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I Fell for a Fujoshi GN 1
Ichiro's in love with Tae, who's in love with BL, and decides to just go with her misconception about him...will this eventually lead to romance?
― At some point we've probably all done something inspired by the fiction we've read that was, in hindsight, not a brilliant plan. Whether it was testing the theory of gravity or cooking and eating periwinkles, antics brought on by a good book aren't all th...
She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat GN 2
It's difficult to overstate both how good a chapter this is and how important it is, both for readers and for Nomoto as a character.
― Note: You can read our review of the first volume here. Kasuga and Nomoto are still at it—Nomoto enjoys putting her culinary talents to use in ways she's never been able to before, while Kasuga is happy to eat what she provides, and the two genuinely enjoy spending ti...
Crazy Food Truck GN 3
In its final volume, Crazy Food Truck hones in on a 'live fast, die young' approach that seems at odds with the mood of the previous volumes.
― If the ending to the second volume of Crazy Food Truck had you thinking it would lead into some lengthy, epic story arc that would carry the third volume to the foretold finish for the series, you'd end up surprised. We're still in the opening chapter of this...
Insomniacs After School GN 1
With an anime coming in April, Rebecca Silverman describes Insomniacs After School as a story less about its teen protagonists getting rest and more about how they are able to form a bond over their shared disorder.
― Insomnia – real insomnia and not just the occasional inability to fall asleep – is among the most debilitating conditions you can have. A lack of sleep takes a toll on you both physical...
The Villainess Stans the Heroes GN 1
There's enough potential that it may be worth a second volume, but this isn't likely to hold your interest unless you're deeply invested in the villainess isekai genre.
― Is it even possible to develop twists to the villainess isekai formula anymore? Probably, but the majority of series are more than content to tweak it rather than attempting to make something new. That's both perfectly okay and comp...
My Clueless First Friend GN 1
Soon to be an anime, Taku Kawamura's My Clueless First Friend manga offers a ray of sunshine to break through Nishimura's cloudy life. One day a boy named Taiyo Takara transfers into Nishimura's class, and everything changes.
― It's a story that's all too familiar: Akane Nishimura is the focus of bullying in her fifth-grade class. The other kids, led by mean girl Kasahara and her male equivalent Kita...
Helck GN 2
What started as an over-the-top comedy with great face reactions slowly revealed itself to be much more of a suspenseful and dark story.
― Helck was a pleasant surprise when I first read it a couple of months ago. What started as an over-the-top comedy with great face reactions slowly revealed itself to be much more of a suspenseful and dark story. While I do think the shift to a more dramatic tone c...
Lost Lad London GN 3
Lost Lad London closes out with a finale that may feel abrupt but ultimately sticks to the heart of its storytelling: racism blinds us, and to be young, poor, and brown is to live with a target on your back.
― Let me begin by saying that I solved this one in volume two. That's in no way a statement of any presumed superiority on my part nor about the quality of the mystery – my only complaint is that...
Beauty and the Feast GN 4-6
Food is still centerstage as Shuko and Yamato become more forthcoming about their feelings for one another.
― The old saying goes that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and ecchi manga has taught us that if a teenage boy is in proximity to a buxom adult woman, he will begin to fantasize. Beauty and the Feast doesn't exactly shy away from either of these maxims, but it also is notable f...
Doomsday With My Dog GN 1
This is a joyously bizarre story of a high school girl and her dog roaming Japan after the end of humanity. It's full-color, four-panel weirdness, and there's something really engaging about that.
― Fair warning – the bonus chapter has nothing to do with the main story (per the creator, Yu Ishihara) and it reduced me to a sobbing mess. If you're sensitive to sad animal stories, you may want to (and c...
Blue Box GN 3
Regardless of where the romantic component of the story goes, if it continues to develop its theme of straightforward dedication with believably emotional moments, I definitely will find myself constantly coming back to the series.
― I wouldn't go so far as to call Blue Box a traditional sports manga. The story doesn't really go into the mechanics of badminton or basketball. Even though the artwork i...
Until We're Together GN
Until We're Together warm and welcoming, and a scene near the end reminds readers that everyone needs to feel – and deserves to feel – like they belong.
― It may only be eighty-seven pages long, but schwinn's Until We're Together manages to tell a full story that at times is strikingly different than many other English-translated BL works. For one thing, a central element of the story is the televisi...
