Tag: Volume 1

The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1 (LN)

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The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1 by Yasohachi Tsuchise, Hagure Yuuki
Series Name: The Invincible Shovel (Light Novel)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64505-442-9
Rating: 1/5
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Description from the Book

The strongest miner in the world, Alan can reduce mountains to rubble with a swing of his trusty shovel—a legendary tool that grants him immortal life and can blast through the strongest of foes. When this legendary miner teams up with a runaway princess to track down cursed jewels and save her kingdom from an invading demon force, evil doesn’t stand a chance! A hilarious fantasy tale for fans of RPGs, with adventure…in spades!

Personal & Info

My light novel collection is currently rather small, so I’m gradually trying to expand it. Part of my process for doing that is getting my hands on some first volumes of things to try. This book is one of those volumes.

Shortly before reading this, I did a little research. It turns out that there are only four available volumes, and no new content has been added or announced since around 2020. The series is currently considered unfinished, and likely abandoned by the author, so keep that in mind if you decide to get into it.

Characters

Alan is the main character. He is a 1,011-year-old miner who lives alone on a mountain. His social skills are not great, but his shovel power is unmatched.

Lithisia is the fifteen-year-old princess of Rostir. She is first in line for her throne, and she needs help to save her kingdom from a demon villain by the name of Zeleburg.

Catria is Lithisia’s friend and sworn protector. She’s an embarrassment of a knight, and seems to be the only person in the story that has any common sense.

Fioriel is the last elf, and descendent of one of Alan’s friends. Alan considers her to be his niece.

Alice Veknarl is the last queen of Riften, and undead heir to the power of Veknar.

Julia is a water priestess from the Rahal tribe.

Story & Thoughts

This…This is not good. There is so much wrong with it. I had concerns early on when Lithisia explained the plot.

Lithisia, the princess of Rostir, goes into a long-winded explanation about why she is not in her castle, and why she needs help. At first, this description sounds very similar to the situation with Jafar and Jasmine from Aladdin. But as she goes on to say she has a body double covering for her, I can’t help but wonder why the villain can’t just force the body double into marriage and make everyone think he married Lithisia. Her story seems to have a significant amount of potential problematic holes in it.

After that, everything just becomes absolutely ridiculous. The characters are more like caricatures. Lithisia becomes hyper-religious about shovels, to the point she very obviously wants to turn her country into a cult. Her personality becomes the embodiment of shovel worship. I know the intention is to be for comedy, but it just paints her as a complete airhead and makes her annoying. Her friend Catria is the only person who does not buy into her new shovel religion.

Another aspect of the story I find annoying, everything has to be thought of as erotic or an innuendo. The joke is that girls want Alan sexually, but he’s too dense to realize it, because in his mind, there is no way that could possibly be what they want. I think the book does a poor job with this kind of humor. It’s like it’s trying to be a harem without actually committing to being a harem since the dude isn’t interested in anybody.

I guess, the long of the short is, it feels too try hard. I know it’s absurdist comedy, but I think it could still be that and be written better. It says it’s for teens, but the humor feels more juvenile than that age group despite a lot of it being sexual jokes.

Maybe it’s just not my kind of comedy, but I genuinely did not enjoy this. I have no interest in reading more volumes, so my copy will be going into the donate pile. If you want to read something good with absurdist humor, I recommend JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Series Name: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Volume Number: 1
Genres: Enemies to Lovers, Fae, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-63557-556-9
Rating: 2.5/5
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Description from the Book

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.

At least, he’s not a beast all the time.

As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Personal & Info

I originally added this book to my to-read list back in 2018. Not long after, I started to see the series explode all over the internet. It wasn’t a priority for me, though, so I thought nothing of it. More recently, one of my closest friends discovered it, and has been encouraging everyone to read it. Because of that, I’ve found myself with a free copy, which saves me some trouble, because it’s not likely to be available from my local library for a very long time.

This author is apparently known for using odd word choices and contradictory descriptions.

Characters

Some characters might contain spoilers or are more interesting if the book handles the introduction, so I’m only going to list the most important ones that are around for the beginning or majority of the story.

Feyre is the main character. The story is told in her perspective. She is the youngest daughter in her family, and she has two older sisters. Her favorite hobby is painting, and she’s good at hunting.

