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Reviews

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 10

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By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu. Released in Japan as “Yakusoku no Neverland” by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Satsuki Yamashita.

We’ve seen this series go back and forth between “all the demons are monsters who want to eat brains” and “not ALL demons”, and as a result it’s not really a surprise that you see Emma here, always the most idealistic of any group she’s in, attempting to reason with Leuvis towards the end of this volume. I mean, it makes sense. The demons don’t do this because they are required t or they’ll die. It’s hunting, which Emma admits that she has done as well. And what’s more, while she may loathe Leuvis for killing some of her new-found friends, she is not driven by a desire to end his life. So… can they come to an agreement. There are, however, a few flashbacks that help to show us that the answer is no, at least here at Goldy Pond. Reason and pluck will win the day elsewhere, but not for Leuvis, who spouts something about needing to be in conflict but we see what it really is is that he does this for the thrill.

For all that TPN has a reputation of existing on “will they die or not?”, there really aren’t TOO many deaths if you look at the course of the series. And we just had two more a volume or two ago. So I wasn’t really expecting any of the child soldiers here to get killed off, but the art made me wonder a lot of the time. In general, I don’t recommend breaking out the “monster is holding someone up by their head” pose unless you really plan to go through with crushing that head. That said, thanks to Flashbacks we do still get a few deaths – this is not a series for little kids. But we also do see their brief triumphs, and also taking care of the wounded back at home base. These kids are just as much of a family as the Grace Field kids are, despite the fact that it’s still coming down to Emma to fight the big bad.

Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way, as Ray and “that geezer” have finally caught up to Emma, and can help her just when it seems there’s no hope. I do wonder how this is going to play out. We’ve had a few volumes now with Emma on her own, but she’s best balanced with Ray and Norman beside her. We know Norman is alive now, but he’s nowhere near them. Ray is now there, though, and I think will be the first to point out that when a psychopath who loves to kill children for the sport of it taunts you, it’s OK to perhaps not give him one more chance. (He may then find out that he missed Emma doing exactly this – I mean, Emma may be badass, but it’s a very shiny sort of badass.) So, as we finish up this very well done Promised Neverland, one question is in my mind above all others: will the “geezer” guy finally be officially named in story?

Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight, Vol. 4

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By Hyougetsu and Nishi(E)da. Released in Japan by Earth Star Entertainment. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen.

One of the things that Veight has been lacking as we travel through these books is a strong enemy on the opposite side. The Hero was sort of a generic type, brought to life to have a climax to the book. The Senate are, as we see in this book, pathetic and ineffectual, trapped in political backstabbing and vituperation. Most of the ‘antagonists’ Veight goes up against in battle are either cannon fodder or won over to his side fairly quickly. He needs someone to fight against who’s actually good at what they do. Not TOO good, of course – the basic premise of the book still has Veight being super awesome while insisting he’s just a mild-mannered vice commander. But enough to force him to actually think out a couple of different plans – especially necessary given that his subordinates are trying harder and harder to make sure that he does not try to do everything himself. (They almost succeed. Almost.)

Conveniently, we’re starting to learn about countries and territories outside of “the northern parts of the country” and “the southern parts of the country”. There’s apparently nations past the demon forest, and on the other side of the dry desert. And there’s also a nation over the mountains up north, a nation who we see in this book really wants to get a fingerhold into Meraldia. To that end, they’ve joined forces with a few of the north’s cities who don’t like the Senate too much, and also sent over Eleora, their sixth princess, who is Veight’s distaff counterpart. She’s crafty, good at military matters, and also has a crack brigade of mages who reminded me quite a bit of Tanya the Evil much of the time. (She even has her own Visha, this one named Natalia.) Her nation, Rolmund, has succession issues, and this is very much a succeed or die sort of mission. Too bad there’s Veight.

There’s a lot of fun here. Every time Veight denies that he’s really strong or impulsive is wonderful, if only as it’s getting harder to believe he’s not doing it on purpose. Speaking of which, the funniest parts of the book involve coming up with a series of plays that will serve as propaganda. In reality, they’re basically bodice rippers, with each play involving a handsome actor playing Veight winning handily and causing his actress of the moment (playing Airia, Melaine, Firnir, etc.) to swoon and coo. Veight is rather embarrassed by all this, though the others (who no doubt hope Veight will catch a clue sometimes) have no issues. The final play we see involves Eleora and her own attack on Meraldia. I’m not sure whether she’ll join the list of women in love with Veight yet (honestly, I suspect it will be Airia if anyone), but the afterword definitely says the next book will involve Rolmund, so I’m sure we’ll see more of her.

