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.

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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: 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: 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.

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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.

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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: A Witch's Printing Office, Volume 2, by Mochinchi and Yasuhiro Miyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: April 2020

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: Very light.

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Volume: 1. 3.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

 Mika never imagined her "Magic Market" would be so successful! However, as the massively popular book-buying event continues to expand after each iteration, some things are bound to get out of hand!!

 

Review:

 

We meet a couple of new characters in this volume. A princess who wants to run away from home, only to discover she's a fujoshi and has this in common with her mother. Also an evil demon who wants to have a booth at Magiket. Along the way, Mika also finds a new paper cutter, and forms an agreement with a dragon for his shed skin to make books with.

I don't really understand what the timeline of these books are. There appears to be two Magikets each book, which I think most conventions are once a year, so that seems like time is very fast here. Maybe that's mirroring video game sense of time?

It doesn't appear that Mika is getting very much closer to getting back home, but it also doesn't seem like the plot is focusing too much on that part. At least up until that ending, which might bring up some new progress next time.

I'm not a high-fantasy reader, but I don't mind this series. It has some good, funny moments, and I think it's getting better.

 

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

Manga Review: The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, Volume 12, by Puyo, Nagaru Tanigawa, and Noizi Ito

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 12.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

The series is over-but Haruhi-chan's antics will never be!
Fueled by her now-legendary melancholy, the absurd adventures of Haruhi-chan continue, utterly unbound by the laws of reality! Cozy up under the kotatsu with Haruhi-chan and the Brigade-for as looong as you like. Take flight with Haruhi the superhero as she swoops in to save the day...on her own terms! Bask in the obligatory swimsuit chapter! All leading up to the final chapter! And the final chapter! And the stunning Final Chapter!!!

Review:

I didn't read any of the main series, nor did I watch any of the anime for this series. I've always wanted to, but I haven't. Since this volume seems to be mostly after-the-ending episodic stories and comics, this wasn't too bad.

I'm sure any fan of the original series would have enjoyed this a lot more, though. I was rather lost, as it became imperative that most of this includes insider jokes, and I was even confused by the art style since sometimes the characters would look completely different in different chapters.

I did enjoy some of the chapters, though. There's a comedic zombie scenario; a cute scene with the characters out of high school, including the main couple; and then some fun kotatsu-in-the-club-room scenes.

Still, this was an okay volume, and I am a bit curious by the different relationships between all of the characters. For people following the series, though, I'm sure this was a fun volume to read.

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

Manga Review: Im: Great Priest Imhotep, Volume 1, by Makoto Morishita

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 11.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the sands of Ancient Egypt to the streets of modern Japan, the newly resurrected Great Priest Imhotep traverses time and space on the hunt for the magai, devious beings with an appetite for destruction who impersonate the gods! When schoolgirl Hinome crosses paths with this illustrious ancient, is her loner lifestyle about to change for the better...or for the worse?!

Review:

Imhotep is brought back to life to purge the magai from the world. He finds himself in Japan, and when he discovers that Hinome has a magai haunting her, he decides to stick around. Hinome hasn't been able to talk for a long time, and her father is a big fan of Egyptian history, so he's very excited to let Imhotep stay at their supposedly haunted house.

Hinome and Im form an odd back-and-forth, in which Hinome basically feels she's stuck with him and Im keeps showing up and interrupting her life. But he also helps push her to better herself, including finally making a friend at school.

This was a rather fun first volume. Hinome is the main character, but it still feels like a shonen series. We meet a potential enemy as the volume ends, but most of this had short magai plots. It was fun to read, though.

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

Manga Review: RaW Hero, Volume 1, by Akira Hiramoto

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: February 2020

Volumes: 6+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the mind of Akira Hiramoto (Prison School) comes a super-powered story of heroes and villains that's wild, dirty, and unpredictable. Chiaki is desperate to find a job and support his family, but when he sacrifices a job interview in order to stop a train groper, he winds up at the center of a fight between good and evil!

