Manga Review: The Gods Lie. by Kaori Ozaki

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: 2016

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

Natsuru Nanao, a 6th grader who lives alone with his mother, strikes up an unlikely friendship with the reserved and driven Rio Suzumura. Natsuru plays hookey from soccer camp that summer, and instead of telling the truth to his mother, he spends all his time with Rio and her kid brother at their rickety house, where a dark secret threatens to upend their fragile happiness.

Review:

This is a story about Natsuru, a boy, who forms a friendship with Rio, a quiet girl. He lives alone with his mom. She lives with her little brother, and takes in a cat that Natsuru finds. They form an odd friendship at first, and slowly grow closer. When Natsuru finds out some of the things that Rio has been through, has had to deal with in order to grow up and take care of her brother, he wants to help her, and take her away from it all.

Life can be very unfair at times, and for some people in particular. Rio has been through some very bad things, and she did what she thought she had to, to move past it. When everything is revealed, it's a sad story. But Rio and Natsuru still had their close friendship, even when they were apart.

Despite some of the awful things, this was a really sweet story. Bittersweet, maybe. And the ending is really nice. It leaves it a little open, I suppose, but I think it leaves it open for better things. I think they both were able to grow and be better despite, or because of, it all.

I really liked this story, and I hope that Ozaki's other manga gets picked up at some point. (I'm still holding out hope for Immortal Rain.)

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 6, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: June 2018

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Spell Celebration

Everyone gathers to grill giblets to celebrate Chinatsu’s first bit of witchcraft. The familiars are lured to school with the promise of a tasty lunch... which draws the attention of an upperclassman witch. Makoto is tasked with solving a case where people get spirited away, but the solution turns out to be very down-to-earth...

Review:

The volume starts with a celebration, as Chinatsu did her first bit of magic. Then, summer starts off with a very odd snow storm—but only in certain patches of the town. In the middle of the volume, we get a little break as the story focuses on the cats. Chito and Keeny decide to visit Makoto at school for the day, and journey their way there for some food.

In the second half of the volume, we meet a new witch, Sayo. She's very intense and strict, but surprisingly sweet and energetic in text. She's a classmate, and they end up going on a job together. It's nice to see Makoto branching out and meeting other witches, getting to learn from them and make new connections.

This series is so fun. It's fast and easy and funny. It's a simple pleasure, and I'm a bit upset that we're pretty much caught up with Japan already. That was fast, and now we have to wait for each volume. But that just means it'll be a fun surprise each time, I'm sure.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 5, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: Light.

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

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Makoto gets her first official job request from a Society Witch, and while the job seems mundane at first, a bit of immature magic makes for an unexpected situation. Makoto uses the payment from the job to buy a magical item that reveals the invisible. Chinatsu’s gift from Beachy starts to wreak havoc, until it’s reduced to a form that lets her use a spell...

Review:

Makoto gets her first job as a witch, and it's babysitting a little boy, who makes it rain when he cries. Since this is a slice-of-life, light-hearted series, this turns out fun instead of worrying. After that, Makoto's sister gets conned into buying a “magical” fishing rod, and then Kei gets hiccups that won't go away.

Chinatsu isn't really a witch yet, but she's trying to get there. She goes with Makoto to get paid, and they both try out a magical item that lets them see creatures that are normally hidden. And afterward, she gets a magical item of her own.

This series is honestly too fast, but it's such a fun, easy read. It's rather delightful.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 4, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: December 2017

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Serene Sorcery
Makoto makes her way to a fabric shop in town in order to sew a new robe, and ends up crafting a surprise for Chinatsu, too. Makoto combines her mundane studies with a bit of witchcraft and makes a freaky treat. On the way home from a late-night meeting with her mentor, Makoto runs into Inukai. They head to the beach and meet an adorably mysterious creature that immediately makes itself at home...

Review:

In this volume of Flying Witch, Makoto decides to make herself a new witch's robe, as hers is old and torn up, and goes ahead to make one for Chinatsu, as well. They go apple picking. And then Makoto checks in with a mentor of hers, a nice, biker chick. The characters in this series are each unique, and interesting in different ways.

The biggest surprise is when Makoto and Inukai stumble upon each other, and end up finding a little rabbit-like creature. Chinatsu and the creature end up forming a kinship, and I would think it becomes her familiar, but I'm not sure that's the right kind of “pet” for that.

These volumes go by too fast, honestly. They're easy and simple and so very fun. Supernatural slice-of-life in the easiest form, and the volumes are over before I realize it.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 3, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: September 2017

Volume: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A Slice of Magic

Makoto and her cousins visit a café run by a witch that’s cloaked in magic and has regular visitors from folks on the “other side.” Inukai stops by to make amends, and Nao gets a taste of some spicy medicine. Akane drops by just in time for a very special sighting of a rare, sky-borne animal...

Review:

We meet a new band of characters in this volume, the owners of a witch cafe in town. It's hidden, and the waitress is a ghost. The daughter and mother who run it are fun, though, and it's good for Makoto to meet more witches she can learn from.

