Manga Review: Maid-sama!, Volume 17 & 18, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2017

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1&2. 15&16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A 2-in-1 edition of the romantic-comedy series where a student council president secretly works at a maid café!

As if being student council president of a predominantly male high school isn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultra smart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Misaki undergoes strict training on how to become a lady before visiting Usui in England! Later, she decides to apply to a highly selective university… With everyone heading down different paths toward the future, will Misaki and Usui be able to find happiness together?

Review:

In the first half, we get to see the conclusion to all of Misaki's practice. She's still working up to being on par with Usui's family, and then she finally gets to go see him. It's a bit of a mess, and an embarrassment for some, and rather dramatic. Misaki and Usui have to make a statement, and still struggle to be accepted. Because they don't really fit in with Usui's family, and it's a bit questionable whether they want to.

In the second half, we get back to normal, and get to draw everything to a close. Usui deals with his family how he wants. Misaki is studying hard for school, and finally has to deal with her maid secret. I actually kind of forgot about that being a big secret, up until it's pointed out again. There's a lot of super hotness between Misa and Usui. Thankfully, there's also some scenes between Suzuna and Hinata, because I would have been upset if that was left open. I quite like Suzuna, and wish there had been more shown between them. (Sadly, nothing between Kanou and Yukimura, though the hints are hilarious. Seriously, I'd be all over a yaoi spin-off of them, and I usually don't care for that. We do get to see Aoi all grown up, though, and he's a hottie.)

This was a very satisfying ending to this series. I'm so glad we finally got to see it, and I'm happy with it, overall. It would be nice to see another of her series.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: 7th Garden, Volume 6, by Mitsu Izumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 8 (Cancelled)

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent humans to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless male!

Awyn Gardner will do anything to protect the beautiful mistress of the equally beautiful estate gardens he lovingly tends—even enslave himself to an also beautiful demon bent on world domination! The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent people to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless human man!

An unexpected source warns covenanter Awyn and his demon mistress Vyrde that their village is about to be attacked by an enemy angel. Even with Vyrde’s help, how can Awyn protect so many people at once…?! If only they had a powerful ally…wielded by another covenanter…

Review:

Awyn is having to come to terms with the fact that this thing with the angels has real consequences. He doesn't seem to care about himself, but he cares almost too much for the people of the village. Particularly Marie, but he doesn't want anyone else to die, either.

As he's still dealing with the last fight, we get a surprise of a new one. We meet Moro first, another angel, who for a bit made me wonder if he was double crossing someone, and who. But then the town gets attacked by these demon bugs, and Awyn has to make a dractic move in order to get everyone to leave. It's a bit sad, but necessary. Most of this volume is full of fighting, and there are some deaths and a lot of blood. The cliffhanger has me actually excited to see what happens next. I can't wait to see this fight, honestly.

I really quite liked the new characters, Moro and Alice. I was surprised by how much backstory we got of Alice, but I liked it, and I like her. Their partnership is fun to me. Aside from that, we also got some hints regarding Maria, which should lead to something.

I'm quite interested in this series by this point. I want to read more.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Volume 2, by Akira Himekawa

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: August 2017

Volumes: 3+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Link must defeat evil at every turn in his perilous quest to help Princess Zelda!

Once upon a time, wizards tried to conquer the Sacred Realm of Hyrule. The Spirits of Light sealed the wizards’ power within the Shadow Crystal and banished them to the Twilight Realm beyond the Mirror of Twilight. Now, an evil menace is trying to find Midna, Princess of the Twilight Realm, and the fragments of the Shadow Crystal to gain the power to rule over both the Twilight Realm and the World of Light.

Link awakens in the Twilight Realm, in the form of a wolf! Here he meets Midna, and she escorts Link to Hyrule Castle where none other than Princess Zelda bestows a question upon him—if the world is to be saved from the encroaching darkness, Link must recover the shards of the Shadow Crystal. The task will be long and difficult, and Link will need to use new powers he doesn't know he has!

Review:

We get a glimpse of Zelda as the volume starts. The princess is remembering things, and having to figure out a way to save her kingdom.

