comedy

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Lenni Reviews: “My New Wife’s Fake Smile” Vol. 1, by Kengo Matsumoto

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

After a month of marriage, Sojiro’s wife, Chiyo, always sports a fake smile. As it’s an arranged marriage and he’s the second son, Sojiro vows to do his best to become the husband she deserves and make that smile real. However, he is totally unaware that Chiyo is desperately holding her intense feelings for him inside.

These two are a couple of goofballs who misunderstand each other but are still funny and nice to one another. It’s a light-hearted comedy that has potential in both good and bad ways. I can see these consistent misunderstandings getting repetitive in the long term if they don’t progress as a couple as more volumes pass. There are some serious moments as Sojiro is a samurai and gets into some sword fights, but this just means the art handles the sweet, the silly, and the fight scenes with no problem. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 2, by Miyu Morishita

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

In this volume, Tsumiki tried baking, helps a Medusa find her glasses, spend a rainy day with Tsumiki and Mirei, have an interview, and showcases different abilities from more creatures.

Most of the volume is the sports festival, where we also get the most development for Yutaka. We learn why he came to this new school and who he was in his old school. It’s still light-hearted, poignant but not dark, so if you need something with good characters and a bit of fun, this series has it so far. It’s a nice mix of fantasy and slice of life and putting the unique ways the mythical creatures adapt to more modern living is fun to watch. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 35, by Tomohito Oda

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

As Komi’s friend group has increased (only three left till she hits one hundred) she branches out more, going to karaoke where she’s brave enough to pick the first song, and plays silly couple games at a festival. Perspective shifts to Shousuke as his classmates try to get him to laugh and then to Manbagi, as she makes progress in her relationship with Wakai.

This blows through stories, but it’s done well. The pacing allows each one to feel natural, they’re all interesting, and get resolved in the same positive tone this series has maintained throughout. Komi has come such a long way, and it’s so damn satisfying to see her come out of her shell so successfully. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 6, by Aki Kusaka

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

Yuri and Keiichiro go on their school trip where Yuri gets brave and give Keiichiro a kiss on the forehead. This prompts his family to send his older brother, Shotaro.

At first, it seems Shotaro is going to be a kind of punishment for our couple as well as a rival for Keiichiro, but this volume keeps the comedic tone, and he’s more of a goofball. That seems to be a running theme whenever a new character is introduced. They’re forcing Keiichiro and Yuri to follow these strict rules like they’re going to be evily overbearing, but they’re never as awful as one would expect. I like that. We can play with expectations, but on the other hand, the lack of conflict and lasting consequences can make this a little tedious, as it keeps happening without making any progress. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man Who Defies the World of BL” Vol. 1, by Konkici

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

Our straight protagonist realizes he’s living in a boys’ love manga.

This is basically running through common BL tropes while the main character bobs and weaves to avoid them. I have to wonder, where is this going? Is he gonna have a bi awakening, is he gonna try to escape this world, is he gonna play matchmaker for everyone around him until the end of time, is this gonna be like a sitcom where a new couple gets together around him? It’s kinda silly and doesn’t take itself seriously, which is fun but feels aimless right now. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 14, by Kousuke Oono

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

In this volume, Ms. Tori is searching for a new companion, Tatsu takes Masa to clean the tombstone of his mentor, Takeyama, and he goes to an antique store. Miku goes to a cooking class.

I would have liked to see more of the cooking class since it was kinda short, and Miku is a fun character. We don’t get a lot of her on her own, and while Tatsu is a barrel and a half, the rest of the cast has some hilarious moments. Especially now that there’s more pets in the mix. I love it. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 34, by Tomohito Oda

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

Rumiko still hasn’t responded to Wakai’s confession and Komi gets accepted to her first-choice school. Their class is gearing up for another festival and decides to do a ramen stand.

The ramen stand was a funny event. Komi’s come a long way from not speaking at all to leading the class to play for an event and having a great time. I like that this volume keeps most of the focus on this event with only a couple side stories like Rumiko and Wakai. The volumes with a ton of different little stories have been hit or miss but this volume was just some cozy fun. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 4, by Aki Kusaka

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

Yuri’s plan to become a maid at Keiichiro’s home to be closer to him over the summer doesn’t work out like she thought, resulting in hilarious consequences once summer break is over.

This volume has some great comedy, but it’s starting to feel like Yuri is learning the same lesson over and over again. She does something wacky then realizes that Keiichiro deeply cares for her and she should just chill out about what she expects from their relationship and all these rules. I like them and root for them, but this volume was just okay. I’d like to see a bit more growth from her. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Ship My Rival x Me” Vol. 1 by PEPA & Qualia

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

Wei Yanzi and Gu Yiliang are both young up-and-coming actors currently working on the same show but Wei Yanzi feels as if he’s overshadowed by Gu Yiliang’s natural talent and good looks. Since he’s getting some hate from Gu Yiliang’s fans, Wei Yanzi leans into those online shipping him and his costar so he sees more positive things about himself.

This is so goofy. Wei Yanzi doesn’t realize how flirty he sounds when he talks to Gu Yiliang and it’s funny to see him encouraging fanfiction of himself and his costar. I say costar because (spoiler?) they’re not really rivals; they get along pretty well the entire time. Gu Yiliang is clearly developing some feels while Wei Yanzi is clueless. It feels a little scattered but it’s still cute. And a clean read so far at a 13+ rating.3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 13, by Kousuke Oono

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

In this volume, our favorite househusband:

  • Deals with a wild boar in town
  • Has a nice late-night snack with his wife
  • Goes ice skating
  • Plays shogi with a kid named An
  • Deals with seasonal allergies
  • Helps search for a lost person
  • Has an encounter with a recently released gang member
  • Wife goes through his books to see what he reads
  • Goes camping
  • Makes pancakes

All the typical humor I’ve come to expect from this series is here and it’s so much fun. I’m also loving the side plot of crafty yakuza wanting to defeat Tatsu using their woodworking, sewing, and pottery skills. I can’t get enough of all this intensity put towards mundane tasks which I thought might get old 13 volumes in but it still gets a chuckle out of me. 4 out of 5.

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