Manga Review: Sweat and Soap, Volume 2, by Kintetsu Yamada

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: April 2020

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 3.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

In an office romance, there's a fine line between sexy and awkward... and that line is where Asako -- a woman who sweats copiusly -- met Koutarou -- a perfume developer who can't get enough of Asako's, er, scent. Don't miss a romcom manga like no other!

Asako's living her dream, working at the toiletry maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she's ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that does the trick. So when the company's lead product developer, a perfuming genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what "that smell" is, she's terrified... but could it be... that he likes it? And, even more surprising to Asako... does she like him?

The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp. Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the "too real!" workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!

 

Review:

 

Asako is faced with a potential rival, and she has to decide whether she's willing to fight for herself here or not. She's always been a rather quiet and shy girl, unwilling to put herself out there or defend herself, or even ask for what she wants. But when she realizes just how much she wants Natori, she starts putting herself out there a bit more at a time.

I relate a lot to Asako, and I understand her struggle. Which is why it's also really nice to see her making the effort, putting herself in new situations in order to be closer to Natori.

While they're still keeping their relationship a secret at work, they're still finding time to be together as much as possible. And when Asako visits her family, she decides to share the news. The second half of the volume features Natori meeting Asako's brother, and while it felt very shojo here, it was still handled relatively well. Natori is tested, but he handles it well, and I think it even helps him want to be as good as he can be for Asako.

While there is some drama brewing, I think the themes are being handled rather maturely. And I do love Asako and Natori's relationship and how it's progressing. I'm excited for more.

Manga Review: Jealousy, Volume 1, by Scarlet Beriko

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2020

Volumes: 4+

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

The prequel to the popular yakuza rom-com Fourth Generation Head: Tatsuyuki Oyamato!

A yakuza head finds himself ensnared in the unwavering attentions of a sometimes impetuous but always cunning schemer. If being yakuza doesn’t get him killed, his new lover just might!

Uichi Rogi is in a bind, both literally and figuratively, when he meets Akitora Oyamato, the yakuza head who’s come to collect a debt from Uichi’s lover. Instantly smitten, Uichi schemes dubious and often dangerous ways of getting closer to the man, but his lies come at a heavy price—one he may regret having to pay for Akitora’s affections.

 

Review:

 

This is a spin-off of the one-shot Fourth Generation Head, featuring the stoic bodyguard of the yakuza with his little daughter.

I will say I'm intrigued by these two characters, and I find his daughter to be quite smart and cute. But most of this volume centers on Uichi and his past, what led to him being where he is today. Once upon a time, he was a young man, who had a hard time really connecting with people and feeling emotions, and he grasped onto the yakuza head at the time. He does several questionable things in order to get closer to him, leading him to very odd and sticky situations.

Uichi's obsession with the yakuza head is definitely dangerous and unhealthy. I'm curious where it's going, but I'm also very wary. Mostly, though, I would like to know more about his present situation, and I'm not sure when we'll get that.

Same as with the previous story, though, I tend to like the characters and relationships, more than the main, yakuza plot line.

Manga Review: Ao Haru Ride, Volume 12, by Io Sakisaka

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 2020

Volumes: 13.

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 11. 13.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Futaba Yoshioka has encountered her first love again in high school, but he seems different from the boy she once knew. Kou no longer wants to hold back how he feels about Futaba. He’s determined to keep trying as long as he has even a sliver of a chance with her. Meanwhile, Futaba has decided to be more honest in her relationship with Toma, but is her heart still in it?

 

Review:

 

I definitely thought that this triangle was going to take longer to resolve than this.

In the first part of the volume, Kou finally gets to find some closure with Narumi. She was avoiding it, but he definitely wanted it to help them both move on. And given how honest each of the characters tends to be with themselves and then each other, I suppose it's not surprising how quickly it moves from there.

There's a bit of a surprising, and dramatic, event afterward, but it all ends rather heartwarming and sweet. It's sad for some of the characters, but they all take it rather well. I think it affects everyone in a certain, but good, way.

The next volume is the last, but I think it'll mostly be fluff, and tying up the rest of the loose ends. This volume had a really nice conclusion for the main couple, so far.

