Manga Review: Love Stage!!, Volume 6, by Eiki Eiki and Taishi Zaou

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2016

Volumes: 7.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Izumi Sena is an average guy born into a family of famous celebrities. A college student and total otaku, he works hard every day with the goal of someday becoming a manga creator.

Review:

We get the conclusion to the amnesia plot line here, and unsurprisingly the happy make up between Ryoma and Izumi. There's some sexy stuff here, and a lot of sweet moments. They exclaim their undying love to each other over and over.

It's over the top, but I still really enjoy it. I think they're cute, and it's not too exaggerated so as not to be too much.

After that, Izumi gets to be an assistant to his favorite manga-ka. Here, we get to see how useless he really is in making a manga. He's honestly awful at it, and it's also not a surprise that Ryoma is quite good at it. Since they're both quite busy working, they have to work around their schedules to make time to see each other.

I actually love Rei and Sho even more than Ryoma and Izumi. I seriously find them adorable and I want to read their story, if there is one. We get at least two scenes between them in this volume, including a super adorable one at the beginning, that I am just in love with.

This series is an easy, cute and sexy romance. I usually enjoy each volume more than I expect to, and am looking forward to the next.

Manga Review: Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 9, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 4, 2017

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Thanks to Himari’s journey in the spiritual realm, Aoi is able to remember his past. While preparing a party to celebrate, Yukari tells Himari that Aoi shares a special connection with her parents…

Review:

We come to the conclusion of the arc involving Aoi's parents. It's rather sad, mostly. It's a sad ending for the little girl, and it's really bittersweet for Aoi. It's both good and bad.

Though, mostly, I'm wondering why we didn't see more of the connection between Aoi and the Nue. It was hinted earlier that Himari needs to not separate them so much, and yet nothing happens regarding that.

After that, the house throws a surprise party for Aoi. Himari even finds some magic fireworks. It's a nice reprieve, but it also ends up giving Himari a new insight into Aoi's point of view, the reason he's stayed so content in that house for so long--his purpose. It's sweet, but it's also a little sad, given the reason he was hanging on.

This volume was really good. It was at times depressing and beautiful and touching. I'm not sure where else this series is going, but I am enjoying it so far.

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

Manga Review: Case Closed, Volume 63, by Gosho Aoyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 11, 2017

Volumes: 92+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 61. 64.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can Detective Conan crack the case while trapped in a kid s body?
Jimmy Kudo, the son of a world-renowned mystery writer, is a high school detective who has cracked the most baffling of cases. One day while on a date with his childhood friend Rachel Moore, Jimmy observes a pair of men in black involved in some shady business. The men capture Jimmy and give him a poisonous substance to rub out their witness. But instead of killing him, it turns him into a little kid! Jimmy takes on the pseudonym Conan Edogawa and continues to solve all the difficult cases that come his way. All the while, he's looking for the men in black and the mysterious organization they're with in order to find a cure for his miniature malady.
CONAN DREAMS OF SUSHI
At a revolving sushi restaurant, a food critic is poisoned. Who slipped cyanide into the buffet? Something s fishy about this crime, but Conan is on hand to serve up justice!
Then a man dies at a strange contest for men who share the same last name...and the chief suspect is George s dad! And Conan joins the hunt for a drag racer called the Silver Witch who literally drives people to their deaths..."

Review:

The beginning of this volume really makes me wish that I had read the previous one. Because Conan is actually Jimmy, for a very short time. Ugh, I seriously love him and Rachel, and it depresses me how short their time together is.

The brief moment we had here, though, was very teasingly sweet.

After that, we go back to normal Conan detective-ing. We get a sushi shop murder, and then car racing hijinx that have resulted in some accident. The last one ended up being a misguided attempt at teaching people a lesson. There's also a tv competition that ends in a surprising murder, with a tricky clue for Conan to decode. Only, one of Conan's friends' father is in the competition.

These mysteries are always fun, but they do get a bit boring after a while. Even saying that, I enjoy following Conan, and I want more of the character relationships.

