Fall Manga Recs

Here we are, another season over. It’s been a pretty up and down season for my book buying; I had to skip a few weeks, but I also got a lot of new series. It’s been a pretty good time for manga lately. Also, this time, I think I’m going to add a new section where I talk about movies I’ve seen, just because I can. Here we go!

Dark Gathering by Kenichi Kondo has been pretty great so far. It’s a supernatural thriller book where a college kid, Keitaro, who attracts and is scared of ghosts, is paired up with a young girl named Yoyoi, who sees and hunts ghosts. It’s a really good book, through and through. The characters are fully realized, with a kind of life and depth that convinces you there’s more you haven’t seen of them. The book has a really great balance of horror, humor, and heartfelt character moments; the first few chapters follow a similar pattern of introducing characters with heavy backstories in a light, fun comedic setting, then taking them to a thrilling horror adventure to raise the stakes, followed by a genuine moment of delicious, gooey bonding, and then ends with a reveal that the actually, truly terrifying thing is the main characters. By the third volume, we’ve gotten out of the introductory pattern, and have gotten into the first major arc, which I’m looking forward to. Check it out for a book as warm as it is dark.

Tsugumi Project by ippatu is a pretty interesting new book. It’s made by a Japanese author who loves French comics, and so made this book for a French publisher. That’s an interesting background in itself, and you can see the European influence in the art; European books tend to put a lot more focus on the environment and setting than American or Japanese books, and you can see the detail and care put into every square inch of the massive post-apocalyptic cityscapes. It’s about the mission of a French prisoner named Leon, who was wrongly arrested and forced to go to Japan, which in this world was wiped out after being hit with a ton of nukes. The world is recovering after a couple centuries of nuclear winter, and the French are one of several major powers looking to find some secret weapon hidden in Japan. There, Leon meets a strange bird person named Tsugumi, who lives alongside her giant lion beast Tora. It’s a well-crafted book that’s able to leisurely explore this ruined, sci-fi/fantasy Japan while keeping the tension, action, and charm on track. Like, this might not be a book everyone reads and immediately thinks, “Wow, this is the best book I’ve read in a while!” but I do think it’s a really good book that you shouldn’t sleep on.

I picked up Blade of the Moon Princess by Tatsuya Endo because it’s by the Spy X Family guy, no questions asked; that’s a perfect teenage Yor on the front cover, come on! And I think it’s safe to say that was the right move. It’s a really fun, heartfelt action-adventure with a great aesthetic and effective characters; it feels like Spy X Family in the best ways. I’m almost positive that it’s based on an actual Japanese story, either folklore or semi-historical, but I can’t name the narrative. In summary, the empire of the moon is under attack by another faction of the royal family, forcing the young and untested Princess Kaguya down onto the Earth, where she’s chased down by assassins who need her dead. I’m really enjoying it right now, and honestly I’m more afraid that I’m not being fair with it because I can’t help but compare it to the unparalleled masterpiece that is Spy X Family. It’s just the first volume, and it’s already got on its feet and running; I’m sure it’s going to be another amazing book from a fantastic author.

I partly have a friend to thank for me picking up Delinquent Daddy and Tender Teacher by Tama Mizuki; she was raving a couple years back about that game Daddy Dating Simulator, so as soon as I saw the title, I had warm feelings about this book. It’s a BL story about a teacher, Hitsuji, who finds out that the struggling father of one of his students is his unrequited high school crush Hatoyama. Hatoyama asks for his help, and the two get closer and face their challenges until they get together. The afterward and story structure make it clear that this was made as a one-shot, and there’s a sequel being published as volume two soon. It’s a really sweet and heartfelt gay romance, the kind of simple love story that’s comforting and soothing to read. The bonus story’s a sex scene, and it’s pretty good, too; I wonder if we’ll get more of that in the next volume. Check it out.