Kitaro GN
This volume of Kitaro is a second edition of the one Drawn & Quarterly originally released in 2013, and for fans of the franchise – and especially the 2018-2020 anime adaptation – it's a treat to see back in print.
― Have you met Kitaro? He's the eternal boy born in a graveyard to a dead mother, the last member of his Ghost tribe. His father, Medama Oyaji (Eyeball Dad) helps his son, riding around in...
Confessions of a Shy Baker GN 1
If you're a fan of What Did You Eat Yesterday? and are looking for a new series about an established, adult couple in a committed relationship, Confessions of a Shy Baker will scratch that itch.
― If you're expecting Confessions of a Shy Baker to be a baking BL romance, you might be disappointed. The main character of the story is a gay man, and he does bake, but that's really just the window dressin...
Ragna Crimson GN 7
Ragna Crimson Volume 7 is basically like listening to an eight-minute long guitar solo in a song without verses or a chorus.
― This is one of the hardest volume reviews I have had to write in my time with Ragna Crimson. It's not that the chapters themselves are challenging to talk about. It's not even that I didn't enjoy what was on offer here – far from it! But there was a lingering sense after I fi...
I Want to Be a Wall GN 2
I Want to Be a Wall is a needed piece of representation, and even if the series tanks later on, these first two volumes are worth your time and money.
― You can find our review of volume one here. As your mother, all I want is for you to keep your own happiness in mind. Do you really plan to be alone forever? Those words, spoken with the best intentions, nicely summarize the situation in which the pr...
Choujin X GN 1
This striking volume from the creator of Tokyo Ghoul follows Tokio, a so-called social "vulture" struggling with imposter syndrome and a hideous transformation.
― From the same creative mind that brought us the hit manga series Tokyo Ghoul comes another rather dark outing from creator Sui Ishida. If you were a fan of his previous work, there is certainly a lot to love about Choujin X. On paper, both ...
SCRAMBLUES GN
What SCRAMBLUES lacks in romance, it makes up for in character growth in this single-volume manga.
― Some of my favorite romance stories are ones that function as good character pieces that flesh out the individual issues of their characters before moving forward with any major romantic progression. This is one of the greatest strengths of SCRAMBLUES, as it puts some of the traumas and insecurities o...
Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand GN
A lot is going on here, from the quiet pain of personal tragedies to the lengths adults will go to "protect" children from life, all tempered with the need to believe.
― It is very easy for adults to dismiss what a child sees. Whether it's mosquitoes that look like tiny fairies in the twilight or mermaids in the sea, things seen through the eyes of imagination can be written off with impunity by adul...
The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices GN 1
Convenient Princess is effectively a case of taking the kinds of escapist fluff you aren't supposed to think more than five minutes about, then thinking about it for more than five minutes.
― Figuring out The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices can be an experience, given how much of this volume is about figuring things out. The isekai genre and its angles of reincarnation have come so far these days...
Tokyo Aliens GN 2
I was lukewarm about the first volume of Tokyo Aliens, but I thought it had potential. Unfortunately, volume 2 does not do enough to capitalize on said potential.
― I was lukewarm about the first volume of Tokyo Aliens, but I thought it had potential. Unfortunately, volume 2 does not do enough to capitalize on said potential. To be sure, there are no critical missteps here. Akira and Tenkubashi are t...
The Girl That Can't Get a Girlfriend GN
This autobiographical manga recounts "an otaku with the fashion sense of a twelve-year-old" and her haphazard attempts to attract the cool, short-haired woman of her dreams.
― Relationships are hard. It's a fact that even people who have engaged in many successful ones can attest to, and things can be even more challenging for those who struggled to accumulate that kind of experience. Art and storyte...
Barbarities GN 1
Barbarities' first volume is an interesting opening to a political BL tale. The politics and the side romance may be a little more intriguing than Joel and Adam right now, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth reading.
― One thing we can say about BL manga creator Tsuta Suzuki is that they aren't stuck in a storytelling rut. Their previous English translated title, A Strange and Mystifying Story, drew...
Show-ha Shoten! GN 1
Stephan Paul's translation largely carried what ended up being a surprisingly involved and unique underdog story involving two aspiring comedians.
― Reading the premise of Show-ha Shoten!, I was initially worried about whether or not I would be able to appreciate the book on the level that it wanted me to. Yes, comedy is incredibly subjective, but for such a dialogue-heavy story about two high school...
