Tag: Paranormal Romance

Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 1

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Rosario+Vampire: Season II, Vol. 1 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire: Season II
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3136-6
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

Average human teenage boy Tsukune accidentally enrolls at a boarding school for monsters – no, not jocks and popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches, and unnameables out of his wildest nightmares! And now he’s a sophomore!

On the plus side, all the girls have a monster crush on him. On the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns because he only has eyes for one of them – the far-from-average vampire Moka.

On the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. On the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood…

Personal & Info

This manga continues from Rosario + Vampire. It’s been almost six months since the school got wrecked, and repairs have been made. I don’t see many manga that start over at volume one for new “seasons,” so this is a little unusual.

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is the main character. He is the only human at a school for monsters. Due to various events in season one, he wears a chain lock on his wrist, similar to Moka’s rosario.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest. She is considered the most beautiful girl in school, and the series likes to play up that fact.

Kurumu Kurono is the second beautiful love interest. She is the character with the largest breasts in the group, and the whole school also fawns over her, but not nearly as much as Moka.

Yukari Sendo is a twelve year old genius, and a witch. She was eleven in season one.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is a yuki-onna, but the translation constantly calls her a snow fairy. She’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Koko Shuzen is a new character this volume introduces. She is Moka’s little sister, and boy is she feisty.

Story & Thoughts

The story in this volume is set up to both welcome back readers, and make things easy for new readers who are using this as a starting point. I don’t know why anyone would start with season two, though, that just seems weird. Go back and read part one. It’s pretty great.

The first chapter heavily readdresses character details and the premise of the story. We relearn everyone’s names, their monster types, and what powers they have. Inner Moka even takes a minute to rehash the fact the two Moka’s are basically split personalities. This isn’t a spoiler. We already know all this.

Tsukune is demoted back down to a weakling. He doesn’t do anything outstanding in this book. Aside from the visual representation of the lock on his wrist, there is no sign anything ever happened to him in the first season. Nobody so much as mentions it.

There’s a lot of bickering and arguing, more so than usual. The volume seems to be going a little over the top with all that to really drive the refresher/introduction home.

The big news in the volume is Moka has a sister! We meet Koko halfway through. I love her. She’s great. She has her issues, but unlike everyone else, she doesn’t fawn over Tsukune. I can’t remember if that changes or not later.

As usual, there are bonus comics in the back. These ones take place in the time between seasons one and two. They just cover a little of what everyone was up to over their break.

The Night Circus

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Genres: Historical, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Young Adult
Publisher: Anchor
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-307-74443-2
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque de Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Amidst the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone from the performers to the patrons hanging in the balance.

Personal & Info

I’m reading this as a recommendation from a friend. Upon receiving this recommendation, I was told the ending is probably the weakest part of the story. I disagree. I think the ending is pretty good. The book feels like a Romeo and Juliet type story, so the ending seems fitting in my opinion.

If anything, I think the first half of the book is the weakest. Everything takes forever to actually feel like things begin. It took me several months to get through the book because of that. It’s interesting enough because of the concept and writing, but it just feels so slow. About halfway through, everything seems to pick up drastically. That’s also when the romance starts to get emphasis.

This is a rather complicated book. Events can be hard to keep track of because chapters tend to jump forward and backward in time. The events involving Bailey occur in the future for most of the book until the main story catches up to that point. I recommend paying extra attention to which year the story is on, and maybe flipping back to double check the dates.

Characters

Hector Bowen, Prospero the Enchanter, is Celia’s father. He doesn’t come across as the greatest dad.

Alexander, Hector’s rival, has different ideals than Hector. He chooses to teach a child from an orphanage to compete against Celia.

Celia Bowen is the female lead. She is the daughter of Hector Bowen, and appears to be naturally gifted with the same talent as her father.

Marco Alisdair, the male lead, is the boy from an orphanage Alexander chooses to teach.

Chandresh Christophe Lefèvre is a theatrical producer. Bowen describes him as wealthy, eccentric, forward thinking, a bit obsessive, and somewhat unpredictable. He assembles the committee to create the circus without knowing it is the venue for the competition.

Ana Padva is a retired Romanian prima ballerina. She’s known for her impeccable sense of style, and she helps plan the circus.

Tara and Lainie Burgess are sisters who look very much alike. They do a little bit of everything, and help plan the circus.

Ethan Barris is an engineer. He commissions the famous clock for the circus, helps plan the circus, and collaborates with elaborate projects for both sides of the competition.

Friedrick Thiessen is the artisan who makes the clock for the circus. He also becomes a huge fan of the circus itself.

Bailey Clarke is an average farm boy. His family has an orchard and sheep. He loves the circus.

Poppet and Widget are fraternal twins born on opening night of the circus. They have unique talents.