Elain is the middle child in Feyre’s family. She likes flowers and enjoys looking lovely when they can afford it.

Nesta is the eldest daughter in Feyre’s family. She comes off as snobby, selfish, and mean. I think the book says she is older than Feyre by three years.

Tamlin is the love interest. He is a High Fae Lord with a shape changing specialty and a beastly demeanor.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary. He handles diplomatic relations between the seven kingdoms on Tamlin’s behalf. His attitude is generally snarky.

Alis is a maid who tends to Feyre’s needs, and helps answer some of her day to day questions.

Story & Info

My thoughts about this book are a little complicated to put into words for a review, but I’m going to try. There are things I like about it. The world is interesting, and I can see plenty of promise for building off of it. Seven vastly different kingdoms based on the seasons and times of day with eternal weather is pretty appealing.

The book is written in first person. That’s a common thing I know many people tend not to like, but I think it’s done well here. It doesn’t feel like the writing is full of the word, “I,” constantly, and the writing has a nice flow to it. After a few paragraphs, I practically forgot about it being a first person perspective. The only negative things I noticed about the writing were the occasional indecisive contradictory descriptions, and some likely plot holes.

Characters are where things start to get messy for me. All of the characters that I like are side characters. The two lead characters for the romantic couple, Feyre and Tamlin, that’s where my biggest problem is. I don’t mind Feyre. She’s okay, but she has some personality traits that rub me the wrong way, and I don’t agree with some of her perspectives and wants. At the end of the day, I don’t mind her, but she isn’t my ideal of a main character.

Tamlin, on the other hand, he’s about as interesting as a rock. He is stereotype handsome and exotic, because of his beast traits, but that is literally all he has going for him. I can’t bring myself to care about him. If I don’t care about him, why would I want the main character to be with him? It takes so much away from the enjoyment of the story when the love interest is not interesting. It genuinely feels like the only reason Feyre falls for him is because he shows her kindness, which is something she hasn’t experienced much of in her short, sad life.

Aside from the characters, the other big issue is pacing. The book is a little over four hundred pages, but the whole thing is a slog. I couldn’t handle more than maybe thirty or so pages at a time before I had to put it down for a break.

The process of reading the book genuinely feels like a whole lot of nothing is happening for the majority of the story. It’s like a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but for the parts where that movie would do the cute and fun montages to show adapting to life living with the beast, we get a slogfest instead. Granted, I completely understand the process of events that had to occur, but it does not make the book fun to read.

For the majority of my reading, I felt like the book was a solid two. As the story progressed, and more characters were introduced, and I got to know them better, my opinion went up by a half. I like some of the side characters so much that they practically carried the book for me.

Based on this book alone, I probably wouldn’t be interested in reading more of the series. However, the whole series was gifted to me, and I have been recommended to at least read the first two books before making a final decision. So, I will be reading volume two at some point in the near future, before I decide if I want to commit to the entirety of the series.

Negima! Omnibus, Vol. 1

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Negima! Omnibus, Vol. 1 by Ken Akamatsu
Series Name: Negima! Magister Negi Magi
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Magic, Romance
Intended Age Group: 16+
Publisher: Kodansha
Edition: ebook 
ISBN: 978-1-61262-820-2
Rating: 2/5
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Description

Negi Springfield is a young graduate fresh out of a magic academy. The next step in his education is a work study. His assignment is to be a teacher…at an all girls junior high!? Can he balance a job as a child teacher and manage to attain his goal of becoming a great wizard?

Personal & Info

Amazon does not appear to have an active listing for this book, so the link leads to the series list where volumes two and up can be found.

I don’t really know anything about this series, aside from that it was wildly popular at one point.

This is the first 3-in-1 omnibus edition of any manga I’ve ever read. I wasn’t sure how I was going to format the review, because I wasn’t sure if the volumes have clear dividers. It turns out they do, so I’ll be reviewing each individual volume, as well as the omnibus as a whole.

Individual ratings for the volumes:
Volume 1: 2/5
Volume 2: 1/5
Volume 3: 3/5

Characters

Negi Springfield is about 10 years old, and a graduate from a magic academy. He’s from Wales, and his school assigns him to be a teacher in japan at the all girls school, Mahora Academy, for the purpose of working toward his chosen career.

