#mangarecommendation — Public Fediverse posts

Beach Manga Read - Donald Duck Visits Japan

I bring this on vacation every year for like the past 5 years and read it on the beach. It's one of my regular beach reads.

The story - Donald and his friends work for Duck Furniture. They want to branch out to Japan, so they send the trio to work at a hot springs resort with very traditional and strict management. And silliness ensues.

It's silly, it's self-contained, it's funny, and it's very easy for me to pick up and put down while chilling on the beach with my kids.

Easy annual read.

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New Manga Read - Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Volume 14

It's been a while since I read any Frieren, but just got Volume 14 from the library recently, so had to jump into it over the weekend.

Great volume. We're in a continuing story of trying to protect Serie from would be assassins. We also learn more about the group of people trying to assassinate Serie.

It was a well done volume, ready to see what happens next. Whenever my library network gets Volume 15.

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New Manga Read - Somali and the Forest Spirit, Volume 5

The volume opens with the Golem explaining to Shizuno how they met Somali. It's so sad, but a sweet moment and helps you see their past together.

That's when it happens. Someone finally connects the dots that Somali is a human. The back half of the volume is a mad race to escape and keep Somali safe. The heel turn of "Aunt" Rosa, the bipedal axolotl who had been kind to Somali is...phew.

And the final panels. I won't reveal more, because it's a lot.

Also, only one volume left. How is this story going to end?

Don't tell me. I'll find out.

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New Manga Read - The Bride Was a Boy

The Bride was a Boy is an autobiographical manga written by Chii, a trans artist and writer. This single volume originated as a blog, but with her husband's support she made it into a book.

The story is hers, about her life and experiences as a trans woman in Japan. Between chapters, she talks about LGBTQ+ rights and laws in Japan to help explain what she went through.

It was a very interesting read and a cute one, as she also talks about her love story with her husband.

Cute and informative. Glad I read it.

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The build up to the ending, the reveals about magic and the elves. My goodness.

And learning how vile and monstrous the Dowager Empress' father was, which led to her cruelty. It's tragic.

A warning, which comes in the latter two volumes, off-camera child abuse and rape are implied without straight up saying it.

All in all, glad I read it. Unexpectedly emotional story. And this moment...tears.

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New Manga Read - A Cat From Our World and the Forgotten Witch, Volumes 4 and 5

So, last night I started reading Volume 4 of A Cat From Our World and the Forgotten Witch. I couldn't put it down, so read both of the last two volumes.

My goodness, is the ending intense.

In the final two volumes, we learn the backstory of the Dowager Empress. We learn more about the summoning and imprisonment of Jeanne's dragon. It's all so tragic and all so well crafted.

Also, the reveal of the truth behind the Demon King and the Dowager Empress was well done.

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New Manga Read - Otaku Elf, Volume 11

Volume 11 of this series continues to be low stakes and chill. This volume, Elda and her Miko visit Osaka for a festival ran by her fellow elf Yorde. It's a fire based festival and it rains, so they work together to make due.

Again, it's low stakes, slice of life of an elf being treated like a goddess who is a massive introvert. It's fun, silly, and a quick read.

Also, Elda saying she people'd too much cause she's such an introvert? I get it.

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if anyone is looking for a good change of pace for post-apocalyptic stories, check out Sekai wa Owattemo Ikirutte Tanoshii! it starts out with a vibe close to GLT, but quickly diverges and become its own thing.

it's got a pretty hopeful vibe where the world is post-apocalyptic, but life finds a way. it's also got a mix of slice-of-life, adventure, action, and a little bit of eldritch horror (very little, mostly for stakes) along the way.

#manga #mangarecommendation

There were also a number of flashbacks that show that the entire world is fearful of those with magic. Not just fearful, but ready to shun and harm them if identified. So, Jeanne was always destined to be exiled or hurt. Even her family shunned her when she was a teenager, running around trying to save the world and provide for them.

It's so tragic.

And so much better than I expected based on the premise alone.

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New Manga Read - A Cat From Our World and the Forgotten Witch, Volume 3

Okay, Volume 3. Hitting all of my emotions.

In Volume 3 it's been made very clear, the hero who was Jeanne's friend was forced into a marriage with the woman who currently rules the kingdom. She wanted to ensure no one could challenge her power and authority, so she was the one who had Jeanne stripped of her powers.

