Category: Reviews

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 6

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 6 by Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe
Series Name: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Genres: Adventure, Elves, Fantasy, Magic
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Sunday
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-3400-9
Rating: 4.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Elf mage Frieren and her courageous fellow adventurers have defeated the Demon King and brought peace to the land. But Frieren will long outlive the rest of her former party. How will she come to understand what life means to the people around her?

The mages begin the second stage of their certification exam: a dangerous expedition into the innermost depths of the ruins of the king’s tomb. This time, there are no teams and it’s every mage for themselves. Whether they want to team up or not, the challenge they will face – their own clones – will push their skills to the limit.

Personal & Info

I haven’t been keeping up with this series as well as I should. There are long gaps between some of my volumes getting read, and I don’t buy them as often as I would like. I did a reread of volumes 1-5 before reading this one, because it’s been more than six months since I read anything from the series. The reread was worth it. It made the transition to my newer volumes smoother and refreshed my memory.

Everybody probably knows this already, but there’s an anime for this series available now.

Characters

Frieren is an elf mage famous for defeating the demon king with her companions around 80 years ago. She’s a bit of a slob and rather lazy. Her hobby is collecting any and all types of magic spells, no matter how useless they may seem. Her perspective on magic is that the pursuit of the art itself is the greatest joy.

Fern is Frieren’s mage companion and apprentice. She seems to take a motherly role in caring for both Frieren and Stark. Her skill shines during the exams.

Kanne and Lawine are both third-class mages. They were Frieren’s teammates for the first part of the exam. Both of them attended the same academy of magic, and are good friends, despite how often they fight.

Übel and Land are third and second class mages. They were Fern’s teammates for the first part of the exam. Übel apparently learns magic via empathy and she’s pestering Land because she wants to learn his ability.

Denken, Laufen, and Richter are mages from a team in the first part of the exam. Richter appears to run some kind of store. Denken comes from an imperial mage background, and Laufen gets treated like she’s his granddaughter. Richter and Denken are second class mages while Laufen is third class. Denken is their leader.

Scharf, Ehre, and Wirbel are mages from a team in the first part of the exam. All three are second class mages. Wirbel appears to be their leader.

Sense is a first class mage, and the proctor for the second part of the exam.

There are more characters, but these are the ones that are most significant due to having played important parts in the first part of the exam. They are also the ones who get the most screen time in this section. Others mentioned in the book get less time, but may still be important.

Story & Thoughts

This is a great volume. The second part of the first class mage exam begins. It’s much simpler in comparison to the first part. Catching the stille was convoluted compared to this. For the second test, the goal is simply to make it to the end of an unmapped dungeon. What they don’t tell you is it’s not an ordinary dungeon.

Much like the the previous book, there’s a lot of magical combat. This is paired well with more information about various types of magic. So, if you like learning about how the magic of the world works, it’s pretty interesting.

I didn’t like Übel at all when she was first introduced, but the more screen time she gets, the more I like her. She’s a little psychotic, but sometimes the best characters are. I’m looking forward to more content with her if she makes any appearances after the exam.

The third exam is also in this book. It’s pretty pitiful compared to the first and second, but Fern’s turn makes me giggle. Her reaction must have felt so insulting, and then the volume just ended right there.

Overall, this volume was really good. It has comedy, strategy, competition, magic battles, and magic lore. I was torn on giving it a five, but I don’t think it was quite perfect. I’m enjoying the exam section a lot, but I also miss Stark. We’ve hardly seen him since the exams started. Poor guy can only wait around and kill time while the girls are taking the test.

When We’re in Love, Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

When We’re in Love, Vol. 1 by Fuyu Kumaoka
Series Name: When We’re in Love
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook 
ISBN: 9781646597048
Rating: 1.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble BookWalker ThriftBooks

Description

Nanase Sakashita never looked twice at school delinquent Daiko Hana. At least, not until he rescued her from an awkward conversation and she saw his smile for the first time. What influence will these opposites have on each other, and does Sakashita have a chance if he’s already in love with someone else?

Personal & Info

I’m reading this book on BookWalker. It looks like it’s only available in digital. The Thrift Books link leads to the all editions menu, and it only has the Japanese print. So, if you want to read this series, you’re going to have to do it digitally or track down the Japanese hard copies.

