here to milk it for all that it is worth. That said, we cannot see Scarlet punching jerks in the face for 167 pages, as that would be an artbook, not a manga. There is a real plot here, which mostly features Scarlet and Julius breaking up a slave auction using a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence. Gotta say, the main reason to get this is that it’s simply funny, and Scarlet is a badass. And we also get more proof this is a villainess book—the “heroine” is a reincarnation. That said, I’ll have to wait till the third book to see how Scarlet punches that problem away. – Sean Gaffney

My Engagement Got Broken Off (lol), Vol. 1 | By Yoshiki Takemoto and Daifuku Ikura | AlphaPolis (digital only) – Another series along the same lines as May I Ask One Final Thing?, this feels like a combination of that and some of Cross Infinite World’s titles. Elise is absolutely delighted that her engagement is broken off, as she knows exactly what being married to the prince will entail—being a broodmare. What’s more, she doesn’t need to directly exact revenge, as she has a doting family who are perfectly willing to do that for her. So instead, she decides to work on making food better in this light novel world she’s reincarnated in, one where soy sauce literally grows on trees. If you enjoyed the other Alphapolis villainess book, you’ll like this one. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 48 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – It’s been a while since I’ve really been able to appreciate Kyoko’s acting abilities, so I really enjoyed the scene where her character gets a fantastic action scene, showing off her physicality as well as her emotions. Meanwhile, this being Skip Beat!, there’s a new eccentric creator to deal with, and he’s reminding everyone of Tuxedo Mask. And it’s nice to see something good FINALLY happen to Kanae. But yes, it’s the end of this volume that folks will talk about, with Ren putting a full court press on to try to get past Kyoko’s broken love-ometer. I really hope he can do it, but I’m not optimistic, because at the moment I think this is Hakusensha’s flagship series, so I doubt it’s ending soon. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 13 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – It’s fun to see how these two still manage to make the other one swoon. For Sumika it’s the times when Ikuma is just honest about his pure and strong love, using a straightforward manner that she can’t quite pull off. For Ikuma it turns out to be when Sumika takes the lead, and is more active during sex, something that he finds incredibly arousing but also (since it involves admitting he’s submissive) hard for him to say. We even get a bit of drama, as a trip to Hokkaido goes south when, due to various wacky manga accidents, Ikuma is lost and without a phone. Still finding ways to make me smile, even as it also tries to find ways to make the reader horny. – Sean Gaffney

The Full-Time Wife Escapist, Vol. 11 | By Tsunami Umino | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The copious adulting continues in this volume to the point where it’s a little stressful at times. I guess I prefer my manga threats to be opposing teams or nefarious foes rather than a casually sexist boss who gets on your case because you did too good a job leaving detailed instructions for your sloppy coworker. Anyway, the baby is born and Mikuri and Hiramasa seem poised to be a good team for the duration. Numata organizes a forum for sharing workplace complaints, and it’s at this point that the themes of this sequel—the necessity of which I’d begun to doubt—become clear: 1) communication is key and 2) there are all kinds of families in this world. If you don’t end up getting married or having children, you can still create a family with friends who support you. And that’s nice, if a little preachy in execution. – Michelle Smith

Last Game, Vol. 1 | By Shinobu Amano | Seven Seas – Reading this book was like time-traveling back to 2008 or so. This is such a LaLa title, perhaps the ur-LaLa title. It wraps up in about 140 pages despite the fact that there’s clearly ten more volumes to go. There’s 60 pages of unrelated short stories from earlier in the author’s career at the end. The art is messy and filled with asides. It was like drowning in nostalgia. As for the book itself, it was pretty good. Most of these series are from the POV of the heroine, so it’s nice to see it narrated by the guy, who’s… well, a smug asshole, but the circumstances explain that, and he gets rid of that side pretty quick. It’s when he turns out to be caring and considerate that it really takes off. Still, hasn’t it finished? What’s next? – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 34 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – The first half of this volume really made me angry, introducing the most powerful woman in the series to date and then killing her off to develop the character of the villain. It’s appalling, and thank God for fanfics. The second half is much better. Remember the whole “there’s a traitor in UA” plot? From 30-odd volumes ago? Turns out it’s true, and after a terrific fake-out that focuses attention on someone who everyone suspected, it turns out to be another obvious suspect… though the circumstances behind it are, thankfully, tragic rather than “ha ha, I was evil all along.” This is where MHA shines, in the character writing and the plots that develop from it. Shame the new character was never given that chance. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 48 | By Yoshiki Namamura | VIZ Media – Even though this is another slim volume, it manages to fit in several scenes that exemplify what makes Skip Beat! great. I enjoyed the brief moment during which we see Kyoko and Moko talking shop about filming scenes out of order. And more than that, I enjoyed the Kyoko and Ren chapters at the end where she realizes “I have no idea how close I’m allowed to get!” (We even get a return of the grudge demons as they are bombarded by Ren’s happiness beam.) But even more than that, I adored the absolutely riveting scene of Kyoko in character as Momiji as she manages to impress everyone, including visiting eccentric producer Leonard Herbert. It’s pretty exciting to contemplate that, after 48 volumes, Kyoko’s career might be on the verge of really taking off. I still love this series after all these years. – Michelle Smith

