Manga Review: King of Eden, Volume 1, by Takashi Nagasaki and Ignito

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: September 2020

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Entire villages are going up in flames across the globe, with the same man left standing at the scene every time. Meanwhile, rumors abound of a highly contagious virus where those infected fly into a blind rage, killing anything and everything that crosses their path. As the death toll rises, agencies from nations around the world get together, looking for answers-How are these incidents connected? Who is that man? And most importantly...can the massacres be stopped before humanity is doomed? 

 

Review:

 

A mysterious man keeps showing up right before these small towns come down with this terrible killing virus and then burn to the ground. The government and scientists aren't sure who's behind it all, or what this virus really is, but they're pulling in some scientists and archaeologists to go after the answers.

There are a lot of different people moving around in this series, what with the different government officials and the different black market sellers of the virus, plus the different villages being experimented on and then set on fire. But we do get two main characters, Rua and Teze, who coincidentally were classmates a long time ago. Rua is a very smart historian and archaeologist, and she's pulled in because she's familiar with the history of where this virus potentially originated. Then there's Teze, who appears to know a lot more about this virus than anyone else, from personal experience.

The virus is definitely a horrifying thing, with how quickly it transforms people and what wolf-like monsters they become, plus the potential of it being a weapon. But it also has a really deep history that I'm intrigued by. There's a lot of real history being woven into it, some theories that are thrown out there and some that are clearly going to turn out to be true. It's a historical sci-fi that I'm more intrigued by than I expected, since I don't usually get into the deeper historical ideals.

The artwork was really good in this, and that along with the writing set up a really good thrilling and ominous feel to the story. There are a lot of characters already, but we are getting to know the main ones slowly, but enough to help the story along.

While this might not usually be my type of story, I could get into it. It was really well written and kept me interested, and reminded me of some similar thriller/horror movies.

 

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

Manga Review: Not Your Idol, Volume 1, by Aoi Makino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 2 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis

 

After that day, she stopped being a girl.

In the wake of an assault, Nina Kamiyama, a former idol in the group Pure Club, shuns her femininity and starts dressing as a boy. At high school she keeps to herself, but fellow student Hikaru Horiuchi realizes who she is. What secrets is she keeping? The shocking drama starts.

 

Review:

 

I was thoroughly warned of the subject matter in this series, which both made me curious and wary. With this kind of topic, it can be tricky to handle it. And I don't know that I've seen too many great ways in manga, so I was definitely interested. I needed to be in the right mind set, though.

Nina was a very popular idol, but one day when she was attacked, she stepped away from it all and didn't quite know how to recover.

There's definitely some petty drama being started here, with some jealous high school girls. There's also the suspense of knowing that Nina had a stalker, and that person might still be out there watching her, waiting to attack again. When a popular boy at school starts paying attention to Nina, and even supports her in her actions against sexual harassment on a couple of other girls, suspicion starts to form.

I'm intrigued by this series. It's handling harassment in an okay way so far, and then that cliffhanger has me curious for where it's going next. I'm also intrigued by how Nina is dealing with her femininity. From being an idol, in very short and frilly clothes, to dressing in pants and long sleeves and short hair, is a big difference. It touches on how these changes affected her, whether she likes them and how it might have affected the attack and how she feels about all of it. I definitely think there's more to see in all of this, though.

I'm intrigued, and I want to know more. This series is apparently on hiatus, though, so I'm not sure how much more or where we'll be leaving off in the next volume.

Manga Review: Kakegurui Twin, Volume 6, by Homura Kawamoto and Kei Saiki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Down a whopping five million yen, Mary is sent flying into debt, her pride as a gambler in shambles. As she mentally resigns herself to housepet-dom, a ray of hope shines through the tunnel in the form of Juraku's collared pet and Mary-hater, Mikura Sado! Together, the odd duo must join hands to defeat the ultimate dream team-the Ougatou sisters. Does Mary still have what it takes to become a winner?!

 

Review:

 

I haven't read a dramatic, murder-esque series in a while, and it's not normally my type of genre. But they can be interesting to read.

Not knowing any of the backstory here, this was still an interesting volume to read.

After an apparent mistake that Mary made, she's forced to either let herself become a pet, or take part in this game and hope she wins the money in order to survive as just a student in her class.

Aside from the very weird dynamic this school structure has, which is honestly very hard to believe, the game that Mary plays is quite interesting. We're made to believe, at first, that Mary has made some bad gambles and is the underdog here, but once she gets halfway through this card game, it becomes apparent that she knows how to analyze and play these games very well.

The strategy of the game was really quite interesting to me. It was an interesting card game between these five girls, with some surprises thrown in. I had a little bit of a hard time believing the twins were thrown off so easily, since it was their game and they've always played together. But they were also a bit too cocky for their own good.

