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Uglymug, Epicfighter Manga Chapters 1-10 Review
OK, what if someone was transported to another world but they were ugly? No seriously, that's it.
― OK, what if someone was transported to another world but they were ugly? No seriously, that's it. Is the story going to be some kind of biting social commentary about how beauty is in the eye of the beholder and how we don't give people a chance due to their physical appearances? Maybe the story is a c...
New Saga Volume 1 Manga Review
If you had the ability to go back in time and relive one of the most difficult journeys of your life, what would you do differently?
― If you had the ability to go back in time and relive one of the most difficult journeys of your life, what would you do differently? If you sacrificed everything for the sake of taking down an ultimate evil, do you think it's possible to accomplish the same goal witho...
Does It Count If You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? Volume 1 Manga Review
This manga asks and answers the question “What if the loveable loser in a sexbot comedy was a woman?” The answer won’t surprise you.
― If you've been reading manga for any length of time, you've probably encountered some version of the hapless, yet relatable, loser protagonist. He's a guy with no friends and a weird hobby, or the woman who looks super cool and together on the outside, but when she st...
Night of the Living Cat Volume 1 Manga Review
This manga has an amusing idea that could make for a funny one-shot manga or a spoof trailer, but feels ludicrously overstretched here.
― Night of the Living Cat will soon hit the screens as an anime series in July, with at least one huge name attached: Takashi Miike, on board as the “Chief Director.” You may know Miike from the live-action films of Ichi The Killer and other manga. I'll always rememb...
Dra-Q Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
Dra-Q is a hard series to recommend with its skin-deep characters and a plot that sometimes feels like the creator was just flying by the seat of their pants.
― Kodansha's copy for Dra-q, Chiyo's dark comedy/romance/horror manga series, says that it's perfect for fans of Dandadan and Call of the Night. While I wouldn't necessarily agree with the latter – the only real commonality they share is vampir...
The 13th Footprint Volume 1 Manga Review
The 13th Footprint’s first volume is mainly a setup, but it’s a lesson in how to do it well.
― While nothing else he's created has quite lived up to Erased's level of excellence, it's not for lack of trying on Kei Sanbe's part – both of the other mystery titles previously released, Island in a Puddle and For the Kid I Saw in my Dreams are very good. But The 13th Footprint's first volume comes closest...
They Were Eleven Manga Review
They Were Eleven is indisputably a classic, a beautiful example of how manga can transcend literary snobbery to be classified as literature in its own right.
― Of all classic shōjo manga creators, Moto Hagio has had the most success in English. Part of the Year 24 Group, which includes Keiko Takemiya (To Terra…), Riyoko Ikeda (The Rose of Versailles), and Yasuko Aoike (From Eroica with Love), Hagio h...
Dogsred Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
I can't wait for more people to discover this absolute slapshot of a classic in the making.
― About thirty-five years ago, a young mangaka from Kagoshima took Japan by storm with a little story about a relatively obscure sport—basketball. Fast-forward to today, it's pretty safe to say that this artist's love letter to shooting hoops became something of a Slam Dunk with its readers. While reading thro...
The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse Volume 1 Manga Review
The Color of the End is one of the stronger “girls after the apocalypse” manga out there, more bitter than sweet and filled to the brim with loneliness.
― “Girls after the apocalypse” has become a subgenre of post-apocalyptic fiction. Whether alone, in pairs, or with their pets, young women traversing a ruined world have carved a niche in science fiction manga and anime, perhaps relying on the juxtap...
My Kitten is a Picky Eater Volume 1 Manga Review
If you like cats and stories about people taking care of cats, My Kitten is a Picky Eater will be a purr-fect fit for you.
― If you've ever owned a pet, then you've almost certainly learned that oftentimes, the best way to their heart is, of course, through their stomach. Such is the core of Migiri Miki's My Kitten is a Picky Eater (henceforth Picky Eater), which follows a new kitten owner—Mano—whose...
Shimazaki in the Land of Peace Volume 1 Manga Review
Every time I turned the page, I was worried about what would happen because the answer could've ranged from a gorgeous scenery shot to a violent execution.
― If there's one thing I can command Shimazaki in the Land of Peace for, it's the first volume's ability to create this incredible layer of consistency from beginning to end. Every time I turned the page, I was worried about what would happen beca...
Mask Danshi: This Shouldn't Lead to Love Volume 1 Manga Review
The biggest strength of this volume is the way it works with Sayama’s anxiety.
― Anxiety isn't always treated seriously in fiction. That could be because it's unique to everyone who deals with it; even if the same basic things make multiple people anxious, reactions and coping mechanisms will be different. In the case of Sayama, one of the protagonists of Mask Danshi: This Shouldn't Lead to Love, he ...
