Manga Review: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Volume 6, by Kagiji Kumanomata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: Light.

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Volume: 1. 4. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A captured princess just wants a good night’s sleep! Shhh…

Kidnapped by the Demon King and imprisoned in his castle, Princess Syalis is…bored.

Accompanied by an entourage of demon guards, Princess Syalis takes a field trip to the human world to acquire a special pillow. Then she receives several invitations from her demon captors: first, to replace the cooks who have succumbed to heat exhaustion in the Demon Castle kitchen (somebody needs to make Quilladillo’s Monster Bird Egg Custard); second, to attend a pajama party (despite being woefully ignorant of the concept); and third, to design a new area for the hero to explore (which turns out to be the exact opposite of what the demons commissioned).

Review:

In this volume, Syalis goes on a mission for an as seen on tv pillow, forcing the demons to escort her to the human world in order to get it. Then she gets invited to a sleepover, but she doesn't know what a girl sleepover entails. And then the demons discover that Syalis is having trouble sleeping—that's why she needs so much sleep all the time—and discover who is doing this to her.

The venture into the human world was interesting. It's funny when the demons try to reinforce the fact that she's their hostage, because not only are they doing everything they can to appease her, she's more hostile to them and yet also doesn't seem to want to leave. When we learn more about the hero coming to save her, it becomes clear why that might be.

I like when we find out more about the actual characters. Learning more of Syalis' history, the bits we see of the hero and his progress, and the personality and background of the Demon King. Those are plots I enjoy, though I do appreciate that more of these single-chapter plots are starting to extend. And meeting Bussy was fun, too.

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

Manga Review: Blue Exorcist, Volume 22, by Kazue Kato

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 24+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 21. 23.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rin and his exorcist classmates are caught in a secret war against the forces of darkness.

Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself.

The seals binding the artificial Gehenna Gate are broken, and the world is gripped by demonic chaos! As the Exwires try to figure out what to do without Rin and Yukio, and the Knights of the True Cross scramble to regroup, everyone seems lost. As nations around the world struggle to contain the outbreaks, Rin faces Mephisto, demanding to hear about his past. Mephisto couldn’t be more delighted to show Rin what happened all those years ago—but as Mephisto warns him, the story can only end in tragedy…

Review:

Yukio is off on a new adventure, and Shiemi's secrets are starting to be revealed. But all of that is left behind as Rin gets to confront his past, and thus see what happened with his mother.

Yukio is so stuck on being alone and wondering about the past, that he's spiraling and is forcing himself away from all of his friends and his brother. So of course, Rin needs to confront the past that he didn't think he wanted anything to do with. It actually makes sense, really.

We're also getting to connect some dots here. We're discovering what led to Rin and Yukio, and we're discovering what Lucifer is actually up to underneath all of this, as well.

Slow releases, of course, and this series can be rather complicated—but it feels like we're finally starting to get some answers to this mess that's happened.

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

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 2, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A romantic retelling of a classic fairy tale about a beautiful herbalist and a lovestruck prince.

Shirayuki is an herbalist famous for her naturally bright-red hair, and the prince of Tanbarun wants her all to himself! Unwilling to become the prince’s possession, she seeks shelter in the woods of the neighboring kingdom, where she gains an unlikely ally—the prince of that kingdom! He rescues her from her plight, and thus begins the love story between a lovestruck prince and an unusual herbalist.

Shirayuki begins her duties as a court herbalist apprentice in the castle, but her mentor is a bit odd. He’s quiet, shy, moody and…a child? Her first official duty is to accompany the prince to help quell an illness going around one of the forts that house Clarines soliders. Will she be able to discover the cause of the outbreak in time?

Review:

I had a hard time getting into the anime for this series, and I wasn't all that impressed with the first volume. I'm happy to say that this volume was better.

The first half was still very ehh. Shirayuki is getting into her role as herbalist, and Zen is the prince but also staying close when he can, trying to be around her without showing too much favoritism. They go on a trip that turns into Shirayuki helping him cure a town of sick people, in which they both have to understand their roles and do what's right. This was actually interesting in the second half.

We got a little more characteristics from his guards, but they're still just kind of background right now, there for some friendship fun moments.

