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: After School Bitchcraft, Volume 1, by Yu Shimizu and Kazuma Ichihara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 2+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Science teacher Renji Fuyumi is secretly a sorcerer, but after his barriers are accidentally broken by the fashion-obsessed Ririka Kirise, he decides to make her his disciple. Looks can be deceiving in this titillating tale of the occult!

Review:

Honestly, I don't know what I expected with this volume.

Renji has just taken up a high school teaching position, but he's bored to death of the job, and so are his students, since he couldn't care less about them. He's a sorcerer, and he's much more interested in that. Ririka is his student, she's a fashionable teenager, but she also wants to be a vet and thus wants to get better grades since she's struggling so hard. When she goes to Renji for help, he discovers she has some witchy powers in her heritage.

Renji is a bit of an ass, and I don't really care for him. Ririka is a bubbly, naive schoolgirl, who wears very revealing clothing (because they're comfier, even in the woods), and yet yells at Renji for being a perv when he doesn't even indicate interest.

There were moments of this volume where I could see what the authors are doing, and I can see what kind of audience this is for. But I also kind of hated parts of it. Ririka is naked several times in this volume, and her deciding to wear a tiny skirt out in the woods to search for wood for her wand was extremely unrealistic. Her yelling at the teacher for being a perv is also a trope that I've been over for a very long time.

I like the idea of this, but the execution is just not for me. Including how Ririka using her powers made her feel weirdly aroused. Also, the art is kind of odd to me. Mostly just the angles. There are really weird zoom-in angles, like upskirt shots of Ririka when they're talking normally, that were just very odd placements to me. It felt a bit like School Days to me, though maybe that's just a technique in this genre that I'm not familiar with.

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

Manga Review: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 26, by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki, and Yuki Morisaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump Advanced (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2018

Volumes: 34+

Spoilers: No.

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

Volume: 1. 24. 27.

Goodreads Synopsis:

An action-packed, saucy food comedy featuring one boy’s determination to be top chef!

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

Soma and the resistance have swept the first bout of the team shokugeki! But they can’t rest on their laurels, as the second bout is soon to begin. With the Council of Ten’s pride on the line, who will Central send out to protect it? And will Kuga’s desire for a rematch with Tsukasa affect the lineup?

Review:

Since Soma competed in the first round, he gets to watch as the next group is selected and their competition starts. There are some very minor characters in this round (to me, at least), but then there's Kuga against Tsukasa. I have always been an odd fan of Tsukasa, and Kuga is also a really fun character to me. It's interesting to see them get a rematch, as Kuga sees it.

This volumes contains most of the shokugeki, and next we'll get to see who's dish came out better. I wasn't all that invested in most of this, as most of these characters aren't really on my radar. Half of them were, I suppose, but a lot of the volume featured backstory stuff, too.

Eh. This was an all right volume, fun but a little meh at times. 

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

Manga Review: 7th Garden, Volume 6, by Mitsu Izumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 8 (Cancelled)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent humans to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless male!

Awyn Gardner will do anything to protect the beautiful mistress of the equally beautiful estate gardens he lovingly tends—even enslave himself to an also beautiful demon bent on world domination! The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent people to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless human man!

An unexpected source warns covenanter Awyn and his demon mistress Vyrde that their village is about to be attacked by an enemy angel. Even with Vyrde’s help, how can Awyn protect so many people at once…?! If only they had a powerful ally…wielded by another covenanter…

Review:

Awyn is having to come to terms with the fact that this thing with the angels has real consequences. He doesn't seem to care about himself, but he cares almost too much for the people of the village. Particularly Marie, but he doesn't want anyone else to die, either.

As he's still dealing with the last fight, we get a surprise of a new one. We meet Moro first, another angel, who for a bit made me wonder if he was double crossing someone, and who. But then the town gets attacked by these demon bugs, and Awyn has to make a dractic move in order to get everyone to leave. It's a bit sad, but necessary. Most of this volume is full of fighting, and there are some deaths and a lot of blood. The cliffhanger has me actually excited to see what happens next. I can't wait to see this fight, honestly.

I really quite liked the new characters, Moro and Alice. I was surprised by how much backstory we got of Alice, but I liked it, and I like her. Their partnership is fun to me. Aside from that, we also got some hints regarding Maria, which should lead to something.

I'm quite interested in this series by this point. I want to read more.

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

Manga Review: 7th Garden, Volume 4, by Mitsu Izumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2017

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The battle is on between powerful angels and sexy demons.

Awyn Gardner will do anything to protect the beautiful mistress of the equally beautiful estate gardens he lovingly tends...even enslave himself to an also beautiful demon bent on world domination!

Awyn has pledged himself to the demon Vyrde in exchange for the power to protect his adopted home but especially Marie, the woman he loves. Now the full story of Awyn and Marie’s first meeting unfolds. We know Awyn saved her from a wild beast…but what saved her from him? And how did he end up with a job on Marie’s family estate? Plus, Ashriel Housekeeper teaches their new young gardener a lesson he’ll never forget...!

Review:

Most of this volume is showing us Awyn's past. What happened to his parents, what happened to him afterward, and how he ended up at the estate. Seeing how Awyn meets Marie is adorable. He's so much more harsh toward her, a tough guy who's been hurt over and over again and won't let anyone close. He's a little thief, even, hiding away from people. Marie is a little beam of sunshine in comparison, a rather happy little girl who's not even a little afraid of them.