I sometimes feel like I’m overpraising things, but I really can’t get enough of this series. Each volume is fun, easy to read, not too short or too long, has good characters and great humor, and makes Veight overpowered and harem lead-ey without him feeling like a stock light novel guy. Really, start reading these books.

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 1

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By Tomohito Oda. Originally released in Japan as “Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu” by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Shonen Sunday. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by John Werry.

When you get a basic description of this series, it sort of sounds like a few other “aloof beautiful girl at school is really just super shy” titles. But Komi is a bit more complicated than that. The Japanese title can translate as “Komi Has a Communication Disorder”, and we certainly see that here, as she finds it nearly impossible to speak in front of others, let alone interact with them. And that’s a shame, as she really wants to have friends – 100 friends, in fact, like the Japanese children’s song. Fortunately, she has some help when starting high school. Tadano is an average, nondescript guy – in fact, that’s what he’s aiming for – but he’s seated next to Komi, not only earning him the hatred of all the other guys in the room, but also meaning he’s able to notice that she’s trying hard but not succeeding. And so he vows to be her first friend – and help her make more.

It’s not easy. Not only is Komi unable to properly communicate beyond writing on chalkboards, talking over the phone and the occasional babbling attempt to speak, but the school that they’re in is deliberately filled with “characters”, priding itself on individuality. This means even other introverts have a few eccentricities here and there. I’ll admit sometimes this works and sometimes this doesn’t. I liked Agari, who is a normal shy wallflower type, whose difficulties in talking to the class pale in comparison to Komi’s, but could have done without the “I’ll be your pet” gag ending to her storyline. Likewise one of the minor characters in this book, Yamai, reads like a worryingly stereotypical psycho lesbian, and I really hope it doesn’t go down that road.

There is also, however, Tadano’s childhood friend Najimi Osana. The most obvious of the pun-based names the cast all have, they are Tadano’s childhood friend. They are also non-binary. Najimi wore a man’s uniform and acted like a guy in middle school, is wearing a girls’ uniform and acting girly in high school, and is perfectly okay with this – and so is the rest of the cast so far, though Tadano has a few tsukkomi reactions to the whole thing. I’ve seen this sort of character in manga and anime before, but usually we the reader know what they gender assignment at birth is – not in this case. And that’s fine, as Najimi’s real role here is to be the super popular one with piles and piles of friends. This eventually includes Komi, though they get off on the wrong foot as Najimi finds Komi’s intense stare a bit terrifying.

In the end, though, this manga is about Komi. She’s moved a little further forward by the end of the first volume, but only a little – speaking to someone in person is still beyond her. I also love the way the art changes her face when she’s distressed or shy – she’s normally the gorgeous beauty, but her face turns wide and superdeformed when overwhelmed – which is nearly all the time. This was a fun series, and I look forward to following Komi’s growth.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, Vol. 2

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By Rifuin Na Magonote and Shirotaka. Released in Japan as “Mushoku Tensei – Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu” by Media Factory. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Alyssa Orton-Niioka. Adapted by JY Yang.

The second book in this series covers about three years time, going from when Rudeus is 7 to just after his 10th birthday. It’s striking that we still haven’t really hit the teenage/adult years that most “in another world” titles skip to, although the ending to this volume may indicate a change is on the horizon. It does allow us to see Rudeus both mature as a child growing up, and also attempt to fix his mindset from his previous life that got him into trouble there as well. We also get a new female lead, since Rudeus was forcibly separated from his childhood elf friend (who gets one mention briefly here in an “oh, right, her” sort of way… which is typical for children who move, to be honest). Instead we have Eris, who is a giant ball of violence disguised as a child, and has driven away countless tutors both by being unteachable and also by beating the crap out of them. Naturally, Rudy is made of sterner stuff.

First of all, Rudy’s plan to pretend to get kidnapped so that he can show Eris the value of reading, magic and ‘rithmatic is astonishingly dumb, and it will come as no surprise that it immediately turns into a real kidnapping. The fact that it achieves its aims (Eris is willing to settle down a bit and learn) does not make it less dumb. Most of the rest of the book is devoted to The Taming of the Shrew, essentially, as Rudy slowly but surely gets Eris to learn how to read, write, do sums, practice magic and also dance in his spare time. Naturally, she falls for him hard. I’d say nothing happens as they’re 10 and 12 respectively, but something almost happens. It’s portrayed as overtly wrong and that’s fine, but I’m still thinking “wtf?” a bit. That said, Eris clearly states the fact that they’re too young is the only thing stopping her. Despite being a bit of a cliched angry tsundere, I like Eris. Well, I like Eris when she’s not adding “mew” to her sentences, another reminder that the author’s idea of fanservice is “just add it wherever and don’t worry if it makes sense character-wise”.

