Sara Campbell Comic Reviews

There is quite a lot of story packed into these 200 pages! Akasaka knows how to lay out and pace a story while not being overwhelming. This volume also contains a lot of insights about the Japanese entertainment industry, which I found very interesting. While including plenty of content, Akasaka also devotes decent amount of time to developing a few side characters, especially Kana. Aqua and Ruby are the perfect foils of each other, and readers are bound to have a favorite twin they want to see have more page time. Aqua is fairly dark and twisty as he plots his revenge, but he still has a soft spot for his sister, while Ruby is bright and optimistic about life, and determined to use her reincarnation to its fullest.

This volume focuses quite a lot on Aqua and Ruby takes a bit of a backseat while she and her Idol group-mate try to figure out their identity as a pair. Readers who like the bubblier twin might feel like she gets the short end of page time while we actually get a bit more of Aqua's cast-mates from the show. There is less of a focus overall on the entertainment industry and hardly any focus on the kids going to school, but we do get a bit more insight into how far Aqua is willing to go to learn more about Ai and her mysterious past. There is suicidal ideation and an attempt in this volume, so readers who need a content warning should be aware before jumping into this volume.

The refreshing thing about this story is that neither of the leads are extremely embarrassed or shy. Hotaru is willing to try new things and go on dates even though she's skeptic of the whole process, but there isn't the normal shyness that is a large part of romance titles. That being said, the speed at which Hananoi gets intense is a little off-putting. He is head-over-heels, I'll-sacrifice-myself-for-you type of love within minutes. After he cools off a little bit, he's a thoughtful person and treats Hotaru with a lot of respect, which is really good to see. Other than the creep-factor at the beginning, this is a pretty sweet romance title that I'll probably give a few more volumes to see if it piques my interest more.

This is a nice romance story with some interesting elements through in because of Shiori's background. She's sheltered, she's alien, and she loves Ichiro's manga. Ichiro is a solidly nice guy who isn't trying to take advantage of anyone, and he wants to help Shiori experience the world as she set out to do. Shiori definitely could have done worse with coming to Earth and finding someone to lead her through her self-discovery journey. This is a decent start to a series that might get more interesting or nuanced later on.

The second volume has some more world-building by introducing a few more kingdoms and giving some background on why Blue might be special. We're also introduced to a few more characters and reunited with some from volume one, but not in the way Blue wanted to be. The narration jumps around a bit roughly and gives this volume a slight disjointed feel, unlike the first volume’s smooth storytelling. This is still an enjoyable volume to read and is akin to Witch Hat Atelier in its beautiful illustrative detail and A Girl from the Other Side in its dark atmosphere.

The first thing that drew me into this BL manga was the beautifully designed cover and dazzling art. The character designs for Sirius and Ombre and gorgeous. Ombre is the perfectly quintessential brooding male, constantly scowling, lead while Sirius is the typical innocent, pretty boy. Sirius can sometimes lack definition, however. Soutome's beautiful details also extend to the forest scene surrounding her characters. Illustrations aside, Ombre and Sirius are both sympathetic characters battling a lifetime of hurt, and seeing them come together to heal is satisfying. There are a few unfortunate time jumps that skip over interesting points in the narration but this is potentially due to forcing this into a single volume.  Fans of the enemies-to-lovers trope will appreciate this single-volume payoff.

This story is told in two formats: short chapters that are loosely connected with an overarching story, and yonkoma: 4-panel comic strips. The yonkoma provide some comic relief peppered throughout the chapters, which usually deliver emotional punches. Sakurai knows how to grab onto the cat-lover’s soul and mix in some touching or devastating tributes that resonate with anyone who has lost an important loved one. Just with volume 1, there are plenty of moments that cat owners will recognize and relate to with their furry family members, as I related to this moment with Fukumaru's war against his own reflection.

While some readers might be eager to believe Akihito has gotten to the bottom of who is behind this entire mystery, I feel there has to be more to it since there are four more students still left in the school at the end of this volume. There's only one more volume to bring everything together, so I'm looking forward to how this mystery will resolve. There is still a lot of conversation about suicide and suicidal ideation, and this volume also adds in teen prostitution to the list of trigger warnings. Nothing is explicitly shown, but more so we get a reason why a teen could turn to prostitution for survival.

This is a decently satisfying ending to a pretty crazy mystery story. As with many manga mysteries I've read, there are pretty big clues throughout the story, so most readers will probably have most of the ending worked out by the time it gets here. There is one pretty big reveal that isn't as telegraphed, so readers might have that to be a little surprised about. It is nicer that this is a short series that doesn't feel very drawn out or full of fluff. As readers get more of the backstory throughout the series, there is some potential for re-readability so they can read from the beginning knowing who everyone is at the onset.

The romance in this book is still exceedingly adorable, and there's so much to like about Yuki as a character. Itsuomi is still a little bland and stand-offish, which makes me side with Yuki about her mistrust of his attraction. Morishita isn't the best for writing male characters, but I still have some hope that Itsuomi will get some depth in later volumes. Morishita is doing well, I think, in representing the unique struggles of being deaf, including misunderstandings in communication that can lead to some interesting situations. Reading lips isn't perfect, especially in a language like Japanese where a lot of words are close in pronunciation. Some of these situations are a little hard to translate, but the team is doing their best and providing helpful notes in the back to explain what's really going on in the original language.

This deceptively simple manga packs an emotional punch that is poignant and hits on a sensitive subject for many in our world. As global events are ever-present and violence is continuously part of our every-day life, many people have real fears of bringing another life into this world. This manga would also be an interesting tool to spark discussion about how historical moments impact and cascade outward and impact people across the globe; Sara didn't know and had no interaction with Malala, so why was she so deeply moved by what happened to her? Having students examine that level of empathy and impact would lead to some interesting discussions.

The mangaka explains in the end that this was supposed to only be two volumes and it ended up being three, but there could have definitely been more volumes. There was some serious rushing in this volume to get everything done. A lot of major things are glossed over, including how the demon started a war, how the countries decided it was the witches, and how quickly the witch hunts begin (all of that was about 2 pages). I still don’t fully understand what’s happening with the headmistress of the school and her motivations. The ending puts a nice tidy bow on everything but creates some paradoxes that are not really explored for the sake of getting the characters to a happier place and ending the volume quickly. Overall, this series was interesting and had a nice yuri love story, but it's really marred by a narrative that kind of jumped all over the place and didn't spend a lot of time in any one area.

This is a pretty sweet, honest look at a difficult time in a lot of kids' lives when pressures to have romantic feelings and express crushes are at a high, and this book might help some kids understand that not only is it okay to be ace, but it's also okay to not feel pressured to reciprocate romantic feelings for others. Jay's classmate Mark is the kind of supportive and non-judgmental person I wish more kids could have in their lives because he's helpful, respectful, and validates Jay's feelings and emotions. Jay's struggle with acne is definitely something many readers will relate to and gives this book broad reach as a middle grade graphic novel.

This is another high-stakes sports entry that would appeal to fans of Haikyu!! or Prince of Tennis, but, so far, there’s much less humor than Haikyu!!. Eijun is a typical sports star who thinks he’s amazing but needs to get dropped down a peg or two in high school. Eijun has some natural talent as a pitcher but lacks some breadth that the training will provide, so that's definitely where this series will focus at least for the next few volumes. We met some of the supporting cast for this series in the first volume, and there are some really interesting folks that will help round out the pages when we're not focusing on Eijun and his journey. This is a pretty decent entry into sports manga that will be entertaining for readers.

This volume was still full of lots of action like the rest of this series, but there was also a priority on tying up loose ends, as the series is nearing its close. There was also still plenty of violence, blood, and death on page for those readers who have come to expect that from this series. This volume also does provide some very small explanations (finally) about the strange powers these certain individuals have, but don't look for anything to be completely neat and bow-wrapped. There's a lot of inference and guessing still even with these explanations. The story is still extremely immersive and enthralling to the point where 400 pages fly by effortlessly.

This is a gigantic volume compared to the other 5 in the series, but most of the pages are full of textless panels showcasing the destruction to the already decimated city of Neo Tokyo. These pages pulled me in as I looked at just how detailed everything is, and I was caught wondering if every panel was drawn from scratch every time. It's a wonder that there was anything standing at the end of the story, but there are still plenty of tilted buildings and lots of territory that is left untouched by the psychic show-down and the carpet-bombing. I'm left with some questions at the very end of the volume (spoilers ahead!) when Kaneda declares the sovereignty of Neo Tokyo and kicks out all aid workers - where the heck are these crazy kids going to get food? Are they going to continue the anarchy that ruled Neo Tokyo before? And one last dissatisfying note, that plot-armor is very strong in this series to have so many people survive such an intense amount of destruction. Overall, this was a

These Squid-Games type books are very popular at the moment, and this series is gaining in popularity despite it first being published in 2011. This story is particularly well done as Aso is really paying attention to the details. The different games the characters have to play are twisted, but the creation took a lot of thought. I also appreciate that Arisu has found a place to shine as he can figure out solutions to puzzles and high-pressure situations, but he isn’t immune to fear and has to work on that before his special analytical mind is able to solve the situation.

Aso is really pulling out the emotional stops with this volume, and readers would do well to remember not to have favorite characters in a battle royale type storyline. This volume also leans more into the mature rating that the series was given as there is an attempted sexual assault, and the psychological horror and violence is much more intense. As with the first volume, Aso is not afraid to show characters die, bleed, or be tortured right on the page.

In this volume, Aso balances the intensity and narrative flow with interspersing backstory of different side characters while moving the plot forward with intense action. There's also some reprieve from the violence with a side story involving an unknown character that shows Aso's strength in character development. Some sexual violence in this volume continues to keep this elevated as an Adult title, and the level of violence and intensity of psychological turmoil remains as high in this volume as previous entries.

As readers may suspect from anything with the name "Alice" in the title, our main is in a fantastical world and must figure out the rules of her new surrounding and survive to the best of her ability. This is a cute story that mirrors some of the struggles of the classic Alice in Wonderland tale while adding a fresh layer of conflict for our Alice to work through and a dash of angst that isn't too over-the-top for younger audiences. There are some heartbreaking moments with Alice's uncle traumatically ousting her. Between that, the cultural context of Japanese citizenry not mandatorily attending high school, and a few exchanges between Alice and her new boss needing some emotional maturity, this title would be best suited for upper elementary where readers will fully appreciate Alice's predicament.

I went into this story thinking it was going to be more of a cutsy, magical girl story based on the description, but it was much darker than I anticipated and it reminded me more of Princess Mononoke than Tokyo Mew Mew. There are some really heartbreaking moments in this story for Alpi in terms of the choices she has to make, but also how hard her "job" is on her body. This falls more in line with a darker fantasy story and, while still good for elementary audiences, is not as carefree and has something to say about making difficult choices, living in harmony with our environment, and helping one another.

The humor and over-the-top reactions in this series continue to be my favorite. Mimi is definitely one to act first, think later, which nearly has consequences in this volume. Raimondo, Prince Renato’s advisor, is so serious and such a good balance to Mimi’s bombastic personality. Having the two of them flit about Renato like the angel/devil combo is wonderful, even though it's more like impulsive/sensible side of his conscience. This is a romance story at its core, but there is a lot of humor and a strong female lead that will appeal to young readers.

This volume continues to endear Mimi and her almost ingénue qualities despite other volumes where she kicks butt. In this volume, she's very naïve and somewhat needs saving, giving Renato a chance to be her hero for a change. Renato also has some pure and tender moments, which continue to show how wonderful and gentlemanly he is. If readers want a funny, sugary-sweet romance, this is the one for them.

The comedy keeps on coming in this volume with Mimi’s family being the stars this time around. There is a little bit of seemingly needless back and forth as we were just at Mimi's home, but now we have to go back with Renato. Nevertheless, there are some great moments in this volume. Mimi’s adorable little brother steals the show with some beautiful one-liners and heartfelt chibi eyes that will be sure to melt readers. Momoyo and Nagato keep us in suspense even more with the build up between the two leads. The pay off is going to be sweet. ​

There is quite a bit of violence and gore in this manga, but it also lays bare the cycle of slaughter and consumption that humans participate on a daily basis as we raise and consume animals for our nourishment. This is eye opening and says a lot about being thankful for the life we take in consuming an animal, and there is also opportunity for discussion about the disconnect between consumers and buying meat in the supermarket or from a restaurant without understanding or paying mind to where it came from. However, this story moves beyond and loses the plot a bit with scenes of bestiality. The back 1/3 of volume one develops hastily into a larger society with tumbling world-building that goes much too fast, almost like it was rushing to keep readers engaged before they cancelled the series. It develops into something else entirely different than the commentary on consumption where it began.

There are a lot of stories that begin with sick patients becoming reborn into their favorite media, but this one loses out on being a little too ambiguous as to whether it’s a separate world or actually the game or not. Takuto and Atou spend a lot of precious page time trying to figure out whether it's a video game or not. The back of the book summary says it’s within the video game, but the story can't seem to make up its mind one way or the other. If a choice was made one way or another, then we could spend time and cognitive effort focusi

There is a LOT of world-building in this volume, so it can come on kind of strong and dense. I stopped at about halfway through the book to go back to the beginning and read some of the initial set-up, and it made a lot more sense the second time around. Once I got fully into the world and the really intricate world, I started to enjoy the main characters and antagonists that have decided to make Sano's life harder. There are whiffs of other shōnen manga stories in here, especially My Hero Academia with the antics of school children, but there's definitely a lot of action and comedy that pulls from influences like Naruto and Dragonball.

This story is a little weirder than the creator’s other series, Saint Young Men, so this would probably only appeal to readers who love the other series. There is a colorful cast of characters here yet again, and some of them make this reading more enjoyable, but they aren’t enough for me to keep reading. Other readers who enjoy this quirky sense of humor will most likely attach themselves to one of these lovable odd-balls or want to stick it out to see what else Rec will need to do to get out of everyone's debt.

What started out as a somewhat carefree, kind of slice-of-life buddy adventure ended as a bit of a mystery with some twists along the way. There’s a dash of food-manga for posterity, highlighting traditional Irish dishes Aria cooks for herself and Gwyn, and some beautiful illustrations to round it all out. There's enough intrigue here to pique readers' interest, but it's also very cute and full of heart. Everything so far is sweet and rather innocent, though it's hard to say if it will get darker later based on the small crumbs of mystery we have so far. Aika mixes beautiful scenery illustrations, delicious-looking food, and some cutesy reactions every so often for Gwyn and Aria.

Each of our three heroines find themselves in a terrible position, mostly pretty unsavory. The series has been rated for older teen, and this volume is where we start to get into some of those situations that would elevate the series away from younger readers.  Also, these darker situations are more in line with Urasawa's other series, which are usually much more focused on the dregs of humanity. At the moment, the three stories are still pretty disparate, but the payoff for sticking through Urasawa's stories to their full development is usually well worth the wait.

Urasawa is the master at weaving many threads together in such an entertaining way. This volume gives a little more on the progress of Asa's friends as she's saved the day -- and the Olympics. It's nice to have these reprieves from the action, but it's also nice to see how some of these storylines are coming together, especially the ones with Asa's gal friends and their alternative dreams. The two gals come clean about the secret lives they've been leading, but Asa doesn't return the favor. That will be an interesting revalation when it does happen! I also enjoyed the weaving of the 1964 Olympics with Sho's storyline as Urasawa continues to blend fact and fiction.

The epic showdown is finally upon us between Asa and the monster, but Shota getting into the mix with his story line. Urasawa takes some twists and turns inspiration from his previous works, like Pluto, to heighten the intensity and reward longtime readers and fans of his work. Shota's plot line and his descent is in direct contrast to Asa's courageousness and relative success in her heroic story line. I was rooting for Shota to resist the entire time knowing he wouldn't, but I also was excitedly surprised to see the direction Urasawa took it in

Myne's struggles are so cute and disheartening at the same time. For all the books she read in her previous life, she has a lot of problems remembering the early forms of writing in order to get her hands on a full-length book. She has such passion for reading and books but such a long road ahead of her, especially because she has to learn a new writing system. She does use Japanese on her clay tablets, but that means nobody but her will be able to read it. I appreciate the attention to detail, and think the pacing of this is really well done. Some readers might be frustrated with how long it's going to take Myne to get to her books, but I think it's a realistic depiction given what she needs to accomplish.

This series continues to be extremely cute, and Myne is a wonderful character. She has so many ideas and knows so much more than others around her, but her physical limitations are her equalizer - she has to rely on Lutz for a lot of things, and their friendship is really heartwarming. There are some massive hurdles to Myne's plan to make books, and sometimes she becomes discouraged, but overall, she's navigating this other world and not giving up on her dream. This volume does provide some more world-building for us as Myne and Lutz get to go to other parts of the city and learn about merchants.

There are some crude jokes and fan service at Ms. Vitch’s expense, including her continuing to accost Nagisa by shoving his face into her boobs. This running gag is most likely meant as a cheap way to destroy any credibility and encourage the audience instantly hate Ms. Vitch, making her a direct foil for the overly caring Koro-sensei. The joke doesn’t age particularly well and comes off more as an assault, so it’s a shame that this is the way the contrast between the two adult characters was made. Outside of that unfortunate joke, this volume provided a little more development of the students within 3-E, and gave some context to the power struggle between the teachers and the principal at the school.

This story is full of food puns and wise cracks at the expense of our titular characters, and there are plenty of jokes for all ages, including the adults who might be reading this with their kids. Only one pun receives an editorial note, and its explanation may still require readers to know the difference between nuts and legumes. Humor aside, the chemistry and camaraderie between Peanut and Jelly is as wholesome as Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. -- friends supporting each other through lofty goals and working through difficult challenges as they arise. Perry's bright animation-style illustrations give characters lots of energy throughout and heighten the overall silliness without crossing into caricature.

This is absolutely over the top in a good way. Baki is full of outlandish fight scenes with elaborate and unbelievable power-ups and abilities that absolutely couldn't exist in real life. Baki himself is an overpowered and rather dopey, doe-eyed main character who has apparently seen some things but has still retained his innocence.

Itagaki blends character backstory in between brutal fight sequences to balance world-building in a way that creates suspense for the fights overall. We slowly learn about this scary opponent as Itagaki doles out information to make him creepier as the fight goes on, ramping up our concern for Baki’s safety. There are also some nice tid-bits throughout this volume of Baki’s past and we get a taste for why Baki is putting himself through all these fights. However, some of the wonderful side characters from volume one are completely absent in this volume.

To begin, this title seemed like a regressor to Beatrice/Chloe, but there's another twist that brings in another past life in Korea. The real-world connection comes much later in the volume, perhaps as a way to be different than other regressor titles. Instead, it hits as a bit jarring because it's a second stab at a previous life and becomes billed as Chloe having even more convenient background knowledge to help her in her current environment. Once the narrative begins to weave all of Chloe's talents, everything smooths out and makes me wish that there were hints to Korea at the beginning of the volume. On the positive side, Chloe is sweet, hardworking, and caring. There's most likely going to be a romance, but it's a slow burn that will build over multiple volumes.

I really enjoyed this retelling of Beauty and the Beast with the twists of having a different bad guy pulling the strings and the inclusion of otherworldly magic. Yuki sets up the main conflict perfectly in this first volume with little teases that will make readers start to theorize about what is really happening, but I suspect we will be completely off base by the end. Belle's switch from being a shut-in to standing up for herself is pretty sudden and could have used a little more of a solid reasoning. I also didn't care for her dedication to her father despite knowing how evil of a person he became to her, but I understand that type of loyalty is hard to shake for family members.

This volumes lays the groundwork for the romantic entanglement that probably every reader will see coming. So far, there's not much reason for Belle to be in love with Cyril other than seeing the way he is devoted to his Belle. It's also revealed that Cyril and (Old) Belle hadn't known each other for very long before the curse was set upon them, so that might work out for (New) Belle in the long run. The part I find most interesting in this story is the villainess and her power to collect faces of other ladies. This, to me, is a nice variation on the trope of bad guys fighting to stay young and vibrant. The illustrations are still absolutely beautiful and really heighten the enjoyment of this story.

This volume ramps up the romance that the author admits has been more so in the background thus far. Given how much this is taking from the original Beauty and the Beast narrative, I'm not surprised to find la Médium also has feelings for the prince the Beast used to be. Now, this guy has THREE women chasing after him, although one is incased in crystal (minor inconvenience). There is also some lovely development of the Idole character, Isolde, so I hope to get to know more of the castle folk in future volumes. Yuki has beautifully brought to life her rendition of this classic fairy tale, and has managed to invoke some strong emotional ties for me already in the first three volumes. I'm definitely hooked on this series, and other readers who like fantasy romances, like The Ancient Magus' Bride, might also enjoy this series.

