Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 7, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 6. 8.

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! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven't played out the way anyone expected...

Nino takes the stage at the school festival, ready to deliver the message held fast in her heart. Both Yuzu and Momo have composed songs for her, but which piece of music will be the one to awaken her? Meanwhile, Kuro's secret feelings seem to have reached a turning point as well... And is In No Hurry finally ready to take things to the next level professionally?

Review:

I somehow completely skipped this volume and read the next one, and I have no idea how that happened. I will say that reading volume 8 wasn't confusing, as a new plot line started at the beginning of it. But it sure makes a lot more sense after this one.

Not a lot of action happens in this volume, but so much character progression and realization and thought process does.

Yuzu is silently competing with Momo here, as he has Nino sing a song by each of them, because he wants to see which one of them will make this work for her. She's missing something, and she's trying to find it, and he needs to know which of them will give it to her.

I'm honestly not sure which one wins. They both seem to give her something different.

On that note—I have no idea what she's actually missing. Her voice is somehow off, I guess? She can't get into the songs, or the performance, or the singing? It's really hard to tell what exactly it is that's off for her, which is probably why it's a little hard to tell what it is that she discovers mid-song. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it?

After all of that, it makes sense why Yuzu decides to write songs for other people, after previously agreeing not to. He needs to expand his view.

I love the subtlety, the moments of realization, in this series. They're done so well, so on point and perfectly timed. I appreciate that, and it gives the series a particular intensity.

We got some progress and insight into some of the side characters, like Ayumi and his messy crush, but still most of the focus is on the main triangle. They're just such a mess, and Nino doesn't even realize it.

Manga Review: Don't Rush Love by Mio Tennohji

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: 801 Media

Release Date: 2009

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The boys from Meeting You are back in this new boys' school love story. Overwhelmed by passion for his unquenched love, Kusama finally confesses to his roommate Morino. But Kusama isn't content with a simple confession and his demands on Morino increase at a fast rate!

Review:

The artwork in this was rather nice to look at, with nice, proportionate faces and bodies. The smut was nicely done, hot, and even a little uncensored.

There was a long-going story between the main couple, as they admit to their feelings and get together. Then an entwining story about the love interest brothers’ own love story. The story was well done for the most part, sweet, the humor nice.

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable story, and I liked it.

Manga Review: Platinum End, Volume 5, by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2018

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: Light.

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Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the creators of Death Note! Mirai may have been saved by an angel, but his battle is just beginning…

As his classmates celebrate their middle school graduation, troubled Mirai is mired in darkness. But his battle is just beginning when he receives some salvation from above in the form of an angel. Now Mirai is pitted against 12 other chosen humans with the winner becoming the next god of the world. Mirai may have an angel in his corner, but he may need to become a devil to survive.

Determined to become a useful member of the team, Saki explores ways she can gain her own set of angel wings. Meanwhile, a new god candidate makes his grand entrance. Is this one friend or foe?

Review:

We meet a new enemy in this volume, another God contender. He's... not quite what I expected.

I think it's an interesting touch to have a villain who stutters over his words and actually worships the main enemy. All of the plastic surgery he's had, and his obsessions, are rather disturbing.

I can't help but feel unimpressed with the main characters. They're not all that intimidating, and honestly, they don't seem all that smart when they go to fight, either. The two guys are leading it and planning, but then they just rush into the threatening situations without an actual plan, and seem to go off of their reactions. It just doesn't feel very smart to me.

From the end of the last volume, and the first half of this one, I appreciate that Saki seems to be growing confidence and determination to win, or at least help fight now. After all that, it bothers me that they put so much emphasis on her having wings. I understand she'd be on an even playing field then, but she can still run around. She could drive to the meet up place and help fight. I think she's probably going to miraculously get the wings to help save them in the next volume, though. Or at least pretty soon.

I suppose Metropoliman seems the smartest, most capable character at this point, but he's also awful.

I'm not all that impressed, honestly, but it can be an interesting read.

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

Manga Review: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Volume 5, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: February 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Umetarou Nozaki party heads for the sun and surf! When the group tags along for the drama club's training camp, summer fun runs amok, and seasonal gags abound, whether at the beach, at an inn, or even in the bath!! And if that's not enough drama, the story of the spring day Chiyo fell in love with a certain rather dense young man is finally told!

Review:

In this volume, we acknowledge that Sakura has done very little in terms of progress with Nozaki. She attempts a few different tactics, but it's debatable whether that does anything. Meanwhile, Nozaki continues trying to use his real life as research for his manga—for instance, at the beach. We see some ridiculous scenarios he sketches out that coincidentally play out in real life again.