Then we see that Link is now a wolf, and following Midna. Midna acts like she's on his side—kind of—but it's a bit hard to tell, and Link doesn't quite trust her, understandably. But he's a wolf and in an unfamiliar place and doesn't really have a lot to go on, or any idea what to do at this point.

Link gets to come face to face with the evil that's happening and invading, and he gets to battle it and discover what his part in this whole plot might be.

This was an okay volume. While I've always liked the idea of Zelda, I've never actually played any of it, nor read any of it. So this is rather new to me, and it still feels like it's getting started. I'm intrigued, though.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 5, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2017

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! With music as their common ground and only outlet, how will everyone's unrequited loves play out?

Nino is determined to become a guitarist good enough to play onstage, and the members of In No Hurry have gathered for a weekend training camp to support her! Meanwhile, Momo makes a decision regarding his feelings for Nino and seeks her out once more…

Review:

They're gearing up for the big performance; everyone is preparing. Nino doesn't know how to handle Momo, and at the same time is trying to get better and prepare, and working herself almost too hard at times.

I really wish I had an idea of what Nino sounds like. I know this has been said before, that I've said it, but when Yuzu tells her to sing and let it out, and it looks like she's screaming or yelling, it's hard to see music and lyrics behind that. And it just confuses me on what the audience is hearing.

In this volume, we also get a confusing message from Momo. I do like how Nino handles it, because I was worried she was going to blow off the band or have a melt down, but she stuck through it, even if she's a basket case during performances. I'm wondering where this is going next, now.

I like all of the characters, and I'm not sure what's happening or what I want to happen. Some of it's confusing and messy. But it is still fun to read.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Kamisama Kiss, Volume 25, by Julietta Suzuki

Limited Edition

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 25.

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 24.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Nanami inherits a shrine, it comes with divine powers and a hot fox spirit!

Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity!

This limited edition includes the dramatic conclusion of Kamisama Kiss in a volume with new cover art as well as an exclusive art book with 16 pages of color illustrations, a character chart, bonus epilogue chapter , pencils for the final chapter and an interview with the author.

 

Regular Edition cover

Review:

Nanami is almost at graduation, and it's drawing close to time for them to become fully human. She's finishing up some things, and we get to see some old friends again. Ami and Kurama have had a flirtation going for a while, but haven't done anything about it, and it's very obvious Kurama is trying to avoid it. It's nice to see this at least be hinted at a conclusion for them, because I do actually quite like them as a couple.

We also get a concluding wedding. Nanami tries not to push it on Tomoe, because she doesn't think he wants it, but it ends up being super cute. While I don't normally care for wedding endings, I think it fits for this series, and that it is done really well here. Given that Tomoe is giving up being a yokai for Nanami, I don't think marriage is too far out of reality for them.

While the romance is in a nice place, it's still a sad ending, because they have to say goodbye to everyone. I won't spoil the ending, but I really liked how it ended, it was sweet. I got the limited edition one, so the extra story and artbook were very pretty.

This was a really fun series, and I am really happy with the ending. I hope that more of her stuff gets picked up over here.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Rin-Ne, Volume 24, by Rumiko Takahashi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2017

Volumes: 40.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 22. 25.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Manga legend Rumiko Takahashi’s lighthearted tale of a girl who can see ghosts and a boy from the beyond.

Ever since a strange encounter when she was a child, Sakura Mamiya has had the power to see ghosts. Now in high school, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! When her mysterious classmate Rinne Rokudo shows up, Sakura finds herself following him into the amazing world between life and death!

Rinne and Sakura’s homeroom teacher starts receiving some very strange messages from her fortune-telling Peeking Ball. Then a ghost scythe attaches itself to Sakura, and she must exorcise seven souls to get rid of it!

Review:

The peeking ball once again causes a strew of misunderstandings and competitions. For a few chapters, they're all fighting to get some money, which causes them to do one thing after another. Quite a bit of hilarity insues.

After that, we get a goofy ghost haunting a tree, a haunted sports uniform, and a haunted elevator. At one point, Sakura gets a scythe and tries learning how to use it.