Then there’s that ending, which comes as a surprise. I’m not entirely sure yet what it means for Rudy and Eris (who I’m guessing are still together), but its devastation to the country that we’ve been in since the start of the series is pointed. The style had been very much relaxed and fun before this, but the final scene is done seriously and tragically, and works very well. It also shows us that Roxy will be getting back into the series soon, which pleases me, especially since it turns out that her tutoring royalty was a disaster as he was a royal brat. Given the sheer nature of what happened, I’m not sure this is easily fixed at all. That said, it’s certainly a great way to tell readers to get the next book, as I very much want to find out what happens and verify who is dead and who isn’t. As for the book itself, aside from the author sometimes being weirdly otaku, it’s still a very good reincarnation isekai. I can see why it has its reputation.

Crest of the Stars: Princess of the Empire

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By Hiroyuki Morioka and Toshihiro Ono. Released in Japan by Hayakawa Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Giuseppe di Martino.

I was excited when I heard that this got picked up by J-Novel Club. I’d read the Tokyopop so long ago that I’d forgotten almost everything about it, but I definitely remember enjoying it. It’s old-school science fiction, the sort that not only introduces you to the main characters but also builds an entire political galaxy, delves deeply into engineering and battle terms, and also invents an entire alien language for the reader to immerse themselves in, complete with not only translations but phonetic pronunciation. It’s also a novel rather than a light novel, so aside from the cover, don’t expect any interior illustrations. As for the story itself, it takes a while to get going, but once Lafier shows up and meets Jinto, things really start to take off, and the last quarter of the book is fantastic. It also leaves you on a cliffhanger, so I’m grateful more is coming.

The book opens on the planet Martin, where the seemingly arrogant and ruthless Abh Empire has just invaded. They basically have a choice – get taken over peacefully or not peacefully. Jinto, the 10-year-old son of the planet’s leader, rapidly discovers that his father not only chooses “peacefully” but also decides to become an Abh noble and leaves the planet… which means everyone suddenly hates Jinto by association. Seven years later and a far calmer and mellower Jinto has been going to schools to learn about his new status as an Abh (albeit not by genetics) and is ready to begin life as a quartermaster. He’s met by a young woman who is, like all people born Abh, gorgeous, and who also seems stunned he doesn’t recognize her. As a result, she asks him to call her Lafier, and they get on like a house on fire. Of course, this assumes that he can make it to his new position, as suddenly the Abh are under attack by the Human Empire.

I will get a few things out of the way here. First of all, it’s Lafier with an r, which is not what I’m used to from prior releases. It didn’t take too long to get used to it, through. The same cannot be said for the vocab peppered throughout the book, which is a LOT. At the start of the book every third word seems to get its own alien term, pronunciation guide, and English equivalent, and after a while it can verge on annoying. That said, it really does help to sell the Abh as a different culture. Plus as the book goes on previous alien terms are merely put in bold type, so you don’t actually have to deal with learning the words too much. The main reason to read the book, as I said, is Jinto and Lafier. They’re both great, immediately likeable personalities, and they bounce off each other well. The last quarter of the book has them dealing with a self-serving baron (who has his own harem, something that is NOT painted as a good thing) and I can’t wait to see him get his comeuppance.

There’s also some good, moving writing here as well, particularly in the doomed space battle 2/3 in. If you want some nice chunky sci-fi with lots of alien terminology, it’s absolutely worth checking out. Just don’t let the vocab lessons get you down.

Aria The Masterpiece, Vol. 2

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By Kozue Amano. Originally released in Japan by Mag Garden, serialized in the magazine Comic Blade. Released in North America by Tokyopop. Translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley.

Starting with this omnibus Aqua renamed itself Aria and moved to its new home in Mag Garden’s Comic Blade, where it would remain until it finished. Comic Blade is technically for male readers but tended to be sui generis a lot of the time, And Aria doesn’t really have the fanservice that you’d expect from a guy title – the cast go to a hot springs here, but everyone keeps their towels on for the most part, and it’s meant to be peaceful and relaxing, just like the rest of the series. There’s no sign that the title moved magazines at all, as it picks right up where it left off with Akari and company, not doing one of those “reintroduction” chapters. There’s not really much to reintroduce. It’s a girl and her gondola, on a planet of water, and god, it’s pretty. The second omnibus helps to introduce us more to the customs and festivals in this world, adds a new minor character, and shows off the art, which is why we’re here.

(Sorry about the cover art – I spent several minutes trying to find a picture that did not have a banner in the corner and was unable to. Grump.)

