Manga Review: After Hours, Volume 3, by Yuhta Nishio

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

There’s always something going on at night. Sooner or later, you’ll find your scene.

Emi Asahina is 24, unemployed and not really sure what she wants to do with her life. When a friend invites her to a dance club, Emi doesn’t expect much. But what she finds will change her world!

Emi, Kei and their friends have successfully planned the rave of their dreams, and the experience has filled Emi with an electric need to keep striving. But will Emi’s newfound focus and determination falter when Kei, her mentor and girlfriend, goes AWOL?

Review:

All of Emi and Kei's hard work is finally coming to a conclusion as the night is nearing. Their rave has some issues and a lot of work to be dealt with before it comes, and then it's finally here. And after their big party, what next?

I was happy with where they went after their big event. Kei had some family issues to deal with, which caused her and Emi to finally decide what to do with their relationship—whether it's real and they want to keep going or not.

I like how it all plays out. The rave is a new experience for Emi, and is a goal for them to work toward again. And they get to see whether they want to face that future together or not; none of it is too dramatic or life-ending, either, which I appreciate. They handle things relatively calmly and with patience, and it works for them that way.

This was a fun little yuri series. I appreciated that it handled the yuri aspect maturely, and had a real plot beside it, a sweeter take on yuri that we've started seeing more of.

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

Manga Review: The Young Master's Revenge, Volume 4, by Meca Tanaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Love’s revenge can be sweet.

When Leo was a young boy, he had his pride torn to shreds by Tenma, a girl from a wealthy background who was always getting him into trouble. Now, years after his father’s successful clothing business has made him the heir to a fortune, he searches out Tenma to enact a dastardly plan—he’ll get his revenge by making her fall in love with him!

Leo has been trying to get the down-to-earth Tenma to fall in love with him, but she’s remained immune to his advances. The Rose King and President Tojo are meddling to stop Leo and Tenma from becoming a couple, and it’s up to Tenma to set things right.

Review:

The final volume of the series, meaning that Leo has to undo all of his messy revenge tactics in order to actually be with Tenma, since he's given her such a misguided impression of his intentions and feelings.

This couple is actually pretty cute. Tenma doesn't quite know how to deal with her feelings or what they mean, and Leo has to readjust his thought of his feelings, because he's so used to trying to be cruel instead of sweet. But when they finally figure it out, it's pretty dang cute.

This didn't feel rushed at all, and I even like the time skip at the end. It felt pretty fitting and really sweet. This was a really fun, sweet shojo series to read, and I'm really glad I followed it to the end.

Manga Review: The Delinquent Housewife!, Volume 1, by Nemu Yoko

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A family comedy manga about a high school boy and his sister in law who moves in, who has a BIG secret from her past.

Tohru Komukai and his bride-to-be, Komugi, move in with his family just until they find a place of their own. Or, that was the plan, until Tohru suddenly leaves for a long-term business trip overseas, leaving Komugi to fend for herself on her in-laws’ turf. While Komugi is pretty, considerate and appears to be an ideal housewife, the truth is she doesn’t know how to do a lick of housework, and can’t cook at all. Also, she has a secret past as a member of an all-girls bosozoku biker gang! The only member of the family to learn these secrets is Dai, Tohru’s younger brother, and he helps Komugi keep up appearances until she can learn how to hold her own as a domestic goddess...

Review:

Komugi and her fiance have moved in with his family while they plan and settle things, and then suddenly he's called away overseas on business. Which leaves Komugi with her fiance's family, not knowing them too well at this point.

Komugi is trying hard to help and fit in and get along with everyone. But she's clearly the odd one out. And also, she used to be a delinquent, and now she sneaks out of the house at night to meet up with her girl friends, and of course she can't tell her fiance's family any of this, because they wouldn't approve.