Characters

Daiko Hana is the trouble student. Other students are afraid of him and spread wild rumors about how scary he is, when the truth is that he is probably not scary at all.

Nanase Sakashita is the class rep of class 1-1 at Tohoku High. She is a smart, kind, and well-behaved girl.

Komari is a teacher at the school, possibly a substitute according to some context. She’s also Hana’s childhood neighbor and friend.

Kaoru Kitada is the 40-year-old guidance counselor for the school.

Nishino is a guy Hana apparently beat up for saying something he didn’t like.

Tsutomu Birukawa is a guy who repeatedly confesses his feelings for Sakashita and insists he will wait for her for as long as it takes.

Story & Thoughts

I think this manga is rather dull. This is entirely based on this volume alone, and there could be a chance that it gets better when sampled in multiple volumes. However, I got this digital volume for free, and I don’t plan on spending money to try more of it.

The only thing I knew going into it was that it was a romance set in a school. I see the direction it’s trying to take, but it doesn’t implement it well.

Sakashita is the goody-goody class representative, who has a chance encounter with the school deviant. This somehow leads to her inadvertently crushing on him. She’s never dated or been interested in anyone before, so she doesn’t understand why she feels so interested in being around him and getting to know him. Eventually something clicks, and she realizes she’s crushing.

The volume is too short for the pacing to make it interesting, and the story is easily predictable. The most interesting part is the end of the volume when Hana hears something he wasn’t intended to hear. That’s the cliffhanger.

It’s not necessarily bad, though. I just don’t find it particularly good if the best part of the whole book is the bonus comics in the back. I don’t recommend it, but it’s probably more appealing to teens who have not read a ton of other romance. It’s a chill and kind of cute read. I can’t exactly describe it as okay, which is why it’s not a two, but I can’t say I didn’t like it at all, either.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 11

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 11 by Natsu Hyuuga, Nekokurage, Itsuki Nanao, Touco Shino
Series Name: The Apothecary Diaries (Manga)
Genres: Drama, Historical, Mystery, Romance
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-252-9
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Summoned to attend the Emperor on an evening jaunt to an ancient shrine that functions as a rite of passage for the rulers of the land, Maomao makes quick work of the puzzle inside, acquitting herself with aplomb. Having learned more about the Imperial bloodline than a commoner has any right to know, Maomao returns to her post at the Jade Palace. But her aim to stay out of the business of her betters is foiled once again when the Empress Dowager comes calling! The mother of His Imperial Majesty seeks Maomao’s aid in investigating yet another curse, one she fears she herself may have cast upon the infamous late Emperor…

Personal & Info

I can never get enough of this series. Every time I finish a volume, I’m already ready for the next one. Unfortunately, it’ll be a little bit of a wait. Volume twelve doesn’t come out until September.

Characters

Maomao is pulled into solving more royal favors, and this time not for Jinshi, but the Empress Dowager herself.

Jinshi isn’t entirely significant to the main story of the volume. He mostly plays the part of an observer this time around.

Empress Dowager Anshi, the current Emperor’s mother, is the main focus. The majority of the volume revolves around a favor she requests of Maomao.

Story & Thoughts

There are five chapters. The first is part two of The Shrine of Choosing, continuing from where volume ten leaves off. After that, the book focuses more on the Empress Dowager and what the previous Emperor was like.

I find this volume particularly interesting, because it digs more deeply into the details of the royalty. Up until now, we’ve only seen the Empress Dowager in passing. Now we get to see her in the majority of this book. Four out of five of the chapters are practically all about her.

The three part section by the title of The Late Emperor is all about how things were when the previous emperor was in power. Also, how the Empress Dowager attained her rank, and more about the births of her two children. The time of the previous emperor honestly sounds pretty terrible. Some progressive laws were passed thanks to Anshi, and are still getting better with the current emperor, but a lot of shady stuff was going on behind the scenes. I’ll let the book take care of explaining all of that, but my point is, the political intrigue of this volume is very interesting. It’s like getting a lore dump.

This section of the series might make some readers uncomfortable. It readdresses the inappropriate age preference the previous emperor had. The age of the Empress Dowager at the time of the Emperor’s birth was bleeped out earlier in the series when it was mentioned in passing at the first Garden Banquet. At this point in the series, it blatantly gives a number. We can all agree the previous emperor’s preferences were disgusting. I don’t think readers should let these parts ruin their opinion of the whole series.