Tsukiko is the contortionist Chandresh hires for the circus, but there is more to her than anybody knows.

Isobel is a girl Marco meets early in the book. She seems like a love interest right off the bat, and her role in the story is more important then one might think.

Story & Thoughts

As the description says, there is a competition occurring in the circus. However, I don’t think the competition itself is the main aspect of the story. To me, I get the feeling the story focuses more on what surrounds the competition and the effect it has on everything around it.

The competition itself is extremely inhumane. The contenders have no choice in the matter and are arranged to compete at young ages. Hector and Alexander both use rather inhumane and cruel methods of teaching. Marco is left alone constantly to study things he doesn’t understand. Celia is taught more psychologically in ways that could be as traumatizing as they are productive. The rules of the game are not even made clear until near the end.

There are first person perspectives throughout the book to portray the perspective of a circus goer. I’m not fond of these. They seem unnecessary, but I guess they are probably trying to emphasize the amazement of the circus experience.

The writing is very vivid. Morgenstern knows how to paint a picture with her words without doing too much or too little. All of the descriptions make for an enjoyable read.

I like all of the characters. They seem well defined and detailed despite there being so many. The interactions and reactions are as enjoyable as the detailed descriptions. I especially like the scene where Marco first lays eyes on Celia for her audition. His reaction there is priceless, probably one of my favorite parts in the whole book. I just love how her performance rattles him.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 10

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 10 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-2355-2
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills…But the human part might be changing permanently.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the passionate big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is shy and a bit of a stalker, but she’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Ruby, the witch from volumes four and five, works for the school now.

Kyoko is Tsukune’s cousin. She’s like a big sister to him.

Story & thoughts

The first two chapters continue the events from the previous volume, and wrap up the festival. Things get chaotic as Hitomi Ishigami, the former art teacher, makes her first reappearance since the events of the protection committee. The school gets absolutely trashed.

Students are sent home, so we get a fun chapter where the girls visit Tsukune in the human world. Each of them thinks they are the only one to have the idea, so chaos ensues, again. It’s too much for Tsukune’s poor mother to handle. I love Mizore’s hiding spots in this chapter.

There’s a bonus chapter at the end. It looks like it’s from back before Mizore was part of the group, because it shows her in passing with her long hair. The plot touches on a traditional vampire law.

The bonus comics in this volume are great. They are more Q&A four panel shorts, but one of them always sticks with me. I remember the one about Mizore’s suckers as a factoid from my first read several years ago.

Volume ten completes season one of the this manga. The next one is the start of season two. It’s still called Rosario+Vampire, but it starts all over at one again like it’s its own series.

Notable Issues

There’s another translation oddity regarding Mizore. She refers to herself as a snow fairy. I’m not sure where that came from, because as far as I know, yuki-onna, the folklore creature she is supposed to be, is a spirit or demon.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 9

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 9 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-2354-5
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills…But the human part might be changing permanently.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the passionate big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is shy and a bit of a stalker, but she’s also the most considerate of Tsukune’s happiness.

Ruby, the witch from volumes four and five, works for the school now.

Tsukune’s older close cousin, Kyoko, visits the school.

Mizore’s mother, Tsurara, and Kurumu’s mother also visit the school. I don’t think Kurumu’s mother’s name was stated.

Story & thoughts

This volume picks up where eight left off with the climax of the monstrel problem and Hokuto. Two of the four chapters wrap up that crisis. We also get a brief look at Hokuto’s past to see what his life was like before the academy, and what his time at school was like.

Once that’s over, it’s time for the school festival to begin. Alumni and parents visit the school, and various shenanigans ensue. We get to see some of the girls’ mothers, and both of Yukari’s parents in maybe two panels. Mizore’s mother and Kurumu’s mother hog most of the event.

We also get to meet Tsukune’s cousin, Kyoko. She should be nowhere near the school, but I think we’ve all learned by now how incompetent they seem to be at enforcing their own rules and regulations. Tsukune does his best to try to convince her the school is completely normal.

The volume leaves off on a small cliff hanger. I think the series does this on purpose. Most events that encompass more than one chapter get divided into two volumes. It’s a good way to keep people buying the books, but frustrating for people who can’t get them right away.

I love how this volume shows yet again how Mizore is considerate of Tsukune. Yes, she asks him for a favor that makes him uncomfortable, but she also releases him from an obligation because she knows it’s not what he wants. She doesn’t pressure him to do anything he doesn’t want to. None of the other girls seem that considerate.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 8

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 8 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1910-4
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills…But the human part might be changing permanently.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the passionate big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is shy and a bit of a stalker.

Ruby, the witch from volumes four and five, works for the school now.

Story & Thoughts

The school festival is fast approaching. Tsukune is obligated to assist the student council during one of the newspaper club’s busiest times. People suspect there is a mole in the festival committee, and it’s up to Tsukune to ferret them out.