But in the second half, Zen's older brother shows up, and that adds some drama. Izana and Zen don't quite get along, though I think we'll get more of that story in the future. Right now, this causes some issues for Shirayuki, as it's obvious Zen likes her and thus is a weakness for him.

This volume ended on a small cliffhanger that actually has me intrigued to read more.

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

Manga Review: Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Volume 6, by Yu Tomofuji

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Grand Consecration to celebrate the founding of the Kingdom of Ozmargo is nigh...but the king of beasts remains in his human form despite the dawn! Thanks to Sariphi's quick thinking, disaster is averted and the ceremony goes off without a hitch, prompting Chancellor Anubis to declare an end to Sariphi's trials. But having assumed the role of Acting Queen, Sariphi is faced with her first job...which just might turn out to be insurmountable!

Review:

All of Sari's efforts have paid off, for now at least. Anubis finally gives her a bit of a break, by letting her skip some steps and show if she's capable of being the queen. It adds more responsibility for her, which worries her, but only because she's realized how badly she wants this.

Her first job is to bless a new prince in a nearby kingdom. Not a terribly hard job, up until she starts getting pushed back and someone tries hindering her time to do it.

This was just another plot line to show how sympathetic and honest and understanding Sari is. She sees when someone doesn't like her, and she sees when someone is simply avoiding a larger issue. Similarly to how Leo sees what's inside a person more clearly than they want sometimes, as well. I appreciated seeing him take a similar issue in hand during this, as well. He's not dumb and he's not afraid to confront an issue, either.

I really like this match, and I like getting to see them overcome issues together and by themselves. Definitely sticking around for more.

Manga Review: Kaguya-sama Love is War, Volume 10, by Aka Akasaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two high school geniuses scheme to get the other to confess their love first.

Two geniuses. Two brains. Two hearts. One battle. Who will confess their love first…?!

Will Hayasaka prove to Kaguya that she can win Miyuki’s heart after all…while singing karaoke? Then the student council engages in some competitive cooking. Yu tries to spare Miko the embarrassment of the others discovering that she likes to listen to sexy voice actors whisper sweet nothings. And Kaguya declines to participate in a group date involving Miyuki—with a predictable impact on her mental stability.

At some point, you’ve got to upgrade your phone.

Review:

Somewhere along the way in this series, Kaguya and Shirogane have kind of accepted their feelings for each other. They're still worried about what the other will think if they confess this, but a lot of their trials now involve trying to make the other person think about them or react to them. They still want the other to confess first, but it's clearly because they're too afraid to do it themselves.

So far, Kaguya has figured out a trick to make herself not react to Shirogane. And poor Shirogane has to deal with Ai punishing Kaguya through him.

There's a few big chapters for Kaguya in this volume. She has to see Shirogane with other girls, she loses her precious photos when she gets a new phone, and we get to see how terrible of a girlfriend she could be regarding boundaries. We also get a fun cooking-competition parody episode in this one—as Chika thinks she's a smart food critic.

This is a really fun series. It's nice to see where the characters have gone so far and where they'll be pushed to next.

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

Manga Review: The Golden Sheep, Volume 1, by Kaori Ozaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: Hints.

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Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Golden Sheep features story and art by Kaori Ozaki the author of The Gods Lie. “They say if you write down your wish, bury it under Sheep Tower and then dig it up after 7 years and 7 months, your wish will come true…” Tsugu Miikura, a high schooler who loves to play guitar, due to family circumstances, moved away from the rural town where she had spent her childhood. After several years, she’s back in her old hometown. She reunites with her childhood friends—Sora, Yuushin, and Asari—the friends she’d buried a time capsule with back in elementary school. Tsugu is overjoyed to be with her friends once more, but the bonds that she thought would never change have in fact started to grow major cracks…

Review:

I didn't know what I was getting into when I started this volume.

The volume starts in a very drastic place, and then goes backwards a bit. We meet Tsugu, who moved away from her hometown and best friends when she was younger, and is suddenly able to move back. There've been some family circumstance changes, and now that she's back, she wants everything to be the same. At first, it feels like it could be. But, slowly, the pieces of teen angst and change start showing through.

There are some very serious themes explored in this volume. Bullying, in particular, is harsh and awful, and we even get to see two different sides of it. And suicide, though I won't go into detail on that one, but warning none the less.