The Legend of Kamui Volume 1 Manga Review
The start of a legendary manga franchise, The Legend of Kamui is rife with social conflict and violence that isn’t for the faint of heart, but an excellent must-read for manga fans hungry for historical epics and political commentary.
― With each and every passing day comes another hardship. A family of farmers accompanied by
genin (outcast) assistants are working in the fields. A young genin child s...
Hunter × Hunter Omnibus Manga Review
Twenty-seven years after Hunter X Hunter's debut in Shonen Jump magazine, we can witness the start of Togashi's legendary manga again with this sleek omnibus edition of the first three volumes.
― Yoshihiro Togashi's decision to pen Hunter x Hunter a few years after infamously closing the book on Yu Yu Hakusho meant one thing: you can take the mangaka out of battle shonen, but you can never take the b...
A Sinner of the Deep Sea Manga Series Review
Akihito Tomi's A Sinner of the Deep Sea takes Andersen's tale and reframes it, asking what would have changed if the mermaid had a best friend who wouldn't just sit back and let her die.
― We all know the story: a mermaid ventures to the surface, falls in love with a human man, and ultimately ends up dying because of it. Hans Christian Andersen's literary fairy tale The Little Mermaid has become the ...
AMNERO Anthology Volumes 1 and 2
What would happen if Vash from Trigun had a jaded, loudmouth sidekick with a lactation problem?
― The AMNERO anthologies are less like serialized web novels and more like collections of individual chapters written by Hyocoro. Therefore, the first volume doesn't necessarily have a strong narrative flow. The first chapter feels like the pilot to the series, building up a sort of rescue mission that get...
Luciole Has a Dream Volume 1 Manga Review
We don't know precisely what happened or what will happen, but watching Lu's world unfold on the page is immersive in a way that the best fantasy should be.
― With most manga, whether you read them digitally or in print, it comes down to personal preference, or maybe budget and space concerns. But every so often one comes along that simply begs to be read in print. Luciole has a Dream is absolutely o...
Teppu Volume 1 Manga Review
Moare Ohta’s Teppu is a bonafide cult sensation, but is this print-on-demand release punching under its weight?
― In early December, Kodansha USA announced the establishment of their Kodansha Print Club program—a print-on-demand service that gives select digital-only titles the chance to shine in print. The publisher capped off this news by revealing the program's first trio of titles—Narumi Shigemat...
With You, Our Love Will Make it Through Volume 1 Manga Review
With You, Our Love Will Make It Through isn’t for everyone, but if it’s in your area of interest, I think it does a good enough job.
― Yes, this is a furry romance manga, and yes, it fits the criteria for young adult fiction. But those two things don't need to be either mutually exclusive or a terrible warning, and to be perfectly honest, any reservations I have about this story don't arise from the ...
Hereditary Triangle Manga Review
Despite a middle act that flirts with melodrama, there’s a thoughtful maturity to much of this short series as its cast explores complex emotions and questions about grief, change, and regret.
― Hereditary Triangle is technically a two-volume series, but the Yen Press edition politely collects them into a single volume, allowing readers to sink fully into the world of this quiet but compelling drama....
Be My Worst Nightmare! Volume 1 Manga Review
This wouldn’t be my first recommendation for high school-set, moderately explicit BL, but I also wouldn’t universally tell you to steer clear.
― Don't you just hate it when your dreams might be telling you something you don't want to hear? That's what Sayo Hoshikawa is afraid is happening to him. Despite his surface-level anger at his classmate Mashiba for things like “being tall” and “girls confessi...
Hikaru in the Light! Manga Review
Even if you can see where Hikaru's plot is going five miles away, none feels hackneyed.
― At times, Hikaru in the Light felt like a season of American Idol to me. We feel the intensity of the competition through its characters' hopes and aspirations, the glow of the stage, and the harsh rules laid down by the competition's judges and producers. It requires the winning idols an extraordinary cut above...
Corpse Blade Volume 1 Manga Review
I desperately wanted to make a pun somewhere about how this volume just isn’t as fleshed out as it needs to be, but its problems run deeper than that.
― Do zombie apocalypse stories ever really go out of style? It's like a pendulum—usually spurred by one super-successful title, they'll go in full force for a while. Then maybe there's a brief lull when audiences start feeling sick of what's become an ...
Welcome to Ghost Mansion Manga Volume 1 Review
Welcome to Ghost Mansion has a promisingly spooky premise that could develop later on, but its first steps don’t have it hit the ground running like it should.
― There exists an interesting premise within the initial volume of Nebukuro's debut manga. As a story about a landlord who rents an apartment out to the undead, there is potential in making this an enveloping, spooky story about the things th...
