Manga Review: One-Punch Man, Volume 19, by One and Yusuke Murata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 22+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 18. 20.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Life gets pretty boring when you can beat the snot out of any villain with just one punch.

Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on!

The Monster Association has kidnapped Tareo, the boy who admires Garo, and now Garo finds himself plunging headfirst and alone into the heart of the Monster Association’s hideout. Meanwhile, the Hero Association pushes forward with its operation to rescue Waganma, while Genos and the others are living it up enjoying hot pot at Saitama’s place!

 

Review:

 

While Saitama is having a hot pot night at his house, fighting over the meat, Garo is getting a boy out from the villains lair. He says he doesn't care, but for some reason he seems to want to save this weird little boy. Most of this volume is taken up with Garo's evolving indestructibility. The more he fights, the more he wants to fight and win, and the stronger he appears to become.

Honestly, there was a lack of Saitama in this volume.

It looks like Garo is building up to potentially be the first real fight for Saitama to have. But, then again, it very well might be a while for that. And the other heroes are stilling planning to bust into the villain lair and rescue the rich boy being kept there.

 

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

Manga Review: Karneval, Volume 10, by Touya Mikanagi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 26+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Yogi reclaims control over his body and returns to Circus's ship, along with his long-lost sister Mieux-Marie, but many difficult choices await the two of them. And Karoku's memories of the time he and his mother spent in the Rainbow Forest after fleeing their hometown of Karasuna provide insight into Nai's origins...

Review:

 

I stopped following this series a while back, but it's still one that I enjoyed. The artwork is seriously so pretty, and I love the color pages at the beginning. The artwork is gorgeous, in a cute and intricate and colorful way.

While some of this volume concludes what's appears to be happening with Yogi and Manai, there's also a lot of backstory. We get to see some depth to Yogi's characters, with his sister Manai. I think that's a cute story, with a relatively nice ending.

Aside from that, we get a surprising history with Nai and Karoku. I wasn't sure who Karoku was at first, and it definitely seems like he's up to something bad. But the backstory for him and Nai makes me think differently of him. I'm still not sure what he's up to in the present, but in the past, there's a lot of good intentions and painful losses. It also makes me even more intrigued in Nai, who's a sweetie all on his own.

I still think I would like to catch up with this series at some point. The artwork, as I said, is gorgeous. But I also really like the characters. They're a lot of fun, and I would like to get to know them better.

 

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

Manga Review: King of Eden, Volume 1, by Takashi Nagasaki and Ignito

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: September 2020

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Entire villages are going up in flames across the globe, with the same man left standing at the scene every time. Meanwhile, rumors abound of a highly contagious virus where those infected fly into a blind rage, killing anything and everything that crosses their path. As the death toll rises, agencies from nations around the world get together, looking for answers-How are these incidents connected? Who is that man? And most importantly...can the massacres be stopped before humanity is doomed? 

 

Review:

 

A mysterious man keeps showing up right before these small towns come down with this terrible killing virus and then burn to the ground. The government and scientists aren't sure who's behind it all, or what this virus really is, but they're pulling in some scientists and archaeologists to go after the answers.

There are a lot of different people moving around in this series, what with the different government officials and the different black market sellers of the virus, plus the different villages being experimented on and then set on fire. But we do get two main characters, Rua and Teze, who coincidentally were classmates a long time ago. Rua is a very smart historian and archaeologist, and she's pulled in because she's familiar with the history of where this virus potentially originated. Then there's Teze, who appears to know a lot more about this virus than anyone else, from personal experience.

The virus is definitely a horrifying thing, with how quickly it transforms people and what wolf-like monsters they become, plus the potential of it being a weapon. But it also has a really deep history that I'm intrigued by. There's a lot of real history being woven into it, some theories that are thrown out there and some that are clearly going to turn out to be true. It's a historical sci-fi that I'm more intrigued by than I expected, since I don't usually get into the deeper historical ideals.

The artwork was really good in this, and that along with the writing set up a really good thrilling and ominous feel to the story. There are a lot of characters already, but we are getting to know the main ones slowly, but enough to help the story along.

While this might not usually be my type of story, I could get into it. It was really well written and kept me interested, and reminded me of some similar thriller/horror movies.

