Manga Review: Twittering Birds Never Fly, Volume 1, by Kou Yoneda

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: June

Release Date: 2014

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

 Yashiro is the young leader of Shinseikai and the president of the Shinseikai Enterprise, but like so many powerful men, he leads a double life as a deviant and a masochist. Chikara Doumeki comes to work as a bodyguard for him and, although Yashiro had decided that he would never lay a hand on his own men, he finds there's something about Doumeki that he can't resist. Yashiro makes advances toward Doumeki, but Doumeki has mysterious reasons for denying.

Yashiro, who abuses his power just to abuse himself, and Doumeki, who faithfully obeys his every command, begin the tumultuous affair of two men with songs in their hearts and no wings to fly.

 

Review:

 

Yashiro is in charge of this chain of yakuza, and while he's stoic and strict, he's also a masochist and likes toying with people. When Doumeki comes to work for him as a bodyguard, Yashiro starts playing with him, taunting to see if he can do things with him, which mainly ends up being in the exhibitionist sense.

I've liked some of the things I've read by Kou Yoneda in the past, so I was really hoping to like this. But yakuza type stories aren't really to my interest. And then, the way that the characters all seem to stay distant and never show any emotions, doesn't really do anything for me. I'm a little intrigued in where this is going, but I'm not connected with it at all so far.

Manga Review: Jealousy, Volume 1, by Scarlet Beriko

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2020

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The prequel to the popular yakuza rom-com Fourth Generation Head: Tatsuyuki Oyamato!

A yakuza head finds himself ensnared in the unwavering attentions of a sometimes impetuous but always cunning schemer. If being yakuza doesn’t get him killed, his new lover just might!

Uichi Rogi is in a bind, both literally and figuratively, when he meets Akitora Oyamato, the yakuza head who’s come to collect a debt from Uichi’s lover. Instantly smitten, Uichi schemes dubious and often dangerous ways of getting closer to the man, but his lies come at a heavy price—one he may regret having to pay for Akitora’s affections.

 

Review:

 

This is a spin-off of the one-shot Fourth Generation Head, featuring the stoic bodyguard of the yakuza with his little daughter.

I will say I'm intrigued by these two characters, and I find his daughter to be quite smart and cute. But most of this volume centers on Uichi and his past, what led to him being where he is today. Once upon a time, he was a young man, who had a hard time really connecting with people and feeling emotions, and he grasped onto the yakuza head at the time. He does several questionable things in order to get closer to him, leading him to very odd and sticky situations.

Uichi's obsession with the yakuza head is definitely dangerous and unhealthy. I'm curious where it's going, but I'm also very wary. Mostly, though, I would like to know more about his present situation, and I'm not sure when we'll get that.

Same as with the previous story, though, I tend to like the characters and relationships, more than the main, yakuza plot line.

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

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 11.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

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

 

Review:

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

Manga Review: I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Volume 2, by Kisetsu Morita, Yusuke Shiba, and Benio

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

 After 300 years of a laid-back life, witch Azusa's peace is interrupted by a host of wacky challengers after the word spreads that she actually is ridiculously strong. What sort of adventures and new friends will her rapidly expanding family encounter in the next volume?!

 

Review:

 

Azusa has maxed out her level in this fantasy land, and is now living a relatively simple life with her new family, and then Halkara knocks on the door crying for help. She wants to keep her family safe, but she decides to help her hide from Beelzebub.

While there are some potential dangers and drama, this has a pretty slice-of-life kind of feeling most of the time. The girls all live peacefully in their home, they meet new people, and they travel on adventures where they usually end up helping someone. They help Halkara figure out why Beelzebub is after her. Then they help their dragon sisters family, and end up forming a truce between fighting dragon clans.

There is some fan service, but this is mostly all women in the main cast. It was a light isekai fantasy, and I didn't mind it.

 

 

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

Manga Review: A Witch's Printing Office, Volume 2, by Mochinchi and Yasuhiro Miyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: April 2020

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: Very light.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

 Mika never imagined her "Magic Market" would be so successful! However, as the massively popular book-buying event continues to expand after each iteration, some things are bound to get out of hand!!

 

Review:

 

We meet a couple of new characters in this volume. A princess who wants to run away from home, only to discover she's a fujoshi and has this in common with her mother. Also an evil demon who wants to have a booth at Magiket. Along the way, Mika also finds a new paper cutter, and forms an agreement with a dragon for his shed skin to make books with.

