Category: Reviews

Wait Till Helen Comes

fantasticfictionsblog

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn
Genres: Ghosts, Horror
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Sandpiper/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-0-547-02864-4
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Twelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their younger stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she’s made Molly and Michael’s life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard. If that’s not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in some kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather twists things around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can’t get any worse.
But they do – when Helen comes.

Personal & Info

I found this, and a few other short spooky stories cheap. It’s October, so I figure it’s a good time to read them. I actually bought this twice by mistake, because I forgot I grabbed it already, and the store had a second copy. Not a big deal, they were about a dollar a piece.

Characters

Molly is the main character. Everyone seems to invalidate her all the time.

Michael, Molly’s brother, seems to only care about science and logic.

Heather is the step-sister. She’s seven, and her mother died in a fire when she was three.

Dave is the step-dad, and apparently believes everything Heather says.

Jean is the mom. She seems more reasonable than Dave.

Story & Thoughts

This is a good book, but I will not be keeping it for my collection. Heather ruins the whole thing for me. She is so insufferable, no amount of warm hearted happy endings in the world can make up for it.

Throughout the entire book, Heather is a bratty nuisance. She lies ALL the time. Her dad is wrapped around her finger and believes anything she says. Jean gives her way too much leeway, but at least she believes Molly and Michael sometimes. Overall, the parenting in this book is horrendous. I think most of the problems could be avoided if the parents put in more time and effort.

It does have some good going for it. It has some traditional ghost story aspects. There’s a detective segment where the kids go to the library to learn about the ghost, and they talk to a few people about strange occurrences. The story itself is enjoyable if you can tolerate Heather as an insufferable character.

There’s a map at the front of the book that shows the property. I wasn’t expecting that, but it’s kind of nice to have. However, I noticed the map shows four bedrooms. If the parents share a room, that leaves three for the kids, so why do the girls need to share? That doesn’t make sense to me.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 5

fantasticfictionsblog

The Way of the Househusband, Vol 5 by Kousuke Oono
Series Name: The Way of the House Husband
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-2177-1
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Tatsu is ambushed by a yakuza with a beef, and there’s only one way to settle things – an epic rap battle! But this throwdown is only a warm-up for the buffet battle yet to come, because when you’re the Immortal Dragon, you don’t choose the househusband life, it chooses you!

Personal & Info

This series is always good for a chuckle. I think it’s wise to spread them out a little. The humor probably doesn’t hold up as well if you try to binge it, or maybe that’s just me.

Characters

Tatsu and Miku are the primary characters for each volume.

Masa, Tatsu’s sworn brother from the yakuza, is a regular.

A bunch of the retired yakuza characters from other volumes appear in this one

Story & Thoughts

The humor for this volume seems to tone down all the white powder jokes. They don’t come up as often. The jokes are more situational and related to the actions a person takes. The yakuza innuendo speech is still all over the place. I think that’s a permanent fixture because it comes from their background. At least it’s not blown out of proportion so much this time.

We learn where Miku gets her cooking skills from. She gets it from her dad. I don’t know how her mother can stand both of them in the kitchen at the same time. Tatsu certainly can’t stand the sight.

There’s a chapter about a costume contest. It seems like everyone wants second prize, which is a year supply of rice. Unfortunately the chapter does not say who wins second. They only say who wins first place.

I think this is the first time we really see Tatsu without his sunglasses. His face is shown a lot in this volume. He looks younger and more handsome without his glasses.

My favorite chapter in this book is probably the first one. Tatsu doesn’t know how to relax and Masa tries to help. The chapter at the bar is pretty good, too.

The Haunting

fantasticfictionsblog

The Haunting by Lindsey Duga
Genres: Ghosts, Horror
Intended Age Group: Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-338-50651-8
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes & Noble ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Emily’s dreams are finally coming true: The kind and wealthy Thorntons want to adopt her and whisk her away to a new life at Blackthorn Manor

At first, life is wonderful. But as Emily explores the grand estate, strange things start happening all around her. It’s almost as if someone-or something-wants her gone.