I think the most significant thing in the volume is that we finally get a for sure answer about the mystery around Jinshi. Now, we’re left wondering how long it will be until Maomao finds out the truth, and if she will care at all once she has the answers.

As one of the few volumes that doesn’t end in the middle of a multipart section, I can’t help wondering if this particular ending is foreboding or encouraging. The contextual meaning seems a little unclear in that regard.

Shugo Chara! Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

Shugo Chara! Vol. 1 by Peach-Pit
Series Name: Shugo Chara!
Genres: Comedy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Children/middle grade
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook 
ISBN: N/A
Rating: 3/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble ThriftBooks BookWalker

Description

Everyone thinks Amu is so cool, but the truth is she’s just shy. The misconception drives her crazy, because she just wants to be able to outwardly express how she really feels without getting embarrassed. Three magic eggs appear in her bed one morning and hatch into Guardian Characters, angel-like beings who can magically help her be someone new. But now people are harassing her about something called an “embryo.” What hardships will accompany this new found power?

Personal & Info

BookWalker’s copy, which is where I read this, did not have an ISBN listed anywhere. Usually there’s one at the end of the book, but that is not the case here.

There is no Crunchyroll link for this book, because they appear to only have volumes two and up. The series is more than ten years old at this point, so some places are only going to have digital or used copies. Just make sure you know which format you’re looking at if you decide you want to get into this.

Apparently I added this to my to-read list years ago and completely forgot about it. It’s pure coincidence that I managed to get a free digital copy to try the series.

There is a spin off series by the name Shugo Chara-chan!, which looks like it focuses on the day to day mini-adventures of Amu’s Guardian Characters.

Characters

Amu Hinamori is a fourth grader from Seiyo Elementary on her way into the fifth grade. She is unhappy with her life, because she doesn’t know what kind of person she wants to be, but she knows she’s discontent with how she currently is. Amu is the main character. I’m sure her pink hair already gave that away. She’s unique because she has three eggs.

Midori Hinamori is Amu’s mother. She is the editor for Housewife’s Wisdom monthly magazine.

Tsugumu Hinamori is Amu’s father. He is a wild bird photographer.

Ami Hinamori is Amu’s 3 year old sister. Their parents could have tried to be a little more original with their daughters’ names.

Tadase Hotori is the King’s Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. He is often referred to as Prince and Kiddy Prince. His guardian character is Kiseki.

Ran is Amu’s first guardian character. She’s good at honesty and sports. Her symbol is a heart.

Miki is Amu’s second guardian character. She’s good at art. Her symbol is a spade.

Su is Amu’s third guardian character. She’s good at cooking. Her symbol is a club.

Nadeshiko Fujisaki is the Queen’s Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. Her guardian character is Temari.

Yaya Yuiki is the Ace Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. Her guardian character is Pepe.

Kukai Souma is the Jack Chair Guardian for a group the school refers to as the Guardians. His guardian character is Daichi. Kukai is also Captain of the soccer team.

Ikuto Tsukiyomi is a mysterious boy who wants to steal Amu’s eggs. His guardian character is Yoru, and their transformation makes Ikuto look like a cat.

Utau is apparently a fourteen-year-old famous singer and a member of the villain group.

Story & Thoughts

I kind of wish I’d found this series back when it was still new. I think I would have absolutely loved it back then. It would have been a great series to get into around the same time Tokyo Mew Mew was making the rounds.

The story is super cute and relatable, but it also exaggerates things in a way that is typically best enjoyed by younger age groups. The introduction is a good example. Amu apparently suffers from some common social problems. She’s the new girl at her school. Her classmates, and even her parents, all think she is super cool, because she has that cool and reserved exterior. It’s not Komi levels of social anxiety, but everyone thinks she’s cool because they don’t really know or understand her. Assumptions about her life abound, and she comes off as a cool edgy kid. The fact the parents buy into it, too, makes it unrealistic.

On the inside, and when she’s alone, Amu is frustrated about how she can’t properly express herself or do things she wants to be good at. That’s where the story becomes relatable. I feel like these things are something most kids go through. Feeling shame or anxiety or dread about having to do things they aren’t good at, or wish they could be better at.