Her son, Robbin, is a sweetheart and accidentally meets Jeanne in the woods. He hides who he is. His trauma, oof.

The volume ends with a bang. It's a lot and it's well done.

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I am so invested in these characters and it's so much better than I expected it to be.

I've already got the last 3 volumes from the library already so I can read the entire story.

Also, Volume 2 hints that the late King and Jeanne's former friend, may have not been the cause of Jeanne's abuse and magic removal.

Great second volume. I'm really liking this series.

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New Manga Read - A Cat From Our World and the Forgotten Witch, Volume 2

Volume 2 introduced us to three new characters. An enslaved child who escapes and hides out with Jeanne. An emotionally broken former soldier sent to assassinated Jeanne, but does not after meeting Mew. And the former head guard who moonlights as a prostitute cause she cannot make ends meet as a soldier and also refuses to assassinate Jeanne after recognizing her.

Each of these characters are ignored, abused, and harmed by the existing power structure. Jeanne provides them refuge, kind of.

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New Manga Read - I Wanna Be Your Girl (Volume 3)

The last volume introduced us to a new character, Hiro. He's a teenage boy who cross-dresses at work in an attempt to help encourage his sister who was struggling with men sexualizing her at a very young age. Hiro and Hime begin talking more, getting closer, as the after effects of Hime and Akira's argument are noticed.

Again, this series tackles LGBTQ+ topics well.

Waiting to get Volume 4 from the library.

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New Manga Read - Chi's Sweet France

Have you ever read / watched Chi's Sweet Home or Chi's Sweet Adventure? If not, let me give you the rundown.

Chi is an adorable little kitten who lives with a small family of a Mom, Dad, and son. The kitten gets into trouble doing kitten stuff and running around out in the neighborhood.

It's an all ages series, but largely for kids.

This series is a single volume series where Chi's family moves to Paris. Basically, more cute stories about a kitty getting in to silly situations, set in France.

Very cute. Glad I got it.

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Imagine Frieren's story - a spellcaster saving the world with a known human hero far in the past of the current story.

Except after saving the world, Himmel betrays Frieren, has her locked up, stripped of her powers, and he becomes king. She then escapes, moves into a secluded woods and lives in secret, despite the fact that the world still worships the former witch who saved the world, no one nearby realizing that it's her.

She's hated by the local community...and then summons a giant housecat from RL as her helper.

Volume 1 was so well done and unexpected.

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New Read - A Cat From Our World and the Forgotten Witch, Volume 1

I was at a very small library a week or so ago and saw this sitting on the shelf, so picked it up.

This story follows Jeanne, a witch who historically helped saved the world, and the cat Mew. Mew is from our world and was summoned by Jeanne into her world. It's an isekai where the cat was sent to a world of magic. But instead is giant sized in that world.

What's most interesting is the premise with Jeanne.

I'm going to frame her narrative in terms of Frieren for those familiar with that series

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New Read - Animal Crossing: New Horizons Deserted Island Diary, Volume 10

This is, as always, an extremely silly and fun manga.

Volume 10 hit more of Happy Home Paradise, did some wedding season jokes, and other in jokes that are a lot funnier if you play Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

I do, so I really enjoyed it. Had a few chuckle out loud moments.

Lots of fun for Animal Crossing players.

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Mao, Volume One Manga Review

Nanoka is a young girl who one day is suddenly teleported into a shopping district of 1920’s Japan!? To make matters even stranger, almost all of the people she sees in the street are transparent. And the one opaque stranger she meets in the district accuses her of being an ayakashi—just what is going on!?

You can check out volume one of this series for yourself below!

Author

This series was written by Rumiko Takahashi.

This is the author of Inuyasha, and Ranma 1/2!

Genre & Tropes

Fantasy, drama, adventure, time travel.

Info about this series (ongoing)

There are currently 28 volumes in Japanese, and 25 in English.

This series will soon be getting an anime! You can watch it on Disney plus here.

TL;DR rating

I really enjoyed this volume! The author throws you in in the middle of the chaos, and doesn’t give you much time to sit down and digest. The face paced action of the 1920’s, ayakashi-infested Japan, and the slow paced daily life of modern Japan give a good balance to this volume.