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

Manga Review: Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, Volume 1, by Masashi Kishimoto, Mikio Ikemoto, and Ukyo Kodachi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2017

Volumes: 3+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf (+ Gift).

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The ninja adventures continue with Naruto’s son, Boruto!

Naruto was a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He achieved his dream to become the greatest ninja in his village, and now his face sits atop the Hokage monument. But this is not his story... A new generation of ninja are ready to take the stage, led by Naruto's own son, Boruto!

Years have passed since Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to defeat Kaguya, the progenitor of chakra and the greatest threat the ninja world has ever faced. Times are now peaceful and the new generation of shinobi has not experienced the same hardships as its parents. Perhaps that is why Boruto would rather play video games than train. However, one passion does burn deep in this ninja boy’s heart, and that is the desire to defeat his father!

Review:

I didn't follow most of Naruto. I read several of the beginning volumes, and then I read a couple of random volumes later. I was never very into the series. But I'm willing to give Boruto a chance.

The artwork is done by someone else in this series, and it's just okay. I don't mind seeing what the characters have grown up into and what their kids are like—but then again, I don't actually know what they were doing at the end of the original series.

We're following Boruto here, and he's very clearly an angsty teen. He believes that his father is awful because he's always working and never pays his kids any attention. And, to be fair, he does make a clone go to a birthday party. Whilst all of this is going on, Orochimaru is also up to some bad things. I am intrigued by what is going on with Mitsuki, though, and would like to see more of that.

This was an okay start to a series. I didn't mind reading, but it wasn't great. It's not really my kind of series, though.

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

Teaser Tuesday[253]: Count All Her Bones (Girl, Stolen, #2) by April Henry

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-----------------------------------------------------

Count All Her Bones (Girl, Stolen, #2) by April Henry

Genre: YA Contemporary Mystery

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Release Date: May 2017

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Cheyenne sets out to save her former captor in this much-anticipated sequel to Girl, Stolen.

Six months ago, Griffin Sawyer meant to steal a car, but he never meant to steal the girl asleep in the backseat. Panicked, he took her home. His father, Roy, decided to hold Cheyenne―who is blind―for ransom. Griffin helped her escape, and now Roy is awaiting trial. As they prepare to testify, Griffin and Cheyenne reconnect and make plans to meet. But the plan goes wrong and Cheyenne gets captured by Roy’s henchmen―this time for the kill. Can Cheyenne free herself? And is Griffin a pawn or a player in this deadly chase?

Excerpt:

“He let her hug him, trying not to stiffen. It was his fault his mom was dead.” (Hardback, pg. 32)

What are you reading right now?

Manga Review: In/Spectre, Volume 1, by Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: November 2016

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

KINDRED SPIRITS
The 17-year-old Kotoko has a unique situation. When she was a child, she was kidnapped by spiritscalled yokai, and returnedmissing one leg and one eye. Since then, she has been able to communicate with otherworldlyforces, both benevolent and dangerous. Kotoko is alone in her power until she learns that the crush she's watched from afar, Kur, has had his own encounter with yokai! As if being touched by the supernatural wasn't enough, Kur 's personal life is also in shambles. With their shared experiences and understanding, Kotoko and Kur form a partnership to deal with mysteries, from ancient demons to the ghost of an idol. But for a girl who's used to dealing with spirits, winning love might prove to be the bigger challenge!

Review:

This series intrigued me a little when I first heard about it, but it's taken me a while to get around to starting it. The artwork is pretty, though I hadn't really read the description.

We meet Kotoko at the beginning, a girl who was kidnapped by yokai when she was young, and has to visit the hospital regularly for check ups. She has a crush on Kuro, a boy who also regularly visits the hospital, but she hasn't really talked to him until now. He also has an interesting connection to yokai that Kotoko is curious about.

I like Kotoko from the beginning. She's tiny, looks much younger than she is, but she's smart and she doesn't mind the scars she's earned to be where she is now. She's very upfront and shameless in the way she talks, and I appreciate that.

In the second half of the volume, we skip forward some, and we see what a different character has been up to. I'm intrigued to see where the next volume goes, given the switch of characters, and I like what I've seen so far.