Review:

This series starts off with a potential groping that turns out to be a planned and agreed to scene. That alone sets this series off on a weird path.

Chiaki is the older brother in his household, and it's up to him to support his two younger brothers. He's struggling to find a job, when suddenly he stops a groper and ends up being offered a job as a potential hero. He has a hard time deciding, and when he starts, his first job starts him as an accidental cross-dresser.

This is definitely an adult series, as there is some explicit, blatant groping that happens. Chiaki also ends up throwing himself into a role as a woman, trying to go undercover and not get himself killed. Aside from that, there's also some sweet family moments with his brothers, and we see how badly he wants to do good for them.

This was an odd volume to read. I'm not sure if it's something I would pick up on my own, but I didn't mind reading it. I even kind of appreciated the kink-friendly mention, whether it was necessary or not to the plot.

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

Manga Review: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Volume 2, by Aidalro

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: March 2020

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Nene Yashiro has made a pact with "Hanako-san of the Toilet," aka Hanako-kun, to hold off the curse that has been placed on her. To rescue her friend from the clutches of one of the school's infamous Seven Mysteries, she and Hanako-kun infiltrate the Misaki Stairs. The second volume of the retro horror romantic comedy about an occult girl and an inhuman supernatural boy is finally in print!

Review:

The first half of this volume continues the stair-case ghost story. It gets a little dangerous, and rather sad/disturbing when we discover the reason. It's rather fun to follow, though, but maybe it's just been a while since I've had a good high school ghost series.

In between the next plot, we get a little romance-inspired chapter between Yashiro and Hanako. He's giving her mixed signals, and she's very romance-focused, so she jumps to conclusions. It was a cute chapter, but it also ends in a really sweet way. After that, we meet Minamoto's older brother, who is a surprise, but also is very against ghosts and wants them all exorcised. It's a bit conflicting here, because Minamoto is having second thoughts about his first motivation to exorcise Hanako. This plot is definitely going to get deeper, since we're briefly introduced to couple other characters but not given much about them.

We're getting lots of mixed signals from Hanako, and I'm curious what it means. He generally acts light-hearted, but he's shown equal moments of vulnerability and of violence, and it's hard to tell which ones are real and what they actually mean. He's clearly hiding things, including how he ended up here, and I'm curious when we'll learn more and what it all means.

I hadn't expected to be interested in this series, and I'm really not a fan of the name, but I'm surprisingly hooked. This was another really fun and interesting volume, and I want to read more.

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

Manga Review: Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody, Volume 9, by Aya Megumu, Hiro Ainana, and Shri

Rating (Out of 5): ~2

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Looking to deliver a letter from the Witch of the Forest of Illusions, Satou and his party decide to visit the village of the forest giants. He soon finds the villagers are still recovering from hydra attacks, including three children who were poisoned by the hydra's toxic breath. As Satou gets to work on brewing an antidote, Karina ponders how she can enlist the giants' assistance in ridding her hometown of the demonic presence that plagues it...

Review:

Satou and his harem group are joined by Karina as this volume starts. She's welcomed in relatively comfortably, aside from a bit of jealousy for her big breasts. She has a brooch that talks to her, and has a bad rep because of her family. They all continue along their journey, meeting new people and helping out different towns and peoples.

This book was terribly boring to me. There isn't a whole lot of action or showing happening, instead we're just informed with lots of text what is happening, the politics of the matter, how Satou knows things and what he's doing to fix all of these problems. If you're a big fan of high fantasy, this might be interesting. I am not, so this was very much not for me.

I also didn't really care for the characters, and Satou's “children” who are all relatively in love with him was a little uncomfortable to me, plus how Karina is portrayed because of her figure. Even the interactions between Satou and Karina felt rather one-dimensional to me.

I was not a fan, but this was not for me.

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