For readers rooting for our Belle and Beast to get together in the end, they'll be happy to see that Princess Belle is kind of a jerk after all. Cyril definitely softens though, and is not so much a beast as a pathetic creature consigned to his fate. in previous volumes, he seemed to actually be in love with his Belle, but the shine is gone now and it's clear that she annoys him. But, with only one volume left, there's not a lot of room left to get those two together and take care of La Médium!

Perhaps in an effort to depart from the fairy tale source material, this ending takes a wild turn into surreal territory, mixes in time travel and celestial-ism, and, for me, sort of ruins the rest of the series. I'm not sure why there needed to be such a leap in the last 100 pages of this volume, but I really would have enjoyed the series more if it had been more of a retelling of the fairy tale. The explanation was extremely rushed and disjointed, as if Yuki was cramming a whole volume's worth of exposition and exploration into a chapter or two. I enjoyed the first four volumes, and Yuki's illustrations are gorgeous. Unfortunately, because the ending sought to weave itself throughout the series and explain, moments going back to the beginning, the ending left me highly dissatisfied, and I sort of wish I hadn't read the last half of this volume.

this is a heartbreaking and sweet story about two broken souls who will hopefulyl find some acceptance with each other despite their harsh upbringing. Haruichi sets good boundaries and seems to be hoping to round out Tsubaki’s education and life skills so that she’s not set up for failure later in life. There are a lot of positive moments of healing for both of them while they try to wrestle with the trauma they've been dealt by their families.

This first volume covers a lot of ground in the plot department and is a typical volume one of Shonen manga. A lot of characters are introduced, including ones from Asta and Yuno's childhood but also a fair amount of rivals and compatriots in the trials. Some of these side characters are not always fully clothed, including a witch who lazes about the Black Bulls headquarters in her underwear. Tabata also lays a lot of foundational world-building in this entry volume with the introduction of the magic system and the social strata magic-users recognize amongst each other. So far, there's nothing about this series that stands out from other shonen manga, but it may need time to develop given how packed this first entry was.

Rin’s training and journey for self-discovery is one part Run on Your New Legs, one part Medalist, with a dash of shonen battle manga training arc. She’s got the beginnings of a jealous bully even. Her coach is not as warm and cuddly as the coaches in Medalist, but her bubbly attitude and wealth of positivity is enough (once she very quickly gets over her sadness at the beginning). Shigematsu could stand to slow down and write the big feelings Rin must be feeling with a little more care instead of rushing the plot.

This is a bit of a departure from Endo's other works, somewhere in between Tista and Spy x Family, but it also gives me some remnants of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers. The beginning half of this story on the Moon Kingdom was quite engrossing, but there was a huge tone shift when Kaguya gets to Earth and the planet is far more primitive than the futuristic society she's used to. I felt Kaguya's culture shock with her, which was a great bit of storytelling. Readers looking for the humor that Endo peppers throughout Spy x Family won't find much here as this story has more commentary on humanity and societies and how we treat one another, so there is less room for humor overall.

This is a very comforting read and a little more kid-friendly than A Bride’s Story. Khang and Rati are relatively the same age, and, so far, there’s no nudity. The whole story has a very slow, comforting pace that blends slice-of-life with iyashikei. The two mains are both good people with good hearts who want to help each other and other townsfolk, so the message of building community is strong and wholesome. This might appeal to romance readers who want something a little more laid back and without the usual comedy-of-errors storylines that abound in romance manga.

Cam's dad is aggressive and wants his son to use his abilities to get what he wants including winning Basketball games. The anger isn’t directly addressed. Dad reads as someone who peaked in high school but still rules in this small town. We don’t know what happened to Cam's mom. Dad’s ex-girlfriend is dating the Coach. Vibrant pop art helps distract from plot issues.

First off, the summary keeps saying Count Vlad Dracula, and I'm wondering if I missed something or if this is some sort of spoiler. The first volume set up our main character as a incarnation of Vlad the Impaler but didn't mention Dracula at all that I can recall, so either I skipped something or the main girl is a cross between Vlad the Impaler and Dracula. That aside, Sei has a problem with drawing two eyeballs at once, and constantly wants to have something covering the other eye, whether it's the Vlad's hair or something else obscuring. Not sure what was behind that choice, but it just became sort of a campy choice that pulled me away from the narrative after a while. Like, spot the contorted way Vlad was going to be positioned so that she didn't have two eyeballs exposed again.

I knew going into this book that it was supposed to be creepy and unsettling, but I probably still would have found the story creepy without the warning. For almost all of the book, everything seems perfectly normal and bland, but I was waiting for the other shoe to drop every time I turned the page. It finally happens at the end of the book, so this might completely surprise and jar some readers while entice others to continue into the next volume. I will personally want to read a few more volumes before considering it for my school library to see where the violence and creepiness leads. This first volume would be fine for high school audiences, but definitely not younger readers.

This volume mixes romance and sports manga and sprinkles some humor in for good measure. The pacing is a bit slower than some other popular romance titles, but the build-up to Chinatsu moving in is perfect. There is a false sense of security -- at first, readers might think they have the story figured out, but Miura creates a compelling narrative, and I honestly forgot to be looking for the twist! The awkwardness Taiki feels throughout the volume is palpable and will definitely resonate with teen readers. This would pair nicely with the humor and social awkwardness of Romantic Killer.

There is a lot of manga out of Japan that has the lessons of cooperation, friendship, trying your best, always being positive… this is definitely not one of them. This fits more in line with sports training from other countries, where super stars are encouraged to leave others behind, where they sacrifice friendships and their personal lives for the sake of their game. This isn’t the best message to be putting in front of impressionable young people, but darn it if this story isn’t engaging and addicting. This title has already done well with digital sales, so the print release is sure to be successful with teen readers.

This volume continues with the intensity laid down in volume one, even though most readers can probably surmise how the team will overall fair from the tournament. Kaneshiro manages to keep the suspense up despite the obvious. I really appreciated how the team had to come together and work together despite Ego continuously saying they need to stop that sort of cooperation in order to succeed. There is some suspension of disbelief needed though when the other teams reveal their strategies, and most of them have decided to push one person over the other ten, something that Ego sort of made it seem would get them eliminated. This is a great high-intensity sports manga that will keep readers flying through the pages.

The odds against Team Z are almost too high in this third volume, but that's part of the appeal of such a ludicrous premise such as this. In my heart, I know they have to win because Isagi is our main character, but Kaneshiro makes me believe up until the moment that Team Z can lose. Isagi also has to grow a lot in this volume as his team really struggles with being betrayed. He's still not the best player on the team, but he's getting better and he's also better about motivating others to do their best (which is exactly what Ego DOESN'T want). Maybe Isagi will be able to convince Ego that Japanese strikers can be amazing and still be great collaborative players.

It was really awesome to see Isagi bring his team together in volumes 3 and 4, and see how they figured out how to use everyone's unique talents, But, I'm also glad that Kaneshiro found a way to up the ante and derail Team Z's plans in an interesting way because too many matches of them winning as they did in volume 3 would have taken some of the high-stakes tension out of the volume. Some readers may have seen Kuon's betrayal coming, but I did not!

There are some surprises in this volume that make the first round of competition make a lot more sense, especially given how our main characters were in the "bottom" of a very difficult competition, and I was not looking forward to the amount of struggle the would have to go through to get to the top. I am also glad that the second round of competition is going to be set up a little differently than the first round, but sat to see some of Isagi's teammates are not going to be with him anymore. This does mean that some of the cool characters from other teams that we met throughout the last four volumes are going to be more important now, so that means that was work Kaneshiro spent wisely building up some of his side characters.

I checked out volume 2 just to make sure this series is not for me, and it isn’t. There’s still a lot of explanation in this volume, which might be appealing to readers who are interested in art or have a background in it, but for me, this is missing a little more substance in terms of character development. We get a little bit of Yatora as he tries to figure out his artistic voice, and as he has conversations with the adults in his life about going to art school, but the rest of the characters surrounding Yatora are underdeveloped and sort of blend together in personality.

This fun take on the Journey to the West mythology provides a familiar setting for ZENZO's artwork to shine.  Within a relatively few pages, ZENZO creates tension and builds enough of a connection with Goku where I already feel upset that Sanzo has betrayed his trust. Emotions are well conveyed throughout the illustrations, and I particularly liked the use of shading and screen tones to portray the different textures within the mountain setting.

Any kid who has moved, lost their friends, and/or experienced some culture shock will empathize with Lilico’s struggles to find her place in her new school and figure out where she belongs now. Misako draws on some familiar tropes of childhood friendship, falling out, and the need to fit in pushing us to make difficult choices. Each of these difficult topics is treated with compassion and care, and given weight, not dismissed as "childish" or insignificant as sometimes can happen with stories concerning growing up. The coloring is very soft and pastel throughout, which, coupled with the subject matter, provides a comforting quality to the story.

In this volume, there are more tropes typical to childhood stories -- sorting feelings, figuring out who you are -- but Emma has to work on her relationship with her family more than what we saw in the first volume with Lilico. Also, Emma has a lot of complicated emotions about how her family impacts her identity and being able to fully feel her range of emotions, especially as it relates to being able to fully express herself when she feels frustrated and unsupported by her family members. These difficult transitional periods are common amongst tween and teen readers, and I think a lot of them will relate to the struggles Emma is facing on and off the basketball court.

The sadness and despair from Reiji is palpable and gets more tragic the more we see and feel how trapped he is. Nagi’s situation is a much slower burn, taking almost the whole book to reveal why she feels the need to commit suicide. The pacing and character development for Reiji and Nagi is done very well, as my heart is broken for the both of them at the end of the book. This is obviously a story for mature readers, as the two discuss suicide a lot, have sex, and Nagi shows up naked repeatedly in Reiji’s head.

Ryo's new coworker Mizuki is a wonderful addition to a cast that was lacking in some common sense and wisdom. She helps Ryo feel comfortable in his skin (and clothes), and challenges him to start thinking about who he might be attracted to. In volumes one and two, Ryo was mostly focused on being seen as a boy and not necessarily what his life would be like after that. Mizuki is another artist as well, and her calm confidence helps Ryo feel like his skills are worth something. Jin and the third boy from volume one are almost entirely absent from this volume, so Jin fans might be upset. The cliffhanger for this volume is absolutely brutal and might need to come with a trigger warning for some readers (forced outing), so the fallout from this volume is sure to be brutal in volume three.

Although it happened in a really crappy way, it is good to see Ryo finally being proud of who he is and embracing it with his classmates. I sincerely hope Chika knocks it off in the last volume and gets to a place where she accepts the journey Ryō was on. The major takeaway for me in this volume was just how much many societies (in this case, Japanese and the parallels I see in US society) are fixated on asking folks from the LGBTQ+ community about their bodies and sexual attractions, like they are entitled to this information, or, depending on the answer, it will help the person decide whether they fully support the LGTBQ+ person. The ending to this volume is perfect, and a lovely reminder to the cis-folk that these questions are invasive.

Aibi is a complicated character, made so from her environment and the circumstances of her curse. It’s nice to see a protagonist who is a little bit twisty and not completely altruistic, but the switches from “good girl” to slightly manipulative are subtle and can be off-putting at times. The god of death gets cheated, actually, as Aibi steals the show in this first volume, so he gets relegated to more of a cookie-cutter shojo romance character instead of having more page time dedicated to his development. Hopefully, he has time to shine in further volumes.

The feel and premise of this story is very much like Death Note, with that dance back and forth between the Killer and law enforcement who are trying to break the case. Similarly with Death Note, the police find help in an outside source who isn't a police officer. The pacing of this story is much faster, however, with the story centered around Saeyama, the hunter, instead of the Curse Killers, and Saeyama may potentially break one case per volume. This is, overall, a pretty dark murder-mystery where the audience knows almost everything and just watches the cat-and-mouse game unfold, bringing some heightened levels of suspense depending on which characters they choose to root for.

This volume has a beautifully bittersweet moment with Sakura and the old man since the audience is going to know a lot more than Sakura. I had some reservations and "stranger-danger" feelings while reading it, but the realization is so satisfying. The casting and execution of the play with Sakura's cast is amusing. We also see a major transition in this volume - Li starts to have feelings for Sakura instead of Yukito, but of course Sakura is still oblivious. This book has the nastiest of the cliffhangers thus far, so readers will definitely want to get right back into it with volume five.

As we get to the resolution of Sakura's collection of the Clow Cards, we see a lot of Clow Reed's prophecy points come to fruition. This is a nice, tidy way to have a story come together and have a sense of conclusion. But, just like other magical girl stories, like Sailor Moon, the peace is over far too quickly, and nobody can get used to their new lives with their new powers before some other big bad comes in and tries to mess everything up again. In the original publication, this volume was two separate ones and the second half was the beginning of "Master of the Clow" series, but in current publications, there is no distinction and no way of separately collecting the two series. This means the only natural stopping point for library shelves is right before the current "Clear Card" run, so you'll need all four omnibus volumes or all nine Collector's Editions.

There are so many mysteries in this volume that readers are sure to be emersed in figuring out the answers. Some are going to be obvious for older readers to figure out, but others will leave us on the hook until after this volume. Sakura has to contend with her new cards and transforming magic, but also new students at school who are all connected to the Clow Cards. Of course, Tomoyo is on hand to make Sakura new outfits for her new battles, so there are still a lot of beautiful illustrations and full-page spreads to captivate

If you want to feel bad about the choices you make living your adult life, read up! I’ve never smoked, but my heart hurt for all those poor Red Blood Cells basically dying from smoke inhalation. And the state they're in once they're sprayed with alcohol isn't much better! Even though it turned out alright for them in the end, the trials the red blood cells went through once they were doused with alcohol gave me pause. Although this is definitely for a mature audience, this is a great entry into the universe of Cells at Work!, where I've already learned so much about the body in general from the main series, and a lot about how babies survive in their infancy from Cells at Work!: Baby. Now, excuse me, while I go cut out artery-clogging foods and go take a walk.

Despite this being overly violent and hormone fueled, Denji stumbles upon some really poignant life lessons in this volume. The pursuit of our dreams often makes us happier than actually attaining our dreams, and to learn that lesson with something fairly trivial speaks to how unadulterated Denji is despite everything that’s happened to him in his short life. There might be some powerful philosophical points, but this is also a gratuitously violent story that is redefining shōnen manga similarly to what Akira ​did. Folks will definitely be talking about this series for decades!

Ok so let's get the yuck out of the way first - yes, there's puke, and yes it's drawn with just as much detail as the rest of the story. Fujimoto is upping the ante every volume, so who knows where we're going from puke-kiss. The two end up back at Himeno's apartment and she does start to undress Denji, but he backs out as he doesn't want her to be his first. After the kind of peaceful morning and everyone getting back to work, Fujimoto kicks the action into overdrive with who is shot and potentially dead by the end of this volume. My heart literally started racing as more folks were getting shot, so anything getting that kind of emotional reaction might be worth reading through the yuck.

I have been known to like that whole frenemies-to-lovers trope, but it doesn’t work as well in this story, mainly because there really isn’t much about Naruse that is likable to me. I’m definitely not a fan on non-consensual touching, but it seems Naruse is, and that doesn't sit well with me as an educator and as a person. I definitely wouldn't want a student seeing Naruse's actions, which often go without consequences, and decide this is a way to get a girl to like you. Body violations aside, the tension and development Yuki goes through during this volume is somewhat interesting, and she has a compelling amount of characterization in this first volume to make her an interesting character.

Seasoned readers of BL will clue in pretty quickly why Taesung didn't want Haebom to live with them, but less experienced readers might be along for the ride on this slow-burn romance. As Taesung begins to stand up for Haebom and show his protectiveness, the story becomes very sweet. Haebom's bullies are pretty one-dimensional and classic stereotypes, so there is a part of me that hopes we are done with them so they can be gone, but another part of me hopes that they can come back and have some more depth or development and not just be a trope. Bamwoo has put a lot of effort into Taesung and Haebom to make them relatable and likeable, but so far, other characters are only around to serve as plot points or decoration. Regardless, romance fans will enjoy the misunderstandings and revelations between the two leads as they finally understand and open up to each other about years of unrequited love.

This volume has a lot of set up and moves at a slower pace than most manga. There is a sense of urgency at the end in regards to Umi and Sora, so some readers who are invested in them might continue reading. There are moments where we peek into Ruka's past and her family life, which are great for her characterization, but otherwise, Ruka is an audience stand-in, meant to observe Umi and Sora and try to figure out how they're different. She could use some more personality in order to stand up to the two boys. There are also undertones of environmentalism throughout, but ultimately, readers leave this volume with possibly too many questions to keep interested in what's happening.

This volume continues the philosophical debate about persocoms being more human than machine. Ueda's marriage to a persocom brings up some painful things, like whether persocoms are better companions than humans, but another picture book Hideki picks up points out there are things persocoms can do that humans can't, but there are things humans can do that persocoms can't. There is some more intrigue in this volume as we get a little bit more revealed of Hideki's landlord, who has something to do with the Chobits experiment, and it seems the team of Hideki-Minoru-Dragonfly are close to revealing Chi's mysterious past and previous owner. This series is supremely engaging with these tidbits of mystery interlaced with a fairly difficult philosophical debate.

This is a wacky horror story that is nothing like Tokyo Ghoul, Ishida's more popular work. Readers looking for another rich world might be disappointed with the zany and rather slap-dash feel of this world. Within the first volume, there aren't many characters to invest in, as the two high schoolers aren't given a lot of page-time nor are they yet developed as two individual characters. Fans of Dandadan or other campy comedy-horrors might enjoy this story, but it probably won't enjoy as wide a readership as Tokyo Ghoul.

This character is from the Telltale Walking Dead games, so if you're a big fan of the show and don't know who she is, that's why. There's a good chance readers are not familiar with this small portion of TWD fandom, but it isn't necessary. Walden provides enough in flashbacks for the reader to understand Clementine. There might be some other characters from her past that I lost context on by not playing the game, but they're only on-page for a few panels. Regardless of the character's backstory, this is another entry into a crowded zombie-apocalyse genre, and there isn't a ton to make this story stand out from others. It might make a good addition to junior high and high school shelves where The Walking Dead is too mature.

While I really enjoyed volume one, the character work and backstory dive we got on Mrs. Clock in this volume made this a sophomore stand out. The stakes are considerably raised from where we began, and now I have a better grasp on what Cast is questing to become as a Striker. My level of adoration for Mrs. Clock being a smith is starting to match Cast's enthusiasm. The balance of world building and plot development in this volume was appreciated and helped answer a lot of questions that remained from volume one.

It’s not hard to see where the foundation of the romance elements in this story are coming from, and with the plethora of Hades/Persephone retellings in play right now because of the popularity of Lore Olympus, it’s nice to see something slightly different. The illustrations are very typical shōjo with lots of close ups on characters and plenty of flowers mixed in. Hades occasionally gets some beautiful clothing with some intricate detailing, and those panels are amazing.

The budding relationship between the Lord of the Underworld and our strong willed apothecary takes a few steps forward in this volume, but it’s still progressing at a glacial pace. It was also enjoyable to see the Celestial Realm and involve more gods from the pantheon, even if the goddesses were running Colette ragged with their demands. The story line overall has a slow and pleasant atmosphere, which makes the two-in-one volumes worth the investment for romance fans wanting a long-form story to sink their teeth into.

Some of the advice is specific to Japanese cosplay events and may not be as applicable, but the book is still a solid primer for creating costumes and getting into the cosplay culture. Another challenge with creating nonfiction content is that some of the websites listed will become defunct or not be available in North America, or will be links to Japanese websites without international shipping. Regardless, the sentiments are still consistent, such as finding some pre-made pieces versus hand-making all pieces, or researching costumer makers available to your local region. Despite the challenges of localizing something that's specifically made for a community in Japan, this title still provides insight into a popular community that readers in North America are interested in.

This was a fun adventure and a little bit different of an apocalypse story that has sort of worked into my brain and made me intensely curious for what other shenanigans the two can get into.