I don't really understand what the timeline of these books are. There appears to be two Magikets each book, which I think most conventions are once a year, so that seems like time is very fast here. Maybe that's mirroring video game sense of time?

It doesn't appear that Mika is getting very much closer to getting back home, but it also doesn't seem like the plot is focusing too much on that part. At least up until that ending, which might bring up some new progress next time.

I'm not a high-fantasy reader, but I don't mind this series. It has some good, funny moments, and I think it's getting better.

 

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

Manga Review: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, Volume 12, by Puyo, Nagaru Tanigawa, and Noizi Ito

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 12.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The series is over-but Haruhi-chan's antics will never be!
Fueled by her now-legendary melancholy, the absurd adventures of Haruhi-chan continue, utterly unbound by the laws of reality! Cozy up under the kotatsu with Haruhi-chan and the Brigade-for as looong as you like. Take flight with Haruhi the superhero as she swoops in to save the day...on her own terms! Bask in the obligatory swimsuit chapter! All leading up to the final chapter! And the final chapter! And the stunning Final Chapter!!!

Review:

I didn't read any of the main series, nor did I watch any of the anime for this series. I've always wanted to, but I haven't. Since this volume seems to be mostly after-the-ending episodic stories and comics, this wasn't too bad.

I'm sure any fan of the original series would have enjoyed this a lot more, though. I was rather lost, as it became imperative that most of this includes insider jokes, and I was even confused by the art style since sometimes the characters would look completely different in different chapters.

I did enjoy some of the chapters, though. There's a comedic zombie scenario; a cute scene with the characters out of high school, including the main couple; and then some fun kotatsu-in-the-club-room scenes.

Still, this was an okay volume, and I am a bit curious by the different relationships between all of the characters. For people following the series, though, I'm sure this was a fun volume to read.

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

Manga Review: Black Clover, Volume 17, by Yuki Tabata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 15. 18.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

I missed a volume, and apparently I missed some very important plot, as well.

The faeries have taken over, and now everyone is fighting each other, and Asta has only a few people with him attempting to save everyone else. It's a long and intense fight as Asta works to save a select few from the faeries in different areas, and then work together to stop them at other areas of the kingdom. This includes a short stop in the town that Asta and Yuno grew up, where they get to show how far they've grown.

There's a lot of growth in a few different relationships here, and it's nice to see. We're also shown yet again just how strong Yuno is, quite what a prodigy he is. In such a way that it's easy to believe he would become the wizard king and it would need someone very powerful to compete with him, and it makes sense that Asta would need to be strong in the exact opposite way, thus him having anti-magic.

This was actually an okay volume. I haven't been following this very closely, but this was an interesting change to see, since most of this has been much smaller-scale battles and competitions.

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

Manga Review: Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Volume 4, by Akira Akatsuki, Nisiosin and Hikaru Nakamura

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve fighters enter, one fighter leaves—who will win the 12th Zodiac War?

Every 12 years, 12 fighters take the form of the Chinese zodiac and engage in a battle royale. With their strength and mysterious powers, they fight to the death and the sole survivor is granted the ultimate prize—any wish.

With most of Rabbit’s zombie army out of the way, only one thing stands between Ox and Tiger and taking down Rabbit for good—Monkey. Her sheer strength and power, once disciplined in life, are completely unhinged in death, making her far and away the strongest fighter! With only four fighters and one zombie remaining, who will come out victorious? Don’t miss the thrilling, unexpected conclusion to the twelfth Zodiac War!

Review:

We reach the end of the zodiac war, and finally find out who is left at the end of this massacre. It is, of course, not quite what you would expect from the beginning of the series. Once you find out who it is and what their true power is, though, it makes sense, and it makes sense why it was kept secret this whole time.

There were a couple of interesting characters along the way of this series. The relationship between the Tiger and the Ox ended up being particularly odd in its sweetness, honestly. But there were a couple of others, too, that I almost wished hadn't died, like the twins.

After all of that build-up, though, I'm a bit disappointed that we don't find out what the winner wants his wish for. It seems like there was a lot of build up for that, especially the further the series went, and then we're left with an “I'll think about it”, basically. I guess there's a whole sequel novel about his decision, though? So I suppose, in that ideal, that it makes sense the fighting would take up the first story line.