Asuna Kagurazaka is a blatant bully, and most likely the love interest. She’s also Negi’s roommate/guardian.

Konoka Konoe is the Headmaster’s granddaughter, and Asuna’s roommate.

Konoemon Konoe is the headmaster. He is aware that Negi is a wizard, and his head is shaped like a pear.

Takamichi Takahata is the teacher Asuna is crushing on. Negi takes over his class, and Takamichi is not around much after that.

Shizuna is one of the school guidance councilors.

Ayaka Yukihiro is the class representative. She has a rivalry with Asuna that dates back to when they were small.

Negi’s entire class makes up the main cast, so I’m not going to list them all. They are all rather unique and quirky. Their names and general information can be found on a page that shows the class roster. More detailed information about each can be found between chapters where they list student bio information in small groups. The characters I chose to list here are the ones I feel are most important or are not included in the roster because they are faculty.

Story & Thoughts

Volume 1

My first impression is that this is a very dated type of humor. It doesn’t appeal to me right now, but it’s probably absolutely hilarious to twelve-year-olds. The main character, Negi, repeatedly sneezes girls’ clothes off throughout the volume. I wouldn’t mind it so much if there were a logical reason behind it. The way it’s done makes it feel forced just to have an immediate comedic effect.

There is a huge amount of fan service in this. I don’t think I’ve ever read a manga with this much fan service in it that was not intended to be explicit. This has way more ecchi in it than any other teen series I’ve ever read. That’s what stands out the most, but there are some good things I like.

There’s a large cast of characters. The entire class all has names. It’s not one of those series where most of the students are nameless blobs that only exist in the background. The cast size isn’t important to me. It’s more impressive that they bother to show the class roster with everybody’s names and activities on it next to their photos. That’s a good page to reference if anyone ever needs a refresher on who is who.

Aside from that, I like one of Negi’s quotes. “Courage – even a little bit of it – is the real magic.” It’s simple, but inspiring. It’s also probably Negi’s only solid teacher moment in the entire volume one section.

As for the story itself, the concept is simple and straight forward. Negi must be a teacher at this all girls school until March to meet the study requirements for his magic school. Nothing goes according to plan, because he’s younger than the class, and the little bit of magic he can do both causes and remedies problems. Plus, he has Asuna as his own personal bully.

I’m hoping there will be more to the story than all the nonsense and fan service. It’s apparently a romance, and I can only guess that Asuna and Negi are going to be the pairing. That’s a little strange due to their age difference.

I see plenty the story can build on for plot points, already. There’s a part where Asuna seems to be the only person immune to a spell that effects the whole class. I hope there is an actual reason for this that gets addressed later. Negi didn’t seem to notice, but it has to mean something.

Volume 2

The more I read this, the more problems I notice. One of the big things is Negi is too close to his students. He allows them to call him by his first name. He’s more of a friend to his students than a teacher. It would be wise for him to set some boundaries.

I have an issue with the ongoing types of humor and fan service. They’re highly inappropriate, and quite frankly, give me the ick. The story thus far is full of scenarios that surround Negi with naked girls and regularly shove people’s faces into boobs. This is a normal type of comedy for the time period, but the ages involved make it gross, and there’s just far too much of it.

Negi says he is in his tenth year, which makes him actually nine. All of his students are approximately six years older than him. It’s disgusting for teenagers to act this way. They keep saying he’s just a kid, but realistically speaking, he’s old enough that he should not be treated like he’s still a toddler when it comes to nudity.

The story itself is pretty weak. Negi is supposed to be doing a normal non-magical job as a teacher, but he resorts to magic for everything. We find out in this volume that all of his athletic ability comes from his magic. He literally cannot function without it. He becomes a child that needs to be coddled if he can’t use it. Not only that, but whenever a problem arises, he thinks he should use magic to fix it. Maybe he will grow to stop relying on it so much as the series goes on. I would hope that he does.

I did like the concept of Library Island. It’s strange that a library like that would exist and nobody would question it or think it odd, but it’s still an interesting idea. I don’t think teenagers should be the ones doing expeditions for it, though. I think I would have enjoyed this section more if it wasn’t also riddled with fan service. Adventure and lore about the library could have been interesting enough if made the main focus of the dungeon delve.

