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The Manga Review: Cliff Notes Edition

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It’s been a slow week news- and reviews-wise, so this installment of the Manga Review is short ‘n’ sweet.

Netflix announced earlier this week that it would be renewing One Piece for a second season. The live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s hit series is currently Netflix’s top-ranked show in 73 countries around the world… the Blue Giant film is coming to North American theaters in October… Ablaze just licensed Choi Gyu-Seok’s award-winning series The Awl… Brigid Alverson breaks down the August Circana Bookscan numbers… and the Mangasplainers unveiled their latest projects: Search and Destroy, a “fresh take” on Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo, and Wandering Cat’s Cage, a new series from the creator of Sensei’s Pious Lie.

AROUND THE WEB

Over at ANN, James Beckett reassures One Piece fans that Netflix’s adaptation is “really good.” “For all of the (rightly deserved) praise that has been heaped onto the series’ pitch-perfect set designs and costume work—which perfectly evoke Oda’s original vision while still feeling at least mostly plausible when applied to living human beings—One Piece is a story that lives and dies on the strengths of its characters, and if we didn’t immediately fall in love with this iteration of the Straw Hat Crew, things would have been very dire indeed,” he notes. “Somehow, though, the show managed to exceed expectations by finding performers that fit so well into their respective roles that it is virtually impossible not to fall in love with them” [ANN]

Kara Dennison explains why you should be reading MamaYuyu, which just debuted on the Shonen Jump app. [Otaku USA]

Vrai Kaiser interviews artist Aiba Kyoko about the evolution of the BL market over the last ten years. [Anime Feminist]

Letterer Aidan Clark joins the Manga Machinations gang for a celebration of Naoki Urasawa’s work. [Manga Machinations]

The latest installment of Manga in Your Ears focuses on The Gay Who Turned Kaiju and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. [Taiiku Podcast]

Let the Mangasplainers convince you to read Not All Girls Are Stupid, “a blistering look at the difficulties of being a woman in your late teens and early 20s.” [Mangasplaining]

Should you add the KMANGA app to your phone? Justin lists the pros and cons of Kodansha’s digital manga platform, praising it for the selection and good image quality, and panning it for its point system: “There’s no getting around the fact that the points structure is an obstacle to really enjoying the service, especially if you’re not a fan of playing games to get points.” [The OASG]

REVIEWS

To honor the start of the academic year, Megan D. has a review of Zero’s Familiar, a high school harem comedy. “Honestly, I debated whether to even bother with a plot summary for Zero’s Familiar because if you’ve read a single magic school harem series before, then you know pretty much all the story beats you’re going to see and all the character types you’re going to meet,” she notes. “You’ve got the everyman Potato-kun protagonist, whose only distinct quality he possesses is his annoyance with his status as a servant and the social class system in general.  You’ve got the primary love interest whose personality begins and ends with ‘tsundere,’ and because this work came out in the mid 2000s she’s also comically tiny… She in turn is surrounded by a horny girl with big boobs, a stoic girl, a comic relief playboy, a perfectly ordinary maid/secondary love interest who is possibly even more boring than Saito, a handful of teachers, and the occasional disposable villain.”

New and Noteworthy

Complete, OOP, and Ongoing

Manga the Week of 9/20/23

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SEAN: It’s Yen Week, but there’s more than that. Everyone’s got stuff.

ASH: Let’s go!

SEAN: We’ll start with Airship, which has a print edition of Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 10.

There’s a debut in early digital: Modern Dungeon Capture Starting with Broken Skills (Koware Skill de Hajimeru Gendai Dungeon Kōryaku) is, as you can see by the title, one of THOSE series. Dungeon crawls. Guy with awesome skills. Pixie showing her butt to the reader on the cover.

Dark Horse has the first new manga for Emanon in nearly 4 years, with the fourth volume.

ASH: Oh, that’s great news! I’ve really been enjoying this series.

SEAN: From Ghost Ship we get Do You Like Big Girls? 8.

J-Novel Club has three debuts once more. Hell Mode is a title whose light novel J-Novel Club has been releasing for some time. Now we have the manga, which runs in Comic Earth Star Online. Hardcore gamer finds himself in a world where he’s the only one who has to grind ridiculously hard – and he can’t be happier.

I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons (Kisaki Kyōiku kara Nigetai Watashi) is a J-Novel Heart series about a fiancee who’s determined to break off her engagement, and a prince who’s determined to win her back. Very “shoujo manga” vibes from this one, it had some DISCOURSE on forums.

ASH: Heaven forbid! (Though, now I’m tempted to go see what the fuss was about…)

SEAN: My Magical Career at Court: Living the Dream After My Nightmare Boss Fired Me from the Mages’ Guild! (Black Madōgushi Guild o Tsuihō Sareta Watashi, Ōkyū Majutsushi to Shite Hirowareru: White na Kyūtei de, Shiawase na Shinseikatsu o Hajimemasu!) is also a J-Novel Heart title, featuring a guild worker who loves magic but hates her job. Then she’s fired, and blacklisted. What now? Cinderella story? Cinderella story.

MICHELLE: Heh.

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: Ascendance of a Bookworm 27, Black Summoner 14, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 11, The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom 5, D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared 4, the 6th Doll-Kara manga, Earl and Fairy 3, Fake Saint of the Year: You Wanted the Perfect Saint? Too Bad! 2, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 42, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 5, the 7th The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar manga volume, A Pale Moon Reverie 2, Reincarnated Mage with Inferior Eyes: Breezing through the Future as an Oppressed Ex-Hero 4, and Survival Strategies of a Corrupt Aristocrat 2.