 

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

Manga Review: Kakegurui Twin, Volume 6, by Homura Kawamoto and Kei Saiki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Down a whopping five million yen, Mary is sent flying into debt, her pride as a gambler in shambles. As she mentally resigns herself to housepet-dom, a ray of hope shines through the tunnel in the form of Juraku's collared pet and Mary-hater, Mikura Sado! Together, the odd duo must join hands to defeat the ultimate dream team-the Ougatou sisters. Does Mary still have what it takes to become a winner?!

 

Review:

 

I haven't read a dramatic, murder-esque series in a while, and it's not normally my type of genre. But they can be interesting to read.

Not knowing any of the backstory here, this was still an interesting volume to read.

After an apparent mistake that Mary made, she's forced to either let herself become a pet, or take part in this game and hope she wins the money in order to survive as just a student in her class.

Aside from the very weird dynamic this school structure has, which is honestly very hard to believe, the game that Mary plays is quite interesting. We're made to believe, at first, that Mary has made some bad gambles and is the underdog here, but once she gets halfway through this card game, it becomes apparent that she knows how to analyze and play these games very well.

The strategy of the game was really quite interesting to me. It was an interesting card game between these five girls, with some surprises thrown in. I had a little bit of a hard time believing the twins were thrown off so easily, since it was their game and they've always played together. But they were also a bit too cocky for their own good.

I also found the sadomasochistic dynamics interesting. But part of it also made me a little uncomfortable, possibly because of how so many students are being forced into those roles. Maybe since I'm not following the series fully, but I definitely felt a bit off reading it.

Still, this was an interesting volume to read. For this kind of genre, I can see the appeal, I think.

 

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

Manga Review: Radiant, Volume 9, by Tony Valente

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The world is overrun with monsters called Nemeses—and a young boy infected by one will stop at nothing to defeat them all!

Evil creatures called Nemeses fall from the skies and the only ones who can fight them are Wizards—infected ones who survived a Nemesis's corruption. Seth, one of these survivors, vows not only to fight the Nemeses, but to find their mythical nest, Radiant, and destroy it!

The battle for Caislean Merlin rages on. Queen Boadicée enters the fray at great risk to her own life while Seth’s friend Ocoho, of the Queen’s forces, wrestles with a shocking revelation about Mordred, her most trusted comrade in arms. Seth’s other friend, Mélie, must deal with Liselotte, an Inquisitor who captured her while infiltrating Caislean Merlin. And Doc, Seth’s most reluctant ally, shows up with a couple of "friends" who could play a big part in the conflict between Inquisitors and Wizards.

 

Review:

 

Everyone is under attack in this volume, and it's getting much more serious. The wizard knights are fighting hard, and their queen is even on the front lines doing what she can. Melie is off fighting her own one-on-one battle. Ocoho is up on the flying ship being betrayed by her childhood friend.

And then Seth is down on the ground, doing what he can, to get to the bottom of it all with the main enemies. When, as the volume ends, he's faced with a big, surprising casualty that I was not expecting, and another reveal that makes sense but is also surprising, it's clear things are going to get hard after this.

This volume was intense in several parts, and I definitely want to read the next one after that cliffhanger. After what we learned in the previous couple volumes, that blow hits hard.

 

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

Manga Review: Black Clover, Volume 18, by Yuki Tabata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 26+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 17. 19.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

In a world of magic, Asta, a boy with anti-magic powers, will do whatever it takes to become the Wizard King!

Asta is a young boy who dreams of becoming the greatest mage in the kingdom. Only one problem—he can't use any magic! Luckily for Asta, he receives the incredibly rare five-leaf clover grimoire that gives him the power of anti-magic. Can someone who can't use magic really become the Wizard King? One thing's for sure—Asta will never give up!

With their friend and teammate turned into an elf, the other members of the Black Bulls will risk their lives to return Luck back to normal. But is their only hope Asta and his new sword?

 

Review:

 

The fight against the fae body-snatchers continues in this volume.

Asta barges in and tries to get his friends back to normal; there's a lot of stuff blowing up, a lot of emotions and arguing as they try to talk sense into them. The first half of the volume has Asta's fight continuing from the previous volume, then the latter half features Yami fighting. It's all very intense, blah blah blah. The volume ends with the hint of the main fight coming, I believe. We'll see.

I will admit this story line is a tiny bit more interesting than previous ones, but I don't care much for the characters. The inner turmoil all feels rather one-dimensional to me. Something about the fairies' hate also feels off to me, as well.

Meh, overall. The writing and characterization in this series is not enough for me.

 

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

Manga Review: Ran and the Gray World, Volume 5, by Aki Irie

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: VIZ Signature (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 7.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

A young sorceress transforms into an adult and sets out on magical adventures full of charm and wonder!