I ended up late picking up Does It Count If You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? by Yakinikuteishoku, and maybe that’ll work out for me; the second volume is out now, so I don’t have too long a wait to see if it breaks the way I hope it does. The premise is that, in a world where AI and other technologies are more advanced and commonplace, overworked and perpetually single office worker Tsuda Akane accidentally orders an illegal sex robot named Nadeshiko while drunk one night. The first volume is all funny, sexy shenanigans, just having fun with the premise while introducing you to the characters. What’s interesting to me is that the titular question never comes up, because Akane clearly doesn’t think Nadeshiko is truly sentient; even though AI is better in this world, there’s no truly sentient AI, so why would Akane think getting worked over by a humanoid dildo for an entire day counts as “losing her virginity”? By the end of the volume, the hijinks they’ve been up to make her question that assumption, and a mysterious gathering of sex bot owners promises some key insights that should add more of the depth and humanity to the story. It’s a great added theme that has the potential to elevate this in a new way. This is already in the same vein as Asumi-chan, one of my favorites, so we’ll see if it’s in the same league. It’s well worth picking up.

Speaking of, I will die before I stop telling you to read Asumi-chan Is Interested in Lesbian Brothels by Kuro Itsuki! The third volume was amazing! When Asumi became Nanao’s live-in maid, I was on the edge of my seat, just waiting for the two of them to hook up. They don’t, and the actual turn in the story is so much better than that. I’m so excited to see the new encounters Asumi will have, Nanao’s fresh start on the path of sex and love, and whatever new information we’ll get about Ouka’s past (or present, really; she’s gotta be a player). I’m also hoping for more Mai next volume, now that we have Nanao established thoroughly. I want to talk longer about this, but I’m having trouble coming up with new praise for the series. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read, I can’t recommend it enough.

Dandadan by Yukinobu Tatsu is still a truly great book. The fourth volume wraps up the alien attack and settles Aira’s place in the group. Then we’re immediately introduced to a new character, Jiji. I was not sold on Jiji at first, because he’s such a hardcore weirdo character that it was hard to take him seriously. Even before we got to the haunted house, I was on board. Oh, and the chapter about the haunted school anatomy models was perfect. This volume was a little bit of a slowdown, as it ramps up for the next story and as it focused its sights even tighter on the personal drama. This book is only getting better. It already has merch in the Shonen Jump store, and it doesn’t even have an anime yet – set to get one, but without when it got merch released, compared to the anime dynasties that make up the rest of the merch store. I got a shirt. Go check it out, you’ll devour the series in no time.

Kemono Jihen by Sho Aimoto had a seminal seventh volume. This is the year of Kon, the best girl. She really is the best balance of many of my favorite character types. As Kabane’s time in Shikoku wrapped up, the story turned its focus to her, and really put the screws to the world’s most perfect fox. It’s a truly great arc. The series excels at meeting the characters where they are and elevating whatever they go through to a very personal, affecting place. Kon and Kabane highlight for each other their childish natures, and Kon’s arc uses a really simple jealousy and betrayal combo to explore the precarious position she’s in with a “kid’s stuff” scenario. It’s a heart-wrenching scene. I love scenes and characters like that because it’s great to remember that in the middle of all the big, complicated drama and “important stuff,” you’re still just a person with simple and deeply-rooted emotions that the “adult” world likes to sweep away or ignore. It’s really nice to have a moment to slowly work through that and reflect on your feelings. So yeah, this has been a great book, and this volume in particular is a great showcase for why it’s great. Check it out.

I told you that Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayazuki was the sort of book to answer a question with several more questions, and volume four is that on steroids. Up to now, we’ve been seeing the groundwork laid for a mystery, and we’re finally getting some answers. Instead of treating this as a switch from focusing primarily on the romance to a balanced or primary focus on the mystery, the story sprints up to the point that four volumes of mystery solving would be at, and in doing so, introduces several complicating factors to the mystery. It comes across like a series of gut punches, all while keeping up with the emotion of the romance storyline. I love this book so much, it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. Get it now.

The newest volume of Helck by Nanao Nanaki was all flashback, finishing up Helck’s backstory and explaining why he first joined the tournament to become the next Demon Lord. While flashback stories are often riveting and important for setting up the rest of the story, they also literally put the main story on pause. It’s not often that a flashback is the most emotionally engaging part of the story. That’s what strikes me most about this volume. As the series has gone on, it’s gotten progressively more serious, and Helck’s backstory is the most potent storyline yet. It feels fully like a drama here, in all the best ways. I’ve probably made it clear somewhere by now that I’m not much of a fantasy person – and if not, I tend not to like the sort of LotR-style sword and sorcery stuff, or the “vaguely based on Japanese RPGs” stuff – so believe me when I say this is a story worth reading.