Creepy Cat, like many other cat protagonists in manga, is often hilarious, but at times can be a bit ghastly. This story has the right amount of horror to appeal to younger audiences and provide them with a bit of scary while not being completely nightmare-fuel. The format is narratively connected, mostly 4-panel (yonkoma) comics, which makes the overall storyline a bit choppy but lends the voicing to a juvenile, children's comic playfulness. Valent's art is drenched in dark colors to set the gothic mood, but there are plenty of pastels and whites to stay connected to black-and-white manga.

The first chapter hooked me immediately with Allen's compelling fight against a terrifying human weapon. But, after that, the story got a little complicated as Allen joined the Black Order and the action started back up. The world-building and exposition was very quick, as was the introduction of several side characters who didn't get a lot of time to develop before many of them were sent on a mission to obtain Innocence. Hopefully, there will be time to sort out all of that important information, as I've heard nothing but good things about this series.

Now that we’ve landed on this storyline of chasing down material as being the main motivator, the action and plot development is a little more even than it was in volume one. Some of the action sequences in this volume were slightly hard to track, but within a few panels, everything gets figured out. Most of volume two is consumed with battling the akuma and Allen learning to fight a much more advanced enemy than he's ever fought before, which allowed for his character to develop slightly, but didn't leave much room for many others. Kanda is a dark-and-broody type with an interesting foundation of mystery in this volume.

As a consummate Fullmetal Alchemist fan, I'm constantly holding every Arakawa series up to that standard, and it's an unfair bar to set. I went into this series pleasantly surprised to be reading another fantasy series, but the twist halfway through this volume had me reeling... not so pleased at first, but with some space and reflection, I'm actually glad that Arakawa chose to make this an entirely different series from previous outings. The suspense and character development in the first volume has me invested enough to continue reading, even if this wasn't the fantasy action I was initially promised.

Now that the narrative is more or less settled after the shocking turn in volume one, things are starting to get interesting and Arakawa is able to establish the magic system with the daemons and their wielders in a bit more of a logical sense. The action in this volume is easy to follow as the daemons move in pairs and are often a foil or compliment to one another. There's a lot about this story that reminds me of Ceres: Celestial Legend with twins on competing sides of a celestial battle, so I'm getting very nostalgic with the storyline.

After a little more info dumping, we finally get some forward progress and a clear direction into where the story is going to go and potentially who some of the bad guys are. The powers the twins have still isn’t fully clear, but there’s enough groundwork to get the narrative rolling. This volume also has some more classic Arakawa humor as Yuru explores his new surroundings and figures out the “magic” of the strange world he now finds himself in.

There are already quite a lot of characters to keep track of in this story so far, and I hope readers are in for a few more. We also don't get a lot of information on the characters we've already met, so it can be challenging to keep everyone straight. There are a few flashes back and forth to the Kagemori compound to check in on Asa, but they're not illuminating enough, especially considering Jin Kagemori was chosen for the cover photo. This series is suffering slightly from balancing multiple perspectives and providing enough information to move the narrative forward.

Just like volume one, this space adventure is over-the-top in a good way. Nothing really needs explanation even if it’s not inherently clear because Hayashida moves like everything is evident, and the reader is right along for the ride. The world-building is subtle and folded into the action, so there might be confusion at first, but if it's actually important, it'll get cleared up eventually. There is plenty, though, that the reader just has to go along with. There are definitely some silly moments mixed in amongst all the killing and fighting - there are quite a few butthole jokes and other moments of hilarity.

This is definitely one of those books where you’re just along for the ride and it turns out to be pretty entertaining. We find out that Sanko isn’t impervious, and we also get to learn more about Shimada’s powers, which are pretty extensive. The whole world is definitely gritty and gruesome, as their main goal is to collect people's bones after they kill them. The Light cult ends up not being as clean as they seem on the surface. I also appreciated the customization of Sanko's ship and seeing all the upgrades and modifications finally in place. It was an interesting transition, though, going from high-stakes near-death moments to checking out fun compartments.

This is a pretty wild story with a lot of inappropriate moments that would probably automatically exclude it from my school library. The first major inappropriate joke is within the first twenty pages, but the mangaka doubles down with a ghost obsessed with eating penises who is the main antagonist of this first volume. I can see how this story would be considered humorous, especially as we’re seeing more stories coming out that make sexual punch lines integral to the storyline, like Chainsaw Man. This story is also ridiculous for ridiculous' sake at some moments, like Undead Unluck, so it will appeal to readers of that over-the-top humorous style.

At first glance, it's really hard to find anything redeeming about the Emperor, but as he warms up to Ari in later chapters, he starts to expose a softer side to himself. He puts up a brave front and constantly vocalizes how he doesn't like her, but he's very protective and visits Ari every day to make sure she is healthy and has everything she needs. In this first volume, his softness doesn't affect his rule at all, but it will be interesting to see how he changes as a ruler because of his love for his daughter - will he start to appreciate human life outside of his own family, or will he become more tyrannical in an effort to keep her as safe as possible?

This book was beautiful and haunting, especially the overt reminders of the destruction humans are working upon the earth every day. Tamarit uses a lot of Native imagery and other mythological influences in her story - Mother Earth is feminine and it is up to the women to restore her balance; the violence and exploitation are wholly masculine, and the imbalance among the two forces allow for destruction and destitution of the natural resources. The wolf spirit that follows the characters could have its origin in many Native American tribal origin stories where wolf spirits are often vital in creation mythos. Aside from these deeper meanings, Tamarit develops some interesting characters without using a lot of dialogue and instead relies on her illustrations and showing meaningful actions. There are several wordless pages, but readers won't have any trouble pulling together the narrative across the page. The message can be a little heavy handed at times, however, as if Tamarit wanted to

This is a very comforting, but slow-paced story. The chapter with Ritsuru and Gaku at past festivals was my favorite as the two friends are complete foils of each other, and we learn way more about those two characters than the rest of the chapters with the girls. My least favorite thing was the amount of fonts used. There were at least 6 different fonts - some of them were to express an emotion, some were assigned as the main speaking font for a specific character, and some were seemingly arbitrary. If every character had their own font and there was something else used to show excitement or other emotions, it would make a little more sense and probably not bother me as much, but it got to the point in this volume where it pulled me out of the story.

This is the slowest of slow burn storylines that could possibly lead to a romance between the two step siblings in future volumes, though it would be nice if this could be one of the rare stories that doesn't lead to a romantic entanglement. While their conversations were healthy and decent enough, not a lot happens to move the plot along. There is a little bit of character development of the two leads and some good interactions, but not much in the way of supporting characters or development of the world around them.

This haunting story is fully of wacky people, none of whom we spend enough time with in this volume. The pacing is incredibly fast but marred with some pacing issues, and the dialogue can be a little hard to follow, causing some confusion and narrative flow issues. Despite these drawbacks, there is a lot of suspense and intrigue created in this first volume, mixed with a fair amount of violence and bloodshed. Readers who enjoy fast-paced, action-packed stories mixed with a bit of horror will enjoy this story.

The pacing and action in this volume have definitely improved over volume one. The level of violence and people dying is pretty steady, with some of the most gruesome bits happening just off the page, but there are still plenty of bloody scenes happening right in full view to make this a grisly body horror title. This story is great for battle royale style fans, like if there was actually death to Blue Lock.

This book is literally laugh-out-loud funny. I haven't laughed this many times reading a manga since I read The Way of the Househusband vol 1. The fourth-wall breaks are really well done, but most of the humor comes from poking fun at the manga publishing industry. On the surface, this might seem like it would be a good bridge for comicbook readers to get into manga, but I think it would actually work the other way around. Comicbook readers won't have the prerequisite knowledge about other manga series or the publishing industry itself to truly appreciate the jokes. This volume's jokes are a lot more PG than most Deadpool comics.

This volume has some hilarious moments, not as many as the first, but still some decent one-liners and laugh-out-loud jokes. There are a lot of marvel heroes and villains in this volume, so this could definitely still serve as a nice cross-over between manga and comicbook fans. The ending is has the most meta fourth-wall break and really puts a nice Deadpool cherry on these two volumes arc. The bonus material is just as fun as the main storyline. The writer does mention that this is it for now, but he's open to further volumes depending on the reception of the first two, so hopefully fans enjoy this enough to support more volumes!

This story is very cerebral, so don't come looking for lots of action or to see people be killed. In fact, almost all of the killings thus far have been off-page. Rather, this story has panels full of inner monologue, and now that Light and L are in the same room for some of it, we get to witness their mental game of chess and read about every scenario they can imagine before they act. There is hardly a moment of down-time throughout the story - just when you think Light is going to get a little bit of a breather from L, another Kira shows up and throws everything into full gear yet again. But, because of all the internal monologue, the main storyline moves a little bit slower than some readers might be accustomed to. This is definitely for readers who enjoy intense stories that are methodical.

This is another fun installment and definitely not a story to read while hungry. All the food resembles real food enough that it’s easy to think of what it could taste like, and some of it sounds pretty delicious. I also enjoyed that there was more to this volume than just the food. We get a little bit more info about Senshi and his innovativeness, as well as some heartbreak for him. Reading about the orcs was also pretty interesting since they have their own society within the dungeon, and they aren't all mindless monsters. On the third floor, there was a tavern/rest area type place, and I couldn't help but wonder how they got their supplies down that far for people to enjoy fresh food and drink.

While the appeal of this title has been the dungeon crawl and the meals the party consumes, it was refreshing and appreciated to have a trip down memory lane with Marcille and have a different narrative tenor come into the story. I hope to find out more about each character as the volumes progress. Laios also provides some wonderful comic relief with his singularly focused goal of trying all the monsters because it crosses with his low intelligence and gets him in some hot water in a hilarious way sometimes. There were still plenty of food-manga moments in this volume to satisfy those who like this series for that humor, so I appreciate when there is balance of world and character building to the series' signature cheekiness.

In this volume, the narrative style shifts in a good way. The charm of the series has been about the characters going through their adventure, both in the dungeon and culinarily, but now we are getting into a full adventure story with complicated characters and starting to see more of what motivates each of these folks other than reviving their fallen party member. There is a lot less humor in this volume and hardly any culinary exploits, so some readers might be disappointed in the shift, but I don't think Kui is abandoning those things all together. There were some necessary plot points and background pieces that had to be delivered in order to progress the overall storyline, and I appreciated every moment of it. I hope future volumes can be a little more balanced and there can be a hint of the trademark humor that makes this series so beloved, but I'm also understanding of how needed all of this volume was as well.

The story building behind just eating monsters is getting more intense and more interesting as volumes go on. Kabru starts sowing doubts about Laios and Falin being the most upstanding characters, so either this is from other people’s perspectives, or all is not right in the world of our protagonists. Chilchuck is staring to also have some depth and show feelings other than greed. There are quite a few other characters in this volume that haven’t popped up in quite some time, so we’re getting to the point where a character tree in the front of the book would be helpful. Some of these adventuring parties are getting quite large.

As with all secrets in manga, this one didn’t take too long to get out there. Laios is a trusting idiot who tells probably the one person he shouldn’t have what happened, and now Kabru, the busy-body loud mouth, knows and is going to tell a bunch of folks as well. This can’t end well for our hero party! Chilchuck also turns real quick from his convictions of last volume where he said he didn’t want to venture deeper, but seeing what’s happened has changed his plan and he’s ready to go deeper.

This volume has a lot of story packed into it with the development of our big bad and the drop of Senshi’s origin all in one, as well as a bit of a throwaway of Chilchick’s that he sneaks in as a way to get Senshi to open up about his. Senshi’s backstory is a payoff worth the wait as Chilchuck does a bit of deduction that turns out to be pretty accurate and whets the appetite for the full story. We are also slowly getting to know about Izutsumi through intrusive thoughts that she declines to share with her party, but they endear her to the reader.

There wasn’t as much forward progress in the storyline in this volume because of the silliness of the changeling mushrooms, but seeing all of the characters in different races brought the humor of the earlier volumes back to the forefront. This levity was needed as we have been getting some darker bits over the past few volumes. It was satisfying to see the expansion on Chilchuck’s past with his family after the throwaway line from the previous volume. Kabru also gets some development and depth when we learn about his past in his plea to the elves, which I appreciated.

This volume did some really fabulous work in sowing seeds of mistrust between Laios’ party and the Canaries, and now I, as a reader, have no idea who is actually on the correct path anymore. Kui has taken an unassuming food and adventure story and created lots of paths of doubt and disbelief, keeping the reader hooked and guessing all the while. At this point, we're at a sort of "Schrödinger's" plot point where both groups of characters could be on the correct path, so readers could be torn as to who to believe and who to root for moving forward.

This was a satisfying volume that really dove into the creation of the dungeon itself and how Sissel became distorted in his role (it still doesn’t clear up an earlier misconception about the party believing Sissel was female, but oh well). A lot of lingering questions were answered, and there was also ample time given to understand an humanize Sissel's struggle. Based on what happened in previous volumes, I’m still mistrusting of the dungeon itself and scared for how this is going to impact Laios, but I'm an optimistic reader and hope that everything will work out in the end for Laios and Falin.

This was a very intense volume with a lot of payoffs from the whole series coming together, so there wasn’t as much humor or food and recipe stuff going on in this one. Readers might be a bit frustrated in having all the information and knowing now how it’s all fitting together but the characters won't know all the pieces. Kui has done a fantastic job of building that reader suspense and getting us to a place where we have to keep reading to see if our predictions are going to be correct and if our favorite people are going to end up OK in the end.

This is a very intense volume with a lot of fighting and a bit of back and forth between all the different parties, but it's also nice to see how all of the different factions involved up until now feel about Laios. Kui is starting to tidy up storylines as we can tell the story is coming to an end. Even minor characters who haven't been around since volume one make an appearance again (and with a bit of background in case you've completely forgotten them, which is a nice touch). I can't say too much without giving away major spoilers, but this volume has some satisfying payouts for careful readers and a few conclusions to arcs that have been building for the last few volumes. Readers are going to feel the ending coming, which is always bittersweet.

The stakes in this volume are extremely high, but Kui still manages to make a decent portion of the story about food and sustenance. Despite knowing about the origin of the Golden Kingdom and Sissel, we now get to learn about the Winged Lion and the origins of magic in this world, which is fascinating and satisfying. Kui ties the Lion's backstory back to the central themes of the entire series in a wonderful way. At the end of this volume, it seems like all of Laios' plans are not going well, so readers are really going to want that final volume to get some closure to this great series.

This was a fitting conclusion to the series. Things that I wanted to happen did, and the curse on Laios ended up being pretty fitting in the end. There was a little bit of rushing through the epilogue. Most character arcs were given a satisfactory ending, but not everything was given sufficient panel space to feel complete or explored. Regardless, the ending encourages re-reads because the series is short, and knowing the conclusion makes me want to read from the beginning with my insight. This series is engaging, beautifully illustrated, full of heart, and has plenty of fodder for curricular tie-ins for school libraries.

This volume has been pitched to me as “filler” in between two very dynamic story arcs, but I found it very fascinating and helpful to get some of this insight into the two warring societies. The "elements" Gotuge uses as the specialties for the types of Hashira are really interesting and non-traditional, so I'm excited to see how all of these different techniques work during battle sequences. There is a lot of light-hearted comedy as Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu train and recover their strength, and there we some bits of Zenitu’s horn dog self that come out as they train with girls.

This is the beginning of the lauded Mugen Train arc, which is the storyline of the movie that came out in 2021 and made a boatload of money, so students are really keen on reading this volume and volume eight. I enjoyed seeing each of the dreams of the slayers had because it was a different way to provide character development. Not all the dreams are happy - Rengoku relives the moment he told his father he obtained Hashira status to his father’s indifference, which was a clever way to give us Rengoku's backstory and still have it be something driving the plot forward.

This is the volume everyone has told me to get as it has the most payoff, and I can see why. There is a frenetic energy in this volume, and the emotional stakes are very high. Gotouge showcases other characters, especually Rengoku, the Flame Hashira, and there is a lot of great characterization and backstory sprinkled in throughout the fighting to keep the pace moving quickly. We also got a fair bit of insight into the workings of Kibutsuji's demon world, which really upped the stakes on just what the Demon Slayer Corpse is fighting against. The volume gave the biggest insight into Tanjiro's Hanafuda earrings and the power of his family, so readers are definitely going to be happy for a payoff of something that calls back to the first volume of the series.

As Tanjiro fights in this volume, he is starting to move away from his water breathing that has served him well for the last eight volumes, so it's interesting to see him developing his own method but also coming into his own with a unique style that may make him stronger in the long run. As they have with previous volumes, Gotouge has mixed some comedy with the seriousness of the storyline - none of the main three are convincing as ladies and their makeup is especially laughable to really play up how difficult it is for them to slip into these under-cover roles. After the tragedy of the previous volume, this change of pace may seem out of place, but this volume does reference to the seriousness of what happened in volume eight while still moving the overall storyline forward, and readers will appreciate what Gotouge does with all of it.

For the battle-manga fans out there, this series has become pretty much all battle, all the time. There are some moments where we get some insights, or some explanations or memories, of what is happening in the bodies of our Slayers or demons as they are evolving, but the pages are mostly full of beautifully drawn battle sequences and different sword or breathing techniques. I am enjoying seeing the evolution of Tanjiro - it's always nice to see a progression of a main character and not have them just be overpowered from the beginning. In this volume, we get to see him struggle a bit and have consequences of pushing himself too hard, too quickly. But, just like other volumes, the Slayers constantly work together and support each other.

This whole volume is, once again, all battle. There is a touching moment where we get Gyutaro and Daki’s backstory, and it's tragic, of course, because no one's backstory in Demon Slayer is anything but tragic. Gotouge is a master at creating backstories that make you feel something for characters even if they are demons that eat humans. There's also some splashes of cuteness with Nezuko and Tanjiro when Nezuko gives Tanjiro a piggy-back ride and she’s in her smaller state, so it's pretty adorable and slightly comical.

After many volumes of solid fighting, it's nice to have a bit of repireve and get a volume dedicated to building some more of the world. Gotouge clearly knows how to build characters, as we have had plenty of that mixed in with all of the fighting, but I have been very interested in knowing more about the Demon Slayer society behind all of these creatures running around. I hope to see and learn more about the sword smith society itself because, although we are in their village, this volume still focused mostly on the slayers and the Hashira that are in the village presently. There is some fan service in this volume as Kanr

We are back to wall-to-wall fighting in this volume after having a bit of a reprieve in volume 12, so readers who missed the action don't have to wait long to get back into it. There are several battles to go between in this one, and new fighters and fighting styles to keep the pacing fresh. Gotouge continues the pattern of mixing backstory with battles, so we do learn about our new characters, both demon and slayer, as they are battling one another. Fans of Nezuko will also be rewarded in this volume as she finally gets to engage in a bit more battling with her powered-up form we saw in featured on the cover of volume 11, and she stays in this form for the entirety of the volume. However, this more voluptuous form also sparks controversy as part of the only fan-service in the series next to the Love Hashira.

Gotouge continues the formula of breaking battles with backstories but brings some stereotype-questioning into this one with Kanroji. A hashira who has been bullied for not being feminine enough who also exudes feminine energy -- definitely sounds like a struggle that will resonate with some of our readers! Gotouge also loves to bring familial struggles into the backstories of slayers, and the Mist Hashira is another example of some family trauma that fueled a desire to become a demon slayer.

As a Nezuko fan, this volume had some wonderful payoff for me. I am so glad to see that she is given importance and weight. Tanjiro also gets some power up in this volume with the Hashira training, and he finally gets an amazing sword that will hopefully last and he won't break. Gotouge continues all the wonderful character development, this time with Giyu, who readers have been waiting to learn about since volume one. This has definitely been a slow burn that results in a satisfying payoff.

To me, this seemed early to start the "final battle" as there are twenty three volumes in the series, so this is going to be a long end-game with what promises to be a lot of action sequences for the next eight volumes. I'm not convinced that Tanjiro has done enough training to pull off a win against Muzan, so I wonder if this is going to be a Harry Potter situation where Tanjiro's friends and luck is going to get him through a difficult fight. The Hashira death in this volume was the most heartbreaking for me so far, so I appreciate the emotional build up Gotouge has created throughout the series and into this volume.

While I was emotionally upset from the previous volume and the deaths in the first round of fighting in the Infinity Castle, this volume shed some light via flashbacks, and there is some tremendous emotional payoff. There is also some resolution for folks who may still be harboring some emotional scarring from fights way back in volumes eight and nine. This volume did a lot to assuage my fears for Tanjiro's training as he mostly keeps up with Giyu, a Hashira. I am also starting to have an appreciation for Tanjiro's special form of breathing, even though the explanation of how he's learning it is a little wonky.

