Manga Review: Pearl Pink, Volume 4, by Meca Tanaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Tokyopop

Release Date: 2008

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Our little heroine's passed the gauntlet of auditions and been given the chance to star in a new television drama. The real drama takes off from there! Explosions, fighting...and a kissing scene? With Tamako growing closer to Kanji every day, she may be forced to choose between her career and her relationship. As the curtain on Pearl Pink comes to a close, is a happy ending in store for Tamako and Kanji?

Review:

This series was kind of just average for me. The art is definitely her earlier work, but it’s not bad.

The romance is definitely slow going, not taken seriously for most of the series. The ending for the couple, though, was cute, and fitting for them. I do like that the acting part of the series was taken more seriously than some, and that they had to work for it and try their best. The family element, particularly between Tamako and her mother, was sweet and given a nice amount of attention. I liked how seriously that was taken, between them and publicly.

This was a cute series, and I liked reading it. But it was slow at times and a little boring. I did like the ending a lot, though, and I'm glad I picked it up.

Manga Review: Black Butler, Volume 25, by Yana Toboso

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 26+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 24. 26.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sphere Music Hall, with its elaborate entertainments, has the denizens of London under its spell and at the mercy of its resident cult's nefarious motives. To snap the populace out of the trance, Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his unparalleled butler Sebastian get down to business...literally! The young earl takes the fight right to the enemy's door by opening a music hall of his own. But as a new kind of battle gets under way on the stage, Othello, a fresh face from the Grim Reaper Dispatch, begins snooping around behind the curtains for reasons unknown...

Review:

We get to see the real reason behind Ciel making the boy band, which always felt like a diversion—both for the plot line, and to prolong the plot line. It makes sense, though, and I do enjoy seeing what Ciel has really made and succeeded in doing. His sneak attack leads to some quick decisions from the psychic leader of the other team, and Ciel and Sebastian are getting further in their search.

There are some underlying themes, some tension, between Ciel and Soma. While Ciel holds everyone at a distance, and acts like he doesn't like Soma, it's never rang true to me. Here, that's tested a little bit, and whether Soma needs to stay there any longer.

And then that cliffhanger. Oh man, it's cruel! Not to mention that we still have no idea where Elizabeth is, what she's doing and why. We get some discussion of her, but still don't get to see her.

I'm starting to lose patient with this plot line enough that I'm considering reading the single chapters. I really dislike buying single chapters, and reading manga on my phone, but I might just be annoyed and anxious enough to start—especially given how long it'll be till the next one.

Manga Review: Kigurumi Guardians, Volume 2, by Lily Hoshino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 3 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

KISS AND TELL

Hakka has rescued her classmate from the evil invaders, but the Guardians' battle is only just beginning! Strange things are happening around the popular idol, Ranan, and she might be taking people's hearts. But Hakka has other concerns—her brother walks in on her and Ginger in the middle of their kiss!

Review:

We get a couple different plots in this volume. We get some more saving hearts ones, this time featuring a pop idol and possibly another one at school. Hakka's brother discovers her and human Ginger, and she has to pretend to be dating him. It's a dumb plot line where her brother follows them on a date, though thankfully she doesn't seem to think much of it during the actual date.

I didn't really notice in the first volume, but the reminders of how Hakka is only in middle school is a bit bothersome. Normally I don't really mind age differences, but it's a bit much here. For one, Ginger is quite older, in his twenties. But also, they don't seem like they're in middle school. It actually feels more like high school, and I think that would have made more sense.

Aside from that, I'm actually enjoying the development of the romance. Also, since I liked the sexual-fluidity about one couple, it bothers me that that might be turning into a triangle for Hakka.

In this volume, we also got a bit from Nobara's point of view, seeing her home life and who her “friends” are, and what she and Basilico do together. It's sweet, and I definitely like her more now. Though, it didn't feel like we got quite enough, since it always goes back to Hakka so quickly.

Overall, I'm rather enjoying this series so far. I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

Manga Review: SP Baby, Volume 2, by Maki Enjoji

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2018

Volumes: 2.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A new type of “love action” from the creator of Happy Marriage?!