The Revenge of My Youth Manga Review
This manga knows how to use its tried-and-true premise about redoing the past to its advantage, giving us a start of a story that makes for a leisurely read even if it comes off as cliche at times.
― There's no going through life without regret. And there's certainly no avoiding those moments where every mistake, error, goof, and flub comes rushing back through your cerebral cortex like a never-endin...
I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day Manga Review
This story is hard to recommend based on the first volume, but it really gets better after this point.
― I Want to Love You Till You're Dying Day feels like a small story with grand ambitions. It's very humble and almost quiet in its approach to storytelling. Not a lot happens throughout this first volume, but every few pages you'll see an image or a character make a comment alluding to something muc...
Fall in Love, You False Angels Volume 1 Manga Review
If there’s a theme to be traced in this volume, it’s the idea of when it’s okay to be two-faced.
― When is it safe to be yourself? That's maybe a more intense question than you'd expect from Fall in Love, You False Angels, which is unquestionably a romantic comedy. But that doesn't mean that it lacks any heavier subtext, and the story of Otogi and Toki can be read in such a way to facilitate discussi...
Helena and Mr. Big Bad Wolf Volume 1 Manga Review
Despite its title, this series has less in common with fairy tales and more with classic children’s literature, complete with plucky orphans, gruff-but-kind adults, and alarmingly tragic backstories.
― Despite its title, this Taiwanese manhua has less in common with fairy tales and more with classic English children's literature, where spunky kids befriend gruff-but-kind adults over a shared hobby or...
Vagabond Definitive Edition Volume 1 Manga Review
Inoue’s art is startlingly good. His keen eye for composition and posing, already put to amazing use in Slam Dunk, almost makes the characters leap from the pages.
― At its core, this initial three-volume collection of Takehiko Inoue's (Slam Dunk) adaptation of Eiji Yoshikawa's fictionalized biographical novel Musashi is about the terrible life decisions made by two seventeen-year-old boys. Full of h...
Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms Manga Review
Everything in Mecha-Ude Volume 1 is so close to the anime that, at times, it almost feels like reading through storyboards.
― During Fall 2024, here on ANN, I reviewed studio TriF's debut anime series Mecha-Ude as it aired weekly. Overall it was a great 12-episode show, densely packed with enough plot to fuel a series twice its length, elevated by wonderfully kinetic action animation heavily influenc...
Tokyo Alien Bros. Volume 1 Manga Review
By the end of the first book (of three), my initial interest had turned to boredom, and I couldn't see much of a point to what I'd read so far.
― Having read the first book of the Tokyo Alien Bros. manga, I confess I'm baffled, and not for the obvious reasons. The scenario isn't outlandishly way-out. Instead, it's very simple: two alien brothers living in modern Tokyo, posing as humans. Nor is the st...
Love and the Highly Sensitive Person Manga Review
This is a sincere but not-too-sappy tale of love and acceptance, both for oneself and others.
― It's always refreshing to see romances that explore uncommon perspectives and relationships, telling love stories that don't often get told. It's even more refreshing when they do it with as much kindness and empathy as Love and the Highly Sensitive Person does. This one-shot, PG-rated BL follows the hairs...
Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn't Remember Me Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
Even questionable execution can’t rob the plot of its key point: Oriana’s desperation to save Vincent’s life.
― Time loops are fickle things. As any reader of the isekai subgenre can tell you, most of them only grant memories to the person doing the looping – as far as everyone else knows, they're living their lives for the first time. For Oriana, the heroine of Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who...
Living With Him Manga Review
If you want something a little less spicy and a little bit more wholesome, there’s plenty here to make your heart flutter as a smile creeps across your face.
― I've never been to Japan, so I can't comment on how its society at large views same-sex relationships. But there seems to be a consistent theme in these stories where people never seem to entertain the notion that two guys could be romanticall...
Hell is Dark with No Flowers Volume 1 Manga Review
Somewhere between xxxHoLiC and Hell Girl lies Hell is Dark with No Flowers.
― Somewhere between xxxHoLiC and Hell Girl lies Hell is Dark with No Flowers. If you think I've made that comparison before, you're right – Matsuri's Phantom Tales of the Night can also be described that way. But Hell is Dark with No Flowers, based on the novel of the same name by Yoru Michio, is the better use of the descrip...
Firefly Wedding Volume 1 Manga Review
It isn’t a perfect way to phrase it, but Firefly Wedding’s first volume feels like it lands somewhere in between Yakuza Fiancé and Yakuza Lover.
― It isn't a perfect way to phrase it, but Firefly Wedding's first volume feels like it lands somewhere between Yakuza Fiancé and Yakuza Lover. That's not because there's a yakuza element to the story, at least not in those terms; set during what appears to ...