This is where the eggs come in. The story says all children have something called a heart egg that disappears as they get older. In some special cases, the eggs hatch, and they get a guardian character. These guardians represent the kind of person the kids want to be. Maybe not exact, but they represent the traits they wish they had. In Amu’s case, for example, one of hers is more honest and more athletic.

But the great thing about this aspect of the story is, these guardians are there to assure you that you have what it takes to become the person you want to be. It’s like they’re the training wheels you need to learn how to be that person, and they’re always reminding you that you have that potential. I’m curious how how the story handles things when kids actually make progress with that kind of character growth. Maybe that’s when the guardian characters disappear.

It looks like the story is going in a sort of magical girl transformation direction, but the boys get transformations, too. Amu is special, though, so she’s going to have three since she has three characters. She is crushing on Tadase in this volume, but I strongly suspect her actual love interest is going to be Ikuto. There was a strong moment of tension between them, and an enemies to crush relationship would be adorable and interesting for them.

I love the message the story is outlining about personal growth and hope. Amu’s hairclip changes to show which guardian is affecting her, and I think that’s a cute way to easily portray who is in control. This is a series I wouldn’t mind reading more of, but I don’t know when or if that will happen. I have a lot I’m working on as it is, so I’ll probably just throw it on my wishlist for now.

Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 3

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 3 by Naoya Matsumoto
Series Name: Kaiju No. 8
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-2899-2
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Cruchyrolll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he’s become one himself?!

Kafka manages to fight off a humanoid kaiju, rescuing Iharu and Reno. But before he can change back to his human form, Kafka is spotted by Defense Force officers, and the neutralization unit-led by none other than Vice-Captain Hoshina himself-is dispatched to dispose of him. Can Kafka withstand his superior officer’s attacks without revealing his true identity?!

Personal & Info

Like volume two, I borrowed this one from a friend. Unfortunately, I don’t currently have access to any more of these for the time being. More reviews for the series will come as I either buy more volumes for myself or can borrow more. All I can say for sure is that there will eventually be more reviews to come, because I definitely enjoy this series.

Characters

Kafka Hibino is the main character. He’s 32 and finally getting a chance to attain the job of his dreams. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to have to work his butt off if he wants to get there and compete with all his prodigy competition.

Mina Ashiro is the 27 year-old third division captain of the Defense Force. She’s also Kafka’s childhood friend, and basically the strongest on the force.

Reno Ichikawa was a new recruit at the Monster Sweeper Inc. cleanup crew, and has since befriended Kafka. He is now one of the most promising recruits on the Defense Force. He admires Kafka’s spirit and tries his hardest to help protect his secret.

Kikoru Shinomiya is the daughter of the Defense Force director and the most impressive new recruit on the force. She is one of only three people who currently know Kafka’s secret, including Kafka himself.

Haruichi Izumo, Iharu Furuhashi, and Aoi Kaguragi are three of the most promising recruits on the Defense Force. Iharu is growing on me. I’m not yet sure how I feel about Haruichi and Aoi.

Soshiro Hoshina is the vice-captain of the third division Defense Force team, the same team Mina Ashiro captains. Kafka aspires to take his position so he can stand side by side with Mina Ashiro.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is action packed. It’s one thing after another. The book starts where the second leaves off, finishing the action from that particular battle, then going straight into another one before Kafka can change back. The tail end of the volume also starts a new emergency mission to lead into the fourth book.

Comedy in this one is lacking, since it focuses so much on action. The characters get very little down time to recover from their first mission before more things happen. The time gap between events is about two weeks, but to it feels almost same day to me, because of how little happens in that two week period.

Every character the series takes time to focus on, I end up loving. Hoshina is probably the most important character in this volume. We actually get to see him fight and get in his head a little. All of the characters are so great. It’s extremely difficult for me to choose a favorite. That’s not something I can usually say about a series.

I was going to give this volume a three, because of the lack of comedy compared to the other volumes. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely more heavily focused on the action parts. However, I ended up bumping it up to a three and a half, because I like Hoshina, and I’m glad I got to see more if his character to get to know him better.