ASH: I’m glad that Ascendance of a Bookworm starts with an “A” and therefore is at the beginning of this list.

SEAN: No debuts from Kodansha in print (I triple checked), but we do see The Great Cleric 5, Sailor Moon 4 (Naoko Takeuchi Collection), The Seven Deadly Sins Manga Box Set 5, and Shaman King: Flowers 4.

No digital debuts either, but we do see Doing His Best to Confess 5 (the final volume), Gamaran 13, Issak 2, Medalist 8, Our Fake Marriage 12, Teppu 3, We’re New at This 14, and Ya Boy Kongming! 13.

MICHELLE: I really gotta read more Medalist.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 21st manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

No debuts for Seven Seas, but we see CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 6, the 3rd Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi manhua volume, Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! 5, Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 6, Kemono Jihen 7, Magika Swordsman and Summoner 16, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 5, My Sister the Cat 3, and ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! 4.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation adaptation a try.

SEAN: Square Enix debuts Final Fantasy XIV: Eorzea Academy (Final Fantasy XIV: Shiritsu Eorzea Gakuen), a comedy high school AU of the popular game. It ran in Manga Up!, and is complete in one volume.

They also have Beauty and the Feast 10.

The debut from Viz is #DRCL midnight children, a Grand Jump title (not often we see anything from that magazine) by the artist known for Innocent (which means I am paying attention). It’s a modern-day, but still very goth, take on Dracula.

ASH: This one has my attention, too, for similar reasons.

SEAN: They also have Alice in Borderland 7, Dark Gathering 3, Hayate the Combat Butler 42, Insomniacs After School 3, One-Punch Man 26, and the 2nd and final volume of Until I Love Myself.

ASH: I’ve heard good things about Until I Love Myself.

SEAN: And now it’s Yen Time. Debuting is I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time (Guild no Uketsuke Jō Desu ga, Zangyō wa Iyananode Boss o Solo Tōbatsu Shiyou to Omoimas). A guild receptionist finds herself working overtime because the adventurers can’t get the jobs done. Clearly it’s easier to do them all herself.

ASH: Okay, I find that to be an amusing premise.

SEAN: And Studio Chizu’s BELLE is another title from the creator of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars, about a girl in the boonies who is dealing with the death of her mother, but finds a new life in the virtual world.

ASH: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, you say?

SEAN: Yen On also has Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 2, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 10, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 19, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 9, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 6, Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing 2 (print for the JNC title), The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time 6, King’s Proposal 3, Magical Girl Raising Project 16, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 2 (another print for the JNC title), Reign of the Seven Spellblades 9, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 12, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale 4, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 13, and The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 5.

ASH: So many!

SEAN: Debuting from Yen Press we have The Deer King (Shika no Ou: Yuna to Yakusoku no Tabi), the manga adaptation of Yen’s novel release, which runs in Young Ace. A slave finds himself and a young girl the only survivors of a mining disaster, and he now has to figure out how to live… and why he has super strength.

The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor (Yarinaoshi Reijou wa Ryuutei Heika wo Kouryakuchuu) is a manga version of the Cross Infinite World light novel, and runs in Comp Ace. A girl goes back in time to try to avoid her horrible death and ends up proposing to exactly the wrong person!

The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey (Setsuna no Fuukei) is a manga adaptation of a Yen On light novel, and also runs in Comp Ace. An isekai’d hero finds he can’t do anything because his poor health came with him, and is shut up in a tower till they can summon someone else. Then the ghosts of past heroes visit him.

Glitch is a Comic Beam title from the creator of Lost Lad London. Siblings move to a town and find it far weirder than they expected… time to investigate!

MICHELLE: Ooh. Having loved Lost Lad London, I’ll definitely be checking this out.

SEAN: Jungle Juice is a Korean webtoon title about a boy who grows insect wings, then has to hide himself from the world.

Maiden of the Needle (Hariko no Otome) is based on the light novel Yen is also putting out, and runs in Young Ace Up. A reincarnated in a fantasy world girl struggles with family abuse when she apparently fails to inherit magical gifts. Hrm, this story seems familiar…

ASH: It does, doesn’t it?

SEAN: Stray Cat & Wolf (Noraneko to Ookami) runs in The Hana to Yume, and is from the creator of Cheeky Brat. Girl who is running away from a small town ends up in Tokyo, and now is living in a hot guy’s house?

Also coming out from Yen Press: The Abandoned Empress 6, Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World 3, Assorted Entanglements 3, A Bride’s Story 14, Chained Soldier 5, Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 4, Daughter of the Emperor 5, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 20, The Essence of Being a Muse 2, The Executioner and Her Way of Life 3, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 4, Handyman Saitou in Another World 2, The Holy Grail of Eris 5, The Horizon 2, I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World 2, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 11, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Episode Freya 2, Magical Girl Incident 2, Manner of Death 2, Mieruko-chan 8, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun 14, My Dear, Curse-Casting Vampiress 2, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 21, A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom 2, The Remarried Empress 4, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 3, SOTUS 3, Spirits & Cat Ears 11, Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night 2, Tomb Raider King 4, and Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop 2.

MICHELLE: Oh, a new Nozaki-kun buried amongst all the rest!

ASH: Always happy to see a new Nozaki-kun volume released!

SEAN: So tired. Whadya got?

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord, Vol. 2

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By Satori Tanabata and Tea. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō Level 99: Watashi wa Ura Boss Desu ga Maō dewa Arimasen” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by sachi salehi.