Now it’s up to Emily to untangle a dark family secret hiding in her new home-before the life of her dreams becomes a real nightmare!

Personal & Info

I’m looking to expand my collection of children’s books. I found this and a few other short spooky stories super cheap. It’s October, so I figure it’s a good time to read them.

Characters

Emily, the main character is a twelve year old orphan. Her prospects for the future are grim as she looks forward to going to a work house when she’s old enough.

Archie is Emily’s dog. She raised him since he was a small puppy.

Mr. and Mrs. Thornton are the nice couple who adopt Emily.

Miss Greer is the cook and housekeeper of the Thornton home, which is called Blackthorn.

Kat is a not so nice friend of Emily’s. She reminds her much of a mean girl at the orphanage.

Story & Thoughts

The story starts off grim. Emily is an orphan at an orphanage. She has no hopes of being adopted because she’s older and nobody considers her pretty. Supposedly everyone wants the little blond blue-eyed girls.

As the synopsis says, she finally gets adopted. She hit the jackpot. It’s possibly her last chance at being adopted, and the family is nice, and well off. They even let her keep her dog friend.

Things are strange right off the bat upon arriving at her new home. Emily sees creepy things she’s not sure are actually there. The house, while massive and beautiful, is unkempt.

The story progresses day to day with strange occurrences giving the reader time to speculate. It’s easy to figure it out before Emily. The title and book description practically spell it out for you, as well as some things that people let slip early on. I was only off on one detail, but all my other guesses were spot on.

I never know what to expect when I read horror, because I don’t read the genre often. This one has common haunting tropes. It’s relatively mellow with slice of life and creepy bits thrown in for the first three quarters. it doesn’t want to reveal anything too quickly. There’s a punch in the “feels” in the conclusion that I was not expecting. I anticipated the plot, but not the emotional value of the portrayal.

Honestly, I’m surprised I like it as much as I do. It’s a simple, but effective, short, ghost story. This author apparently writes a small variety of spooky stories. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get more, but if I see them around I’ll probably grab them.

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

fantasticfictionsblog

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Series Name: Extraordinary Voyages/Captain Nemo
Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi 
Intended Age Group: 8-12
Publisher: Rand McNally & Company
Edition: Hardcover (Windermere Readers)
ISBN: NA
Rating: 1.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble

Description

In one of the earliest sci-fi novels, Professor Aronnax and two friends are swept away on a deep sea adventure on board the Nautilus. They receive a tour of the ocean’s depths filled with fish and rare sights.

Personal & Info

I generally have no interest in classic novels. I’m only reading this because it is recommended before Rick Riordan’s Daughter of the Deep. Although, based on his writing style, I assume you can probably read Daughter of the Deep without reading this.

I got this from the library since I likely have no interest in buying a copy. This particular copy appears to be very old. There is no dust jacket or cover art. No synopsis anywhere on or in the book, either, and I can’t locate an ISBN of any kind. I’m not sure they even used those at the time this particular edition was printed. I filled out my usual information to the best of my ability, threw together my own synopsis, and the store links will lead to more modern copies.

This book is technically part of a series, but from what I hear, you can read it as a stand alone novel and be perfectly fine. The Captain Nemo series is a trilogy, which is part of a larger series called Extraordinary Voyages. I have no plans at this time to delve into the trilogy nor the extended series.

Characters

M. Pierre Aronnax, professor from the museum of Paris. Based on the writing style, the book appears to be his journal.

Counseil, the assistant to Aronnax. He is approximately ten years younger than his mentor, which the book states puts him at about thirty. Counseil is a calm individual and rarely ever leaves his master’s side.

Ned Land is a meat obsessed Canadian harpooner. The book never lets you forget he is Canadian. He is constantly referred to as the Canadian.

Captain Nemo, commander of the Nautilus submarine, and a recluse from the land world.