Tsugu is really the bright spot of this so far. She's optimistic, but also blunt and doesn't hide from things. When she discovers what's happening with Sora, she doesn't hide from it, and she doesn't shy from being there for him.

This volume took a very dark turn for a while in this volume. It's realistically harsh, and I definitely think it's well done in that. It's realistic in how it portrays being a teenager, too, while also being thoughtful about it.

I'm also glad to say that things seem to be looking up at the end of the volume, though. And knowing this is a short series, I'm hopeful that it won't go too dark and dreary in the end.

Manga Review: After Hours, Volume 3, by Yuhta Nishio

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

There’s always something going on at night. Sooner or later, you’ll find your scene.

Emi Asahina is 24, unemployed and not really sure what she wants to do with her life. When a friend invites her to a dance club, Emi doesn’t expect much. But what she finds will change her world!

Emi, Kei and their friends have successfully planned the rave of their dreams, and the experience has filled Emi with an electric need to keep striving. But will Emi’s newfound focus and determination falter when Kei, her mentor and girlfriend, goes AWOL?

Review:

All of Emi and Kei's hard work is finally coming to a conclusion as the night is nearing. Their rave has some issues and a lot of work to be dealt with before it comes, and then it's finally here. And after their big party, what next?

I was happy with where they went after their big event. Kei had some family issues to deal with, which caused her and Emi to finally decide what to do with their relationship—whether it's real and they want to keep going or not.

I like how it all plays out. The rave is a new experience for Emi, and is a goal for them to work toward again. And they get to see whether they want to face that future together or not; none of it is too dramatic or life-ending, either, which I appreciate. They handle things relatively calmly and with patience, and it works for them that way.

This was a fun little yuri series. I appreciated that it handled the yuri aspect maturely, and had a real plot beside it, a sweeter take on yuri that we've started seeing more of.

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

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 7, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2019

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Will this Queen with mind-control powers incite good or evil?

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 a Queen?

At Seichi, the Holy Ground of the Old Byakko Clan, a dangerous ghost attacks and seriously injures Kyutaro! Is Fumi strong enough to heal him? And what sort of secrets will Takaya reveal to them about their past?

Review:

We get to connect a few dots regarding Kyutaro's family history in this volume. It's not clear what happened during the gate battle in the past, but we're learning more about how it involved Kyutaro and his parents. And it's definitely not seeming good.

And apparently Fumi might also be part of this mystery event.

Most of this volume involves them in Seichi, cleaning and attempting to get to the conclusion of these matters. The cliffhanger is quite a good one, as we might finally be getting some answers regarding Fumi. But other than that, the fights are just okay.

I'm more interested in the Fumi and Kyutaro relationship and history stuff than these sweeper fights, honestly.

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

Manga Review: The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil, a Run, Volume 3, by Nagabe

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: 2017

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: Light.

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Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Homecoming

Shiva's aunt has come to the Outside to bring her home, with several soldiers in tow. Alarmed at this show of force, Teacher tries to protect Shiva, but to no avail. Meanwhile, chaos threatens to engulf the small hamlet on the Inside. Where does Shiva truly belong?

Review:

Shiva's aunt has come, only nothing is as it seems, really.

This volume really upped the creepy factor. During most of this volume, I was wary and cautious and I didn't trust anything. Everything felt like a lie or a trick and I was scared for Shiva. She's just a sweet little girl, and all the adults are being terrible.

Unsurprisingly, this only leads to more devastation, and now Shiva is starting to think that it might be her fault, that she's causing more harm. It's awful.

Meeting her aunt opens new information, though, as it looks like there might be more to Shiva's story, and her significance with the curse, than we already thought there was.

I'm entranced with this series. I'm intrigued and purely enjoying it, and will be getting the next one very soon.

Manga Review: Love in Focus, Volume 2, by Yoko Nogiri

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: Light.

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Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the creator of New York Times bestselling manga That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! comes a feel-good romance about a teenage girl whose passion for photography leads her to a new school, a new dorm, and a new love triangle!