Sometimes I am surprised when a book is not QUITE as cliched as I expected. This is a Villainess book, and the first novel had the supposed heroine of the game as the antagonist, so I was naturally expecting her to break out of prison and be an antagonist again. But no, she’s still there, still not recovered from mental trauma, and isn’t in this book at all. (As it turns out, the webnovel version of this book simply killed her off, but I assume the Kadokawa editors asked the author not to do that.) Instead, the “heroine” role is filled by Yumiella’s “friend” Eleanora, a girl so naive that you can sometimes hear the wind whistling through her head, and that works fine. Plus it’s not like we don’t have other cliches waiting in the wings. Eleanora’s father is trying to topple the kingdom, and he’s gathered all the evil nobles together to do so. What a bad guy… OR IS HE?

Yumiella and Patrick have graduated, and she is now returning to her county in order to run it now that her evil parents have been exiled. Patrick, of course, comes along, and seems to be trying to tell her something about the nature of their relationship – what, she can’t possibly guess. Unfortunately, the county is a mess, with poor roads, high taxes, and unhappy people. Fortunately, Yumiella may have very little common sense but she is quite compassionate and also ludicrously powerful, so she sets about fixing things immediately. Minus a few eccentricities. Like selling wooden swords. Unfortunately, she also happens to come across the evil plan I mentioned above, and has to tell the King about it and deal with the fallout – the fallout mostly being that, as the one behind all of this, Eleanora’s father is probably going to be executed. Which would make Eleanora sad.

The core of this book is the classic “two characters think they are having one conversation, but they are really having two conversations that do not interact”. Yumiella can be surprisingly obtuse, and it takes the entire book – during which she walks around with an engagement ring on her finger and also during which invitations to her wedding are being mailed out – to realize that Patrick is in love with her. We get a bit more of her past in Japan this time around – namely, that she was a massive chuuni, and in middle school she used to wave around wooden swords and also wore an eyepatch. If you think of Yumiella as Megumin from KonoSuba, you won’t be too far off. Thankfully, Patrick is NOT Kazuma, and therefore can be there to stop her worst ideas, like regarding the barrier stopping the church from dark magic attacks as a rival she has to destroy. Though, um, later she does indeed destroy it.

This remains fun if you like this sort of character, with the only real issue being that it was far too long. Hopefully the next volume will be a bit snappier.

Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower, Vol. 11

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By Miri Mikawa and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Ikka Kōkyū Ryōrichō” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hunter Prigg and piyo.

I was a fan of Fruits Basket back in the day, when the manga was still running. When we got to the chapters where Yuki and Tohru define their actual relationship, I remember being somewhat baffled at the negative reaction by Yuki/Tohru fans. (Yes, I still use slashes. I’m old.) But of course I didn’t get it, I was a Kyo/Tohru shipper. There’s a reason people ship one pairing and not another, it’s because they don’t GET the other pairing. Now, to be clear, that’s not really what happens with Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower. I absolutely get Shusei/Rimi, it’s the primary pairing. But the last couple books have had Shohi have to assure both himself and everyone around him that Rimi ends up being just like a mother to him, and I found myself thinking “Ah, yeah, that’s why they were mad”. In the end, there really isn’t a choice between two love interests. It’s fate aligning so that one love interest can win and nothing else matters.

We begin with the action-packed finale, as Shohi’s forces do battle against Shusei’s forces, who (no surprise) turn out to have far more men than everyone thought. Fortunately, things work out for two reasons. One, the consorts finally realize what the Quinary Dragon thing means, and two, reinforcements arrive from Saisakoku out of nowhere, having been told to come by… well, gosh, it’s a mystery. After all of this, unfortunately, they do sort of have to execute Shusei, who was behind the entire traitorous revolt. That said, they immediately begin to waffle when it turns out that Shusei was in fact behind the ENTIRE traitorous result. On both sides. Meaning they’ve caught up with the reader, who probably realized what Shusei was doing a few books ago.

Despite my gripes, this is a decent finale. Rimi’s feelings for Shusei had been cast away as she was certain that “Lord Ho” had killed the Shusei she knew; once she realizes that it was all a massive trick, they come roaring back full force. Shohi will have to content himself with 2.5 of the 4 consorts (Ho is still going to remain loyal to Hakurei, and Yo hates men, but is starting to waffle). As for the solution of how to get out of the execution, it’s pretty clever, and relies very much on one of the past mysteries of the series also requiring a definitive execution to end it. I also liked hearing of Saigu near the end. Rimi’s one touchstone from her old country has never been seen in the series, but her presence has influenced Rimi’s maturation greatly. Still, I think the best part of the book was Keiyu, whose last middle finger to everyone was very clever.

So yeah, the shipper in me is grumbling, as I felt Shusei burnt too many bridges to have Rimi forgive him so easily. But that’s first love for you, I guess. In the end, I enjoyed this series about romance, mystery, and food.

Bookshelf Briefs 9/11/23

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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

Liar, Liar: Apparently, the Lying Transfer Student Dominates Games by Cheating

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By Haruki Kuou and konomi. Released in Japan as “Liar Liar: Usotsuki Tenkōsei wa Ikasama Cheat-chan to Game o Seisuru Sō Desu” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Kevin Gifford.

Those who have read my reviews for years know that I always try to include the Japanese publisher in some way. It’s something I’ve done before this site came about, when I used to type up the weekly release lists on Livejournal. The reasoning is that sometimes you learn about your tastes and others by knowing what books a company puts out. Hence “my eternal nemesis, Monthly Comic Alive”. And it has to be said, I don’t really get on with MF Bunko J. Sure, it has Re: Zero and Torture Princess. And The Asterisk War and No Game No Life are fun trash. But, well, I’ve dropped a lot of series this imprint puts out. Including, appropriately, Classroom of the Elite, one of those series I just don’t understand the fuss about. I bring all this up to let you know that lightning has struck again, and Liar, Liar, a series trying hard to be Classroom of the Elite, is not a very good book.