We also got a lot of simple plots. We get to check up on Makoto's growing garden; Inukai shows up to give Makoto the fortune she forgot about at their meeting. Through a witch newspaper, we discover that there's a sky whale flying nearby soon, and so they go off on broom to see it. This particular chapter showed the creativity this series has. It's subtle and slow, everyday life stuff, that makes this a very easygoing witch series. There isn't even all that much witchcraft, most of the time. But it's easy little mentions and chapters like this that are interesting, something I wouldn't have thought of.

These volumes are extremely fast and easy, and I really enjoy reading them. The anime is the same, really. So good.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 2, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: June 2017

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Makoto goes to a local cherry blossom festival and happens to encounter someone who has a bone to pick with her sister, Akane. When Akane happens to drop by, she teaches Makoto some new tricks for flying and some easy spellcraft. Their kid cousin Chinatsu is so charmed by the witches’ talents that she makes an unexpected request...

Review:

In this volume, we meet Inukai, who knows Makoto's sister and is a fortune teller. Only, she's hiding her face, because Makoto's sister supposedly put an awful spell on her. This turns out to have kind of been a misunderstanding, though Makoto still tries to help.

Makoto experiences a couple of new things in this volume, but the biggest is when Chinatsu decides to be a witch and asks Akane to mentor her.

There's very light magic-use in this series, it's much more focused on slice-of-life stuff, with Makoto not having experienced much, like food or light spells. It's very fun and light-hearted, and the humor works really well with it.

Manga Review: Flying Witch, Volume 1, by Chihiro Ishizuka

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: March 2017

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Prepare to be Bewitched!

Makoto Kowata, a novice witch, packs up her belongings (including a black cat familiar) and moves in with her distant cousins in rural Aomori to complete her training and become a full-fledged witch.

Review:

This took me a while to get around to. Mostly because, despite that I've heard good things, I was worried it wouldn't be that good. A slice-of-life series about a witch with a black cat—right there it sounds right up my alley.

And I shouldn't have waited so long, because it's great. I'm already eager for more.

Makoto moves out to live with some distant cousins, because as a witch at 15 she's supposed to move out on her own, but in modern times that's not very realistic, especially when she's still supposed to be in school.

Everyone can tell that there's something a little off about her, but she's not very good at hiding that she's a witch. We meet Kei and Chinatsu, her cousins; then there's Kei's friend Nao. Chinatsu has the hardest time getting used to Makoto, but mostly because of the weird people that come around for her.

Everyone is rather blasé about everything, and the humor is dry, but drops very well. It's very relaxed and casual, with little surprises. It reminds me a bit of Yotsuba&!, in the best way.

I'm already hooked, honestly, and can't wait to read more.

Manga Review: Knights of Sidonia, Volume 1, by Tsutomo Nihei

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5-3

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: 2013

Volumes: 15.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

“CORE EXPOSED”

Outer space, the far future.

A lone seed ship, the Sidonia, plies the void, ten centuries since the obliteration of the solar system. The massive, nearly indestructible, yet barely sentient alien life forms that destroyed humanity’s home world continue to pose an existential threat.

Nagate Tanikaze has only known life in the vessel’s bowels deep below the sparkling strata where humans have achieved photosynthesis and new genders. Not long after he emerges from the Underground, however, the youth is bequeathed a treasured legacy by the spaceship’s coolheaded female captain.

Meticulously drawn, peppered with clipped humor, but also unusually attentive to plot and structure for the international cult favorite, Knights of Sidonia may be Tsutomu Nihei’s most accessible work to date even as it hits notes of tragic grandeur as a hopeless struggle for survival unfolds.

Review:

I think maybe this is a slow starting series. It must be, given how much people like this series. Because this volume was slow and did not pull me in. Maybe I’m just not a sci-fi person, though.

We’re thrown into the story, a weird space-based world, where there are aliens to fight. Nagate has been living separated from everyone else, though, and doesn’t even realize that there are other humans around that could help him. He’s one of the few humans left who eat real food, and he has no real training with space-fighting and the machines, but he’s been using one in secret.

It’s odd to me how he’s been hiding without realizing there are other humans so close by, and yet he stumbled upon them all of a sudden now that he’s alone. Either way, though, he’s living in an odd world and pushed into helping fight. It gets bad, bloody and deadly, and doesn’t end well for them, either.

Maybe it is that I’m just not a sci-fi person, because I’m not really interested in picking up the next one. This one was slow and odd, and didn’t pull me into the story, world, or characters.

Manga Review: The Flowers of Evil, Volume 1, by Shuzo Oshimi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: 2012

Volumes: 11.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Takao Kasuga is a bookworm. And his favorite book right now is Baudelaire's Flowers of Evil. While the young man may often be seen lost in thought as he rabidly consumes page after page, Takao is not much of a student. Actually when we are first introduced to the middle school teen, we find him sneaking some reading as he receives and F on a recent language exam.

Nakagawa is known as the class bully. When she is not receiving zeros she is usually muttering profanities to those around her. While she doesn't care for books or their readers, she does have a thing for troublemakers. Takao may not be one, but having read over his shoulder a few times, she knows he is not very innocent. If anything he is bored and aware of it.