Story & Thoughts

Right off the bat, I do not recommend this book. I can see how it would be appealing around the original publish date, but it does not appeal to modern day. It’s probable that maybe people interested in geography, ocean travel, or marine biology, MIGHT enjoy it. As just a book to pick up and read, though, I doubt most people would find it interesting.

A majority of the book is fish descriptions. These descriptions often use the latin and/or scientific names. Most of the time, I find these hard to follow, because I’m not familiar with the terms for marine life, and I’m certainly not going to look them up every time I don’t know something when a book has so many. The same goes for the locations.

The locations in which they travel, and the routes they take, all use nautical terms. They are constantly using compass directions as well as longitude and latitude. I don’t have the effort to bother using a map to follow the story. I can see how it might be cool to follow along by pinpointing locations on a map, though. It could give a visual representation of where and how far they travel.

Speaking of story, there is little to none. If you cut out all the technical things regarding the functions of things, the geographical travel, and descriptions of the fish, you would be left with a rather short novella instead of this five hundred page novel. Granted, the tiny bit of story is at least a little interesting. That’s the only reason I rate this a one and a half, instead of just a solid one.

Again, I do not recommend this book. I got several headaches from reading it. I only read the whole thing because I was determined to. Normally I would have abandoned it at fifty or one hundred pages at most. It took me a long time to read compared to normal because of how boring and technical it is. Unless you specifically enjoy the types of technical this book is, don’t bother.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 4

fantasticfictionsblog

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 4 by Kousuke Oono
Series Name: The Way of the House Husband
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1767-5
Rating: 3/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

On what begins as just another shopping trip, Tatsu has a run-in with a thief – of the feline persuasion! When the gangster-turned-homemaker gives chase, yakuza are quickly drawn into the fray, and chaos erupts in the streets of the shopping district. Even everyday errands can turn treacherous when you’re the Immortal Dragon!

Personal & Info

I wasn’t really feeling this one. I’m not sure if that speaks for the quality or my mood. It still got a smile out of me, though.

Characters

Tatsu and Miku are the primary characters for each volume.

Masa is a regular, but his parts are rather small.

Various other housewives make appearances at least once per volume.

Story & Thoughts

Masa wants so much to be like Tatsu, but he always fails spectacularly. It’s nice how supportive Tatsu is. The chapters with Masa are some of my favorites.

The chapters with Miku in them are always great. I like her interactions with Tatsu. She seems to find his eccentric qualities endearing. They also have great chemistry together, but not in a romantic way, since this series isn’t focused on that. The volleyball chapter is one of my favorites in this volume.

The white powder jokes are getting a little tired. Any food item that looks like a white powder of some sort is always referred to as white powder, by Tatsu, with the story intention of it sounding like drugs. I find it hard to believe the people he spends time with haven’t realized that yet. And how the heck is Miku supposed to know which white powder to buy for him if he refers to so many things as white powder?

I find it hard to believe a “Japanophile” can’t tell the difference between a type of dagger and a katana. I’m pretty sure the knife Tatsu uses is called a tanto. Also, who grills with charcoal INDOORS? That seems like an extremely stupid thing to do, for obvious reasons. Can’t the guy grill on his balcony instead?

There is no mention of the possible overarching plot I saw introduced in volume three. Maybe it’s nothing, or maybe it’ll just take longer to have any further implementation.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblog

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 1 by Akumi Agitogi, Rito Kohsaka, Tsukiho Tsukioka
Series Name: My Happy Marriage (Manga)
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance 
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-146-1
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

All She wanted was a bit of happiness…

Considered night worthless for having failed to inherit the superhuman powers of the bloodlines into which she was born, Miyo Saimori lives her days unwanted and unloved.

Her stepmother and very own father have little time or affection for her, and Miyo must suffer being treated as a servant by her half sister who, unlike Miyo, is blessed with the unusual powers of their blood.

Ultimately seen as nothing more than a nuisance and a drain on the family wealth, Miyo is packed off to the Kudo house as a bridal candidate for its heir, Kiyoka Kudo.