Even though readers probably hate Akaza at this point, Gotouge is, of course, going to make us all care about him with a flashback and building up his backstory in the middle of an intense fight. The same goes for Doma in his fight, and we are finally going to get some more information about Inosuke's backstory, eighteen volumes in! If that all wasn't enough, we're also getting a new technique and fighting style this late into the series, and it's a fascinating way to tie everything together that Tanjiro has learned to this point. This volume may need a content warning: there is mention of suicide and we do see a person hanging from a noose in the shadows.

The ending of the fight with Kanao and Inosuke was heartbreaking and beautiful, and a perfect end to the storyline of Shinobu's revenge, in my opinion. That was a payoff of several volumes of buildup, and shows how masterfully Gotouge can weave a battle for multiple stages. With the Upper Rank Demon #1, it was hard for me to conceive how a demon could be more powerful than the ones before him but yet not as powerful as Kibutsuji, but Gotouge did it by having a demon with breathing techniques.

Kokushibo's backstory ties several histories together, and it's fun to see the tapestry Gotouge has been weaving become a beautiful picture all together. This volume is another one adding to the extensive body count from this final fight, and I have to ask if this frontal assault was worth the heavy casualties. But if there was ever a series that disrespected and argued against plot armor, this is it! Humans fighting against supernaturally stronger beings should arguably have more casualties, and this story honors that power dynamic in a way other battle shōnen do not.

True to the formula, we must slip away during an intense battle and relive something of the past. This time, we've already seen the backstories of all the Hashira and demons involved, so I was wondering who's story we would see. Even after all of the character deaths we've seen throughout this series, there are still some emotional moments in this volume that somehow still deliver gut punches. The fighting remains intense and beautifully illustrated when we're not going down memory lane with Tanjiro, Learning about Yoriichi's life was also fascinating, so I really appreciated this inherited memory.

This was a very satisfying ending to a major build-up of fighting that happened over the last eight volumes. While this series was immensely popular and successful, Gotouge didn't try to stretch this out or prolong the battles for the sake of making more volumes - the final fight seemed a little bit long at times, but it also went by very quickly considering how many characters were in this large cast. There was more world to explore in this universe, and probably more development Tanjiro could have sustained before going against the big-bad, but there's also something satisfying for Tanjiro learning everything as it was needed and immediately being able to use it against the most powerful demons he's ever faced. While the hype is settling over this series, this is a story that is going to be powerful and impactful for years to come.

Choosing to set this series in the 90s was definitely interesting and will appeal to original fans of the game who will be along for the nostalgia. For current players, this is a chance to learn a bit of history and peak at what playing Magic used to be like. For people who have never played before, don’t worry. There are plenty of explainers and help text to guide you through so your can understand what the characters are saying as they play their matches. And there is plenty in this story besides playing Magic to appeal to manga readers. Volume one hints at a friendship and possibly a romance between our two leading characters.

There is an entire connected curriculum for the Digital Lizards of Doom universe that has been piloted in several schools, and has been met with initial success amongst elementary students. The curriculum includes prompts for reading questions, writing, and stoking students' curiosity. There are also connected activity pages, but some teachers have used these more as inspiration for creating their own materials. Check out their website for more information and to hear success stories.

This truly is a wacky adventure with tons of silliness that is bound to make kids laugh and giggle. There are some fun one-liners that bring internet culture in and are definitely references for the adults to enjoy (like the throwback to “I’m not you buddy, pal!”). The illustrations in this volume add more comics-style paneling into the mix, and there are some clever reasons given for why the illustration style changes (someone switched the graphics card on Pineapple Pete!). The fidelity to the bit (video games) is admirable and will encourage re-reads to pick up on all the little Easter eggs. This volume has a little sophomore slump in managing two plotlines between Dizzy's crew and Commander E.K.O. where the first volume kept the pace exhilarating throughout, but younger readers likely won't notice.

There is a lot to love about this well-researched, balanced story that brings together modern zoology with archaeology. There is definitely strong appeal for any readers who grew up with a fascination with dinosaurs, which is probably quite a lot of us. This story will definitely appeal to readers who grew up fascinated with dinosaurs, which is probably quite a few. Kinoshita balances the dino facts with some compelling human characters, though Suzume comes across as a little naive in this first volume. Hopefully, she gets a little more page time to develop later on. Each chapter ends with an article from Shin-ichi Fujiwara, an actual paleontologist who was the research consultant for the series, so there are plenty of tidbits and facts throughout to add interesting educational content through modern science and dinosaur information.

This volume gives a lot of characterization to Kaidou and insight into why he’s the grizzled grump that he is today. Suzume also got to do some maturing in this volume and didn’t get to succeed in everything, unlike volume one where her sparkly new ideas worked most of the time. We also got to see one of the most popular and ubiquitous dinos early into the series, but Kinoshita peppers in some lesser-known types and giving us fun facts with Fujiwara-san's guidance. This series has a great way of balancing out dinosaurs we already most likely know and love with dinos we've probably not heard about but totally want to know more about.

It’s nice to get more information about other keepers while learning more about dinosaurs at the same time. The new department head is very different from Kaidou, and he seems perfectly suited to oversee the types of dinosaurs he’s looking after. Kaidou has the perfect grumpy-but-cautious attitude for the dangerous carnivores, while Igarashi has a little more laid back, but still serious attitude that fits in with the more mellow stegosaurus and other dinos in his department.

This volume takes a bit of a departure from the others by injecting a bit of mystery and getting us outside of the dinosaur sanctuary. We get to see a little bit more of the surrounding area, which is Japan but is still a little bit different than real-life Japan owing to that Science has been allowed to do certain things in line with Jurassic Park. Suzume does shine when given a task like this, and her working with Kaidou makes me hopeful that she gets placed in his department at the end of her rotations!

The teasing in this book often crosses the line into bullying, and Nagatoro even asks her self in the chapter breaks if she's gone too (although, chapter breaks are often character breaks and/or the mangaka giving some of their own thoughts). Some have pointed out nanashi's use of fonts and that Nagatoro often has Senpai's font, indicating that it might be a reflection of what's happening in his mind, rather than what Nagatoro is actually doing to him. However, this theory is yet unbacked by the mangaka, and it seems to me like a way of excusing bullying. There are also a few instances of non-consensual touching from Nagatoro to Senpai, and that's a big problem for me as a reader and as an educator. Some readers might feel like this is all in good fun, and I've heard the later volumes mellow out the bullying quite a lot, but I don't know that I found enough redeeming about this volume to continue on.

The beginning of the Dragonball universe is not at all the fighting series that became enshrined in pop culture. This story is whimsical and clearly made week-to-week. The first two parts of the 3-in-1 serve more like a prologue to the rest of the story, and it feels like the real adventure doesn’t begin until Goku starts his training with Muten Rōshi. This series also has a lot of bawdy humor with lewd jokes, innuendos, and no shortage of lecherous old men.There are quite a few instances of nudity throughout - Goku is a small child and drawn without great detail when he drops trou, but Bulma is topless and pantsless a few times and is a fully developed (though still cartoony) young woman. The moments are all treated as punchlines, so audiences (and collection developers) should remember that culturally, because nudity is not shameful in Japan, the humorous effects hits differently than when the manga gets exported.

The tournament was fun and the ending was satisfying, including watching the kids get their moral lessons out of it. The Red Ribbon Army is very much the quintessential 80s band of bad guys: the balled fists of fury, the energy of exacerbation at being stumped by so lowly a protagonist, the exaggeration of how much they should be winning but confused by how they are thwarted at every step, all that good stuff. I almost wanted to end every Goku-winning-scenario with an "I'll get you next time, Gadget - er, Goku!" Some of the issues from the first volume are downplayed or absent all together by this volume as Goku sets off on his own adventure, and he's his naivety and the problems that came with it are not as prevalent.

After sixteen volumes of bawdy humor and tournament fighting, plus fetch quests and training in martial arts, not to mention Goku being descended from a monkey, Toriyama flips the narrative on its head by changing Goku’s origin story. Holy Ret-con batman! As much as Dragon Ball was about fighting, Dragon Ball Z takes the fighting and turns it up to 11 by introducing increasingly more powerful foes for Goku to fight, and higher stakes for him to overcome. DBZ is also quintessentially what people think of when they think of Dragon Ball. While some of the charm and mythos of the overall story is lost, as well as the historical fights, from starting with what is essentially volume 17, there is a bit of a soft reset on the series where Toriyama allows for new readers to join in the fun and put behind them some of the humor that doesn't stand the test of time.

There is a lot going on in this first volume with tons of characters and plenty of escapades for Dai, so readers are sure to be hooked from the opening panels. Dai and his monster friends are super cute and pretty compelling from the beginning, so it's easy to care about them and what is going on with this isolated island. This is a little bit longer and larger volume that might deter some younger readers used to smaller texts, but chances are, once they get into the adventure, they’ll be flying through the pages without noticing. The chapters themselves are a manageable read, and there are several different adventures packed into one volume, so chunking the reading would also be easy for readers. This would be great for libraries looking for something more age-appropriate but as action-packed as Dragon Ball.

This classic manga feels very inspired by Dragon Ball, but without the bawdy humor that mars some of the earlier volumes of that series. Many of the same tropes exist here - mysterious wise sages come to offer training and advice, and young heroes face insurmountable odds. But Kawamata also shows emotional depth on more than one occasion and reminds readers that Arus is still a young child who grew up without the love of his parents. Kawamata and Fujiwara’s monsters also occasionally have emotional moments as they contemplate their actions and the benefits of blindly following a demon lord’s orders. A mark of a great story is getting lost in its pages and being sad when the volume is over — both of which happened during my reading experience.

The excitement and newness of becoming a couple should not lead to abandoning your friendships. Dreamover shows us the danger of dismissing friends and losing yourself in one person. The full-color art draws you into the story. Each dream world has a unique color pallet. With limited words, the pages capture Amber’s and Nico’s feelings. You can feel why Amber doesn’t want to leave the dream. This would be a good addition to MG and YA spaces that will help readers navigate and value the balance of relationships. It will resonate with teens of all ages who lose themselves in one person or see their friends do such.

The overall feeling of this entire story is very speculative and etherial, and even by the end, there's plenty left to ponder. Kajio doesn't give characters nor the reader many satisfying conclusions, which is part of the appeal of this story. Emanon's story to our protagonist begs the question of who we are to each other, among other philosophical quandaries. This story may not get wide readership with most avid manga fans, but it's a piece of speculative science fiction that deserves a spot in collections where readers are looking for something more cerebral and challenging.

The chapters/essays are very personal, and thus don't really get into discussing what we as society do to folks, or what we need to do to change. This might be a let down for some who are looking for a more philosophical conversation, but Hara is pretty up front about this book being a personal journey. Rather than be a critique on the society that led her to insecurities, this is more about sharing a story and connecting to others who might have similar struggles, and giving them permission to still love themselves despite constant messages that tell them they shouldn't.

This is a super fast-paced book, sometimes to its detriment. The beginning is beautiful and pauses in its moments of heartbreak to let the reader feel the gravity of the moment. After that, there is a ramp-up in the pacing leading to a hugely hurried ending that sets up nicely for a volume two, but may leave readers out of breath. Some of the time jumps are expertly achieved through Vuong's illustrations - including a calendar page to show the passing of time, or a glass with ice in it and again in the next panel with the ice all melted. There are definitely some elements that will remind readers of Disney films or even The Iron Giant​ if they've seen that classic. There are some wonderful moments in this story that will resonate with readers, but the ending is a little muddied considering how clean the rest of the story is.

Similarly to Horimiya, these two teens find themselves becoming vulnerable and real with someone outside of school, but there's more romance earlier on in this series. Horimiya also seemed a little more grounded, while Otogi and Toki have a little more whimsy to their personalities and fanciful character designs. The expressive character reactions bring in humorous elements and dramatic moments, heightening the comedy of this story.

This adorable book reads like a picture book with very scarce text outside of text boxes, and there are ridiculously cute illustrations of cats doing all sorts of fun activities. Occasionally, there’s a precious little puppy or other animals thrown in, but everything is fluffy and fuzzy. This is a lot longer than a traditional picture book, but it’s broken up in sections between the traveling section and the food section where there is a distinctive shift in narrative style. When Mufosand is sharing favorite dishes, it’s not really a story anymore. The traveling chapters are still short and manageable for younger readers, but it might be good to chunk this up and take chapter breaks.

There are many villainess and rebirth stories right now, but this one is interesting because it plays up the family dynamic between the. main character and her father more so than other titles. There's a good father-daughter relationship in The Abandoned Empress, but in this first volume, romance isn't as much on Juvelian's mind, so she's trying to focus on staying in her father's good graces and being societally irrelevant more than anything. Don't worry, there's some hints at a romantic love interest already and some other intrigue happening that won't let Juvelian fade to the shadows like she wants. There are some really beautiful color illustrations as showcased on this cover. Court dresses and lovely scenery abound on every page, and the men's outfits are just as beautiful.

What a way to begin a series. Tension was immediately created from the first chapter with establishing a dark atmosphere and deception with Lady Bale. Camellia is forced into living a lie and the reader is along for this impossible life, waiting for the moment when everyone finds out the truth. There's a clear romantic interest set up as well, tantalizing readers for the reveal in that situation as well. The illustrations in this story are also very interesting. There are a lot of really beautiful panels drawn from interesting perspective that heighten tensions or show unique moments that I truly appreciated throughout the story.

Get ready to suspend some disbelief a little further because it’s not extremely clear why all of these gents want Camellius other than he’s pretty and they seem a little bored. Wade and Claude make it a bit of a competition, but Ian comes a bit out of nowhere with his obsession of Camellia/us based on what Kieran has conveyed of his sibling. Regardless, the romantic tension and build up hits differently in this series because many of the leads believe they are chasing a male, so this might scratch a little bit of an itch for BL readership as well as shōjo fans. The art is exceptionally beautiful with gorgeous coloring.

While we didn’t get much forward progress in the storyline in this volume, we did get to see Camellius dress as a woman, which compounded many of the male figures complexes and feelings for Camellius. We also learned Ian’s intentions. Camellia was put in a terrifying situation with a potential predator and only Claude saw the danger despite repeated warnings. Our lead character also got a few opportunities to stand up for themselves, which was gratifying. The many layers of Camellia switching gender via clothing aligns beautifully with the many switches in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, which would provide an interesting opportunity for readalikes.

This story was really compelling and enjoyable, particularly the use of the trope of the mentally unstable love interest (possibly "kichidere" or even "yandere"). The mental gymnastics and sparring that went back and forth between Satoko and Shinpei was an entertaining game of chicken that will either aggravate readers or have them giggling. There is one moment of attempted sexual assault when Satoko's captors threaten her before Shinpei steps in. Between that an some of the tėte-a-tėte, this might be better for older romance readers.

This story felt very incomplete, and might be more appealing to readers who are familiar with the original novel. This adaptation feels rushed and gives the basic information needed to get through the story, but doesn’t have much else. I kept thinking that there was another book before this that I was missing, especially because it felt like I was already supposed to know everything about the incident with Michael, Charlie's whole backstory, and what the significance of Freddy's was in the first place. There were moments between characters that were very shallow and felt unnecessary, leading me to believe there were probably chapters devoted to this in the book that weren't fully explored here.

This is still a very cute series and a pretty wholesome approach to love and getting to know another person, but we’re starting to get into a little more risqué territory with the different places to kiss. Mind you, our two chaste main characters still haven’t gotten the nerve to take clothes off in front of each other, so even the kissing in different places is relatively PG. While the trope of being embarrassed in front of your partner is pretty Japanese, some American readers will probably relate, but others might be frustrated that we're seven volumes in and kissing in public is still the craziest thing these two have done. I'm also slightly wondering if we're ever going to figure out who Tsukasa is. This volume doesn't have any of those little hints that Hata has been dropping to remind us that there's something different about her, so hopefully that hasn't been abandoned.

This is still such a sweet series that I'm starting to think this could be categorized as Iyashikei (manga that has a "healing" effect), because I feel so calm after reading one of these volumes. It's still gnawing at me that there's something different about Tsukasa, especially that it seems she has a very extended lifespan, so how or when we're going to deal with all that is still the biggest mystery of this series. I'm glad there was at least some slight progress with the introduction of Tsukasa's guardian.

This series is technically a shōnen, so it makes the joke of Nasa reading shōjo a little more hilarious. And we've also gotten to another milestone of many shōjo manga - a summer festival with folks in yukatas. Hata is, so far, including a lot of the same hallmarks of a romance story where the couple would be dating rather than married, so it's still clear Nasa and Tsukasa are still getting to know each other and fall more in love with each other. The couple is also getting a little more accustomed to physically showing affection for each other. Nothing lewd happens in panel, but there are moments when Nasa’s head drifts off panel toward parts south of Tsukasa’s neck.

I'm glad we're getting a few more side characters because the horn-dog who Kaname is getting a little bit old. Between Kaname and her sister, there are enough jokes about the newlyweds and cuddling. Nasa's cousin is an interesting foil - he's a bad boy who seems like a Yakuza, but he's also a little clueless, so having him along is fun. The camping trip was a good note to end on, and I hope there are finally some reveals headed our way about Tsukasa's mysterious past.

In this volume, Hata turns slightly away from the Slice of Life format in that all of the chapters have a building storyline. They're still fairly short, and everything is still pretty peaceful and low stakes, but the conversation with Tokiko and Nasa gave another hint towards her identity and the greater mystery we've been teased with the whole series. There seems to be a deeper story that Hata wants to write about this couple, but we haven't seen it yet.

I think we're finally getting close! Twelve volumes in is quite the long time for a payoff! But Hata has built up this storyline with a satisfying slow-burn, and spent so many volumes just showing the couple play house that readers (and myself) were satisfied not knowing Tsukasa's deep secret, but with this new, mysterious character and her proximity to Nasa, plus all the other little hints from her family, we've got to be close! That, or Hata is just really, really good at building up our expectations.  But we've definitely shied away from Slice of Life in favor of overall storylines, although the chapters are still very short still as they are in slice of life.

The beginning few chapters of this volume give bigger hints about the deeper story bubbling under the surface on this series. Even Nasa is starting to have some lucid dreams and other important information seep into his subconscious. We’re getting close to something big! But, Hata has to keep stretching it out, so there's plenty of innocuous content throughout the volume to keep this series as a sweet, innocent story about some love-birds.

This volume is a huge departure from the other volumes, and I absolutely adored it! I loved seeing Tsukasa in action with her fighting skills and being able to save Nasa, but I also appreciated the second half of this volume focusing on her as well and her difficulty with matching Nasa in affection. We spent a lot of time with Tsukasa in this volume and in signature Hata form, got some interesting breadcrumbs as to who she is, but also rooted for her as she was vulnerable and super cute with her husband. Hata continues to bate us with adorableness between these two lovebirds while getting us to stick around for something we know is going to be juicy and worth the payoff.

While this story started out after the main adventure quest that most stories would use as their main focus, Frieren doesn’t waste too much time getting involved in another quest with new companions. She seems to have learned a few things about valuing human life and respecting those who aren’t as long-lived as she, but she still often acts first and then thinks about how her actions look to those with less understanding than her. She doesn’t often explain her expertise in the moment, but she does open up to Fern and Stark a lot more than she did on her previous adventure with those companions. There is still plenty of reminiscing and connecting this journey to her previous one for Frieren, and the parallels of the previous journey develop a second set of characters for readers to connect to and care about, albeit with a tinge of sadness at their departure from the mortal plane.

This story is perfectly paced and has achieved balance between being laid back and being intense. Much of the characterization and development is still told through flashbacks, and we get a major one in this volume that shows a very young Frieren meeting her human master for the first time, and receiving the initial part of her training. There are still a few flashes to the heroes and their first journey to the North, which really provide depth to a seemingly cold heroine in Frieren. Fern really takes on a lot of Frieren's characteristics while battling, so I would really like to see her become her own fighter and not feel and sounds just like Frieren.

This is a pretty comfy read with some really methodical plot points and a much slower narrative structure than a lot of shōnen. This might deter some readers, but it’s exactly what I’ve continually asked for. So many adventure stories skip over training plot points, but this story includes even the most mundane passage of time. I also continue to enjoy the sprinkled flashbacks that tell us more about Frieren’s first adventure and her companions. Some of the ones in this volume really get at the heart of Himmel's feelings for Frieren as she's finally learning what some of his gestures meant in the present. Learning about her past adventure is becoming a little more heartbreaking with every flashback since we know Frieren has outlived them all.