20 km/h | By Woshibai | Drawn & Quarterly – 20 km/h is a collection of surrealist short comics by Woshibai, an anonymous illustrator and cartoonist based in Shanghai. While there are recurring characters and themes, there isn’t a central narrative; the comics can be read independently from one another and largely stand on their own. However, they make for a wonderfully effective collection when taken together as a whole. The volume is almost entirely without dialogue, sound effects, or narration, the translation largely limited to the actual titles of the individual comics. The collection’s success, then, comes from readers taking the time to directly engage with the details of the comics’ surreal scenarios. Those who rush through without pause will likely find 20 km/h to be less satisfying, but I absolutely loved this collection with its dry humor and poetic strangeness. Woshibai’s illustrations may be simple, but the resulting comics are surprisingly layered and nuanced, inciting a sense of both wonder and resignation towards the absurdities of life, real and imagined. – Ash Brown

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, Vol. 2 | By Hitoshi Ashinano | Seven Seas – I really do appreciate that, though this series obviously stars Alpha, she does not have to be present in every chapter, and that we frequently get a look at the other members of the cast as they’re doing their own thing. Which makes sense, because not everyone can travel out to the middle of nowhere for coffee, especially if there’s a 50-50 shot that Alpha is away in another city visiting Kokone, or shopping for supplies, or just passed out because she tried to drink milk again and it reacted badly. (Honestly, Alpha doesn’t seem the same as the other robots, even if we weren’t already meeting her suspiciously familiar creator.) Again, if you like slice-of-apocalyptic-life, this is a must read. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Box, Vol. 4 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – We finally tip the balance of this sports romance series back to romance in this volume, as Taiki’s cold means that Chinatsu ends up taking care of him, which leads to standard teen romance manga “I fall on top of you” shenanigans… but this is Blue Box, not Love Hina, so the reactions for both of them are very realistic and incredibly awkward. Chinatsu, unfortunately, is simply not ready for any kind of romance in her life right now, despite what her heart seems to be telling her, and Taiki accepts that for now, I think. As for Hina… hang in there, kid. I think until you get a spare to pair with, you’re pretty screwed. I expect we may go back to sports next time; I do like the back and forth. – Sean Gaffney

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 12 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – There probably wasn’t a good way that this final volume was going to wrap up for me. Asano’s series have always generally been too depressing for my tastes, and this is the only long-form one I read till the end. To its credit, all the timey wimey stuff happening throughout the series does mean that we get a happy ending of a sort, and the ending is somewhat optimistic, and ties in with Isobeyan. On the downside, I was not at all interested in the front half of this book, which basically involves a lot of freedom fighters and innocent civilians getting brutally murdered to show off what a terrible world this is now. Still, at its best, this series was magical. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 17 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Manga – Most of this volume is taken up by a new arc, written especially for fans who wanted to see more of the yuki-onna that settled down with her human lover, and it’s pretty good. But man, that first chapter is really something, as it just casually drops that there is no way that Kotoko can EVER be happy with him, she’s always going to have to end up killing him, because of the nature of who they both are. Fortunately, whenever Kotoko is NOT around, Kuro proves to be a lot more vocal about his feelings for her, and he’s working on a way to change that. All this and only ONE mention all book of Kotoko being sexually perverse. Possibly as she and Kuro are separate most of it. – Sean Gaffney