Ran Uruma can’t wait to grow up and become a sorceress like her mother, so with the help of a magical pair of sneakers, she transforms into an adult and sets off! Her father and older brother Jin try to keep her home safe, but Ran is determined to advance her powers and have adventures of her own!

With the Door destroyed, bugs are an even greater danger than before. The sorceresses build a glass fortress, but it’s only a matter of time before the bugs break through. Meanwhile, Ran tries to protect Otaro from being hunted down, but will she end up jeopardizing the battle against the bugs?

 

Review:

 

There's a lot of people hiding out in the Uruma house, so thankfully they're all magic. There's some debating and hunting, and an impending doom lingering over everyone. About halfway through the volume, though, Ran discovers that Otaru is behind all this, which means that something is wrong with him, and so she has to fight against the clock to find him and get him safe while everyone is out to kill him.

This volume actually got a bit exciting near the end. Ran has been holding a lot of magic inside her up to this point, while still being a kid. It's been a struggle for her to deal with both, and finally some of that starts to come out and she has to face it.

The characters and the story lines are all very odd, but in a unique and interesting way to me. Same as the art—it's unique, but so pretty.

We're left at a pretty good point in this volume, thankfully. But there's still some questions left. While this is my last review volume, I might pick up the rest of the series at some point. This is just such a neat series, I would like to see how it ends.

 

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

Manga Review: IM: Great Priest Imhotep, Volume 3, by Makoto Morishita

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 11.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The Ennead Priesthood has given Im a new objective: Return to Egypt and use "Damnatio Memoriae" to wipe the record of Prince Djoser clean from the record of the world. But when Djoser suddenly shows up-in the flesh?-the plan is forced to change. How will Im cope with seeing his friend again...when his only option is to kill him...?

 

Review:

 

Im is being put into a bad position, where he has to decide to ruin his best friend yet again, only it's even more important this time. He wants to fix things between him and Djoser, only to find out that that's not really an option for him. Not quite in the way that he expected, though.

Most of this volume was taken up with the friendship and feud between Im and Djoser. Im has regrets from his past, but he's also being put into a situation where he is forced to see what's happening in a new perspective and make a choice.

I'm not following this closely, but it's an interesting read. The characters are good and odd, and I find the Egyptian mythology/history really interesting. In the second half, Hinome gets to see Im playing at being a student, getting some carefree time. It's not something he's been able to experience before, and she discovers that he never got the chance to play and dream like a kid.

This has a surprising amount of depth, and I appreciate that.

 

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

Manga Review: Komi Can't Communicate, Volume 4, by Tomohito Oda

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The journey to 100 friends begins with a single conversation.

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi’s greatest dream is to make some friends, but everyone at school mistakes her crippling social anxiety for cool reserve. With the whole student body keeping its distance and Komi unable to utter a single word, friendship might be forever beyond her reach.

School is out for the summer, and Komi is still getting used to this strange new world of having friends. She’s discovering that friendship doesn’t automatically save you from awkward situations with people, but the more time she spends with her friends, the easier it all seems. And to her astonishment, for the first time in her life Komi isn’t anxious for summer to end.

 

Review:

 

It's summer, which means this odd friend group has to find excuses to see each other. There's some video game competition, and some last-minute homework groups. We also get a chapter of Komi just at home, where it's hot and she hangs out with her brother and decides to cook. It's very slice-of-life and quiet, and honestly I rather like it.

Then school is back, and there's sports competitions. We also meet a new character, a new student with an accent who admires Komi. There's one chapter where Tadano shows the other two what Komi is really thinking; they're way off, and somehow Tadano can read her perfectly. They also visit an arcade and take purikura pictures, which is very cute.

I relate a lot to Komi—not as extreme, but a quiet introvert nonetheless—and so I enjoy this series quite a bit. Even just the relaxed chapters, but also just seeing her figure out how to communicate, is all very real to me. I'm enjoying this series a lot.

 

 

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

Manga Review: Overlord, Volume 12, by Kugane Maruyama, Hugin Miyama, so-bin and Satoshi Oshio

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

At last, Demiurge's schemes in the kingdom begin bearing fruit...Between Jaldaboath and a powerful fighter capable of manipulating insects, the beleaguered humans have no choice but to rely on the Blue Roses!