Saying I’m only here for the art, though, seems rude to the main characters, who I also deeply love. Akari is such a ray of sunshine that you can’t stop smiling while reading about her, whether she’s happily cleaning her gondola, gathering firewood, or almost getting spirited away by foxes, a chapter that verges on unsettling but doesn’t quite make it because it’s hard to imagine anything bad ever happening to Akari. Alicia continues to be the big sister we all wish we had, quietly mentoring Akari, marveling at Akari’s shininess, and getting Akari drunk with some peach wine she brought out. Aika tries to hard to be cool and elegant like her crush Alicia, but she’s simply too grumpy and hyper to pull it off, but that’s what makes her charming – and hilarious. Even President Aria is here, and I still find his chapters boring, but they’re part of the mood as well, really.

We’re also shown some of the ways in which Aqua is a terraformed planet, as we meet the gnomes who make sure the gravity works properly – well, one gnome, Al, who looks like Harry Potter… erm, a little kid, but is actually a few years older than Aika and Akari. And there’s also another appearance by Cait Sith, the giant cat leader who seems to have a soft spot for Akari, as she sees him with astonishing regularity. As for the scenery, well, it’s simply fantastic, and you will pause on some two-page spreads just to take it in. There are one or two chapters where the entire point is to see Akari meander through Neo-Venezia and take in the gorgeousness. She’s not any closer to promotion (the race she competes in turns out not to be a test at all), but she’s having fun.

If you’re on the fence about getting this, because you already have it, or because you’re worried it might get cancelled – again – I urge you to pick it up anyway. It’s a coffee table manga.

Strike the Blood, Vol. 12

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By Gakuto Mikumo and Manyako. Released in Japan by ASCII Mediaworks. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jeremiah Bourque.

At the end of my review of the 11th book in this series, I had a lot of questions that I wanted to see answered in Vol. 12, and unfortunately, and somewhat frustratingly, none of them are. Natsuki isn’t even mentioned, and since it takes place entirely off the island we’ve no idea what things will be like the next time she sees Kojou. Yukina does run into two other members of the Lion King Agency, but they seem to get along just fine, and there seems to be no real consequences as of yet to her breaking off from doing what the Agency says last time. In fact, Kojou and Yukina almost end up being guest stars in their own series, as while they do eventually show up and figure in the climax (and yes, the “this is my/our fight” running gag is present and correct), much of the book seems designed to introduce us to those two other Lion King Agency members, one of whom gets stacked on the harem pile. As you’d expect.

In case you’re curious, Yukina is the heroine on the cover of this volume of Strike the Blood. It’s always interesting to see who’ll be featured next. Meanwhile, she and Kojou do finally get off the island, mostly due to Vattler, who is here to save the day and even donates his harem of young princesses – who also seem to be a crack combat squad A-Team style – to help with this latest crisis. And it is a crisis, because kidnapping Nagisa to try to kill off what’s inside her proves to be a big mistake, and now there’s lots of things to deal with. For one, there’s a dragon named Glenda, who can also turn into a young teen girl (and gets to be Koujo’s snack of the week so that he can get a new beast vassal). And there’s also the JSDF, who seem to spend half of all Japanese light novels being useless until our heroes arrive, and the other half being evil. It’s a little of both here.

As always, the book reads fast and the fight scenes are good. Thre’s always one bit of annoying fanservice that I twitch at, and this time around it’s Asagi spending the entire volume in a school swimsuit-like plugsuit for no real reason other than to be humiliated and gawked at. That said, as always Asagi doesn’t do much but her scenes count – I liked her relationship with the descendant of the Second Primogenitor, Iblisviel, and her complete lack of fear or loathing at his existence – not to mention her airport ramen recommendations, which may be the funniest scene in the entire series to date. That said, at the end of the book I have even MORE questions (we also find Asagi may not be the ONLY Priestess of Cain) and even fewer answers. If I’m going to sit here and read about Yukina getting jealous at every single thing Kojou does, I need to have some sort of plot payoff. Maybe I’ll get that next time when we get back to the island. Till then, enjoy some fights and heavily dropped hints.

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 9

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The Water Dragon’s Bride has always explored issues of humans using religion to justify terrible actions, and this is brought home even more when a god who is actively seeking to meddle gets turned loose. The Water Dragon God’s aloof personality and general lack of interest in humanity other than Asahi was a bit of a protective factor for humans. The God of Darkness, with his damaged human sidekick Kurose has nothing holding him back from some active and severe meddling.