Whispers abound about the Kudo clan, the most powerful in all the land, but will the allegedly cold and cruel ouse into which Miyo aims to marry prove much warmer than the family she left behind?

Personal & Info

This is a fairly new release. It came out the same day as The Apothecary Diaries volume 6. I’ve seen it around a bit since the release, so when I saw it at my local bookstore, I decided to look into it.

This is apparently the manga version of the series, because there is also a light novel series. However, they are both extremely new to the English translation right now, so I don’t think it matters which one I start first. I think the light novel has a little more out than the manga does, but the manga was right there, so I wouldn’t have to order it.

Characters

Miyo Saimori is the main character. She experiences abuse from her own family, and is sent to court a man everyone considers cruel. Nobody expects her to stay long.

Kiyoka Kudo is the love interest of the story. Everyone thinks he is too cruel for anyone to marry, but he has high political standing and wealth, so many families try to arrange a marriage anyway. Most end in failure within a three day time period.

Yurie is Kiyoka’s housekeeper. She has taken care of him since he was young, and he trusts her implicitly. She is a very kind older woman.

Kanoko is Miyo’s step mother. She is a mean woman who resents Miyo. Her name does not come up in the volume, as far as I can remember, but it does in the short story at the end of the book.

Kaya is Miyo’s younger half sister. She receives everything Miyo does not.

Koji Tatsuishi is Miyo’s childhood friend, and the only person who is ever kind to her while she lives at home.

Shinichi Saimori is Miyo’s father. He cares not a whit for Miyo.

Sumi Usuba is Miyo’s mother. With this being a Cinderella inspired story, she is not around. We only see her in flashbacks.

Story & Thoughts

Halfway through the first chapter and this story already pulls on my heart strings. I was not expecting this to be this good. The cover doesn’t stand out to me, and the synopsis sounds mediocre, but dang. I’m going to have to keep reading the series.

The tone of the story comes off as rather serious. Miyo is a woman with a broken spirit. She’s sent to the Kudo household fully expecting to either be sent away or die there. She doesn’t even care which result occurs because either of them would be preferable to going back home, which she can’t do anyway.

There is some intrigue going on in the background, because it turns out the paranormal ability from the Usuba bloodline is special. There are people who want it. Even if Miyo herself does not have it, there’s still a good chance it could pass to her children. You know, because that’s how genetics work.

I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to detract from the experience of reading the book yourself. Just know that I am very interested in seeing where the story goes from here. I want to know what becomes of Miyo’s life under Kudo’s roof.

Combs and Memories

This is a short story in the back of the book. It’s about seven pages long. Miyo reminisces about a servant’s kindness regarding a comb. This is a novel style story, and if the light novel is anything like this, I’ll probably like that, too. I will likely get that version of this series eventually.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 3

fantasticfictionsblog

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 3 by Kousuke Oono
Series Name: The Way of the House Husband
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1346-2
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

The Immortal Dragon, once the fiercest member of the yakuza, is now a married man devoted to supporting his loving wife – as a househusband! But when the gangster-turned-homemaker needs to make some quick cash to buy her a present, he turns to the only skills he knows – and gets his first part-time job! The cozy yakuza comedy continues!

Personal & Info

This is a three and a half, and while some might think that’s low, it’s actually decent. Based on the system I use, it’s a good score. I use this score for things that are above average, but not outstandingly good.

This volume is funny enough to make me giggle, but the particular slice of life stories in the volume are not as great as the ones in the first volume. The fact it makes me giggle gets it that half score. If it were to excite me as much as, say, that one chapter in volume one where Tatsu criticizes the Roomba and the cat gets into shenanigans making a mess of everything, then it would earn that four.

Characters

Tatsu and Miku are the primary characters for each volume.

Masa appears to be a regular. He’s a “sworn brother” to Tatsu from his days as a yakuza.

Various other housewives make appearances at least once per volume.

