Manga Review: Spy x Family, Volume 2, by Tatsuya Endo

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2020

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!

Twilight must infiltrate the prestigious Eden Academy to get close to his target Donovan Desmond, but has he ruined his daughter Anya’s chances with his outburst during the admissions interview? Perhaps the truly impossible mission this time is making sure Anya both becomes an exemplary student and befriends Donovan’s arrogant son Damian!

 

Review:

 

Now that the family is all together, the first mission was to get Anya into the private school. After that interview, it surprisingly doesn't go too bad. While the task technically has a different step next, Twilight thinks that Anya could make friends with the main targets son in her class instead. But they're kids, so that doesn't quite go as planned.

Throughout all of this, of course, the three are still getting to know each other and growing closer. They're forming a familial bond, even though they've only been doing it a very short time, and with so little preparation. And then Yor's overprotective brother shows up.

This series is a lot of fun. I really like the characters, and I'm enjoying seeing them grow closer with each other. This development with Anya and her new classmates is also a lot of fun, since it's something she hasn't quite done like this before.

This is definitely a series to keep following.

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: The Promised Neverland, Volume 16, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2020

Volumes: 20.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 15. 17.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

While attempting to locate the Seven Walls, Emma and Ray find themselves trapped in a mysterious world. Can they escape this labyrinth and make the promise that will finally bring about peace? Meanwhile, Norman has his own plans...

 

Review:

 

While Emma and Ray are thrown into a reality-bending timescape, Norman has a new mission in the real world. Emma and Ray are being put to the test to figure out the ultimate puzzle, in order for Emma to make a new promise. It's unclear what she's willing to sacrifice to make it, though.

Gilda and Don are given a new mission by Norman as the volume starts. It's clear that Norman believes Mujika is a threat, so it's not surprising he sends them out to find her. They seem to read through at least some of his tricks, though. We meet Ayshe here, a girl sent out to help them. She doesn't speak, and they're not sure if she even understands them.

Ayshe might be one of my favorite characters so far. She adds a new complexity and complication to the story, in a way that I was kind of hoping would happen. She really intrigues me, and I'm really excited to see what happens next with her.

As this series draws closer to the conclusion, it's definitely getting more intense and complicated. I'm loving it, but I'm also increasingly worried about the ending.

Manga Review: Blue Exorcist, Volume 23, by Kazue Kato

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 22. 24.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Rin and his exorcist classmates are caught in a secret war against the forces of darkness.

Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan, but doing that means entering the mysterious True Cross Academy and becoming an exorcist himself.

The tragic story of what happened to Rin and Yukio’s mother, Yuri Egin, continues to unfold. Yuri and Father Fujimoto were once up-and-coming young Exorcists involved in Section 13’s extensive operation to research elixirs of immortality and develop clones to house the spirits of demons. The project seemed to be moving ahead until the unexpected manifestation of a demonic spirt into one of the clone bodies. And not just any demon—the most powerful demon of all: Satan!

 

Review:

 

This volume continues the back story of their mother and Satan. We discover who Satan really is, how he became who he is, and how their mother got mixed up in it all. It definitely gets messy very quickly, and how Yuri decides to help with it only complicates things further. Yukio might be the one who feels like he needs to know more than Rin, but Rin also needs to understand where his powers came from, and what happened that led to him and Yukio.

So far, it's explained some things, but also complicated others. We're reaching the climax of the back story, I think, so it'll be interesting to see how it concludes and leaves the twins where they are now.

I definitely do find this story interesting, but I'm also very curious where the rest of the characters are in the mean time, and what this means for Rin and Yukio going forward.

I really like the direction this series is taking, and I want more of it, faster. This plot is definitely one that would read really nicely in a binge session.

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: Spy x Family, Volume 1, by Tatsuya Endo

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2020

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volumes: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Master spy Twilight is the best at what he does when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions in the name of a better world. But when he receives the ultimate impossible assignment—get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!

Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!

 

Review:

 

When a spy is forced into a new mission to infiltrate a school, he's ordered to get a child old enough to enter the school, and a wife so he looks like a nice family man. Only the child he finds in the orphanage, Anya, is actually a telepath. And then when he stumbles upon a woman suitable to be his wife, it turns out she's an assassin. Of course, none of them know this about each other. Instead, they get to stumble into being a family-unit.