RuriDragon Volume 1 Manga Review
In spite, or perhaps because of how laid-back it is about Ruri’s seemingly bizarre circumstances, RuriDragon really feels like something special.
― Honestly, the fact that I'm even here reviewing RuriDragon at all is something of a minor miracle. While the manga debuted in Shonen Jump to pretty much immediate success, it quickly ran into trouble when its author, Masaoki Shindo, started suffering from...
Galette Manga Magazine Volume 1 Review
This is not a one-for-one version of the original Japanese volume; it is an adapted edition for the English-reading audience.
― In the mid-2010s, the runs of two of the three existing quarterly yuri manga magazines, Pure Yuri Anthology Hirari published by Shinsokan and Tsubomi published by Hobunsha came to an end, leaving some yuri artists with unfinished series and no place to serialize them. Some o...
Crescent Moon Marching Volumes 1-6 Manga Review
Crescent Moon Marching becomes a story of how young Mizuki understands what it means to be passionate about music and how crucial it is to improve yourself while understanding others.
― Originality is a tough thing to come by. The great Salvador Dali once said that those who imitate nothing produce nothing. Considering the infinite artists, musicians, writers, and other types of pen-wielders who have...
Ashita no Joe: Fighting For Tomorrow Volume 1 Manga Review
While it would be a lie to say that Ashita no Joe doesn’t show its age, it’s still a solid story, and one that’s very much worth reading.
― To call Ashita no Joe one of the most culturally significant works to ever exist within the realm of anime and manga would be a bit of an understatement. It served as the inspiration for many a boxing manga, and its anime adaptation is one of the most iconic work...
There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless... Volumes 1-6 Manga Review
If you're looking for a GL harem, this is a safe enough bet; just be aware of the dubious consent issues going in.
― Are you looking for a harem? A single, ordinary person surrounded by a bevy of beauties, all of whom want them? Typically, that ordinary person would be an unfortunate young man, dull as a potato, but There's No Freaking Way I'll Be Your Lover! Unless…, based on the light novels of the...
Scars Volume 1 Manga Review
Between Kyonosuke's past trauma, trouble at school, and zero support at home, Scars is a story about the world's worst coming-of-age.
― Based on the cute character designs, I didn't expect this comic to get so dark so fast. Between Kyonosuke's past trauma, trouble at school, and zero support at home, Scars is a story about the world's worst coming-of-age. The title refers to scars both physical and p...
Re:Anima Volume 1 Manga Review
Re:Anima tamps down any hope that it'll do much that's new with its familiar-feeling ideas. So far, it seems happy to be one more genre potboiler, to take or to leave.
― The kindest way to describe this science-fiction action manga is as competently average. It's a likable, lightweight read, with lively action scenes, but the first book is also laughably tropey and flimsy. The book has a note from cr...
What Happened After My Place Got So Humid It Grew Magic Mushrooms And I Ate Them And Got Super Horny! - Volumes 1-2 Manga Review (18+)
Sometimes, it doesn't matter how detailed or long the title is; you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
― Sometimes, it doesn't matter how detailed or long the title is; you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. A title like What Happened After My Place Got So Humid It Grew Magic Mushrooms And I Ate Them And Got Super Horny! prompts a lot of questions, and the answers are surprising. It sounds like o...
Dracula's On the Night Shift Manga Review
Despite ostensibly being a manga about a vampire working a night shift, DotNS isn’t the What We Do in the Shadows-esque comedy/slice-of-life series you might expect at first glance—because it’s not really a comedy/slice-of-life series at all.
― There's plenty of anime and manga about vampires trying to blend into human society out there, but not as many of them are terribly concerned with how their v...
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak Vol. 1 Manga Review
This manga strives to answer the burning question I'm sure some fans were asking: Whatever happened to Hol Horse?
― The shifting, generation-crossing story setup of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure pretty well lends itself to spin-offs and crossovers with itself. Part 4, Diamond is Unbreakable had a better part of its plot driven by characters returning from Stardust Crusaders (and earlier!) to ostensibly co...
The Teen Exorcist Volume 1 Manga Review
This volume is, as happens with introductory books, mostly set up for Masahiro’s eventual understanding of himself.
― Due to the vagaries of English localization, you may not immediately associate this with its parent series: The Teen Exorcist is a manga reworking of the light novel series Shonen Onmyoji, which clocks in at an impressive fifty-six volumes. The light novels have never been officially ...
Praise Me When I'm a Good Boy Manga Review
It genuinely makes me happy when I come across a story that treats BDSM dynamics with the reverence they deserve!