Hiroto has arrived at The Academy, a massive elite high school with 500,000 students, as a transfer student. As he tries to find his bearings, he asks for help from gorgeous student Sarasa… and then, in trying to stop her from getting hit by a truck, ends up getting her soaked by a puddle. Now furious, she challenges him to a game, and he discovers that basically the entire school is run around these games. She also turns out to be an elite 7-star student. He, on the other hand, has one star. There’s no way he can win. After winning, he goes to see the provost and finds that he is now basically the most powerful student in the school. Or rather, he has to pretend to be, because of reasons. Can he really win game after game with everyone trying to dethrone him, despite, in reality, having very little power?

The series revolves around lies in every possible way. Hiroto is possessed of a trait that allows him to keep a straight face no matter what he’s thinking, which seems to be part of the reason he was scouted to the Academy despite relatively terrible grades. Sarasa’s backstory is changed, and then changed again a little later, and her personality also does a 180. She should probably get the cover art for the first book, but the publisher knows what readers really want, so we get Himeji the maid, who has much larger breasts, to sell it. Both of them are clearly falling in love with him by the end of the book. The trouble is that the shifting sands and changed priorities throughout the book make it hard to care what happens. Especially when the series revolves around games you know Hiroto has to win, because if he loses it is implied he will be quietly killed off. Oh, have I mentioned that the two girls are both possibly his long-lost childhood friend?

If you want to combine No Game No Life, Classroom of the Elite and Strike the Blood, go read those three series instead, honestly.

Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess, Vol. 2

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By Roku Kaname and Hazuki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Aobara-hime no Yarinaoshi Kakumeiki” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by JC.

This second volume of the Blue Rose Princess trilogy has the same strengths and weaknesses of the first volume. On the bright side, Alicia remains a very compelling heroine, who manages to achieve the goals she’s striving for without really feeling too “overpowered” – indeed, she loses her temper at one point and bad things happen. In addition, the fact that things don’t seem to be going the way they did in her previous life means she has to do more detective work to figure out what really needs to be changed, and how things came to her dying last time. On the less positive side, this book remains very serious and earnest, with what minimal humor it has reserved for fairly obvious points, such as “the guy is in denial that he’s in love and shouts angrily while running off”. That’s fine, of course – not all villainess books have to be funny, of course. But this one just is a bit… boring? Not bad, just… satisfactory.

Alicia and Clovis have almost achieved their goal, getting their trading company that will help save the kingdom off the ground. Unfortunately for her, Duke of Sheraford is not on their side, and he’s not only in a stronger position and better at politics, but he has a secret that is making life even worse for them. It will take a bit more than just Alicia and Clovis being clever to get out of this one. Then, six years later, things are going well and Alicia is poised to be the next Queen. There are two issues with this. The first is that the Empress of Erdal is still trying to get Alicia married off to Price Fritz. The second, and more worrying, is that, of course, a Queen is not going to be able to marry her advisor. So being in love with Clovis is a problem…

While I said the book’s biggest problem is that it’s somewhat dull, that’s pretty much its only problem. The characters work well. I especially liked Riddhe, the arrogant son of Duke Sheraford, who at first appears to be exactly the same as all the other arrogant duke’s sons we’ve seen in books like this, but ends up having a stronger core of ethics that ends up saving the day. I also liked the fact that, while Alicia is trying to change her story so she’s not engaged to Fritz, here in this timeline the Empress is just as interested in getting Alicia married to him – but it’s because she wants Alicia’s smarts, not as a political wife. And then there’s Fritz, who we basically knew as “cheating bastard” in the previous life, but here we see WHY he became that cheating bastard, and what really drives him – and how it clashes violently with Alicia’s own goals. Good thing there’s a third book.

So yeah, this is solid, and I like the characters. I’m glad it’s only three books, though.

The Manga Review: Going Merry

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The reviews are in, and One Piece is certified fresh, with an 85% approval rating from critics and a 96% approval rating from audiences. Just about every major media outlet weighed in on the series, from the Hollywood Reporter to CNN, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, and USA Today. Though many critics applauded the show’s fidelity to the manga, a few—most notably Mike Hale and Alison Herman—felt the show lacked a reason to exist. Writing for the New York Times, for example, Hale argued that One Piece was a bigger misfire than Netflix’s much-derided Cowboy Bebop, while Herman, writing for Variety, asked: “If the best result one can hope for is an approximation of the original, close or far, what does this version of ‘One Piece’ provide that the original can’t?” Other critics were more enthusiastic, praising the performances, costuming, and fight choreography. In a thoughtful, in-depth essay for Geek Girl Riot, Sherin Nicole reassured long-time fans that Netflix stuck the landing: “This series gets it. It’s about found family and freedom; it seeks to dismantle systems of subjugation and its surrogates; it’s goofy and heartfelt.”

AROUND THE WEB

If you ever wondered why your local library doesn’t own a complete run of One Piece, or doesn’t offer free electronic access to manga, I strongly encourage you to read Priya Sridhar’s excellent, in-depth article about the unique challenges libraries face when acquiring longer series. [Anime Herald]

Gab Hernandez explains why Stop!! Hibari-Kun! is “so progressive yet so paradoxically backward.” [Anime Feminist]

Alexis Sara explores the complexities of transgender representation in yuri manga. [Anime Feminist]

Wondering what to read after Fabricant 100? Kara Dennison offers three suggestions, all of which debut this month on the Shonen Jump app. [Otaku USA]

Bill Curtis compiles a complete list of September’s new manga and light novel releases. [Yatta-Tachi]

The Reverse Thieves name She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat their manga of the month. [Reverse Thieves]

That Manga Hunter delves into the history of shojo manga imprints, from Shojo Beat to Steamship. [That Manga Hunter]

Join comic pros Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg for a lively tour through Katsuhiro Otomo’s earliest work. [Cartoonist Kayfabe!]