My Special One GN 1
The romance moves abruptly in this one, as spurned schoolgirl Saho attempts to reconcile her feelings for hot idol Kouta despite being burned by a handsome guy in the past.
― Momoko Koda seems to specialize in stories that are just this side a feeling universal. Her previous work to see English translation, No Longer Heroine, also features a heroine who is caught up in how she thinks things are suppo...
Run Away With Me, Girl GN 1
Reading this book is a bit like watching a wound open up. At first, everything looks fine, but as the Band-Aid is slowly peeled off, we get a glimpse of a raw injury that has yet to scab over.
― It's a tired old trope trotted out in plenty of yuri manga: dating other girls at your all-girls school is simply training for when you graduate into the world of men. While yuri manga often tries to refute t...
My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files GN 2-3
My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files is a frothy historical cozy series, and if you're a fan of the genre, it's more than worth the price of admission.
― For our review of the first volume, go here. The lady detective as a character is generally dated to the early 1860s, when two novels - Revelations of a Lady Detective and The Female Detective - were published in England, but when the Stratemeyer...
Is Love the Answer? GN
Is Love the Answer? is a book that looks to start a conversation about asexuality, agender, and the equal parts comforting and terrifying feelings that come with sitting on any branch of the LGBTQIA+ tree.
― We are lucky to live in a time and place that understands, or is at least beginning to understand, that there really is no such thing as a universal “normal.” That doesn't mean that it's easy to ...
Oshi no Ko GN 1
Don't judge this manga based on its back cover copy; it has more in common with Perfect Blue than idol fare like Love Live!
― Warning: of necessity, this review will contain some spoilers not covered in the book's back copy. If you pick up Oshi no Ko based solely on the back copy and expecting the cute story of an obstetrician caring for his favorite idol during her pregnancy, you are bound to be dis...
Natsume and Natsume GN 1
With his terrifying smile and heart of gold, Natsume-kun is basically a CGCT protagonist in a high school boy's body.
― Natsume Shiranui has a problem, and it's different from the one you might expect. From a glance at the cover, you would expect that the biggest issue he faced came from people being terrified of his apparently horrible case of resting evil face. But instead, his problem is that he d...
Fist of the North Star GN 7
Good points: Some of the best material in one of the greatest manga of all time
Bad points: We have to wait three months for the next release ― This is the best of what Fist of the North Star has to offer. There are many legendary moments throughout the series, and certainly, there are higher highs and more iconic moments than what happens here in Volume 7. But I think this stretch of chapters helps...
Bad points: We have to wait three months for the next release ― This is the best of what Fist of the North Star has to offer. There are many legendary moments throughout the series, and certainly, there are higher highs and more iconic moments than what happens here in Volume 7. But I think this stretch of chapters helps...
ATOM: The Beginning Volume 2
Volume 2 manages to build on the first volume and take narrative risks as Six encounters more deadly foes after the conclusion of the robot fighting tournament.
― Atom: The Beginning Volume 2 manages to build on the first volume in surprising ways while also playing it somewhat safe in the action department. I think the shortest possible review is that if you enjoyed Volume 1, I think Volume 2 will a...
Honey Lemon Soda GN 1
Is this romance about a bullied teen all sweet and no substance? Rebecca Silverman checks out Honey Lemon Soda to find out.
― It seems to be a universal truth that middle school is hell. Even if you were one of the lucky ones who came through relatively unscathed, the middle grades are a time when everyone is trying to sort out themselves while suffering under the slings and arrows of adolescence and...
You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! GN 1
This age-gap romance between a 20-year-old and 32-year-old might not be for everyone, but there's a sweet story hiding underneath.
― Age is a funny thing. We've all read manga that equates being over thirty with being middle-aged, and that really drives home the idea that along with being a simple set of numbers that delineates how long you've been alive, age is also very much a social construct and ...
Captain Corinth GN 1
At this point in genre saturation, a space soldier being dropped into a medieval fantasy planet feels positively revelatory.
― We've been conditioned to think of isekai as either a case of transportation/summoning, being reborn, or some other form of portal fantasy. But Captain Corinth takes a different approach: the protagonist of this sci-fi isekai story ends up on a new planet that no one in the G...
Helck GN 1
A human makes a play for demon king, stating he hates humankind just as much as a demon should. He just has to convince Red Vamirio, and her suspicions are running high.
― Have you ever been so strongly convinced about someone having ulterior motives that you obsess over proving it? That very relatable idea is at the heart of this first volume of Helck, which can be neatly divided into two parts. The...
