Manga Review: Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, Volume 4, by Inio Asano

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2019

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

It’s just an everyday apocalypse.

Three years ago the aliens invaded Tokyo. Nothing was ever the same again. But after a while, even impending doom starts to feel ordinary.

Despite the ongoing menace of wild Invaders and A-ray contamination, people are still moving to Tokyo to find opportunities and themselves. After all, the likelihood of getting squashed by a crashing Invader vessel is still extremely low! Meanwhile, Kadode and her friends have started university, where they must face the crisis of choosing which school club to join—a critical decision that will affect the rest of their lives!

Review:

We follow Takemoto for the first half of this volume, as she's getting ready to go to Tokyo despite everyone's warnings. Then we're back to Oran, and college and clubs.

The overarching theme in this volume is the rights of aliens. These creatures have invaded Japan, and now people are debating and protesting over whether they should outright attack the aliens or whether they have rights that should be protected. We see both sides here, as we get to meet the aliens who're stranded and have taken shelter on Earth. Both sides of this are a bit disturbing, and then the reality check we're given is quite awful.

I don't know any of the characters in this series, really, so instead I get to follow the politics more. And it's disturbing and hard to take at times, how surreal and yet so very real, it is.

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

Manga Review: Graineliers, Volume 1, by Rihito Takarai

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 3+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rihito Takarai (Ten Count) pens anything but a garden variety fantasy! In a world where the seeds of plants are imbued with power, the wheels of fate begin to turn for Luca, an illegal seed cultivator, when the government-sanctioned Graineliers come to take away his father, who in turn hands Luca a rare and powerful seed...!

Review:

I've only read Takarai's yaoi series, Ten Count, which I enjoyed but I know was met with some issues. This seems to be a very different kind of series, though, and I'm pretty sure it's not labeled yaoi, at least.

We're introduced to a dystopian world, where plant seeds are hard to find and illegal to grow on your own, and very expensive. Luca does what he can to make money, even growing some plants and selling them on the blackmarket; he lives with his dad, who he doesn't see much of, and who he knows is doing something bad, but he's not sure what. It all goes downhill very quickly, though, when the police show up and he swallows a seed that makes him black out for two years.

This is an intriguing world, though the seed thing is a little weird. The effect it has on Luca, in particular, is very odd. And then we meet this little girl, who might be similarly odd, though she could be a whole different matter as well.

I'm very intrigued. I don't feel like we got enough in this volume, and yet there was a lot explained in this volume, and we got to know the characters relatively well. I was a little unsure at first, but I might pick up the next one. I kind of want to know where this goes next. And I do rather like how Takarai develops characters, and the humor put in.

Manga Review: Dimension W, Volume 1, by Yuji Iwahara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: 2016.

Volumes: 15+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

2072 AD. With the invention of cross-dimensional electromagnetic inductors known as "coils," the world's energy crisis has long been solved. Kyouma Mabuchi is a "Collector" who makes his living by recovering illegal coils for the powers that be. When his latest gig brings him upon a mysterious girl named Mira, little does he know that their meeting will bring them both closer to the secrets behind "Dimension W"-the fourth dimension, beyond X, Y, and Z, that powers the world...So begins this progressive sci-fi tale where the future of science and humanity itself may very well hang in the balance!

Review:

I was intrigued by the cover of this series. When there's a robot girl, I'm always a little curious. I didn't expect this to be so technical of a series, though.

In this world, coils are all that really matter. Just about everything is run by them, so of course the government has a lot of rules governing them. There's legal ones, and illegal ones, and scientists constantly working on them. Kyouma appears to hate technology, but he's a collector, who gets paid for collecting illegal coils. He stumbles into Mira, a robot girl created by a brilliant scientist family, who've been missing for years. Only a few people know what happened to them, and she's one of them.

As is expected, they end up teaming up together. Kyouma is reluctant, and Mira is excited to finally be out in the world and seeing things with her eyes for the first time.

This volume was a bit more in-depth with the science/fantasy than I expected, and probably more than I would prefer in general. They're on their first mission as the volume ends, and I am a little curious what will happen with it.

Manga Review: No. 6, Volume 9, by Atsuko Asano and Hinoki Kino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: October 2014

Volumes: 9

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

THE SKY IS BURNING.

With Rat critically injured protecting him, Shion finally returns to NO. 6. But what he finds there is not the tranquil utopia he left behind, but a city in the grip of panic and chaos. As the “holy city” collapses in on itself, Shion and Rat put will the future of humanity — and their future together — on the line in the shocking final volume of NO. 6!

Review:

I don’t know how the anime ends, but apparently this ending is more satisfying? I’ve heard some things, so I’m definitely going to have to finish the anime for comparison. But given just this, I’m pretty satisfied.

It’s a bit odd, and apocalyptic for a bit there, otherworldly. But I’m okay with that, how the dystopian world and disease gets resolved.

I think that Shion is in a pretty good place at the end of the volume. The ending with him and Rat is sad, but I think that the very end has enough hope, that I can let myself believe there’s a happy ending there. And I like the similarities to the beginning of the series.

