Need recommendations for manga and manhwa to gift this Christmas season? No need to worry—we’ve got you covered this week with new and recent series that would make for good presents, as well as a couple to stay away...
Need recommendations for manga and manhwa to gift this Christmas season? No need to worry—we’ve got you covered this week with new and recent series that would make for good presents, as well as a couple to stay away from! Jump into our reviews below to see what we think of the following manga releases!
Drifting Dragons (Vol. 2) • I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons (Vol. 1) • Insomniacs After School (Vol. 4) • Jungle Juice (Vol. 2) • Kiss the Scars of the Girls (Vol. 1) • My Lovesick Life as a ’90s Otaku (Vol. 1) • Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Vol. 1) • Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed (Vol. 7)
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed, Manga Vol. 7
The best and worst of Re:ZERO is on full display in the seventh volume of the Sanctuary arc as the manga parks right on the crowd-pleasing content that the series is most known for: Subaru’s crazed anxiety, Rem’s misplaced love for him, and gallons of blood and gore. To be fair, I’m part of the crowd; I enjoy how original series author, Tappei Nagatsuki, writes this content and appreciate how it’s been effectively adapted by Yu Aikawa and Haruno Atori in the manga. In volume seven, after more tragedy marks the opening pages, we get a kind of bizarro version of It’s a Wonderful Life as Subaru experiences the timelines that his friends have to experience after he dies. The whole scenario is an interesting twist and a new way to deal with Subaru’s ability, though that’s where some of the weakness lies as well. The adrenaline pumps a little less hard and my excitement isn’t quite as stimulated by the crazed violence and Subaru’s desire to help everyone as in previous arcs. The twists are a little less interesting (there are a couple of them in this volume) and the storylines a little too wearisome and complicated. All this means that the original characters, which are among the most beloved in the medium, get lost in all the hype and story development. But as long as Subaru keeps pushing ahead against overwhelming and painful odds, the series remains as good as ever, right? Right? ~ Twwk
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed is published by Yen Press.
READ: Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed Review Vol. 6
I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons, Manga Vol. 1
I rarely indulge in buying manga simply for a beautiful cover, but that is exactly what I did with I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons, especially since I knew it was getting an anime. I won’t make that mistake again. Leticia is the daughter of a duke who has been engaged to the Crown Prince since she was seven. For the next ten years, she has gone through grueling and harsh princess lessons that have affected her so deeply that her greatest wish has been for the engagement to be broken by the Prince himself. When it seems like her wish will be fulfilled, she gleefully escapes the castle with her newfound freedom…or so she thinks. I loved the beginning of this volume and was so happy Leticia freed herself from princess lessons and the (apparently) cheating prince! I felt so happy she was finally free like she desired! But then the Prince would chase her down and force her to come back the numerous times she tried to escape. I understand the backstory and his love for Leticia is supposed to show that he was only being forceful because he felt there was no other way to get her attention. However! Why is it Leticia’s fault if she does not want him to touch her or flirt with her and therefore cause him to potentially be at a “breaking point” where he uses force? Also, why are other women saying that no wonder he’s doing what he’s doing because she is being insufferable and acting out? That message doesn’t sit well with me, and I feel like, with how often we are reminded of the Prince’s deep love for Leticia, I’m supposed to overlook and forgive his actions because “they come from a good but desperate place.” No, it’s not love when you’re taking away her favorite and closest maid “because she may try to help you escape the castle” and keep confining her to the point that you eventually put bars over the windows so she can’t break them and escape. I was really excited to read this, but I will not be recommending it or continuing to read this series. ~ Laura A. Grace
I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons is published by J-Novel Club.