I was honestly very interested in this series, originally. I don't really understand why she would be living with her fiance's family, but maybe that's an American thing for that to seem weird; especially once he's gone for who-knows-how-long. But once it was obvious that Dai, her fiance's brother, likes her, I lost some interest. I'm still intrigued by Komugi's character and her challenges regarding her delinquent past, but I'm not interested in that whole unrequited soon-to-be brother-in-law drama. I don't think that's necessary.

I believe this is a short series, so I might try more. I'm not sure at this point.

Manga Review: Boarding School Juliet, Volume 1, by Yousuke Kaneda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 2018

Volumes: 16.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

At Dahlia Academy, a prestigious boarding school attended by students of two feuding countries—the eastern Nation of Touwa, and the Principality of West—Romio Inuzuka, leader of the dorms’ Touwa first-years, wishes for a romance that can never be. For his ladylove is none other than his arch-enemy, Juliet Persia, leader of the dorms’ West first-years! Is Inuzuka ready to risk it all to confess his feelings? And even if Persia somehow agrees to go out with them, how long can they keep a forbidden relationship under wraps?!

Review:

I had higher hopes for this volume.

Two countries are practically at war, and the prestigious academies share a plot of land, though they're extremely separated. Romio is head of the black doggy side, and Juliet is head of the white cat side. They have daily battles, and neither wants to give in. But Romio has been infatuated with Juliet for a while, though of course he's not allowed to tell anyone, let alone her.

When they decide to secretly start dating, it causes some conflict in their fights.

Romio is kind of cute, how he fawns over Juliet and wants her affection. Juliet has to put on a brave face, since she's a woman in charge of her school, so it's a little harder to see whether she actually likes Romio or not. It seems like he's growing on her, but their start to dating seems more like her just giving in to appease him, a bit.

We meet a couple of other characters, and seeing Juliet's friendship with the tyrant princess adds some humanity to her character, I think. Otherwise, her side of the romance doesn't quite seem as believable.

This series just didn't really hit me. I wanted to like it, but it reminded me of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, and I think that one does it better. So far, at least.

But to be fair, I'm also not big on the Romeo and Juliet thing?

Manga Review: Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Volume 6, by Megumi Morino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

This funny and heartrending romantic manga set in modern Tokyo is not the fairy tale you remember! This time, Prince Charming is a teenage janitor, and this Sleeping Beauty's curse is a supernatural, gender-bending dream that threatens to pull them both into a deeper and deeper slumber…

SWEET DREAMS

After a hectic summer, Shizu and her mother welcome a calm autumn in their home. Every day, Shizu grows more certain of herself, but after meeting the living daughter of one of her ghosts, she realizes it all comes at a price. The spirits within her know they are existing on borrowed time, and no one is more worried than Shizu. As a newfound loneliness creeps into her heart, she finds out the hard way that there is plenty to gain in letting go…

Review:

The last bit of closure for the series is the ghosts inhabiting Shizu's body. They need closure in order to move on, and Shizu and Tetsu decide to find it. Haru is the biggest surprise, both sad and sweet. Shizu forms a friendship with his daughter in the search, though.

Shizu gets to continue discovering herself. Finding out who she is and what she likes, and what she wants. I really like these kinds of plot lines/characters to begin with, and it's nice to see Shizu figuring these things out. She's getting out there and making friendships, going after what she wants, and growing her relationship with Tetsu along the way.

The ending for this series was really sweet. It wrapped up all of the loose threads, including Shizu's relationship with her father and Tetsu's mother's status. Some a little open, but on the way to getting better, I think.

This was a really sweet series, and I'm glad I followed it.

Manga Review: Ne Ne Ne by Shizuku Totono and Daisuke Hagiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Married off to a man more than twenty years her senior, Koyuki has no idea what her new life has in store for her. She's so in the dark, in fact, that she hasn't even seen her husband's face! But Koyuki isn't alone in fumbling through the intricacies of wedded bliss. Mask-donning Shin might have many years on his young wife, but as it turns out, he's just as naïve as she is! Will this pair of innocents ever get past their awkwardness (and the age gap)?!