I’m well aware the series is not specifically a comedy, but based on the first two volumes, it seems like humor is an important aspect of the series. This one feels more serious and tense, because there is less of that breaking things up. Regardless of the amount of comedy, I’m loving the story.

Ai Ore! Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

Ai Ore! Vol. 1  by Mayu Shinjo
Series Name: Ai Ore!
Genres: Gender-Bend/Gender Queer, Romance
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shojo Beat
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3838-9
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Mizuki is the female “prince” of her all-girls school and the lead guitarist in an all-girl rock band. Akira is the male “princess” of his all-boys school and wants to join her band. Love may be on his mind, but romance is difficult when everyone keeps mistaking Mizuki for a boy and Akira for a girl!

When the lead singer of Blaue Rosen announces she is moving overseas, Akira does all he can to convince Mizuki and her bandmates to let him join. But will a resistant Mizuki allow him into her band, much less her heart?

Personal & Info

I bought this for about half price at a used book store. Their selection for manga was tiny, and this was one of the few potentially interesting things in decent condition that they had. I love gender queer and gender bend stories, so I figured it was worth trying.

Content Warnings

-Dubious consent, mostly for kissing.

-Attempted rape. The main attempt does not succeed, but there is also a second one intended as revenge. The book ends before giving a solid answer on if it actually happens or if it’s just an attempt to scare the person.

Characters

Mizuki Sakurazaka is the female lead, the girl who looks like a boy. She plays lead guitar in her band, and attends the all girls school, St. Nobara Girls Academy.

Akira Shiraishi is the male love interest who looks like a girl. He attends Dankaisan Boys High School, which is next door to St. Nobara Girls Academy. He abuses his cute appearance when it suits him, but can knock you out if you make him mad.

Ai Okita is one of Mizuki’s band mates. She plays the drums.

Momoko Kidera is one of Mizuki’s band mates. She plays bass.

Megumi Yuasa is one of Mizuki’s band mates. She plays. guitar

Kaoru Naruse is Mizuki’s childhood best friend and the lead singer of the band. She leaves fairly early in the volume, because her family is moving.

Rui Kiryuin is the student council vice president at Dankaisan Boys High School. He is apparently the only son of the Ryuga clan, the largest yakuza gang in the Kanto region. Despite his family’s reputation, he gets conned by Akira frequently.

Ran Nikaido is the student council president at Dankaisan Boys High School. His father is the commissioner of the metropolitan police.

Story & Thoughts

The first few pages did not hook me. As the story progresses, we see what the lives of the two main characters are like. Mizuki is in an all girl band and attends an all girls school. Akira attends an all boys school next door.

Those things by themselves are all fine and good, but things become over the top and highly exaggerated from there. Both Mizuki and Akira have freakishly blown out of proportion reputations at their schools. Mizuki is the “prince” of hers, and Akira is the “princess” of his. They are both so wildly popular that their entire student body at each of their schools revolves around them.

The story uses that to overly exaggerate the isolation students feel going to a gender restricted school. The girls look for the most masculinely handsome girl to fawn over, and the guys seek out the most feminine boy. A double standard is shown early on. Mizuki loves the attention and doesn’t find it strange at all. It’s just something she’s gotten used to. Akira, on the other hand, has his face plastered all over his school, and his classmates sell merchandise and stalker photos. While her school fame doesn’t bother her, Mizuki definitely finds the way Akira is treated to be creepy and unsettling.

While the story is overall cute, sweet, and romantic, it has some occasional dark vibes. The extent of which some students are willing to go to satisfy their own selfish desires is unnerving. The third year students from Mizuki’s school, and Rui from Akira’s, are prime examples. Consent between Akira and Mizuki can be a little fuzzy sometimes, too.

But, if you can get past those things, the story really is sweet and enjoyable. Mizuki doesn’t understand love at all, and she’s experiencing it for the first time. Akira is considered cute by all, but he never lets Mizuki forget he’s a guy. There’s even a childhood friend background going on for people who love childhood friends to lovers type stories.

I don’t know if I’ll end up buying more volumes for this, but it wasn’t bad. The absurdity of the exaggerated aspects of the story and the way the characters interact with each other is funny enough to make me giggle. I wouldn’t mind reading more, but I probably won’t go out of my way to do so.

Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 2

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 2 by Naoya Matsumoto
Series Name: Kaiju No. 8
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-2714-8
Rating: 4/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

With the highest Kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju-corps cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force. But when he gets another shot at achieving his childhood dream, he undergoes an unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he’s become one himself?!

The final test of the Defense Force has come to an end, but the examinees’ challenges aren’t over yet. A mysterious humanoid kaiju revives a neutralized honju and sits it on Kikoru Shinomiya. Just when Kikoru seems to be at the end of her rope, Kafka rushes to her defense! But what is the humanoid kaiju’s goal?

Personal & Info

At the time I’m typing this, I don’t currently own this volume. I borrowed this one from a friend shortly after finishing the first one. I’m glad I did, because I got more story faster than if I had waited until I got around to buying it myself. Worth it. I’ll be picking up volume two for myself to own at some point.

Characters

Kafka Hibino is the main character. He’s 32 and finally getting a chance to attain the job of his dreams. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to have to work his butt off if he wants to get there and compete with all his prodigy competition.

Mina Ashiro is the 27 year-old third division captain of the Defense Force. She’s also Kafka’s childhood friend, and basically the strongest officer on the force.

Reno Ichikawa was a new recruit at the Monster Sweeper Inc. cleanup crew, and has since befriended Kafka. He is now one of the most promising recruits on the Defense Force. He admires Kafka’s spirit and tries his hardest to help protect his secret.

Kikoru Shinomiya is the daughter of the Defense Force director and the most impressive new recruit on the force. She is one of only three people who currently know Kafka’s secret, including Kafka himself.

Haruichi Izumo, Iharu Furuhashi, and Aoi Kaguragi are three of the most promising recruits on the Defense Force. Iharu is growing on me. I’m not yet sure how I feel about Haruichi and Aoi. Those two always seem to be arguing.

Soshiro Hoshina is the vice-captain of the third division Defense Force team. The same team Mina Ashiro captains. Kafka aspires to take his position so he can stand side by side with Mina Ashiro.

Some new characters get brief introductions. I don’t know how relevant they are going to be, but they are platoon leaders for the first mission.

Story & Thoughts

This volume picks up showing the opposite side of events from the end of the first one. Instead of picking up immediately where it left off, we see Reno and Kafka as they realize Kikoru needs assistance. Once Reno realizes Kafka ran off irresponsibly, the scene jumps to where we saw Kafka standing in front of Kikoru at the end of the volume.

I find myself easily getting sucked into this series. All of the characters have strong personalities, which makes sense, because you’d need one in their line of work. In addition to that, there is a fairly large cast. Volume one introduced a bunch of characters at the exam, and this volume is introducing even more now that the exams are over. More of the captains and vice-captains are getting screen time as the new recruits are assigned to teams for training and missions.

As the story takes a little time to show more of each character, I’m growing fond of all of them. I hope that’s not something I will regret, because this seems like it might be a series where characters are going to potentially die later. Regardless, I’m loving everybody on the force, so far.

The story is also picking up. A villain has been introduced, and the action scenes are fantastic. I don’t anticipate Kafka being able to keep his secret for long. This is a bingeable series. I definitely plan to get more volumes.

Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblogLeave a comment

Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi, Hikaru Miyoshi
Series Name: Moriarty the Patriot
Genres: Historical
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1715-6
Rating: 3/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Before he was Sherlock’s rival, Moriarty fought against the unfair caste system in London by making sure corrupt nobility got their comeuppance. But even the most well-intentioned plans can spin out of control – will Moriarty’s dream of a more just and equal world turn him into a hero…or a monster?

In the late 19th century, Great Britain rules over a quarter of the world. Nobles sit in their fancy homes in comfort and luxury, while the working class slaves away at their jobs. When young Albert James Moriarty’s upper-class family adopts two lower-class orphans, the cruelty the boys experience at his family’s hands cements Albert’s hatred of the nobility he was born into. He asks the older of the two boys-who has a genius mind and a killer instinct- to help him rid the world of evil, starting with Albert’s own family!

Personal & Info

I’ve had my eye on this series for a while. It wasn’t a priority, so this volume was on my wishlist. A friend got it for me for me as a gift, and I’m excited to get started on the series.

Moriarty the Patriot, as many probably already know, is about Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes universe. I don’t believe you need to know anything about his previous iterations or Sherlock to enjoy the story/series. If you do, the most important thing to know is probably that he is Sherlock’s rival, and usually portrayed as a villain.