I appreciate the way that Toma has developed Kurose’s character. The intense trauma that he’s experienced in the past gives more context for his turn towards darkness, and although he’s an antagonist for Asahi he’s much more complex than a typical villain. The God of Darkness is portraying the other gods as weak by inventing a Sun God for the humans to worship. By covering up the sun temporarily with darkness, and then letting the sun shine again, the humans are led to dismiss the Water Dragon God as evil and ineffectual. The emperor gets dethroned and Asahi wants to aid him, but she’s again a target of hatred for the humans.

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Kogahiko shows how malicious the combination of human and an evil god can be, even more than Kurose, as he deliberately manipulates everyone around him through the God of Darkness in order to get more political power. He still sees a use for Asahi, as a way of bolstering his new position by parading her in front of his subjects. Throughout this volume the Water Dragon God’s protectiveness and attitude towards Asahi is striking. When she asks him to forgo using his powers he complies, but his affection for Asahi ensures that he’ll find a way to protect her. As always, Toma’s deceptively simple art makes the most of the symbolism in this volume, as the humans turn towards the darkness in the guise of worshiping the sun. The Water Dragon’s Bride is surely one of the most philosophical shoujo series that I’ve read, which is also why it is a series I can see returning to and rereading in future years.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 18

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By Mizuho Kusanagi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Yona” by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by JN Productions, Adapted by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane.

The concept of living forever, and being forced to see everyone you care about move on and pass away is not a new one, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a story worth telling again in context. In this case, the context is via Zeno, whose backstory is finally revealed in this harrowing volume of Yona of the Dawn Picking up where the last volume left off, we see Zeno seemingly killed any number of times (in graphic detail – even for a series filled with violence as Yona is, this is a blood-spattered volume, please be warned)driving off the threat for the moment, and earning a group hug from the rest of the Happy Hungry Bunch. He then goes on to reveal more of his past – both his desire to make sure that Yona “proved herself” before he joined up with her (which she has most assuredly done), and then seeing how he’s been around as a Dragon far longer than the others.

Zeno is not just a Yellow Dragon, but the first and only Yellow Dragon, and flashbacks show him with the original Crimson Dragon King and his fellow Dragons. He’s not particularly strong or skilled, but, as we discover, he can recover from any grievous wound up to and including having his head chopped off, and as the attacks go on his skin gets harder. This allows him to fight with Yona’s crew… or at least inspire a terrified retreat… but back in the past, he’s horrified that he has essentially become an undying monster. Then, as he confesses his fears to his beloved King, said king tr4ies to reassure him but almost immediately dies. The two are unrelated, but they drive home something that haunts Zeno for the rest of the volume… he can’t die, and everyone else he knows can. This book very much believes in Heaven, and Zeno can’t be with his friends in the next world.

Or his wife, as we also see Zeno befriend and fall in love with a young woman who lives by herself as she’s dying of an unnamed illness. She tries to politely drive him away, but he’s rather persistent, and their love story is very short-lived but also quite sweet. But of course, she has to die too, despite Zeno’s begging the heavens for a way to have her life on with him. (This is likely one of the reasons why he’s the only Dragon not to harbor romantic feelings for Yona.) Fortunately, we end the volume with Zeno, having essentially shown this flashback to the reader while he recovers, waking up to see the current Dragons and Yona hovering over him, and he joyfully glomps them all in a big group hug. I am happy to see that, while Zeno’s happy ditzy self is indeed a mask of sorts, that he is not secretly in constant agony or anything. He’s found joy once more with his new friends, and I hope that, if he does live past them, he is able to accept it.

A must read volume of Yona (unless you’re against a lot of blood and gore, as I noted), this was a gut-punch to read but all the more rewarding for it.

Classroom of the Elite, Vol. 2

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By Syougo Kinugasa and Tomoseshunsaku. Released in Japan by Media Factory. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Timothy MacKenzie. Adapted by Jessica Cluess.

Tempting as it is to paste my review of the first volume in for the second and see if anyone notices, I will make an effort to say new things. The series’ strengths and weaknesses remain the same. It’s compulsively readable, always a good thing. Its premise can be teeth-grindingly annoying, especially when everyone turns into a vicious sadist for no reason, with a lot of “ha ha, you will fail forever now” sneering. I’m still not entirely clear if this school has a purpose beyond abusing 1/4 of its student body, and I suspect this is not a question I’m going to get answered anytime soon. We do get a couple of new characters here, though, including one who I actually did not want to punch in the face, which is a monstrous improvement from the first book. Sadly, she isn’t in Class D, meaning I am probably out of luck unless we get a spinoff series or something. Plus honestly, shee likely has a dark side too.

