Manga Review: Maid-sama!, Volume 17 & 18, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2017

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1&2. 15&16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A 2-in-1 edition of the romantic-comedy series where a student council president secretly works at a maid café!

As if being student council president of a predominantly male high school isn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultra smart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Misaki undergoes strict training on how to become a lady before visiting Usui in England! Later, she decides to apply to a highly selective university… With everyone heading down different paths toward the future, will Misaki and Usui be able to find happiness together?

Review:

In the first half, we get to see the conclusion to all of Misaki's practice. She's still working up to being on par with Usui's family, and then she finally gets to go see him. It's a bit of a mess, and an embarrassment for some, and rather dramatic. Misaki and Usui have to make a statement, and still struggle to be accepted. Because they don't really fit in with Usui's family, and it's a bit questionable whether they want to.

In the second half, we get back to normal, and get to draw everything to a close. Usui deals with his family how he wants. Misaki is studying hard for school, and finally has to deal with her maid secret. I actually kind of forgot about that being a big secret, up until it's pointed out again. There's a lot of super hotness between Misa and Usui. Thankfully, there's also some scenes between Suzuna and Hinata, because I would have been upset if that was left open. I quite like Suzuna, and wish there had been more shown between them. (Sadly, nothing between Kanou and Yukimura, though the hints are hilarious. Seriously, I'd be all over a yaoi spin-off of them, and I usually don't care for that. We do get to see Aoi all grown up, though, and he's a hottie.)

This was a very satisfying ending to this series. I'm so glad we finally got to see it, and I'm happy with it, overall. It would be nice to see another of her series.

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

Manga Review: Maid-sama!, Volume 15 & 16, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2017

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1&2. 13&14. 17&18.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A 2-in-1 edition of the romantic-comedy series where a student council president secretly works at a maid café!

As if being student council president of a predominantly male high school isn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultra smart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Misaki continues to realize just how different her and Usui’s family backgrounds are after witnessing a huge party thrown for Usui’s birthday… And later, a mysterious newcomer appears at Maid Latte—someone who stirs up a lot of mixed emotions in Misaki!

Review:

Throughout this volume, Usui's new classmates continue to try and befriend him. It's still rather weird why they're trying, but they are. It doesn't work all that well, because Usui is just not interested. It's nice to see how Misaki reacts around them, too; she doesn't trust them, but she doesn't outright defend Usui, either.

Aside from that, a surprise guest from Misaki's past shows up. Here, it's mostly upsetting how her mother lied about what happened, and how that changed Misaki's views so harshly. There's even more tension between Suzuna and Hinata—they better at least get a side story by the end, or I'll be so upset.

Misaki gets to see what Usui's school is like, and Usui gets to see what happened with his mother. Usui makes yet another big decision in this volume. In reaction, Misaki gets to decide how she's going to be there for Usui, and it's nice to see how strong their relationship has really become. There are several sweet, short moments between them, and I like seeing them stepping away from the chaos to be together for a moment.

I believe the next volume is the last, and I cannot wait to see how it all wraps up.

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

Manga Review: Maid-sama!, Volume 13 & 14, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2017

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1&2. 11&12. 15&16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A 2-in-1 edition of the romantic-comedy series where a student council president secretly works at a maid café!

As if being student council president of a predominantly male high school isn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultra smart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Misaki decides to tell Usui how she feels and goes on a date with him to the amusement park on Christmas Day! But with Cedric the spy following their every move, will she be able to say anything? Later, Usui drops some serious news that will affect his relationship with Misaki!

Review:

Oh man, Misa and Usui finally make it official in this volume. I'm so very happy about this, because it was the last step to them making the statement. It's nice to see Misa making the step forward with him, too, since it's so hard on her to talk about her real feelings. There are a few very sweet moments between them in this volume.

A surprising note, here, is how human Usui seems now. Before, he was a straight-faced, emotionless guy who was always around for Misa, the stereotypical, invincible love interest. But now he feels like a real person; his reactions are more realistic and honest, and he's more understandable.

We find out a few more things about Usui's family in this volume, plus Usui makes a surprising decision in this volume. I do like the way that Misa and Usui decide to stay strong in their relationship here, against everyone who is fighting them on it.

Also, Suzuna starts high school in this volume! Aw, man, I love her. I'm also completely on team Suzuna x Hinata. 100% in love with them. I really hope more happens at some point, especially with so many more opportunities now. (Also of Yukimura x Kanou, but I doubt anything will happen there.)

I quite love this series, and am looking forward to reading the next one.

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

Manga Review: Maid-sama!, Volume 11 & 12, by Hiro Fujiawara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2016

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1&2. 9&10. 13&14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A 2-in-1 edition of the romantic-comedy series where chaos ensues when the student council president’s secret—that she works at a maid café—is discovered by the school’s #1 hottie!

As if being student council president of a predominantly male high school isn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultrasmart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Misaki and Takumi go on a double date with Sakura and Kuga to the hot springs! However, Misaki is still shaken up after learning about Takumi’s past. So what kinds of challenges await her when she unearths even more information about his family?

Review:

So much happens in each book, since there's two volumes. I don't know what to focus on.