Official Synopsis

Nanoka passes through a portal into the Taisho era, where exorcist Mao reluctantly rescues her from the jaws of a grotesque yokai. When Nanoka gets back to the present, she discovers she has some new, incredible abilities. She returns to the past looking for answers, only to get caught up in Mao’s investigation of a series of gruesome murders. As her questions about herself multiply, Nanoka learns that Mao is cursed by a cat demon named Byoki—and so is his sword. If anyone but Mao attempts to wield it, they are doomed. But when Mao’s life is in jeopardy, Nanoka picks up his blade and swings!

My thoughts on this volume (Slight Spoilers!)

This volume felt eerily similar to Inuyasha. While the overall tone and characters of the two stories are quite different, the plots are just too similar to deny. Both stories feature a young high schooler protagonist who is suddenly teleported to an ancient Japan full of monsters. There, they make an ally out of a differently supernatural being, and begin an adventure together. Both protagonists can also choose when to move from the past to the present.

Thankfully, as a huge fan of Inuyasha, these similarities didn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, it almost felt like I was coming home to an old friend waiting for me. While there are indeed similarities between the two series, MAO is different enough that it doesn’t suffer from them. Just from my impressions of volume one, I assume that MAO will have absolutely no romance. It’s quite a bit darker and more series in tone than Inuyasha, and I have been enjoying it so far!

The protagonist of this story is a rather peculiar young woman. When she first meets the exorcist Mao back in 1920’s Japan, he assumes that she is just another ayakashi. Despite the fact that she is just a normal high school student, for some reason, she does indeed have some ayakashi characteristics. Because this is such a fast-paced story, we’re never actually given an explicit explanation as to exactly why Nanoka is so ayakashi-like. While Mao does theorize some potential reasons, nothing is ever for certain. I actually quite liked that we were kept in the dark, as I prefer the “show, don’t tell” method of storytelling. While as of the end of volume one we are left to assume that she and Mao were both cursed by the same creature, nothing is for certain.

Watching Nanoka slowly become more and more ayakashi-like with the sharp teeth and cat eyes after meeting Mao was a little concerning, but also made me really want to continue reading on! Exactly what did Mao do to her to make her like that? And why did he assume that she was an ayakashi at a glance when they first met? I just have so many questions!

While Nanoka spends this volume traveling back and forth between past Japan and present-day Japan, I much preferred the story when it was focusing on the past. During the present scenes, we follow Nanoka go to school, live with her relatives, and try to live an average school life. It was just a tad boring for me when compared with all of the excitement that past Japan has to offer. I would choose an action-packed, ayakashi-filled story over watching a high schooler being forced to drink questionable smoothies and go to school any day of the week.

Fool Night / フールナイト, Volume One Manga Review

In a world where a lack of sunlight has caused plants to cease to grow naturally, science has evolved to the point that doctors can now use humans as vegetation incubators. Kamiya, living in such a bleak world, is forced to make a difficult decision.

You can check out volume one of this series for yourself below!

Author

This series was written by Kasumi Yasuda.

Genre & Tropes

Plant horror, fantasy, drama.

Info about this series (ongoing)

There are currently 12 volumes in Japanese, and eight in English.

TL;DR rating

I’m very happy that I went into this volume almost completely blind. I had no expectations, so I was blown away by every twist and turn the story took!

Official Synopsis

The earth of the distant future is covered in thick clouds, and the sun no longer shines. Plants wither, and oxygen is thin. To fight extinction, humankind has developed a technology that turns humans into plants, providing a small amount of oxygen. Is this process sustainable? Is it ethical? Toshiro Kamiya must consider these questions as he’s faced with a difficult choice—save his family or save himself.

Kamiya is at the end of his rope. His mother is ill, and his job barely pays for her medication, much less food. With few options left, he considers the life-changing process of transfloration. Ready to give his body up for a payday, Kamiya is about to explore the limits of society’s waning humanity.

My thoughts on this volume (Spoilers!)

This volume was a rather dark, twisted one, I say lovingly. The story is set in a world that is shrouded in darkness, where the inhabitants have began to change for the worse. Putting aside the fact that some people have been turned into plants and plant incubators, it feels like a good majority of the characters we see in this volume have lost their will to live normal lives. We see abusive fathers, hopeless factory workers, and mental health patients with nowhere to go.