Since there's a test element to this volume, we get a lot of side characters introduced really quickly, especially since Frieren and Fern are on different teams. Some of the more important side characters also get their backstories explained, and the different motivations everyone has for taking the exam is really interesting. Sadly for Stark fans, he's mostly left out of this volume. Instead, we get to see a lot more magic and learn more about how the magic in the world works. There are some interesting specialties amongst the candidates, some who will most likely cause some issue for Frieren, even with all of her knowledge and power.

There are some higher stakes in this volume, but it overall still manages to have a relaxed air to it all. There are some wonderful magic sequences, just as there was in the previous volume, so these challenges have been a great way for readers to understand how magic works in this world. The story is still peppered with flashbacks where we learn more about Frieren. Since starting the trials, there have been a few more about Frieren as an apprentice and meeting her master, so we're starting to get an idea of what Frieren was like before her studies, and just how much work she's put in to becoming as powerful as she is. As always, Abe's use of flashbacks are perfectly aligned with the main storyline, as we are learning crucial information about Frieren just in time to fear her powerful clone.

We're back to the feel and pace of the story before the trials for the mage test, and back to the silly odd jobs and equally silly spells Frieren gets because of them. This volume was a nice relaxing one after the tense, comparatively battle-heavy previous two. I am happy to see Fern and Stark going somewhere with the cute romantic tension, even if it's for a joke, but the ending of the novel lays some groundwork for the two of them to be possibly a little more than friends for reals. But, I don't anticipate anything anytime soon given the track record of slow, methodical pacing Yamada has had with everything else.

There are some great little jokes in this volume that showcase Yamada's subtle sense of humor, and the punchlines are ones that will resonate with readers who also might play Dungeons and Dragons. The ending arc of this volume sees a return of characters from the Mage First Class volumes, and the team up and ensuing fight not only brought more depth to the demon world but gave some satisfaction to furthering character arcs of these recurring supporting characters. The final chapter had a cameo of Denken, who is one of my favorites from the Mage test volumes, so I'm looking forward to seeing him in the upcoming adventure.

Macht is a truly interesting demon that is distinguished from other demons in this series because of how he approaches and thinks of humans. Macht’s ambivalence is a complete contrast to all the other monsters so far who are trying to conquer and kill as many humans as possible. This demon, though, is content to live in his palace of gold and be left alone. The philosophical conversations they have with him are quite intriguing, and can lead to some further discussion with students who are this far into the series.

Half of this volume is rimmed with black panels, which means it's a flashback, and I enjoyed the trip down memory lane to learn more about the fearsome Macht. We learned a bit about him and Denken in volume 9, and I am glad we got the full story and really saw what a futile effort it was to try and control him as the people of Weiss did in previous volumes. I also like Solitär as a character and like the distinctions in the type of anthological studies between her and Macht. Solitär wants to study why humans do what they do, and Macht wants to focus on the emotions of people, and neither fully understand everything correctly.

This volume offered a satisfying conclusion to the Macht & Weise arc, though Solitär's incessant chattering annoyed as much as it annoyed Frieren. What I missed the most from this volume was the signature flashbacks that gave us insight into Frieren's character and her previous advantures. While we had quite a lot in the previous volume, this volume seemed to be the balance or answer to it with hardly any at all.

Since we've only been able to see Frieren and her original party in flashbacks, this is an exciting opportunity to witness the dynamic in a longer, uninterrupted narrative. Within the flashbacks, we haven't had as much of a chance to get to know Eisen the Dwarf, so has opportunity to have more page time in this volume. As with volume 11, this ended on a huge cliffhanger, so Yamada-san really knows how to bate the readers into desperately needing the next volume.

The art for this series is extremely unique and really makes this story for me. There are moments that remind me of playing a Borderlands game where everything has very dark outlines and a physics-defying aesthetic, but the characters themselves are styled and drawn with such outlandish expressions and over-exaggerated moves that make them pop off the page. I'm still intrigued by the main storyline and what's happening overall, but I find myself more reading for the art and seeing what amazing piece is coming next.

The art on this series continues to blow me away with beautifully original fight sequences and electric paneling that make every page extremely captivating. Even the most emotionally gripping moments become intense and hyper realized because of the dark lines, disproportionate characters, and distorted movement. All of it flows and works brilliantly to make a unique reading experience that captures punk rock on the page.

My favorite thing about this story is the art. Jess Taylor's illustrations are so fluid and beautifully colored that it's easy to get lost in the pages. Taylor's true self is a wonderful balance of sweetness and complimentary colors that it's absolutely understandable why she wouldn't feel comfortable as a boy. The pacing of the story is also extremely well done by Axelrod. The characters are fully fleshed-out with compelling backstories and motivations, including the supporting characters, who are often dumped in these one-off stories. I also enjoyed the play between Kat and Taylor, and how supportive Kat is of Taylor's discoveries. Axelrod strikes an enjoyable balance between this being a journey of self-discovery as well as a love story.

Volume one sets up many questions and introduces a lot of intriguing but haunting characters. The readers know more than Agawa from early on, so we're constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Ninomiya expertly creates tension and slowly builds it throughout without fatiguing, and a lot of that is done through the illustrations. ​They're gritty and match the tone of the dark and ominous narrative. This is a long-form horror tale, so don't come looking for a quick resolution to this mystery. This would make a great addition for older teen and adult libraries looking for a more nuanced horror read in a sustained format.

I read this book around a week before writing this review, and I still don't know how to feel about it. On one hand, this somewhat feels like a new take on the magical girl trope with Chloe having to transform and have a special weapon, so I appreciate it for that element because the magical girl trope was a big part of my formative years reading manga. However, there are a lot of problematic moments of fan service and other inappropriateness - Kai continuously says he must be “inside” Chloe for the power to work; Chloe is a “Lolita” and looks like she's a teenager, and that’s part of her appeal to Kai; there are several problematic focal angles that highlight parts of Chloe’s body, often in the middle of action sequences.

This first volume sets up a wonderful romantic storyline but doesn’t sacrifice story development for it. There’s already a bit of romantic tension between Akihito and Haruki for readers to enjoy in the first volume, but the foundations for another in-band romance are definitely set up here. Not as much time and attention is paid to Akihito and Haruki and they are a little bit blended in my head presently, so hopefully future volumes will focus a bit on them and making them distinct. Uenoyama is sort of a typical suave, cold protagonist that is popular in Shōjo and Yaoi, but he’s showing signs already of softening up.

This story is beautiful and heartbreaking, but there a quite a lot of characters and relationships to keep track of. Avid readers and fans of the series have no problems, but this is definitely one of those that might be better consumed in a short time frame instead of spaced out. There are a lot of little details that Kizu weaves throughout the plot that pay off later, so a careful reader is rewarded in this series. There are also a lot of beautiful boys, so readers looking for a tragic but slightly wholesome boys-love series will also be rewarded! Be prepared for the tear-jerkers, though!

This is a wholesome look at a first crush and some of the social pressures, perceived or real, that come from it. There is a slight undertone of non-acceptance if Nakamura came out as gay, but it takes a backseat to the fears Nakamura has of rejection from Hirose, which is a pretty universal feeling. There are a lot of situations that will resonate with readers who have ever had a crush, regardless of the gender, because of the relatable awkwardness that comes from not knowing how to act and/or not give yourself away.

Much of this title is very intense and hyper-realistic, but grippingly engaging. Sugimoto and Asirpa are a fantastic duo - Asirpa is knowledgable about the natural world, while Sugimoto is exceedingly violent and keenly aware of the twistedness of his fellow man. The premise is slightly absurd, but Noda brings you in with this captivating tale and heartfelt motivation for Sugimoto that you can't help but be swept up immediately and along for the ride. The art is also extremely realistic with exquisitely detailed scenery in large panels and spreads that are beautiful to behold.

I loved the cultural richness of visiting Asirpa's village and learning more about the Ainu people in this volume. Asirpa is a fascinating character and steals most of the scenes she's in despite Sugimoto also being a compelling character. Noda has created some great tension by pitting Sugimoto's need to protect Asirpa against his need of her skills, as I predict he won't last long in the wilderness without her.

Of all the Fujimoto works I've consumed, this one affected me the most. There is an artistic tell to what is being filmed and edited versus what Yuta is seeing in real life, but it might not be obvious why that's important on the first read. Because of Yuta's editing and twists, this book will require re-reads and will either provide more clarity or more questions as to what's real and what's actually Yuta's edited reality. Fujimoto is playing with elements of the fantastique ​genre, which is one of my favorites, so this book really stands out to me in composition and form.

This volume is a never-ending cycle of drinking and nakedness, with some peppering of diving and awkward situations between Iori and his cousins. While lots of ecchi titles focus on the sexualization and fan-servicing of women characters, this title has a lot of naked men (with censor bubbles across their crotch but not butts). One of Iori's cousins is overly sexualized while her sister is probably the most normal person there is in this over-the-top comedy.

This book suffered from adaptors and editors being possibly too close to the original source material, which feels like it is very vast and very difficult to adapt. As someone who hasn’t read anything from this universe, there were a lot of places where the narrative had some severe holes and was difficult to follow. Folks familiar with the TV shows, novels, and other parts of this universe will most likely be able to fill in the missing details, but new readers will likely be questioning why certain elements work the way they do, why characters already come in with weight they didn't earn, and questioning mechanics that weren't explained.

This is a pretty silly title, but a lot of the gags are taken from older titles or cartoons like the Looney Tunes or Inspector Gadget as she constantly hints that she's going to get Helck the next time. Vermillion tends to explode with fire emanating from her head when she’s angry, so there’s a running gag that the tower keeps getting shorter every time when she blows off another floor. This gag reminds me a lot of Inside Out. So there are a lot of recycled jokes that might be fresh for some readers, but it seems to me like a lot of borrowed material in place of originality. Most of the characters are pretty forgettable, and not a lot of time is spent with the other demon contestants until the final two chapters. This seems very much like the mangaka had some jokes to get through instead of characters to explore.

This beautiful full color manga for all ages is encouraging and sweet. As the two work through the audition process, a lot of attention is given to idol culture and its impact on Japanese society, but enough explanation is given that young readers will be able to understand the differences between idols and pop stars in North America. There are beautiful illustrations of dancing and singing that are brought to life with a pastel color pallet and vibrant illustration style that make this manga engaging and energetic.

This mostly slice-of-life is sweet and affirming for anyone who has ever felt lost as an adult, had difficulty making friends, or has suffered from anxiety. Nat and Hiroto are both very grounded and relatable characters, and their problems and presented with authenticity and without judgment. The illustration style is a little looser and more relaxed. Much of the narration and exposition is given without text boxes or word balloons, which can present a slight challenge in determining what is Hiroto's inner monologue and what is narration. This might have limited appeal to teen readers since the main characters are both adults, but as the emotional situations Nat and Hiroto experience are not unfamiliar to teens, this might be a good title for social-emotional learning tie-ins.

BOOM lists this as young adult, but I think it could still be appealing to middle grade readers as well. The characters are in high school, but there's nothing too violent or inappropriate that wouldn't be suitable for middle graders.

The first two chapters of this story started as a monster-of-the-week capture story, and the narrative pace was a little inconsistent. However, once things became established in the third chapter and the mangaka settled on a storyline with a clear objective for our Hero in the Hood and an antagonist, everything became more interesting. Pacing was not fully resolved, and there is the authors have given into intrigue over character development, so we know very little about our Hero by the end of this volume. Still, this could be a good recommendation for readers who are interested in Japanese folklore and ghost stories, a subject that still fascinates modern Japanese readers.

​Gray continues the energy and suspense from the first volume, but at least this volume has a sneak peek at volume three that allows for some reprieve from the cliffhanger (maybe they heard me about volume one!). Gray also manages to simultaneously acknowledge that most readers probably know what's going to happen to Krypton while getting us to forget what's going to happen to Krypton. I'm seriously rooting for Zahn and Sera to be able to change the society and make the ruling class see the error of their ways, so I am eagerly awaiting the third volume to see what they can get done before the impending doom!

This was a fantastic end to this series. The end was very frenetic and rushed, but it's likely this is from Gray leaning into the panic that would come with a world ending. I truly appreciated the very end, when it gets to the part we all know is going to happen. As a writer, it must be a challenge to fit a story into something with a fixed ending, but Gray worked some magic and still gave readers something unexpected.

If readers appreciate the miscommunication trope that is so prevalent in romance stories, then this is going to be a satisfying read. For some readers, it can be a bit stale from its overuse. A big part of the plot of this story hinges on Taichi and Kōhei not being able to be honest with each other, which creates a lot of tension and suspense as the two sort of drift a bit apart in this volume with their different paths. Maya is an interesting addition to the storyline, but some of Taichi's friends and coworkers are brushed passed and can be a bit difficult to tell apart at times. There is a bit of a payoff at the end that hints at happier future volumes, so frustrated readers won't be stuck there for long.

Now that the big miscommunication is over with, Taichi and Kōhei can finally be together! But they continue to have communication issues in this volume, which make the story a little frustrating. ​Kōhei keeps dealing with his hearing loss on his own instead of turning to folks who could potentially help him. This volume also shows some of the struggles of the Deaf community, especially the controversy of cochlear implants. If readers are not familiar with the Deaf community, the outrage over these devices may seem out of place, so I would encourage readers to do a bit of research along with this volume.

This is a quick read with very short chapters focusing on a specific topic or conversation, but there is a lot more storyline continuity in this volume than there was in volume one. Tomoko and his crush develop over several little chapters, and we'll hopefully get to see more of how Tomoko and his family support him with this. Yuri is definitely an easy crowd-favorite with his annoyed attitude that makes way often for ways to support his brother. At first, he often seems irritated that Tomoko doesn't just come out and say what he's really feeling, but his support for Tomoko comes out so often that you can't help but feel the love he has (and hides) for his brother. The dad really isn't in this one much again, so this might be building into a really big confrontation with the father, who is never really shown as support for folks being gay (and he definitely isn't around his son long enough to see the signs). It will be interesting to see how long the mangaka goes before we get more of

Hime is larger than life and over the top in her reactions and protectiveness of Akira that bring humor to this title. Despite the theatrics, there are some deeper, touching moments and introspective dialogue that invite the reader to examine gender expression, especially in the importance of clothing and how that contributes to others' perception of us. Takase's illustrations rely on heavy outlining and can be comical at times, but character designs are adorably done.

There are probably plenty of folks out there who have played dating sims and not been satisfied with any of the choices the game gives you, so this story might be incredibly satisfying to them. It can be a little over the top, but I do appreciate the way Rae takes all of Claire's bullying in stride and messes up every one of her punch lines or efforts to make Rae uncomfortable. There is also a classic isekai trope where the main character knows too much because they bring their knowledge of the outside world (or in this case, the ridiculous number of times Rei played the game). Sometimes, that level of knowledge can be frustrating, but Rei's privileged knowledge only comes up a handful of times in this story.

Occasionally, it's refreshing to find characters who are not instantly skilled at everything and to see that they'll need to grind their way through something. There are so many storylines where reborn characters are given everything they need and they just have to discover their skills. Poor Scarlet here had her booty handed to her! This volume was definitely more comical than the first, but Graveweaver still hooked me with the development of Scarlet in this volume. The mystery around the Red Spades in this volume is supremely intriguing, so hopefully we get to find out more about them in volume 3.

The bulk of the content of this story is centered around mating and intercourse in order to help Kanade deal with the physical pain and stress of his body being in heat. There are some pretty risqué moments between the two, but the tone and frequency of mating is similar to Sarah J. Mass’s A Court of Thorns and Roses or Throne of Glass series. The two are supposed to be attending school, but most of their time is not spent in class. Boys Love readers will probably enjoy this story, whether they know about the Omegaverse or not, as it does have some of the major tropes of BL stories that readers enjoy, including a plot almost entirely perpetrated because the two leads can't be fully honest with each other.

This volume is full of action but it also showcases Ichi’s creativity. Thanks to the different trials that he has to go through, we really get to see that he’s not all just action and sword. There are many funny moments between all of the witches, but it seems Desscaras has that permanent look of disappointment/ embarrassment that is featured on the cover. Despite being in her care, Ichi is constantly putting Desscaras in a position to be embarrassed in front of her colleague witches (in a funny way for all of us readers)

Yoi’s struggle in this manga is a bit unique for shōjo manga, but is something that may resonate with readers. It feels very real and sincere, and the societal pressure to conform to what is expected is visceral. Many teens who are experiencing this similar struggle, the struggle that it may be better to go with expectations than to fight them, will see themselves in Yoi's plight. Other readers who don't have this current battle happening in their lives may see some of their behaviors are perpetuating someone to be a Yoi in their lives. This manga could start some interesting conversation or introspection amongst readers while also providing some complex characters and engaging storylines for further enjoyment.

This is a very easy going manga that has a similar relaxed feel to Frieren: Beyond Journey's End where Cayna is powerful but still unsure of herself and must do some development as a character and determine who she is despite her power. There are some parts that explain how the game worked and influenced the world, which I could honestly do without. Some readers might appreciate those details as it makes this title more in line with other game-oriented titles, but because the world has changed quite a bit since Keina played, the game pieces were a little irrelevant. I have a feeling that the game will matter less and less as the series progresses, and this will be more or less just a fantasy title.

This story has a lot of heart. There is so much about self-discovery and learning to love who you are even though that can feel scary and dangerous sometimes. Mio will also have to figure out her place in the world and whether she is too dangerous to be with the humans, and her new friend echos a lot of what her father taught her, but for different reasons this time. Towards the end of this volume, Mio also learns some valuable lessons about taking responsibility for her actions from a strong female figure who I hope plays a reoccurring role in the story.

I’m glad we got more content with July and that he’s coming with because that makes the romance part of the story even more complicated! He’s also another grumpy character who will definitely butt heads with Yuri, but based on what we learned from his backstory, there’s potential to see him grow as a softy as well. This series is really satisfying lots of wants for those of us who have grown up on animated classic movies, so it has the potential to circulate well amongst young romance readers who want fantasy elements and are aging out of elementary titles where the main characters are fully animal characters.

It was so satisfying to see Mio take charge and create a plan that protected other unhumans, rather than continue to be a helpless girl in constant need of saving. While she was still a bit of a damsel in distress for a moment, she still used her powers to protect people and was able to show her strength in front of a powerful king. She's learning and growing! Fumikawa also shows some emotional range in this volume, as it also has some difficult moments with a bit of torture and cruelty.

This volume feels like a sprint to the end compared to the pace of some of the previous volumes. We cover quite a lot of narrative ground in a very short amount of time, and certain pieces are not given time to marinate before the characters have moved on to the next piece. In the beginning of this volume, We move through an entire kingdom in the span of a few panels where we had a few volumes dedicated to other kingdoms. This, unfortunately, happens towards the end of a manga series either due to the series being cancelled or to the mangaka's failing health, so I hope that the latter is not the case here. Regardless of the pacing issues, I am relieved to finally have some answers for Yuri’s past and to see what has been driving him for this entire series.

All of the skills and courage Mio has learned along the way has led to this moment where she is standing up for herself and what she wants, and I am so happy to see the pay off of her journey. Some of the back and forth with Chika is a little less satisfying as they are now out in the open about their relationship and he’s not respecting her feelings as much as he could be, so hopefully we see some more healthy relationship habits at the conclusion of the series in the next volume. There is a LOT to wrap up in one volume!

Coming out of the gate, this was a pretty strong story with a compelling beginning. Where it lost me was Jordan asking to be trained as a knight instead of asking the queen for a way home. He’s way too calm about the transported to another world bit, even if his little brothers are that annoying. That easy-going attitude is consistent throughout, as he seems completely unfazed by magic monsters and endangering his life over and over for a kingdom he just found. The budding romantic relationship between Jordan and the prince was a little predictable and treated a bit like an afterthought. Overall, there wasn't enough time devoted to a lot of portions of this story -- this easily could have been several volumes, but instead it was all smooshed together and everything happened very quickly.

This story has a much slower pace with hardly any action at all, but it is also very comforting and relaxing. The chapters are short and the overall feel is sort of slice-of-life, but each chapter progresses the storyline. Shiromaru also has an adorable cat, so this brings another cute element into this already adorable story. This volume introduces a romance element that might endear the storyline for some readers or it might disappoint others who were hoping this would be more of a story about platonic friendship. Overall, it is nice to see Nakami and Magari support one another, even though they have to break quite a few rules all the time in order to get what they need.