My Girlfriend’s Child, Vol. 1 | By Mamoru Aoi | Seven Seas – The title of this series seems to be a bit ironic, as we follow the POV of Sachi throughout the book (it is shoujo, from Betsufure), and it’s her thoughts and especially her fears that drive the book. It’s content to let us view Sachi almost through gauze, as her muted emotions slowly start to realize that she is, in fact, pregnant. Her boyfriend is there for her, as is her brother, but you get the sense that decisions about her future will need to come from her, and have been narrowed significantly because of this. That’s probably what leads to the cliffhanger ending to this volume, to be honest. It’s a riveting work, highly recommended if you like a series that rests entirely on mood. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 28 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – Yay, Taki shows up! She’s the most normal of the cast, but I always like seeing her, and she helps her brother with what appears to be a yokai following him around on a tour of temples. Well, OK, she tells Natsume and Natsume helps him. Taki is never going to be that involved. In the main story, which will continue in the next book, we dig deeper into Natori’s past and family, as he goes back to his old home and ends up caught in a yokai’s trap… which, to be fair, he was expecting. This arc relies heavily on the fact that Natsume tends to sympathize with the yokai he’s helping, and the cliffhanger implies that it can be used against him as well. Still a fantastic shoujo series. – Sean Gaffney

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 17 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – This volume technically ends with a death, and it’s handled really well, but it’s also a rebirth of sorts, so I think we come out ahead in the end. It also has some truly terrifying art inside—I’ve talked before about how I think there’s too many people in this cast, and that I can’t follow the plot, but I don’t talk enough about Motomi’s skill as an artist, which is exceptional. Oh yes, and we also get some nice little set pieces, including the “I was taken over by evil, I’m good now!….. jjuuuuuuuust kidding!” sort of character who you’re supposed to be happy to see the back of, though I don’t think this series can ever write someone being brutally killed without a bit of regret and sadness to it. Still reading it. – Sean Gaffney

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun, Vol. 1 | By Osamu Nishi | Kodansha Manga – This is probably just me, but the first volume of this book is almost exactly like the first volume of Hayate the Combat Butler, right down to the incredible powers that the hero has all being products of the abuse of his parents. Iruma doesn’t become a butler, though, but instead ends up, as the title suggests, in a school where he’s the only human, and has to hide that fact. Most of the humor here is “I am trying not to be noticed, and fail miserably,” and to be fair it is a lot of fun—I can see why the series has a following. The one flaw might be Iruma himself, who in this first book is a bit TOO milquetoast for my liking, though again, abusive parents, so it makes sense. Good start. – Sean Gaffney

The Yakuza’s Bias, Vol. 1 | By Teki Yatsuda | Kodansha Comics – I didn’t realize initially that The Yakuza’s Bias is basically a gag manga. I don’t generally fare too well with those, but I was fairly amused by this one. Ken Kanashiro, second-in-command of the Washio Clan, is introduced by the boss’s daughter to the Korean idol group, MNW, and is immediately taken by one of the members, Jun, who teaches him what it means to be a man. Subsequent chapters involve Ken’s underlings noticing a change in him, a rival yakuza (Mizuhara) who sets out to whack him but ends up a MNW convert instead, and Ken’s growing Twitter fame. Any time I’d start to get weary of the joke, Yatsuda-sensei would find a way to make it fresh again. I might eventually get impatient with this series for not going much of anywhere, but I will definitely be back for volume two. – Michelle Smith

Catch These Hands!, Vol. 4 | By murata | Yen Press – When two people who already know each other well decide—or are trying to decide—to be a couple, it can be very easy to start second-guessing. That’s what we see in this final volume, as Takabe realizes that she has no idea what Soramori’s likes, dislikes, and hobbies are outside of their tiny little interactions, so tries to nudge Soramori into doing things she enjoys. The trouble is, and Soramori feels shamed about this, she doesn’t really have anything much of a life outside Takebe. She worries this will mean Takabe thinks her too much trouble to be worth it, but Takabe is able to use this to finally admit how she feels. In the end, the two are a couple, but still feeling things out, and that feels very appropriate. – Sean Gaffney

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 1 | By Hiromu Arakawa | Square Enix – Any new series by Hiromu Arakawa ought to be a cause for celebration, but her latest effort feels more like something produced by ChatGPT than a person. All the right ingredients are there, from a brother and sister with supernatural powers to a boisterous supporting cast of bounty hunters and demons—sorry, daemons—but the first four chapters are so jam-packed with events and characters that it’s easy to lose sight of the main storyline. Even the jokes feel tired, as they focus mainly on the characters’ surprised reactions to modern technologies such as the automobile; you’ve seen this kind of fish-out-of-water humor done with more panache in dozens of other series. About the best I can say for Daemons of the Shadow Realm is that Arakawa still has a flair for drawing monsters and villains, including the most menacing set of teeth since Jaws terrorized movie-goers. My verdict: skip it and read Silver Spoon instead. – Katherine Dacey

