Manga Review: Oresama Teacher, Volume 26, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 27+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 23. 27.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can high school delinquent Mafuyu clean up her act and still kick some butt?!

Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter's wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.

Review:

Mafuyu has been kidnapped. And she's being forced to play with Toko, the girl Hanabusa sibling. Their new teacher appears to be up to some questionable things here, and slowly Mafuyu is attempting to find out what, and to get communication to the outside world.

We do get an interesting back story here regarding the teacher and Toko. We see what happened to both of their characters to lead up to this moment. There are definite pieces of it that make me sympathetic, but also there's some bad reactions here.

I'm sure it'll wrap up relatively nicely next, if a little crazy as it tends to get. So fun.

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

Manga Review: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Volume 8, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: July 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The air around shoujo manga-ka high school boy Nozaki rings loud with greetings between acquaintances old and new!


Mikoto Mikoshiba hides the fact that he works as a manga assistant, but Hirotaka Wakamatsu finally discovers his secret, and the two meet anew...?! Meanwhile, Wakamatsu meets Yuzuki Seo's older brother, Ryousuke, for the first time!! What will come of the psychological warfare that ensues?! Later, Masayuki Hori's true feelings for Yuu Kashima come bursting out!! And everyone at last gets to meet the youngest Nozaki sibling, Yumeko!!

Review:

There's a lot of inter-relationship drama in this volume. We get acknowledgment of who knows about Nozaki's manga and who helps with what, and who knows about it. As some of these things get cleared up and some of the puzzle pieces connect, there's some confusion and understanding.

Waka also gets to meet Seo's older brother in this volume, and there's some confusion regarding their relationships/dynamics with Seo, and then some horror and pity and understanding. Since Seo is one of my favorite characters, this was a lot of fun to read. Kashima is another favorite of mine, so having her involved, and then seeing her attempt to grow closer to Hori, is a lot of fun.

Waka also invites Nozaki's younger brother as a buffer on a group date. There's some misunderstandings here, as Waka is clearly seeming to forget the reason for going on a group date. Also, Nozaki's younger brother is quite a hit.

These volumes are so much fun. I've grown fond of all of the characters at this point, and it's fun to see them all interact and misunderstand each other and all the chaos that creates. It's great.

Manga Review: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Volume 7, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Is there love in the air, or has everyone just gone plain loony?!


Has Chiyo's affection for her brusque shoujo manga-ka beloved finally soured?! She's suddenly extorting Nozaki...and plotting his destruction in the tournament ball game...! The absurdity doesn't end there, as Wakamatsu confesses his love to Seo, the person he dislikes most...! Even Yukari starts an "adult" relationship with hilarious consequences...! Is no one safe from the crazy going around?!

Review:

In this volume, the main three attempt to stay in shape, for a short stint. We see how Seo is a hindrance to the basketball club. There's a lot of mangaka and editor issues, and Nozaki attempts to research what bullying is like—it doesn't really work well with Sakura, since she likes Nozaki too much.

I love all of the interactions in this series, to be fair, but I particularly love when Seo and Kashima show up. They're very different characters, and I love their reactions. They're definite scene stealers.

These volumes are a really nice break at times, and just what I need some days. They're so much fun to read.

Manga Review: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Volume 6, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: February 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hit shoujo manga-ka and high school boy Umetarou Nozaki will do just about anything to find ideas for his manga! He'll test his courage with horror games. He'll even play the role of the girl manager for a sports team! But will he get that romantic payoff at the end? Better yet, will Chiyo, whose passion spirals out of control when her beloved Nozaki is away?!

Review:

I love all of the ridiculous relationships and characters in this series. Nozaki is always doing crazy things as research for his manga, like when he drags Hori and Kashima to do a scare test by staying at school overnight, and when he experiments with doing a horror story by turning off the lights and playing a text-only video game with Sakura and Mikoshiba.

Then we see Sakura missing Nozaki during the break and going to visit him, in his parents' home. Nozaki and Seo attempt coaching basketball, and Kashima tries not to talk to Hori to get ready for a role. There's also a texting debacle starring Nozaki's younger brother, and I love seeing how utterly bad he is at it.

