Manga Review: Red Riding Hood and the Big Sad Wolf!, Volume 2, by Hachoujou Arata

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: 2017

Volumes: 2.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

 “MY, WHAT BIG TEARS YOU HAVE!”

Love burns–especially when you’re a sensitive wolf who’s caught the eye of a sadistic pyromaniac! After incinerating Wolf’s home, Red Riding Hood has decided she’s going to marry him…but her parents have other plans. They want her to marry the lofty narcissist, Hawk, who sees Red as nothing but a pretty doll. Will it be wedding bells or wedding hell for Red Riding Hood and the Wolf? Find out in Volume 2 of this sadistic romantic comedy!

 

Review:

 

Everyone continues to torment Wolf in this final volume, whether because they want to or because he stumbles into situations in the woods. Red Riding Hood is still heavily chasing after him, including attempting to force him into a wedding.

I will say I'm glad that the ending didn't actually end in a sweet romance, though it also makes sense that it wouldn't given the comedy style. But still, I really didn't care for any of this. The humor might just not be my style, because I didn't really enjoy most of it. I also didn't particularly care for the characters, either.

I would say this was meh, but I was actually bothered by the torture of Wolf too much to even say that.

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: 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!

Manga Review: Author's Pet by Deathco Cotorino

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: June/DMP

Release Date: 2008

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

High school student Yuta bumps into a man outside the train station, injuring him. The man's name is Tsubaki Nishijima, occupation novelist. In exchange for crippling his arm, Tsubaki demands Yuta work like a slave every day!

Review:

This volume has several stories in it. The title story is a couple chapters, and it stars a guy who starts ghost writing for an author when he's at fault for the guy getting hurt and unable to write himself. This is a bit dramatic but just okay, as the author ends up taking advantage of the guy, with a rude, cocky attitude.

None of these stories really stood out for me, and the one that did wasn't very good. I didn't really like any of the characters, the story wasn't very well written, and the artwork wasn't very good; it was all a bit one-dimensional.

Manga Review: My Hero Academia Smash!!, Volume 1, by Hirofumi Neda and Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2019

Volumes: 5.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Listen up! Follow the story of Midoriya, All Might and all the other aspiring heroes of U.A. High, but with hilarious twists! In this first volume, find out how Midoriya really trained to receive One for All and learn the U.A. students' goofy thoughts during their first practical exams...plus, All Might as Santa Claus? What are you waiting for? Start reading!!

Review:

This is a parody spin-off of MHA, just comic strips poking fun at the characters and main series. This volume pointedly follows along with the main series, and we meet the characters from the beginning, following the timeline of the main series.

There were a couple of funny moments, but mostly I just didn't get this volume. Most of it didn't hit me as funny, it was just meh, and not much of a fun read. I've heard good things about the later volumes, though, so hopefully it gets better?

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

Manga Review: Kuroko's Basketball, Volume 15 & 16, by Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 30.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1&2. 7&8. 17&18.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Seirin High’s greatest basketball superstar was the one no one literally saw coming—the invisible Kuroko!

Tetsuya Kuroko doesn’t stand out much. In fact, he’s so plain that people hardly ever notice when he’s around. Though he’s just as unremarkable on the basketball court, that’s where his plainness gives him an unexpected edge—one that lets him execute awesome moves without others noticing!

It’s the third quarter of Seirin’s game against To-oh, and the team faces a tough time when Momoi’s strategies nullify Kuroko’s effectiveness. His misdirection is failing, and Aomine’s unbelievable skills are leaving Seirin in the dust… Now all hopes for victory rest on Kuroko’s ultimate move!

Review:

There's a game going as the volume starts, and there's a lot of technique and emotion behind everything. We get some strategy and some back story moments. Then they get to prepare for the next game, strategize against this new team.

I think there's a lot going against this series for me to like. Firstly, I've discovered that I really don't care about basketball. At all. It might be my least favorite sport, and I don't really like any sport. I also don't understand how the game works, really, and so jumping in here with so little explained didn't help. If you like basketball—and were following the series—I'm sure this was better than I experienced.