The other new character introduced is Sakura, who isn’t annoying so much as passive. In fact, her very passivity is the problem, as she’s also an important witness to an assault by Class D hothead Sudo on three Class C students. He now faces suspension, of course, and every single thing over the course of the entire book does not help his cause. First off, he’s claiming self-defense, but that’s hard to prove when you beat up three guys and you’re fine. Secondly, no one believes him anyway because his first response is to punch everything. Of course, if Sudo gets suspended Class D will lose the few points they gained from the first book (which aren’t given to them as money, by the way – it’s implied they never will be). Can the rest of the class overcome their antipathy towards Sudo and apathy in general and help clear his name? Or will they need to be a bit more… creative?

As I said, there’s also a girl from Class B that we briefly met in the first book but who gets a genuine introduction here. Ichinose is so refreshingly normal that I was almost crying in happiness. She’s friendly and outgoing without (so far) having a scheming dark side like Kushida. She tries to use Ayanokouji to help her with a problem (girl is confessing to her, need a pretend boyfriend). She ends up being of great help to them in the climax of the book. Really, I want her to be the star. She’s certainly more fun to read than grumpy Horikita, who spends the book attempting to help Sudo while being miserable about it, or our “hero” Ayanokouji, whose desire to be average and not stand out is so great that even his own inner narration lies to us – frequently he talks about Kushida as if he knows nothing about her secrets, and there are other points where I suspect he’s straight up lying to the reader. Which is the point – their teacher is trying to get Horikita to figure out why he’s like this – but again, it’s not what I’d call fun.

I can see why this is popular – I sped through it very quickly, and want to read more. This despite the fact that I was frowning most of the time and occasionally wanted to slam the book against a wall. Classroom of the Elite is a war between the writing and the characterization, and it may take more than two volumes to figure out who’s winning.

Classmates, Vol. 1: Dou Kyu Sei

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By Asumiko Nakamura. Released in Japan by Akaneshinsha, serialized in the magazine Opera. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jocelyne Allen. Adapted by Lillian Diaz-Przybyl.

This is the latest in a series of “OMG, I can’t believe we’re finally seeing this title!” LGBTQ releases that we’ve seen in North American this spring. Technically, we’ve seen this one before, as it came out digitally via JManga, then digitally again via the Digital Manga Guild. But this is a print release, newly translated, and looking very nice. It’s not a new title, having come out in 2006, but the story is certainly timeless. There’s a handsome, outgoing boy. There’s a serious, introverted young boy. They fall in love. But as with most really popular titles, it’s not just the story that makes people want to read it. Classmates has a number of individual story beats that I paused and read slower, or went back to read again, because they were handled so well. There’s also some excellent art here as well, as sometimes even a sketchy background shot carries impact. It’s a manga by an author who knows craft.

Hikaru is the easygoing, handsome, long-haired blond, who’s cool, in a band, etc. He’s in an all-boys school, which is practicing for a choral presentation, and notices that a classmate, Rihito, is only pretending to sing. Later he finds Rihito in an empty classroom, trying to learn the song (his vision is poor, so he couldn’t see the music earlier) and Hikaru offers to teach him. Over the course of this, the two fall in love, helped along by Hikaru’s kissing, which is not entirely consensual at first but eventually reciprocated. As the volume continues, you see the passion they have for each other, but is there anything behind it? Moreover, college is coming up, and Rihito, pressured by his parents, is boning up to get into a prestigious university. Is this a long-term thing, or is just another high school romance?

As I said earlier, individual chapters or scenes were what caught my attention here. Student/teacher relationships are a staple of Japanese manga, but you usually see them coming from the POV of the student. Here we get a chapter devoted to Manabu, their music teacher, who tells us why being a gay guy at an all-boys’ school is not all it’s cracked up to be (they’re mostly immature brats), but then runs into Rihito and falls for him immediately (Rihito has a knack for being unconsciously smooth). There are also a couple of fights that were very good, the first after Rihito sees a girl hitting on Hikaru at a concert and drunkenly runs off (Page 114 made me smile hugely) and Rihito’s explosion of emotions (he’s normally pretty repressed) about how he knows nothing about what Hikaru is doing for college or the future. (To be fair, I don’t think Hikaru knows either.) It’s scenes like this that make a series really enjoyable, and I’m very pleased that Seven Seas has also picked up the two-volume sequel to this.

If you like teen romance with passion or classic BL, this is absolutely a series to buy.

Toradora!, Vol. 5

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By Yuyuko Takemiya and Yasu. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jan Cash & Vincent Castaneda. Adapted by Will Holcomb.