After I finished reading this, I found out there is already an anime for it. It looks like the anime released around the same time as the English print of the manga. So, if anyone is interested, there’s at least one season to watch.

Characters

Moriarty, who acquires the name William James Moriarty, is the main character. By technicality, he’s the second oldest brother of the Moriarty family of nobility. Eventually he will become the rival of Sherlock Holmes, but not in this volume.

Louis is Moriarty’s younger brother. He handles the matters of home and finance.

Albert Moriarty is the eldest son of the Moriarty family of nobility, and the current head of the family. He’s the one who brought Moriarty and Louis into his family as his brothers. He completely supports Moriarty’s idea to cleanse the world.

Colonel Moran, I get the feeling that he’s a military weapons specialist. His introduction is toward the end of the book, so it doesn’t provide much information about him. The most obvious thing about him is he is a ladies’ man.

Fred is a disguise specialist. Like Moran, his introduction is toward the end of the book. He has a quiet demeanor.

Story & Thoughts

This manga starts fast. It takes place in the Victorian era. The first chapter is the backstory. It covers Moriarty’s childhood, from his time at an orphanage with his brother, to starting his life of crime. However, they seem like the crimes of an anti-hero.

Moriarty comes off as a likable character because he goes out of his way to be friendly to anyone and everyone, no matter their social standing. He helps people with any problem they may have, no matter how small, and without always knowing or caring about the reason the help is needed. In a way, he lives his life as an example of how he thinks other nobility should be.

The running theme is murder. Moriarty specifically murders people he deems evil, which usually ends up being corrupt nobility. He either takes his own initiative, or takes jobs from people the same way detectives take cases. The murder is never based on hearsay, though. He takes the time to research his targets and confirm their guilt or get a confession before carrying out his executions. All of which are orchestrated to make them look like accidents or suicides.

He has friends with specific special skills he can call on to help him with more elaborate plans. Two of them from the group picture at the beginning of the manga appear in the third chapter. They seem interesting, so I’m excited to meet the rest.

The first page has nothing to do with anything in this volume. I’m curious to see the events that lead up to what happened on that page. It seems like that particular scene might be a long way off.

I think this volume had a lot of ground to cover, and not a lot of pages to do it. It didn’t blow me away, but it’s a good start to the series. I’m definitely interested in reading more. At the very least, the volume does well portraying Moriarty’s wit and giving the reader a good feel for his character.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 4

fantasticfictionsblog

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 4 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: 978-1-64609-248-2
Rating: 3/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Miyo Saimori, the eldest of her clan and yet unblessed by the supernatural talent that graced her father and half sister, is sent off to marry into the Gifted Kudo clan. The young and aloof clan leader, Kiyoka Kudo, finds himself intrigued by this girl who stands worlds apart from the spoiled, social-climbing women who usually vie for his hand.

All too soon, Kiyoka comes to regard Miyo with affection and they make their engagement real and official, but Miyo still worries she lacks the training to be a wife worthy of the Kudo clan. Enter Kiyoka’s older sister, Hazuki, who takes it upon herself to tutor Miyo – and tease Kiyoka along the way!

Suddenly Miyo and Kiyoka cross paths with a mysterious man named Arata Tsuruki. What does he want, and what connection does he have to the enigmatic and powerful Usuba clan that Miyo’s mother hailed from?

Personal & Info

I bought this at the same time as volume three, and I read them back to back. Unfortunately, there is no word of the existence of, or any plan for, volume five. I hope the manga continues, but in the mean time, I’m going to work on getting the light novels. The light novels seem to be still ongoing with new releases.

Characters

Miyo Saimori is the leading lady. She has a long history of suffering abuse at the hands of her own family. Now that she’s out from under their roof, she can finally start to heal.

Kiyoka Kudo is the male love interest. He has high political and military standing as well as wealth, and he is the current head of the Kudo family. His job is getting very demanding.

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

Hazuki Kudo is Kiyoka Kudo’s older sister. We learn more about her history in this volume.

Yoshito Godo is a young man who works as Kiyoka’s aide in the grotesquery military branch. We see him frequently in this book as Kiyoka spends a lot of time at work.