It’s a big lightning round this time, turns out. First up, the newest volume of Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included by Matoba continues to be great. The volume introduces two new characters, adding enough young women around our lead to officially call it a harem rather than a love triangle (or other shape). I’m a little surprised with myself, because I usually don’t go with harem stories. But it’s been really sweet, and I’ll follow Matoba anywhere. The Invisible Man and His Soon-To-Be Wife by Iwatobineko is moving along swimmingly. Yakou’s mom is a great new character. It’s a good sophomore volume, and I think we’ll see the full bloom in volume three. Candy and Cigarettes by Tomonori Inoue is as enjoyable as ever. Really fun volume, with adventures in the desert. I love books like this that revel in being really cool and taking big swings. Every storyline, now that they’ve met with Musou Saburou, feels like it could be the big finale, you know? They could do this forever. Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk by Toru had a good volume five. Yuzuru has gotten over himself, and in the process a new storyline with punk drama has been introduced. It’s just the sort of thing the book needed at this moment, and it fits right in. Game: Between the Suits by Mai Nishikata feels like it’s nearing its endgame. This volume reminded me how much fun the side characters are, and if they weren’t there to break up the mood, it would probably be hard to stick with a self-serious romance that treats a vanilla office hookup like Fifty Shades of Grey. Now that we’ve gotten to this point, I don’t mind sticking around for the finale. The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses by Koume Fujichika continues to be a perfect little middle school heteromance. It’s steaming towards open romantic tension now, in a really cute way. The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated by Wakame Konbu had a good volume six. The introduction of the Dark Lord and the new mystery of the light has added much needed depth to the narrative, just as the search for the mana crystals was stretching thin. I was actually surprised about Jahy’s relationship with the Dark Lord, because she seems like the sort of character who would take credit for her master’s work; I didn’t think she was the one taking charge in setting up rule in the Dark Realm. The Mieruko-Chan: Official Comic Anthology came out between volumes seven and eight, and it’s a good collection. It’s always fun to see what other artists want to do with a story. My favorites were by Michiru Noroi and Sayman Dowman. Nichijou by Keiichi Arawi just got its eleventh volume, after the series came to an end some years ago. I was surprised to see it out, and now I feel silly for having taken the rest off my shelf (I could do an article about books I wish I kept). It picks up right where it left off, in terms of being yet another volume of Nichijou, as if nothing had ever changed. SHY by Bukimi Miki is shaping up to be a great book, with this Russia story. We’re learning more about the villains, and it’s going to be a great storyline. We’ll have something meaty to talk about next volume, I’m sure.

This time, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the new series released on Shonen Jump over the spring and summer. It’s been a surprisingly busy few months for new books on the app, and several are strong contenders.

First, I want to highlight Akane-Banashi by Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue; it’s not new this summer, but it’s now coming out in print. It’s a story about a teenage girl’s path to becoming a rakugoka, a professional performer in the traditional Japanese comedic storytelling art of rakugo. It’s the sort of book you’d expect to have a hard time making it, given its reliance on technical details about rakugo and the fact that we, as the audience, can’t fully experience the storytelling. But it’s been going strong for a while now, and it’s really good. The focus is more on character drama, and it handles that really well. It’s a fun read.

Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono is a new supernatural action series, just four chapters strong at the moment. It’s about the son of a blacksmith who was to inherit the secret for making enchanted swords, before his father was killed by sorcerers and he vowed revenge. It’s been really good so far, with a really strong and solid foundation. There’s enough to work with right now in terms of setting and whatnot that you don’t feel lost as they focus on the characters and fundamental mechanics it’ll be relying on. I genuinely think this book is going places; there’s moments when you read a first chapter and you can feel that this is a book that has what it takes, and Kagurabachi had that moment. It’s great action, great designs and visuals, and it has this quirky humor and charm that I like.

Two on Ice by Elck Itsumo has been off to a great start so far. The story follows a middle school student who taught himself how to figure skate by watching videos of his idol, and then moves to Tokyo and pairs up with her for pairs skating. There are a lot of great elements in this story so far, three chapters in, but I still think it has something more to give. I do expect it’ll get there, though, as we see the two of them at their first official performance as a pair. Some parts are uneven right now, but it’s still charming, and I think there’s a lot of potential.

