Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 6, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 12 (+Extra)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Clueless country girl Suzume moves to Tokyo and finds her heart caught between two men!

After arriving in Tokyo to live with her uncle, Suzume collapses in a nearby park where she had once seen a shooting star during the day. A handsome stranger brings her to her new home and tells her they’ll meet again. Suzume starts her first day at her new high school sitting next to a boy who blushes furiously at her touch. And her homeroom teacher is none other than the handsome stranger!

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. With Mr. Shishio’s true feelings for her out in the open, Suzume tries her best to figure out if they are an item or not. Meanwhile, Mamura grows suspicious of Shishio and Suzume’s relationship.

Review:

We're getting some conflicting messages here. Suzume and Shishio are growing closer, even making plans for Christmas. Shishio seems to be taking every chance he can to be around Suzume, but then he gets pulled away during Christmas, and Suzume ends up hanging out with Mamura during a surprise walk.

Mamura is always in the background here, and he seems to be taking a few steps forward. I'm not sure where his journey is heading. Because Suzume and Shishio are super cute, and we get a few scenes of that in this volume. Slowly, they're progressing their relationship. Then there's Yuyuka, who is trying to be a single girl and yet this boy keeps coming around. I think this new information for her puts them on a more equal level, though.

I'm definitely getting intrigued by the side character relationships, but I'm still very invested in the main romance. Definitely still following.

Manga Review: Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Volume 4, by Akira Akatsuki, Nisiosin and Hikaru Nakamura

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve fighters enter, one fighter leaves—who will win the 12th Zodiac War?

Every 12 years, 12 fighters take the form of the Chinese zodiac and engage in a battle royale. With their strength and mysterious powers, they fight to the death and the sole survivor is granted the ultimate prize—any wish.

With most of Rabbit’s zombie army out of the way, only one thing stands between Ox and Tiger and taking down Rabbit for good—Monkey. Her sheer strength and power, once disciplined in life, are completely unhinged in death, making her far and away the strongest fighter! With only four fighters and one zombie remaining, who will come out victorious? Don’t miss the thrilling, unexpected conclusion to the twelfth Zodiac War!

Review:

We reach the end of the zodiac war, and finally find out who is left at the end of this massacre. It is, of course, not quite what you would expect from the beginning of the series. Once you find out who it is and what their true power is, though, it makes sense, and it makes sense why it was kept secret this whole time.

There were a couple of interesting characters along the way of this series. The relationship between the Tiger and the Ox ended up being particularly odd in its sweetness, honestly. But there were a couple of others, too, that I almost wished hadn't died, like the twins.

After all of that build-up, though, I'm a bit disappointed that we don't find out what the winner wants his wish for. It seems like there was a lot of build up for that, especially the further the series went, and then we're left with an “I'll think about it”, basically. I guess there's a whole sequel novel about his decision, though? So I suppose, in that ideal, that it makes sense the fighting would take up the first story line.

This was an interesting story. Not something I would normally read, especially with so much gore, but I'm glad I stuck around. I wanted to know who won this crazy battle royale, and it was an interesting conclusion.

Manga Review: RaW Hero, Volume 1, by Akira Hiramoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the mind of Akira Hiramoto (Prison School) comes a super-powered story of heroes and villains that's wild, dirty, and unpredictable. Chiaki is desperate to find a job and support his family, but when he sacrifices a job interview in order to stop a train groper, he winds up at the center of a fight between good and evil!

Review:

This series starts off with a potential groping that turns out to be a planned and agreed to scene. That alone sets this series off on a weird path.

Chiaki is the older brother in his household, and it's up to him to support his two younger brothers. He's struggling to find a job, when suddenly he stops a groper and ends up being offered a job as a potential hero. He has a hard time deciding, and when he starts, his first job starts him as an accidental cross-dresser.

This is definitely an adult series, as there is some explicit, blatant groping that happens. Chiaki also ends up throwing himself into a role as a woman, trying to go undercover and not get himself killed. Aside from that, there's also some sweet family moments with his brothers, and we see how badly he wants to do good for them.

This was an odd volume to read. I'm not sure if it's something I would pick up on my own, but I didn't mind reading it. I even kind of appreciated the kink-friendly mention, whether it was necessary or not to the plot.

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

Manga Review: RWBY Official Manga Anthology, Volume 2: Mirror, Mirror

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2018

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Straight from Rooster Teeth’s hit animation series, a new four-volume anthology series featuring stories from various manga creators, each focusing on a different member of Team RWBY!

The world of Remnant is filled with horrific monsters bent on the destruction of humanity. Fortunately, the kingdoms of the world have risen to combat these forces by training powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses at academies around the planet. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long are four such Huntresses in training.