Jungle Juice, Manhwa Vol. 2
Despite stunning illustrations and beautiful character designs, Jungle Juice is quickly losing me because author Hyeong Eun doesn’t seem capable of telling a coherent and engaging story. Instead, this volume reads like a bunch of sequences merely sewn together without a narrative thread truly connecting them. Events happen too quickly to characters we don’t know well enough, while villains show up one after another with blase motivations. Take volume two, where a school assignment opens the doors for several antagonists of various ranks in an organization to show up and continue to try to affect Suchan’s new school and its students. Backstories are dropped, allowing us to know some of the protagonists a little better, but the story is a whirlwind, rolled out too quickly and hard for me to buy. To the latter point, if the world you’re building is centered on the strange idea of humans transforming insect-like creatures because of a mysterious bug spray, you need to put a lot of effort into developing realism. But the series doesn’t do that; it often feels really dumb when it’s not supposed to. I will give Jungle Juice some kudos, though, for delving into socio-economic challenges for many South Koreans in this volume. The sections that detail character backgrounds involving poverty gripped me—indeed, it was only those portions that I found engaging storywise. Hopefully, Jungle Juice will gain firmer footing with its storytelling in future volumes, though unfortunately there’s little in volume two to make me think that will happen. ~ Twwk
Jungle Juice is published by Yen Press.
READ: Jungle Juice Review Vol. 1
Drifting Dragons, Manga Vol. 2
After a first volume composed of one-and-done short stories, volume two of Drifting Dragons gives its first multi-chapter arc to a surprising character. Not the plucky greenhorn Takita, or the space cadet savant Mika, or even the mysterious beauty Vanabelle, but the crew’s clean-cut boy scout: Giraud. When the Quin Zaza lands for a few days of R&R in the skyport city of Quon, Giraud finds himself getting dragged along by the older deckhands for a night on the town. He soon makes his escape, and in the process meets a nice girl his age named Katja—who is doing what she has to in order to survive on the mean streets. But while this unlikely relationship is starting to bud, a second airship’s botched hunt is about to bring the wrath of a dragon down on Quon… Giving the first major story arc to a co-star like Giraud is an unconventional choice. However, it cements the ensemble cast structure of Drifting Dragons by demonstrating there is no one character whom the plot “must” follow. His bittersweet arc with Katja is a well-worn story of a boy with a rigid worldview going out into the world and finding that human beings are messy, complicated creatures. That being said, while not particularly original, the story is solidly built and it demonstrates that Taku Kuwabara is beginning to find his “sea legs” (or should I say “sky legs”?) as a creator. One last note: Depending on the format, you will sometimes see Giraud’s name spelled as “Jiro.” In a baffling quality control goof-up, Kodansha USA doesn’t have its translators all on the same page and two different spellings are in official circulation. I use the French spelling due to personal preference. ~ WacOtaku
Drifting Dragons is published by Kodansha.
READ Drifting Dragons Vol. 1
Kiss the Scars of the Girls, Manga Vol. 1
The friendly and garrulous Emille has just turned fourteen and can’t hold back her excitement. You see, at her all-girls school, nestled deep in the heart of a forest, students are assigned to older girls who will become their “big sisters” when they become that age. Unfortunately, it’s just Emille’s luck that she’s assigned to Eve, a cold young woman who refuses to establish a sister relationship with her. Emillie won’t give up, however, and stays by Eve’s side—even as they go out at night to search for their prey, humans. Yes, turning fourteen means something else for Emille, too: she will also need to learn how to safely quench her vampiric thirst for blood. This yuri manga combines elements of both a vampire tale and a senpai-kohai one. The two types seem to be a perfect fit for one another, though I admit the gothic connection I expected isn’t particularly emphasized; however, that’s really of little account with a series otherwise as engaging as this. Mangaka Aya Haruhana knows and employs the much-loved all-girls school tropes (think Maria Watches Over Us) well, particularly in forming her characters, with the four who receive significant attention in this volume all being compelling and mysterious in their own right. The exception to that latter quality is Emille, who has the chipper personality to carry a story that might otherwise become overdramatic and too niche for a wider audience. Instead, we get just the right amount of drama, primarily in the form of unseen vampire hunters in addition to romantic tensions; both these conflicts are very involving, and questions about them leave us hanging at the end of volume one. I highly recommend this opening work for those who enjoy yuri manga and perhaps even those who may usually pass them by. ~ Twwk
Kiss the Scars of the Girls is published by Yen Press.
