Book Reviews

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Lenni Reviews: “After God” Vol. 8, by Sumi Eno

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

Tokinaga talks with Toda, who was with the Ahf-Azu but now wants to leave the group and save his sisters from being used by the terrorists.

The experiments on Orokapi – who is inside Akio – are super interesting, and the role of the IPO’s? Awesome. This volume drops a ton of info, and it’s really cool. I love a good lore dump/plot-heavy volume. I do worry that too many moving parts are happening: Toda’s sisters, whatever Tokinaga is doing, IPOs melting, the dog backpacks

Yes, really….

I do enjoy the wimsy randomly thrown in here and there. This is a very unique story so far. 3.9 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite” Vol. 6, by Julietta Suzuki

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

A newbie vampire’s vlog goes viral, prompting a flood of foreign vampires coming to Japan and attacking random people. Lord Rinya, who manages the vampires in Japan, has a devious plan to get things under control, but his main goal is to have Hina for himself.

Not to overspoil things, but it is so cool to see Hina assert her authority and power while still being a gigantic nerd. I just adore that dichotomy. Lethal goofballs are so much fun. One minute she’d be fangirling over her favorite character’s voice actor (who is a fucking creep) and the next she’s commanding a room full of vampires. And it’s nice to see the vampires being a threat to humans instead of last time, where being hit by a truck wasn’t even that big of a deal for a person. It feels like there are some real stakes this time – pun not intended. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 4, by Miyu Morishita

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

It’s time for the Cultural Festival, and their class decides to do a cosplay cafe.

This volume has more of Tsumiki’s family, where we learn that while she’s upbeat and positive now, she hasn’t always had the easiest time of it. This is still a fun read; nothing is really dark. There’s some humor mixed in, some nice character moments with Mokuri, all in all, some very cozy slice of life antics that leave you with a smile and a curitosity to know more about all the different types of creatures. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 13, by Makoto Ojiro

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

Nakami and Magari go with their friends to Osaka to check out colleges. Energized by the trip, they both throw themselves into intense studying.

There is also a change in Magai’s condition, and we learn more about Nakami’s parents. It’s a bittersweet volume since now that we know about Magari’s illness, it’s possible this series will take that dark turn. I sincerely hope it doesn’t, since, while it is a realistic possibility, for me it doesn’t fit with the tone this series has had up to this point. Although it would fit with the message of living in the moment and treasuring them… 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 23 by Rumiko Takahashi

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

Natsuno confronts Yurako about Sana’s death and Daigo reveals more Goku Clan secrets.

Yup, revealing even more horrid things the Goko Clan got up to. Holy hell, what an awful group. Fantastic and interesting story, but terrifying. After that, we go back to a sort of villain of the week vibe, but the revelation about those who have survived the Goku Clan is lingering in the background. It may be a bit of a spoiler to say it reminded me of Highlander, and pairing that with the fact that Shiranui is still handling dangerous Goku Clan weapons like Halloween candy, I bet things are gonna get wild. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 11. by Sui Ishida

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

As the Yamato Mori attacks the Tower of Mourning, Zora’s forces launch a powerful counterattack.

Continuing the battle, this volume has some cool art, especially as various characters show off new abilities. The splash pages are fantastic, and (no spoilers) what we learn about what it will mean if Zora is killed? Very interesting. It was a little disappointing that wasn’t the focus of the rest of the volume, but there is a LOT going on; plenty of enemies and some character work to get through. It’s alright that it doesn’t move forward much plot-wise since what we see is intriguing and entertaining. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 18, by Yusei Matsui

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

Tokiyuki and his vassals fight Kono Morano while Akiie has to deal with ineffective nobles in order to win.

I do enjoy how Akiie treats his troops, making sure they can have celebrations to keep up morale. He’s a good leader, so it’s clear Tokiyuki can learn a lot from him. But as he’s still going through this learning process, this still feels kinda dry. I couldn’t even get it into the fight scenes. It all feels like that Simpsons meme:

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I honestly wonder if I should drop this series or succumb to the sunk cost fallacy and power through. 2.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Wanna Be Your Girl” Vol. 2, by Umi Takase

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

As Akira struggles to be seen at school as a girl, Hime has a heart-to-heart with Yukka, who shares her backstory about her time in the track club.

This volume is very insightful. It not only addresses how Hime can be a better ally, but also how Akira perceives being a girl. Akira also talks to her father about presenting a girl, and Hime tells her parents why she’d started wearing a boy’s uniform to school. Spoilers, but I think it’s important for potential readers to know that the parents we’ve seen so far are pretty supportive. Akira’s dad is iffy, though. Overall, I like the growth we’re getting. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Pink Candy Kiss” Vol. 4, by Ami Uozumi

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

As Ema fulfills her dream of opening a cafe, Takara is still struggling to hold in her romantic feelings for her friend. When Ema’s mother shows up, taking cruel digs at her, Takara takes Ema on a trip to cheer her up.

We get the “only one bed” trope, but it doesn’t lead to anything other than a cute moment, in case you’re looking to avoid anything explicit or stories with cheating. Other than that, these two are a bit of a mess, and I’m baffled as to how this will turn out still. So far, the only clear-cut villain is Ema’s mother, who is a verbally and mentally abusive fuckwad who I wouldn’t mind never hearing from again. But since this trip they went on had all internal revelations, we’re still in the same place in Takara and Ema’s relationship, and while I would want to see a jump forward, I think slow and easy is for the best here. 3.9 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Something is Killing the Children” Vol. 8, by James Tynion IV & Werther Dell’Edera

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

This volume is an anthology, gathering different stories to explore Erica’s past.

Watching Erica work never gets old. I love how action-packed this volume is. It makes the quiet moments that much more impactful. Despite the volume being promoted as for even new readers, I think it does you a disservice to read this without the context of the previous volumes, especially given how volume seven ended. You might be annoyed that volume eight doesn’t jump right in to where seven left off, but I think these stories give some great insight into Erica’s training and her dynamic with the organization. She’s an awesome character, and this volume just lets her do her thing. 4.5 out of 5.

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