Arata Tsuruki is 24 years old, and the heir to the Tsuruki family, which owns a trading company.

Story & Thoughts

This seems like a plot building volume. Miyo’s immediate family problems are behind her and no longer a threat to her health or wellbeing. The story is moving forward with Miyo’s education and dealing with her trauma.

Her biggest problem in this book is her nightmares. The cause is unclear, but they’re obviously related to her trauma. She’s not receiving scathing verbal abuse from her family anymore, so her mind is supplying it while she sleeps. While she’s struggling with that, Kiyoka spends most of the volume busy with work.

Some important and interesting things go on in this volume. I can’t say I’m satisfied with it, though. It’s good for the story progression, but I also feel like it’s a step backwards. Miyo’s health is deteriorating, again, and she hasn’t learned how to make her needs or struggles heard. She still has a long way to go when it comes to recovering from her family’s abuse.

The things I like most about the volume are that we learn more about what Hazuki’s life has been like, and Kiyoka finally makes some progress on research regarding the Usubas. There’s enough new information to draw me in for reading the next book when it eventually becomes available. It would be more interesting if we could see the side of Kiyoka’s job that isn’t just paperwork, but maybe that will come along later.

To Ease the Pain of Loneliness

This is a bonus novel style chapter. It stars Hazuki reminiscing with Miyo about the time when Kiyoka decided to leave home. She ponders what he needed from the house in which he currently lives, and what similar aspects she sees in Miyo that makes Kiyoka enjoy her company. It’s written with Hazuki’s perspective. I think it gives her a little more depth to add onto the little we’ve learned about her.

Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1

fantasticfictionsblog

Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1 by Wataru Nadatani
Series Name: Cat + Gamer
Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life
Intended Age Group: 13+
Publisher: Dark Horse
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-50672-741-7
Rating: 3.5/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble Crunchyroll ThriftBooks

Desription from the Book

LEVEL UP WITH A NEW FELINE FRIEND!

Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old office worker with an obsession for video games, finds her quiet life upended when she takes in a stray cat! Having no experience with pets, Riko uses lessons drawn from video games to guide her in cat care, while her cute companion tries to understand Riko’s behavior and personal obsessions through a cat’s worldview.

Personal & Info

I originally found this series while browsing, and it sounded cute. It wasn’t urgent on my list of things that I wanted to read, so I put it on my wishlist. A friend ended up sending me a copy as a gift, which is kind of funny, because the series focuses on a tuxedo cat, and that particular friend has a tuxedo cat.

The book itself doesn’t specify an intended age group. I listed thirteen and up because that’s the typical age group for most manga. There’s nothing inappropriate in it. The only thing that might affect interest is the fact the main character is a twenty-nine-year-old adult. As long as the reader likes cats and their cute antics, this manga will probably be enjoyable.

Characters

Riko Kozakura is a twenty-nine-year-old single woman who works at a trading company office. She’s a gamer, and she lives alone.

Kikuta sits next to Riko at work. She’s twenty-three, and while they aren’t exactly friends, they do occasionally converse. Kikuta loves cats, but can’t have any because she’s allergic.

Musubi is the star tuxedo cat of the story. He’s only a couple months old. His exact age is nonspecific since he was a stray.

Miho Obayashi is the recurring pet shop employee. She’s twenty-one, and thinks Riko is an oddball.

Story & Thoughts

This is a really cute series. Riko takes in a stray kitten without even thinking about it. She knows absolutely nothing about cats, but just can’t say no to that cute kitty face.

The majority of the story is through Riko’s perspective. At the end of each chapter, there are “Bonus Stage” comics that show Musubi’s perspective for whatever went on during the chapter. This is reminiscent of Chi’s Sweet Home, in my opinion. If you like either of them, you would probably like the other.

Riko’s life revolves around video games. Whenever she’s not working, she’s at home playing games. The book does a decent job assisting readers unfamiliar with parts of that lifestyle by providing footnotes about activities and terminology. The problems she encounters are definitely relatable.

Overall, I think this is a good book or series to read if you like cats or just want something cute and funny. It was an enjoyable light-hearted read when I had some time to kill. Don’t expect to be blown away, but it’ll probably make you smile. It’s not on my priority list, but I’ll likely be getting more of this series eventually.