My Lovesick Life as a ’90s Otaku, Manga Vol. 1
“Why is it bad to be an otaku? One anime can change a person forever. One manga can stir a person’s soul…or even save their life. When something has such power…why is it bad to love it so fiercely?” Wow! I’m trying to think of the last time I laughed this much when reading a manga and found myself smiling almost through the whole volume?! Don’t get me wrong! I’ve read some fun and funny things, but this was a complete blast to read! I tried the preview on Kodansha’s website before it was released and was absolutely sold on Megumi meeting a classmate who seems like a real life Rukawa from Slam Dunk! While she might have transferred schools in hopes of having a fresh start where no one knows she’s an “otaku,” her classmate who looks like her favorite character tells her he hates otaku. Feeling crushed, she wrestles with whether she should leave her otaku ways behind and potentially pursue her own love story with him! While I confess I can’t relate to Megumi’s struggle of hiding my “otaku” self, her story did give me a new appreciation for the “freedom” I have to express my deep love for manga and anime without fear of ridicule from those around me. I have never felt the need to make sure no one I know sees me buying a new manga at the bookstore or completely avoiding anything about those interests in conversation. Despite not being able to relate to her in that way though, I found her to be an incredibly fun heroine! I definitely related to having your favorite characters live rent free in the back of your mind because that is me all the time! Overall, this was such a fun read! I am very eager to try the next volume and see where this story goes! ~ Laura A. Grace
My Lovesick Life as a ’90s Otaku is published by Kodansha.
Insomniacs After School, Manga Vol. 4
Summer vacation has begun, which means summer jobs and the beach! Nakami is looking for the former so that he can pay for the astronomy club’s trip, while Magari and the girls head to the latter for some fun. But before that, the meteor shower viewing will be taking place…or maybe it won’t after all. The event that Nakami, Magari, and their friends have been working hard to plan for doesn’t quite go as planned, which ends up being a really nice narrative choice as mangaka Makoto Ojiro uses the disappointment (and the planning sessions leading up to the event) to examine Nakami’s character a little more deeply and to bring he and Nakami closer together. Real close, as in, there are there are three or four full pages full of intimately close teenagers, “Ba-Bmp” sounds, and no dialogue. Squee! Besides the romance, the series excels in conveying a heavy sense of nostalgia, perfectly blended in these chapters together with romance and some laughs. Insomniacs After School has been a nearly perfect romance series through these first four volumes; I can’t wait to see where the next volume (metaphorically and literally, as Nakami and Magari prepare for their trip) goes next. ~ Twwk
Insomniacs After School is published by VIZ Media. Volume four releases on December 19th.
READ: Insomniacs After School Reviews Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Manhwa Vol. 1
A young man, down on his luck but with a good heart and doing his best in this world, suddenly gains an OP ability as supernatural forces reign down upon the globe (with South Korea as the epicenter), and becomes a cold, rational, and ruthless person—thought the latter quality is most often projected against the enemy. Sound familiar? A number of webnovels and webtoons take this approach (most famously the excellent Solo Leveling, which premieres its anime adaption in just a month!), so Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, featuring protagonist Dokja Kim, whose obsession with a webnovel whose scenario suddenly comes to life, isn’t exactly unique. But the delivery is excellent in volume one of the manwha adaptation, which is full of energy and leans into the tropes described (and others that are part and parcel of Korean series), which aren’t quite yet overdone in the LN landscape. There are some fun facets to this volume too, which do differentiate it from other similar works. The idea that Dokja is reading a webnovel within the framework of another webnovel is clever, and starting the series following an interesting mix of “main characters” as they make their way home from work in Korea’s notoriously harsh labor environment is interesting way to begin. I also appreciate how the story revolves around this idea of what “genre” that Dokja feels his life is in; it’s a nice literary way of framing his thought process. I also appreciate the volume very early on name-dropping my very favorite short story author (how cool is that?). Combined with stunning illustrations, the story, which quickly becomes violent and ruthless, makes volume one a compelling read. I’m excited to see if Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint can take up the mantle and become a worthy successor for Solo Leveling. ~ Twwk
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is published by Yen Press.
“Reader’s Corner” is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works they’re reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works, and those older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.