Manga Review: The Water Dragon's Bride, Volume 2, by Rei Toma

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 4, 2017

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A modern-day girl gets whisked away to a strange land where she is sacrificed to a water dragon god!
In the blink of an eye, a modern-day girl named Asahi is whisked away from her warm and happy home and stranded in a strange and mysterious world where she is sacrificed to a water dragon god! What plans are in store for her, and what will happen when she comes face to face with this god?
After a ritual in the village leaves her hovering on the brink of death, Asahi is rescued by the power of the water dragon god! Has he awakened to feelings of compassion, or does Asahi need to flee this treacherous world before something irreparable happens to her?

Review:

So far, this series seems beautiful and sad. Asahi and Subaru have a true friendship, a connection despite everything going against them. The Water God is making it hard on them, and Subaru's mother is awful, and even the village as a whole is awful. Then the Water God punishes the village, in a move that he thinks helps Asahi. In a strange twist, suddenly the village doesn't want Asahi dead, and they start treating her like royalty. She even gets a helper, an older boy who looks after her.

The Water God is still looming over her, though, waiting to take her away, and Asahi has to deal with that and the fact that she can never go back home.

At the end of the volume, it looks like we're going to be skipping forward in time, to a new arc. I'm surprised by how good this series is so far, and I'm really looking forward to reading the next one. 

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

Manga Review: Ten Count, Volume 4, by Rihito Takarai

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2017

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Corporate secretary Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder in this doctor-patient romance fraught with compulsion!

Corporate secretary Shirotani suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. One day he meets Kurose, a therapist who offers to take him through a ten-step program to cure him of his compulsion. As the two go through each of the ten steps, Shirotani’s attraction to his counselor grows.

At the mercy of Kurose’s hands and words, Shirotani finally hears the full reason Kurose fell in love with him. The truth is such a surprise that Shirotani runs away from him in shock, and it isn’t long before his body starts aching for Kurose’s touch, causing Shirotani to soothe his own desire. But in doing so, he scares up memories of the traumatic event at the core of his compulsion.

Review:

I think I've just given in at this point. I know that this series has some serious issues regarding healthy relationships. But as a guilty pleasure, I really like it.

This series is so dirty. Explicitly dirty. I love it.

We get to see what started Shirotani's problems, and why he feels so shameful and bad all the time. It's honestly heartbreaking.

Hearing Kurose's reasons for wanting to be with Shirotani is actually more unhealthy and problematic, in my mind. It's even a little disturbing, and the way he's mean to Shirotani is a bit upsetting. And yet I like the way that he reassures Shirotani afterward. It is sadistic, for sure, at times.

I honestly really enjoy this series, and am looking forward to the next one. They're bad, and yet so good at the same time.

Manga Review: Assassination Classroom, Volume 14, by Yusei Matsui

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5 
Publisher: Shonen Jump Advanced (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2017

Volumes: 21.

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 13. 15.

Goodreads Synopsis:

What does a pathetic class of misfits have in their arsenal to combat their schoolteacher’s alien technology, bizarre powers and...tentacles?!

Ever caught yourself screaming, "I could just kill that teacher"?

What would it take to justify such antisocial behavior and weeks of detention? Especially if he's the best teacher you've ever had? Giving you an "F" on a quiz? Mispronouncing your name during roll call...again? How about blowing up the moon and threatening to do the same to Mother Earth—unless you take him out first?! Plus a reward of a cool 100 million from the Ministry of Defense!

Okay, now that you're committed... How are you going to pull this off? What does your pathetic class of misfits have in their arsenal to combat Teach's alien technology, bizarre powers and...tentacles?!

Lowly Class E and elite Class A compete for the most customers at their school festival booths. So far, the students of Class E are holding their own, despite their location on the mountaintop. Then a parade of familiar faces, some welcome and some…not so much…drop by with surprising consequences. Will Principal Asano’s son Gakushu be able to maintain his position as the illustrious leader of Class A? Who could possibly replace him in hopes of leading the students to victory and subjugating the weak…?

Review:

I haven't read any of this series, and honestly barely even knew what it was about. So this was a surprising volume for me.