This setting feels eerily realistic, as I can only imagine how hopeless the world would feel should the sunlight one day go out forever. After all, I get almost depressed at the thought of my city being covered in snow for half the year… I could only imagine how hard it would be to live somewhere that’s cold and dark all of the time. I am a bit curious to see more of the world building, as it seems like factory work is one of the main jobs that people are able to do now—did the natural disaster cause some sort of war to break out? Or, did the government put all the money into building resources to aid the scientists and doctors who are implanting seeds into humans?

This volume follows a rather hopeless boy—a high school dropout named Kamiya. After a sequence of bad events happen to him, he sees no choice but to request to have a seed planted in him. This process is typically one only granted to those who are otherwise about to die. There is a rather large payout, and the recipients are free to live the rest of their lives doing whatever they want, spending their earnings however they see fit… for about three years. That’s about how long it takes for the plant to fully sprout and take over its human hosts body. Once the plants take over, it’s unknown whether the human inside is still alive or not. On top of that, it’s unknown whether they still have a conscious should they still be alive. So for someone to choose to undergo this procedure… they would have to be completely out of options.

Just because the procedure is typically only given to those that are about to die, doesn’t mean that there’s no way to rig the system, and Kamiya does just that. After going through the process, he gains the unique ability to be able to somewhat understand what the other plants / plant-people are saying—something unheard of until now. What’s a main character of a horror novel without an interesting supernatural power, right?

While I did find it to be a tiny bit cliche that our main character is the one “special” person in this world, I did really enjoy him! He’s a rather moody, calls it like he sees it character. While he technically works for the government, the doesn’t stop him from doing whatever he wants, within reason of course. I really liked that he didn’t let his new circumstances stop him from following his whims! As he lives such an unfortunate life, I can only hope that he can live the rest of it doing new and interesting things.

Lastly, I can’t end this review without talking about the art for a second. In any body horror series, for me, the artstyle is imperative. I would actually say that the art and plot are on par. If it’s difficult to understand what’s happening to a character—i.e. if the art is too abstract—I can’t appreciate it. If it’s constantly overly detailed, my brain can’t decide where to focus. The art in Fool Night does a wonderful job of knowing when to be more detailed, and when to be more simplistic. The author seems to always take the time to make sure the plants are drawn with great detail, but they oftentimes leave their non-plant backgrounds more simplistic. Even when there’s not necessarily anything scary happening, there is always at least a subtle focus on the plants.

While the body horror in this volume is rather minimal, it is still indeed there. Because it’s so minimal, the few times that there are more slightly grotesque panels, they really stand out.

I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here!

Kamisama to Hatsukoi / 神様と初恋, Chapter One Manga Review

It seems like sleeping with a god has its consequences, as after Matsuri met and had a brief relationship with the god Kyousei, he is now losing his powers. To make matters worse, once Matsuri left his village, she also lost all memory of him. Will they be able to reunite and solve the problem before a calamity occurs?

You can check out chapter one of this series for yourself below!

Author

This series was written by Wada Koma.

You can check out some other series by them here!

Genre & Tropes

Fantasy, romance, slightly risque but nothing explicit.

Info about this series (ongoing)

There are currently two chapters published in Japanese.

TL;DR rating

I’m still on the fence with this one, but I will be reading on for now. While I find the art to be beautiful, I think the storytelling is a tad confusing at times.

What’s it about?

Matsuri is a young woman with a talent for seeing the supernatural—though she doesn’t know it. To her, she just sees hallucinations sometimes because she didn’t have enough sleep the previous night. She didn’t think much of it until her seeing these “hallucinations” caused her fiance to break up with her, completely disrupting her life.

Leaving her with no other options, she heads to the small village her grandma used to live in, and sets to move into her house. On her way there, she spots a small child running into a tunnel. Worried that the child is lost, she runs after them and ends up in a beautiful shrine. While the child is nowhere to be seen, that doesn’t mean she’s alone—the master of the shrine is also there. Upon seeing his face, a Summer’s worth of memories come flying back into her head.

