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Forum - View topicSpring 2026 Manga Guide
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tintor2
 Posts: 2696 |
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In my region I finally got the final Vinland Saga volume. People nowadays like calling most stuff rushed but upon reading everything in a go, I could tell how much the volume focused on spoiler[Thorfinn's values being tested by hallucinations when he suffered wounds as and eventually showing the wisedom to form an alliance with the natives. There is a sense of achievement there but Yukimura doesn't glaze Thorfinn's character that much as even in the end the protagonist is unable to stop the native from abandoning the swords they stole. The only thing he shows at the end is that he teaches them how to farm just like how the second story arc started.]
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FuzzyDave
 Posts: 74 |
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Yay for a new manga guide! ("Oh dear!" says my wallet)
From this first batch, I'll be checking out The Tale of Luvelia Kingdom and Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind |
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MagicPolly
 Posts: 1738 |
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This seems like a weird critique when the manga is still ongoing, there's no second half to put out in the first place |
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Twage
Posts: 378 Location: North Bergen, NJ |
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Yiiiikes |
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R. Kasahara
 Posts: 759 |
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Thanks for the Shugo Chara! reviews. Red River (despite... certain scenes that are very much of their time) has gotten me wanting to seek out some shoujo that I missed in the past, potentially including Peach-Pit's magical girl series. Not a big deal that it's not great; I've got plenty of other stuff to read in the meantime.
Also agreed that we need a license rescue of Saint Tail very badly. I've only read a little of it, but enjoyed what I have read. |
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TheSeventhSense
 Posts: 174 |
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Honestly, the Science and Mathematics (even though it's not in the guide) Manga Quests sound promising - especially in an era where librarians want to provide more content of interest to students, which is absolutely manga, but putting almost anything in there will put them on the target of domestic terrorists. The "Dangerous Beasts" one coming out in September also looks like fun.
Starting the History line with that seems like a bizarre choice, though. The Hazardous Tales series has a well-received graphic novel for kids about the Cold War, so it can be done, but that cover alone is just plain uncanny. Kids don't pick up books that look like that. |
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Ashen Phoenix
 Posts: 3033 |
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Regarding Shugo Chara, it will always hold a special place in my heart for being a magical girl series I watched while still in the midst of adolescence. Its greatest strengths are its core message and its likeable lead, Amu. The artist in me will also always adore the bright, saturated color palette of the entire series, and the different costumes sported by the cast to embody their personalities.
Even the romance between Amu and Ikuto was something I enjoyed--largely due to my unending love of catboys and conscious blind spot to her actual age. That said, I stopped watching/reading a little after the blonde girl was introduced, who was explicitly in love with her biological cousin. I'll never fault anyone for disliking this series or calling out its many red flags. |
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AQuin1904
Posts: 285 |
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Magical Girl Dandelion feels unique and like a throwback at the same time. It can get dark in ways that shojo manga gets dark, but it feels less indebted to dark magical girl stories of the past decade or so, most of which have leaned toward male audiences, and more to magical girl series of the '90s. But while those manga tended to be short and could often feel rushed, Dandelion has pacing closer to a modern battle shonen, with more readable action scene to match. I think it also benefits from not needing to sell toys, since setting aside time to show off items obviously designed to be replicated in cheap plastic tends to bog down magical girl anime in the classic mold.
I've been keeping up with the Japanese tankobon release, and I look forward to volume 5. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7393 |
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I flipped through Omori at the store (I enjoyed the game, though I don't worship it. For me, it wasn't quite the second coming of Undertale, basically, though still a good game), and was surprised to see that they basically spoil a huge plot point not even halfway into the book! Not getting into what the spoiler is, but that was end game level story stuff they were just spilling all over the page! I would think that might kill a lot of the intrigue, no? The game starts in the RPG area for a pretty good while for a reason, and the manga seemed to start with where Sunny has to make the choice on which game path to pursue.
If I were really really into Omori, I'd probably be pretty miffed that the manga makes no attempt to capture the intriguing dread that surrounds the game so well, just spilling all its secrets in volume 1. |
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mad_yeti
 SubscriberPosts: 27 Location: Seattle |
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Stoked for more people to read Bug Ego!! It's possibly my favorite thing on the Shonen Jump app rn, for sheer *uniqueness*. It's also pretty funny sometimes if its flavor of deadpan absurdity works for you.
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Jenog
Posts: 40 |
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When reading the review of "A Pen, Handcuffs and a De Facto Union", I expected the significant age gap between the protagonists to be the main issue. But it wasn’t, perhaps because it was mentioned right at the start (well, on page 7 of chapter 2) that the girl was already at least 18 (but if one of them were, say, 18 years and a week old and the other 18 years minus a week, someone would be committing an unforgivable crime, punishable by death… or something like that; Americans are so complicated!). Instead, it was pointed out that the writing could be better, with the detective turning out to be less intelligent than his bride. It’s true, but despite that, the story is entertaining, and I’ve already enjoyed reading the 37 chapters that have been translated so far (though in Japan it’s already at chapter 57). And I wouldn’t be surprised (I’m just guessing) if, when the story ends, it turns out (as a joke) that the girl is actually able to speak, but simply isn’t in the mood to do so.
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maximilianjenus
Posts: 3110 |
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My Super-Cute Black Mage
I am interested on this because of the context . You see,there is an Isekai villain ( yep ,Isekai ahs a villain genre that is the Shounen equivalent of the villainess one)where a nice guy is reincarnated as a villain, the important part here is that magic or something makes it so whatever he thinks of saying comes out filtered with an villain voice. Think of bureaucrat villainess and his elegant cheat. So this black knight one feels like a lesses version of that one gimmick and with a different pov. |
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One-Eye
 Posts: 2319 |
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Huh, Sunken Rock isn't that kind of old? Ah, yea started 2006 and I think I read some of it on Crunchyroll like a decade ago or something like that. It wasn't working for me I remember dropping it. Same guy who did Rakia which was ok IIRC.
A shame about Manga Quest History being of poor quality. I have a young nephew with mild dyslexia and we've been able to get him interested in reading thru graphic novels and I have encountered in the past some graphic novels/dummies guides that covered topics like philosophy, politics, economics that were actually decent. So it can be done well with the right authors. Kind of interested in Dandelion, Magica and Horon. Will put these on my list. Vaguely interested in Marrying the Dark Knight. However, it seems like there was only 3 volumes of this title. It might be a little too short to be satisfying for me. Thanks for the manga guide! |
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R. Kasahara
Posts: 759 |
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Merit and the Egyptian God and Kirio Fan Club both sound great! And it looks like they're both on the shorter side as well! Oh no... my manga backlog is going to grow again...
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Jisu
Posts: 41 |
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The constant repetition that the Shugo Chara! rerelease and sequel will only really benefit people for whom the series was formative and nostalgic... honestly, it's probably true. Kids of the target age loved Ikuto and the Amuto ship at the time; nowadays, target-aged kids are more likely to be antis, clutching their pearls even more than the adults around them at the age gaps, the changing room sequences and innuendo (which fit the series's theme of growing up, but they're still uncomfortable), the one-sided incestuous crush one of the antagonists has that was mentioned a few comments above (it was a brother, not a cousin, for the record), and All That Gender Stuff that pops up in later volumes but has very light foreshadowing in this first one.
I do hope it does well, though, if only because if it sells, we might get more licence rescues of the Nakayoshi backlog, including the aforementioned Saint Tail. |
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