I have moments where I don't remember which character is which, and which characters know who. But now that I know who the editors are, I quite love their interactions. We get to see Ken-san try to instruct Nozaki for a cover illustration here, and Maeno's unhelpful input.

Another good moment was the last chapter, where we get to see Sakura before she really knew Nozaki, but just crushed on him. How her friend attempts to help her confess—and we know how that turned out.

This series is so much fun. I'm glad I 'm catching up with it now, because I really want more.

Manga Review: Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Volume 1, by Yu Tomofuji

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: Light.

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Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A young girl has resigned herself to being he next sacrificial meal for the Beast King...but the king is no mere monster! Love is more than skin-deep in this gorgeous fantasy manga.

Review:

Humans and Beasts are separate in this world, living on the edge of an agreement. Sariphi is the King of Beasts' next sacrifice, given to him per the agreement with the humans. Sariphi goes into this having grown up with the knowledge she was made to be a sacrifice, so expecting nothing less. She's accepted her fate, so when the King and his servants are nice to her, she cherishes it. And when she discovers what the King has actually been doing instead of eating them, she forms a bond with him.

I really appreciated that there was no hiding what they were doing—once they form this bond, this closeness, and the King realizes that Sariphi sees something in him that no one else has, he wastes no time with making her his Queen and getting rid of the sacrifice ritual.

There's a lot of opposition to their decision, to this Beast King taking on a human Queen, when other princesses have been waiting to be chosen. Humans are upset, but the beasts in particular are angry about it. Both sides don't understand and hate each other, as Sariphi experiences and is opening the King to see.

I'm a sucker for stories with a beast-like male and his sweetheart of a princess. This story is right up my alley, and I love all of the sweet scenes of affection between the two. The little conflict at the end of this volume was both sweet and sad, and I'm excited to see how it wraps up.

Manga Review: Takane & Hana, Volume 4, by Yuki Shiwasu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 7, 2018

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: Light.

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Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A strong-willed high school girl and a hot, young scion of a business empire can’t help wanting to outwit each other every chance they get… But could these opposites be conning themselves out of the perfect match?!

After her older sister refuses to go to an arranged marriage meeting with Takane Saibara, the heir to a vast business fortune, high schooler Hana Nonomura agrees to be her stand-in to save face for the family. But when Takane and Hana pair up, get ready for some sparks to fly between these two utter opposites!

It’s summer, but Takane is so busy with work that he doesn’t have much time to spend with Hana! Enter Takane’s new assistant Eiji Kirigasaki, an efficient helper who gains Takane’s trust and allows Takane to have more free time. Despite all the support he’s giving, however, Kirigasaki might have an ulterior motive that could lead to Takane’s downfall!

Review:

Summer vacation draws to an end, and Takane and Hana continue their usual competition of one-upping each other but not showing their reactions. Takane always goes overboard, but Hana is starting to really realize him and realize that she might actually want him.

Takane's brother sends in a spy to work under Takane, and when he discovers Hana and tries to end their relationship, it causes some mixed feelings and she has to decide what she really wants. Despite Kirigasaki starting out as a spy, I actually really like him as a character. He's hard for Takane to decipher at first, rather straight-faced, but he's a good guy.

This series is quite fun. The comedy is well-placed and I love the banter between the main two.

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

Manga Review: Haikyu!!, Volume 23, by Haruichi Furudate

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 33+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 22. 24.

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:

This volume concludes the prelims for the Tokyo teams. Nekoma finishes their game against Nohebi for the final spot in the tournament. It's a hard fight, but not terribly surprising which one wins.

Even though Nohebi are playing dirty, almost cheating to win favor, I appreciate that they're not looked down on. It would be easy to make them a villain, a one-dimensional enemy, but they're not. Each person of the team is fleshed out, and their reasons for playing like they do are even explained, and defended. Every team has their own way of playing the game, and they're all of equal value, even if some teams are better.

In the last chapter, we finally get back to the Karasuno. They're getting pumped up to go to the tournament, even if they've got a while before it starts. They get to take new stats, see who jumps how high right now. I liked the glimpse of the outside supporters—the businesses outside of the school who are supporting and taking donations to pay for the trip.

It looks like Kageyama will get to go to some special training camp next time.