It turns out, 10 years ago Matsuri came to visit the village, and had a rather brief but intense relationship with the god of the shrine, Kyousei. At the time she didn’t realize he was something other than human, and they slept together. When she left the village she somehow forgot about the time they spent together, and didn’t regain those memories until she happened upon the shrine again.

When they meet again, he chastises her for making him wait 10 whole years, and promises (threatens?) her that this time he won’t be letting her get away from him. On top of that, he insists that they marry and that Matsuri gives him an heir!?

My thoughts on this chapter (Spoilers!)

I have some pretty mixed feelings about this chapter, so I want to start of with what I enjoyed:

I found the setup to be very interesting and well done! Matsuri losing all of memories, but not her physical connection, to the supernatural helped build up anticipation to the reveal of Kyousei being a god. I hope the story will go on to explain exactly how she developed her supernatural awareness—was it gained solely through sleeping with Kyousei, or was it something she was born with?

Her “powers” being used in tandem with Kyousei make me believe that perhaps she did gain them through sleeping with him, as he only appears to be able to use his powers at full force when she’s touching him. After they slept together he lost a good amount of his powers, and he can now only use strong magic when she’s there to support him—that clearly means she took some of his powers, right!?

I also can’t talk about the positives of this chapter without taking a moment to bring up the art—the art for this series is beautiful. While I like both character designs, Kyousei’s design is actually what brought me to pick it up.

Moving on to what I didn’t exactly love about this chapter:

I found Matsuri to be a somewhat confusing character. She seems to have reclaimed all of her memories of Kyousei upon returning to the shrine, but still acts like he’s a stranger at times. While we know that she liked him enough in the past to sleep with him and to promise to return to his side, it seems like those feelings are still lost to the current Matsuri… Or are they? She’ll go from yelling at him that she doesn’t feel anything for him, to affectionately reciting things that she said to him 10 years ago while rubbing on his face.

While she’s clearly flustered that this handsome god is suddenly trying to sleep with her, I really can’t understand her emotions. Does she like him or not? Does she remember him or not? Because of the pacing of the story, it’s a bit difficult to tell. I really would like to see more of their past relationship, as I think that would bring a lot more light upon why Kyousei is acting like this. Maybe he’s expecting her to act how she did in the past, and is flustered when she doesn’t?

Hopefully as the story continues on her thoughts will be made more clear. I just find it rather frustrating that while Kyousei’s thoughts and intents are made crystal clear from the start, I can’t understand what the main character is thinking.

Victoria of Many Faces / 手札が多めのビクトリア, Volume One Manga Review

After running away from the secret agency she lived most of her life serving, former spy Chloe decides to take on the name Victoria and start a new life for herself.

You can check out volume one of this series for yourself below!

Author

This series was written by Syuu, Komo Ushino, and Nanna Fujimi.

Genre & Tropes

Slice of life, found family, very light romantic themes.

Info about this volume (ongoing)

There are currently six volumes in Japanese, and three in English.

This series also has a translated light novel.

TL;DR rating

I liked this volume quite a bit more than I was expecting to! The story was at its best when it focused on Victoria and Nonna’s relationship, in my opinion.

Official Synopsis

Victoria’s peaceful, everyday existence has begun! Ever since she retired from the espionage world, Victoria’s been living as a civilian, just like she’s always dreamed of. But her past as a spy is hard to run from―even though she turned her back on danger, it can’t stop danger from finding her! So when she meets Nonna, a young girl totally on her own in the world, Victoria has to decide what’s truly important to her…peace, or her new friend?

My thoughts on this volume (Spoilers!)

If you’re a fan of the found family trope, I highly recommend checking out Victoria of Many Faces! Volume one quickly surpassed all of my expectations and then some—I cannot wait to check out the rest of the series.

I do have to admit, I was a little hesitant to start this one. I judged it by the title and cover, and assumed it would be a darker series. Perhaps it would follow the spy Victoria as she took on several roles throughout the volume, I thought to myself. I also wasn’t all that excited about there being a prominent child character, as I find children can really make or break a series for me.

Thankfully all of my concerns were for nothing, as this ended up being a lovely read! Rather than being a dark story about a spy and young girl, it instead ended up being a more lighthearted story of a former spy and the young girl she adopts. While there were small bouts of tension found throughout the volume, overall this made for a pretty relaxing read.