All new short stories set in the world of RWBY from no less than twenty different manga creators in one single volume!

Includes a full color four-page story and four full-color illustrations. This volume focuses on Weiss Schnee from TEAM RWBY.

Plus, bonus messages from the illustrators and creators included in this volume, with longer notes from RWBY character designer Ein Lee and actress Kate Eberle, the voice of Weiss Schnee!

Review:

The second RWBY anthology, featuring all stories about Weiss, the ice queen of the team. While I haven't watched the anime, she seemed like the character I might like the most, so I was curious.

This is a lot of one-shot stories featuring Weiss. A lot of them focus on how alone she's been until now, some star her relationship with Ruby and others focus more on her relationship with her older sister Winter. There were a lot of odd artstyles, and I'll admit I didn't love a lot of them, but they were okay. There were a couple of really cute ones, though. Aside form Umiya's art, in the last story; I really don't understand the appeal or what's happening in those panel comics.

I can't help but wonder if a lot of these authors are mostly from webcomics? The author names sound more web comic than real mangaka names, but I might just be unfamiliar with them.

There were some cute stories, there were some meh stories. If you're a RWBY fan, I'm sure you'll love it more than I did, though.

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

Manga Review: Noragami: Stray God, Volume 21, by Adachitoka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 20. 22.

Goodreads Synopsis:

CURIOSITY KILLS

Yukine was harboring the fugitive stray at Kofuku's place, but when Kofuku comes home with an entourage of shinki, his new friend vanishes without a trace. When Yukine goes out looking for her, he only finds her former master instead. The encounter ends a bit too peacefully, and Koto's words nag at Yukine, but the questions they raise are dangerous ones...

Review:

While Kazuma and Yato are off training and preparting to kill Yato's father, Yukine is complicating things with the stray. In the beginning it might have seemed like an innocent friendship forming despite everything, but we all knew it wouldn't be. Of course she's planting seeds in his head, whether she wants to or not, and now things are spiraling quickly.

Hiyori hasn't shown up too much, but when she does, she's trying to help them. She doesn't need to be the role that shows up and takes care of things out of nowhere, but it's nice to see her standing up for them when she sees the opportunity. Even the other gods are meeting up and debating on what to do here.

This is becoming increasingly messy, and awfully dangerous for everyone, at this point. These slow releases are awful, too. I need to know what happens next!

Manga Review: Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 5, by Sorata Akiduki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

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! The prince from the neighboring kingdom, Zen, rescues her from her plight, and thus begins their love story.

When a banquet invitation arrives from Prince Raj in Tanbarun, Izana tests Zen and Shirayuki’s budding relationship by forcing Shirayuki to accept. But before the young lovers can cope with their impending time apart, a new threat arrives in Clarines—and he’s got our red-haired heroine in his sights!

Review:

Shirayuki and Zen get two pieces of surprising news in this volume. One includes a new character searching for her, and it's hard to tell at this point if it's good or bad news coming for her. I kind of think it could take the story somewhere fun.

The main part of the volume focuses on the other news, though, and that involves Shirayuki's hometown and the prince she ran away from. Zen doesn't quite like it, but Shirayuki agrees to go to a banquet in his kingdom, though she hopes to improve herself and her relationships by going.

This is an interesting plot, and seeing Shirayuki and Raj interact is actually quite fun. Raj is worried about Zen threatening him, but he's also a contrast to him. He's grown quite a lot since we first met him, and I'm glad we're getting to see that progress here. Similarly, it seems like we're finally starting to see some humanity in Izana in this volume, and I'm curious by his character. On the other hand, while we're getting some ominous hints regarding Obi, it's hard to tell whether anything big is going to happen any time soon with him.

This series is slowly growing on me. There were a few moments in this volume that were just fun to read, plus we're getting some interesting character development. I'm enjoying it.

Manga Review: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Volume 2, by Aidalro

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nene Yashiro has made a pact with "Hanako-san of the Toilet," aka Hanako-kun, to hold off the curse that has been placed on her. To rescue her friend from the clutches of one of the school's infamous Seven Mysteries, she and Hanako-kun infiltrate the Misaki Stairs. The second volume of the retro horror romantic comedy about an occult girl and an inhuman supernatural boy is finally in print!

Review:

The first half of this volume continues the stair-case ghost story. It gets a little dangerous, and rather sad/disturbing when we discover the reason. It's rather fun to follow, though, but maybe it's just been a while since I've had a good high school ghost series.

