Manga Review: Dengeki Daisy, Volume 16, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2015

Volumes: 16

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 15.

Goodreads Synopsis:

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left her. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help… Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks?

Kurosaki and Teru risk their lives to activate "M's Last Testament," but a huge explosion goes off on the uninhabited island they’re on! What is the fate of Kurosaki, Teru and Akira?! The series comes to a conclusion, followed by bonus material and two Dengeki Daisy special chapters (one of which includes Teru’s late brother, Soichiro)!

Review:

This series has finally come to an end, and a very good one at that.

It’s been building up to it, and that cliffhanger was not very nice. And thankfully, the conclusion comes rather quickly after that. We see how the three of them got out, and then how they recover from it. Akira in the hospital, the others going back to normal. I don’t want to spoil too much, so I won’t go into detail. But I think it was rather well done.

And then we get several extra chapters, filling in some holes, and then some nice backstory for Soichiro. We get a nice glimpse at Teru and Kurosaki, how they’re going forward together and on their own.

We end with a one shot debut from Motomi, which is about what you’d expect a debut story to be. Not the best, really.

But the series ends on a really great note, for all of the characters. I’m particularly happy for Teru and Kurosaki, but I’m also glad with Akira’s conclusion. 

I look forward to reading her next series.

Manga Review: Dengeki Daisy, Volume 15, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 4, 2014

Volumes: 16

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Teru gets kidnapped, and Kurosaki rushes to find out where she’s being held. The search takes him to an uninhabited island where Akira is determined to find “M’s Last Testament.” With the entire island rigged to blow up, will Kurosaki save both Teru and Akira in time?

Review:

This series is almost over! I’m so excited!

This volume was pretty serious. Some bad stuff happens to Teru, and then there’s some confronting with Akira. Kurosaki is understandably worried. I liked what happened with Akira, because Teru needed to talk with him, slap him a little. I like that Teru can take care of herself, for the most part, but that Kurosaki is always there for her as well.

The ending has me a little worried, though I doubt a bad ending is in the works for this series. I look forward to finally seeing how this big plot concludes itself. I want to see what happens with Akira. I want to see Teru and Kurosaki happy.

I can’t wait for the final volume.

Manga Review: Dengeki Daisy, Volume 14, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 3, 2014

Volumes: 16

Spoilers?: No, kept vague.

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

Volume: 1. 13. 15.

Goodreads Synopsis:

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left her. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help… Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks?

Review:

This volume was just full of surprises, and I wasn’t expecting any of them.

First, with something calmer. A big step was taken between Teru and Kurosaki. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. And it was super fantastic. They’re just so cute together. There are a few couple-y moments between them in this volume, and I love them all. They’re just so cute and shy with each other, it’s so sweet.

I also like Teru’s friends, and their interactions. Particularly the way they push Teru, and the girl talk they have about Kurosaki. Her friends don’t have a big part in the plot anymore, and I have a hard time remembering their names, but I do like that they’re all there for Teru (and Kurosaki). It’s good that Teru has them.

Now the really big thing. We got a surprising revelation about Akira and M’s Last Testament. I’ve been thinking for a while now that there was something deeper going on with Akira, but I had no clue it was this big. And while I completely understand Teru’s stance on it, and was happily surprised by what that did to her character, I really want them to help him. It’s seemed for a while now like they were going to bring him to their side, and now I’m excited to see how that works. Akira is frustrating, and obviously needs a lot of help, but I’m excited and really intrigued by what we discovered in this volume.

This series only has a couple volumes left, and I’m excited to see how it all wraps up. I’m pretty much just excited to see where the plot goes from here. (Also, of course, Teru and Kurosaki’s relationship.)

Manga Review: Dengeki Daisy, Volume 13, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December, 2013

Volumes: 16

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A New York Times’ bestseller with a romantic storyline that is unique, funny and touching.

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left her. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help… Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks?

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for teen plus audiences.

Review:

“‘Someone who never wavers isn’t necessarily strong. To question what’s right, to worry and search, to have the courage to do that, is the mark of true strength.’” 

This is a great, solid series. It’s sweet, it has a lot of action, there’s a lot of serious plotline focus, and there’s also a good mix of the romantic plot, and it’s funny. The art is hard-edged and sharp, but really nice. I’m really enjoying this series, and I’m excited to see how it ends, since it’s only three volumes away.

There were a couple of sweet moments between Teru and Kurosaki. They’re so cute and shy together, I love them. I would really like more of those moments, but that’s alright.

There was some movement of the main plot; things are getting interesting there. I’m not going to get into too much detail, though, and honestly it’s a little messy in my mind, but I am interested. I also really like how everyone is involved, and how they tell each other everything, they don’t hide things because it’s “better for everyone else”. And I like how Teru doesn’t take a smaller part, or cower when something bad happens. She gets intense and will hurt someone if she has to, and she (nor any of the other students) isn’t treated as less important just because she’s younger. (Although I guess they are actually closer in age than they look, huh?)

Then the last chapter was really funny and sweet, with a lot of mention of Teru’s brother. It was needed for the characters, and important to the plot. It was really nice. 

I’m excited for the next volume, and then the proceeding two. I really want to see how it all ends, and I really want more Teru and Kurosaki time. I just can’t get enough of them.