Tamaki Hasegawa misses an interview for a much-needed job in order to stop an assault on a man running for his life! The man—Kagetora Sugo, the prime minister’s nephew—then asks Tamaki to become his bodyguard.

Tamaki, the rookie in the Security Police, is working as a bodyguard for Kagetora Sugou—the prime minister’s nephew. But Kagetora is acting more like a boyfriend than a boss. Will Tamaki let down her guard and accept his advances?

Review:

I didn't realize that this was the last volume until about halfway through, and then it made sense. Also a little disappointing, because I really want more of Maki Enjoji's series to get released over here.

Tamaki gets to deal with her crush on her childhood friend quickly, and then she grows closer to Kagetora. He's comforting her, and then continuing to flirt with her. We finally get to see what happened between them in the past, though Tamaki still doesn't remember it.

We find out what is really still bothering Tamaki from her past, what her issues are. We find out what's up with Kagetora's fiance.

Pretty much, all of the strings are tied into a pretty bow. I will say that everything moves very quickly. It doesn't quite feel rushed, but it does feel fast that Tamaki and Kagetora get together and end happily. It's odd to me that it doesn't feel rushed, and it doesn't feel unbelievable, but it was very quick. Everything felt like one short chapter after another, another step was taken.

This was a cute little series. I didn't love it, but it was fun. I do really like Enjoji's style, aside from the virgin female lead. I hope we get more like it.

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

Manga Review: I Hear the Sunspot by Yuki Fumino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: One Peace Books

Release Date: August 2017

Volumes: 3+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Because of a hearing disability, Kohei is often misunderstood and has trouble integrating into life on campus, so he learns to keep his distance. That is until he meets the outspoken and cheerful Taichi. He tells Kohei that his hearing loss is not his fault. Taichi's words cut through Kohei's usual defense mechanisms and open his heart. More than friends, less than lovers, their relationship changes Kohei forever.

Review:

Kohei has a hearing disability, and so a lot of people think he's rude and antisocial. Taichi accidentally bumps into him, and thus forms a friendship. Taichi starts taking notes for Kohei in class, and Kohei gives him food.

I liked Taichi from the beginning. He's a poor college student, and he loves food. It's rather relatable, actually. Kohei wasn't born deaf, and he can still hear somewhat, and he doesn't even know sign language. It was a really interesting take on being deaf, and I appreciated it.

The yaoi element is rather slow, and takes quite a lot of the volume to even become apparent to the characters. It's definitely felt from early on, though, and I loved seeing their struggles with their feelings, especially Kohei's. It's hard and painful. The ending is somewhat open, but still in a nice place. I'm so glad that there's a sequel, because I need there to be more to their story.

I'm really glad that I picked this up, and I cannot wait to read the next one.

Manga Review: Say I Love You, Volume 18, by Kanae Hazuki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 17.

Goodreads Synopsis:

"I LOVE YOU." After travelling down different paths in their post-secondary educations, Mei and her friends finally enter the world of working adults—with new challenges around every corner! As the people around Mei face life-changing events like marriage and parenting, she reflects on her journey from a shy, asocial high schooler to who she is now. Surrounded by so many fulfilling relationships, Mei comes to a profound realization about what’s important in life and love.

Review:

I think this series lost me a few volumes ago. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, and this was a good ending. But something has just felt off in the last few volumes.

We get to see a few side characters get their happy ending, and those were very nice. While I would have liked something more definite between Megumi and Kai, I do think it's fitting where they end up, and I am happy believing that more will progress. Given that we saw Asami and Nakanishi struggling in the last couple volumes, I had a hard time believing their ending. It just seemed like a bad decision to me.

I've been rooting for Mei and Yamato this entire series, of course, so it's probably weird that their ending feels so off to me. It just seems like they never lost the awkwardness between them. Even when they're living together, it feels like they're moving around each other weirdly, going out of their way to impress each other and not just living day to day with each other. Their decision to finally marry at the end was sweet, yeah, but it also seemed like weird timing, I guess. If they've gone this far, why didn't they do it before? What is it going to change now?