In between the next plot, we get a little romance-inspired chapter between Yashiro and Hanako. He's giving her mixed signals, and she's very romance-focused, so she jumps to conclusions. It was a cute chapter, but it also ends in a really sweet way. After that, we meet Minamoto's older brother, who is a surprise, but also is very against ghosts and wants them all exorcised. It's a bit conflicting here, because Minamoto is having second thoughts about his first motivation to exorcise Hanako. This plot is definitely going to get deeper, since we're briefly introduced to couple other characters but not given much about them.

We're getting lots of mixed signals from Hanako, and I'm curious what it means. He generally acts light-hearted, but he's shown equal moments of vulnerability and of violence, and it's hard to tell which ones are real and what they actually mean. He's clearly hiding things, including how he ended up here, and I'm curious when we'll learn more and what it all means.

I hadn't expected to be interested in this series, and I'm really not a fan of the name, but I'm surprisingly hooked. This was another really fun and interesting volume, and I want to read more.

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

Manga Review: Waiting for Spring, Volume 12, by Anashin

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 13.

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 1. 11. 13.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Waiting for Spring manga volume 12 features story and art by Anashin. 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 the five quickly hit it off. Will true love ultimately find Mizuki in this latest volume?

Review:

The penultimate game to change everything happened, but not quite as the boys wanted it to. But their little bet gets a twist thrown in afterward, so not surprising how things turn out. I actually kind of appreciate how it worked out anyway.

We finally get some real, cute scenes between Mitsuki and Towa, as their relationship finally moves forward.

Somehow, it feels like the impending romance between Nana and Ryuji have just as much importance, as we've gotten to see him pining, but also he's made some pretty impressive actions regarding his feelings for Nana, maturity that has been surprising. I'm rooting hard for him to win this.

It's clear the series is coming to a close, and I'm really happy with how it's wrapping up so far. I'm excited to see how it goes from here, and what other cuteness we'll get.

Manga Review: One-Punch Man, Volume 18, by One and Yusuke Murata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 17. 19.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Life gets pretty boring when you can beat the snot out of any villain with just one punch.

Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on!

Garo has just left the Monster Association’s hideout when he crosses paths with Saitama, who’s in quite a pinch, but Saitama still doesn't know Garo is the Hero Hunter. Later, King the Ripper can no longer hold back his murderous urges and confronts Garo himself!

Review:

Garo wants to be an evil villain, but he's also not quite the same as the other villains. He doesn't want to do what they tell him to, just because they told him to. And after saving this little kid, he kinds of forms a soft spot for the boy.

Garo is also a very intense character. This is contrasted very nicely when he comes upon Saitama, who doesn't even mean to punch him but is actually just trying to hide his face.

Honestly, I still rather enjoy the humor of Saitama's straight-faced reactions and anti-climactic fights, and the silly reasons he reacts in certain ways. At this point, though, we're not getting a whole lot of that. Saitama's group of heroes are building to go fight the monsters, but that plot point is taking its time, and instead we're getting a lot of weird monster fights, and in this volume, a lot of time of Garo with the other monsters. Those scenes are just meh to me. I understand why, since this series has expanded so much and they had to throw in other content, but still.

These volumes are easy to read, for the most part, and I don't mind them. I'm not following the main plot too closely, though.

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

Manga Review: Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Volume 9, by Aya Megumu, Hiro Ainana, and Shri

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Looking to deliver a letter from the Witch of the Forest of Illusions, Satou and his party decide to visit the village of the forest giants. He soon finds the villagers are still recovering from hydra attacks, including three children who were poisoned by the hydra's toxic breath. As Satou gets to work on brewing an antidote, Karina ponders how she can enlist the giants' assistance in ridding her hometown of the demonic presence that plagues it...

Review:

Satou and his harem group are joined by Karina as this volume starts. She's welcomed in relatively comfortably, aside from a bit of jealousy for her big breasts. She has a brooch that talks to her, and has a bad rep because of her family. They all continue along their journey, meeting new people and helping out different towns and peoples.

This book was terribly boring to me. There isn't a whole lot of action or showing happening, instead we're just informed with lots of text what is happening, the politics of the matter, how Satou knows things and what he's doing to fix all of these problems. If you're a big fan of high fantasy, this might be interesting. I am not, so this was very much not for me.

I also didn't really care for the characters, and Satou's “children” who are all relatively in love with him was a little uncomfortable to me, plus how Karina is portrayed because of her figure. Even the interactions between Satou and Karina felt rather one-dimensional to me.

I was not a fan, but this was not for me.