Overall, I’m pretty satisfied. It left me pretty satisfied, at least.

Manga Review: No. 6, Volume 8, by Atsuko Asano and Hinoki Kino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: August 2014

Volumes: 9

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

I LOVE YOU, SHION. MORE THAN ANYTHING.

Risking everything, Shion and Rat have finally made it to the top floor of the Correctional Facility, where Shion is finally reunited with Safu! But has Shion's rescue attempt come too late? Is the Safu he once knew gone forever? As Rat rushes to find a way out, Shion must make a heartbreaking decision: Leave, saving Rat and himself from capture, or stay, and find another solution? Either way, Shion may lose a friend, or his own life! The tale of No. 6 builds to a climax in its second-to-last volume!
Includes special bonus story!

Review:

First of all, the color pages in this volume are gorgeous. There are a few images I remember from previous volumes that I was happy to see in color, because they look so much prettier. Also, they’re near the end of the volume, not the beginning, which is useful to know, because it worried me when I first picked up the book.

Now—this was a pretty intense, sad volume.

There was the confrontation between Shion and Safu, which needed to happen and revealed some things, but was mostly just very sad. It was downright painful for Shion, and I feel so bad for him. And then Shion and Rat have to escape, which is bad and violent and scary. Shion is also trying to deal with what happened with Safu, the poor thing, because odd things are happening to him at the same time.

Meanwhile, Dogkeeper and Rikiga are waiting for Shion and Rat to arrive, including being attacked on their own. It’s kind of bad, and leads to the cliffhanger. 

There’s only one volume left! I have no idea how this series is going to end, nor how it’s going to wrap up in only one book. It seems like there’s too much to happen. Either way, I hope it’s good, and I’m excited to read it.

Manga Review: No. 6, Volume 7, by Atsuko Asano and Hinoki Kino

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: June 2014

Volumes: 9

Spoilers?: Not really.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

SHION! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?!
Safu is a prisoner on the top floor of the Correctional Facility. Shion and Nezumi manage to slip back in amid the chaos sown by Dogkeeper, but what they find is almost too terrifying to conceive… countless neatly organized rows of corpses, with their brains removed! Backed into a corner, Rat is ready for death, but Shion seizes a weapon, and insists on surviving at any cost—!

Includes special bonus story!

Review:

So Shion and Rat are finally in the facility, working their way to save Safu. It starts good, but quickly gets violent and bloody, and difficult for both Shion and Rat.

It’s hard on both Rat and Shion. It’s changing Shion, in a bad way, and it’s really giving a different look at him. Rat is also seeing the way that it’s changing Shion, and he isn’t liking it either, even if Shion isn’t really aware. Things are going bad for them quite rapidly, and it’s not good.

We got to see a little bit of what is going on inside No. 6, and it’s not good there either. We’re mostly seeing this from Shion’s mom’s point of view, and the scientist who’s doing it. The disease is quickly spreading in public, and it’s bad.

There were also a few scenes with Dogkeeper, and some of it was bad, mainly when she helped Shion and Rat. But we also saw her with the baby, and it’s just adorable. She tries not to be, but she’s good with him, and she likes him. Little Shion is obviously attached to her. It’s so cute. 

Then there was the cliffhanger, which is leading to some interesting discoveries with Safu. Something bad is happening to her. And it’s sure to be exciting.

Novel Review: After the End (After the End, #1) by Amy Plum

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Genre: YA Dystopian Romance

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: May 2014

Spoilers?: No.

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

Teaser Tuesday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

"I have no idea what is truth and what is fiction. I'm all I've got now. I can't trust anyone."
World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They've survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.
At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.
When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.
Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she's trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

The Cover:

I like this cover. It definitely shows the dystopian aspect well, showing the isolation with a city just on the other side. And I like that it shows a girl and two dogs, both of which are important in the story. I think it represents the book well, and it's rather nice to look at.

Review:

"'Doubt everything, Juneau. Doubt everything at least once. What you decide to keep, you'll be able to be confident of. And what you decide to ditch, you will replace with what your instincts tell you is true.'" (Hardback, pg 224)

After I loved Plum’s previous series so much, I’m surprised it took me so long to get to this one. I’m also surprised that I haven’t heard more about it.

I really like the premise, that Juneau has lived in a commune thinking that the rest of the world is war-ridden and scarce, only to find out that there never was a war. I do think she should have freaked out a bit more when she found out, because she took it all in stride, like it was no big deal.

I’m really glad there are alternating chapters, because Miles and Juneau have lived through very different environments, and their points of view and voices really show that.

I liked Juneau, and I liked Miles. They don’t hugely stand out to me, but I liked them, and I enjoyed their journeys and developing relationship. Their romance is just simmering right now, and I look forward to more of it.

The plotline is interesting, and I am enjoying finding it out as I read, and look forward to seeing more developments in the next book. The cliffhanger was really horrible, and has me wanting the next book soon so I can find out what happens to Miles. Because that’s just mean.

Overall I rather enjoyed this novel. It was fast, the alternating points of view was very nice, and the romance is sweet so far and progressing nicely. I’m enjoying this, and look forward to picking up the next book when it releases.