I love this series so completely. I can't wait to read more.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 2, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: June 2017

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Makoto goes to a local cherry blossom festival and happens to encounter someone who has a bone to pick with her sister, Akane. When Akane happens to drop by, she teaches Makoto some new tricks for flying and some easy spellcraft. Their kid cousin Chinatsu is so charmed by the witches’ talents that she makes an unexpected request...

Review:

In this volume, we meet Inukai, who knows Makoto's sister and is a fortune teller. Only, she's hiding her face, because Makoto's sister supposedly put an awful spell on her. This turns out to have kind of been a misunderstanding, though Makoto still tries to help.

Makoto experiences a couple of new things in this volume, but the biggest is when Chinatsu decides to be a witch and asks Akane to mentor her.

There's very light magic-use in this series, it's much more focused on slice-of-life stuff, with Makoto not having experienced much, like food or light spells. It's very fun and light-hearted, and the humor works really well with it.

Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 12, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2018

Volumes: 19+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 11. 13.

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?

Class 1-A is working on developing their ultimate moves—a process that will test their strength and creativity in all-new ways! To help them out, Mei Hatsume, a student from the Support Class, is brought in to develop improvements to their costumes. The attention from Mei might be more than Midoriya can handle, but he’ll need every edge he can get to pass the next hurdle for the students of U.A.—the Provisional Licensing Exam!

Review:

After the mess of the previous volume, and now that they're all settled into the dorms, it's time to get back to training. They're being told to find their star move, to perfect their powers and find their strong points, and to update their suits accordingly.

Most of their actual training is skimmed through, though we get to meet the people who make their suits and have the bright ideas for them. Mainly, Midoriya has to find out how to actually control his powers and use them to his advantage, as they've mostly been out of control and damaging to him till this point.

I like the point made here, that Midoriya needs to make these powers his own, especially now that his hands are so hurt, but also to realize that he's not All Might, and he doesn't need to copy him. He needs to be his own superhero.

After all of that, they start the test for their hero license, even though they're first years. They start out with a disadvantage, and the test is hugely skewed with a very tiny margin allowed to pass. And it's two parts, so who knows what will come up in the second half.

This gives a break from the villains, but they all need a lot of work and fine-tuning to become real heroes still.

Manga Review: Pixie Pop: Gokkun Pucho, Volume 3, by Ema Toyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5-3

Publisher: Tokyopop

Release Date: 2007

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

For Mayu, things are getting a Little fruity! Pineapple Juice turns her into an arrow-toting Cupid, and melon makes her the most sought after Girl in School! But she's still not happy! When a serious new love rival enters the picture, Mayu will have to choose between the perfect man and her long-time crush... who's leaving for America!

The juicy conclusion to Pixie Pop will be sure to leave you thirsty for more!

Review:

This is clearly an early series by Toyama, because her newer stuff is done so much better.

Firstly, the drama is okay. I don’t mind all the competing and rivals showing up. I didn’t particularly care for any of them, but that was okay.

My biggest problem was the romance. It’s given so much attention, and yet feels so underdeveloped. I didn’t feel the chemistry or attraction between any of the characters. I didn’t see why she was in love with him this entire time. And in the end, I really didn’t believe that he was returning her feelings. There wasn’t enough time given to develop their mutual romantic feelings, and so having the series end with a wedding just annoys me. It’s such a cliché for no reason.

That part does really annoy me, but I didn’t hate this series. It was okay—the friendships weren’t bad, the idea was okay, the art wasn’t bad. I’m just not impressed with it.

Manga Review: The Young Master's Revenge, Volume 2, by Meca Tanaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Love’s revenge can be sweet.

When Leo was a young boy, he had his pride torn to shreds by Tenma, a girl from a wealthy background who was always getting him into trouble. Now, years after his father’s successful clothing business has made him the heir to a fortune, he searches out Tenma to enact a dastardly plan—he’ll get his revenge by making her fall in love with him!

Leo has been trying to get the down-to-earth Tenma to fall in love with him, but she remains immune to his advances. When they transfer from the ritzy Genbu Academy to Suzaku Public High School, Prince Barazono issues a challenge that forces Leo to confront his true feelings!

Review:

Tenma discovers that there are public schools, and that she doesn't have to work so hard to afford the private school she's been going to, and immediately transfers. She doesn't quite understand the difference at first, or the rivalry between the private and public schools, since they have to share some field land.