Review:

This is by the same artist as Horimiya, so of course I had to pick it up. I'm obsessed with that series, and I had to try this one out.

Koyuki is married off to Shin, an older man who wears a mask, and whom she knows nothing about, but is determined to be a good housewife to. She's extremely innocent, but she thinks she's prepared for everything marriage entails, and she's curious. Fortunately for her, though, Shin is just as innocent as she is, and he can't bring himself to try anything with such a younger woman, even as their feelings grow.

This was a really sweet book. Koyuki works hard doing what she can for Shin, taking care of the house and cooking for him and trying not to let anything get in her way, even her own injuries. The humor is really good, and the banter and tricks are quite funny. Koyuki gets stubborn at times, and it's fun to see her fight Shin, and how Shin tries to appease her. They get a little dragon at one point, and it's a cute little thing.

I think if this series were given more time, it could have developed more, and more things would have been explained. I would have liked to see under Shin's mask, for instance. And I wanted to see the two actually get closer, to share touches and kisses more. But this was a really sweet ones-shot, and I think it ended at a good point. It was a fun, very cute romance story.

Manga Review: Astra Lost in Space, Volume 5, by Kenta Shinohara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 5.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can eight teenagers find their way home from 5,000 light-years away?

It’s the year 2063, and interstellar space travel has become the norm. Eight students from Caird High School and one child set out on a routine planet camp excursion. While there, the students are mysteriously transported 5,000 light-years away to the middle of nowhere! Will they ever make it back home?!

Conspiracies begin to unravel as the truth behind the Astra crew members’ circumstances start to come to light. And when the crew reaches their last pit stop, Galem, the saboteur is revealed! Don’t miss the shocking conclusion in this final volume!

Review:

In the first half of this volume, we discover what happened with Earth and what planet the kids are from. Then we discover who is behind the murder attempts, and why. It's honestly a pretty interesting back story regarding Charce and Aries. And in the second half of the book, we get back to their home and confront their attempted murderers.

I enjoyed what I read of this series. The ending is a bit much, but I didn't really expect any different. I liked the twists it threw in, the whole conspiracies and idea behind Earth and the clones. I liked a few of the characters, though I didn't grow quite close enough to any of them by the end. But still, this was a fun sci-fi series.

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

Novel Review: Restore Me (Shatter Me, #4) by Tahereh Mafi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4-4.5

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: March 2018

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?

The Cover:

I absolutely love the covers of this series. They're gorgeous, and simple and eye-catching, without being embarrassing or typical young adult paranormal romance at all. Each one is very similar, but the colors are different enough, and they each depict something else. I love the beauty in the details of them.

Review:

It has been such a long time since the original trilogy ended, that I had forgotten some of the main plot points, and how it ended. But that didn't really hinder me in any way, as this book just starts it right back up.

Juliette is now in charge, and she's learning the responsibilities and what that entails. Warner is coming to terms with his new position, and the fact that his father is dead, and that he has siblings now. It's all very complicated.

And then the kids of the other world leaders show up to meet Juliette, with supposedly innocent reasons, but we all know this isn't true. Warner is keeping things from Juliette. And Juliette is trying to be a leader on her own, without Warner, who never wanted that position anyway.

And then we discover that Juliette can do more damage than anyone ever suspected, and we get thrown an even bigger curveball than I could have seen coming.

I still absolutely love the writing style in this series. I love the characters—Juliette and Warner and Kenji are my favorites, and I'm quite intrigued by Nazeera and Haider.

There are so many bombs dropped in this book, though. Juliette is told more about herself than she wanted to know, I think. And then that ending. That ending was awful, and leaves so many questions and so many things left open. I have a hard time processing it, and I am not okay. I am not okay with it.

I'm kind of glad I waited to read this, because it's not too long till the next book is out, thankfully. Because I need to know what happens next. As soon as possible.

Manga Review: Orange: Future by Ichigo Takano

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: January 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: Very light.