Victoria quickly became a character I could root for, as though she’s incredibly overpowered and independent, she’s humanized right from the start. Rather than being a cold spy without any emotions just going from mission to mission, she’s a former spy who is trying to live for herself for the first time in her life. In picking up the young orphan Nonna, Victoria is slowly able to learn more about herself.

I really enjoyed following both Victoria and Nonna! As Nonna clearly had a rough upbringing—she was abandoned by her parents, and has difficulty expressing herself—she has to depend on Victoria to teach her just about everything in life. Victoria, also having her own rough upbringing, balances making sure Nonna can have as fulfilling of a childhood as possible and learning about herself.

Because Victoria is so capable, it’s not all that surprising that Nonna quickly also shows herself to be rather impressive—like her randomly doing cartwheels while on a picnic! I loved that Victoria stated that she wanted Nonna to grow into a woman who never has to depend on a man. I really love just how much this volume focuses on Victoria and Nonna being able to handle things for themselves!

I can’t end this review without talking a little about the potential (definite, in my opinion) love interest, Jeffrey. I actually thought he made a wonderful addition to the story! He’s respectful of Victoria’s boundaries, is good with Nonna, and is clearly into strong, independent woman. (who isn’t?) I really don’t mind there being little sprinklings of romance here and there, as this volume is all about Victoria moving to a new city to have a new life. It makes sense for her to develop a romantic relationship with someone.

As Victoria is only beginning to understand herself come of the end of volume one, I don’t think she really sees Jeffrey as a romantic interest just yet. She says herself that while she’s dated people for the sake of missions in the past, she’s never actually developed romantic feelings for anyone. While I do think she and Jeffrey will end up dating by the end of the series, I think it’ll take at least a few volumes before it happens. Thankfully, Jeffrey seems to be a perfect gentlemen who doesn’t mind waiting until Victoria is ready. If anyone deserves her, it’s him!

I’m excited to see where Victoria and Nonna go from here, and if Victoria will continue teaching Nonna not just physical skills, but intellectual ones as well. As Victoria can speak a number of languages, it would only make sense for her to pass that on to Nonna!

Kuroko and Her Sweet Villain / 黒子と悪役くん, Volume Two Manga Review

After going on a date with Shishima, Kuroda is all up in her feelings. While he was able to help bring her out of her shell, the shyness she now feels when around him has her right back at square one. Will she be able to gain the confidence to meet him and continue their relationship?

You can check out volume two of this series for yourself below!

Author

This series was written by Tina Yamashina. X, Instagram

She also wrote Virgin Love. (English, Japanese)

Genre & Tropes

High school romance, light comedy.

Info about this volume (complete)

There are 2 volumes in this series.

This series is currently only being published digitally in English.

TL;DR rating

I thought this was an all-around cute read, but I’m so sad it was only two volumes! It would have benefitted from being even just one volume longer, IMO.

My thoughts on this volume (Spoilers!)

In volume two, we get to see Kuroda and Shishima’s relationship slowly develop from that awkward stage of “will they, won’t they?” to officially dating! I have to say, when it comes to younger (high school / university) romance series, that “will they, won’t they?” stage is my absolute favourite. The tension and slight drama it tends to bring is just so addictive!

I was very happy to see this stage of their relationship drag on for just about the entirety of this volume, as we were gifted with quite a lot of Shishima lightly teasing Kuroda, and Kuroda struggling with how to react. The two of them are just so cute together! I only wish that we were given a full volume with them officially dating! I would have loved to see them slowly grow together, and how maybe Kuroda could have improved Shishima’s standing within their class.

Just like in volume one, Shishima has a rather bad reputation around their school. I had actually forgotten about that, as I quickly became very invested in their relationship. I felt like I was a member of their little bubble for a little while when reading, I’m a little embarrassed to admit. So, when a new character asks Kuroda is Shishima wasn’t leveraging her and forcing her to hang around him, I was a little confused. I was thinking “Hey! How dare you question my cute almost-couple!?” But then I was brought back down to reality.