On one hand, the ending is very sweet. On the other, it just felt off, a bit awkward. I liked it, but I'm also a little disappointed. I guess I was hoping for more, and I was hoping I would be more satisfied with it.

Teaser Tuesday[268]: Restore Me (Shatter Me, #4) by Tahereh Mafi

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!

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

Restore Me (Shatter Me, #4) by Tahereh Mafi

Genre: YA Supernatural Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: March 6, 2018

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?

Excerpt:

“Castle's revelation left me in a daze.” (Hardback, pg. 117)

What are you reading right now?

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 10, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Himari makes her way into the depths of Momochi House in search of a way to free Aoi. She is attacked but is saved by the Guardian of the Gate. Hoping to get his hands on the Momochi name, the guardian tries to get Himari to marry him. Naturally, Aoi has no intention of letting him have his way!

Review:

Now that Aoi has confessed his feelings to Himari, we get to see them dealing with their new relationship. It's new to both of them, and mostly Himari doesn't know how to act around him. And now that they're “settled”, of course they have to throw in a new boy to cause some drama. We meet Hakka, who's determined to win Himari, and competes with Aoi. It's nice to see the Nue take over during this, and then conclusion is also better than I expected.

I can't help but think of Nue and Aoi as one person, even if they have slightly different personalities. Himari doesn't consider them one, and I'm waiting for the problem in that to become apparent.

We get a glimpse of some trouble brewing at the end of this, though no real idea what it means.

In the second half of the volume, we get to see Ise's past. I still don't really have a feel for either of Aoi's shikigami, but it was still nice to see how Ise ended up there. It was a fitting story for him, and I do like seeing how close they are.

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

Manga Review: Haikyu!!, Volume 18, by Haruichi Furudate

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 30+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 17. 19

Goodreads Synopsis:

Shoyo Hinata is out to prove that in volleyball you don't need to be tall to fly!

Ever since he saw the legendary player known as “the Little Giant” compete at the national volleyball finals, Shoyo Hinata has been aiming to be the best volleyball player ever! Who says you need to be tall to play volleyball when you can jump higher than anyone else?

Review:

The first set ends, and it's a bit of a hit to Karasuno. They start in the second one, and they're still perfecting themselves and fighting hard. For a while, they're essentially letting Nishinoya get used to Ushijima's spike, which is lethal. He's also left-handed, which apparently makes a huge difference. And finally Noya's on the right track.

In the second set, they're fighting hard, giving it their all and really working hard to keep their points even. It's a back and forth, and we see each player putting their all into it, into every move and how they watch the ball. It seems that Tsukki, in particular, is getting tired of being underestimated, and is fighting back.

It's hard to tell if this game is going to continue beyond another volume or not, but it's intense. I'm in for it.

Manga Review: Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Volume 5, by Natsuki Takaya

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 2017

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In her exile to the east of the east of the east, Liselotte's rambunctious house attempts to coexist with the witch's forest. Hoping to break down the seal Vergue has cast, Anna ventures out on her own to pay the witch a visit. Despite a being hurt by humans in the past, can Anna convince Vergue to give people another chance, and to live among them again? Meanwhile, Lise is shocked by a familiar looking visitor surveying the nearby village...

Review:

There's a tentative relationship between Engetsu and Liselotte. Lise is trying hard with her unrelenting optimism, but Engetsu doesn't know her anymore. It's fun to see them getting to know each other, though. Lise tries so hard, with so much enthusiasm. Engetsu doesn't understand it, but he's starting to tease her, which is fun.

Engetsu tries to treat Lise here, show her something she's always wanted to be a part of. It doesn't go quite as either of them planned, though.

We also get to see some progress made with Vergue. He's headstrong and stubborn, and showed up first to ruin and get his revenge. Lise is starting to grow on him, though, and her mixed with Anna's smart wiles is forcing him to man up a bit. I am very intrigued by this change in Anna—I like it.

Near the end we get some more hints for Lise's brother—and we meet a new character. We've heard a lot about this one, but it should be interesting to see if she throws in some trouble.

And of course now this series is on Hiatus. I'm quite fond of it so far, and I hope she continues it soon.

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 2, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The adventures of mind “Sweepers” continue in this supernatural romance!