Story & Thoughts

There appears to be a running theme of retired yakuza showing up with various generic jobs. They all take everything super seriously. Like the guy from volume two who has a crepe truck. It’s pretty great. We see two more in this book.

It looks like a possible overarching plot is being introduced. In a couple different chapters, there are people talking about something going on with the yakuza. Tatsu is not relevant to it as of yet, but it’s in his periphery.

Tatsu seems like a great husband. He tries hard to take care of all Miku’s needs, even if he doesn’t quite know how to handle it effectively sometimes. Falling for TV ads certainly is not helpful. It’s pretty amazing how he can do something in practically two seconds that neither Miku, nor Masa, seem to be able to. I think Miku would live in filth without him, and probably not eat nearly as well.

Masa seems to be taking some lessons to heart. His skills are more that of a beginner, so he needs more practice. He always wants to “guugle” things, which can be helpful, but this is often brought up at inconvenient times.

There are bonus chapters in every volume. Each one, so far, has at least one starring Gin, their family cat. I think those are the best ones.

His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper, Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblog

His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper, Vol. 1 by Saiko Wadori, Mika Kajiyama
Series Name: His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Romance 
Intended Age Group: 13+
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-63858-407-0
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

For Takatsuki Sakura, a trip to the library turns into a fantastical journey. She has been swept away to a grandiose castle ruled by a gorgeous demon king. Magic and wonder covers every room. Taking it in, Sakura can hardly breathe…because of all the dust and dirt. A curse has prevented this kingdom from cleaning. Only Sakura and her housekeeping knowhow can scrub away this dark magic and grime!

Personal & Info

Not going to lie, I grabbed this because the cover looks nice and the description mentions the word library.

Housekeepers and maids are always popular in manga. I don’t think I’ve actually tried any series with them in the title, though. I did see a couple episodes of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, and I like that. I’ll probably try reading or watching more of that eventually. Anyway, my point is, this is my first real try(maybe specifically with manga) at anything with maid or housekeeper in the title.

Characters

Sakura, is the main character. She’s an enthusiastic neat freak, because her mother traumatized her as a child.

His Majesty the Demon King, I don’t believe we get a name in this volume. We’re going to have to wait and see about that. He’s so pretty.

Milia is a cat demon with shapeshifting abilities. She’s the girl with purple hair on the cover.

Lehaye is the chamberlain to the King. He takes advantage of any profitable opportunity.

Sadeen is His Majesty’s personal guard. He’s mostly good at doing strong man things.

Ruval is a minstrel, and self-invited guest in the palace.

Story & Thoughts

Isekai are a dime a dozen these days, so I’m always a little wary when trying them. This one is surprisingly good. I give it a three and a half out of five. Three and a half usually means above average enough that it stands out to me and I want to continue the series. It seems like it can only get better from here. Several plot hooks are thrown in toward the end of the volume.

The kingdom this takes place in is heavily reliant on magic. Nobody knows how to do anything without it. This is why Sakura is their only hope for cleanliness.

This series is interesting because it has cleaning tutorials thrown in. Legit tutorials, like using salt to clean iron, and the use of baking soda as a cleaning agent. It even talks about alkaline solutions. You could probably legitimately learn some cleaning tips from reading this.

The King is not exactly what one would expect in a standard isekai. He’s literally just living in luxury, and has no plans to cause any chaos. There’s no evil army for a hero to fight against. He’s not even a villain. I think the atypical cast adds to the charm of the story. The whole thing is unexpectedly wholesome.

The afterward describes the series as a rom-com, and I do agree with that. There are funny moments scattered around, and the story doesn’t seem super serious. Nothing blatantly romantic happens in this volume, but there are definitely hints of romance to come. I’m interested in seeing what happens.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 2

fantasticfictionsblog

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 2 by Kousuke Oono
Series Name: The Way of the House Husband
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1044-7
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

The legendary yakuza “the Immortal Dragon” has washed his hands of the gangster life for something far more dangerous – becoming a househusband! Cleaning, laundry, grocery, shopping, cooking… These days he’s doing everything he can to succeed as man of the house, if it doesn’t kill him first! The cozy yakuza comedy continues!