There's some light stuff, like Misaki and Usui helping out Sakura with her misunderstood rockstar boyfriend. Aoi gets to make the maids costumes for the first time, and that turns out very pretty. We get a couple moments of sexual tension around Yukimura, and how anyone could possibly not see the possibilities between him and Kanou is beyond me. This is one of the only not-actually gay couples that gets to me. I mean, come on.

Aside from that, there's an ongoing tension between Misaki and Usui. They're not labeling their relationship—Usui believes it could lead to bad things from his family that he's still hiding from her, but she's too embarrassed to tell him how she feels. It's nice to see her realizing how she reacts to him and accepting that she might want to react differently and be more honest with him. Then we meet Usui's brother, and his ninja stalker bodyguard, who's honestly fantastic.

There were also a couple extra chapters, one where we get the characters in an opposite-gender world that's quite fun; I like Usui as a girl. Then we see the idiot trio in a realistic chapter about their friendship, which is also nice.

I can't wait to start the next one. I love the depth we're getting to the characters.

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

Manga Review: Maid-sama!, Volume 9 & 10, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2016

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1&2. 7&8. 11&12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

As if being class president of a predominantly male high school isn't hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret-she works at a maid cafe after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultrasmart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Misaki tries to get reelected as student council president, and it becomes an all-out showdown between her and Soutaro Kanou! She wants to win the spot fair and square without Usui’s help, so she distances herself from him… But in the meantime, is she finally realizing her true feelings for Usui?

Review:

We're finally in new territory in this volume! Ah, I'm so glad I finally get to see what happens next in this series.

The student council election finally comes to an end, and we see how things work out between Misa and Kanou. It's surprising how much we see that Kanou has grown in this volume alone, how he matures and decides what he wants to do with himself and his place in school. Misa has had a good influence on him, and we see that he would actually make a good president.

Kanou is a good character, and I like seeing more of him and Yukimura.

Misa's birthday happens, and she forced to accept how much her friends at work care about her. And that even Usui wants to do something special for her.

The second volume in this one, though, focuses a lot on Usui. Misa realizes how little she really knows him and demands that he tell her, especially when people from his past keep showing up and hinting at things that she doesn't understand. I like the way that she finally confronts him about the things he isn't telling her. She's still conflicted about if they're actually dating or not, so it's nice to see them talking maturely like that.

This is such a fun series, and I'm really looking forward to reading the next one.

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

Manga Review: Maid-sama!, Volume 7 & 8, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 3, 2016

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1&2. 5&6. 9&10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

As if being class president of a predominantly male high school isn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultrasmart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Misaki secretly participates in the maid café’seating contest to save a coworker from keeping a promise that she never should’ve made in the first place. Then things unexpectedly heat up when a game called Love Trial forces Misaki to participate in various festival games with Usui-while holding hands!

Review:

We’ve finally caught up with where Tokyopop stopped, which means the next volume will be all new stuff. I’m very excited for that. But this volume was still a refresh, since it’s been so long.

I’d pretty much forgotten how far Misaki and Usui had gone in their relationship. Aw. It makes me so happy to see again. They’re so flipping sweet together, I love it. And now that they’re still new in the relationship, they’re both all embarrassed and unsure, particularly Misaki. But Usui is being more sweet than normal, more gentle, but also acting like something is bothering him.

Hinata is a sweetheart, but I feel bad for him. The poor guy just doesn’t have a chance. Aside from that, I enjoy seeing Kanou and Yukimura. I love Yukimura as a character, he’s a total sweetheart, and I think his friendship with Kanou is great for them both. I have to admit, though, that I see the yaoi moments between them. I doubt it’ll ever be a real thing, but I want it to happen. I like seeing so much of Aoi, as well.

Meeting Misaki’s mother was nice, and it was good to get that perspective on her. I think her sister is fantastic, as well. I love her blasé way of looking at things.

This was a very fun volume to reread. I can’t wait to finally see what happens with the election, and how their relationship moves forward next.

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

Manga Review: Maid-Sama!, Volume 3 & 4, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December , 2015

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: Not really.

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

Volume: 1&2. 5&6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

As if being class president of a predominantly male high school wasn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultra smart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

When Café Maid Latte plans a slew of themed events like “Maid Rangers Day” and “Little Sister Day,” Misaki surprisingly struggles with playing the “little sister”! Later, more shenanigans erupt at the café… Misaki is usually up to any challenge, but how will she handle things when a pretty idol called Aoi decides to make Usui hers?

Review:

I am enjoying re-reading this series, and I will say that the translations are so much nicer this time around. While generally the wording is very similar, the pages are so much cleaner, and all the sfx are translated. I would prefer something new to be added, and I feel like I saw the anime too recently for it to be new to me, but I still prefer these editions to Tokyopop’s.

Some new antics happen in this volume—the school festival comes to a close, Misaki has to try to learn how to be a little sister for work, the maid cafe staff goes on vacation to a beach and throw a prompt maid café take over. A new character is introduced, and he’s so afraid of girls that he hypnotizes Misaki in an effort to ruin her good name and social standing to stop more girls from coming to school, and I like the revenge Misaki enacts on him.

This is a fun series. I do like Takumi a lot; he pushes Misaki, and he tries to protect her, even if she fights him on it. He stands beside her at all times, and I like how Misaki acts with him. The side characters are fun, and I do think Yukimura is a sweetheart.

Mostly, I’m excited for this series to catch up with where Tokyopop ended, so I can read some new stuff.

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