I also don't really care for the art. Something about how sweaty the characters are drawn, in a somewhat realistic way, just doesn't sit with me right. Then one of the characters, Aomine, refuses to go to practice, because apparently he's so good it's a waste of time, and he wants to find an opponent who will actually give him a challenge.

I hate this. That motivation is rude and there's so many reasons why that's an asshole motivation; practice helps you learn from the other players, which he could still try to do, and also helps with team morale and building an actual team that works together. There's so many things wrong with this character's ideal and I hate him for it.

I just cannot get into this series. I tried, and I don't want to read any more of it.

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

Novel Review: Crossing the Line by Simone Elkeles

Rating (Out of 5): ~2-2.5

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)

Release Date: June 2018

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

A high-stakes story of star-crossed lovers from Simone Elkeles, the New York Times bestselling author of the Perfect Chemistry series

To escape his abusive stepdad, bad boy Ryan Hess runs from his tiny Texas border town to Mexico. But his plans to keep his head down and stay out of trouble are shattered the minute he meets the beautiful and totally out of his league Dalila Sandoval.

Dalila Sandoval shouldn’t even know someone like Ryan Hess. The daughter of one of the wealthiest lawyers in Mexico, Dalila is focused on studying and planning for her bright future. Ryan is only a distraction from her dreams, but she’s never felt more alive than when she’s by his side.

Ryan and Dalila are wrong for each other in every way. And yet they can’t resist the sparks that fly when they’re together. But their love is like a flame burning too close to the fuse.

Something is going to explode. Will their love be strong enough to survive? Or will it burn them both?

The Cover:

Meh. It's very typical romance couple. The title is really the only interesting part about it, but still nothing really catches my attention or makes me want to pick it up. Aside from expecting/wanting more intense of a romance.

Review:

I've enjoyed Elkeles' books in the past, quite a lot really. So I didn't expect this, or to feel this way about it.

I will admit that the beginning of this book reminded me a bit of All the Pretty Horses, which is a book I hated when I read it in high school. Most of the book didn't really have that feel, though, once I got into it.

I don't want to spoil how any of this happens, but I will say this book does not have a happily every after. I didn't expect it to go this way for most of the book, even really until the end when it happened. It doesn't happen often, and I really don't care for tragedies. They're not my kind of thing.

To be fair, though, I also didn't really feel much for this book. The characters were okay, but I wasn't all that into the romance, I wasn't even really feeling the chemistry. In the beginning it felt okay, but instead of getting better, the plot just seemed to drag on. They were put in a pretty impossible situation, including where some adults could have helped and instead decided to keep them out of the loop on everything. And how it all wrapped up and the big surprise bad guy (which wasn't terribly surprising) ended up seeming rather unrealistic.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just don't think it was meant to be for me. It had a lot in the way of it, it seems. And I can even, kind of, maybe, see how that ending was okay. But mostly I'm just not happy about it.

Manga Review: Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha by Dragongarow LEE and Akira Toriyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

One Dragon Ball fan's dream of being reincarnated in the Dragon Ball world turns into a nightmare when he's actually reborn as everyone's favorite punching bag.

A Dragon Ball fan’s greatest dream is getting to live in the Dragon Ball universe and fight alongside Goku and his friends! But one particular fan is in for a rude awakening when he suddenly dies and gets reincarnated as everyone’s favorite punching bag, Yamcha!

A Japanese high school student is on his way to a Dragon Ball event and makes a detour to hit on a cute girl. Unfortunately, he meets with an unfortunate and fatal accident before he reaches her and, to his great surprise, wakes up in the Dragon Ball universe as Yamcha! Being a Dragon Ball fan, he knows exactly what misery awaits him as Yamcha, so he takes matters into his own hands and vows to make Yamcha the strongest Dragon Ball character ever!

Review:

A normal school boy in Japan, when running to get a better view of a schoolgirl, falls down some stairs, and wakes up as Yamcha in Dragon Ball. It's a fanboys dream, and he gets into some crazy antics while in that world. He goes back to Earth with a new perspective, kind of.