Loid is thrown into this, and like any good spy, he does the best he can in a short period of time. Anya only wants a family, she wants a nice father and mother and home. Reading their minds only lets her know when to be careful of their double lives, and what to say if she's lucky, though. Yor, while an assassin, is actually quite shy and often shamed for being single. So despite all of their differences, and how little they know about each other, they seem to be a perfect fit.

I'd heard really good things about this series, and it sounded cute. And so I'm really happy that I was hooked from the very beginning. Especially once we meet Anya, who is just adorable. I think following how this family gets to know each other, Yor and Loid figuring out how to be parents and also slowly forming their romance, is going to be a lot of fun.

I'm excited for the next one.

Manga Review: The Promised Neverland, Volume 15, by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: June 2020

Volumes: 19.

Spoilers?: Yes, light.

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

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Life at Grace Field House is good for Emma and her fellow orphans. While the daily studying and exams they have to take are tough, their loving caretaker provides them with delicious food and plenty of playtime. But perhaps not everything is as it seems…

As Norman and his group prepare their plan to eradicate all of the demons, Emma searches for her own path. Can she find a way to create a new promise that achieves peace without resorting to violence?

 

Review:

 

The confrontation with Norman happens. He has information to share with Emma and Ray, just as they have their own worries to share. It's so hard to see Norman as this unmoving adult, when you know he's just doing what he believes is the right thing, but also when Emma has such bigger peaceful goals in mind.

We're given some new, surprising information in this volume. And then Emma and Ray are off on a timed mission, where it looks like they're starting a test for real answers. Norman has put them on a timer for it, but also the monsters have caught on and aren't going to let these human be for too much longer.

I'm intrigued to see where Ray and Emma are off to, and what's going to happen there. But this is also really hard to take. I'm afraid of where this series is going to go, cause I really don't want a bad ending for these three.

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!

Manga Review: Black Clover, Volume 17, by Yuki Tabata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 25+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 15. 18.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Review:

I missed a volume, and apparently I missed some very important plot, as well.

The faeries have taken over, and now everyone is fighting each other, and Asta has only a few people with him attempting to save everyone else. It's a long and intense fight as Asta works to save a select few from the faeries in different areas, and then work together to stop them at other areas of the kingdom. This includes a short stop in the town that Asta and Yuno grew up, where they get to show how far they've grown.

There's a lot of growth in a few different relationships here, and it's nice to see. We're also shown yet again just how strong Yuno is, quite what a prodigy he is. In such a way that it's easy to believe he would become the wizard king and it would need someone very powerful to compete with him, and it makes sense that Asta would need to be strong in the exact opposite way, thus him having anti-magic.

This was actually an okay volume. I haven't been following this very closely, but this was an interesting change to see, since most of this has been much smaller-scale battles and competitions.

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

Manga Review: Juni Taisen: Zodiac War, Volume 4, by Akira Akatsuki, Nisiosin and Hikaru Nakamura

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2019

Volumes: 4.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve fighters enter, one fighter leaves—who will win the 12th Zodiac War?

Every 12 years, 12 fighters take the form of the Chinese zodiac and engage in a battle royale. With their strength and mysterious powers, they fight to the death and the sole survivor is granted the ultimate prize—any wish.

With most of Rabbit’s zombie army out of the way, only one thing stands between Ox and Tiger and taking down Rabbit for good—Monkey. Her sheer strength and power, once disciplined in life, are completely unhinged in death, making her far and away the strongest fighter! With only four fighters and one zombie remaining, who will come out victorious? Don’t miss the thrilling, unexpected conclusion to the twelfth Zodiac War!

Review:

We reach the end of the zodiac war, and finally find out who is left at the end of this massacre. It is, of course, not quite what you would expect from the beginning of the series. Once you find out who it is and what their true power is, though, it makes sense, and it makes sense why it was kept secret this whole time.

There were a couple of interesting characters along the way of this series. The relationship between the Tiger and the Ox ended up being particularly odd in its sweetness, honestly. But there were a couple of others, too, that I almost wished hadn't died, like the twins.

After all of that build-up, though, I'm a bit disappointed that we don't find out what the winner wants his wish for. It seems like there was a lot of build up for that, especially the further the series went, and then we're left with an “I'll think about it”, basically. I guess there's a whole sequel novel about his decision, though? So I suppose, in that ideal, that it makes sense the fighting would take up the first story line.

This was an interesting story. Not something I would normally read, especially with so much gore, but I'm glad I stuck around. I wanted to know who won this crazy battle royale, and it was an interesting conclusion.

