Book Reviews

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Lenni Reviews: “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite” Vol. 8, by Julietta Suzuki

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

Amanatsu rushes to find Rinya’s show, where Rinya is trying to convince Hina to finally bite Amanatsu, but to practice on him first.

Now that all the feelings are out there, Hina does need to decide if she will have Victor break his contract with Amanatsu and replace it with her own to protect him and cement their relationship. This is such a big deal that her father decides to get involved. This would have been super interesting if some other person hadn’t shown up instead. Kinda took the wind out of that reveal for me. Its like when a joke is funny but not in the right place and sucks the energy out of a scene. Not terrible, but very meh. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Shinobi Undercover” Vol. 1, by Ippon Takegushi & Santa Mitarashi

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

Yodaka is an operative for the Ninja Public Safety Force, and his next assignment is to be a bodyguard for a high school girl, Aoi. However, Yodaka does not like interacting with people, and Aoi has been targeted by the underworld.

While this comes off as a comedy, it does not skimp on the action. Yodaka can be goofy, and Aoi’s inability to win a fight with gravity made me laugh, but the ninjas in this comic mean business. It throws a good bit of lore for the world in this first volume, but this is a fun start to a series. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Tales of Iga” Vol. 1, by Regujie

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

Set in feudal Japan in 1560, Masayasu wants to become a shinobi to protect is village. As he’s training with Hanzo, The Templars have come to Japan to claim three sacred treasures. Hanzo becomes embroiled in the battle with the Assassins against the Templars.

A lot of this volume is Masayasu training with Hanzo and Tsuyu, a young woman Assassin. But when the action starts, it’s glorious. The action can have blank backgrounds but the human movement is well done, which is important with you’re dealing with a franchise known for its action. It’s an interesting start and I’m curious as to where this will go, as this was a LOT of set up. A tentative 3.5 out of 5 since the pacing is off in some places.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dark Gathering” Vol. 18, by Kenichi Kondō

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

After the battle with the god, there is a meeting of Japan’s strongest mediums as Yayoi reflects on when she first came into her powers after the accident that claimed her parents.

A good portion of this is back when Yayoi was learning about spirits while she’s in the hospital recovering from the accident. She gets to know another patient, Granny Sachiko, and wastes no time getting to know the rules and building her arsenal. The other mediums are concerned about the power vacuum left behind after Yayoi defeated Taisai. While I’m always down to expand this amazing universe, I have concerns about expanding the cast this much so quickly. This series hasn’t had any major missteps, so I should probably trust the process. I do love this insight into Yayoi. That was a great story and it hit so many emotional beats and had some amazing creature designs. 4.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 10, by Daruma Matsuura

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

Aki and Tsuki travel to the bowels of the village where those who have harmed others when their powers manifested are sealed away. They want to enlist their help to finally defeat Toki.

Oh, this volume has so many twists and turns. It feels like it’s over way too soon. While it may not be battle heavy, there’s plenty of plot to chew on. We get some interesting intrigue around what Aki has seen in her visions, as well as Toki’s backstory. She’s a classic twisted child villain and unapologetically evil. This series continues to explore all these angles I’d never considered and I’m really enjoying it. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I’m No Angel” Vol. 1, by Ai Yazawa

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

Modori is a first year high school student, excited to run for a spot on the Student Council. Her classmate, Akira, is also running, putting Midori in close quarters with her crush.

This was just not for me. Sometimes, slice of life doesn’t quite hit that sweet spot of mundane but still interesting enough to read. It felt too mundane for me, if that makes any sense. I think the characters aren’t engaging me like other slice of life series I’m reading right now. It’s not bad but I didn’t like it as much as I like other series by this creator. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Fool Night” Vol. 9, by Kasumi Yasuda

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

The search continues for Dr. Kudai, revealing differing alliances and serious threats.

Most of this is Yomiko trying to find Kidai and all the intrigue and espionage around it. They want to find out who did the procedure on Toshiro so it’s a lot of talking and much slower than all the previous stuff about Ivy. It’s not bad but all the action in the previous volumes set a tone that shifts so differently here. It’s interesting but it’s clearly setting things up to be exposed later so I’ll have to be patient. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 14, by Makoto Ojiro

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

As Isaki checked into the hospital for her surgery, Ganta deals with the stress from that and exams by closing himself off from the whole friend group.

Yup, gonna spoil it: Isaki gets to graduate with all her friends and is still dating Ganta in this final volume. For those who prefer their media to have a happily ever after, you’ll get one here. I’m left with just this happy feeling, knowing a brighter future awaits for most of the cast; not counting the ones we don’t know much about. While I’d love to know more about their adult lives, I’m satisfied with this ending. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 20 by Yusei Matsui

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

Tokiyuki and his allies flee south to the Southern Court, where Emperor Go Daigo tests him.

Tokiyuki is also preparing for his next battle, which is at sea. Also, what the heck…

This creator needs a horror manga… That shit’s terrifying.

Shizuko brings back the magic angle to this series, and again, it’s all just meh. There’s something just so bland about this that makes it hard to care. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 20, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

With clinical trials for the vaccine in the works, the crew heads to Okinawa to respond to an SOS from a base about to be overrun with zombies.

In Okinawa, they meet Yui; a survivor who uses her anxiety to “predict” outcomes. I love her, and she must be protected at all costs.

This volume also puts the zombie’s ability to overwhelm with sheer numbers back to the forefront so they’re a threat. The art really does some great work making them look horrible and scary. It’s clear this series isn’t about them; it’s about Akira and company tripping their way into completing all the things on their bucket list. 4 out of 5.

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