As a mediocre fan of Dragon Ball, this wasn't really the book for me. I barely know any of the characters, and given that this guy is a fanboy from the start, he's excited to jump in and see the characters he loves and live as Yamcha as he knows he is. I didn't really follow much, but I don't have much history with the series.

For an avid fan, I'm sure this is a really fun volume, though; an easy, funny, fanfic kind of story. Not for me, though.

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

Comic Review: Gingerbread Girl by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions

Release Date: 2011

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

There are plenty of established facts concerning 26-year-old Annah Billips. She likes sushi and mountains, but hates paper cuts and beer breath. She dates girls and boys, and loves to travel. She may have a missing sister, or she might be insane. Did Annah invent an imaginary sister named Ginger during her parents' ferocious divorce, or did her mad scientist father extract part of her brain and transform it into a living twin?
In this graphic novel, a host of narrators including boyfriends, girlfriends, magicians, pigeons, bulldogs, and convenience store clerks follow Annah through a night in her life in an attempt to determine that one last fact about Annah...and the Gingerbread Girl.

Review:

I thought that this was going to be a fun, quirky indie comic when I picked it up from my local bookstore. I'm a little disappointed by how it turned out.

We meet Annah, who believes she has a sister, made out of her own brain, who has disappeared. She's constantly looking for her, and believes that she has no emotions without her, and thus refuses to make any lasting decisions.

We meet Annah as the book starts, but then the story quickly shifts to other characters in the scene, who introduce themselves and talk to the reader, and talk about their experience with Annah. We get some science for what Annah thinks happened to her, and how it might have come about. The switching perspectives reminded me a bit of A Little Something Different, only not done quite as well, and more directly told to the reader.

Given how far-fetched the idea of her sister turns out to be, the thrown in science seems even more hard to believe. And then we get no answers—everyone refuses to answer any questions, as most of them don't have answers. Nothing gets solved, and we only get a base understanding of Annah and any of the other characters.

After I got to the end of the book, I felt a bit like I'd wasted my time. The whole concept was implausible to me, it didn't seem to have any real depth, and then nothing was answered or solved in the end. Not even her wish-washy attitude toward her dates. I'm a bit annoyed, possibly at how disappointed I was. The only part of it I did appreciate was the bisexuality of Annah.

Manga Review: Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter, Volume 7, by Keiichi Hikami and Shin Yamamoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: April 2017

Volumes: 10.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the world of the hit game from Capcom, novice hunters team up to fight huge monsters!

It is an age when monsters rule the world, soaring through the sky, treading the earth and filling the seas. Humanity survives on the fringes, relying on a special kind of hero to defend the people from danger – the Monster Hunters!

Keres takes on Muriel as his apprentice, and she has a lot to learn about being a Hunter. Beyond the practical skills of hunting, she also learns more about Keres’ background and her own inspiration for becoming a Hunter. Raiga continues pushing his limits, but will it cost him his friends? Time passes but the hunt goes on!

Review:

I want to start this by saying that this series is not made for me. It's not really my kind of story to begin with, but the games are also not my kind of thing. I still kind of expected to like it more, though.

I just had a hard time following this volume. There's a catch-up at the beginning of the volume, with characters, and yet when I started the volume, I felt like 70% of the story and characters had been left out of it. I had so little idea of who anyone was and what their relationship to each other was. I had a hard time telling them apart, and then the time line skipped around a few times.

I had a hard time following the action, too. The fighting was all a blur to me, and I had no idea what was happening. With the games, too, I don't understand how the fights work. I'm not used to characters fighting a monster, and then suddenly leaving the fight for a few scenes/days to recover, and then going back.

I think the story really started falling apart for me, though, when I started wondering why they were searching out these monsters and killing them off so harshly—what did the monsters do? I mean, that couple just wanted to protect their eggs.

I think I'm just going to say that this series isn't for me, and leave it at that. I mean, there wasn't even a single character I cared about, at any point in this volume.

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

Manga Review: Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, Volume 4, by Yasuo Ohtagaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: VIZ Signature

Release Date: August 2017

Volumes: 12 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An epic story of war and survival set in the legendary Gundam universe!