Manga Review: One-Punch Man, Volume 18, by One and Yusuke Murata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 21+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 17. 19.

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!

Garo has just left the Monster Association’s hideout when he crosses paths with Saitama, who’s in quite a pinch, but Saitama still doesn't know Garo is the Hero Hunter. Later, King the Ripper can no longer hold back his murderous urges and confronts Garo himself!

Review:

Garo wants to be an evil villain, but he's also not quite the same as the other villains. He doesn't want to do what they tell him to, just because they told him to. And after saving this little kid, he kinds of forms a soft spot for the boy.

Garo is also a very intense character. This is contrasted very nicely when he comes upon Saitama, who doesn't even mean to punch him but is actually just trying to hide his face.

Honestly, I still rather enjoy the humor of Saitama's straight-faced reactions and anti-climactic fights, and the silly reasons he reacts in certain ways. At this point, though, we're not getting a whole lot of that. Saitama's group of heroes are building to go fight the monsters, but that plot point is taking its time, and instead we're getting a lot of weird monster fights, and in this volume, a lot of time of Garo with the other monsters. Those scenes are just meh to me. I understand why, since this series has expanded so much and they had to throw in other content, but still.

These volumes are easy to read, for the most part, and I don't mind them. I'm not following the main plot too closely, though.

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

Manga Review: Kaguya-sama Love is War, Volume 12, by Aka Akasaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 18+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 11. 13.

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 Shirogane ever admit to his insignificant but seemingly infinite lack of nonacademic talents? And what of the other student council members? Are any of them willing to see themselves objectively? Then it’s time for the school cultural festival, which harkens back to a legend of ancient personal sacrifice that inspires the present-day students…symbolically, at least. Plus, a student council arm wrestling competition, balloon animals and a flashback episode to Shirogane’s first awkward weeks as an outsider at Shuchiin High.

Cosplay makes the woman.

Review:

Now that graduation is getting closer, Kaguya and Miyuki are forming different perspectives on their relationship. Kaguya is still just beginning to understand her real feelings, and still trying to goad Miyuki into confessing or asking her out. But Miyuki, on the other hand, has accepted his feelings and is suddenly reacting very different from how Kaguya expects. Suddenly he's just agreeing with her teasing, and she doesn't know how to deal with it.

At the end of the volume we get a surprising new insight into how these two got in this position, how they first met when they started as freshmen. But before that, we see Miyuki and Kaguya attempting to push their relationship forward, only to be met with outside forces interfering, or even their own fears interfering. Like when they start flirting and Kaguya shows him a few costume options for her class' cafe. And when Miyuki starts questioning how other people view him.

Then there are a few chapters outside of them. Ishigami and Miko try helping out with the festival committee, and we again see how Ishigami can be quite outgoing in certain circumstances. And when Miyuki has troubles with balloon animals, and Chika has flashbacks from teaching him. These are some of my favorite moments, honestly. Including when she forces the group to have a thumb war because Ishigami insults her, and it doesn't quite turn in her favor.

This is a lot of fun. I thought the series was wrapping up soon, but apparently not. It's still going strong.

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

Manga Review: Platinum End, Volume 10, by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2019

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the creators of Death Note! Mirai may have been saved by an angel, but his battle is just beginning…

As his classmates celebrate their middle school graduation, troubled Mirai is mired in darkness. But his battle is just beginning when he receives some salvation from above in the form of an angel. Now Mirai is pitted against 12 other chosen humans in a battle in which the winner becomes the next god of the world. Mirai has an angel in his corner, but he may need to become a devil to survive.

Thanks to Susumu’s TV announcement, the whole world now knows about the existence of the god candidates. Mirai and his friends find themselves being targeted by all kinds of government agencies. Their safety hinges on the ability to locate the remaining hidden candidates and put an end to the process. But the mysterious final god candidate might have their own dark plans…

Review:

The hunt to join all of the god candidates is on. The group meets Nakaumi, the depressed boy who believes suicide is right. He's all around a very depressing character. Honestly, it's hard to like any of the characters in this series.

They also get closer to meeting Temari, who's in lock up. And apparently they want a democratic solution to choosing which one of them gets to be god, though that means things might not be going in Mirai's direction.

This series is kind of hard to take. It's depressing, and crudely so. All of the characters are pretty despicable in their own way, or dumb/naive in the women's case.

There's still one candidate that's a mystery, and it looks like he'll be next to be dealt with.

Meh.

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