There are some poignant moments about what exactly is “normal” and how difficult pursuing that shifting goalpost can be at the best of times. There is so much pressure on young people to couple up and become romantically entangled at such a young age that the messages in this book, not only about asexuality, but about the healthy pursuit of romance and having productive conversations with your partner, are powerful and make this a welcome addition for high school collections.

So far, this story isn’t as amazing as Erased, but that’s a high bar to set, and it's possible that now I know to expect a twist that was fresh when I read Erased. The twist in this brings a bad person into the mix immediately, so there's a lot more tension right at the beginning that will keep readers engaged. Sanbe does a lot of great character work and builds a foundation in this volume that is already beginning to pay off. Most readers will be drawn in by these two young kids who have a really hard life, and their separation provides heightened anxiety that drives the narrative forward.

Sanbe loves his tragic characters. Not only are the kids' lives horrible because of their absent mother, Minato-in-Kuromatsu finds another woman in a terrible situation, who helps him but is being physically abused by a man she recently met and can't seem to shake. Good on little Minato for helping her out of that situation, but there is so far no redeeming adults in this story. While we're watching Minato and Nagisa's childhood be ruined by abandonment, Kuromatsu-in-Minato thinks to himself how these kids still have a decent life, so it really made me wonder how horrible Kuromatsu's childhood was. Definitely don't pick this up for readers who need some happiness in their life! I'm not sure I would classify this as murder-mystery like Sanbe's beautiful Erased is, but there's definitely some mysterious elements to what's going on with this body-swap and some of the other hitmen.

It's always hard to judge autobiographical comics because they are so deeply personal, but for me, this comic was a little too stream-of-consciousness and thus disjointed. It does have some authentic voicing, and its depiction of depression is heartbreaking and accurate. There are definitely readers who will feel seen reading this comic, and it deserves a place on shelves serving an older population. Zoe is a young adult in the comic, and she doesn't hold back from difficult topics such as suicidal ideation, drug use, and sex.

This first volume seems more like a prologue setting up the backstory of Saeroyi Park and how he gets to Itaewon and establishes himself as a business owner in the neighborhood. The other character on the front cover is given a few pages at the beginning of this volume and then never revisited, so while she seems like she's going to be important later, she might get her own backstory and prologue later. This is definitely an instance where the book is made more popular by the show, in this case the K-drama, and if readers are requesting this title, it's most likely because they have heard about or watched the popular show rather than are clamoring for the book. There are also several time-jumps throughout this story, which skip over some really interesting parts of Saeroyi's life, almost like the author is in a hurry to get to the part where Saeroyi gets to Itaewon.

Like many Western readers of this series, I have read volume zero out of order in the universe timeline, as this book wasn’t published in the US until 2 years after volume one. This serves as a bit of a prequel, but this is definitely a fine place for new readers to start the series. There is a lot of action in this volume, and readers don’t necessarily have to have an emotional attachment to any of the characters here in order to appreciate the story. In fact, this might give some much-needed context to the second year students in the main story (Toge, Maki, and Panda), who are very glossed over when they’re first introduced in later volumes. Yuka's story is also very engaging and a good introduction to some of the way cursed energy works with Jujutsu sorcerers without being as overwhelming as the explanations get to be in volumes one and two.

My least favorite thing about this volume was picking up in the middle of the storyline with the special grade demon. It was a really abrupt beginning to the volume. After the story got going, this volume had a lot of great explanations of jujutsu magic and how the world works. Not all of it makes sense, and the mangaka even apologizes for how confusing it all is, but it's nice to see the thought put into the story. Gogo is an absolute BA character, but he has his complications. There are hints in this volume that the jujutsu society is not all on the up-and-up, and Gogo often clashes with his hire-ups. With powers like his though, I think he's more likely to be left alone to run his school the way he wants to. There were a couple of side characters introduced here that were completely forgettable in this volume (and one of them is a panda!), so if they're going to be important, hopefully they will get more time.

This is so far the best volume in the series. Akutami builds up a satisfying amount of development for both Mahito and Junpei, and the payoff is that I’m rooting for Junpei to come out of this unscathed despite what he’s driven to at the end of this volume. Itadori kind of takes a back seat in this one, and there isn’t nearly the level of explanation that volume two contained (as I think Akutami was really trying to get the entire system out on paper in one volume). Nanami is also a pretty awesome character, and I laugh at and appreciate his strict adherence to his timecard and hatred for overtime. Now that we've gotten the tiresome world-building out of the way, it seems we are clear to have some great story and character development.

There are some really powerful moments amongst all the fighting and show-boating in this volume. Itadori has some key moments with Nanami where he questions his role as a weapon to destroy people corrupted by demons. Swagger aside, Itadori shows that he's still a kid, someone that the adults in his life should probably protect instead of place in hopeless situations. These moments of vulnerability make Itadori into a worthwhile protagonist, and really enriches a story that could very easily be just about good guys with powers fighting bad guy demons. The weakness for me in this volume was the squabbles with the high schoolers and the tournament they're going into.

The illustrations become more polished in this volume, which I appreciate, but I’m still waiting for the characters to have some individual voicing. Everyone sounds the same. From this volume, Todo stands out as an interesting character with humorous voicing and some fun motivations, but most of the secondary characters sound and feel very similar. As they start to get their own stories and their own feature fights, they might start to have individual voicing, but after reading Demon Slayer where Gotouge gave room for every character to be unique, this series struggles with giving characters space and making me care about them. The magic system also requires a lot of explanation and is pretty confusing when it does, so that pulls me out of the main story often.

There are a lot of terms to know and keep track of with this magic system, so if readers can keep track of all of it or just gloss by it and move on, it might not bother them so much. I wish there was a glossary of terms to look up everything because we're six volumes in and there’s so much still being explained! But past that, the battle sequences are intense and I enjoy seeing Todo and Itadori work together. Their banter is entertaining and it’s also good to see Itadori’s growth happen in real time. This volume also has some awesome awesome action towards the end for anyone who is a fan of Satoru, which I am.

Eun is spinning some intricate plots and webs that are getting really interesting, and it’s only volume two! There is also a slow build up of characters surrounding Suchan that I appreciate because we can get attached to each one of them in turn as the story progresses and be introduced to and learn about their unique powers. Volume one gave us a great opportunity to learn about Suchan and his backstory, and volume two wove in three more characters but gave bits about their powers and backstory while driving the overall narrative forward.

The tournament serves as a good chance for Eun to introduce more students and showcase new human-insect hybrids, as well as show off more abilities that they have. The outcome of the tournament is fairly predictable since we have three main characters at this point, but the rest of the volume focuses on the fourth member of the main group who we haven't spent a ton of time with. We learn more about Hyeseong's background and why he wants to be the Top Student, as we as increase some of the romantic tensions that started in the previous volumes.

There are a lot of intense fight scenes in this volume, which are great for the pacing of the story, but it can be challenging at times to keep track of Suchan as he zips around the pages and does everything at top speeds. The creative team masterfully build the tension in each situation and has given the readers enough clues that our hero team doesn't have, so the heightened tension is satisfyingly frustrating and keeps the pages turning just as much as the action. The characters do have some alcoholic drinks to celebrate and there is a moment where Suchan believes he's going to get lucky, but he's tricked instead, so this is still a title I recommend for older teen audiences.

This series is always interesting for learning about different insects and powers that are brought in as inspiration for this large cast of characters, and it’s fascinating to see them paired up in fights. The one detractor has been the fight scenes because the panels full of zoom lines with some colors to indicate which character is involved in that motion, and then a few panels later we see the fall out of all the zipping around.

Mischievous students are going to do what mischievous students do best, right? Plot against all the best laid plans of their teachers and still end up in the biggest wad of trouble they can, then have to be rescued after doing massive amounts of property damage. Volume six continues to deliver on the action of this series and makes things even more ludicrous than some of the previous entries because, of course we're not going to involve the adults who work at the school who have never steered us wrong. As an adult reader, this one made me laugh. As a student reading this, the premise will probably make much more sense.

This is a heavy book dealing with some difficult questions, and it does so in a realm that not many other books occupy at the moment. This series could be the basis for a lot of great conversation on gender, stereotyping, and relationships that would resonate with teen readers. There are a few moments as Hinase works through their feelings and Ritsu is shown in her underwear that it gets a little up close and personal, but this isn’t done in a fan-service or ecchi way — Hinase is legitimately struggling with some intensity of attraction and identity. This title approaches gender topics with care and weight, not with comedy or punchlines.

While Sarasa is positive and cheerful to a fault, there are some moments of character development in this first volume that are excellently executed, particularly of one of the professors whose backstory is explored brilliantly. This manga will appeal to readers who are themselves thespians or fans of the theatrical arts, including those who are interested in set and costume designs. The "twist" ending of this volume may come as a shock to some readers, but will be a narrative payoff for those who paid attention to Sarasa's vignettes throughout the volume, and it very well could hook readers who were only casually interested until that point.

This is a very emotionally gripping and surprising story, and it's captivating and satisfying for many readers. Pages are filled with fight scenes but they're not overly gratuitous; Hokazono has made me care about characters within two volumes only to rip them from me and make me upset; and there's a sprinkle of comedic relief to keep it a little refreshing. The one thing that has disappointed me this volume is that the quality of the illustrations has suffered compared to volume one. There were some gorgeous moments with Chihiro's introduction and the magic of the enchanted swords, but we really didn't get very much of that this volume. Instead, we are leaning more towards the rough, sparse illustrations of Chainsaw Man that kind of irk me. Most shōnen fans at this point in time will probably be just fine, so if you have readers enjoying the series, keep on supplying them with more volumes.

The narrative structure of this first volume feels very convoluted. The flow feels like the pieces were pulverized in a blender before put together in the volume. There are few transitions to clue readers into the next section or to let us know we’re seeing a flashback, so navigating is confusing. The art, however, is phenomenal. The nights are illustrated with large, full panel details to give a sense of their scale. Gao and Jin have a sort of choreographed dance to execute their powers, and the illustrations are gorgeous. But, there are some unfortunate moments of fan service, such as strange female body poses to capture both posterior and chest, or Gao's mother's chest inexplicably enlarging with every page.

The passage of time passage is shown very minutely, as I’m not sure there’s an actual sun on the snow sea. Everything is very white-washed and there is no distinction between night and day, so it's hard to tell how long Kaina and Ririha spend in climbing down the tree spire. Likewise, it's hard to know how long Ririha's men spend searching for her and fighting off the more well-equipped soldiers on their full-sized ships. Despite this disorientation, there is a lot of action in this volume. Large panels of majestic battle moments fill this volume as Takemoto demonstrates his skills as an artist.

There is quite a bit of action in this manga, and not all of it is fully detailed. The illustrations are pretty sparse and don’t live up to the amount of stuff the mangaka want to have happen in each panel. That said, this is a great slow-burn build-up to the main point of the series. This entire volume could serve as a prologue for the main storyline and hero, as I suspect Ichijo isn't really the star of the series. Kamen Rider has been produced since the 1970s with limited exposure in North America, but this installment is a good jumping-in point for new fans. This will definitely appeal to fans of Power Rangers, Ultraman, and other tokusatsu storylines.

As we’re at the beginning of the story, there is a lot of world building and character introduction that had to take place, and so that somewhat bogged down this book overall but there was still a lot of action to drive the story forward, and most of the characters we meet this far are interesting. there were a couple background characters that sort of became blurry and indistinguishable because of lack of development overall, so hopefully they get some more page time and more distinction in further volumes. This story also has to rectify a lack of time passage - sometimes in narratives, especially when there are travel stories, we see characters move from one place to another, and there is nothing to note the passage of time, like sun setting or events happening in the evening. I hope future volumes start to include some visual cues for days passing even when characters are on the airship.

The overall premise of this story has a pretty funny set up, though I was a little concerned this was going to be a slice of life on repeat when the first two chapters were almost identical. Chiba did change up the formula significantly and introduced new elements in the following chapters, but similar through lines and call backs kept the laughs flowing and helped the absurdity. There is a lot of uncensored violence and mild cussing throughout that might make this better for high school audiences.

There’s a weaving of fantasy with reality that reminds readers that we’re reading about children, but usually the fantasy setting is whimsical and beautiful. In this case, the fantasy world is dreary and terrible, symbolic of the hurt in Gu Won's heart. Sa Rang is a breath of joyful air who teaches Go Won to be happy despite the pain his family puts him through through. This story is an emotional roller-coaster that will appeal to fans who enjoy complicated, slow-burn romance stories. The last moments of volume one have some jarring bits that might throw readers and may completely change their perception of the whole story if they aren’t familiar with the Netflix show or don't know where volume two intends to take us.

While  Sookyuk’s station in the palace is horrifying, creators Haga and Jiyoung do well to hint at the king’s pedophilia and not blatantly putting anything on the page, giving us just enough to be sickened and provide enough to prove Sookyuk’s desperation and motivation. Sookyuk and Wolfgang are complex and have their clear reasons for readers to compassionately care for them and want to continue reading their journey. Both characters have complex backstories that are well developed in this first volume, and the motivations driving both to want a better kingdom is compelling. It is clear from this first volume that a lot of thought and care has been put into developing these characters and their relationship.

This silly collection of short stories is full of juvenile humor, and it made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion. Hikawa's author’s note at the beginning of each chapter gives a bit of context for each story or gives reason why it was included in the volume. Because it’s a collection of short stories, this reads like slice of life and doesn’t have a connected storyline. This makes it a perfect fit for younger audiences who have shorter attention spans or who can’t always read these volumes in order.

This is one of those sci-fi books I keep hearing about as fundamental, but so far, the first volume doesn't seem to be as influential and timeless as Akira was for the same genre. There is some fan service that is a little jarring given how series the rest of the storyline is. There are lots of jumps in narration that don't always make sense, but if the reader sort of roles with it and doesn't ask too many questions, they'll see the holes left behind aren't critical to the overall storyline. The action sequences and some of the illustrations are a little hard to follow, and it's difficult to tell some of the Sidonians apart because their facial structure is the same. However, the Gauna are pretty terrifying, so that is one area where Nihei's illustrations are done well. I might give this one more volume to see if any of the issues I have are resolved.

This is a tamer version of the tropes in Don't Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro! where the girl has a lot of power over the socially-awkward boy. There are still some moments of teasing in this story that kind of cross the line into bullying. Kubo obviously has feelings for Shiraishi and uses her attractiveness to make him a little uncomfortable at times, and it's not always in a playful way that could be construed as flirting. It ends with a pretty sweet Christmas story where the two have a bit more of an equal relationship, so I have a little bit of hope that this will mellow out in future volumes.

This title overly emphasizes that looks are all important and possibly sends the wrong messages about what is really necessary for a high school student’s happiness. Kusunoki is emotionally pretty dependent on Shizuki and doesn’t really respect his boundaries, forcing him to do things for her even when he has made it clear she makes him uncomfortable. In a few volumes' time, Kusunoki could be the one who breaks Shizuki's curse and he might be able to talk to girls again, but it would have been nice for this to come about organically or in a healthy, cooperative way where both benefit from each other, like the two leads do in Komi Can't Communicate.

The first half of this story focusing on the Kumo brothers was pretty intriguing, but it was way too short. The second half with its necessary historical context was very well done and almost better than the first half. It had wonderful pacing and some more complex characters. We don't fully discover why Hirari doesn't want to fight Orochi, but it makes him lots more interesting than brothers trying to make their elder brother proud. It might have been better to put "Fleeting Laughter" as a zero volume and put more chapters on the Kumo brothers in volume one. Hopefully, volume two will establish more intrigue with the brothers. It's clear KaraKaraKemuri knows how to tell a story and develop characters in a short amount of time, so I'm optimistic that the storyline with the Kumo brothers will get more interesting.

There is a lot of sweetness and innocence in this title about first crushes and high school social life. But this volume uses a lot of the same high-school life tropes that are prevalent in the genre - school trips to the beach, handing your crush a cell-phone charm, establishing love rivalries, an overly beautiful young girl who’s socially inept - that I’m not certain this volume one stands out quite yet as a story. This might be a decent middle-school romance for folks who like Morishita's work on A Sign of Affection and want something for younger readers.

This story was a little hard to follow at times. It felt like I was missing chapters or was supposed to know which things were flashbacks without the traditional black gutters (even though black gutters were used sometimes). There are a lot of caricatures as characters - snobby mean girl, a girl really into snacks, a shy girl who would rather work with machines than human, and a few more. Akko is also a little over the top in how bad she is, how upbeat she is, and how bumbling she is. Despite the lack of depth to the characters, this might be an engaging story for younger readers who are looking for funny moments more than complex characters.

Smythe's art is fantastic as always, and hopefully readers are paying attention to what shade she chooses for each god. This is not only good for keeping track of who is who, there are probably whole essays on the meaning of the choices Smythe has made for each character.

There is quite a lot of talking in this volume, but it's definitely needed. After the last two books had some shock value to them, it's nice that we get to see Hades and Persephone actually form a friendship - it's not a montage or told to us later. There are a lot of helpful things about this book as well - characters advocate for therapy and self-care to deal with traumatic incidents. It's yet to be seen whether anyone will take the advice, but the representation is important, and it's good to see that characters treat trauma delicately and appropriately.

This book may be full of tons of drama, but technically, so was Greek mythology. I love how Smythe is adapting so much source material into a modern setting and incorporating a lot of modern romantic tropes into her characters. Readers who have been waiting for Persephone to grow a backbone may be satisfied that we're starting to see it a bit in this volume. There are  also some wonderful mythology easter eggs hidden throughout for readers who are familiar with the source material, but they won't be too confusing for those who are not in the know.

This story is a really engaging murder-mystery that doles out clues and developments in a satisfying pace that is sure to keep readers hooked and wondering how right they are in their suspicions. Both main characters have a lot of depth developed within the first volume despite the very minimal detailing and exposition in the word balloons. The art is also very different from other manga styles. It’s a little more western and sparse in character detail, favoring more atmospheric drawings and an emphasis on characters' surroundings, but these major differences still lead to enjoyable and meaningful panels.

This volume does a lot of building, with lots of character building, and relationship building between Ellis and Al. It also introduces racial profiling in policing as Al is targeted not just for the coincidences of being around the Mayor on his final day. There are many wordless panels where Al is going about his day or shopping for food. Using this style within a mystery novel creates a sense of tension, as if the audience perspective is really the killer's, and he's following Al through his daily life. The art continues to be a high point of this story with its blend of traditional manga style and western illustrations. This is a great investment for established manga fans, and murder-mystery fans looking for an entry-point to manga.

Without giving too much away about this murder-mystery, the ending might be a little predictable for fans of the genre if they've consumed a lot of other content in this area, but it was still fairly satisfying because of the way Al and Ellis come to trust one another after all. Personally, I’ve been trying to figure out who is the “Lad” is from the title, and the ending has made me fairly reflective about how it could be either Al or Ellis. Even though the end to the murder-mystery part was slightly predictable, the overall series ending left me very satisfied. This series also doesn't shy away from tackling some heavy topics. Al is targeted and racially profiled by the police, something he discusses with Ellis, and something his framer uses to his advantage to make Al a more perfect murder suspect. Several women on the police force also discuss whether they should continue being detectives since they wil have a harder time advancing without giving up their personal lives because they

The connection between Keito and Fujinaga in this first volume is beautiful and inspiring. Keito notes that Fujinaga is patient and always repeats when he accidentally looks away or forgets to show Keito his lips. This sweet moment caused me to reflect on times I have not been patient in my life and makes me want to do better next time. These empathy-building moments are extremely important for readers. Also, the illustrations of Fujinaga signing and becoming lost in the moment, especially when his story takes life -- those pages were transformative. The illustrations were beautifully realized and fluid. I hope we can all create a human connection that personal and meaningful. This was a great beginning to a beautiful story, and one worthy of inclusion because of its captivating moments AND its disability representation.

At first glance and within the first few chapters, this is a sort of light-hearted, kinda silly story that centers around people playing dress up and trying to find a place they can fit in. But, after the silliness is over, this is a heart-warming story about acceptance, and about letting people be who they want to be without judgment. Mogumo inspires others to challenge the binary and to find where they feel they belong. There are a few instances of misgendering in this first volume, specifically Tetsu towards his brother, who now presents as female, so that is a little jarring amidst the message of acceptance from the rest of the cast of characters. Hopefully, this gets corrected in later volumes -- as nonbinary characters are hard to come by, especially in manga, it would be wonderful to have a story that achieves acceptance and representation at the same time.