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

Manga Review: A Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Volume 9, by Yu Tomofuji

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Fun-filled days are in store for Sariphi, as she spends time with Princess Amit and her newfound friend Princess Tetra. However, Amit, who has long been taken up with Captain Jormungand, is acting a bit odd as of late... Could it be that her feelings have finally reached her beloved? Meanwhile, when Sariphi accompanies Leonhart on a visit as Queen Consort, she discovers a secret the country is trying to hide...

Review:

The first part of this volume finally focuses on Amit and Jormungand, as we all knew was coming. I wish I enjoyed their romance more, because it is sweet, but it's just not as good as Sari and Leon, honestly. Still, it's nice to finally see that moving forward.

After that, Sari is off at trying to prove herself as the queen again. Off visiting another kingdom, the couple has to uphold themselves and show they're worthy of this. Of course, Sari sees something else is going on, and she's willing to put herself on the line to prove it and to make it right. But, just as they're starting to think they've fixed things, there's someone else about to show up, possibly the real opposition to Leon being on the throne.

I'm curious if this means things are getting real next, or if it'll be another short arc of conflict. Either way, I'm looking forward to it. Can't get enough.

Manga Review: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Volume 1, by Aidalro

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san...are you there?" At Kamome Academy, rumors abound about the school's Seven Mysteries, one of which is Hanako-san. Said to occupy the third stall of the third floor girls' bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san grants any wish when summoned. Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving high school girl who dreams of romance, ventures into this haunted bathroom...but the Hanako-san she meets there is nothing like she imagined! Kamome Academy's Hanako-san...is a boy!

Review:

Yashiro hears about the seven mysteries in her new school and immediately goes to the girls bathroom in the old school building and calls for Hanako-san. Only to discover that, not only is Hanako-san a boy, but he also doesn't seem to do much magic, and thus isn't very helpful in her quest for romance and to get her crush to notice her.

Yashiro apparently likes occult stuff and ghost stories, or at least her classmate thinks so. She's definitely a scaredy-cat, though, so I don't see it. She definitely is a romantic, however. She's been rejected before, and yet she still falls for boys without knowing anything about them, and dreams of a prince falling from the sky to her rescue.

Yashiro and Hanako form a bond through friendship, but also through a surprising mermaid curse. It's quite cute, honestly, though they don't seem to have any romantic feelings at this point. Yashiro also has a friend in her class, and then we meet a boy who's determined to exorcise Hanako, and this gives hints to Hanako's dangerous past.

We're left on a bit of a cliffhanger. Since it felt a bit like Hanako was overpowered in the first couple of chapters, I'm curious to see where this plot goes next. This was quite a fun volume. The artstyle is very pretty and the characters are rather cutesy, but there are a lot of dark strokes and inks used, too, and there are definite hints of something darker coming that intrigues me.

I know this series has hit quite big, so I'm intrigued to read more. It's been a while since I've read a high school ghost series, too, and that's a theme I enjoy.

Manga Review: I'm a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl's Pet, Volume 1, by Taro Shinonome, Nozomi Ginyoku, and Mitsuki Yano

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: April 2020

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: Yes.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Syopsis:

You've got to be kitten me!
A proud knight, slain in battle, finds himself alive once more-reincarnated in the body of a fearsome behemoth. As if he wasn't confused enough by this turn of events, apparently behemoth cubs look exactly like adorable kittens?! Even if the rest of the world sees him as soft and cuddly, he has the honor of a noble warrior and the strength of an unstoppable S-ranked monster, both of which will be put to the test as he fights to protect the beautiful elf who has taken him as her pet!

Review:

Tama was a proud knight, but now he's been reincarnated as a highly powerful monster, only he looks like a tiny little kitten. When Aria, an elf girl, is going through a dungeon and stumbles upon him, she takes him home with her. Thus starts his life as her pet cat, and his devotion to protect her.

This was very weird.

Not even to mention the fact that Aria is objectified by every male in her vicinity, and how they're all jealous of this tiny kitten laying in her cleavage—which why. And how there's this knight who is obsessed with her and puts out an order to exterminate her cat in order to claim her as his bride—in a very Gaston-like fashion.

But then there's the fact that Aria gets aroused by Tama, in his little kitten form. This isn't even hinted at, it's very blatant and even discussed, since apparently they might be able to crossbreed, and she likes that.

I will say that I'm glad some of the time is spent on Aria fighting and getting higher level, and even on Tama's history. But there's also just so much sexualization, and Aria is leered at constantly. The sexual harassment is real in this series. She does also partake in that, though, since she kind of gropes Tama at one point.

There's a lot wrong with this volume. I'm mostly very confused on why this whole idea was chosen. I guess it's for a very specific audience? But somehow I didn't hate it, and I'm even more confused by that.

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