I also found the sadomasochistic dynamics interesting. But part of it also made me a little uncomfortable, possibly because of how so many students are being forced into those roles. Maybe since I'm not following the series fully, but I definitely felt a bit off reading it.

Still, this was an interesting volume to read. For this kind of genre, I can see the appeal, I think.

 

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

Manga Review: Radiant, Volume 9, by Tony Valente

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The world is overrun with monsters called Nemeses—and a young boy infected by one will stop at nothing to defeat them all!

Evil creatures called Nemeses fall from the skies and the only ones who can fight them are Wizards—infected ones who survived a Nemesis's corruption. Seth, one of these survivors, vows not only to fight the Nemeses, but to find their mythical nest, Radiant, and destroy it!

The battle for Caislean Merlin rages on. Queen Boadicée enters the fray at great risk to her own life while Seth’s friend Ocoho, of the Queen’s forces, wrestles with a shocking revelation about Mordred, her most trusted comrade in arms. Seth’s other friend, Mélie, must deal with Liselotte, an Inquisitor who captured her while infiltrating Caislean Merlin. And Doc, Seth’s most reluctant ally, shows up with a couple of "friends" who could play a big part in the conflict between Inquisitors and Wizards.

 

Review:

 

Everyone is under attack in this volume, and it's getting much more serious. The wizard knights are fighting hard, and their queen is even on the front lines doing what she can. Melie is off fighting her own one-on-one battle. Ocoho is up on the flying ship being betrayed by her childhood friend.

And then Seth is down on the ground, doing what he can, to get to the bottom of it all with the main enemies. When, as the volume ends, he's faced with a big, surprising casualty that I was not expecting, and another reveal that makes sense but is also surprising, it's clear things are going to get hard after this.

This volume was intense in several parts, and I definitely want to read the next one after that cliffhanger. After what we learned in the previous couple volumes, that blow hits hard.

 

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

Manga Review: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 7, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2020

Volumes: 12 (+Extra)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. Suzume and Mr. Shishio take a trip together for the first time. But something weighs heavily on Mr. Shishio’s mind. Meanwhile, Suzume’s worried about being caught on a romantic outing with her teacher.

 

Review:

 

Suzume is attempting to connect better with Shishio, but Shishio is being reminded of the fact that he's older and he's her teacher. There's a lot of complications because of that, pressures, and a confrontation that we expected to happen at some point. It's not surprising how it goes, but it is rough. And how Shishio responds to it doesn't help anything.

I'm frustrated by this series at this point. It gives us like a tiny piece of progress, and then throws it all away in a second. I understand the drama of it, and I even understand the necessity of real possible issues. But it's still frustrating, and while I've been rooting for Shishio and Suzume, Shishio is starting get on my nerves a little bit with how he's handling these things.

I still feel like there's a definite main couple option here, but it keeps throwing these surprises at me that make me doubt it. I'm never quite sure where it's going next.

Manga Review: Black Clover, Volume 18, by Yuki Tabata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 26+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 17. 19.

 

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!

With their friend and teammate turned into an elf, the other members of the Black Bulls will risk their lives to return Luck back to normal. But is their only hope Asta and his new sword?

 

Review:

 

The fight against the fae body-snatchers continues in this volume.

Asta barges in and tries to get his friends back to normal; there's a lot of stuff blowing up, a lot of emotions and arguing as they try to talk sense into them. The first half of the volume has Asta's fight continuing from the previous volume, then the latter half features Yami fighting. It's all very intense, blah blah blah. The volume ends with the hint of the main fight coming, I believe. We'll see.

I will admit this story line is a tiny bit more interesting than previous ones, but I don't care much for the characters. The inner turmoil all feels rather one-dimensional to me. Something about the fairies' hate also feels off to me, as well.

Meh, overall. The writing and characterization in this series is not enough for me.

 

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

Manga Review: Spy x Family, Volume 1, by Tatsuya Endo

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2020

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volumes: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Master spy Twilight is the best at what he does when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions in the name of a better world. But when he receives the ultimate impossible assignment—get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!

Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!

 

Review:

 

When a spy is forced into a new mission to infiltrate a school, he's ordered to get a child old enough to enter the school, and a wife so he looks like a nice family man. Only the child he finds in the orphanage, Anya, is actually a telepath. And then when he stumbles upon a woman suitable to be his wife, it turns out she's an assassin. Of course, none of them know this about each other. Instead, they get to stumble into being a family-unit.

Loid is thrown into this, and like any good spy, he does the best he can in a short period of time. Anya only wants a family, she wants a nice father and mother and home. Reading their minds only lets her know when to be careful of their double lives, and what to say if she's lucky, though. Yor, while an assassin, is actually quite shy and often shamed for being single. So despite all of their differences, and how little they know about each other, they seem to be a perfect fit.