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 24 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – The next ‘arc’ of this manga is teased in this volume, as we see it’s the start of a new school year and unfortunately this means Komi is in a classroom with a whole lot of new cast members who don’t know who she is. But for now we have fluffier things to deal with, as Tadano and Komi try to go out on a date. This involves shopping for clothes on Komi’s end, and getting vetted by Komi’s dad on Tadano’s end, though Tadano is so pure that the outcome is never in doubt. And then there’s the new year, and Manbagi is not in the same class, but fortunately for Komi Tadano is. Good stuff, and the series now has to cross the high hurdle of continuing after the romantic resolution. Can it succeed? – Sean Gaffney

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 13 | By Afro | Yen Press – After the last volume went totally off the rails (in a good way), this is a return to form for the series, which knows what its readers want, and for the most part gives it to them. (The readers also want a Rin/Nadeshiko ship, but that’s not happening.) So we get lots of scenes of the girls camping, separately this time, and an excuse to draw a whole lot of gorgeous Japanese scenery and show off what are presumably some excellent campgrounds. We even get what may be a couple of new characters in one chapter, where we see an artist trying to find inspiration who settles on Ena and her dog, asleep on a bench. There’s never any plot or character development in this, but that’s just fine. It’s relaxing. – Sean Gaffney

Nights with a Cat, Vol. 1 | By Kyuryu Z | Yen Press – Though there are dozens of great pet manga now available in English, Nights with a Cat has something genuinely new to offer: simple, observational storytelling that doesn’t shamelessly tug on the heartstrings or anthropomorphize our furry companions. The series explores the relationship between Fuuta and Kyuruga, his roommate’s cat. As someone who’s never lived with a cat before, Fuuta is fascinated by Kyuruga, marveling at Kyuruga’s anatomy—his pupils, his sandpaper tongue, his retractable claws—as well as Kyuruga’s ability to silently materialize in surprising places. Kyuryu Z doesn’t play these moments for laughs, choosing instead to emphasize how strange and amazing cats really are; his illustrations capture the fluidity of Kyuruga’s movements and the changeability of his moods. Recommended for new and long-time cat owners alike. – Katherine Dacey

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 6 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship This will always be a Ghost Ship sort of title, which can make it hard to recommend to anyone who is not intensely horny 90% of the time. The opening scenes, involving hair evolving out of control to the point that it becomes tentacle porn, are a good example. But we also get a new girlfriend, a shy girl who is convinced eventually to show herself in front of the guy she loves. And, in the best part of the volume, Karane’s tsundere character is deconstructed when she drinks a de-tsun potion and turns into a lovey-dovey girl. The question is… is she better off like this, able to say she loves Rentaro directly? Or is it better to be her old self? Love it. – Sean Gaffney

Skip and Loafer, Vol. 7 | By Misaki Takamatsu |Seven Seas – Given the cliffhanger ending to this volume, I should probably be talking about its two leads some more, but let’s face it, the entire volume is stolen by Yuzuki. It’s the start of everyone’s second year, and that means new classes. Everyone in their group is at least with someone they know… except Yuzuki, who is by herself. This means that all the teen drama she used to deal with all the time is back full force, complete with guys trying to force their way into a date and girls lying to her in order to make said date happen. It’s no wonder she breaks down in tears. Frankly, she’s better off with Makoto, who is able to run to her rescue at the end, if only with pudding. I love Yuzuki so much. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 20 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media Despite being, for the most part, a gag series, there is a bit of plot in Sleepy Princess, and it crops up a bit here, which is the fact that humans and demons are still at odds with each other. This is what Syalis and Twilight are trying to fix, but it can be hard on both ends. The biggest “story” in this book has Poseidon accidentally hitting a poison needle that makes the recipient sleep for a year. (It was made for Syalis’ grandmother, implied to be THE Sleeping Beauty herself.) There’s a demon who will fix it… but she refuses to deal with humans. Can Syalis break past her misgivings by being polite and asking nicely? Or will she simply be herself? – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 17 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – I’ve said this before, but the main struggle this series has is that the ending is obvious but it can’t go there yet. The series is still too popular, it’s still getting anime series and movies, and even the spinoffs are doing well, though not licensed here. But if you want character development, either Nishikata or Takagi is going to have to genuinely confess. And you can’t DO that without ending the series, because the whole point is that she’s trying to be subtle and Nishikata is the very embodiment of not picking up on something unless it’s ludicrously direct. There’s a lot of teasing here, but in terms of romance they’re both still more immature than they should be for fourteen-year-olds. – Sean Gaffney