There’s a lot of action and intrigue in this volume. We’re reaching the climax of the events with the monstrels, and things are getting intense. The monstrel leader reveals their identity, and explains their grand scheme.

Moka has a huge moment at the end. The events will continue in the next volume. For now, we have to wonder what this will do to Moka, and if our group will make it through everything alive.

I am getting a little tired of the Moka getting kidnapped scenarios. At this point, they happen way too often. Stop being so easy to kidnap, Moka.

I feel like this volume did well with the villain faces. There are some pretty dang good villain facial expressions.

Also, I’m surprised the headmaster is so squishy. Shouldn’t they have someone super powerful and unbeatable running the school?

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 7

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 7 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1909-8
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills…But the human part might be changing permanently.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the passionate big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is shy and a bit of a stalker.

Story & Thoughts

The book picks up where volume six left off with the cliffhanger. It’s resolved fairly quickly, and the manga seems to go back to monster of the week for each chapter. Most of the monsters are currently monstrels, though, so they don’t all get encyclopedias.

Some characters experience growth here as they are put under pressure from recent events. Tsukune experiences more changes, and he’s encouraged to leave school. Of course, we all know he won’t.

It’s subtle, but something I love about this volume is when Mizore speaks up. She clearly cares about what is best for Tsukune, and what would make him happy. His choices and what he wants are what matter to her. Kurumu worries about his safety, but Mizore worries about his happiness. I love that about her, and it starts to shine through a little here.

Something kind of silly, I noticed Moka was wearing a cute tank top and jeans when she answered the door for Kurumu. For some reason she felt the need to change into a dress before she left her room to follow Kurumu. I’m not sure why this was necessary.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 6

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 6 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1908-1
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average teenager Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills…or is he? Parts of this initial description appear to be changing.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the passionate big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is love interest number three. She is shy and a bit of a stalker.

Story & Thoughts

The problem with the monstrels introduced in volume five continues in this one. The entire book is focused primarily on one encounter with Mido. Mido is like a superior of Saizo’s, but he’s not the highest rank.

Unoriginally, Mido kidnaps Moka. This plan seems to be becoming rather common. Moka and Tsukune have to deal with the encounter on their own. We also learn more about Tsukune’s new health condition. The events of this one are a bit heart wrenching as the story is still working in a more serious direction for the time being.

The volume has a small cliff hanger, as after things wrap up, Tsukune is once again in danger. Poor guy never gets a break…unless you count bones.

I like that as more about Tsukune’s condition is revealed, he’s still unique. Despite previous implications, he’s not just a second vampire added to the group. In case you missed Moka’s explanation before, it doesn’t work that way.

The bonus comics for this one are all about boobs. The main cast talks about measurements and bust size. The only one we really learn is Kurumu’s but not with numbers, just her cup size.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 5

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 5 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1907-4
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, and seen the anime, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills.

Moka Akashiya is the beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Mizore Shirayuki is a new love interest.

Story & Thoughts

The first chapter finishes the adventure from volume four. After that, there are two chapters introducing my personal favorite character, Mizore. She is weird, quirky, and misunderstood, but I love her.

From what I recall about my first time reading a large chunk of the series, Mizore’s parts of the story tend to be unsettling and sad. There’s a pretty scummy teacher in her section of the volume. Mizore herself can be a little creepy sometimes, but I find her character interesting and relatable.

There is more scummy behavior in the last chapter. This time by other students, including Saizo, the guy from volume one. We learn a little about mixed blood monsters here. It’s obvious by now that monsters are no strangers to discrimination, both doing it, and being victimized by it.

Tsukune’s health takes an interesting turn. Will it be for better or for worse? I actually don’t know, because I never finished the series to find out what happens.

I like that this series doesn’t put all the focus on one character. Everybody seems to get their own opportunities to shine and show off their skills. Tsukune and Moka usually get most of the spotlight, but the others have their moments, and I love that. It’s like they get their own special episodes/chapters to shine.

Mizore pretty much takes over the bonus comics in this volume. She’s my favorite character, though, so these are my favorite ones so far. They add a little more character introduction for her regarding her abilities, and just plain silliness.

Notable Issues

There seem to be a significant amount of typos in this volume.

I’m a little confused because volume three calls the math teacher Kagome Ririko, but this volume calls her Ririko Kagome. Which is it?

On one panel, Saizo Komiya is labelled as a werewolf. I don’t think this is correct. Even if he is hypothetically half, I don’t think the term werewolf is accurate. He looked nothing like a werewolf when he transformed in volume one.

The translation for Mizore’s monster type seems odd. I can see how one might get that translation, but yuki-onna or snow girl sounds better than “abominable snowgirl.” It sounds too close to abominable snowman to me, and that’s something drastically different than what she is.