This was an interesting story. Not something I would normally read, especially with so much gore, but I'm glad I stuck around. I wanted to know who won this crazy battle royale, and it was an interesting conclusion.

Manga Review: RaW Hero, Volume 1, by Akira Hiramoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the mind of Akira Hiramoto (Prison School) comes a super-powered story of heroes and villains that's wild, dirty, and unpredictable. Chiaki is desperate to find a job and support his family, but when he sacrifices a job interview in order to stop a train groper, he winds up at the center of a fight between good and evil!

Review:

This series starts off with a potential groping that turns out to be a planned and agreed to scene. That alone sets this series off on a weird path.

Chiaki is the older brother in his household, and it's up to him to support his two younger brothers. He's struggling to find a job, when suddenly he stops a groper and ends up being offered a job as a potential hero. He has a hard time deciding, and when he starts, his first job starts him as an accidental cross-dresser.

This is definitely an adult series, as there is some explicit, blatant groping that happens. Chiaki also ends up throwing himself into a role as a woman, trying to go undercover and not get himself killed. Aside from that, there's also some sweet family moments with his brothers, and we see how badly he wants to do good for them.

This was an odd volume to read. I'm not sure if it's something I would pick up on my own, but I didn't mind reading it. I even kind of appreciated the kink-friendly mention, whether it was necessary or not to the plot.

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

Manga Review: RWBY Official Manga Anthology, Volume 2: Mirror, Mirror

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2018

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Straight from Rooster Teeth’s hit animation series, a new four-volume anthology series featuring stories from various manga creators, each focusing on a different member of Team RWBY!

The world of Remnant is filled with horrific monsters bent on the destruction of humanity. Fortunately, the kingdoms of the world have risen to combat these forces by training powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses at academies around the planet. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long are four such Huntresses in training.

All new short stories set in the world of RWBY from no less than twenty different manga creators in one single volume!

Includes a full color four-page story and four full-color illustrations. This volume focuses on Weiss Schnee from TEAM RWBY.

Plus, bonus messages from the illustrators and creators included in this volume, with longer notes from RWBY character designer Ein Lee and actress Kate Eberle, the voice of Weiss Schnee!

Review:

The second RWBY anthology, featuring all stories about Weiss, the ice queen of the team. While I haven't watched the anime, she seemed like the character I might like the most, so I was curious.

This is a lot of one-shot stories featuring Weiss. A lot of them focus on how alone she's been until now, some star her relationship with Ruby and others focus more on her relationship with her older sister Winter. There were a lot of odd artstyles, and I'll admit I didn't love a lot of them, but they were okay. There were a couple of really cute ones, though. Aside form Umiya's art, in the last story; I really don't understand the appeal or what's happening in those panel comics.

I can't help but wonder if a lot of these authors are mostly from webcomics? The author names sound more web comic than real mangaka names, but I might just be unfamiliar with them.

There were some cute stories, there were some meh stories. If you're a RWBY fan, I'm sure you'll love it more than I did, though.

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

Manga Review: One-Punch Man, Volume 18, by One and Yusuke Murata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 17. 19.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Life gets pretty boring when you can beat the snot out of any villain with just one punch.

Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on!

Garo has just left the Monster Association’s hideout when he crosses paths with Saitama, who’s in quite a pinch, but Saitama still doesn't know Garo is the Hero Hunter. Later, King the Ripper can no longer hold back his murderous urges and confronts Garo himself!

Review:

Garo wants to be an evil villain, but he's also not quite the same as the other villains. He doesn't want to do what they tell him to, just because they told him to. And after saving this little kid, he kinds of forms a soft spot for the boy.

Garo is also a very intense character. This is contrasted very nicely when he comes upon Saitama, who doesn't even mean to punch him but is actually just trying to hide his face.

Honestly, I still rather enjoy the humor of Saitama's straight-faced reactions and anti-climactic fights, and the silly reasons he reacts in certain ways. At this point, though, we're not getting a whole lot of that. Saitama's group of heroes are building to go fight the monsters, but that plot point is taking its time, and instead we're getting a lot of weird monster fights, and in this volume, a lot of time of Garo with the other monsters. Those scenes are just meh to me. I understand why, since this series has expanded so much and they had to throw in other content, but still.

These volumes are easy to read, for the most part, and I don't mind them. I'm not following the main plot too closely, though.

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