I did not go into MamaYuyu by Yoshihiko Hayashi expecting what I got; the name and description made me think “comedy set in ‘another world’,” when in reality this is a pretty darn great drama. Humans and demons ended their long war with the death of the previous hero, leaving our new hero to be raised by the demon lord; as our hero is questioning what it even means to be a hero in a world at peace, incursions of heroes and demons from other worlds disrupt things. It’s genuinely heartfelt and focused on the inner conflict of the characters, making these grand thematic questions feel very personal. We’re only at five chapters at the moment.

Martial Master Asumi by Kawada has been a blast so far. It’s about a high schooler who gets reluctantly pulled into the world of mixed martial arts, which sits at the heart of his family drama. Great characters, great humor, and most importantly, real, actual knowledge of martial arts. I grew up doing a kind of kenpo, with some stuff from other martial arts my teacher studied mixed in, so I was excited to see moves I learned on the page. It’s been a blast to read. This one has sixteen chapters right now, so it’s a bit longer in the tooth than the rookies above.

Nue’s Exorcist by Kota Kawae has been a good read lately. It’s about a supernaturally aware high schooler who gets into a contract with a powerful spirit trapped in his school, and all the battles with spirits and exorcists that brings. I’ve been enjoying it; there’s a strong sense of who the characters are and how that informs and directs the action. It also has a pretty good aesthetic. I don’t have the best read on how popular it is or could be, but the fact that it’s been running for twenty-one chapters and is gearing up for a bigger story counts for something. It’s worth giving a look-see.

Jiangshi X by Norihiko Kurazono feels like a sleeper hit to me. It’s about a group of rookie daoshi monks training to defend their (I think) fictionalized Chinese homeland from hordes of zombie-like jiangshi. It does not pull its punches, and it’s definitely burning the narrative; I wouldn’t want it to hold back (and potentially be worse) just to be a longer book, but if it ends with the current storyline like I think it will, I’ll be sad it’s gone so soon. It’s a great example of how to use classic character tropes to create your spread without making side characters feel less-than or unimportant. The art and action are very satisfying. The main issue I have is that I feel bad for not knowing how to pronounce all the Chinese words in it (“woo doe jee-oo dow”?).

Shojo Null by Kanae Nakanishi and Akima has been an enjoyable read so far. It’s about a middle school boy who befriends an escaped android Gijin who’s on a quest to punish humanity for their mistreatment of Gijin. The art is a good balance of visceral for all the gore and soft for the relatable, cutesy teen angle. Some parts do feel uneven, but there’s enough charm to it that I’m not going to sweat it; the book is only seven chapters in, so it has time to get its feet under it. There’s a great core to the story where our human protagonist struggles with his desire for a peaceful life and a peaceful end to the injustice he knows Gijin go through, and his acknowledgement that, because all of society is built on cruelty towards Gijin, he has no place to tell his friend not to kill humans who hurt and kill Gijin. It’s not justifying violent revenge as a legitimate political tool, but it’s a very human position of knowing how small your are compared to the larger power structure, and knowing the limits of what you can accomplish and what you’re willing to do or risk. Also, a cop (cops are the bad guys here) literally says, “I love a good slaughter,” so that’s nice.

Wild Strawberry by Yonemoto has the makings for a great, long-standing series, and right now, at eight chapters, it’s in the crucial make-or-break moment. In a world where Tokyo has been taken over by a man-eating plant called a jinka that turns people into jinka, a young man has to find a way to prove to the world that his jinka sister isn’t dangerous and try to turn her human again. The art is superb, with all sorts of granular, fine detailing on the wide variety of jinka. The first chapter is a fairly dark yet determined look at the position the hero finds himself in, and as the story has gone on, they’ve introduced more humor and sillier elements to the new characters. I think it could use some evening out there, in terms of tone; it’s not bad, but it does make you wonder what kind of book they want to make, you know? We have eight chapters right now, so it’s still a nice, fresh strawberry.