― I chose to review a lot of stories dealing with different types of sexual proclivities because I'm always curious about how these types of dynamics are portrayed in media. BDSM (relationship dynamics revolving around bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, etc.) in particula...
My Classmate Ren-kun is Kinda Scary Manga Review
My Classmate Ren-kun is Kinda Scary is, in a word, frothy.
― The narrator of this story isn't the romantic lead. That's probably the most interesting aspect of the book – it's narrated by a mostly nameless girl (we learn her name in the author's afterword, but never in the story proper) as she observes the boys on either side of her in class. It works fairly well as a framing device, particularly sin...
Our Aimless Nights Manga Review
By no means is this a deep, page-turning tale of love and lust, and it's not really meant to be.
― The risk in naming your manga Our Aimless Nights is that the adjective is already giving too much away. This two-volume manga has its narrative meandering around in certain areas, although this serves as a good thing. Teenage romances with all of their awkward tendencies are never exactly straightforwar...
Kowloon Generic Romance Volumes 7-8 Manga Review
With both anime and live-action drama adaptations promised for 2025, now is unquestionably the right time to discover your Absolute Self and read the original first.
― Later volumes of After the Rain's Jun Mayuzuki's masterful sci-fi mystery romance are impossible to review without massively spoiling earlier volumes, so if you've not read the first few installments of Kowloon Generic Romance, be warn...
Yokai: The Art of Shigeru Mizuki Artbook Review
Although nominally an artbook, this might be just as easily described as a collection of folklore.
― “Shigeru Mizuki,” translator and scholar Zack Davisson says in his introductory essay, “lived in a vibrant fantasy world where every tree, every blade of grass was infused with spiritual energy.” If any one thing comes through in this collection of Mizuki's artwork, it is this – there's a deeply roote...
My Sister Took My Fiance and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince Volumes 1 & 2 Manga Review
My Sister Took My Fiancé and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince is off to a solid start. It may not be wholly innovative, but Cordelia is a good heroine and nobody's fool, except when it comes to herself, and she's wholly cognizant of that.
― Life is not easy for Cordelia. The daughter of a noble in the kingdom of Liobern, Cordelia isn't so much unremarkable as she is less outwardly beautiful ...
My Journey to Her Manga Review
Unlike a lot of similar narratives, this isn't about the anguish, coming out, or transphobia. That's not to say those things aren't present, but they aren't the point.
― There are so many falsehoods perpetrated about what it means to be transgender, so many scare tactics employed by people who fear those who are different, that it's important to highlight any authentic own-voices narratives that are ...
The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Volumes 1-3 Manga Review
Author Saka Mikami 's main theme is the exploration of how uninformed judgments of others, especially when fuelled by humanity's innate tribalism, lead to unfair treatment and social ostracization.
― The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignityis one of those heart-warming romance manga where if you're not grinning with delight by the end of the first volume, there's probably something broken in your soul...
Fist of the North Star Volume 14 Manga Review
Can you recreate the magic of the relationship between Kenshiro, Raoh, Toki, and Jagi?
― Fist of the North Star Volume 14 provides Kenshiro with the most interesting set of villains of the post-Raoh era by digging into a familiar bag of tricks. This volume, almost more than any other, has me split on how to feel about the events. It is equal parts novel ideas and the same old, familiar, and unique. T...
Magical Girl and The Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies Manga Review
The late Cocoa Fujiwara never got to finish this story. Even if you don’t love the series, that’s a tragedy, and for readers, it means knowing that you’re embarking on a journey without a finish.
― The late Cocoa Fujiwara never got to finish this story. Even if you don't love the series, that's a tragedy, and for readers, it means knowing that you're embarking on a journey without a finish – when the...
Fist of the North Star Volume 13 Manga Review
Fist of the North Star Volume 13 is a strong package, but at the same time I wouldn't blame someone for feeling like there are diminishing returns in this latter era of the run.
― Volume 13 is an odd mixture of elements and novel concepts that dazzle visually while being all right otherwise. I hate to sound like a broken record, but many of the same strengths and weaknesses seen here have been with t...
Manga Biographies: Charles M. Schulz Manga Review
Big fan of the Peanuts gang? Discover how Snoopy’s creator, Charles M. Schulz’s love for art at a young age led to his career drawing a comic strip known by every American household.
― Despite growing up with the Peanuts comic strip and owning a minimum of five pieces of Snoopy merchandise, I admittedly knew very little about Charles M. Schulz prior to reading this manga biography. During San Diego C...
Fist of the North Star Volume 11-12 Manga Review
Fist of the North Star volumes 11 and 12 usher in a new era for the series, which is more divisive than previous arcs but still of incredibly high quality.