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Volume: 1. 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this long-awaited sequel to the critical and commercial hit, orange: future contains two stories that continue from where the series ended.

Review:

This is the conclusion to the Orange series, a tag-along volume.

It goes back and forth in time line, and back and forth in each version of their lives. Much like when the series started, we get to see the version where Kakeru lived in the future, where they all meet up again as they're all grown. And we also get to see how the original versions went on after Kakeru passed. How Naho and Suwa grew closer and started dating. The small moments that led up to it, the time that they mourned and Naho had to heal. How they moved on, kept going, even as they kept Kakeru in mind and never forgot.

This was a really sweet final volume. We got to fill in some of the pieces, and catch up with both sides of the story. It was really nice.

Comic Review: Alice From Dream to Dream by Giulio Macaione and Giulia Adragna

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Boom! Box

Release Date: October 2018

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

After moving back to Ohio, Alice is stuck sharing a bedroom with her brother, and worse, sharing his dreams! The bright spot in her life is her best friend, Jamie, but there's more history between their families than Alice realized, and there are secrets buried deep in their small town that only she’ll be able to explore...but only in her dreams!

From writer and artist Giulio Macaione (Ofelia), Alice: From Dream to Dream is an otherworldly trek into a spectacular world of dreams, nightmares, and being a teenager.

Review:

Alice visits peoples dreams when she sleeps, whether she wants to or not. Sharing a room with her brother is making this particularly difficult for her, as he enjoys horror movies, and thus means she's rather sleep deprived. But she can't tell her family about it, and so grows more like a moody teenager.

I didn't mind the plot line in this book, but it also didn't really hit me. I'm not sure if it just didn't feel fleshed-out enough, or what, though. There's some history between Alice's parents and her best friend Jamie's parents. Then there's the typical mean girl at school, who Alice ends up forming a kind-of friendship with, after Jamie gets hurt and they bond to save him; this kind of worked.

Including the school psychologist seemed odd to me, especially since Alice decides not to tell her family about her ability, and yet talks to this stranger about it. Then the drama with Jamie's father just seemed a little weak to me, especially with how Alice saves him afterward.

It was just okay. I wasn't all that impressed, and actually a little disappointed, because I really wanted to like it.

Manga Review: The Bride was a Boy by Chii

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

The heartwarming transgender love story, based on true events!

Drawn in the style of diary comics with an upbeat, adorable flair, this is a charming tale about Chii, a woman assigned male at birth. Her story starts with her childhood and follows the ups and downs of exploring her sexuality, gender, and transition--as well as falling in love with a man who’s head over heels for her. Now they want to get married, so Chii’s about to embark on a new adventure: becoming a bride!

Review:

I'd heard good things about this one, but it wasn't until I went to glimpse through it at the bookstore, and ended up reading almost a chapter, that I decided to pick it up. The concept grabbed my attention from the beginning, and it's a diverse subject that isn't mentioned much in manga.

The story follows Chii, who was born a boy, and how she slowly discovered and accepted that she always felt more like a girl than a boy. It's autobiographical, and it shows as Chii addresses the audience often, and explains things to us, about legal issues and how she worried about telling people. This is definitely more of a lighthearted story than I'm sure a lot of people experienced, but Chii had a relatively easy time of it. For her, though, her family was rather easy-going, and the boy she meets is perfectly fine with all of it as well. He's so in love with her, that he doesn't mind she's not completely a woman yet, and is perfectly fine dealing with the obstacles of all of this with her.

This is a really cute story, but I also think it's a really important one. It's a tough thing to go through in any society, and there are a lot of obstacles and things to consider and ways to handle it.

This was a fun read, and I think it's a really important one, too. I would definitely recommend it, and would love to see more books like it released.

Manga Review: Ten Count, Volume 6, by Rihito Takarai

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 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.