This is a light novel series that is coming out in America well after both the manga and the anime (though the manga remains unfinished as it crawls along in Japan), so to a certain degree there’s very little “surprise” involved in the contents. I knew that we would eventually be dealing with the volume with Taiga’s father, and here it is. As such, a good deal of the book consists of the reader yelling at Ryuuji “NOOOOO, DON’T TRUST HIIIIIM, YOU IIIIIDDDIOOOOOTTT!”, which to be fair Minori does as well. It’s actually rather refreshing, as usually Ryuuji is the sensible, down-to-earth core of these books, so it’s somewhat startling to see him so taken in by Taiga’s dad. Of course, it’s spelled out why he is; he longs for a relationship with his father he can never have, and now he can sort of get it via Taiga. Of course, this means it’s not about what Taiga wants at all, something that he realizes in a horrified sort of way when everything goes wrong.

Before we move on, I want to note that, while Toradora! is quite funny and has some excellent gags, it does lean on one running gag through this book that I wasn’t very fond of. Yuri, the class teacher, turns thirty in this book, something that she and the author make you very aware of. There is a bit of sympathy for her near the end (bless you, Ami), but for the most part the joke is that she’s 30 and unmarried, and the constant (30 years old) tags after her name grow annoying. Of course, without that we would not have had the class wrestling play, which has to be read to be believed, although I admit I think it worked better in more visual mediums. Taiga and Ryuuji really do make an excellent evil duo. And then there’s the race at the end, where Ryuuji and Minori, both incredibly furious with themselves, get involved in a nasty little race to see who can crown Miss Taiga with a tiara of “I’m most important to you!”. The race is fantastic, though I do wonder, given the apparent injuries that occurred during it, why no one got in trouble.

Ryuuji and Minori have a huge fight here, of course, Ryuuji coming from a position of ignorance and Minori from one of having been here before. She withholds that from him, though, deliberately. Minori is upset that Taiga is not only closer to Ryuuji these days, but seems to be getting herself hurt again by making up with her father purely for Ryuuji’s sake. The series to date has been about Taiga and Ryuuji having one-sided crushes, and in the last book we wondered if Ryuuji’s was really one-sided after all. Now we see Minori wondering, out loud, after her struggle to be the one most dear to Taiga, if she’s a lesbian. Leaving aside Ryuuji’s response, which is understandable but won him zero points in the fandom, it’s an interesting question, and I wonder if the author will develop it later on or if it merely serves as an odd coda to this excellent volume.

After the Rain, Vol. 3

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By Jun Mayuzuki. Released in Japan as “Koi wa Ameagari no You ni” in two separate volumes by Shogakukan, serialized in the magazine Big Comic Spirits. Released in North America by Vertical Comics. Translated by Jocelyne Allen.

The third omnibus of this series shows off a few of the characters beginning to realize that Akira’s love for Kondo is not just some easily swayed crush, and that they may need to take it seriously. This includes the smarmy chef who’s been hitting on her, who it turns out is a lot less smarmy when he’s around his sister. They run into our lead “couple” and Kondo’s kid and go on a sort of double date from hell, featuring the dorkiest sweatshirt ever, a lot of phallic plants with no symbolism intended at all no sirree, and Tamako, the sister, who is a LOT in a series that’s driven by introverts most of the time. It also has an odd moment where Kase tells Akira that she is the sort to “bend towards the light”, like plants, implying a depth that she hadn’t seen before but which we don’t really get deeper into because, well, sister.

That said, the most interesting part of this book is that Akira’s tortured feelings about Kondo take a back seat to Akira’s tortured feelings about track. I had assumed, and the text implied up until now, that Akira’s injury was very much the “career ending” sort of injury. But no, with physical therapy, she could easily regain her powerful running ways. She just ISN’T. And this is annoying not just Haruka but also a lot of her fans, including one very angry underclassman who I’m pretty sure we’ll see again. Akira loves working at the restaurant so she can be around Kondo, but is that really all a girl like her wants to do? And how can she run after her perpetually forgetful boss with a bum leg? Akira’s issues are not just related to love, there’s more going on here.

As usual with this series, there are a number of gorgeous scenes with people simply staring at each other, and I admit that as much as I like the story of After the Rain, I wonder sometimes how it would read without any dialogue at all. I’m not sure it could tell everything in silence, but I think the majority of it could be implied. And honestly, when you finish the book and then go back to look at your favorite facial expressions, that’s a good book. We’re over halfway through the series now, and I’m still not entirely sure where it’s going, but it’s become clear that the story is not just about Akira and Kondo but about Akira maturing… or not maturing, as there are several points in this book where, as with previous volumes, she throws a bit of a tantrum when reality gets in her way.