Blue Box GN 2
Blue Box continues to surprise its readers, but it's about time Chinatsu got more time in the spotlight.
― Blue Box is a manga that exists in that sweet spot between a well-paced slice-of-life romance and a traditional sports story. While the series doesn't reach the massive highs that either of those genres has to offer, the two feed into each other enough to create a mostly enjoyable experience. In...
Romantic Killer GN 1-2
The source of the Netflix anime series, protagonist Anzu isn't interested in romance, and unlike most manga, Romantic Killer never dumps on her or cajoles her into picking a boy.
― Romantic Killer's strongest asset is almost certainly its title-fulfilling heroine. Romance stories with romance-averse main characters are hardly uncommon, but Anzu takes it to a heretofore-unseen level. There's a pointed...
Loved Circus GN
This feels like a volume created by somebody whose eyes are bigger than their stomach. The ambition for the piece is clear, but the execution does not go far enough to make this story feel particularly worthwhile.
― It's an old trap, but a good one: office worker Kei has become a frequent customer of a hostess named Momo, and before he quite understands what's happened, he has driven himself into deb...
So What's Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? GN 1
Is the main character reborn OP? Yes. Is there a built-in harem aspect? Yes. But simply put, this book works better than its title and genre might lead you to believe and is worth checking out.
― If you are familiar with Nazuna Miki's other works, you may have an inkling of where this title is headed. Many of their previous titles have the word “harem” in them prominently, and while this one does not...
Be My Love, My Lord GN
A power imbalance between the male leads will either hit or miss with readers in this story about the wealthy but lonely Reiji and his beastman caretaker Tsubaki.
― Be My Love, My Lord has the kind of premise that usually raises a lot of red flags for me. Relationships between an employer and their servants have an inherent power imbalance that can quickly come off as exploitative if not handled corr...
Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii GN 1
The squeamish will want to pass on this dark romantic comedy. You'll need a tolerance for Do-S style male leads to stomach it.
― The arranged marriage while in high school is a staple of manga romance. So too, is the young heir to a major yakuza family, and it is hardly uncommon to see those two tropes merge in a single story. That is the case here, but if you are expecting a straightforward romantic...
Afro Samurai GN 1
Striking art can't make up for a barebones story with little narrative or characterization to chew on.
― I remember watching the Afro Samurai anime well over a decade ago on late-night television. The novelty of seeing a Black protagonist in anime aside, the show radiated this cool, sleek style with a fearless confidence that was very easy to get swept up in. It didn't hold your hand or try to push a...
YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record – A NieR:Automata Story GN 1
This manga is for the established NieR fans; new fans will have a hard time getting into this one volume of YoRHA as a standalone story.
― Us longtime fans of Yoko Taro's Drakengard/Nier multiverse have long since become accustomed to the franchise's shenanigans when it comes to media that stretches beyond the main videogames of the canon, but here's a quick primer to get you up to speed: To serve as...
The Hunters Guild: Red Hood GN 1
Kawaguchi's understanding of the original fairy tales adds a novel twist to this shonen action series that makes for an exciting read.
― You all know the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and you may even know the tale of Peter Stumpp, an early werewolf. Both of those are brought together here in this title from one of Kohei Horikoshi's (of My Hero Academia fame) former assistants – The Hunters Guild:...
Orochi: The Perfect Edition GN 3
The horrors of war and its generational effects take center stage in the third omnibus from horror mangaka Kazuo Umezz.
― If there is a theme to this third omnibus volume of Kazuo Umezz's horror manga Orochi, it is that we can't always know everything about someone from the face they present to the world. While both stories in this volume, “Stage” and “Combat,” also deal with sons' relationships with...
Blitz Volume 1
Blitz appears to be a sports manga with a focus on chess, but it fails to sell game newbies to the strategy behind the game.
― Blitz is an interesting manga. It is very much in the vein of a typical sports manga, particularly school-based sports manga. You've got a young competitor entering a brand-new world where he must learn the rules of the game and face ever tougher challengers as he grows in sk...
New York, New York Omnibus 2
While New York, New York is marked by the time it was written, it is ultimately a fulfilling work of fiction about two married men in a time that wasn't ready for them.
― For modern readers of BL, Marimo Ragawa's New York, New York may feel very different from what they are used to. Rather than taking an idealized view of gay male relationships, the series, which dates to the mid-1990s, instead attem...