ALL MIXED UP

After earning Mitsuru's trust, Mako's beginning to get the hang of living in Lens Inn with the high school photo club. Behind the scenes, however, Mako's best friend Kei warns Mitsuru to keep his distance. This ominous message exposes Kei's feelings for Mako, but Mitsuru is the only one who knows! Later, when the club members all go on a field trip together, a sudden downpour strands Mako and Mitsuru. What will the two do?!

Review:

After warning Mitsuru away, Kei very quickly regrets his decision, thinking he was being hasty, but also realizing he's helping put those thoughts in Mitsuru's head. Mako is oblivious to all of this happening—at first, because very quickly the boys start making moves.

I liked getting to see Kei's point of view—how he grew close to Mako and his feelings for her. It's really too bad for him, too, because it's clear Mako and Mitsuru are already growing closer despite his attempts. He's a sweet guy, too; I like him.

I enjoy the characters in this series, the way the photography is used and the boarding house setting. I like the side characters a lot, too; though I'll also admit to some disappointment regarding Lucas' secret, as it would have been nicer to make it more unexpected and diverse.

But so far, I'm actually enjoying this series more than her previous one, and I'm curious how it'll wrap up in the next volume.

Manga Review: Love at Fourteen, Volume 8, by Fuka Mizutani

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Kazuki and Kanata may be considered Class 2-B's mature students, but they're not the only ones getting tangled up in emotions and new relationships. Aoi quietly pines for Kanata, but her curiosity is piqued by the mystery surrounding the school nurse. The woman from the bus continues to fascinate Shota, and even class clown Kato surprises everyone when he manages to catch an unknown girl's attention...

Review:

Shiki kind of confronts her feelings in this volume, and gets to move forward in a different direction. Then we meet a new couple, this one who's age difference isn't what either of them realized, only in the opposite directions. I do quite like the diversity of couples in this series, how it mixes up normal expectations and gives a wider view. Even if the age differences might bother some people.

Other than that, mostly just some teasing and new romantic situations for our couples.

This series is fun to me. It's fallen a little in the background, and sometimes it's easy to forget some of the characters because there's so many at this point. But it's still fun to read and I'm glad we're getting more variety in our manga now.

Manga Review: The Young Master's Revenge, Volume 4, by Meca Tanaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 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’s remained immune to his advances. The Rose King and President Tojo are meddling to stop Leo and Tenma from becoming a couple, and it’s up to Tenma to set things right.

Review:

The final volume of the series, meaning that Leo has to undo all of his messy revenge tactics in order to actually be with Tenma, since he's given her such a misguided impression of his intentions and feelings.

This couple is actually pretty cute. Tenma doesn't quite know how to deal with her feelings or what they mean, and Leo has to readjust his thought of his feelings, because he's so used to trying to be cruel instead of sweet. But when they finally figure it out, it's pretty dang cute.

This didn't feel rushed at all, and I even like the time skip at the end. It felt pretty fitting and really sweet. This was a really fun, sweet shojo series to read, and I'm really glad I followed it to the end.

Manga Review: Ao Haru Ride, Volume 6, by Io Sakisaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 13.

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The popular shojo manga series that was adapted into the Blue Spring Ride anime!

Futaba Yoshioka thought all boys were loud and obnoxious until she met Kou Tanaka in junior high. But as soon as she realized she really liked him, he had already moved away because of family issues. Now, in high school, Kou has reappeared, but is he still the same boy she fell in love with?

Futaba Yoshioka has encountered her first love again in high school, but he seems different from the boy she once knew. Futuba feels as though the distance between her and Kou has grown since he and Yui have started keeping in touch. Then something unexpected happens between Futaba and Kou at the school festival.

Review:

It's the school festival; Kou is working at a crossdressing maid/butler cafe, and Kikuchi is performing with his band. While Kou is struggling with his feelings of obligation toward this other girl, Kikuchi is attemping to move in on Futaba.

It's a little hard to feel bad for Kou in this, and yet it's complicated. It's not helped by the fact that Kikuchi is a really good guy; he's adorable and fun, and I like him a lot.

In the background, Kominato is working for Murao's attention. I find this dynamic interesting, especially since Kou's brothers personality is a bit of a mystery outside of his relationship with Kou. He acts differently with students, and with Kominato and Murao in particular. I'm curious where that's going to go.

This is getting a bit drama heavy, and yet I'm still very into it. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

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