Over at The Comics Journal, Austin Price revisits a favorite series—Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya)—and discovers that nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. “I realized what I would find there was only disappointment,” he observes. “Not the true extent of that disappointment, you understand; as I said before, no one can know how wide is the disparity between their idyllic memories and their mundane present until confronted with it.” [TCJ]

REVIEWS

This week’s must-read review comes from Erica Friedman, who praises The Moon on a Rainy Night for resisting the most common tropes around disability. “What we get in Moon on a Rainy Night is the coming together of two people who help one another to become their best selves,” she observes. “It is a fantastic tale of what ‘accommodation’ ought to look like in a perfect world.”

New and Noteworthy

Complete, OOP, and Ongoing

Manga the Week of 9/13/23

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SEAN: Mid-September, and the titles keep rolling in.

There’s just one from Yen, though. Yen On has the 17th and final volume of The Asterisk War. (insert joke mocking Chivalry of a Failed Knight here)

Viz Media debuts Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga. This adaptation of the TV series runs in Big Gangan, and is from the artist behind The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage.

ASH: I’ll have to admit, I’m even more woefully behind with my watching than I am with my reading, but a lot of my friends are really into The Mandalorian.

ANNA: I want to see manga Grogu.

SEAN: Viz also has Animal Crossing: New Horizons 5, Call of the Night 13, Fly Me to the Moon 19, Helck 5, Mao 13, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 13, Pokémon Adventures: X•Y 6, Wolf Girl and Black Prince 3, and Yakuza Lover 10.

SuBLime has a one-shot, Old-Fashioned Cupcake with Cappuccino. This is a sequel to Old-Fashioned Cupcake from a few months back. It runs in ihr HertZ.

ASH: This still looks delightful.

SEAN: And there’s also His Favorite 13. (Catching up with Japan sucks, doesn’t it?)

ASH: Oh, His Favorite! I remember that one.

SEAN: Steamship has a 4th volume of Ladies on Top.

Square Enix debuts a novel that puts other light novel titles to shame. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…: Project Gestalt Recollections–File 01 is presumably based on the game whose guidebook I put on here two weeks ago. I think I’ll wait for ver.2.0 myself.

ASH: Got to get all those bugs worked out.

ANNA: I will wait for the 360 version.

SEAN: From Square Enix we also get Daemons of the Shadow Realm 2, My Happy Marriage 4, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 14.

Seven Seas has the debut of Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout (Fantasy Bishoujo Juniku Ojisan to). This series that runs in something called Cycomics has an anime as well. It’s on the comedic end of the spectrum as far as trans issues go, but it does at least vaguely touch on them. The title is the plot.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: They also give us The Country Without Humans 4, The Duke of Death and His Maid 8, The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 3, Kiruru Kill Me 5, Soloist in a Cage 2, Who Made Me a Princess 2, and Yakuza Reincarnation 7.

And for danmei fans, we also have Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu 7.

One Peace Books has a 2nd manga volume for The Death Mage.

Kodansha debuted The Darwin Incident (Darwin Jihen) last week, but didn’t update their site till this week, so here it is. It’s an award-winning manga from Afternoon about a half-human, half-chimp becoming involved in terrorism. I beg the Manga Bookshelf team not to pick it as Pick of Last Week and further compound my shame.

No print debuts for Kodansha THIS week, but we do see print volumes of Battle Angel Alita Mars Chronicle 9 (not the final volume, but the series is on hiatus in Japan), Gleipnir 13, Shonen Note: Boy Soprano 5, and Welcome Back, Alice 5.

MICHELLE: I want to read both Shonen Note and Welcome Back, Alice at some point.

ASH: Shonen Note is high on my list, too.

ANNA: Mine too!

SEAN: The digital debut is Cells at Work: Lady. When Cells at Work debuted in 2015, I had no idea it would be the Alice in the Country of Hearts of the 2020s. This runs in Morning Two, and has cells dealing with things like menstruation, pregnancy, and childbirth.

ASH: I’m not sure any of us were expecting that!

ANNA: The world of manga publishing is surprising and amazing.

SEAN: We also get Ace of the Diamond 45, The Fable 18, Gang King 9, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 15, Love, That’s an Understatement 3, Quality Assurance in Another World 9, and The Untouchable Midori-kun 5.

MICHELLE: Ace of the Diamond is almost done! Just two volumes to go. I hope Kodansha releases the sequel.

SEAN: Print from J-Novel Club gives us Ascendance of a Bookworm 20, Marginal Operation 15, Tearmoon Empire 9, and the 9th The Unwanted Undead Adventurer manga volume.

ASH: Woohoo, Bookworm!

SEAN: There are three digital debuts. Back to the Battlefield: The Veteran Heroes Return to the Fray! (Arafō ni Natta Saikyō no Eiyū-tachi, Futatabi Senjō de Musō Suru!!) is a series about a group of heroes who saved the world 25 years ago. Now… they gotta do it again.

The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects: Tales of Blue Dias and the Onikin Alna (Ryoumin 0-nin Start no Henkyou Ryoushusama) is a manga based on an as-yet unlicensed novel. Our hero is rewarded by the kingdom with land!… which turns out to be empty fields with no one in them. Fortunately, he finds a demon girl. This runs in Comic Earth Star Online.