Matcha Made in Heaven GN 1
Fleeing an abusive fiancé, Chako returns to her rural roots and, through a matter of survival, might have found a real romance.
― All of us reach our breaking point eventually. For Chako, it's one big thing that pushes her towards it, and more of the realization that her life in the place she's moved to isn't quite what she's looking for. In her case, that would be the big city of Tokyo, where she mo...
Rainbow Days GN 1
If the anime failed to hold your attention, you'll want to check out the source material for a much more entertaining read.
― About a third of the way through this volume, I became reasonably certain that I reviewed the anime version of this title and that it didn't leave much of an impression on me. This absolutely turned out to be the case, and I'm delighted to say that the manga is much more fun. ...
The Apothecary Diaries GN 5 & 6
Whether you read the original light novels, the manga, or both, The Apothecary Diaries mysteries are interesting enough to keep you turning the pages.
― While it's natural that there would be differences between a light novel and its manga adaptation, the most striking change between The Apothecary Diaries' source material and its manga version comes down to focus. Both versions of Natsu Hyuga's Chin...
Hi, I'm a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion GN 1
Rose is the most recent Witch of the Lake. She lives a largely solitary existence until she saw and fell for the knight Sir Harij Azm. Imagine her shock when he shows up asking for a love potion!
― Presumably one of the first things to cross your mind upon reading the title of this book is, “This is an adaptation of a light novel, isn't it?” That is, in fact, correct, although the novel's title was t...
Hikaru in the Light! GN 2-4
Hikaru in the Light! has characters that are easy to root for, and there are breathtaking moments of brilliance.
― They say that nothing ever dies on the internet. Once it's there, it's there forever, and that means that yes, Hikaru will always be “Mop Girl” in its undead reaches. But that doesn't mean that she has to look herself up to be sure. Yes, “never Google yourself” is one of the hard lessons...
Lost Lad London GN 2
If the threat of racism was simmering beneath the surface of the first volume of Shima Shinya's mystery series Lost Lad London, it's definitely bubbled to the top in the second, as Detective Ellis struggles to keep Al safe.
― It's a terrible truth, but a truth nonetheless: people are often judged by the ignorant based on their race. If that fact was simmering beneath the surface of the first volume o...
Mahjong Parlor of Love GN
A better-than-usual translation from Media Do isn't enough to sell this middle-of-the-road BL title.
― It's best to say this first: Mahjong Parlor of Love, another BL title licensed by Media Do, has a substantially better translation than previous titles from the same line that I have reviewed. The translation is fluid and natural, and if the cover shows the usual English title confusion, that's in n...
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! GN 3-5
Because the third volume is still in the “getting there” mode, volumes four and five end up feeling a little more rewarding, because we're finally getting the payoff from three books of Adachi stumbling around his own emotions.
― You might think that being suddenly given the ability to read the minds of those you touch would make dating easier. And to a degree, it does – Adachi, who became a “wizard”...
The Skull Dragon's Precious Daughter GN 1 & 2
If you enjoyed Somali and the Forest Spirit, there's a very good chance that you will like Ichi Yukishiro's The Skull Dragon's Precious Daughter.
― There is one very obvious comparison to be made here, and it's actually one that holds up pretty well across these two volumes: if you enjoyed Somali and the Forest Spirit, there's a very good chance that you will like Ichi Yukishiro's The Skull Dragon's ...
The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Novel 1
The Weakest Tamer probably didn't need to be an isekai story in the first place, but it offers an entertaining story of a girl and her trash-eating slime nonetheless.
― If there's any one piece of this novel that stands to be controversial, it's the fact that it's isekai. That's not because isekai is inherently bad or a divisive topic in general; by this point I daresay all of us know where we stand ...
Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! GN
Fans can hope that Kodansha's release of Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! is testing the waters for a (re)release of her works because this slim volume is a collection of some of Inuki's favorite short stories she's written.
― Despite being a prolific horror manga creator, very few of Kanako Inuki's works have been released in English – Dark Horse translated School Zone and the now-defunct CMX release...
Kamen Rider Kuuga GN 1
This manga provides enough differences from its source material to bring something new to the table for long-time fans. It also works as a horror series for newcomers.
― There's an odd sense of comparisons and contrasts in the situational timing of Titan Comics' release of the Kamen Rider Kuuga manga. We're living in a timeline where another Kamen Rider-related manga, FUUTO PI, is getting its anime a...