In the Universal Century year 0079, the space colony known as Side 3 proclaims independence as the Principality of Zeon and declares war on the Earth Federation. One year later they are locked in a fierce battle for the Thunderbolt Sector, an area of space scarred by the wreckage of destroyed colonies.

The fleets of the Earth Federation’s Moore Brotherhood and the Republic of Zeon have shattered each other in a bloody battle for the Thunderbolt Sector. Mirroring the greater struggle, the ferocious duel between Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz leaves both the Full Armor Gundam and the Psycho Zaku heavily damaged and Io a prisoner of war. The Zeon space habitat A Baoa Qu now becomes the final battleground of the One Year War…

Review:

Having never read or watched anything Gundam before, I'm not sure what I was expecting. I knew it was a tech series, so I really shouldn't be surprised.

Almost this entire volume takes place in space-suit-ships, during battle. Two sides are fighting, and I don't know any of the people flying them. I didn't get much of a sense of any of the characters during this, or really where the fight was going. There were glimpses of possibly interesting interactions, but I don't know enough about the characters or relationships to fully understand why.

I was mostly lost in this volume, but this isn't really my kind of series anyway.

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

Manga Review: Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale, Volume 2, by Chie Shimada

Rating (Out of 5): ~1.5-2

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2018

Volumes: 2.

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Beautiful boy rebels using their fists to fall in love!

Hinako thought she didn't have any family, but on the day she starts high school, her twin brother Hikaru suddenly appears and tricks her into taking his place. But the new school Hinako attends in his stead is beyond unusual. Now she must fight her way to the top of Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school of delinquents!

Hinako takes her twin brother Hikaru’s place at Shishiku Academy for boys. Fights break out every day, but there are also lots of heart-palpitating events with the boys that she never expected! And as the battle to be the boss of the school rages on, will Hikaru make it to the top?

Review:

Going into this volume, I had no idea that it was the final volume. And I only found that out by looking it up online—that ending leaves me unsatisfied.

Hinako meets her older brother in this volume, and she's surprised and very excited to find out that she has a brother who seems to dote on her. She's discovering family she never knew she had, and it's exciting for her, even if he doesn't realize she's Hinako and not Hikaru.

There's some light fighting and fooling around, leading up to Totomaru getting hurt and his father pulling him from school. This leads to a typical angst where Hinako wants to do something, but Totomaru won't tell them what's really happening, up until he's about to fly away.

It's a sweet reunion, but the whole plot didn't worry me, because they always end the same. And then the series just ends—on an uplifting note, I suppose, but still just an end to the volume. It feels more like an end to an arc, or one plot point, not the whole series. There's no conclusion to the romance, or the guys finding out she's a girl, or even what's going on with her real family since they don't seem to know or care that she exists.

It didn't feel at all like an ending, and it left me feeling lackluster. Not to mention that none of the characters had felt fleshed-out yet, and so the characters and plot felt weak. It just leaves me disappointed and underwhelmed.

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

Manga Review: The Knockout Makers, Volume 3, by Kyoko Hashimoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Tokyopop

Release Date: 2008

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2.

Add on Goodreads.

RightStuf Synopsis:

Be they homely, happy, chubby or busty, the Knockout Makers exist to help girls feel beautiful, inside and out. They'll tackle any tangle, blush any cheek, and even cross dress if they have to, all in the name of feminine beauty. But after five years and nearly a hundred makeovers, are makeup artist Toshihiro, hair stylist Nobuo and fundamentals expert Ryouhei ready to retire?Story and art by Kyouko Hashimoto.

Review:

Meh. I’m just disappointed and underwhelmed with this one.

Three guys work together, in a secret, special group, to make women feel beautiful and happy about themselves.

Most of this is quite shallow, which is annoying. But mostly there was so little development. The cases are all episodic, understandably, but we barely got to know the three guys. There were glimpses of pasts and personalities, and even possible romances, but none of it went anywhere. No real development, nothing serious, and then it just kind of ends.

I wanted more, and so I’m disappointed.