My Monster Secret, Vol. 1

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My Monster Secret, Vol. 1 by Eiji Masuda
Series Name: My Monster Secret
Genres: Aliens, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-626922-38-9
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Everyone knows Asahi is the worst liar in school – he’s so painfully transparent that his childhood frenemy has developed gossip tabloids around his best kept secrets. When Asahi falls in love with the enigmatic Shiragami Youko from his class, he decides to confess to her before she, and everyone else, can read his feelings like an open book. There’s just one problem – Asahi stumbles upon her secret, and it’s a lot bigger than his! Youko is, in fact, a vampire, and if the school finds out, she’ll disappear from his life forever.

Personal & Info

I think it was sometime back in July that I added this to my list as a, “meh, this might be good,” option. It wasn’t on my immediate list of things to get or read, so I threw it on an ongoing wishlist for gift ideas. I got it this past Christmas and my expectations were mediocre. Due to a sudden change in my reading plans, I decided to read it sooner rather than later.

I’m glad I did, because I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. I wasn’t even in the mood for comedy when I read this, but it made me laugh anyway. In my opinion, that on its own says a lot about the quality.

This appears to be a twenty two volume series that finished in 2020. It’s never too late to get into a series, though.

Characters

Asahi Kuromine is the main character. As the description says, he is extremely transparent about everything. He can’t keep secrets or win at card games.

Youko Shiragami is the vampire love interest. She’s a bit oblivious, and not at all the quiet polite person people suspect her to be.

Oka, Sakura, and Shima are Asahi’s friends. I don’t think the book says what their full names are, so these might be their last names, or a mix of first and last. All that matters, is these are the names they go by.

Mikan Akemi is Asahi’s childhood “frenemy.” She’s a journalist for the school newspaper, and she doesn’t care if something SHOULD be written. If the article causes someone distress, she gets joy from publishing it.

Nagisa Aizawa is the class representative. Her speech habits are unusual and she is a stickler for rules.

Story & Thoughts

Going into this, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was supposed to be funny like a rom-com, but that still leaves room to guess. I had no idea where the premise would take the story, either.

As of the first chapter, I’m hooked. This book makes me laugh out loud while reading. The comedy holds up from start to finish. Even the bonus comics crack me up.

The main characters are amusing. I don’t care much for the three friends, yet. They seem like solid side characters, but not quite important as of yet. I don’t like Mikan. She contributes to the humor, but at the same time, I hate her as a person. She is cruel and enjoys the suffering of others.

The art is charming in a 90s nostalgia sort of way. It has the long faces, huge mouths, and big eyes, while also looking modern enough to clearly not be from that time period. Youko Shiragami looks a little different between the cover and what is actually inside the book sometimes. Her serious face almost makes her look like a different person.

This take on vampires is different than what I’m used to seeing. Shiragami has wings and she says vampires only drink blood romantically. She doesn’t die in the sun either. I wonder what other lore about vampires of this world we will learn as the series progresses.

I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like there might be some love triangle or harem vibes. Nagisa Aizawa’s actions make me suspect, but I don’t think it’s that kind of story. I’ll have to read more of it to be sure.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 4

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 4 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1906-7
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, and seen the anime, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

I can’t remember for sure, but I think the anime is significantly less accurate by this point. I can’t say for sure which episodes start to stray, because it’s been a while, but I know for sure the anime introduces another character before the events of this volume. That character, in the manga, is introduced after these events.

Honestly, looking at a list of the episode descriptions, several things appear to be changed or out of order. I HIGHLY recommend just reading the manga. I will no longer be mentioning the anime after this review due to the massive amount of differences.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Ruby is a new witch character, who may or may not be significant later.

Story & Thoughts

It’s the start of summer vacation at Yokai Academy. The gang goes to the human world for a club field trip to practice some investigative journalism. Gin stays behind to attend summer school, and Miss Nekonome is the chaperone, although she isn’t much of one.

The entire volume focuses on the trip and the events that occur. We get more insight into the rift between witches and humans. Of course, Yukari also experiences a little character growth, since the volume’s theme is witches.

This is the first time we get to see any combat involving Yukari. Her techniques seem simple, but effective. I would guess her cards probably have metal edges. If they don’t, then the force she manages to put into them is amazing.

Another witch by the name of Ruby appears in this volume. I can’t remember how significant she is in the manga later on, but I know the anime liked to throw her in frequently for cameos. She shows off some cool witch abilities we have not seen in the story until now.

This volume ends in a major cliff hanger just when things are getting super serious. I recommend having volume five ahead of time, so you don’t have to wait.

Notable Issues

In a panel that recaps what species everyone in the group is, Moka and Kurumu’s species are mislabelled as switched. I’m surprised this mistake made it through editing.