Update (Again!)

Update 2:

So moving ended up being a much bigger thing than expected, with quite a few complications. The house is great but also has some issues we’re working through, and I’m in a whole new state and there’s a lot of changes. So I’m taking another week off.

I’m sorry, but if anything, this year has shown me not to unnecessarily push myself. I think that’s something a lot of people had to realize, what with the pandemic and everything.

So I will be posting reviews again starting the 12th, when I am also starting at my new workplace, and hopefully things will be somewhat normal.

Original Update:

So, this year has been crazy. 

Among all the COVID stuff (me being an “essential worker”, so no real quarantine for me), then riots, and now fires happening about half an hour from where I live, I’ve also had some family stuff and work changes, and now I am currently driving from the west coast to the eastern side of the Midwest, because I bought a house and am in the process of moving there. 

It’s been a lot, and it’s been tiring, and sometimes I have to give myself a break. I hate doing it, but I’m already behind on reviews because of everything that’s been happening, and I currently don’t have time to do anything about that. I’m currently posting this from my phone, which I’ve never done, because I don’t have access to my computer at the moment.

Which means, no reviews this week. Very likely no reviews next week. I’ve been doing 3 reviews a week, and I’ll probably keep at that when I do post again, up until I get fully settled and get the time to write and read more. 

Thank you to everyone who reads my reviews on this little blog, I appreciate it. It actually turned 9 on Friday (the 18th), and it’s surreal that I’ve been doing it this long. 

Manga Review: Yona of the Dawn, Volume 25, by Mizuho Kusanagi

Rating (Out of 5): ~5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2020

Volumes: 33+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 24. 26.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

A red-haired princess loses her family and her kingdom… Now she must rise and fight for her throne!

Princess Yona lives an ideal life as the only princess of her kingdom. Doted on by her father, the king, and protected by her faithful guard Hak, she cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, Su-won. But everything changes on her 16th birthday when tragedy strikes her family!

 

Review:

 

In a lot of ways, this was the volume we've all been waiting for.

Yona stakes her claim, and she doesn't back down. It's an important moment between her and Su-Won, but it's also just a tasting. There's still a lot of tension there, that I assume will be confronted at some point. There's a very different kind of tension brewing between Yona and Hak, which is also being put off till a later date.

And then the dragons. There's a lot of other things going on with the war coming, and underhanded attacks regarding it, and the contrast between the two princesses of Xing and Yona, and even with Riri. But the dragons. There's such a monumental big scene with them as the volume ends, and I can't contain myself. I've been wondering if something like this could happen, or what it would mean, and it's beautiful and stunning, and it makes me so happy.

This volume and the previous ones had very important moments in them. There's a lot of major plots being addressed, and I imagine it's only going to continue into the next volume, especially with that cliffhanger. I seriously cannot wait for it.

I've had to re-read the end of this volume like a handful of times, it just makes me so giddy.

Manga Review: Sweat and Soap, Volume 1, by Kintetsu Yamada

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

In an office romance, there's a fine line between sexy and awkward... and that line is where Asako -- a woman who sweats copiously -- met Koutarou -- a perfume developer who can't get enough of Asako's, er, scent. Don't miss a romcom manga like no other!

Yae's living her dream, working at the toiletry maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she's ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that does the trick. So when the company's lead product developer, a perfuming genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what "that smell" is, she's terrified... but could it be... that he likes it? And, even more surprising to Yae... does she like him?

The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp. Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the "too real!" workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!

 

Review:

 

Asako works at a toiletry maker, which makes her favorite soaps. Coincidentally, she has a bit of a sweating problem, which embarrasses her a lot. When all of a sudden Natori, with a super sensitive nose and who happens to make the scents, sniffs her out and is instantly entranced.

This sounds like a crazy start of a series, given how the love interest starts smelling Asako all the time and she kind of goes along with it, even though it embarrasses her. But really, they basically just start dating. He takes her out to eat, they have what looks like moments of fooling around, when really he's just sniffing her neck and taking notes of the scents. She's basically his muse.

I admit that this sounds very weird. When I first heard about this, I didn't particularly think to pick it up. It seemed like it would probably be an ecchi seinen series, especially when I heard it was adult. I think the subject matter is what gives that impression.

When instead, this very much feels like a josei series. Asako is the protagonist, and while clearly Natori has an odd fetish, she goes along with it, and even gets used to it. She's not being forced here. And very quickly, a romance starts to form.

I like a dirty josei romance, and one with an odd fetish is not at all a problem to me. Plus, I really liked the characters, and the pace and writing.

I'm basically hooked, which even surprises me. But that means I'll be reading more.

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 15, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2020

Volumes: 19.

Spoilers?: Yes, light.

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

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

As Norman and his group prepare their plan to eradicate all of the demons, Emma searches for her own path. Can she find a way to create a new promise that achieves peace without resorting to violence?

 

Review:

 

The confrontation with Norman happens. He has information to share with Emma and Ray, just as they have their own worries to share. It's so hard to see Norman as this unmoving adult, when you know he's just doing what he believes is the right thing, but also when Emma has such bigger peaceful goals in mind.

We're given some new, surprising information in this volume. And then Emma and Ray are off on a timed mission, where it looks like they're starting a test for real answers. Norman has put them on a timer for it, but also the monsters have caught on and aren't going to let these human be for too much longer.

I'm intrigued to see where Ray and Emma are off to, and what's going to happen there. But this is also really hard to take. I'm afraid of where this series is going to go, cause I really don't want a bad ending for these three.

Manga Review: IM: Great Priest Imhotep, Volume 3, by Makoto Morishita

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 11.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The Ennead Priesthood has given Im a new objective: Return to Egypt and use "Damnatio Memoriae" to wipe the record of Prince Djoser clean from the record of the world. But when Djoser suddenly shows up-in the flesh?-the plan is forced to change. How will Im cope with seeing his friend again...when his only option is to kill him...?

 

Review:

 

Im is being put into a bad position, where he has to decide to ruin his best friend yet again, only it's even more important this time. He wants to fix things between him and Djoser, only to find out that that's not really an option for him. Not quite in the way that he expected, though.

Most of this volume was taken up with the friendship and feud between Im and Djoser. Im has regrets from his past, but he's also being put into a situation where he is forced to see what's happening in a new perspective and make a choice.

I'm not following this closely, but it's an interesting read. The characters are good and odd, and I find the Egyptian mythology/history really interesting. In the second half, Hinome gets to see Im playing at being a student, getting some carefree time. It's not something he's been able to experience before, and she discovers that he never got the chance to play and dream like a kid.

This has a surprising amount of depth, and I appreciate that.

 

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