So first off, I don’t think “Pervy” is quite the right word in English, and it being in the synopsis and throughout the book really pushed me away from this title for a while. Most of the time, Eriko is being boy-crazy or just fantasizing about having a boyfriend. Her twitter alter-ego and made-up boyfriend go on dates, hold hands, kiss, etc. At one point when her and her friend go to a lingerie shop, it does inspire a tweet about her imaginary boyfriend wanting a bra that would be easy to take off, but that’s about as risqué as it gets. The relationship between Eriko and Ohmi is also pretty innocent and sort of sweet, as both of them deep down want someone who is going to take the time to get to know them. Hopefully, readers and buyers won't get a totally wrong impression of this first volume.

As it begins, this is a story about a young girl trying to find her grandma and learning who her grandma really is, but this deceptively deep story is so much more than that. Hidden within a fantastical adventure with complex magical creatures are two young girls struggling with their families and the pressures they face from their familial expectations. Readers can draw their own real-life parallels -- pressures to choose the right career path and college, pressure to choose a pathway in school at a younger and younger age, and so on. Lu and Ren also have disagreements but come back together in healthy and supportive ways that model good communication and positive friendship. To top all of this off, the animals are adorable and colorful, perfect for fans of O'Neill's The Tea Dragon Society who might be slightly older now.

This behind-the-scenes tell-all provides intimate details about George’s struggles to get people to believe in the epic many of us readers know and love. I appreciated reading the different versions of the script and loved watching these be depicted panel-by-panel as the creators assumed their readers would understand the differences to the final movie. The narration and dialogue partner together to create a blend of showing and telling that make this feel less like watching a documentary.

I am personally a sucker for magical girl stories because they were my introduction to manga, and I also love Shonen tropes, so this manga seems to blend the best of both! There were times I laughed out loud reading this story, and I really enjoyed some of the twists and turns Hiromi went through. The surprise ending definitely left me wanting volume two! Akabane's illustration combines some hallmarks of different manga styles. Characters can be cutesy and comical when necessary, but Hiromi's magical girl transformations are stylized and beautiful as they often are in shōjo manga.

This title continues to take all of the perceived gender stereotypes of magical girl manga and society and play with them as much as possible with a lot of humorous moments. The lore dump of magical system is mostly fine except for the rather confusing Life Box, which Sakura is told must be guarded at all times. Then, they find out his is missing but they don’t seem to be in that much of a hurry to go find and retrieve it.

In this final volume of the story, Akabane is hard pressed to tie up many storylines, and this is doe through may wild twists and turns that I didn't fully see coming. One in particular that I didn't anticipate but I enjoyed was Misaki's villain origin story. This series is short and sweet, ad it doesn't waste time with a lot of filler or unnecessary monsters, but it also doesn't full explore concepts or build out the world fully. There are some side characters that were introduced that are unfortunately never seen again. However, what this series excels at is taking many tropes and stereotypes and playing with expectations.

Thanks to Hana's frequent mess ups, this manga is full of hilarity. Hana herself is energetic and good-natured, always trying to do her best but often failing miserably. Hana's fellow maid, Iris, is a bit more serious and does everything with an air of importance, making her a great foil for Iris' carefree effervescence. There are moments in between chapters dedicated to skating knowledge where readers can learn about board construction, trick names and history, as well as the characters. This slice-of-life can be a stand-alone as a single volume, or libraries can continue to purchase the series when volume two hits shelves in November of 2026.

In order to contextualize these real historical moments, Nanbo creates characters and grounds them in each chapter and provides an audience stand-in for us to follow and sympathize with. There are fast facts peppered throughout and other explanations of details for readers, which may pull them out of the narrative as these footnotes happen within the panels, so I suggest waiting until a proper pause to go back and read the notes to avoid chopping the narration. This is written from a Japanese perspective, and the final chapter provides a refreshing and varied look at world events, especially given the climate this is being published into. There are many opportunities for use in classroom discussions and parring with anchor texts, especially using individual chapters along with primary sources in study of history.

Every time we discover another thing about this world or what happened to our main characters, we discover three more things that makes the mystery deepen! There are a lot of questions now about how Mao got this power and even about his master and the family he served 900 years ago. Nanoka is more of a minor character in this volume, with Takahashi instead favoring developing more of Mao's backstory.

This series is really non-stop, just like Takahashi's many other series. Just when Nanoka thinks she's going to be getting a breather, another set of demons or monsters is after them. Those things get dealt with, in a usually awesome magical fashion, and then here come more former apprentices to get in Mao's face. There is one element of slow burn, and that's of Nanoka's development. She's kind of an accessory, the audience stand-in, so it seems like Takahashi is hesitant to make her too dissimilar from the audience. Her power is developed much slower when compared to what we're learning about Mao and his abilities. Hopefully, now that we know of her earth affinity, we can see her getting some more spell-time.

There are some pretty big twists in this volume, including a revelation about who the water caster was that entered the Five-Sided Room with Kamon, Hyakka, and Mao. Some long-time fans of Takahashi might see the twist with Yurako coming, but it was still welcome and make this story even more intriguing! Mao continuously has his life on the line, so the life-hanging-in-the-balance cliffhanger at the end might drive readers straight into volume six, or might be old hat at this point. For me, the story is getting more engaging and high-stakes, which means I want to follow along with these characters more. We get some more depth to Kamon this volume, so I definitely want to continue seeing Takahashi build up her cast of supporting characters while giving us enough Mao content!

While some of the demonstrations in the previous two volumes were definitely part of my Civil Rights education, there is not an event that sticks out in my head so much as "Bloody Sunday." The news footage from that day horrified a nation in 1965, and it is some of the most powerful footage I ever saw in my school years. This volume is a little longer than the other two, but it also contains some of the most powerful moments of the Civil Rights Movement. Lewis and Aydin continue to not pull their punches - they depict the infighting between the Civil Rights groups, the dysfunction of SNCC towards the end of Lewis' time as chairperson, and continue to point out when grandstanding happened - but this honesty in portraying historical moments and people make the narrative powerful.

Despite getting a second chance at life, Bianca does not come back as a perfectly reformed character, and she still has plenty of rough around the edges. She's tough, and potentially hard to love. There are some very real and relatable moments in this first volume, as well as some beautiful examples of honest conversations between two adult people building a life together who obviously have some hurt to overcome. Bianca is a flawed main character who doesn't have it all figured out, but readers will still want to root for her to succeed this time around.

This book has humor, action, and a powerful female character early on. The instant trust and dependence between Alma and Hikaru begets hilarity and creates some precarious situations as one can imagine from high tech being affixed to a sweater. There isn’t a big lore dump in this first volume, so things are still a bit confusing but explained enough to keep the story flowing. The full color illustrations and the cinematic panels capture the full experience of the anime adaptation of Mecha-Ude. The tease within the last few pages hints at much larger stakes to come in volume two if readers stick around to see it unfold.

The competitions are portrayed very intensely, but the figure skating is drawn so beautifully and with such care. Tsurumaikada breaks down some of the moves like you’re watching a sports broadcast, so even readers who don’t have a firm grasp on all the skating terms can enjoy what's going on. There are also some wonderful character moments with Inori's mom realizing what she has been doing to her daughter and how she's been treating her all these years, as well as some great moments of growth with Inori and Tsukasa around skating and perseverance.

This story started off with several very strong chapters, particularly the flashbacks where we learn about how Zoe and Clive met. By the middle of this volume, the pace slows significantly, and it starts to feel like a slice of life novel. Zoe and Eliza are not adept at learning magic, and I’m afraid to think what will become of Clive while Zoe is learning. There is a little undercurrent established with some tension between Zoe and another character, and that created some interest throughout the book, but there's a bit too much meandering — is it about the magic? Is it about the three ladies dealing with their grief? Is it about the people in the village? Is it a romance? Is it a mystery? There are a lot of individual threads established in a relatively short amount of time, so nothing gets enough time to fully develop.

This is a pretty cute magical girl (and magical boy in this case) story. There are some tensions built up that the reader is all knowing of, especially the romantic tensions, and there are insights on the big-bad that are revealed at the end of this volume that will help keep younger readers hooked into the next volume. One major problem is that there is no segue or any sort of introduction into this volume, so readers who don’t know the show might be lost for a page or two until they get into the story and become familiar with the characters.

This story starts off with a pretty ridiculous premise and a jump into a marriage that is hard to believe. The beginning feels very much like Gondaira really needed to shoe-horn Asano into Mutsumi's life and couldn't think of another way to do it. But, if readers suspend disbelief for about forty pages, then the action and story get a little better. Asano starts to train with the Yozakura family members, and he steadily progresses in his skills of observation, speed, cunning, and strength. His journey is difficult, though, because he doesn't have a special ability like the rest of the Yozakura family, so he isn't as perfect as them at executing missions. Hopefully, the storyline progresses away from just keeping Mutsumi safe, or this premise could get pretty stale pretty quickly.

This story was heartbreaking in a very different way from the mangaka's other works. The loneliness and need for acceptance is portrayed exceptionally well, and my heart ached for both Aoi and Hachi. This is labeled as a boys love story, and while it could be taken that there is a romantic entanglement by the end of the story, I more so enjoyed watching their friendship grow and both finding comfortability around another living soul. That part of the story will definitely resonate with teen readers, many of whom in a post-pandemic world are looking for a living soul with whom they can be at peace - friend or otherwise.

CoryxKenshin and Mikell start this story with violent action, not world building. While people get ripped apart, the focus is on the importance of working together and the need to trust each other to survive. In this dystopia, we learn what is at stake along with Jabari. There are hints of relying on technology being problematic. The art has a Western influence. Extra lines during monster fight scenes make those panels darker while also blurring reality and blurring the lines between monsters and humans. This story is perfect for fans of Blue Exorcist.

This is a cute slice-of-life (with some repeated intro information every chapter as often happens with serialized content), and there are some pretty funny moments. Mr. Villain even promotes his brand of wisdom to an underling, so we know this is an important philosophy he has for everyone, not just himself as the boss. There are times when he helps humans (who almost all turn out to be Rangers), so despite being fearsome on the clock, he's a good dude overall and reminds us to help out our fellows once in a while.

​The art throughout this volume is very beautiful. The coloring is bright and vibrant, especially the vibrant greens that pop in a world full of dark hues. Within a few pages, the Mundt creates an environment where you feel Camille’s high stakes and the pressure of her family’s expectations. Her cousin takes a bit of a back seat in the second half of the volume to make way for Camille’s journey of self-discovery, which is necessary but it’s an unfortunate punishment for a fun character. Hopefully, we see more of her in volume two.

These powerful personal narratives present fascinating and honest portrayals of what everyday life is like for people whose brains process information differently, and the care in which Monzusu conveys their stories is commendable. Not only is this a beautiful collection for readers to be able to empathize with the daily life of other people, there's a chance that readers may see themselves in the life experience of one of these nine people and be motivated to talk to a medical professional about their special brains. This book is definitely something that all teen and adult libraries should consider purchasing.

There is so much positivity going on despite the undercurrent of bullying that follows Nishimura, and the sweetness between the two friends has a beautiful message of acceptance. Takada is constantly building up Nishimura, but none of it rings hollow. This story has some nice, short chapters which are great for younger readers. Some of the beginning chapters have repeated information due to the original serialization of the story, but once readers get passed that, it's on to some hilarious comebacks to bullies from Takada, an adorable kitten, and some summer adventures for the friends.  There are some growing pains of childhood friendships that might resonate with young readers who are probably navigating some of their first major friendships as well.

This story was a little confusing up until the reveal at the end, but the main crux of this story was dealing with grief. It didn’t need to be rooted in the Jekyll /Hyde story at all for the point to be realized. It didn't really rely on the dichotomy of Jekyll and Hyde from the classic story so much as the classic trope of twins switching places or being jealous of one another. Readers don't really need a familiarity of the story to understand or appreciate this tale. All that aside, this story is more so about the sense of identity that one creates that the outside world gets to see, and how a person feels about that sense of identity. If readers can stick it out until the end, there is a payoff to be had, but it is a bit of a challenge and some stamina is needed to get to it.

There is quite a lot of internal monologue in this story, from every character’s perspective, but it truly gives a lot of depth and insight into each character. It may feel a little excessive at times, but Agitogi uses a lot of this to show the depth of the characters, particularly how broken and terrified Miyo is. Having served teens with abusive relationships and knowing some of the traumatic lives they live, this book speaks deeply to the types of behaviors and internalization that victims of abuse go through. I think Agitogi has carefully and faithfully portrayed what happens to victims of abuse, and this is one of the most in-depth manga to deal with this issue. Despite this being set in a fantasy land, I believe readers will connect with Miyo and be sympathetic to her struggle.

This story is, first and foremost, a slow romance and a story of healing. There might be some magical plot points that could develop further later, especially with the hints about how important Miyo could be to the future of magical people, but the appeal of this story is Miyo being able to heal and being supported by a person who is widely misunderstood. Kudo and Miyo are two broken folks who have possibly found their person. There could be some complications later as Miyo had a childhood sweetheart that was swept up by Kaya, but I think I and other readers would be immensely satisfied to see these two build a relationship where they can both be at peace.

The first two volumes of this series has been a bit of a slow burn romance with plenty of time devoted to Miyo healing and due diligence to the propriety of the time period in regards to Miyo and Kudo's courtship. Volume three, however, has quite a tone shift as the violence Miyo has been subjected to is no longer hinted at, and the supernatural abilities are laid out in panels, no longer hinted. The pacing also picks up in this volume, and there are a few more subplots and mysteries to keep track of as well. Hopefully, fans who stuck around and enjoyed this beautiful story of healing will also enjoy what is turning into something intriguing with moments of action.

In this volume, we're getting into how Miyo really is special, and it's exciting even if it is a trope. It's clear that she needs more time to heal, and I'm glad to see that the mangaka is showing how slow that process is instead of rushing through it or glossing over how painful that can be. I also appreciate how we have a limited perspective of what's happening in the world and we aren't given a full omniscient 3rd person point of view for the larger conflict that's happening -- rather, we have a slice told from Miyo and Kudo's perspective as they are given information.

This volume has some payoffs and beautiful ah-ha moments as we finally get explanations for how special Miyo is. Special thanks goes to Hazuki, Kudo’s sister, for explaining the dynamic between Kudo and Miyo and finally getting things through Kudo's thick skull because the two of them would be lost and helpless without her. There may be long periods of time between volumes in this series, so if you have die-hard readers waiting patiently, do them a favor and make sure the next volume is on your purchase list as soon as possible.

The story was overall pretty cute and has some inclusion of gamer culture that hardcore fans will appreciate, but it's not without its flaws. There is an age gap between Akane and Yamada — Akane is in college, possibly first year, though it’s not stated, and Yamada is in high school. There is also a few instances when Akane and her friend, Momo, are inebriated, though the two don't imbibe on the page. The main problem is Yamada takes care of Akane, which seems pretty awkward given their respective ages. While this might be taken as sweet to have Akane pursue Yamada and help him break out of his shell, in this volume, he doesn't really want her advances. Hopefully, there becomes more of a invitation t

This was pretty light-hearted and has that age-old trope of brooding matched up with comical in the two leading males. Likely, there will be some romantic tension build up later on but it was pretty minimal in this volume. The supporting cast adds to the levity and silliness of the title, especially some of the spirits the two meet. There is a pleasing blend of Japanese folklore with modern sensibilities that will provide lots of fodder for interesting supernaturals and funny situations they find themselves in, but there's also some allegorical connections to the encroachment of industrialization and modernization on nature and finding harmony for the two ways of life.

The reborn trope and coming from an abusive family is nothing new, but having common items show up is different and interesting. Erden Halstead is an intriguing character, and the mystery of his curse has me hooked into reading more to discover the origin and nature of his affliction. As the title suggests, the mask may not be needed, but we aren't sure why in this first volume. The first half has some comedic moments, but the second half settles this story more into a fantasy epic with mythical creatures, castles, battles, and more.

In volume two, this series starts to step away from some of the other series in the same vein and becomes its own storyline. We find out pieces of why Erden thinks he’s ugly, but the mystery grows more intriguing. Letitia’s wit is on full display in this volume, and I love every moment of Erden being supportive and impressed by his wife. The supporting characters are all amazing, including the three grannies of Halstead castle and my favorite, Letitia’s dragon, that she swoops away from Erden. The dragon behaves more like a cat than anything else, which means fans of cat manga will feel right at home.

This volume provides some great comedy and humor surrounding capitalism. I was thoroughly entertained by Letitia's use of financial scams from her experiences in South Korea, particularly how common some of the scams were with what is happening in the United States. Pulling these into the demon world makes for some interesting content for perhaps older readers who have been exposed to these types of marketing and sales pitches, but they could also be conversation starters for younger readers and good exposure for the ludicrous things people try once they become involved in financial planning and decisions later in life.

If readers enjoy being frustrated with delayed gratification, this is definitely the story for them. The constant back and forth of will they / won’t they get divorced and/or confess is very tense! There are also plenty of comedic interruptions every time something gets too serious, much to Erden and reader’s disappointment. Letitia is extremely clever, and she takes on a slightly villainess roll in towards the demons by creating superb schemes based on her life in Korea that trick them for all their worth.

This volume begins with quite a bit of action and some much deserved backstory for Amelia who, until this point, has been traveling with Akira for unknown reasons other than just helping a person who seems like they could defeat the Demon King. Now that she has a little more development, we need to see a bit more time devoted to Akira's classmates to make them fully individual people.

This volume focuses more on Amelia and develops her character and personality more than previous volumes. We see her grow and struggle as a companion to Akira while she tries to find her usefulness as a party member to a person who is very powerful. I appreciate Amelia trying to find her place, as this is something I have tried to figure out for a few volumes. There is a bit of "food manga" asides in this volume as Amelia  prepare delicious-looking meals for herself, Crow, and Night. The ending of this volume is quite a nasty cliffhanger, so I, and other readers enjoying this series, am eager to read the next volume.

As the back-mater indicates, this volume served as a bit of a prologue to the rest of the series, setting up the backstories of the two girls named Nana who we will see in the rest of the series. Because of that, this volume felt more like two short stories put into one. Regardless, the stories are still compelling, and Yazawa is a master at developing characters in a short period of time. This series has been central in an age-relevancy debate for some time, sometimes finding a home in high school libraries while other times seeming too mature. There are some heavier topics of sexuality, drug use, and some sexual situations with brief nudity. While the story is rich and has beautifully developed characters, some schools may find the subject matter too mature for their high school audiences.

There’s so much going on in this volume that it got a little bit hard to keep track of everything and everyone. There are some similar character designs that make it hard to tell some folks apart, specifically Tenma's ex-fiancée and a Turkish woman, both of whom are in this volume. Despite some of these hiccups, the overall story is really engrossing. Urasawa is a master at giving important details in small enough chunks that your interest is piqued, so you keep reading, and then you find another little nugget. As with many of his other series, the synopsis sounds really strange and unworkable, but there's definitely a magic at work here that keeps me glued while reading.

Kishimoto wastes no time getting readers into the action and worries about world building much later into this volume. Naruto gets some surface-level characterization to start with - he loves pranks and eating ramen and he has lofty goals, but some of the other characters around him are fairly one-dimensional. There is some character development for Master Kakashi, the ninja who is assigned to Naruto's first mission, so hopefully the other side characters will get a chance to develop as well. It is clear that Kishimoto has put a lot of thought into the world and history around these ninja societies, so hopefully we will get more of it as the series progresses. So far, the tone is pretty lighthearted, but there were a few instances where it shifted and became serious, so there is opportunity for some deeper development later on.

The three tales in these stories are famous Japanese folktales that might be familiar for some readers, but they don't quite follow the original storylines. Nimura does a wonderful job of making these classic stories a little bit his own, sort of like Disney-ifying them, but not necessarily always changing things to happier. All of these stories are a little bit unsettling; they don't all have neat resolutions that tidy everything up, but that's a pretty common thing amongst Japanese folktales.

I really appreciate that this isn’t a retelling of the original, but rather a full reimagining and more of a sequel than trying to take place during the iconic story. Taylor takes his own liberties but still captures the whimsy of the original tale. Tink is constantly cussing (all censored), which is reminiscent of her original role in the book, but she's also a high-spirited fighter with a tiny, sharp sword. Taylor also provides an explanation for Neverland's magic and the reason children don't age on the island. The original tale focuses more on whimsy and make-believe, so it doesn't have many explanations. Some authors try to explain too much, which only serves to complicate the story. Taylor doesn't make this mistake, and rather adds a few more elements of magic that don't have explanations, and the story doesn't suffer for it.