To be perfectly honest, I considered abandoning this omnibus maybe halfway through. Finishing this section was difficult, but I’m determined to complete the book. I’ve heard enough about the series over the years to know how popular it was, so I want to be able to say I gave it a fair shake by getting through the first three volumes.

Volume 3

This is the best volume in the omnibus. The fan service is downplayed significantly compared to the other two sections. It’s actually a relief. The addition of a perverted animal seems redundant when the series already has a ton of fan service as it is, but thankfully that behavior dies down after the character’s introduction.

There is much more to like about this section than the previous two. The story itself stands out now that the fan service is tamped down. We learn information that creates questions to actually try hooking the series better. A magic system regarding a mage and a combat partner gets an explanation, which leads us to magical combat.

The battle was enthralling. Renewal of the contract seemed pointless, but I guess it functioned as a way for Asuna to distract Chachamaru while Negi fought the vampire. I finally found some comedy that actually appealed to me in this part, too. The speech sounds people make when they get hit or knocked around during a fight are hilarious.

If the whole series were more like this volume, I’d like it better. This is what the series should be like. Volumes one and two are horrible introductions.

Overall

This series gives me Love Hina vibes, but with a younger age group. That’s not a compliment. I don’t like Love Hina.

As a whole, it gives me the ick. Negi is nine, because he claims to be in his tenth year, and according to the character information between chapters, Asuna is approximately five or six years older than him. That kind of romantic pairing is gross, and the amount of nudity thrown at Negi is abhorrent.

This is supposed to be a comedy, but I don’t find it funny. The comedy types and tropes are dated and probably appeal better to a younger audience. I didn’t get a laugh until part 3, and it came from the noises people made when being hit or knocked back. I doubt I would have enjoyed this series back when I was in the target age group, either. The comedy seems to be on the level of twelve year olds, but the series is recommended for sixteen and up.

If the whole series was like volume three, I would be interested in reading more. Unfortunately, I can’t predict if the series is more like the first two or the third. Only one good volume out of the first three doesn’t bode well, so I don’t plan on looking into it any further.

When We’re in Love, Vol. 1

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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
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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.

Shugo Chara! Vol. 1

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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
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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.

Ai Ore! Vol. 1

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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
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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.

Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 1

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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
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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.

Cat + Gamer, Vol. 1

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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
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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.

Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 1

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Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 1 by Naoya Matsumoto
Series Name: Kaiju No. 8
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Viz/ Shonen Jump
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-9747-2598-4
Rating: 3.5/5
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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 and unexpected transformation. How can he fight kaiju now that he’s become one himself?!

Kafka hopes to one day keep his pact with his childhood friend Mina to join the Japan Defense Force and fight by her side. But while she’s out neutralizing kaiju as Third Division captain, Kafka is stuck cleaning up the aftermath of her battles. When a sudden rule change makes Kafka eligible for the Defense Force, he decides to try out for the squad once more. There’s just one problem – He’s made the Defense Force’s neutralization list under the code name Kaiju No. 8.

Personal & Info

My friends have been highly recommending this manga for a while, so I figured I’d try it. One of them ended up with an extra copy of volume one and gave it to me. It took a while to get around to even though it was in my priority pile.

I think the anime is set to release April 2024, so there isn’t long to wait to be able to see that adaptation.

Characters

Kafka Hibino is the main character. He’s 32 and completely given up on his dream to join the Defense Force. He works as part of the cleanup crew instead.

Mina Ashiro is the 27 year-old third division captain of the Defense Force. She’s also Kafka’s childhood friend. I get the feeling they haven’t spoken in a long time.

Reno Ichikawa is an 18 year-old new recruit at the Monster Sweeper Inc. cleanup crew. He aspires to join the Defense Force and he doesn’t have the greatest first impression. Thankfully, his personality gets better as the story progresses.

Kikoru Shinomiya is the daughter of the Defense Force director and the number one applicant to watch.

Haruichi Izumo, Iharu Furuhashi, and Aoi Kaguragi are three of the best candidates for the Defense Force applicants. They’ll probably become important longterm characters later.

Soshiro Hoshina is the vice-captain of the third division Defense Force team, the same team Mina Ashiro captains. They are proctoring the exam for joining the force.