I am quite infatuated with this series now. I can't wait to read more, and might even have to try the anime.

Manga Review: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Volume 5, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: February 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The Umetarou Nozaki party heads for the sun and surf! When the group tags along for the drama club's training camp, summer fun runs amok, and seasonal gags abound, whether at the beach, at an inn, or even in the bath!! And if that's not enough drama, the story of the spring day Chiyo fell in love with a certain rather dense young man is finally told!

Review:

In this volume, we acknowledge that Sakura has done very little in terms of progress with Nozaki. She attempts a few different tactics, but it's debatable whether that does anything. Meanwhile, Nozaki continues trying to use his real life as research for his manga—for instance, at the beach. We see some ridiculous scenarios he sketches out that coincidentally play out in real life again.

I have moments where I don't remember which character is which, and which characters know who. But now that I know who the editors are, I quite love their interactions. We get to see Ken-san try to instruct Nozaki for a cover illustration here, and Maeno's unhelpful input.

Another good moment was the last chapter, where we get to see Sakura before she really knew Nozaki, but just crushed on him. How her friend attempts to help her confess—and we know how that turned out.

This series is so much fun. I'm glad I 'm catching up with it now, because I really want more.

Manga Review: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Volume 4, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: 2016

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

(Volume 1)To the eyes of classmate Chiyo Sakura, high school student Umetarou Nozaki--brawny of build and brusque of tongue--is a dreamboat! When Chiyo finally works up the courage to tell Nozaki how she feels about him, she knows rejection is on the table...but getting recruited as a mangaka's assistant?! Never in a million years! As Chiyo quickly discovers, Nozaki-kun, the boy of Chiyo's dreams, is a manga artist...a hugely popular shoujo manga artist, that is! But for someone who makes a living drawing sweet girly romances, Nozaki-kun is a little slow on the uptake when it comes to matters of the heart in reality. And so Chiyo's daily life of manga making and heartache begins!

Review:

So, in this volume, Nozaki tries to figure out how to do a good surprise, Wakamatsu is unknowingly in love with Seo's singing, Nozaki uses an accidental sleep-over as inspiration, and his little brother shows up a few times.

We also got a glimpse of background story in this volume, first when Nozaki first moved out on his own, and then when his editor switched to Miyamae. It's definitely a lot of fun seeing Nozaki's faults, given how everyone views him. For instance, when it is again pointed out that he doesn't understand space between characters, and tries using boxes to explain it all. It was also fun seeing how wary he was of Miyamae, because of how bad Maeno was; what a difference editors can make.

I don't know what happened, but this series has grown on me very suddenly, and now I want to catch up very badly.

Manga Review: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, Volume 3, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2016

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

To the eyes of classmate Chiyo Sakura, high school student Umetarou Nozaki--brawny of build and brusque of tongue--is a dreamboat! When Chiyo finally works up the courage to tell Nozaki how she feels about him, she knows rejection is on the table...but getting recruited as a mangaka's assistant?! Never in a million years! As Chiyo quickly discovers, Nozaki-kun, the boy of Chiyo's dreams, is a manga artist...a hugely popular shoujo manga artist, that is! But for someone who makes a living drawing sweet girly romances, Nozaki-kun is a little slow on the uptake when it comes to matters of the heart in reality. And so Chiyo's daily life of manga making and heartache begins!

Review:

After taking a break from this series, and reading more of her Oresama Teacher series, I think her humor has started growing on me again. This volume was a lot of fun, and just what I was looking for. I'm very behind, but I might have to catch up.

There's a rather big cast in this series, and I tend to forget who some of them are. We got a few chapters featuring side characters, like Nozaki's publishing team—his editor and his friends, like at a school reunion. Aside from that, there are some miscommunicated dating attempts, a visit to the glee club, a check in with the theater club. Chiyo finds her forgotten Valentine's chocolates for Nozaki, and Wakamatsu discovers and renames some tones.

I really do enjoy all of the time spent working on Nozaki's manga, and how crazy it can be. Seeing his flaws in that area is also quite funny. The other school antics are great, and all of the characters are so odd. It's a lot of fun to read.

I'm really looking forward to the next one now.

Manga Review: Oresama Teacher, Volume 23, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2018

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 22. 24.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can high school delinquent Mafuyu clean up her act and still kick some butt?!

Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter's wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.

It's Mafuyu's last year of high school! With Miyabi and most of the delinquents safely graduated, Mafuyu and her friends are looking forward to a peaceful final year. But a mysterious new first-year is up to something sinister, and her schemes quickly take Mr. Saeki out of the picture. Now the fate of the whole school rests on the shoulders of the suddenly advisorless Public Morals Club!

Review:

The seniors have graduated, and now there are new first years. Some of the students are still missing the seniors, and then we meet Hanabusa's younger sister. She's calculating like him, but in a very different way, and with no attachments to anyone yet. No one really knows what she's up to yet, why she's going to this school or if she's helping their father in the bet. And then she throws a curveball at Mr. Saeki.

I didn't see this one coming, nor did anyone else, and it's still unknown what he's doing. It leaves several people with questions, and it leaves the Public Morals Club floundering for a bit. Amongst all of this, there's suddenly a new rivalry forming between Midorigaoka and Kiyama, because of an unknown student causing trouble.

The humor in this series is quite fun, but it's also nice to see a real plot line happening after a while. I like the mix of serious and comedy.

I'm excited to read the next one.

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

Manga Review: Oresama Teacher, Volume 22, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2017

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 21. 23.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can high school delinquent Mafuyu clean up her act and still kick some butt?!
Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter's wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.
Someone mysterious is pretending to be Super Bun and harassing the members of the student council! Mafuyu and friends almost capture the imposter, but she manages to give them the slip. Then, a chance conversation with Okegawa gives Mafuyu just the clue she needs. Has she finally worked out the identity of the fraudulent Bun?!

Review:

I think I should definitely have been following this series all along. Why did I quit?

Now that Mafuyu had figured out who has been impersonating Super Bun, she's become a traitor and decided to help. For a while, she really has no idea what his intentions are or why he's doing this, but she goes along with it. There are a lot of pranks and humorous moments throughout, and it leads to a really sweet reveal for the student council.

After that, we get a graduation ceremony for the third years. Okegawa has been working extremely hard, and Mafuyu lucks into helping him relax during it. And then we get a very misunderstood, comedic button stealing chapter.

I'm sure we're still going to see them, but if it's less frequent, I'm going to miss Okegawa and Miyabi. I have a particular sweet spot for Okegawa in particular.

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

Manga Review: Oresama Teacher, Volume 21, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2016

Volumes: 23+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 20. 22.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can high school delinquent Mafuyu clean up her act and still kick some butt?!

Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter’s wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.

Review:

I almost wish that I had been following this series more closely. I do quite enjoy the humor here, and while there are too many characters to keep track of, I do enjoy the comedy and antics involved.

At the beginning of the volume, there's a chapter involving crossdressing, in which one guy pretends to be a girl and has to reject a guy that confessed to “her”, and Mafuyu gets to pretend to be “her” boyfriend. There are a lot of misunderstandings and silly competitions involved.

After that, there's an impostor Super Bun running around campus and causing havoc, stealing stuff. Mafuyu is confused by it, but also very freaked out at having so many of her masks all over the place. I do quite enjoy all of the comedy involved, misunderstandings and the confusion that ensues.

This series is quite fun, and I do enjoy reading it. I look forward to seeing who this fake super bun is in the next one.

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

Manga Review: Oresama Teacher, Volume 20, by Izumi Tsubaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 3, 2016

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 9. 21.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter’s wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.

Review:

It has been quite a while since I’ve read one of these volumes. And it very much feels like I’ve missed a lot.

There are still a ton of characters, but there’s also some real story development happening here. Hayasaka is getting some memories from his past back, and trying to figure out what happened and confronting the people behind it. It’s a bit emotional, and surprising in its depth and seriousness.

There’s also, of course, a lot of hilarity. We see some letter-carrying pigeon make some mistakes. I also got to meet Komari for the first time (I don’t remember her from when I paused the series), whom is adorable, and I find her relationship with Akki very interesting.

This was a fun volume, though I felt a little lost at the beginning. It does make me want to pick the series back up, though.

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