Lucia and the Loom: Weaving Her Way to Happiness (Fukushokushi Lucia wa Akiramenai: Kyō kara Hajimeru Kōfuku Keikaku) is a spinoff of the Dahlia in Bloom series, featuring Lucia, Dahlia’s friend in the garment factory.

ASH: It seems like there has been a few fabric arts related series of late.

ANNA: Were there knitting manga? Where’s the knitting manga at?

SEAN: There’s also the 7th Cooking with Wild Game manga, I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! 3, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 24 (the final volume), Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 9, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 23, and Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord 2.

Ghost Ship has the 6th manga volume of JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World.

This is already out, but Denpa has Under Ninja 2.

Airship, in print, has Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 15.

And for early digital we see Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 7.

If it’s September, why is it still hot? Any manga heating you up?

Rising from Ashes: My Dear Emperor, You’re Putty in My Hands!, Vol. 1

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By Makino Maebaru and Yoko Matsurika. Released in Japan as “Torotoro ni Shite Sashiagemasu, Kōtei Heika. Moto Konyakusha ni Ie o Yakareta Tsuihō Miko wa, Ringoku Kōtei ni Chōai Sarete Sainō o Hanahirakaseru” on the Shōsetsuka ni Narō website. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Zihan Gao.

This is the third series we’ve read this year by Makino Maebaru, who is getting along very well with the folks at Cross Infinite World. As you know if you’ve read The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess, or The Invisible Wallflower Marries an Upstart Aristocrat, this author has a genre, and that genre is the “villainess” version of Cinderella. And sure enough, that’s what we have going on here as well. Our protagonist, doomed by canon to be executed for being evil, is rescued at the last minute by a really hot guy with wings who turns out to be the Emperor of the neighboring country. You know, the normal kind of romance. As for the book itself, it’s solid. It won’t bowl anyone over, but it’s a good novel with a heroine who hates herself a bit too much to notice everyone wants her to be happy.

Sai, reincarnated from Japan, finds that she is living the life of the “evil priestess” from an otome game she liked. Sadly, trying to be really good instead does not work, and she’s quickly falsely accused (the “saint” who was just summoned might have something to do with this) and imprisoned. But right before execution, she is saved by Haruka, who rules over the Orient Empire (the names in this are aggressively unsubtle). He tries to bring her right back, but has used too much mana, so they shelter in a cave. Here she discovers that she has enough mana to help to heal the emperor from his chronic magic fatigue. Then, when she gets to the Orient Empire, she discovers the Wagtail Priestess is beloved there, and she’s given a residence of her own, servants, and a purpose in life. Of course, the Emperor also seems interested in her, but that can’t be right. No one would ever be interested in someone as unsuitable as her.

So yeah, there’s a heaping helping of “abuse survivor” in this. Sai’s life after her parents were killed during a war is pure Cinderella, and by that I mean the evil stepsisters version. Her powers are ignored, she’s used basically as a maid, and her fiance not only belittles her but also hits her. (Some of this turns out to be the work of our “heroine” Saint, Lilly, who may be the most cynical, jaded “evil heroine” I’ve run across in these books.) Because of this, the very idea of people treating her nicely or wanting her to relax and enjoy life is anathema to her, and instead she resolves to work herself to death trying to make things better for the Empire. Of course, as everyone but her realizes, the best thing she could do right now is marry the Emperor. But, baby steps.

All this plus the “my powers make him horny” character tic that we also saw in Arousing Priestess. (I think the author wrote this first, so the influence may go the other way.) If you like romances by this author, this won’t disappoint you.

Moon Blossom Asura: The Ruthless Reincarnated Mercenary Forms the Ultimate Army, Vol. 1

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By Sou Hazuki and Mizutametori. Released in Japan as “Tsuki Hana no Shōjo Asura: Gokuaku Hidō no Yōhei, Tensei Shite Saikyō no Yōheidan o Tsukuru” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Stephanie Liu.

Every once in a while I like to look at a book that otherwise has no appeal to me whatsoever. Sometimes it turns out I’m wrong, and I end up pleasantly surprised. Sometimes the book is so bad that I can’t even bring myself to finish it. And then there are those unfortunate books where I recognize the craft, and know that they will have an audience here, but that audience is not me. As you may have guessed, Moon Blossom Asura falls under the last category. It has fun, enjoyable characters, some good mysterious backstory, some exciting fights, and a determination to show us that war is hell. But the goal of this series seems to be to take idealists and show their faces into the dirt until they learn better, and I like my fiction just a bit shinier than that. It’s a rare series that makes me long for the happy times of The Saga of Tanya the Evil.

Moon Blossom is one of the most infamous mercenary groups in all the world. Currently working for the downtrodden kingdom of Arnia, they consists of our “heroine”, Asura, a reincarnated merc who is trying to recreate her old job in this new world of swords and magic; Lumia, a warrior with a past; Jyrki and Iina, two teen bandits turned into Asura’s soldiers, and Marx, a former soldier who now works on the side of … well, the devil? Asura is bad, but she gets the job done, and given how badly Arnia is losing their current war, that’s a good thing. Still, they may be in trouble with this new request from the young King: assassinate the Hero working for the opposing side. Despite the fact that killing a hero will earn the ire of everyone in the world.

So yes, obviously, reminded a lot of Tanya the Evil with this one. Unlike Tanya’s world-weary cynicism and desperation for the fighting to end, though, Asura LOVES this sort of thing, and the only reason that she hasn’t just decided to become a mass murderer is that she has Lumia around as her conscience. Though that goes both ways, as we find out towards the end of the book. This book contains a lot of the basic isekai tropes, such as magic, heroes, etc., along with our reincarnated protagonist. but its goal seems to be to show everyone that war ids a dirty, awful business and you cannot possibly win it by sticking to your ideals and morals. Iris, a hero that the group meets near the end of the book, wants to save Asura, who she thinks has snapped due to her past tragedies. Which, well, is KIND OF true, but honestly, Asura simply doesn’t want to be saved. Her goal is instead to show Iris how to live on a battlefield – which does not involve being an idealist and trying to save everyone.