Thankfully there was no big misunderstanding plotline, as Kuroda was very quick to defend her man. It was so sweet watching her grow through the two volumes! As while in volume one we has to watch her do everyone else’s work and watch them enjoy the fruits of her labours from the shadows, in this volume we get to see her actively go on dates, and even refuse to do other peoples work for them! While it was initiated by Shishima, I still take it as a win for Kuroda. My girl grew so much!!

The overall tone and art found in this series is something that quickly grew on me, as it’s pretty unique! I think the author had a lot of fun with the villain motif, as she took as many opportunities to give the characters little horns and tails and cute-but-scary expressions. It allowed for the story to be more lighthearted and comedic in tone, but without any overtly comedic gags—something I tend to dislike.

As a whole, I would recommend this series to any shoujo romance lover! While it’s unfortunately a little shorter than I would have liked, it still tells a complete, very cute story.

New Manga Read - I Wanna Be Your Girl (Volume 2)

This series is very good presenting sensitive topics about gender and sexuality of teenagers in a way that works in a cute, romance setting where a girl has a crush on her longtime best friend.

The second volume did a great job of helping Hime come more to grips with the idea that she's not heterosexual, which she was struggling with in Volume 1.

Now I wait for my library network to get a copy of Volume 3 for me to read!

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Sweat and Soap / あせとせっけん – Volume One Manga Review

Working at a luxurious toiletry company is a dream come true for Asako, as her predisposition to sweat has lead her to become very familiar with body care. One day she meets Natori, and her entire world changes. Not only is he the man who invented many of the products she loves and uses on a daily basis, he is also attracted to the smell of her sweat!?

Scroll to the bottom for a link to sample and buy volume one!

Author

This series was written by Kintetsu Yamada X, Instagram

Genre & Tropes

Workplace romance, adult romance with nothing explicit.

Info about this series (complete)

This series is complete in English and Japanese with 11 volumes.

TL;DR rating

I’m rather conflicted on this one. I think you need to be in a very specific mood to be able to appreciate the story. While the characters and their relationship is rather cute and wholesome, the scent fetish part got a little off-putting for me at times.

Official synopsis

Asako’s living her dream, working at the toiletry maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she’s ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that does the trick. So when the company’s lead product developer, a perfuming genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what “that smell” is, she’s terrified… but could it be… that he likes it? And, even more surprising to Asako… does she like him?

My thoughts on this volume (Mild spoilers!)

I picked this one up for two reasons: I really liked the author’s one-shot Home Office Romance, and it was highly recommended to me. Typically I’m really not a fan of fetish content, no matter how light it may be, however I am a big fan of office romances, so I took a chance on it.

At the start, I was afraid the story would go in a more “starts off and stays hot and heavy throughout” direction, but thankfully it slows down by the end of the first chapter. We’re introduced to Natori at the very start of the story, and he comes off in a perverted light right away. I mean, he runs up to Asako, a woman he’s never met before, and starts sniffing her in the middle of their office building. He then convinces her to allow him to continue sniffing her at the office for the sake of his “creative process”, and then makes a move on her during one of these “sniffing sessions”.

It’s explained that Natori is one of the people who develops the various products that their companies sells, so he never comes off in an overtly dubious way. It’s clear that he’s telling the truth from the start—he likes how she smells, and he wants to use it in his work. He seems like a serious employee, he just happens to be a little eccentric. My problem with him is that Asako clearly comes off in a more shy and timid way. Here, she felt like the type of character who would allow herself to be put through a bit of discomfort if she felt like she was being helpful. I hate seeing characters like this be taken advantage of, so I was looking at Natori with anger in my eyes for a little while at the start.

Like… even if he is inspired by how Asako smells… there’s a time and a place for things! Like, at least introduce yourself first? Maybe wait a few days before pulling her into a storage room so you can sniff her in private? To me, their first encounter was not one I would describe as romantic.

It was when Natori made his move on Asako that I almost dropped the book…but then it made a delightful turn! Asako pushing him and running away caused him to take a moment and realize that he was indeed being rather pushy. He then took a step back, and began treating her like a normal person! Prior to this, he was treating her more like a “good smell machine” first, person second.