I Fell for My Friend's Older Sister + My Older Sister's Friend is Annoying
Originally a series of Twitter comic strips, Azusa Kina's collection of stories is more about vibes than actual plot.
― Sometimes I wish I could just say “that was cute” about a story and leave it at that, especially when it's not one that warrants a deep dive. While I do try to find appeal and merit in even the simplest of stories, what happens when the series in question was written as a diversion?...
Nana & Kaoru GN 1
BDSM-curious should check out Nana & Kaoru, a manga that respects the realities of its subject matter (and is pretty hot).
― An English localization for Nana & Kaoru has been a long-anticipated dream for both fans of cheesecake and BDSM enthusiasts alike. After years of false starts, Denpa and Fakku came together to release it in America finally. And thankfully, it's pretty much everything fans could...
Tokyo Aliens GN 1
This first volume of Tokyo Aliens is a solid start to what looks like a promising series, but plays it safe in regards to what's in store for future volumes – perhaps a bit too safe.
― This first volume of Tokyo Aliens is a solid start to what looks like a promising series, but plays it safe in regards to what's in store for future volumes – perhaps a bit too safe. The manga makes an excellent first ...
Avant-garde Yumeko GN
A lot of us develop strong obsessions or attachments to certain things at various points in our lives. For some it can be sports, for others it can be love, but for the titular Yumeko of Avant-garde Yumeko, it's the penis.
― A lot of us develop strong obsessions or attachments to certain things at various points in our lives. For some it can be sports, for others it can be love, but for the titular Y...
Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! GN 1
The first volume of Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! is funny, looks good, and doesn't have a mean bone in its body, making it an easy pick for a quick escape into a sillier world.
― Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! is not a manga that has a lot of surprises, but it is surprisingly sweet and comfy to read. Look, I've made no secret of my general d...
Tearmoon Empire GN 1-2
Tearmoon Empire's manga adaptation sets itself apart from its brethren just enough to feel fun and different, and Mia's unwitting actions as a force for good are very entertaining.
― By this point we're all familiar with several permutations of the isekai genre, and while reincarnated villainesses and overpowered young men remain the most prevalent subgenres, the yarinaoshi loop, where a character di...
The Elusive Samurai GN 1-2
It's clear that the story is walking a fine line between known history and wished-for adaptation, and the plot is relatively slow-moving despite a lot happening.
― We all have our own special skills. Some of us are excellent fighters, others are impressive bakers or dancers. Hojo Tokiyuki's talent? He's awesome at running away. If that sounds like a weird premise for a historical samurai manga, well,...
Atom: The Beginning Volume 1
This first volume gives us a glimpse of many possible trajectories for the story, and the connection to Astro Boy is definitely a strength in its favor.
― Atom: The Beginning is a very intriguing manga. This first volume gives us a glimpse of many possible trajectories for the story, and the connection to Astro Boy is definitely a strength in its favor. For reference, I've read Astro Boy, but that's ...
Fist of the North Star Volume 6
Many of the seeds and ideas planted in the early chapters have fully come to fruition. The drama of the Hokuto Shinken successors is in full swing.
― Fist of the North Star Volume 6 covers what may be the most recognizable stretch of events in the entire story. While I think it would be easy to make a case that there are individual events, fights, or villains that stand out from others, I think the m...
Black Paradox GN
Black Paradox can come off like a 'hybrid' or 'experimental' work, depending on how familiar you already are with Junji Ito's repertoire.
― Originally published in 2009, Black Paradox can come off like a 'hybrid' or 'experimental' work, depending on how familiar you already are with Junji Ito's repertoire. Opening with a conceptual story that wouldn't be out of place among the author's one-shots, it ...
Dandadan GN 1
A lot of manga have bawdy humor and fail, but Dandadan manages to make it work by displaying its heart alongside its horror and humor.
― It has to be intentional that the first volume of Dandadan is coming out shortly before Halloween, right? The series has been running in Shonen Jump for over a year and has been available online for about as long. It's also not available on the app, so I always skip...
Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke GN 1
In many ways, Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke is a standard work of villainess isekai, but there's enough here to warrant a look.
― Poor Claire. As the eldest of the duke's two daughters, life should have been perfect: she had a loving family, was betrothed to the crown prince of her nation, and at age fifteen was destined to be blessed with great magic powers. Charlotte seemed to be an ado...