Lots of crazy antics in this series, not much plot progression, or romance progression. It's a bit all over the place and episodic, and I actually quite enjoy it. Even though I've only read a few volumes of this series, they're fun. It's an easy reprieve.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Golden Kamuy, Volume 2, by Satoru Noda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2017

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A tale of high adventure and survival on the Japanese frontier!
In the early 20th century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi Sugimoto searches the wilderness of the Japanese frontier of Hokkaido for a hoard of hidden gold. With only a cryptic map and a native Ainu girl to help him, Saichi must also deal with every murderous cutthroat, bandit and rogue who knows about the treasure!

Review:

I missed the first volume, so I really had no idea what I was getting into in this volume.

Sugimoto and Asirpa are in wilderness, hiding. Sugimoto is running from someone, and it appears that Asirpa is helping him, until they get attacked at least. It's a bit violent, but smart in character and in information regarding the area and the people.

We meet Asirpa's village, and we also get to see the people Sugimoto is hiding from, and there's some messy stuff regarding that. There's also a surprising use of cooking and information regarding the land and the animals, I thought. But maybe that's only because I wasn't really expecting it, nor is it much of my interest.

While this isn't usually something I would read, I found this volume quite interesting. It was dark at times, funny at others, and smart in all ways, and the artwork is very nice. I'm a bit intrigued, actually.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Teaser Tuesday[267]: Hellworld by Tom Leveen

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

--------------------------

Hellworld by Tom Leveen

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: March 2017

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Five years ago, Abby Booth’s mom, co-host of a ghost hunting reality show, went missing while filming in a ‘haunted’ cave in Arizona.

Since then, Abby’s life has all but fallen to pieces, most notably because of her dad’s deep depression and how they’ve drifted further and further apart.

But now, at seventeen, Abby has decided that things will change. She plans to go to the same cave where her mom and the crew went missing and to find out, once and for all, what happened there.

With the help of the co-host’s son Charlie and two of his friends, Abby sets off on a quest for answers…but what the group ends up finding, what they stumble across in that dark, primordial cave in Arizona, is nothing they could have ever imagined.

Abby was investigating a possible haunting… she never expected that there could be something worse.

Excerpt:

“'It really happened? It really did?'

'Yeah. It really did.'” (Hardback, pg. 69)

What are you reading?

Manga Review: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 20, by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki, and Yuki Morisaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shonen Jump Advanced (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 27+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 19. 21.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An action-packed, saucy food comedy featuring one boy’s determination to be top chef!

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

Soma challenges current Council of Ten first seat Eishi Tsukasa for his seat on the council! Up against Tsukasa’s delicately refined technique, Soma highlights his own creativity with a brand-new take on traditional French cuisine. Will he win that coveted seat or lose big and join Central? Even if he does win, Soma won’t be out of the woods—not when the surviving first-years have just received notice of their biggest challenge yet!

Review:

We get to see how Soma and Tsukasa's shokugeki goes, and it has an anticlimactic ending, though it makes sense.

After that, we get to see that school-wide club shokugeki's are still going on, and that Megumi is still holding her all. She's fallen in the background a little, but she's climbing up that ladder still. There's a point made here that all of the first years seem to be different, better, this year. I'm sure this will lead to trouble.

The main point in this volume, though, is when we get to see more of Erina's past, and she realizes that she doesn't really like food anymore, and has to figure out what her interest and inspiration is. She ends up talking with Soma for a bit here. After that, she has to decide how she's going to finally deal with what her father is doing—acknowledge that she doesn't agree with him, and what to do about that and his strict rules. It is very nice to finally see her make a stand, given how weak she's been so far with him.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next, and I'm quite looking forward to it.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Jackass! by Scarlet Beriko

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When the panty hose go on, all bets are off between these best guy friends!

Practical Keisuke’s incredibly handsome best friend Masayuki has always rubbed him just a little bit the wrong way. Maybe it’s because Masayuki is rich, carefree, and so stunningly handsome that he can, and does, have any girl he wants? But one day, when Keisuke accidentally wears his older sister’s panty hose to gym class, it’s suddenly his hot friend who’s doing the rubbing…on Keisuke’s panty hose-clad legs! Has he unwittingly unleashed a secret fetish that will change their relationship forever?

Review:

I wasn't sure what to expect with this volume, other than it sounded fun and looked nice.