Here’s my first movie corner. I had an experience with our first movie on this list, Bottoms, where I was retweeted by the official movie account. And while that’s cool for me, I didn’t take it as a good sign for the movie; I have less than ten followers on Twitter, I am not getting them any extra visibility or clout. Combined with the fact that I didn’t see much promotion of it and people I know, even the people working the theatre, didn’t know what it was, and it’s clear this great, vibrant movie had no marketing support from the studio, not at the level it deserves. The level all movies deserve. Studios are dumb for not realizing that they can’t find the next hidden gem if we don’t know to go see it. So here are a few movies that didn’t get much marketing that deserve better.

Bottoms is a great original comedy starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri. It’s the classic, all-American story of two high school lesbians who start a fight club in an attempt to hook up with their crushes. This movie is exactly as perfect as it sounds. It has everything you could want in a teen sex comedy, it has some great, visceral fight scenes that look real and ugly like fighting should look, and it has Marshawn Lynch. Beneath all that, it’s also this incredibly smart and heartfelt story about how feminism is often coopted and vilified by those who don’t value or understand what it has to offer, and how disingenuous efforts can still rally something real to fight for in the future. This movie knows what it’s saying and can seamlessly switch from scenery-chewing to real people talking straight to camera. It’s one of the best movies no one’s heard of this year. Find it as soon as it hits streaming.

Now for the big question: Slotherhouse: Great movie or the greatest movie? I really lucked out with seeing it, because I ended up making plans the day it came out, with only a few seats available, and, criminally, it didn’t play again. Starring Lisa Ambalavanar, it’s the story of a college student looking to be president of her sorority who adopts a poached sloth for popularity, and that sloth is a bloodthirsty killer. It’s an incredible horror-comedy with tongue firmly in cheek; they know exactly what movie they made, and it’s the best movie. It’s hilarious and over-the-top start-to-finish, just an hour-and-a-half of pure fun. It would be easy to go into this movie and think you know what the killer sloth will do, but trust me, you do not. Despite what it might sound like, Slotherhouse still holds onto its themes and finishes strong on the basic narrative. Seriously, it’s such a fantastic movie, and I think there are either too many people who don’t get that they knew what they were making or have bad taste, because that’s the only explanation for its low IMDb score. Like, it feels like a similar kind of movie as Psycho Goreman to me, but with a more grounded cast and setting, if that makes sense.

The Retirement Plan is a pretty fun Nic Cage movie I saw just because. It’s about a retired assassin who’s called upon to protect his granddaughter from a criminal conspiracy. It’s not a particularly great movie, and it lost me a few places because there are two main unknowns that drive the plot that we never learn anything about; you have to either tell us what was on the drive or what’s going on with the (I think) Florida state politician who was somehow in charge of a major federal agent. Also, in the beginning, we see a guy in the shadows make a call about there being trouble, and we never learn who that guy is or who he’s calling. I don’t think I ever saw a trailer for this movie. I saw it because I had seen a poster for a Nic Cage movie and trusted it would be fun. It is a lot of fun, too. The performances are really solid, the action is great, and I especially liked the gangsters. They all come across as regular people who are competent and scary, not “super smart and not-your-normal movie gangsters.” Ron Perlman is in it, with this kind of weird character arc with a little girl where he talks about Othello a lot. Go waste an afternoon on it.

So yeah, another quarter of the year in ways I’ve been spending my free time. There are a lot of books I would still like to check out, and some longer term reads I haven’t been able to catch up on for a while. There’s the final volume of Sorry For My Familiar, a volume or two of Magical Girl Spec Ops *Asuka* and Otaku Elf, the most recent Pompo the Cinefile (unclear on if that’s a continuing series), and some number of back volumes of New Game, Interviews with Monster Girls, Non Non Biyori, probably Futaribeya, Kase-san and Yamada, and Go With the Clouds, North by North West. I’m also eagerly anticipating the next volumes of School Zone Girls, Happy Kanako’s Killer Life, Black and White: Tough Love at the Office, and Kaiju Girl Caramelise. Also, SHWD, because it’s been way too long to get a second volume. I’ve done some counting, and I have 771 books on my shelf. If I get to 1000, I’m officially a library. I’ll let you know when I’ve proudly purchased by sixth bookshelf to make the necessary room. See you again about this in January!