Review:

This is the final volume of the series, though I was unaware. We see Shirotani face some of his traumatic history in this volume, the girl who scarred him, and how Kurose reacts to that, despite not knowing the whole story. Shirotani has to get over a few of his issues, in his attempt at being better with his OCD. And he does get better in some ways, and he knows he still has more work to do, and that there's only so much he can do. This issue isn't an easy-step-process to being cured, and I appreciate that that's addressed at the end of the book. They both acknowledge that he isn't going to be magically better, but that he can still work to overcome some of this.

Throughout all of this, we see the couple grow more stable with each other, grow closer and better together.

I completely understand that a lot of people don't like this series. It's problematic—there's no arguing that. But I still really liked it. It's very hot, and I like the possible D/s elements it plays with. It's a definite guilty pleasure read. To me, it reads and feels very much like a Fifty Shades of Grey, or a Sylvia Day, kind of romance. It has very problematic themes and romanticizes not-good things and somewhat-unbelievable, problematic characters. And yet, it's still a book that I enjoy reading, and that I continue despite being unable to really defend it. It is bad, but it's also so good and fun/hot to read.

I enjoy this series, the good and the bad. I liked it a lot. And I would definitely read more of Takarai's work.

Manga Review: We Never Learn, Volume 1, by Taishi Tsutsui

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 11+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

When studious Nariyuki tutors two supergeniuses who are total dunces in their favorite subjects, he’ll get a crash course in love!

Nariyuki Yuiga comes from an impoverished family, so he’s eager to secure a full scholarship to college when he graduates high school. His principal agrees, with one stipulation—he must tutor the two smartest girls at the school and make sure they get into their target colleges! Rizu is a science genius who wants to study liberal arts. Fumino is effortlessly good at literature, but math makes her head spin. Nariyuki is stuck between a rock and a hard place, but who can complain about tutoring a couple of cute girls?

Nariyuki is facing the chance of a lifetime if he can just make sure that Fumino and Rizu excel and get into the schools they want to attend. He comes prepared to tutor them, but he isn’t prepared for burgeoning high school romance! Sparks begin to fly, no matter how much Nariyuki tries to avoid it—and things get even more complicated when a third girl joins the study group!

Review:

Nariyuki excels at most school subjects, and is trying hard to be the top student so he can get the recommendation he needs. And yet there's one girl in each subject that just beats him. He isn't bothered by this so much as impressed, and worried that he won't get the recommendation he needs to go to the school he wants.

The principal finally tells him he'll get it, but he has to tutor these girls to get it, because while they excel in one subject, they're terrible in another, and determined to work in that area instead.

It feels rather hopeless to him at first, but the girls have less hope than he does. They don't think they'll ever be taught, but when they explain why this is important to them, he becomes determined to help them.

Thus starts a study group harem. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet. It was an okay first volume, but it didn't really stand out to me, and the characters were just okay. Eh so far.

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

Manga Review: Awkward Silence, Volume 6, by Hinako Takanaga

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2018

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A shy boy gets a chance at love.

Final Volume!

Satoru Tono is too shy to speak to classmate Keigo Tamiya. Instead he fills his sketchbook with drawings of the boy he likes. But perhaps Keigo has noticed him too...?

It is time for college entrance exams and Satoru takes on the challenge. Will he get accepted to the most competitive art school in the country and become a college student alongside Keigo?! And what will happen to their plans of living together after graduation...?

Review:

Now that they're graduating, they have exciting things to consider. Exams for university to take, and Tamiya is moving out on his own. This brings up the topic of living together, and while Satoru hadn't considered this before, he's instantly excited.

Seeing them overcome some issues along the way, and how it resolves rather well for them, is very sweet. They get to live together, Satoru's parents give them some rules, and they get to be adults in college and living on their own.

At the end of the volume are some chapters in the future, and it's nice to see the couple ten years in the future, and still very cute and loving. It's also nice to see Satoru's parents still happy together and doting on their kids. They're all very cute.

This was a really good series, a favorite yaoi series of mine. The conclusion is really sweet, without being too cheesy, with some hot scenes thrown in. It's a happy conclusion to such a cute series.