This is well-written, and fans of bleak military isekai might like it. I just want to read something with more puppies and rainbows next, please.

Loner Life in Another World, Vol. 7

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By Shoji Goji and Saku Enomaru. Released in Japan as “Hitoribocchi no Isekai Kouryaku” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Eric Margolis. Adapted by Lorin Christie.

One of the reasons why this is such a difficult series to get anyone into (and trust me, there are so many reasons) is that it is trying to be so many different things. It is a military combat novel in this volume… or at least the start of this volume, as it turns out that Haruka, in fact, manages to take care of everything far more than anyone expected him to. It’s a raunchy sex comedy, with Haruka’s stats leveling him up to Sex God (no, really, it says that in his stats) and featuring a number of explicit sex scenes that nevertheless will likely get overlooked by the Powers That Be merely as they’re narrated by Haruka, which means they’re completely incoherent. That said, there is one thing that this series tends to put first, before anything else, and I 100% approve: the nobility sucks. Class warfare forever. Eat the rich. Because trust me, almost all the nobles we meet here are scum.

Haruka rushes back to the frontier in order to stop the army that’s headed that way, an army backed by the theocracy’s soldiers (who are quite content to let the regular army folks be killed off while they hang back) and the theocracy’s secret weapon, another Dungeon Emperor on the same level as Angelica. Oh, and they’re also unleashing monster rushes from nine dungeons around the kingdom, guaranteed to have the populace horribly murdered, which means none of Haruka’s allies can come to his side because they all have to stop this. Needless to say, Haruka… wins almost embarrassingly easily. And now he has a new Dungeon Emperor on his side, the gorgeous Nerfertiri (any resemblance to an ancient Egyptian queen is purely intentional) as his second “concubine”, and has saved the day. Time for a grand ball!

The lack of suspense in the first third of the volume is almost laughable, at least on Haruka’s end. I worried far more about Stalker Girl and her father, who are trying to defeat a mass rush of monsters despite essentially being a ninja spy force. The second third of this novel is basically comic relief and porn, though again, it’s porn written in the style of Haruka’s narration, so it’s not in the least bit arousing. He’s just banging two girls now rather than one. (Again, it’s hinted he refuses to do anything to the Japanese girls for past trauma reasons.) The last third, though, it easily the best part, as the grand ball turns out to be a trap to ensnare all the other evil nobles, baited by a play that gives all the credit to the war to the Princess and Duke, and none to Haruka – meaning they underestimate him. The girls at first asked why in hell he was making their ballgowns with so many defensive armor traits – it turns out they need every single one of them. It’s glorious.

So this long arc is over, and I assume we start something new next time. Might be a few months till the next book, so go back and try to translate Haruka to English, that’s my advice.

I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, Vol. 6

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By Sarasa Nagase and Mai Murasaki. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijo Nanode Rasubosu o Katte Mimashita” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

So I have very good news for fans of this series: not once in this volume is Aileen threatened with execution as a result of something happening out of her control. Which makes a nice change from the first five books. Indeed, there’s a very “final volume” to this, despite the fact there are at least five more books coming. All the major subplots are tied up, most of the romantic couples are now together… well, mostly (try harder, Serena), Claude is no longer being forcibly possessed and turned into a dragon, and everyone gets something to do. Indeed, that may be my biggest complaint of the volume: this cast is too big, and I hate having to go back to the cast list at the start of the volume to remember who is who. Oh yes, and perhaps the most important part of all this: Aileen and Claude are finally allowed to consummate their marriage! Offscreen, of course. This isn’t Loner Life in Another World.

We pick up right where we left off, with everything having gone wrong and Amelia having won. That said, Aileen doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit: indeed, to everyone’s shock, she notes that if she can’t rescue Claude she’s going to have to kill him. In order to save the day everyone will have to do their best, despite the fact that one heroine is in a coma, one heroine is being a tsundere, and one heroine is still convinced that this is a game and that she doesn’t have to care about anyone as a person at all – though you get the sense she’s lying through her teeth. As for Aileen and her faction, well, she handles things like she always does, with brute force and blunt objects. Indeed, looking back to the past of Amelia and her sister, we meet Grace Dark, Claude’s mother, who turns out to be a lot like his current wife.

As with the previous few volumes, I’m fascinated with Lilia, possibly the best “heroine” in a villainess book not named Maria Campbell. Out loud, she’s the same as always, talking about backstories and routes opening up (Aileen does this as well, and the two are frankly far more alike than Aileen would like). Deep down, her feelings for Cedric are wavering, not enough that she’ll confess to him or anything (honestly, you get the sense she’d rather be in a bisexual relationship with Aileen and Claude), but because she’s going off to be brutally murdered by Amelia, and knows that saying “I’ll marry you when I return” is the biggest death flag there is. Unfortunately for Lilia, she’s surrounded by much better people than her, who can also work miracles, so rumors of her death become the reality of her wedding. Which, honestly, she’s a bit bitter about.

So, the end! Aileen is married and has now consummated her marriage! What could be next? Oh, short story volume? Right. Short story volume.