Together, by chance, they shake up their entire rural community as Takao tries to break out of his shell in a random moment of passion and affection...not directed towards Nakamura. And contrary to Takao's predictions, the girl he was falling for, Nanako Saeki, responds by eventually accepting the bibliophile for who he is. Or at least, who she thinks he is.

And therein lies the conflict. Takao is not a hero. He is not trouble-maker, either. He is a regular teen who through equal moments of cowardice and chivalry takes a long step towards adulthood as he desperately tries to cover up a dark secret. Takao Kusuga has stolen an item precious to someone he is attracted to, and if he doesn't form a "contract" with his new best friend, she is going to tell.

Review:

This was… weird.

I know I was expecting it to be odd and dark, but I didn’t know how much. Instead, it was weird, and maybe even a little unsettling.

When Nakamura finds out that Kasuga has a crush on Saeki, and that he stole her gym uniform, she decides to start using him, even blackmailing him. Taunting him with his wants, making him feel like even more of a freak. Already his classmates start teasing him about his crush, he’s worried about them finding out what he’s done.

Nakamura is creepy, and she’s seriously crazy. She freaks me out. Kasuga is not a particularly good character—he’s weird, and he has odd thoughts and wants of his own. His classmates are terrible, mostly, not nice people or friends to him. But Nakamura is worse.

I mostly feel weird and unsettled after reading this. I don’t know if I’ll pick up any more.

Manga Review: My Neighbor Seki, Volume 6, by Takuma Morishige

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: January 2016

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

School Day Shenanigans

Seki's complicated games manage to distract Rumi... even when he's absent from school. Not only does Seki try to literally rewrite history, he performs surgery (on stuffed animals), and brings live creatures to cooking class. Meanwhile, Rumi focuses on saving the Earth itself.

Review:

I do enjoy this series quite a bit, though it’s more of a fun one-off to pick up for a little fun reading. There’s not an overall plot to follow. It’s a reprieve, really.

Seki is causing more and more trouble to Rumi, as she keeps getting caught up in the game that at this point she’s barely paying attention to class either. I enjoy the ongoing jokes and themes, like the robot family that Rumi is protective of. Rumi’s friend in class is still believing they’re having a love affair, and is even worried that Seki is bad for Rumi. Seki’s sister visits class, and Rumi tries helping, while we get to see how similar the siblings really are.

I don’t really have much to say about each volume of this series. It’s fun and easy, what you should be looking for when you pick it up.

Wishlist Thursday[154]: The Gods Lie by Kaori Ozaki

The Gods Lie by Kaori Ozaki

Publisher: Vertical Comics

Release Date: April 19, 2016

Volumes: 1.

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

Add on Goodreads

RightStuf Synopsis:

Natsuru Nanao, a 6th grader who lives alone with his mother, strikes up an unlikely friendship with the reserved and driven Rio Suzumura. Natsuru plays hookey from soccer camp that summer, and instead of telling the truth to his mother, he spends all his time with Rio and her kid brother at their rickety house, where a dark secret threatens to upend their fragile happiness.
The Gods Lie features story and art by Kaori Ozaki.

Why?:

This sounds like a very interesting read to me. The characters are a bit younger than I usually read, but the plot is definitely something I would pick up. Plus, it’s by the author of Immortal Rain! I collected that series when it was released by Tokyopop and am still a big fan of it, so that alone makes me want to pick this up. I’m excited for it.

Special Mention:

The Irregular at Magic High School Volume 1 by Tsutomu Satou and Kana Ishida out on April 19, 2016—I’m intrigued by this series. I’ve thought about watching the anime several times, and it looks like an interesting series. It’s pretty. I might pick it up if I get the chance.

What’s on your list?

Wishlist Thursday[152]: Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher + Nichijou

Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Release Date: April 5, 2016

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

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this utterly sweet and moving women's fiction novel, a celebrity comes to town and sweeps a young woman - who is used to being overlooked - off her feet.

Sophie May is content with her life in her small English village, working in the local coffee shop and living with her mom. But when famous actor Billy comes to town to play Mr. Darcy in a new film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Sophie's quiet life is quickly turned on its head. Billy is adored by women around the world, but he only wants Sophie on his arm. But being with Billy comes at a price, and Sophie is thrown in the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy?

Brimming with humor, wit, and genuine warmth, Billy and Me is a book about taking a chance on life and on love.

Why?:

This sounds like a cute story. It sounds like a cute story that it right up my alley, and aimed more at adult women instead of teens. I’m intrigued, and I want to love it.

I must also admit that, as a fan of Carrie Hope Fletcher on Youtube, I also follow Giovanna, and given their connection, only makes me want to read it more.

Special Mention:

Nichijou Volume 1 by Keiichi Arawi out on March 29, 2016 – I’m intrigued by this book. It looks pretty, and like a comedy slice of life series. But I can’t seem to find much more information on it than that. So I might pick it up when I get the chance.

What's on your list?