Tenma is rather oblivious to her surroundings, naive, and she doesn't value herself very much. This is something that Leo is trying to fix, to make her aware of, even if he supposedly wants to do the opposite. Of course, Leo ends up saving her a lot, but Tenma has this tenacity about her, this unabashed determination, that equals them out, I think. Though now Leo has a rival who is trying to make him understand/accept his own feelings.

This series is cheesy and cutesy, and it's fun to read.

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

Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 3, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and this Sleeping Beauty's curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber...

THE SUFFERING

As Shizu begins to venture outside more and more, her days are filled with new experiences. When she shows an interest in going to school, Tetsu and the spirits dwelling within Shizu think up a foolproof plan to get her there. But when the two teens arrive on campus, they bump into Tetsu's old soccer team. Suddenly, his carefully curated life begins to unravel and Shizu may be the only one who can save him.

Review:

This volume is very about Tetsu. His past is finally catching up to him, now that he's nearing graduation, and Shizu is starting to notice. Shizu is struggling with all of her inner voices while trying to find her own, especially regarding her feelings for Tetsu and how she can help him. Tetsu has pushed away all of his friends and hobbies, and it's affected his friends and family in ways he wasn't seeing. It turns out, he needed the good-hearted childishness of Kanato to push him along.

It's a little messy, with the revelation in the middle. All of these feelings are also culminating inside Shizu. But the end result is super sweet, and it's nice to see all of his old team mates showing Tetsu how much they care.

The ending was another rather big revelation. I'm intrigued to see where it goes next, in their relationship.

Having so many people in Tetsu's life meet Shizu is also interesting, and I'm wondering what will happen with that. Her predicament is a little hard to explain, especially when Tetsu calls Shizu by each personality that takes over—that is sure to get confusing to someone else at some point.

Manga Review: Black Clover, Volume 11, by Yuki Tabata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a world of magic, Asta, a boy with anti-magic powers, will do whatever it takes to become the Wizard King!

Asta is a young boy who dreams of becoming the greatest mage in the kingdom. Only one problem—he can't use any magic! Luckily for Asta, he receives the incredibly rare five-leaf clover grimoire that gives him the power of anti-magic. Can someone who can't use magic really become the Wizard King? One thing's for sure—Asta will never give up!

As the battle for the Forest of Witches continues, Asta goes up against a member of the Diamond Kingdom. But when a powerful mage switches sides, it may throw the whole fight into chaos.

Review:

We continue the witch's fight as this volume starts, which expands to being a fight against Ladros, where they're all trying to beat him. We get a background story from Mars here, who knows Fana and thought she had died. I will admit their story was sweet, and I quite like their relationship. Their bond was really heartwarming, and I liked their reunion.

After that, we finally see what the Witch Queen has been planning. It definitely made sense that she was up to something else, and that she wouldn't be at all appreciative that they'd just saved their village. We get to see Vanessa's history, how sad it was, and afterward, getting to see her powers come to fruition and how she gets to finally stand up for herself, is really nice. I will admit I really like her new powers, too.

This series is not one of my favorites, but I don't mind it. Since we kind of took a break from Asta and got some backstories for some other characters, I didn't mind this volume. It was actually interesting.

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

Manga Review: RWBY by Shirow Miwa

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In adventures based on Rooster Teeth’s hit animation series, Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang are students at Beacon Academy, learning to protect the world from the fearsome Grimm.

When the people of Remnant aren't fighting monsters, they still find conflict among themselves. Now they are at fierce odds. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long are Team RWBY. Together they are learning the deadly craft of hunting the monstrous species known as the Grimm.

Never before revealed adventures of Team RWBY featuring Ruby, Weiss, Blake & Yang before academy and before they were teammates. Plus, a Team JNPR battle featuring a much-younger Jaune!

Review:

I haven't seen or read anything related to RWBY before, so I went into this book with no idea what to expect.

The book starts with a little bang, and then it goes into an introduction for each character. They all get a chapter to themselves, where we find out what brought them to this point, to this school and working together. In the latter half of the volume, it brings them all back together, where we get some glimpses of their friendships and how they're growing closer, and a competition with another group at their school, and finally where they all work together to defeat a creature attacking.

Knowing so little about this series, this was an interesting volume. But it also felt rather one-dimensional. The enemy at the end, the other groups they meet with, none of that left an impression on me. Even the chapters where we met the four characters on their own felt too rushed and not expanded enough. I didn't really feel like I knew the characters very well by the end, only had a base understanding of their characters.

It was honestly a little disappointing, though I'm curious about seeing the original or reading another interpretation, as it definitely felt like there could be more.

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