― Fist of the North Star volumes 11 and 12 usher in a new era for the series which is more divisive than previous arcs but still of incredibly high quality. As I said in the last review, we have been to the mountaintop of the series and are now be...
Sister and Giant: A Young Lady Is Reborn in Another World Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
Sister and Giant has moments of being better than it ought to be, but on the whole, it is a bit schlocky.
― You all know the story: a Japanese schoolgirl is killed by some form of transportation and ends up getting to live out the rest of her life in a fantasy world, often with magical RPG-inspired power. Along the way, she finds love and friendship, and even though she's dead in one world, it's in t...
SPY×FAMILY Volumes 11-12 Manga Review
While most of Anya's schemes go hilariously sideways, now is her time to shine.
― It's hard to go wrong with an Anya-centric storyline. As wonderful as it's been to get Loid's difficult past and to see Yor steal the spotlight, Anya remains one of Spy x Family's most endearing characters, as well as the one it's easiest to get an entertaining plot out of. She's the ultimate wild card, a little kid who...
Pupposites Attract Volume 1 Manga Review
This is the dog-person equivalent to many of the cat-person manga out there.
― For whatever reason, there's much more of a history of cat manga in English translation than dog manga. That doesn't mean that there aren't any—Doomsday With My Dog and Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs both have English editions, and that's not even counting series like Yuzu the Pet Vet with its periphery focus on canines. (We perh...
Riviere and the Land of Prayer Manga Volume 1 Review
It feels like it's supposed to be an episodic series where our leads go out and solve problems—but it's hard to do that when the story doesn't establish the rules of its world.
― Despite being raised Catholic and going to a Catholic high school, I don't consider myself a very religious person. The idea of praying for a better life can be found throughout multiple religions and there is a certain leve...
In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name Volume 1 Manga Review
In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name is a nice twist to the typical isekai villainess story.
― It's an old saying that you can choose your friends but not your family. But what do you do when your family steals your friends? That's the situation Ichika finds herself in as part of her isekai experience, and not necessarily in the way you're thinking. (Or would be thinking, had you not read the ti...
Mermaid Prince Manga Review
Ozaki's take on the aquatic beings is a fascinating blend of horror and fantasy imagery. The mermaid is equally beautiful and terrifying, and that sums up Mugi's feelings about his new situation and the creature.
― There's a bittersweet quality to most of Kaori Ozaki's works, at least those translated into English – Immortal Rain, The Gods Lie, and The Golden Sheep – and Mermaid Prince is no exceptio...
Excellent Property, Rejects for Residents Manga Volume 1 Review
From the creator of Heaven's Lost Property comes another story about a young man having a chance encounter with an angel-like being!
― From the creator of Heaven's Lost Property comes another story about a young man having a chance encounter with an angel-like being! However, unlike Heaven's Lost Property, we seem to have dialed back on the fan service in exchange for having more comedy and potential...
Aria of the Beech Forest Volume 1 Manga Review
It's clear that Yugiri Aika researched traditional Irish culture or cuisine – if you've ever wanted a very simple recipe for colcannon, this book has it.
― Witches, who practice herbal magic and wear pointed black hats, are often relegated to the realms of folklore, trotted out once a year on Halloween. Then they ride their broomsticks across the sky, cavort with black cat familiars, and lay traps fo...
Father, I Don't Want This Marriage Volume 1 Manhwa Review
If you enjoy a villainess-good tale filled with lovely art of a royal fantasy world, try this.
― Like Not Sew Wicked Stepmother's release before it, Father, I Don't Want This Marriage's source novels were translated and previously published by WordExcerpt. For unexplained reasons, this Korean novel translation outfit has ceased to make its books available outside of the serialized format available on...
This Reincarnated Cross-Dressing Princess Won't Be Looking for a Fiancé Manga Review
The single greatest flaw here is that the story would have worked better spread out over two volumes.
― Even though we are all ostensibly accustomed to the trend of light novels and their adaptations revealing the entire premise and half the plot in their titles, it still feels like this one is determined to toss as many buzzwords as possible into its own. We have a princess who is reincarnated, both...
GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! Manga Volume 1 Review
It's hard to read this first volume and not feel yourself rooting for Akechi and Masako and they pursue petty and supernatural revenge.
― GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! ("What you hear when your Danny Phantom DVD has a smudge," said my partner, chuckling upon seeing the title) has a fascinating introduction. In the first chapter, we're introduced to our main character, an office worker named Ushiro Akechi, who g...
Alley: Junji Ito Story Collection Manga Review
One of Ito's trademarks is how unsettling he's able to make ideas that sound simple on paper, and the stories of Alley are no different.