Keisuke lives with his aunt, and his childhood friend is gay, and he's never considered himself that. Until suddenly he gets in a situation involving another best friend and some pantyhose...

As the volume started, I wasn't really sure who was who, and it felt a bit like I was missing something. Like there had been a previous series or something. But after things started getting a bit steamy, it got good, and then I didn't want to put it down.

This was definitely a high school story. I appreciated the sense of bromance, the actual male friendships not even including the romance; these were all just guys, even if some of them were in love with another one. It also had quite a bit of conflicted teenage angst; Keisuke didn't know what he wanted, and he was teasing Masayuki in a bit of a childish way at one point, but it felt real and relateable.

I really enjoyed the main romance, how it developed and how it led to more. It was fun and hot, and I liked the use of the fetish. There was also two sub-plot romances, and I really enjoyed them, as well. The childhood friend and his bully had their own plotlines, and I actually liked both a lot. I was a little unsure how it was going to end, but I liked it. I normally wouldn't like the “bully” character, but I think it was handled well here, and obvious to everyone his real feelings.

At the end, it felt like there needed to be more, like some of the minor characters needed more exploring. I might have also just wanted more.

I was surprisingly impressed with this volume, and now I want more.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Don't Be Cruel, Volume 5, by Yonezou Nekota

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2017

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1&2. 3&4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A fan-favorite series by adored author Yonezou Nekota continues in single volumes.

Playboy Maya catches studious Nemugasa cheating on a test and to ensure his silence blackmails him into doing whatever Maya wants!

After nearly breaking up, Maya and Nemugasa finally go on their hot springs vacation, where their passions reignite! In fact, Maya becomes so besotted with Nemugasa that he gives him a couple’s ring to “ward off any poachers.” But after their return, Maya is approached by the mysterious Ruka, leaving Nemugasa as the jealous one. Is the shoe finally on the other foot?

Review:

In this volume, Maya meets an older guy on campus, who he at first brushes off and has no interest in, but soon enough is pushing Maya and urging him to find out what he actually likes and is good at. While it causes some drama between Maya and Nemugasa, it works out good for Maya in other matters. It also causes some fun in the later half of the volume.

This volume also fills in the holes from Akira's separate book, and we get to see the drama between Maya and Nemu regarding the kiss. This ended up being a push for them that they needed, and it was actually super sweet and fun to read.

I love this series, seriously so much. It was nice seeing some relationships resolve some things, and it was good seeing Maya and Nemu get to push their potential careers forward.

There's drama and steamy and fluffy goodness in these volumes, and I cannot get enough.

Manga Review: Waiting For Spring, Volume 2, by Anashin

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: September 2017

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A sweet shojo story of a soft-spoken high school freshman and her quest to make friends, Waiting for Spring will delight fans of earnest, fun, and dramatic shojo like Kimi ni Todoke and Say I Love You.
Mizuki is a shy girl who's about to enter high school, and vows to open herself up to new friendships. Of course, the four stars of the boys' basketball team weren't exactly the friends she had in mind! Yet, when they drop by the cafe where she works, the five quickly hit it off. Soon she's been accidentally thrust into the spotlight, targeted by jealous girls. And will she expand her mission to include... love?

Review:

So we find out that Mitsuki's old childhood friend is actually a boy. This is a surprise to everyone, commences in some teasing, and results in Mitsuki freaking out a bit. Everything she remembers is suddenly in a different light.

Mitsuki is also growing quite close to Towa. They've formed a close friendship, which is clearly leaning toward more, but they haven't quite figured that out yet. At least, Mitsuki hasn't.

I'm surprised by how fun this series is—the humor gets me pretty good, and I really enjoy the guys just goofing around. I also like Mitsuki. She's relateable and not at all annoying. I really enjoy the forming romance, how sweet and budding it is so far.

This is fun, and I'm hooked. Can't wait for the next one.

Teaser Tuesday[266]: Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-----------------------------------

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: December 26, 2017

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings Abby isn’t going to take any chances.

Which is where the list comes in.

Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being. But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems… and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.

This is the first in a set of three standalone books with crossover characters.

Excerpt:

“'That's probably not true, but it's good you know your weaknesses.'” (Hardback, pg. 112)

What are you reading right now?