Lenni Reviews: “Sound of a Blink” Vol. 1, by Shuzo Oshimi

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Shuzi is in college with a girlfriend and has won his first manga award. Then he gets a call from his parents: his little brother has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

This is a very introspective look at someone dealing with a sick family members, forcing them to face their childhood. All the little dark feelings he had are rendered in such a way where I almost felt like a voyeur who shouldn’t be seeing this. It’s amazing, the art really able to capture the confusion and malaise of not feeling like you’re a part of things or wondering why you’re not reacting “normally.” 4.7 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 13, by Sui Ishida

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Yamato Mori is in the upper level of the Tower of Mourning to eliminate Zora. When Zora makes an offer to go with the Yamato Mori, Batista has other plans.

Batista going berserk lets us go into his past and what happened to him to put him in this position. It’s a fairly classic tragic backstory. As that takes up a good portion of this, the battle against him isn’t concluded yet. The reality and time warping powers are amazing to see. You can tell it took a LOT of talent to make it look so overwhelming and off-putting. Very good volume. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Lenni Reviews: “Magical Girl Dandelion” Vol. 3, by Kaeru Mizuho

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

While Tanpopo and Peony are on a mission to protect Peony’s friend, Karakusa, Ice goes to great lengths to get back his old friend, Shade.

Prima and Stella are frightening. They have some amazing character designs. There isn’t much down time in this volume. Once Peony asks Tanpopo to help with Karakusa, the fiends show up and the action goes full throttle. I’m not happy about the cliffhanger but other than that, this was a lot of fun. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Lenni Reviews: “Vagabond Definitive Edition: Vol. 6, by Takehiko Inoue

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Despite being deaf and mute, Sasaki Kojiro has incredible sword skills and an insatiable drive to be the best. This drive leads him far away from the small seaside village where he grew up.

It was genuinely sad to repeatedly see Master Kanemaki try to keep Kojiro from going down a bloody path but still teach the boy how to fight. He wants a better life for the kid, but he knows it’s inevitable and he can either get the kid prepared, or watch him die. The fight scenes in this are amazing and things moved at an enthralling pace. You do get some space to breathe and some humor is sprinkled in. This was a very enjoyable volume and it’s pretty bloody and really leans into the mentality of being a swordsman. 4.5 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Lenni Reviews: “Daydream Darling” Vol. 1, by Io Sakisaka

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Iroha Hosho avoids chatting with her classmates and spends her time daydreaming outside with her only confidant, Sou Akutsu. One day, another student sees her outside, revealing the secret Iroha had been keeping.

This can be like Komi, but Iroha is very different. And so far, the cast is kinda fun! Nobody’s being a bully or weird at all. They’re pretty mature, actually. For a second, I thought this would have a darker vibe but it’s a nice slice of life with a clear budding romance in the works.

As for why I thought this was gonna get dark. *SPOILERS* the reason is that at the start the Sou Iroha is talking to is in her head. He’s the daydream. I thought we were gonna go full on psychosis but nah. Iroha is just an awkward people pleaser who needs to be more confident. 3.7 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Lenni Reviews: “Marriage Toxin” Vol. 14, by Joumyaku & Mizuki Yoda

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Gero and Chinatsu face the self proclaimed head of the Iron Clan, Chuto as they continue to protect the former head, Nabe.

After they complete their assignment with Nabe, Gero is summoned to his family home with Kinosaki. Here, we get to meet Kiara, the head of the Poison Clan. So, there are some interesting things brewing. The mission with Nabe brings Gero and Chinatsu closer, but Gero’s clan is cooking up something sinister. I’m guessing this forced marriage is a cogs in a bigger machine that Gero has no idea about and isn’t as simple as there just needs to be an heir.

And if anyone hurts Kinosaki, I will riot. 3.9 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Workout Roundup: It’s good to be back (mostly)

As I’m easing back into things, I did push myself a bit and ran at a really easy pace when I hit the treadmill. I’m pairing that with the desk peddler. I do just enough to get my heart rate up, and by the end of it, I can tell it’s working because I am so sore. It’s gonna be a while before this is easy again.

When I say I wanted more veggies, I mean I was desperate for them. I’m back to eating solid foods. I still have to be careful and only chew on one side of my mouth. I’m also watching my portions because I lost weight when I couldn’t eat anything more solid than mashed potatoes and oatmeal and I don’t want to gain it back. And as you can see, I’m big into those pickled res onions now. I make them really fast in the fridge and even put them on sandwiches (pics at another time). I feel so much better getting back to a normal routine. 

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 21, by Yusei Matsui

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After Mima uses her divine power to save them, Tokiyuki and his friends wash ashore and meet Kosaka Takamune, who takes them in so they can recover before heading into battle once more.

This one has a lot of tactical talk and jumps forward a few years but it still feels bland. Almost like reading bulleted points in a Wikipedia article. I just don’t feel as engaged as the exaggerated art wants me to be. 3 out of 5.

 

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 8, by Takeru Hokazono

(Image Source)

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

While taking refuge at the Kyoto Slaughter Hotel, Iori contemplates restoring her memories as Chihiro risks his life to protect her.

This volume dives into Iori’s past and growing up with a famous swordman like Samura. Now, there’s also a prophesy about the sword bearers causing a great calamity (reminds me of Choujin X) The action is fantastic and there’s a lot of heart tugging events here, too. And it’s paced well enough that while cluttered, it’s easy to read and flows very well. 4 out of 5.

Follow me on BlogLovin.

Finally Watched It: Happiness (2021)

(Image Source)

It’s been a while since I did a Finally Watched It. I decided to talk about shows or movies that whenever I mention them, nobody really knows what I’m talking about. Plenty of people talk about All of Us Are Dead. I have watched that, which means the almighty algorithm feeds more stuff like it. That’s how I found this show. Here’s the blurb:

“Happiness takes place in the near future, where the release of a failed treatment drug “Next” has caused a worldwide pandemic known as the Lytta Virus, a.k.a. “mad person disease”. Those infected by Lytta experience short bouts of insanity and bloodlust, before completely regressing into a zombie-like state. The South Korean Military and Police forces try to contain the spread of Lytta and Next through extensive investigation and authoritative quarantine measures, while civil rights groups protest against them, believing the infected are still capable of normal human interaction.”

The best parts of this are Yoon Sae-bom and Jung Yi-hyun, our two main leads, before their apartment complex goes into lockdown, and their neighbors join the cast. They are very capable, clever, and have great chemistry together. It’s cool that the zombies are not zombies all the time, and while all the normal tropes for the genre are there, it was fun to watch! Except for the ending. I finished episode 11 and thought, “How the heck are they gonna wrap all this up in one episode?” Then they kinda tossed all out in there as rapidly as possible since there was only one episode left. Things were so evenly paced before that this felt like whiplash. I bet if they had one more episode or maybe made the last episode longer, they could have made it more satisfying. I didn’t feel like I wasted my time, more like there was some wasted potential. Worth checking out if you want some zombie in your K-Drama.

Follow me on BlogLovin.