― By now, Junji Ito's name is so ubiquitous not just in manga but in horror overall that it almost feels pointless to explain who he is. The four-time Eisner Award winner has created iconic horror manga after iconic horror manga. His latest work to get an English re...
The Poetry of Ran Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
This manga is unimpactful, and if not for the beautiful, meticulously detailed art, I’d say nothing about it stands out at all, either for better or for worse.
― Consisting of a whopping two volumes from start to finish, The Poetry of Ran is a bite-sized high-fantasy manga about a warrior called Ran. To be more specific, the manga begins with Ran arriving in a small village. Per the request of the vi...
Occult Detective Club: Graveyard of the Death Dolls Manga Review
This is a solid work of 1986 horror, with art that mimics the basic shoujo manga style of the period, twisted just so to make it upsetting.
― There is one abiding rule that horror stories need to follow: do not pull your punches. That goes for whatever demographic you're writing for, and in my opinion, nothing will ruin a horror story faster than an ending that wraps everything up too neatly. Sadly, ...
Just Like Mona Lisa Volume 1 Manga Review
Tsumuji Yoshimura's romance drama centers on non-binary Hinase, a teen who has no gender in a world where most people choose by age 12.
― My ex once described gender as soup—it's fluid, can swirl all over the place, and can be enjoyed at one's leisure. However, depending on how you approach it, it can also be exceedingly messy. We unfortunately live in a world where many people fail to understand wha...
Gannibal Manga Volume 1 Review
This rollercoaster of a horror manga is a genuinely exciting page-turner by the last stretch of the volume
― A gruesome horror series whose English release was originally funded via Kickstarter, Gannibal is the definition of "niche." That's the sort of specially targeted appeal that's looked forward to by fans of any good gore. However, the pacing of horror is also paramount to paying it off in execu...
My Name Is Shingo Perfect Edition Volumes 1-2 Manga Review
This science fiction horror story from the early days of computers and robotics is fascinating, even as it takes its time getting to where it's going.
― If you're only familiar with Kazuo Umezz's previously released titles from Viz's current Perfect Edition run, My Name is Shingo may surprise you. That's not because it's more science fiction than horror or features a central romance, but because this...
Let's Do It Already! Volume 1 Manga Review
Let's Do It Already's first volume is frothy, but this still reads like a fluffy shoujo romance. It's less of a sexy comedy than its copy implies, but it's still a fun read if you're a genre fan.
― Ah, high school love – when some teens begin navigating the waters of relationships and their physical components, eager to learn what their bodies can do and do it with the people they're crushing on. The...
This Monster Wants to Eat Me Volume 1 Manga Review
Is Shiori a friend, foe, love interest, or some combination of all three? With the sexual meaning of “eat” also present in the text, it's hard to know.
― Yuri mermaid horror. That's not word salad, it's the genre identifiers for Sai Naekawa's manga This Monster Wants to Eat Me, a dark literary folktale about a high school girl and the mermaid who's protecting her until she reaches the perfect stage o...
River's Edge Manga Review
For most of us who have lived through high school, the idea that it's "the best time of our lives" is a lie perpetuated by people who have forgotten high school.
― For most of us who have lived through high school, the idea that it's "the best time of our lives" is a lie perpetuated by people who have forgotten high school. Kyoko Okazaki's bleak single-volume story River's Edge is not interested in g...
Mysterious Disappearances Volume 1 Manga Review
Mysterious Disappearances' first volume probably won't blow you away. But how it plays with urban legend and classic Japanese literature hopefully hints at more interesting usages to come.
― What does the original manga version of Mysterious Disappearances offer that the anime does not? Nipples. Specifically, Sumireko's nipples, in both adult and child forms. (Notably, in her youngest form, they're l...
My Picture Diary Manga Review
In the Eisner-nominated work, Maki Fujiwara chronicles her daily life with her husband, lionized mangaka Yoshiharu Tsuge. Though deceptively simple at first glance, a foundation of abuse is slowly revealed.
― At first blush, Maki Fujiwara's My Picture Diary does what it says on the tin. It tells the story of her daily life as a housewife and mother, spending time with her daily activities, noting the...
I Want You to Make Me Beautiful! – The Complete Manga Collection Review
The benefit of being committed to such a simple setup is that the story knows exactly what it needs to do to invoke the maximum emotional response for this type of story.
― I Want You To Make Me Beautiful is a simple story that does everything it sets out to do. At its heart, it's a straightforward story about moving on from the pain of a bad breakup and reinventing yourself into something better. Th...
Street Fighter Masters Volume 1: Fight to Win Graphic Novel Review
Honestly, you're getting a solid collection of character art with some disposable comic stories where you might get to enjoy some out-of-context obscure CAPCOM cameos.