Cowboy Bebop: Supernova Swing Vol. 1
Cowboy Bebop The Comic here provides the opportunity for a second chance—a window into the alternate reality Netflix was hoping to occupy with the franchise as an ongoing multimedia empire.
― It can provoke equal feelings of schadenfreude and sadness looking over the copy for the collected version of Cowboy Bebop: Supernova Swing. Yes, it's only a little bit funny to see this touted as a tie-in to th...
Drip Drip GN
Drip Drip probably has one of the strongest starts to a self-contained single-volume story that I have read in quite some time.
― Drip Drip probably has one of the strongest starts to a self-contained single-volume story that I have read in quite some time. Paru Itagaki's works are usually far from subtle, but they make up for that with interesting misdirections and just the right amount of comedy. T...
Usotoki Rhetoric GN 1
Set in 1926, this rural detective tale follows a teen sleuth who can tell when people are lying.
― Following on the heels of My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files into English-language translation, Usotoki Rhetoric once again brings us to the early days of the Showa Era to follow a lady detective. But where the former series is a by-the-(enjoyable)-book tale in the Nancy Drew or Penny Parker vein, ...
The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter GN 1-2
Check out our review of this manga series that Rebecca calls "a slightly darker, BL version of The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent."
― The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter is off to a slow start, but it knows it, and that makes all the difference. That also probably means that it's a pretty close adaptation of the source light novels, because the comment about the slow start is made b...
Ladies on Top GN 1
At its heart, this isn't about sexy shenanigans; it's about two people who have bought into what society has sold them about what sex is “supposed” to be…and their first order of business is to learn that it's okay not to conform to them.
― For a racy manga, Ladies on Top opens with the most workmanlike definition of sexual intercourse out there. Taken from the Encyclopedia Britannica, the blurb talk...
Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe GN 1
Hirohiko Araki's self-insert character tackles some unique, self-contained plots apart from JoJo's and its ongoing Stand-battle narratives
― The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series made a name for itself on regularly-changing casts of characters and expansions of its universe, so an actual spin-off in Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe seems like a natural choice. And if Hirohiko Araki is to be tasked with produci...
Wolf and Red GN
It's classic fairytales with a BL twist!
― There seems to be some confusion about the title of this book. My review copy is labeled Wolf and Red, with the English on the cover reading Wolf and Little BL Red Hood. That's a bit odd, but then the copyright page once again relabels the story: The Wolf and Mr. Little Red Riding Hood. All of them work and get the point across that this is a collection of B...
Crazy Food Truck GN 2
Despite the 'Crazy' right there in its title, Crazy Food Truck, by this second volume, really does seem to have settled into an easier, exploratory, travelogue-style story.
― Despite the 'Crazy' right there in its title, Crazy Food Truck, by this second volume, really does seem to have settled into an easier, exploratory, travelogue-style story. Granted, it's one that still regularly has shootouts, e...
SPY×FAMILY GN 8
It's Yor's turn to shine! After being criminally underused for seven volumes, volume eight's focus is on Yor as she takes on the task of being bodyguard to a woman and her infant on the run.
― It's Yor's turn to shine! After being criminally underused for seven volumes, volume eight's focus is on Yor as she takes on the task of being bodyguard to a woman and her infant on the run. The only catch? Yor...
Ragna Crimson GN 6
If the pacing of the last volume felt slower than you would have liked, then boy are you in or a ride.
― If the pacing of the last volume felt slower than you would have liked, then boy are you in or a ride. Ragna Crimson Volume 6 hits the gas pedal and doesn't let up until you hit the back cover. While I appreciated the character moments we got in Volume 5, it's not hard to see that this is where Ra...
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World GN 1
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World is not at all a bad manga, but at the same time, it so seldom goes outside expected norms that it's hard to talk about it as its own separate work.
― The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World is not at all a bad manga, but at the same time, it so seldom goes outside expected norms that it's hard to talk about it as its own separate work. The long and the sh...
Kemono Jihen GN 1
Kimono Jihen is a combination of folklore, fantasy, and horror. It's got a beating heart underneath the grimness and this volume is a solid start to the series.
― You don't have to be a supernatural expert to figure out that when a boy is called by the derogatory nickname of “Dorotabo” and kept away from school to work in the fields, there's probably something bad going on. That's the situation Inuga...
Your Treacle Affects at Night GN
As a middle entry to a series that isn't fully available in English, Your Treacle Affects at Night's narrative is hard to fully grasp.