This only made me like them together all the more. I really want more of them.

Since we've already been shown that everything up to this point was a set up, it makes sense that we get to see when Awyn gets pulled in, now. We don't get much new stuff until the very end, and even then it's still building up to whatever is coming.

I'm still intrigued by the idea behind the religious context, and wondering where that's going. The artwork is still gorgeous. I'm rather looking forward to reading more.

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

Manga Review: 7th Garden, Volume 3, by Mitsu Izumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent humans to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless male!

Awyn Gardner will do anything to protect the beautiful mistress of the equally beautiful estate gardens he lovingly tends—even enslave himself to an also beautiful demon bent on world domination! The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent people to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless human man!

After a fierce battle, Awyn and Vyrde are welcomed home by their household. Unfortunately, Vyrde isn’t as pleased with them as they seem to be with her… Afraid that he isn’t Vyrde’s equal, Awyn trains with mysteriously ageless Ashriel. Iola turns out to have a secret identity. And then Awyn and Vyrde part ways—she to declare war on the enemy angels, he to the capital city, where he relives unhappy memories and unhappily meets old acquaintances…

Review:

The artwork in this series is really quite gorgeous. It is so pretty, and the color pages are very nice.

Even while we get some time to calm down, for Awyn to get better and to see the village people again, there's always some underlying tension. Vyrde doesn't take time to calm down, she's too obsessed with her revenge. While we still don't know why she's seeking vengeance, we do get to meet and/or hear the other angels she's after. We also get a rather big reveal about the village that Awyn lives in, why he was picked and who is behind it. I wasn't quite expecting that, though it gives an interesting context. It also makes the whole feel of the village, and how it feels like an untouched sanctuary (which goes back to innocent and perfect even after devastation) all the more true.

The plot is interesting in this series. I'm unsure but intrigued by all of the religious themes. I'm still not quite sure where that is going. I'm still confused by the angel's evilness, and yet Vyrde's being kicked out and also evil. I'm not sure where that point is going.

I am a fan of this series, I'm intrigued and enjoying it. It is one of the better newer shonen series I'm following.

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

Manga Review: 7th Garden, Volume 1, by Mitsu Izumi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 5, 2016

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Awyn Gardner will do anything to protect the beautiful mistress of the equally beautiful estate gardens he lovingly tends—even enslave himself to an also beautiful demon bent on world domination! The high-pitched battle is on between powerful angels, sexy demons and innocent people to dominate a world rife with political intrigue…and to win the heart of one hapless human man!

Awyn strives to be the perfect gardener—and perfect man—to win over his human mistress. But then he unwittingly awakens the demon Vyrde, and his village is attacked by crusader knights! Desperate to protect the apple of his eye, Awyn pledges fealty to Vyrde in exchange for the ability to wield a powerful demonic sword. What he doesn’t know is that his new demon mistress is scheming to slay the six angels who rule the world—so she can. Then more enemies attack, one of them armed with…a particle-ray cannon?!

Review:

First of all: color pages! They’re gorgeous. The artwork is very pretty in this book, reminds me a little bit of 07-Ghost. Though with quite a bit more ecchi shots.

Awyn has a lot of held in rage from his past, wanting revenge for what happened to him and his family. But he’s holding onto residing happily in this small village, and his relationship with Marie. Marie is his mistress, younger than him and going to be married off soon. He’s merely her gardener, and that’s what he wants. But then he makes a contract with a demon, Vyrde, in order to save everything.

I’m immediately intrigued by Awyn. He wants to live a peaceful life, protecting Marie and gardening, always smiling in front of everyone, but he’s not afraid to kill when something is threatening him or what he holds dear. I’m interested to see where his character goes from here.

Vyrde is an interesting character, very manipulative and with her own agenda, though I like how she gets enjoyment out of mischief, and her careless attitude around people and personal space. I’m already a huge fan of Marie, and hope that she gets to stay a main character. I want to see more of her and how she grows.

This was an enjoyable volume. I’m intrigued and want to read more.

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

Manga Review: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 9, by Yuto Tsukuda, Shun Saeki, and Yuki Morisaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump Advanced (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 1, 2015

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!

The Fall Classic finals have begun, with the theme of the first round being bento boxes. It’s a battle of the egos as Soma clashes with Alice Nakiri. Her bento gets rave reviews from the strict judges, but Soma invents a boxed lunch unlike one anyone’s ever seen! Then, no sooner does the first round end than the second begins!

Review:

I skipped volume 8, but thankfully the battle from volume 7 is still ongoing. And encompasses this entire book, going onto the next one.

I do find the characters in this series fun, and enjoy getting to know them. Megumi is my favorite, I think. I have a special fondness for Hayama and Jun’s relationship. Of course, I’m also rooting for Soma, our lead.

Some people get disqualified, some people move on, they all show amazing genius with food, surprising everyone. It’s enjoyable to watch, and I’m glad I got to see how Megumi’s part in the competition ended. But there’s just too much food for me. The food is over-explained, and it gets boring fast. Maybe I just don't care about food enough. There were less orgasm/stripping-from-food faces, though, since most of the people eating were old men. (Don't get me wrong, though, there were some ecchi moments.)

I might continue the series at some point, but it’s probably not one I’ll be following closely.

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