I had fallen behind on this series, so the 4th volume is out very soon. It will be interesting to see where it goes. We saw Haruka meeting Kondo towards the end of the book, and I wonder how close the ‘love story’ and ‘track injury’ subplots are going to come. In any case, keep reading this very pretty series.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 3

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Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Volume 3 by Waco Ioka and Laruha

This is one of those series that ends up getting stronger with each volume. I thought the first volume was okish, liked the way the second volume showed more character development, and appreciated the balance between backstory and new plot elements in the third volume. One thing I tend to look for in series about ayakashi is some interesting character design or art that captures my attention. While the art for this series is fine, I wasn’t getting that same sense of wonder about the spirit world that other ayakashi-centric manga titles have delivered. In this volume, I did find the portrayal of wall demons blocking Aoi’s path to be delightful, as they looked like pieces of wallboard dressed in formal kimonos.

Kakuriyo Bed and Breakfast for Spirits 3

Aoi is slowly finding more of a rhythm to her life in the spirit world with the discovery that her food is unique in bolstering the spiritual energy of the demons that surround her. She becomes more involved in the lives of the spider demon siblings, Suzuran and Akatsuki. They tie in to her own story with her grandfather, as she learns that he took them in and temporarily made them his servants when they were fleeing for their lives. Suzuran wants to go back to the human world to exist near Shiro’s grave, and Akatsuki is absolutely opposed to her dream. Aoi mediates this sibling relationship with nourishing food, and the steps in cooking her dishes are more clearly portrayed in this volume. It didn’t quite deliver the level of obsessive detail that I like to see in a food manga, but I appreciated food preparation getting more attention, since it is so central to Aoi’s identity.

One thing I really enjoy about this series now is how each volume tells a satisfying story while inspiring more questions for the reader to ponder. Shiro’s actions and motivations seem more mysterious the more Aoi learns about him. I’m also curious to find out more about Ginji after seeing him report back to the Odanna. I’m enjoying the measured pace at which this story is developing.

Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is NOT My Problem!

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By Haru Yayari and Fuyuki. Released in Japan as “Zombie Darake no Kusatta Sekai wo Seijo no Chikara de Jōka Shimasu!” by the author on a webnovel site. Released in North America digitally by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Charis Messier.

As the title might suggest, this novel combines zombies and “transported to another world”, two of the hottest current trends, or at least hot in 2016, when this was originally published. Unlike some of CIW’s other titles, I think this one could be marketed to both male and female readers, but the star is definitely a young girl. The first half of the book leans heavily on the zombie end of things, while the second, after the crisis is slowly being averted, feels more like an isekai proper, as Mizuha wanders around the kingdom, meets eccentric characters, etc. It’s just that the adventuring she does is zombie-purifying, that’s all. It’s also definitely a book that’s just about the right length – this is done in one, and I don’t think would make a good series. As a single volume, it’s pretty decent, with its main flaw being that ‘pretty decent’ is as far as it goes.

Given her appearance, as seen on the cover, and the fact that she uses her right hand to purify zombies, it’s hard not to think of Mizuha as the daughter of Touma and Mikoto from A Certain Magical Index. She wakes up on a deserted island surrounded by toxic, foul-smelling sludge. Even worse, a zombie emerges from said sludge and goes after her. But when she smacks its chest, the zombie turns into a handsome blond knight! It turns out that by hitting the zombies she can return them to their living selves. On a more humiliating note, her saliva can also be used to magically purify the sludge, making it water again. (This leads to the book’s running gag, with her being referred to as the “Holy Priestess of Spit”, and her despair at this title.) Escaping the island, she finds herself in a kingdom that’s overrun with zombies, and has to slowly heal each one, not get converted herself, and try to figure out how to get back home.

Mizuha is the best part of the book. She’s fun, and her narration feels, with a few exceptions, like she’s in a YA novel rather than a standard isekai light novel. She comes to terms with everything pretty quickly, bonds with the young princess who is the second zombie she saves, and theoretically falls for Lex, the young blond knight. I say theoretically as the romance feels kind of last-minute and minimal, at least on Mizuha’s end. Lex is strong and powerful but also sort of a weirdo and a dimbulb, and he would not look out of place if you handed him a Sword of Light and sent him off with Lina Inverse. The zombie sections of the book are reasonably action-packed, and there are several good laughs in here. Sometimes the book feels like a webnovel that needed more editing (Cia’s parents needed one or two more “where on earth are they?” mentions, as an example), but it holds together well.

As I said, the book’s main flaw is that there was no one scene or moment that elevated it to “OK, this just got terrific.” It’s a decent zombie novel with a fun heroine, worth your time, but it may not stick in the memory afterwards.