While their relationship does progress rather quickly, both of them are clearly happy with the speed of things, and I can’t ask for more than that! While I do personally prefer a more slow burn romance, as long as the characters are clearly happy and communicating properly, I have no complaints. Having good communication skills is one of the core elements of Asako and Natori’s relationship, as though they have a rather strong relationship by the time they start dating, that doesn’t mean they’re without any problems…

We spend a lot of time learning about how Asako’s sweat problem caused her difficulties as a child. Now as an adult she takes extra care not to do anything that may make her sweaty, but still, the difficult times she had when younger linger on her mind. This complex has had a direct effect on both her relationships with her coworkers, and her self-esteem.

So, when she realizes how much of a social butterfly Natori is, of course she gets a little self-conscious. She becomes sad even when with him, and rather than express her sadness to him, she lies and tells him that she’s okay. While typically I would get annoyed at this—like girl, tell him what’s bothering you!—what happens when he realizes she’s sad is so out of pocket that I didn’t have time to be annoyed.

Natori is a character with an exceptional nose. It’s how he was able to get his job, it’s why he’s so attracted to Asako…and it’s how he’s able to tell when she’s upset. That’s right—he can literally smell her emotions. She doesn’t need to say “i’m feeling pretty down right now”, as he can smell when she’s sad, happy, excited, etc.

I’m still really not sure how I feel about him being able to smell emotions…but at least it makes for an interesting character trait, right?

Moving on, I do think I’ll at least give the next volume a try, but if I don’t enjoy it more than volume one, I’ll be dropping this one. I still have difficulties understanding what Natori likes about Asako besides her smell. Likewise, Asako really only seems to like Natori because he’s the first one to compliment her on how she smells. I’m hoping their relationship grows beyond this shallow level, as I really do believe there’s potential!

Check out a free sample below!

You can check out volume one of this series for yourself below!

New Manga Read - Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, Volume 2

After feeling uncomfortable about the age gap in Volume 1, when I saw Volume 2 at the library, I decided to give it another shot.

It's cute. It's a slow burn, pun intentional. It's still weird, to me, the strange obsession with our female lead in cashier mode.

But, it's well written, love the art, and the characters are engaging.

So, even as I find the age gap dynamic a little odd and unsettling, I still enjoyed the second volume.

We'll see if I read 3.

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New Manga Read - The Muscle Girl Next Door

Skinny guy Daria lives next door to the incredibly muscular Ruby and he's head over heels into her. The entire series follows as he slowly tries to befriend and hopefully get her to notice him in a romantic way.

Daria is shy, nervous, and very skinny. Ruby is outgoing and very muscular. Daria's super into his muscle mommy neighbor.

It's largely a harmless and cute slow burn romance between these two characters with some friends along the way helping them actually get together.

Cute read I found at the library.

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New Manga Read - I Wanna Be Your Girl (Volume 1)

I Wanna Be Your Girl is the story of two teenage girls. One is cis-gender (Hime), and one has decided to be out as transgender (Akira) as she enter High School.

The primarily follows Hime as she tries to protect her friend facing transphobia. It also hits Hime facing her own feelings.

She has been in love with Akira for as long as she can remember. However, Akira is a girl. And she's grappling with what that means about her.

It's well done exploring these topics, so far. Checking out volume 2 if my library has it.

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New Manga Read - My Sister, The Cat (Volume 2-3)

This weekend, my oldest took the SAT's and I ended up waiting for him at the local library near the testing center. So, I finished up reading My Sister, The Cat.

It does not disappoint in a very cute story of found family with a human living with a cat family.

I don't know what else to say. It's a very cute story about family and sibling dynamics.

If that sounds cool to you, feel free to check it out.

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New Manga Read - My Sister, The Cat (Volume 1)

At the library with my youngest, when she found this. The premise? After a teenage boy's Mother dies, he's taken in by an all cat family, the Mom of whom was close friends with his late mother, as he finishes high school. Of note, he is the only human in the household.

The entire first volume introduces us to Nekota, the teen boy, and his little cat sister Neneko.

It's very cute story with a much older sibling and a much younger sibling dynamic. Plus cute cats.

It's very cute and sweet, which is all it needs to be.

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Great art, captured the story. But overall, you need the movie(s) to fill in plot gaps. That said, it did take Mewtwo's internal trauma and questions about self seriously, which I appreciated. I feel the remake film did not take that seriously enough when compared to the original film.

I liked it, but overall it's more a supplement for those who already saw the movie more than a stand alone manga.

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