Koro Sensei is such a weird character. He's an octopus-like thing, who seems to be challenging people to kill him, and yet also a little worried about that?

Class 3-E is competing against class A to win at the festival, and I'm actually surprised when Koro sensei tells them to stop and not push themselves. His point in teaching them doesn't seem to be winning against other people, so much as winning for themselves in what they can do.

Next there's an exam coming up, and everyone in class E needs to be in the top 50. It's difficult and takes a lot of studying, and the principal has made the exam near impossible for anyone. And yet they still win at it.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable volume, and even the exam questions were shown in a unique battle style as the students worked through them. The principal seems to be a particular evil, just mindlessly trying to tear people down and brainwash them.

This volume was interesting, and I don't think I'll mind reading more.

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

Teaser Tuesday[252]: Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

-------------------------------------

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Release Date: 2015

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling.

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Excerpt:

“'Yeah. Definitely good strange.'” (Hardback, pg. 99)

What are you reading right now?

Manga Review: Liselotte & Witch's Forest, Volume 3, by Natsuki Takaya

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 5 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Liselotte, the daughter of a feudal lord, has been exiled to the lands east of the east of the east and now lives with her servants (Anna and Alto), the mysterious Engetsu, and the impertinent familiar Yomi, at the edge of the witches' forest. Despite Alto's objections, Lise's new family somehow continues to grow. But her troublesome past has caught up with them, and Engetsu is gravely injured. Can Lise save him and also continue to live as optimistically as her heart desires...?

Review:

I love all of the colored pages in this series. They are just so pretty.

After that last volume, we see Liselotte pleading for the tree to save Engetsu. She makes a deal for him to be saved, only Liselotte doesn't know what she has to lose to get him back. It's a surprise for her, though it does make sense—given the tree spirit's personality. It's interesting to see how it affects them both—how uncaring Engetsu acts at first, and how Liselotte changes her view and becomes determined to start new. Liselotte is rather optimistic, and straightforward in her wishes. She's unbothered by how other people react.

I like seeing how Liselotte affects the people around her, like the step that Alto takes in getting closer to her. There's a glimpse of, I believe, her brother at the end of the volume. I'm intrigued to see what happens next there.

This is a rather good series so far. I'm intrigued by the story, what happened to Liselotte before all this and what's going to happen with Engetsu next.

Manga Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 8, by Aya Shouoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: 11+

Volumes: April 2017

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate which exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. Since his battle with Nachi, Aoi has been unable to transform back from being the Nue. Aoi must recover his lost human memories, and Himari enters the spiritual realm to retrieve them.

Review:

Himari goes on a quest to discover Aoi's past, hoping it will let him return to his normal form. It's interesting to see her interactions with the Nue, since he's so different from Aoi. It makes me wonder, though, since it seems like the Nue is actually a different side of Aoi, not a different person all-together. Himari seems very determined to have only Aoi, and not any of the Nue.

We get to see Aoi's past in this volume, as well as meet his parents. It makes me sad for little Aoi, but it also makes me wonder what his parents' view of it is. I'm curious to see what happens next. The series doesn't seem to be ending soon, so I'm curious where it will go next.

Manga Review: Oresama Teacher, Volume 21, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2016

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 20. 22.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can high school delinquent Mafuyu clean up her act and still kick some butt?!

Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter’s wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.

Review:

I almost wish that I had been following this series more closely. I do quite enjoy the humor here, and while there are too many characters to keep track of, I do enjoy the comedy and antics involved.

At the beginning of the volume, there's a chapter involving crossdressing, in which one guy pretends to be a girl and has to reject a guy that confessed to “her”, and Mafuyu gets to pretend to be “her” boyfriend. There are a lot of misunderstandings and silly competitions involved.

After that, there's an impostor Super Bun running around campus and causing havoc, stealing stuff. Mafuyu is confused by it, but also very freaked out at having so many of her masks all over the place. I do quite enjoy all of the comedy involved, misunderstandings and the confusion that ensues.

This series is quite fun, and I do enjoy reading it. I look forward to seeing who this fake super bun is in the next one.

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