The Manga Review: Deep in the Heart of Texas

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A television station in Houston reports that the Klein Independent School District (ISD) has been bypassing the usual administrative procedure for removing controversial books from its shelves, instead treating those titles as old or out-of-date materials that need to be purged. The majority of books on its list will be familiar to anyone who’s been following the conversation around race, gender, and “age appropriate” works for younger readers—The Bluest Eye, Fun Home—but the list also includes volumes of popular manga such as Assassination Classroom, Black Butler, and Soul Eater. The Texas chapter of the ACLU is currently investigating.

In other news, Brigid Alverson reports that a Texas judge has blocked the implementation of the READER Act, which “would require booksellers to assign ratings to all books they sell to schools and recall any ‘sexually explicit’ books that had already been sold”… Brigid Alverson also has the scoop on Burst Angel, which was rescued from licensing purgatory, as well as four new additions to the Yen Press catalog… Cutie Honey will celebrate her 50th birthday this November… The Witch and the Knight Will Survive will be complete in three volumes… Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction is coming to the big screen next year… the United Workers of Seven Seas just voted to ratify their first contract… and The Beat posted a generous preview of Issaka Galadima’s Clock Striker, “which follows a young Black girl in her quest to become an elite engineer warrior.”

AROUND THE WEB

Matt Alt explains how some of Japan’s most time-honored methods for cooling off in the summer are disappearing in the face of modernization and global warming. [The New Yorker]

Eiichiro Oda sat down with the New York Times to talk about Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of One Piece, and why he thinks his series will be a hit with international viewers. [New York Times]

Shelby Tozier examines the legacy of Arina Tanemura, author of such shojo classics as Phantom Thief Jeanne and Full Moon o Sagashite. [Anime Feminist]

Also at Anime Feminist: Sarah Guinevere Smit uses Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou to explain “what many transgender people went through during the pandemic.” She explains: “In the solitude and desolation of COVID-19, cut off from the pressures and expectations of society, there was a silent wave of transgender people coming to the realization that they no longer needed to pretend to be someone they were not, beginning their transitions in the midst of death, despair, and loneliness.” [Anime Feminist]

To mark the tenth anniversary of Radiant‘s debut, Dark Aether offers an in-depth look at the series. [AniTAY]

Wondering what to watch this fall? Kara Denison has prepared a helpful list of anime whose source material is already available in English. [Otaku USA]

Jocelyne Allen sings the praises of Hokago no Etude, a BL manga about a ballet troupe. “For a BL manga, it has a real shojo vibe to it at times,” she notes. “Dance scenes get room to breathe, while the sexy times have closely packed panels, loads of dialogue and sound effects, for an overall intensity that makes those scenes even more effective.”  [Brain vs. Book]

REVIEWS

Erica Friedman argues that Otherside Picnic is “one of the most extraordinary explorations of physical, emotional and psychic boundaries that I have ever read”… librarian Ashley Hawkins has a brief but excellent review of Susumu Higa’s Okinawa… Adam Symchuk explains how Yokohama Station SF finds its footing in volume two… Megan D. reads Corrector Yui so you don’t have to… Sarah gives two thumbs up to After We Gazed at the Starry Sky… and the gang at Beneath the Tangles post a fresh batch of short reviews.

New and Noteworthy

Complete, OOP, and Ongoing Series

Looks Are All You Need: Shiika’s Crescendo

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By Ghost Mikawa and necomi. Released in Japan as “Kao Sae Yokereba Ii Kyōshitsu” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.

There’s a lot here that reminds me of other light novels, even though the premise itself is somewhat unique. If anyone remembers the old movie/TV Series Fame they will find this a bit familiar. But the two series it reminded me of most are No Game No Life and Spy Classroom. The former is obvious: it’s about a brother and sister, both eccentric, who have skills but have dealt poorly with social interaction in the past, being forced to socially interact. The good news is that, thankfully, there is precisely zero incest subtext in Looks Are All You Need, and Gakuto and Shiika feel like actual siblings rather than a weird fetish. As for Spy Classroom, this is another book that relies heavily on it being on the page. What this series does with music is something that can’t be conveyed aurally without losing the magic. Which makes me worry that, if it ever gets an anime, it’ll be Erna under the table all over again.

Seeker is a fairly popular virtual idol, who does mostly cover versions but has quite a following. In reality, Shiika is a shut-in who cares little for her appearance or social cues, who lives in an apartment with her brother, who is much the same but doesn’t have Shiika’s singing ability. One day they’re approached by a talent company, who were able to find out her real identity. They have a suggestion: go to Ryouran Academy and learn how to become a famous star. It’s tempting – Gokuto’s goal in life is to earn a ton of money without actually doing any work. Unfortunately, Shiika is a virtual idol for a reason. That said, they agree to have Shiika enter the academy and give it a try, provided that Gokuto can enter with her, as a sort of “supernumerary”. It ends up being the best thing that happened to the school.

I enjoyed this much more than I expected. I know the author from the series My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In For Me!, which is also very good. But this hit a lot of buttons that I resonated with personally. Shiika is not only a talented singer, she’s also synesthetic, seeing sounds as colors, and that’s a huge part of how she handles people – when she sees a rival girl who has a 6-octave range, she’s not impressed but horrified, as her falsetto range is “ick” – it has bad colors. Speaking of which, I was in a high school chorus where an alto was forced to sing soprano doe to lack of good voices in the higher registers, and it did destroy her voice, so I feel for Erio, who’s all technique but no soul. I hope she and Shiika become friends. And then there’s Gokuto, who gives off that air of “I am just a clever shlub” the entire book, until the unseen climax, where we get to see his inner warrior peek out.

Basically, Shiika and Gokuto give off “I am a cliche” vibes, but are deep enough that I want to read more of them, especially Shiika. Definitely a strong start.