There are a lot of jokes and some puns the localization team tried to make relevant in English, but I’m sure they are funnier in Japanese. The beginning of the volume starts our a little rocky with having to introduce characters and readers to this brand of humor. The latter chapters in this volume are much more composed and deliver better punch lines. If you have readers who are huge fans of the slice-of-life genre or appreciate off-the-wall comedy, this might be appealing, but otherwise, there probably isn't enough about this story to make it something all readers would gravitate towards.

​This is an absolutely adorable story, and would be great for elementary audiences. Nicola is exploring her world and trying to figure things out, similar to what elementary-age people do all the time. They constantly question, like Nicola does, and sometimes challenge the stereotypes of the world in an innocent way only kids know how to do. Nicola is persistent but not overly annoying, as sometimes can happen in stories portraying young characters. The demon world is also very fascinating, and I'm here for Nicola learning more magic from the various demons she meets. I also appreciate that this is suitable for young readers and isn't a video game adaptation or a story about animals.

This is such a cute story with a little witch who gets into trouble sometimes but ultimately cares about Simon enough to run herself ragged for him. We almost found out a bunch about her mom but it turns out it was a demon - instead we found out some little snippets, which were still sweet and connected Nicola in a beautiful way to her mom. Simon also had some heartfelt moments with his dad that helped Nicola also have a sense of belonging in her new little (quite literal) found family. There is a lot to love about these supposedly evil creatures who seem to be just getting by and only sometimes trying to trick or swindle one another.

The beginning of this graphic novel gets off to a rocky start with character introductions, flashback sequences, and Marysia recovering her memories, all without some needed cues to help the reader navigate the jumps from one place to the next. Once the story progresses into the next few chapters and gets into the action, things get better. There is quite a bit of information in the character biographies in the back that I wish got integrated into the story itself within character development, but hopefully this can get included in further volumes. I do appreciate the adventurous spirit of the kids and their supportive nature of each other, which is an important lesson for young readers.

This felt like a spin off of The Craft but with fairies. These magical girls go after their bullies and people get severely hurt or die because of their lack of control on their powers or everyone involved not caring for any sort of consequence of their actions. The pacing is all over the place with lots of narrative jumps. There were flashbacks with only context clues to tell you it was a flashback, rather than any other marking or change in coloring that would visually let the reader know what was happening. There are some majorly tragic moments that are more or less glossed over by the characters in favor of furthering the plot, so not only do they not care about consequences, they rarely actually face them as well. A better read is Squad by Maggie Tokunda-Hall, which has much better pacing and a more high-stakes to their supernatural abilities.

There's a lot to like about this story in this first volume, and fans of political intrigue dramas will want to find out how Nina's going to continue with her future betrothed.

I love to see Nina becoming more confident and accepting more of an authoritative role with her princess responsibilities. There's no way she can know if she's becoming more like "Alisha", having never met the princess, but with nurturing and acceptance, she is realizing that she doesn't have to cower and she can assume the power that comes with being a princess. How, with any good political drama, there is still some pitfalls and vipers waiting for our heroine, so she has to be careful! Romance fans are definitely going to be frustrated by Nina's decisions at the end of this volume, and are going to want volume 3 on hand to figure out how things get resolve (or don't)!

This story is a delightful blend of several fairy tales with the reincarnation/isekai and villain storyline tropes that are popular in Manhwa presently. With a lot of villain reincarnation stories that have been published lately, there is a sense of danger to the villain, but for Abigail, she mostly has to change people’s perception of her as the dumb, easily outraged vain person rather than have a fear for her life constantly. Coming to a medieval world with modern ideas also means this title tackles outdated gender stereotypes as well as harmful ideas about body image and diet that were forced upon girls at a young age. Abigail becomes Blanche’s biggest advocate for being healthy and enjoining her childhood, messages that are in nice contrast to what most young girls see portrayed in modern media.

This story is beautiful, heartwarming, and delightful to read. There are moments that are quirky and funny, with a few heartwarming scenes of motherly compassion between Abigail and Blanche. Currently, there isn’t romantic tensions since Abigail has no interest in pursuing Sabrian and Sabrian still distrusts Abigail’s change of heart. The tension that is building is mostly waiting to see when Abigail can begin to create dresses again, which feels like it will happen very soon. This volume still brings in some discussion about eating disorders as Abigail remembers her past life and the issues she had with food, and how that carries over into this new life.

There is a little bit of romantic tension in this volume, but it could also be sympathy and reader projection. This volume has a ton of content about fashion and dresses as Abigail introduces new styles and explains them to the reader and the noblewomen. This was an interesting read watching a character rebuilds her reputation through her knowledge of fashion history as that's not always a subject of manga. There was a sprinkling of political drama as well in this volume as the ladies jockey for position and Abigail tries to repair her relationships with the noblewomen.

This deceptively complex, emotionally rich series continues to build upon the themes and layers of character development from previous volumes by providing ample opportunities for Abigail and Sabrian to be fully realized characters. We get a few beautiful moments between Blanche and Abigail as well, though not nearly enough page time for Blanche in this volume. Sabrian's other family members also come into this one to complicate things -- his older brother, who is probably up to something, and the shadow of his mother threatens the final few pages, leaving readers on a menacing cliffhanger.

What I love about this series is just how much we get in each volume without feeling overwhelmed or rushed. Mo9Rang has mastered a pacing that keeps everything flowing by introducing one major crisis at a time to focus the tension on while developing character relationships. There are still through-lines and ongoing story points that carry from volume to volume, but readers are able to move at a decent pace as Mo9Rang gives each thing weight and a seriousness that these topics deserve.

More elements of the Snow White tale, along with other classic fairy tale tropes, have come into play here, which was a nice reminder that this story is ultimately a retelling. The last few volumes have focused more on the relationships between the characters and less on the fairy tales, so the tropes didn't feel overplayed. There is also a touching moment with Abigail where we get another look at her past life that reinforces some of the painful things we already knew. The scenes will resonate with readers as Abigail works through her doubt and self-worth.

The body image issues are back but Abigail isn’t so sure of herself this time. The struggle to maintain a positive sense of self-worth will definitely hit home with readers. Some days, it's harder than others remain confident and not give in to the negative comments. This volume reminds us that even those who seem assured may be struggling, and we should be positive to everyone. Abigail also turns fashion of this world upside down yet again and does something scandalous, which is always great. We're also into the miscommunication trope of shōjo manga, so be prepared, readers!

In previous volumes, this series tackled heavy topics like body issues, eating disorders, and self-esteem. In this volume, the creators wade into the topics of LGBTQ+ issues, particularly gendered fashion, gender roles, and transgender issues. Some of it is subtle, like calling out gendered shoes and asking why women's shoes are impractical and painful compared to men's shoes that are comfortable and sensible. The creators use the mermaid culture of this fantasy world to ask these questions that one could say is examining humanity, or it could just be a fantasy world.

Some of the stories in the DC Graphic Novels for Kids line have been a little light on the superpowers, but Nubia did not disappoint in that regard. There were plenty of high-powered moments while there were still plenty of moments making the character relatable. So many teens struggle with identity and figuring out their place in the world - Nubia just also has to figure out her superpowers on top of it. This was definitely one of the line of books from DC that would fit easily in a school graphic novel collection, especially for readers who are not yet ready to completely dive head-first into superhero comics.

There are a lot of exorcism manga on the market at present, and there wasn't anything particularly stand-out about volume one to make this memorable. Instead, there were a ridiculous amount of fan-servicy panty shots, and disproportional female characters. Many of them have small heads and comically large chests or extremely long legs (coming from a Sailor Moon fan, that's saying something). The illustrations were enough to take me out of the story several times and make it overall unenjoyable. Online, fans of the series say it improves, but I didn't love the premise enough to excuse the artwork and continue.

Despite this being an effective primer on Japanese cuisine, there is also a compelling storyline woven throughout the chapters. I started looking for ways Yamaoka and his father, Kaibara, were going to be pushed together, and there were several instances that ended up incorporating many comedy-of-errors elements. Yamaoka often gets "tricked" into cooking for Kaibara, and this is used to share proper cooking techniques as Kaibara berates Yamaoka for doing something wrong. I also learned a lot about cooking technique and have a greater appreciation for my sushi roles. The main takeaway I have from this book is that much of Japanese cuisine is delicate, and there is a greater focus on the best quality ingredients, especially treating them respectfully and with proper skill.

Through these stories, Higa explores a subject that many Okinawans don’t always want to discuss — the war that cost so many lives of soldiers and civilians — and also touches on the island’s sense of identity with the American military base that exists there today. Through the yuta priestess, Higa is showcasing some of the traditional beliefs of the island and encapsulating them, as well as contrasting the traditionalism to the modernism of the island's inhabitants and the current conflict with the base. At first glance, some of these stories seem simplistic, but there is plenty of content for deeper discussion with manga groups or literature classes.

Aside from a few advanced vocabulary words, these tales are broken down for younger audiences and are fast paced to be engaging. The included tales are shocking, funny, and important to the overall ethos of the goddess Artemis. There are many foundational tales that establish her temperament as a goddess and showcase her treatment of mortals, especially how she interacted and felt about mortal men, and other tales that showed her tumultuous relationship with the goddess Hera.

Here's another story with video-game elements, albeit understated compared to titles like Solo Leveling, but this time, the person with all the power is a reader instead of someone who levels up by fighting or having magical abilities. I might be biased, but that was a nice, meta twist for the librarian in me, and might appeal to some readers' sense of irony. Outside of the reader being the most powerful one in the story, there are other appealing elements - this title is quite action-packed and pretty violent, which makes it more appropriate for older readers, but definitely appeals to fans of Danganronpa - readers looking for something a bit darker and more philosophical. Within the first few chapters, characters are immediately put into situations where they need to value life and make difficult choices. As Dokja makes more decisions, his familiarity decreases, so it will be interesting to see if his reading will continue to be an asset in future volumes.

There are a lot of intricate things about this world and its set up that Dokja is privy to because of his knowledge and his special Fourth Wall skill that allows him to have even more insight. Because of this, readers just have to be along for the ride as things get explained quickly and sort of drink from the firehose with the amount of world-building happening in this volume. The art is electric and the overall premise is pretty intriguing, so if you can hang on through all of the explanations, this fast-pace title has a lot of pay-off.

Takeda is a truly talented illustrator who can produce some really masterful details and character designs. The illustrations for the period pieces were full of painstaking details. But some of the stories were a little off-putting. Personally, I was put-off by the second story about the woman who "came around" to her stalker, and there's an implication that they at least made out before the cops arrived. This is a really dangerous behavior to normalize for audiences for the sake of a storyline. The last story, with the husband and wife dealing with a terminal illness, made me audibly gasp while reading it. To have these two stories in the same collection is a bit of a disservice since there is some powerful illustration and writing going on with a  dangerous story mixed in that makes this one that I wouldn't recommend purchasing for young readers.

This is a great adventure title that is punctuated with moments of serious violence or sacrifice. Oda has some powerful timing and knows how to capitalize on page turns, and there are also some well-placed panels that capture poignant moments between characters that were being comical just panels before. But, it's clear from the first volume that most of the character and plot development are going to happen around Luffy -- readers probably shouldn't expect him to change too much throughout his travels. The illustrations are over the top and folks’ mouths are comically large most of the time. Luffy is basically a couple of half-circles with fists and shoes. There are many panels where the word bubbles take over most of the real estate, so this sometimes makes the page and illustrations feel very crowded.

There are some really heart-felt moments in this volume as Oda explores what treasure is and how it can be meaningful moments and objects, not just shining jewels. Most of the development is happening around Luffy, however, as it’s not completely evident that he’s particularly learning and growing, but the other characters are experiencing growth or changing their perspective of him. This might be one of those series what’s the audience changes and grows rather than the main character.

Luffy continues to act unconventionally and is his own comic relief while being the leading man. When others would listen to the bad guys reveal the plot and slink away to foil them, Luffy does the exact opposite and marches forward to confront them and reveal how much he's heard. Oda is also pretty inventive with new ways for Luffy to to use his stretchy powers, which keeps it fresh and entertaining. There are some Q&A pages with write-in from fans that show Oda's humor as well where he subtly pokes fun at the fans who suggest ludicrous powers for Luffy, but there are also some interesting hidden nuggets of information about characters in these pages.

This volume is definitely more about Zolo than Luffy, which gives Zolo some more depth as a character in his fighting role and as a supporting cast member. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great moments for our stretchy-hero even though he's asleep for a good portion of this volume. Nami is her usually treasure-loving self, but she gets a chance to have a little more humanity with Usopp and show that she can care about people as well. She shows she can have a heart when it comes to Miss Kaya as well. The storytelling in this arc is much smoother and paced a lot nicer, so I'm starting to see why this tale can take up so many volumes but still be entertaining to readers. Oda has a way of drawing you in but making a sequence breathe in a satisfying way.

Something I like about the overall pace of this story is that each character gets a chance to endear themselves on the reader before they join the main crew. If Usopp had joined the crew after one volume instead of the two volume adventure to save his island, I probably would have thought he was annoying and it would have taken time during the next adventure for him to grow on me. Instead, Oda takes time to develop the characters' backstory while advancing the main story. We have a deeper understanding of who Usopp is as a character, AND the crew has an actual ship now!

​Oda continues to prove that he is a master at creating interesting characters even though all of them are roughly the same template: they're all pirates, and they're all after the One Piece or bent on becoming insanely powerful. Nevertheless, Krieg is interesting and different than Hawkeye, and I find myself wanting to see the fights between Luffy, Zolo, and these new villains popping up. I'm also highly intrigued by Sanji who is motivated more by his need to feed everyone. He isn't a selfless character, but he has a selfless goal, so his constant struggle is entertaining and makes for some great moments.

With this flashback, I’m reminded of the ruthlessness of self-sacrifice that goes all the way back to volume 1 with “Red Haired” Shanks and Luffy. Some of these pirates really have a soft spot for kids for some reason. Then, the rest of this volume is all about being more ludicrous ways Luffy has to avoid landing in the ocean during the fight since he'll sink. In doing this, Oda strikes a balance between the heartfelt beginning of the book and the slapstick second half. The entire book has emotional highs for the reader, and it all pairs nicely with Oda's comical drawings.

Since we didn’t originally get Nami’s backstory as we had for some of the other pirates, I’m glad we’re getting to it now, and I'm also glad that Nami's history is complicated and not as full of characters to tug on the heartstrings. It's messy and shakes up the string of feel-good stories we've had so far, and serves as a helpful reminder that this story is about pirates, not just a lot of well-meaning folks who are out on an adventure. There's more than what we discover here, so readers are going to want to dive into volume 9 to see how Nami's story concludes.

This flashback sequence and finding out Nami's past was some of the most emotionally charged and interesting scenes of the story so far. Oda has built up all of the character's backstories and put thought into each one, but the payoff of waiting so many volumes to learn about Nami was worth it, and the care put into telling Nami's story is evident. She was absent for a few volumes while the bit with the restaurant was going on, but this makes up for it. Her story also makes Arlong seem like a bigger bad guy than Don Krieg, so it's good that Oda is able to find ways for each new baddie to outdo the last one.

This volume is almost all battle with very little character development or plot advancement, but since we’ve had a lot of that in the first nine volumes, I’m fine with a full Shonen battle volume every once in a while. There is so much action in this one that it reads very quickly. I am wondering how Sanji has such super-human strength against these mutant creatures, as his backstory mentions he trains and was beaten up a bunch, but he doesn’t technically have super abilities.

Oda is a pretty good storyteller, so I’m sure this volume’s actions will develop into something more, but at this point, going to Roguetown seems like a superfluous action and a way to stall them going to the Grand Line. I know that there are 100+ volumes of this story and that it takes a very long time for anything to go anywhere, so maybe I’m hypersensitive to stalling, but hopefully volume 12 will show some reason for the reintroduction of previous villains and have a reason for us to be sidelined from the development of the story.

Volume 12 is subtitled The Journey Begins, as if the other 11 volumes served as more of a prologue to get us to the Grand Line finally. It feels very much like we have set up our characters and know a bit about them, we know the world and a bit about how it works, and now our journey begins in earnest along the Grand Line. Luffy can finally start his adventure to become the King of the Pirates, which may mean the adventures are going to get more serious and the stakes are going to be higher in this area. For libraries looking for a good stopping point, this volume doesn't entirely end at a clean stopping point, but it's as close as you're going to get without having to go into the next adventure.

This is an intense manga with some deep things to say about humanity, and it comes at a time when we are all exploring the societal implications of A.I. and the moral implications of using this technology. Boichi has some wonderfully detailed art, which is to be expected from the illustrator who is of Dr. Stone fame, but there are some serious problems with this title. There is a lot of nudity that could be explained away via Origin being unaware or unfazed by anatomy and thus unconcerned with covering the naked bodies the robots he overcomes and captures, but what is inexcusable are the unnecessarily angles of anatomically detailed robot vaginas through underwear or skin tight spandex during fight scenes that are clearly for the benefit of the reader, not the combatants. Boichi seems unable to have a female character on the page without exploiting her.

What starts off as a silly book with a really fluffy plot about anime and fandom ended up having a twinge of mysteriousness and intrigue as well. There are definitely some humorous moments between Kyuta and Hina caused by Hina's obsession with her favorite character, and some meta moments as readers consume the manga and can probably see themselves and their behavior reflected in Hina's actions. This is a cute, silly story for those who want to laugh and decompress, with a hint of something deeper running underneath to keep up the intrigue.

The energy and illustrations in this volume are of high quality, but this manga might feel dated very quickly because of the need to keep Yua “trendy.” She uses phrases like “lit” and “no cap" which are already going out of style as soon as this reaches our libraries. Yua is a “gyaru”, and the choice to translate this to “gal” is an interesting one because it just sounds like they’re calling her a girl rather than a specific type of subculture that makes more sense in Japan. There is some sweetness to the friendship between Yua and Otakura, and this is the part that will have appeal to some teen readers.

Other than Sorawo being a thrill seeker, it's not entirely clear in this first volume what keeps her going back to the Otherside for exploration. Hopefully, she gets a bit more of a motivation or explanation in later volumes. Toriko has a solid reason to enter into such a creepy place and to continue risking her life, but I'm not as convinced Sorawo is just an adrenaline junkie. Nevertheless, if readers are looking for a story full of horrific monsters with a touch of yuri undertones, this series will be right up their alley. The monsters so far have been well drawn and just scary enough, but I'm sure as the two continue their journeys, there were be even more nightmare-fuel waiting for them.

This is an over-the-top shōjo comedy full of very attractive male characters of all archetypes to fulfill the daydreams of probably most readers. There's the stoic, smoldering type, the outlandish but excessively handsome, and even an innocent, boyish one. This series seems now like it was ahead of its time as it came out in 2005 and was challenging the gender binary. As this is a hot topic presently, this manga will definitely resonate with readers who are looking for something that challenges societal norms and has a light-hearted storyline to back it up.

The storytelling on this volume is a little more fractured than in previous volumes. There’s a lot of jumping back-and-forth between school and other places, like Shinichi’s home or the home of a schoolmate, and the transitions are a little rough. There also wasn’t a whole lot to further the plot line until the very end of the volume. Shinichi and Murano going back and forth with their feelings for each other isn’t as exciting and interesting to me, but we’ll see what happens with the fall out in the next volume from what they go through at the end of this volume.

Volume four definitely picked up the pace compared to the previous volume. Murano's doubts are still present and she asks herself a few times if Shinichi is different, but it's definitely not a main focus like it was in volume three. The parasite running for office is a new twist and not something I saw coming! This element is something fresh and pretty complicated for Shinichi and Migi to figure out. At some point though, I wonder if Migi and Shinichi are going to have to expand their team to take on all these different facets of the parasite invasion, or if the events of this volume have steeled them even further from being able to trust anyone.

This story is part culinary manga, with fine details about food preparation, preserving, seasonings, and descriptors of flavor and taste, but it's also part relationship and romance manga, where the two leads showcase open communication and flirtatiousness that makes me smile. There have been many stories recently with the trope of rescuing a young lady from a less-than-ideal home life, whisking her away to a better situation where she can heal and thrive, and it's a storyline I will read over and over again. This story brings Delicious in Dungeon together with elements of My Happy Marriage, and as a fan of both series, I'm here for more delectable sounding monster dishes and wholesome romance content.