― My first question upon casting eyes on this review copy was, “What does that title even mean?” It doesn't appear to be one of those convoluted titles that we often see in light novels, nor does it feel completely nonsensical, so the question drove me to find out wha...
A Nico-Colored Canvas GN 1
Blue Period was too heavy on the emotional drama for you, A Nico-Colored Canvas eschews that in favor of a, let's say, more aggressively optimistic approach.
― Are you looking for a serious manga about the realities of studying art? Then read Blue Period. Would you rather read about an aggressively perky art student who apparently didn't actually prepare for her oil painting major, got into art schoo...
SINoALICE GN 1
This manga adaptation of the popular mobile game gambles on a risky decision: to deliberately confuse its readers on what's real and what's just a dream.
― Does this manga make more sense if you've played the video game it's based on? I honestly couldn't tell you. In large part that's because it leans so hard into what it wants you to believe is the fine line between dreams and the waking world that ...
My Maid, Miss Kishi GN 1
While its premise is incredibly simple and its humor effective, My Maid Miss Kishi has a bunch of little distracting elements that add up to make the story a lot less enjoyable than I think it means to be.
― It's really hard to recommend romantic comedies that revolve around a singular idea or gimmick. I'm of the opinion that a good writer can get incredible emotional and comedic mileage out of just ...
Fist of the North Star Volume 5
In Volume 5 we see Fist of the North Star finally stepping into greatness.
― I mentioned during the review for Volume 4 that we were watching a legendary manga enter one of its most iconic phases. Here in Volume 5 we see Fist of the North Star finally stepping into greatness. While I wouldn't necessarily say this is Fist of the North Star at its peak, this is certainly the manga delivering on the pro...
The Holy Grail of Eris GN 1
Connie is prepared to marry the man her father needs her to wed and resigned to an unremarkable existence...that is until the ghost of an executed woman decides to possess her.
― You may not have heard of original light novel author Kujira Tokiwa, but there's a good chance you've seen Hinase Momoyama's art before – Momoyama illustrated the Massacre Arc of Higurashi: When They Cry, The Dawn of the Gol...
Alice in Bishounen-Land GN 1-2
Find out why Alice in Bishounen-Land is a "pitch-perfect send-up of idol genre."
― Pity Alice – she's no sooner seen a broadcast about girls going missing all over Tokyo before her friend Tamami gets a text invite to a new game that pulls her into the phone! In Alice's attempts to save her, she also gets sucked in, and now she's stuck in the world of Love Color School Stars, quite possibly the worst ...
Hella Chill Monsters GN 1
You'd be hard-pressed to find a book more dedicated to embodying its title than Hella Chill Monsters.
― "I like that nothing happens here," the character Vampy says at the end of this volume's first chapter. You'd be hard-pressed to find a book more dedicated to embodying its title than Hella Chill Monsters. This cute little tome stars a skeleton protagonist that makes no bones about Limbo being the ...
Box of Light GN 1
Box of Light's first volume isn't perfect, but it's also one of those series that looks like it will get better as it goes on, and it has a very interesting take on the liminal world between life and death.
― Although it's not an entirely fair statement to make, Seiko Erisawa's English-language debut, Box of Light, is better in concept than execution. Similar to titles like Phantom Tales of the Night...
GAME: Between the Suits GN 1
If enemies-to-lovers is your preferred romance subgenre, or if you just want to read about a woman who's in charge of her own life and body, this is a safe bet.
― She's a workaholic. He's a jerk womanizer who can't understand why his lines aren't working on her. Is there actually any attraction between them, or is he just trying so hard because she's the one woman who tells him no? The answer is some...
Beauty and the Feast GN 2 & 3
Even with a few missteps, these two volumes of Satomi U's gentle foodie manga continue to be a warm-hearted series about found family and the comforts of having someone to eat with.
― If home is where the heart is, the kitchen and dining table are where the heart beats. Even with a few missteps, these two volumes of Satomi U's gentle foodie manga continue to exemplify that, especially since volume th...
My Love Mix-Up! GN 4
This is a solid entry into a story that reminds us that not only is cupid blind, he's wandering down a very rocky road as the characters stumble their way into love.
― People do stupid things when they're uncomfortable. If there's a theme to this volume of My Love Mix-Up!, that would be it: feeling awkward and on-the-spot can push people into doing some truly ill-advised things. While we've seen that...
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