I'd heard really good things about this series, and it sounded cute. And so I'm really happy that I was hooked from the very beginning. Especially once we meet Anya, who is just adorable. I think following how this family gets to know each other, Yor and Loid figuring out how to be parents and also slowly forming their romance, is going to be a lot of fun.

I'm excited for the next one.

Manga Review: Ao Haru Ride, Volume 11, by Io Sakisaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2020

Volumes: 13.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Futaba Yoshioka has encountered her first love again in high school, but he seems different from the boy she once knew. With the help of his friends, Kou lets go of painful memories from his past. Futaba wants to get closer to Toma, but she ends up spending time with Kou.

 

Review:

 

Futaba and Kikuchi have been very good about talking to each other up to this point, about being honest about their feelings, especially with Kou involved. They come upon a road bump in this volume, when Futaba ends up following Kou to his old hometown.

It's important to Kou that he revisit his old home, form new memories and perspective of it. Having Futaba there is important, and helpful with that, even if he didn't intend it at the beginning. But Kou is still very clearly intending on winning her back, so he doesn't protest.

There's another scare with Futaba here, where she gets followed and lost. She wants Kikuchi to help her, because she's trying so hard for it to be him for her.

In the midst of all of that, we get some history on when Kominato started liking Murao, a brief history of them knowing each other. It's quite cute. After getting to know them a bit more, they seem like an odd couple. But I'm rooting for them regardless.

There's only two volumes left, so I imagine big things are coming next.

Manga Review: Given, Volume 1, by Natsuki Kizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Love of music unites the four members of the band Given: hotheaded guitarist Uenoyama, playboy drummer Akihiko, gentle bassist Haruki, and Mafuyu, a singer gifted with great talent and burdened by past tragedy. Their struggles and conflicts may drive them apart, but their bond to the music—and to each other—always brings them back together again.

Ritsuka Uenoyama is bored with it all—with school, with his basketball club, and even with his one true passion: playing guitar. That is, until the day he finds his favorite hidden napping spot occupied by a strange boy cradling a broken-stringed guitar. At first, Uenoyama is nonplussed by Mafuyu Sato and his slightly odd behavior, but when, on a whim, he asks Mafuyu to sing, the power of that song pierces him to the core.

 

Review:

 

I've heard so much about this series, I was actually wary of not liking it. My fears were in vain, because I was hooked almost immediately.

Uenoyama likes to nap during breaks in school, and when he goes to the stairway one day, he finds Mafuyu. Mafuyu is also sleeping, only he's holding a guitar with a broken string. When he tells Mafuyu that the guitar isn't ruined and can be fixed it sets off a tidal wave of changes for them both.

Mafuyu is a precious boy, and I only ever want good things to come to him from now on.

Anyway. I hadn't watched the anime when I read this volume, and have since finished the anime. The pacing is quite a bit different—we're given a lot more of an idea of what Mafuyu is going through here, whereas it took a lot longer in the anime. We also haven't been given as much information about their bandmates at this point. It hits a little differently, but it's still intense and it's still the same story.

I feel so strongly for Mafuyu, and I really just want good things for him. I understand why Uenoyama has a hard time saying no to him. And I feel for the fact that Mafuyu clearly has so much to say and is going through so many things, and yet doesn't know how to express any of it.

I feel very strongly for these characters, already, and I just badly need more.

Manga Review: Ran and the Gray World, Volume 5, by Aki Irie

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 7.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

A young sorceress transforms into an adult and sets out on magical adventures full of charm and wonder!

Ran Uruma can’t wait to grow up and become a sorceress like her mother, so with the help of a magical pair of sneakers, she transforms into an adult and sets off! Her father and older brother Jin try to keep her home safe, but Ran is determined to advance her powers and have adventures of her own!

With the Door destroyed, bugs are an even greater danger than before. The sorceresses build a glass fortress, but it’s only a matter of time before the bugs break through. Meanwhile, Ran tries to protect Otaro from being hunted down, but will she end up jeopardizing the battle against the bugs?

 

Review:

 

There's a lot of people hiding out in the Uruma house, so thankfully they're all magic. There's some debating and hunting, and an impending doom lingering over everyone. About halfway through the volume, though, Ran discovers that Otaru is behind all this, which means that something is wrong with him, and so she has to fight against the clock to find him and get him safe while everyone is out to kill him.

This volume actually got a bit exciting near the end. Ran has been holding a lot of magic inside her up to this point, while still being a kid. It's been a struggle for her to deal with both, and finally some of that starts to come out and she has to face it.

The characters and the story lines are all very odd, but in a unique and interesting way to me. Same as the art—it's unique, but so pretty.

We're left at a pretty good point in this volume, thankfully. But there's still some questions left. While this is my last review volume, I might pick up the rest of the series at some point. This is just such a neat series, I would like to see how it ends.

 

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