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as the Queen?

In a bid to move forward, Kyutaro and Fumi share a sweet secret! Later, when they go to The Inside with Sendai to cleanse Ms. Hayashi’s Mind Vault, will they succeed in saving her? And what is Bug Handler Ataru plotting in order to turn Fumi into the Black Queen?

Review:

The villains that Motomi makes are never quite villains. They can be awful, but they have their reasons, and slowly we get to see the humanity in each of them. As we see, so early on in the series, when Fumi unknowingly runs into Ataru. There's some conflicts as things are becoming revealed.

Fumi makes a step forward in her journey to understanding herself and the Queens inside of her. So far we've only met the evil queen, who is strong but ruthless. This time Fumi gets to see them, and we get to meet the “good” queen, only she doesn't seem to know what is too far. Things are clearly not quite so black and white here, as they're learning. Thankfully, we're also seeing what a strong pull Kyutaro has on Fumi, as he gets to pull her back to earth each time.

I'm probably being more hopeful here, as I'm seeing Kyutaro's agreement with the adults crumbling. It just doesn't seem to make sense—ever, but particularly in this scenario. It won't help anything if he's keeping things from Fumi. And as Fumi starts remembering and figuring things out, that's become apparent to him, as well, I think. I hope, at least, because I hate those plot devices.

I can't wait to read more.

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

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 8, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2017

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Midoriya inherits the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but greatness won’t come easy.

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

The U.A. students have reached the practical portion of their final exam, but they didn’t expect to have to beat their own teachers in order to pass! Paired with his archrival Bakugo, Midoriya has to try to take on none other than All Might himself. Working with Bakugo is one thing, but is giving everything he’s got to beat All Might more than Midoriya can handle? And in a nearby arena, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki endure a similar struggle. All the while, a sinister new adversary prepares to make a move…

Review:

Midoriya and Bakugo continue their fight against All Might, where they have to overcome their differences and work together to win/or pass the test. We get to see who else is struggling and why they were paired together.

After some recovery time, it's time for them to move onto the next test, and this time the class is going on a trip for it. But during the recovery time, Midoriya runs into the villains again, and we get an update on who they are and what they might be up to. There's definitely the threat of them, but they're mostly working in the background at the moment.

This is a fun series. I rather like the crazy mix of characters, but it's also a good stand-all for superhero manga. A good middle ground, fun and exciting. I'm enjoying catching up with it.

Manga Review: Bloody Mary, Volume 10, by Akaza Samamiya

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 6, 2018

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A blood-pounding tale of an unorthodox alliance between a vampire and an exorcist!

“Bloody” Mary, a vampire with a death wish, has spent the past 400 years chasing down a modern-day exorcist named Maria who is thought to have inherited “The Blood of Maria” and is the only one who can kill Mary. To Mary’s dismay, Maria doesn’t know how to kill vampires. Desperate to die, Mary agrees to become Maria’s bodyguard until Maria can find a way to kill him.

No one knew that the death and resurrection of “Mary” was actually an attempt to revive the weak and ailing Mary. When Mary learns this truth, he hears the voice of “Mary.” And now Maria must finally fulfill Mary’s death wish… But still a greater tragedy awaits…

Review:

And it draws to a close.

Mary and “Mary” finally come to a head, and we really get to see them see each other and understand what the other has been doing and why. They both get to understand why they have such differing wishes, and Mary gets to deal with his wish to die. “Mary” gets to see Hydra after so long, after we see Hydra confront Mary.

Then it's gets messy, as Mary attacks Maria. This part seems tragic, and then just odd of a choice to me. I'm not sure if I think it was necessary, how it happened, but I do think that what Maria does is important, particularly for his character but also the others.

The conclusion for a few of the characters seems odd to me, drastic, but then again it probably fits really well. I do like the ending for Mary and Maria.

I think my biggest hang up with this ending is the conclusion to who really is Mary. The reveal of what his name actually was, and his decision to stay Mary. It just feels overused, I guess? Something about it is off for me, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it just feels too anticlimactic, I'm not sure.

I did really enjoy this series, it definitely had me hooked, and I would definitely read another by her.

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