Review:

 

This volume continues with an ongoing arc, by jumping into a battle against a bug maid. This takes up a good portion of the volume, as it delves into another, harder fight. It appears that two groups are coming together to fight Jaldaboath, and working with the town to win. It doesn't appear that everyone is fully on the same side, however.

I jumped into this volume with zero idea of what I was getting into. I apparently had a very different impression of what this series even was, and have no context for these characters or how this world works.

Overall, I'm not much of an action fan, and the battles weren't interesting to me. Possibly the tiny bit of characterization we got from Evileye, or the backstabbing of the royal family. But otherwise, this just wasn't for me. Meh.

 

 

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

Manga Review: I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level, Volume 2, by Kisetsu Morita, Yusuke Shiba, and Benio

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

 After 300 years of a laid-back life, witch Azusa's peace is interrupted by a host of wacky challengers after the word spreads that she actually is ridiculously strong. What sort of adventures and new friends will her rapidly expanding family encounter in the next volume?!

 

Review:

 

Azusa has maxed out her level in this fantasy land, and is now living a relatively simple life with her new family, and then Halkara knocks on the door crying for help. She wants to keep her family safe, but she decides to help her hide from Beelzebub.

While there are some potential dangers and drama, this has a pretty slice-of-life kind of feeling most of the time. The girls all live peacefully in their home, they meet new people, and they travel on adventures where they usually end up helping someone. They help Halkara figure out why Beelzebub is after her. Then they help their dragon sisters family, and end up forming a truce between fighting dragon clans.

There is some fan service, but this is mostly all women in the main cast. It was a light isekai fantasy, and I didn't mind it.

 

 

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

Manga Review: Nyankees, Volume 6, by Atsushi Okada

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 6.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A triggered Ryuusei hones in on Madara and strikes with a mighty cat punch, but there's more to the calico tom than meets the eye! Untold secrets and grudges are laid bare as the Nekonaki strife draws to a close in this final volume of Nyankees!

Review:

 

Jumping into this series at the very end, it was hard to follow at first. I clearly didn't know what this was about, because it took me a second to realize that the cats were being represented as the people, and that they were stray cats being represented as some kind of gang. It's very odd.

Also, I hate seeing animal violence like this, so seeing their back stories was hard to read. I don't read series like this, for this very reason. I can't take it.

Not knowing the rest of the story, it appears that all of the answers are given in this final volume. Ryuusei gets the answers he needs regarding Gekka, and finally gets some closure and a purpose.

The ending was actually pretty sweet. I liked the thoughts that we're left with, and how everything seems to wrap up.

Not necessarily my kind of story, but I imagine this was a nice ending for the people following it.

 

 

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

Manga Review: Kaguya-sama Love is War, Volume 13, by Aka Akasaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 19+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two high school geniuses scheme to get the other to confess their love first.

Two geniuses. Two brains. Two hearts. One battle. Who will confess their love first…?!

Will Ishigami make a confession of love? Who would date someone who is both an emo gamer and a former school pariah…? Meanwhile, someone is ready to confess her love to Shirogane—and it’s not Kaguya! Then Ino sabotages a romantic tour of a haunted house, Shirogane reveals some unexpected nonacademic skills, Kaguya accidentally dispenses good advice and a fortune teller foretells an ominous date for our pride-crossed lovers—no, not that kind of date. Plus heart-themed key rings, cookies, takoyaki and balloons!

But nobody turns down Stanford.

Review:

 

The school festival has finally started, and each class is focusing on their own activities. Kaguya is in a cosplay cafe, where she's idolized before being able to serve and attempt to show her tea-making skills—a surprising point of pride for her.

Chika and Shinomiya are doing balloon animals, which Shinomiya finally figured out how to do. Kaguya tries to trick him into making her a heart, though that doesn't quite go as planned. She also tries to trick him into taking a heart from her, though that also doesn't quite work. Her attempts at confessing her love without actually doing so are a bit too tricky to work, apparently.

Then there's Yu, who inadvertently confesses and doesn't know it, so doesn't understand what everyone else is going through regarding his confession. It's a debacle that he's created, and it's still unclear whether it's a good or a bad thing. I'm rooting for him, though.

Kaguya is thrown a twist at the end of the volume, but this series is still going strong, so I don't know if they're going to be doing any real confessing any time soon or not.

This series started with them treating confessing as a challenge and a competition. Now it's somehow formed into trying to trick the other person into loving them without ever acknowledging it. Trying to spend as much time together as a couple without anyone saying the words. I kind of like the change it has taken.

 

 

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