Personal & Info

I’m learning Japanese with a phone app, and only recently started on it. I have designated days where I MUST work on blog related things, even if it’s just reading without actually posting anything. The day I read this, I was addicted to my Japanese app and had to make myself stop. Thankfully, this book is funny enough that I was giggling after the first couple pages. That made it so much easier to tear myself away from my phone for a while to get stuff done.

Characters

Tatsu and his wife Miku are the primary characters for each volume, but mostly Tatsu.

Masa will probably be making constant appearances. He doesn’t seem to do much aside from be amazed by Tatsu.

Tatsu spends his free time with a group of housewives. They will probably be frequent characters as a group. None of them have any names as of yet.

Story & Thoughts

I don’t think this one is quite as funny as the first volume. The book is still slice of life stories, but I don’t think they hit quite the same. They still make me giggle a little, so it earns a three and a half instead of just a three.

Tatsu is teaching Masa some househusband skills, which he doesn’t seem entirely interested in. That leads to some funny moments as Tatsu gets intense about subjects and Masa is just like, whatever bro. I think he appreciates the usefulness of the skills, but not necessarily the doing them himself part.

This volume shows how unreasonable some of Tatsu’s criteria for making simple choices is. He blows things out of proportion due to his background, because he wants everything to be safe to an unreasonable extent. I’m not sure how Miku puts up with it.

The in-laws come for a visit. The ones from Miku’s side of the family. I find it surprising they approve of Tatsu. Most parents would probably be appalled if their daughter brought home a gang member, retired or not.

I love how well Tatsu gets along with the other housewives. Obviously, they think he’s a little strange, but they seem fond of him. The parts where he does activities with them are some of the best parts of this volume, in my opinion.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblog

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 1 by Kousuke Oono
Series Name: The Way of the House Husband
Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, Contemporary
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0940-3
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

He was the fiercest member of the yakuza, a man who left countless underworld legends in his wake. They called him “the Immortal Dragon.” But one day he walked away from it all to travel another path – the path of the househusband! The curtain rises on this cozy yakuza comedy!

Personal & Info

My husband loves yakuza themed stuff with humor mixed in, so our copies of this series belong to him. He highly recommends the series, and the announcement of it caught my interest, too. Reading this makes me want to see how the anime turned out.

I was going to give this a three and a half, but it made me laugh, so I’m bumping it to a four. I also took a short break halfway through, so it’s fair to make up for any discrepancy there may have been.

Characters

Tatsu is the main character, also known as “the Immortal Dragon.”

Miku is Tatsu’s wife. She’s a designer of some sort, and also a geek, which I think is amazing.

Masa appears to be someone Tatsu knows from his days as a yakuza.

Gin is the family cat, and one of the best characters in my opinion.

Story & Thoughts

When I hear something is a comedy, I’m generally not sure what to think about it until I read it myself, especially with manga. As with anything, there are different types of comedy, and different ways to make stories funny. This series seems to have its own formula that works well.

Each chapter is a slice of life story. There is a simple event, encounter, or task to be done. Some of them are funny throughout, while others save the punch line until the end of the chapter. Sometimes there is more added to the punch line on the page after the chapter end, where there is a single picture drawn.

I think the main point of the comedy is how unexpectedly considerate Tatsu is, and how seriously he handles everything. He has a lot of eccentricities. When was the last time you saw someone criticize a Roomba for not being able to clean crevices?

The art style contributes, too. There are times when it looks like a run of the mill highly detailed manga, and then there are others where it looks dark and ominous. I’m curious how Tatsu’s tattoo is drawn, because it looks different than everything else.

I will definitely be continuing the series. I have questions, like how did Tatsu and Miku end up together? Because they seem like very different people. They are funny together though. I love how Miku is a geek and Tatsu tries to understand what she likes, while also trying not to let her spend their money frivolously.