Story & Thoughts

This is pretty good. I like it enough to say I liked it. I don’t quite think it’s deserving of a four, but it’s close. The premise is interesting. I like that it stars a protagonist who isn’t a teenager. That’s not super common.

I get major Attack on Titan vibes from the series. The city is frequently attacked by Kaiju and the protagonist turns into a Kaiju himself. There are also hints that make me think he’s not the only one in this situation. Plus, there’s a special force intended to fight Kaiju. It certainly feels similar. I assume people who like one will like the other.

Unlike what I can recall about Attack on Titan, though, this series has a lot of comic relief. Kafka and Reno are amusing together. The tension never goes on for too long before they do something silly. They’re not trying to be silly, but things often turn out that way.

I think this is a strong start for the series. It explains everything you need to know, and it introduces several characters who are likely to be significant as the series progresses. These parts are done well, and now that they’re out of the way, the series should be able to really get going. I’m looking forward to continuing the series.

Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 1

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Daemons of the Shadow Realm, Vol. 1 by Hiromu Arakawa
Series Name: Daemons of the Shadow Realm
Genres: Action, Adventure, Supernatural
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-186-7
Rating: 5/5
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Description from the Book

Ancient Daemons awaken to fight a new battle in an age-old war!!

In a remote mountain village under the watchful eyes of two stone guardians, the young Yuru contentedly lives off the land while staying close to the only family he has left – Asa, his precious twin sister. Asa, meanwhile, carries out a mysterious “duty” on behalf of the village while locked in a cage. Why is Asa a prisoner? And what other secrets does Yuru’s otherwise idyllic home hide?

Personal & Info

I don’t have reviews of it on here, yet, but Fullmetal Alchemist is one of my all time favorite anime and manga. This series is fairly new by the same creator. That’s all I need to be willing to try it. I’m going into this with only the information from the back of volume one.

Characters

Yuru is the older male twin of the two main characters. He has great hunting skills, and helpful nature.

Asa is the younger female twin of the two main characters. She’s Yuru’s younger sister, and little is known about her from this volume alone. All we really know is that she is powerful and she might be on the wrong side of a conflict.

Ryuu Tadera, who goes by Dera, is a seer. This means he can see Daemons. He is half of the Higashi Village retainer pair, and he acts as supply runner and liaison. He often brings medicine and other helpful things to the isolated mountain village.

Hana Danno is Dera’s partner, the other half of the Higashi Village retainer pair. She’s also a seer, but she’s never been to the village. When Dera goes up to the village, she usually waits somewhere outside as his transportation.

Gabby appears to be a good friend of Asa’s. She apparently doesn’t mind pain, and her Daemons are a set of teeth.

Jin Kagemori appears to be a higher rank up in some kind of organization. His Daemons appear to be themed around angler fish.

Various Daemons are also characters. I don’t know which ones are important enough to list, nor do I want to spoil too much by describing them in any further detail. The most important are probably Left and Right. You’ll understand that more if you read the book.

Story & Thoughts

Going into this, I had no idea what to expect. The description is vague and even potentially sounds dull. I put my trust in Hiromu Arakawa in hopes it would be worth reading, and she did not let me down. The description only really covers the introduction portion of the book. Things quickly escalate and change from there. One second it’s a peaceful isolated village expressing to the reader how they struggle for resources and to find work, and the next, people are getting their throats slit or just entirely sliced in half.

The village is quickly left behind as Yuru is forced into the modern world. The story is serious, but makes time for funny moments. Yuru knows nothing of the world outside the village, so there are amusing interactions as he adjusts to culture shock. Everything he sees awes and amazes him. I wasn’t expecting the story to go into the modern world, but so far I don’t mind.

I love the concept of the Daemons and their bonds with people. It’s cool they come in pairs. No two sets are the same. And speaking of Gabby’s teeth, I never would have thought a disembodied set of teeth could be cute.

The series has a similar vibe to Fullmetal Alchemist in all the right ways. There’s action, supernatural aspects, adventure, bloody violent ruthlessness, and comic relief. I devoured this volume and loved every minute of it. It has a bit of a tense cliffhanger at the end, so I’m glad I already have volume two. This book is a nice strong start to a new series, and I really hope it stays good.