comic review

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 6, by Luka Kobachi

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

Nanoha and Chidori’s relationship is discovered by Mai, who has a crush on Nanoha. As they go on a school trip, tension forms between them as Nanoha is jealous of how close Chidori gets to Mai, which puts pressure on the entire friend group.

Yeah, the stakes are still pretty low considering Mai has no real ill intentions towards the couple and it’s mostly the friend group just wanting to enjoy the trip without drama. Fair, considering what a breakup can do to a friend group, even if they’re not all aware of the couple. They just need to communicate properly if they want this relationship to work. It’s a nice story beat, even if their fight went on a bit long for me. I was probably just as annoyed as their friends were. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Marriage Toxin” Vol. 9 Joumyaku & Mizuki Yoda

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

A recovered Gero heads to rescue Makoto from marrying Takeo, who has been obsessed with her for years. Then Gero and Mei go to an upscale matchmaking event that’s crashed by the Gun Master Clan.

Takeo is… I struggle to find the words. I somehow am very creeped out by him, yet also can’t completely take him seriously. Reiji is the real threat here, making Takeo just an annoyance whenever you see him. After that, this volume wastes no time; it’s right on to the new group of masters to introduce as a threat. We also get a quick tease of a Gero and Mei date, but honestly, it doesn’t slow anything down. I did like the little date because it gave Gero the chance to voice how Mei has really gone above and beyond to help him, getting in REAL danger many times just to get Gero married. Mei is an awesome character. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 2, by Alto Yukimura

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

When Apollo decides to go on vacation, Colette volunteers to fill in as healer to the gods in his absence.

In this volume, we also get Charon’s backstory, which is so sad. For all its whimsy, this series gets dark sometimes. I have to admit, I’m totally about the hardworking, sweet characters that are super genuine and are actually rewarded for their efforts. I’m not even into the possible romance. I can watch Colette just do her thing: healing people and expanding her apothecary skills. It’s also a way to learn about the world they live in and the unique take on the Greek Gods, even if some of them just kinda drop in and vanish within a few pages. I feel like if we’re going to include them, just go for it and give them some real “screen” time. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Love in the Palm of His Hand” Vol. 1, by Rinteku

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

While on the train one day, Fujinaga has another man fall asleep on his shoulder. He doesn’t give it much thought until he sees the guy again at his school. His name is Keito, a fellow student who has congenital hearing loss. Through his journey to learn sign language to communicate with his new friend, Fujinaga also learns how to better express himself.

While this is cute and I’m rooting for the couple, I have hesitations about relating Keito’s struggle to communicate because of his hearing and Fujinaga’s struggle to communicate through acting. Having trouble acting in a way that pleases talent agents is not the same as actual hearing loss. There is an attempt to smooth this over by Keito outright appreciating how animated and expressive Fujinaga’s acting style is, but even so, it still doesn’t sit right with me, no matter how adorable they are. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Manhole” Vol. 1, by Tetsuya Tsutsui

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*This book is recommended for mature audiences.

After a sick naked man collapses in the street, the police try to track down where he came from, leading to a blood trail coming from the sewers. Meanwhile, whatever he was afflicted with seems to be spreading.

The parasite/virus is gross. If you don’t like body horror, skip this. It’s not a bad opener to a plague/zombie/infected type story but it’s pretty typical. The infection is slowly spreading, an investigation, creepy source of all the chaos; pretty standard for the genre. The two cops on the case. Nao and Ken, are the gruff experienced one, contrasted with the plucky newbie. The art can really get your stomach churning, showing postules, the parasite squelching under the skin, close-ups of bugs and blood… I am waiting for something to make this stand out from the rest. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 7, by Daruma Matsuura

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

Konosuke and the others arrive at the Sessho-seiki Tsuki just unsealed. The man who kidnapped her, Dosuke, is ready to fight to keep Tsuki to unseal more and Konosuke must face both him and his sister, Katsu to save her.

I gotta give it to Konosuke; he has a fantastic character arc so far. He went from this depressed, hopeless guy to someone who fights so hard against such powerful foes. It’s awesome. So much of this plot is driven by people who are at their lowest seeking powers that come with a terrible price and this volume has some great action, making this very thrilling. I’m looking forward to seeing how this goes, considering there’s some time jumps. I don’t know how that will factor in to the main plot and how diving so deep into the bad guy’s backstories will fit in? