Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 8, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 7. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Will this Queen with mind-control powers incite good or evil?

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

Review:

Kyu and Fumi have to face a rather harsh part of their history in this volume. Their childhoods intertwined at a very important part, which Kyu doesn't know most of the story behind, and Fumi doesn't remember at all.

It has a much deeper connection to Kyutaro's parents and the people around them than either expected, and it's intense. Tragic, even. It also gives more reason for the warning Kyutaro was given regarding Fumi, too.

I'm a bit anxious about where that cliffhanger is going. We could be given some miracle solution—and that would even make sense given the agreements that Fumi has made with the Queen's in the past—but we could also be faced with one of the options given. I'm really curious about where it'll go from here.

This series is intense and smart, and I truly love the way it handles these issues and portrays them.

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

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 7, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2019

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Will this Queen with mind-control powers incite good or evil?

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

At Seichi, the Holy Ground of the Old Byakko Clan, a dangerous ghost attacks and seriously injures Kyutaro! Is Fumi strong enough to heal him? And what sort of secrets will Takaya reveal to them about their past?

Review:

We get to connect a few dots regarding Kyutaro's family history in this volume. It's not clear what happened during the gate battle in the past, but we're learning more about how it involved Kyutaro and his parents. And it's definitely not seeming good.

And apparently Fumi might also be part of this mystery event.

Most of this volume involves them in Seichi, cleaning and attempting to get to the conclusion of these matters. The cliffhanger is quite a good one, as we might finally be getting some answers regarding Fumi. But other than that, the fights are just okay.

I'm more interested in the Fumi and Kyutaro relationship and history stuff than these sweeper fights, honestly.

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

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 6, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Will this Queen with mind-control powers incite good or evil?

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

Kyutaro and Fumi get a taste of just how formidable the Silver Sea Snake is, and so they set out to the Holy Ground of the Old Byakko Clan in order to get stronger. However, they’re in for an unwelcome surprise when they find out what this mysterious clan has in store for them!

Review:

The group is visited by a member of another clan in this volume, Akiyama. It's not a great introduction, and he brings them to a new test, of sorts. Training for them, in a way. This also starts off rather oddly.

Kyutaro and Ataru get separated from Fumi pretty early, and they're both on different paths to test their skills. It's kind of fun to see Kyutaro and Ataru trying to work together; Ataru is a fun character to me, honestly. And I just love the development of Fumi's character and her powers, and the queens inside of her. It's such a strong theme in this series, and I really love how it's progressing and being handled so far.

They're starting something potentially dangerous as the volume ends, and I'm excited to see where it goes next.

I really, really love this series. I admire the themes and a lot of the serious moments, and the strength in Fumi. She's such a badass heroine at this point. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 5, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Will this Queen with mind-control powers incite good or evil?

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

Fumi and Kyutaro delve into the depths of bug handler Ataru’s mind and try to save him, but Fumi has been given the tough task of killing the Black Queen within her! As Fumi discovers the truth about the Black Queen and gains new power, what price will she pay in return?

Review:

This whole section with the Black Queen could have gone in a few different directions, including some bad ones, but all the arrows were pointing in a very self-positive way. And I'm happy with how it turned out. The way this series is pushing self-image and accepting and loving yourself, and how you can grow and mature and become better by doing it, is really nice. It's such an important sentiment, and I think that it's being done in such a good way here.

The whole scene with Fumi and the Black Queen was done very well.

After Fumi's confrontation, we get to see Ataru finally see what happened in his past, why he's so stuck on Fumi, and what's been hiding from his mind. It's... harsh. What was done to him and the girl he loved is awful. It's so awful.

After everything, they all need a bit of recovery time. Physically and mentally, they all need to regroup after what they experienced. Ataru has to face his first love's death and how he was being used. And Fumi and the Black Queen inside her have to re-acclimate themselves.

I appreciate that the Queen's inside of Fumi are treated both separately, and as part of her. They're different personalities, different parts of her, but they're also part of her to make her whole. And Kyutaro can see and love each side of Fumi, as all of her loves him.

It's really quite sweet, even if it's in an odd way.

I think I'm just in love with this series, and I respect everything that it's doing.

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

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 4, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: Yes.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The adventures of mind “Sweepers” continue in this supernatural romance!

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

Bug handler Ataru offers Kyutaro a deal—he’ll reveal everything about Fumi’s past if Kyutaro will do what he asks in exchange. Although Kyutaro knows this must be a trap, he goes to see Ataru… What devastating effect will Ataru’s evil plot have on Kyutaro and Fumi?

Review:

 There's a big show down with Ataru in this volume, who's hoping to take Kyutaro unguarded. This doesn't work out how he wants, but it definitely opens the way for them to actually get to know Ataru and find out what, or who, has lead him to this.

After that, there's a little reprieve for Kyutaro and Fumi, as they get massages to work through their physical and mental aches.

Fumi gets a message regarding Ataru, and so her and Kyutaro go to venture into his mind, knowing they're walking into a trap and yet unable to deny doing it. They fight two tough enemies, and Fumi struggles with her inner selves, until they come to the real issue. Ataru has been mistaking Fumi for someone else, for his supposed Black Queen, and now Fumi has to face her own Black Queen in order to move forward. It's a big risk, but she has to overcome it.

I'm curious how this battle is going to end, both because it could be really bad, and because I'm wondering how it's going to be handled. Psychologically, there's a few different ways they could take this black queen plotline.

This series is so intense, and I'm really enjoying it so far.

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

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 3, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The adventures of mind "Sweepers" continue in this supernatural romance!

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of "Sweepers," people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

Fumi finds out that she has both a White Queen and a Black Queen inside of her, and she must train both her mind and body in order to be the true Queen. Kyutaro vows to protect Fumi, but will he be able to do anything when other gatekeepers go after her power?

Review:

They fill Fumi in on some more of what they know about the Queens. And it turns out, that they don't really know much, and this might be an even more rare case than they expected—meaning they're only going on speculation and rumor.

Fumi gets to face up against another sweeper clan, this one that isn't fond of the Queen, or at least thinks the dark queen is a threat. It starts off pretty bad, but Fumi gets to decide within herself what to do, how to deal with the Queens in order to save everyone.

I really like how Fumi decides to accept herself, all the parts of herself, even those she can't control and those that are ugly. I'm intrigued by where the plot line is going with that, and I honestly think that her accepting herself is going to lead to the last (I believe) Queen. I really appreciate the way that Fumi is forced to see all the angles of herself, her feelings and reactions and other parts of her person, and doesn't get upset or defensive, but just takes it and moves forward, deciding to love all of herself. This is an ideal that I really believe in, and I'm really happy to see it handled so well here.

The connection between Fumi and Kyu is also very apparent here; I must admit that I like seeing how the other Queens love him as well, that they realize how important he is to Fumi. I think it just proves how Fumi and the Queens really are the same person, just different parts. Seeing how Kyu goes to Fumi after everything to comfort her, for them both to decompress after something so big, is also utterly heartwarming. I love it.

I can't wait to read the next.

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

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 2, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The adventures of mind “Sweepers” continue in this supernatural romance!

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as the Queen?

In a bid to move forward, Kyutaro and Fumi share a sweet secret! Later, when they go to The Inside with Sendai to cleanse Ms. Hayashi’s Mind Vault, will they succeed in saving her? And what is Bug Handler Ataru plotting in order to turn Fumi into the Black Queen?

Review:

The villains that Motomi makes are never quite villains. They can be awful, but they have their reasons, and slowly we get to see the humanity in each of them. As we see, so early on in the series, when Fumi unknowingly runs into Ataru. There's some conflicts as things are becoming revealed.

Fumi makes a step forward in her journey to understanding herself and the Queens inside of her. So far we've only met the evil queen, who is strong but ruthless. This time Fumi gets to see them, and we get to meet the “good” queen, only she doesn't seem to know what is too far. Things are clearly not quite so black and white here, as they're learning. Thankfully, we're also seeing what a strong pull Kyutaro has on Fumi, as he gets to pull her back to earth each time.

I'm probably being more hopeful here, as I'm seeing Kyutaro's agreement with the adults crumbling. It just doesn't seem to make sense—ever, but particularly in this scenario. It won't help anything if he's keeping things from Fumi. And as Fumi starts remembering and figuring things out, that's become apparent to him, as well, I think. I hope, at least, because I hate those plot devices.

I can't wait to read more.

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

Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 1, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2017

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: Yes.

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

Volume: 2.

Previous Series.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The adventures of mind Sweepers continue in this supernatural romance!
Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of Sweepers, people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awake as a Queen?
Fumi has never shown much romantic interest in Kyutaro, the quiet but formidable Sweeper who may be the only one who can keep Fumi's power under control. But when Kyutaro tells her that he'll never leave his side, she unexpectedly starts to fall for him!"

Review:

This volume starts fresh after the previous series' conclusion. Fumi is continuing to work for the sweepers, and trying to figure out and accept who she is. Kyutaro has decided that he's going to be there for her and help her and protect her, no matter what it takes.

We meet a new character in this volume who tests Fumi, and then later we see more of the enemies and what they're planning to do. We've learned that Fumi is the queen, and each side is trying to form her into what they want.

I will admit that the bad queen inside of Fumi can be awful in its violence; but I also have to admit that I love the intensity in her. She gets angry and intense—there's a complete change in her demeanor, and I kind of love it. I hope the good queen in her can be just as intense.

I also really like the romance in this series. Kyutaro and Fumi are so sweet together, and Kyutaro is so good to her. I'm hoping that we don't have to wait too long for him to be honest with her, especially since the consequences have pretty much happened already. I think it would be good for her.

This series is fun and intense. I'm excited to see what happens next in it.

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