Manga Review: Secret XXX by Meguru Hinohara

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: SuBLime (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2020

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Shohei’s just trying to find love in a pet shop, so why are all these bunnies making it so difficult?

Shohei loves bunnies! He loves them so much he’s even taken to volunteering at a local pet shop. Store owner Mito is as sweet and kind as the fuzzy critters he cares for, and it’s not long before Shohei finds himself wanting to cuddle with him as much as the bunnies! But Shohei is hiding a dangerous secret, one that makes this dream an unlikely reality.

 

Review:

 

Even though Shohei appears to be allergic to bunnies, he's started volunteering at a bunny pet shop, where coincidentally, there's also this really cute guy who runs it. When Shohei accidentally over exposes himself to the bunnies, his secret is revealed, and his real relationship with Mito starts.

This was a really cute one-shot. The full volume is taken up with the main couple, which I appreciate, but we also get to meet the main characters for the spin-off series. Shohei is inexperienced, but he's sweet and has good intentions, and he wants to take care of Mito. Mito is a little older and more mature, but he's also got some surprises for Shohei. In the end, they were kind of like a newlywed couple, including some drama with Shohei's parents. It was all really cute, though, with some very hot steamy scenes, as well.

I'm definitely going to pick up the spin-off.

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: 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: Not Your Idol, Volume 1, by Aoi Makino

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2020

Volumes: 2 (Hiatus)

Spoilers?: No.

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Volume: 2.

 

Goodreads Synopsis

 

After that day, she stopped being a girl.

In the wake of an assault, Nina Kamiyama, a former idol in the group Pure Club, shuns her femininity and starts dressing as a boy. At high school she keeps to herself, but fellow student Hikaru Horiuchi realizes who she is. What secrets is she keeping? The shocking drama starts.

 

Review:

 

I was thoroughly warned of the subject matter in this series, which both made me curious and wary. With this kind of topic, it can be tricky to handle it. And I don't know that I've seen too many great ways in manga, so I was definitely interested. I needed to be in the right mind set, though.

Nina was a very popular idol, but one day when she was attacked, she stepped away from it all and didn't quite know how to recover.

There's definitely some petty drama being started here, with some jealous high school girls. There's also the suspense of knowing that Nina had a stalker, and that person might still be out there watching her, waiting to attack again. When a popular boy at school starts paying attention to Nina, and even supports her in her actions against sexual harassment on a couple of other girls, suspicion starts to form.

I'm intrigued by this series. It's handling harassment in an okay way so far, and then that cliffhanger has me curious for where it's going next. I'm also intrigued by how Nina is dealing with her femininity. From being an idol, in very short and frilly clothes, to dressing in pants and long sleeves and short hair, is a big difference. It touches on how these changes affected her, whether she likes them and how it might have affected the attack and how she feels about all of it. I definitely think there's more to see in all of this, though.

I'm intrigued, and I want to know more. This series is apparently on hiatus, though, so I'm not sure how much more or where we'll be leaving off in the next volume.

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: Daytime Shooting Star, Volume 7, by Mika Yamamori

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2020

Volumes: 12 (+Extra)

Spoilers?: No.

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

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

 

Goodreads Synopsis:

 

Suzume has moved to Tokyo and is living with her uncle. Suzume and Mr. Shishio take a trip together for the first time. But something weighs heavily on Mr. Shishio’s mind. Meanwhile, Suzume’s worried about being caught on a romantic outing with her teacher.

 

Review:

 

Suzume is attempting to connect better with Shishio, but Shishio is being reminded of the fact that he's older and he's her teacher. There's a lot of complications because of that, pressures, and a confrontation that we expected to happen at some point. It's not surprising how it goes, but it is rough. And how Shishio responds to it doesn't help anything.

I'm frustrated by this series at this point. It gives us like a tiny piece of progress, and then throws it all away in a second. I understand the drama of it, and I even understand the necessity of real possible issues. But it's still frustrating, and while I've been rooting for Shishio and Suzume, Shishio is starting get on my nerves a little bit with how he's handling these things.

I still feel like there's a definite main couple option here, but it keeps throwing these surprises at me that make me doubt it. I'm never quite sure where it's going next.