― As a lifelong fan of Street Fighter, it's easy to get excited about the potential of seeing my favorite fighters doing stuff in different mediums. The flip side is that Udon Entertainment's hold on the comic treatment of the characte...
You and I Are Polar Opposites Volume 1 Manga Review
You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable.
― You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable. You and I Are Polar Opposites is based on the tried-and-true formula of a thousand romantic comedies: Suzuki is a popular girl, and Tani is the class nerd. She's bright and perky,...
Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way With You Volume 1 Manga Review
This steamy manga's appeal is going to depend on how much you can stomach a female protagonist who kicks off the romance by assaulting her former fiance.
― This is a tricky one. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way with You is, to all appearances, a story that opens with a sexual assault. Agnès has been betrothed to Crown Prince Lucilleur since childhood, and she's been in love with him just as...
Healer for the Shadow Hero Volume 1 Manga Review
Healer Nanna's powers have one very unique caveat: she has to have sex with the person to heal them. See why Rebecca Silverman calls it "a cute story, decently racy, and generally good, fluffy fun."
― One of the fun things about Seven Seas' Steamship line of racy manga aimed at a female audience is finding which romance tropes are prevalent in any given release. While every genre has its tropes and s...
Made in Abyss Volumes 11-12 Manga Review
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.
― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
Nude Model: Tsubasa Yamaguchi Short Stories Manga Review
Each story is like a dark portal into a realm of human sexuality that society usually sweeps under the rug, but I can't look away.
― Nude Model delivers on the promise of its lurid title. This manga, consisting of three equally intense short stories, is charged with eroticism and danger, with epiphanies lurking around every corner. Created by Tsubasa Yamaguchi, Nude Model is nothing like her most wel...
Ragna Crimson Manga Volume 11 Review
Ragna Crimson volume 11 effectively ends the first major arc of the manga and encapsulates all of the strengths and struggles of what has come thus far.
― Ragna Crimson Volume 11 effectively ends the first major arc of the manga and encapsulates the strengths and struggles of what has come thus far. The volume is essentially broken into three pieces: the battle, a flashback with Ultimatia and Wolteka...
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons Graphic Novel Review
It's kaiju and pirates in this ahistorical take on the dragons found on old treasure maps—but it doesn't quite deliver on its fantastic elevator pitch.
― The elevator pitch for Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons is fantastic—a voyage of Sir Francis Drake to find the Dead Bishop's treasure, only to find forbidden seas filled with the kaiju of the Godzilla franchise, presented as a pirate's tall tale by a...
Rooming With My Two Lovers Volume 1 Manga Review
Rooming With My Two Lovers does something that I wish a lot more BL stories would do: the characters sit down and have a proper conversation like adults.
― Rooming With My Two Lovers is a series that I wouldn't say I liked when it started. In many ways, it falls into the typical conventional trappings you'd see in most other adult BL stories. There is this emphasis on teasing and gaslighting in a way...
My Ultramarine Sky Manga Review
My Ultramarine Sky is a slow burn, which may drag for some readers, but it's ultimately a very rewarding reading experience.
― Nagisa Furuya excels at writing gentle, yearning BL stories. Her previously released titles, The Two Lions from Seven Seas and My Summer of You from Kodansha, have demonstrated this knack, and My Ultramarine Sky is no exception. The story follows two friends, Kai and Ren, who...
A Kingdom of Quartz Manga Volume 1 Review
Sometimes, with an exceptional manga, all it takes is a few pages to fall hopelessly in love.
― Sometimes, with an exceptional manga, all it takes is a few pages to fall hopelessly in love. That was my early experience with Canadian mangaka BOMHAT's first published manga A Kingdom of Quartz. I'd describe it as Witch Hat Atelier meets Haibane Renmei by way of The Ugly Duckling. Initially published (wi...
Blood Blade Volume 1 Manga Review
Fans of The Case Study of Vanitas and Undead Girl Murder Farce are likely to find much to enjoy in this classic monsters-turned-manga characters tale.
― Chapter two of this dark supernatural fantasy begins with the words, "Why does Vlad the Impaler look like a young girl?" The obvious, facetious answer that immediately springs to mind is "because Japan." If Oda Nobunaga can be reborn in multiple form...
Kowloon Generic Romance Manga Volume 1-6 Review
What started as a lushly drawn nostalgia piece about a long-gone city soon delves into sci-fi mystery material and a burgeoning sense of dread.
― This is one of those mystery-focused manga that's almost impossible to discuss without some significant spoilers for at least the first volume. Author Jun Mayuzuki holds her cards incredibly close to her chest, so if there's even a chance you'd consider rea...
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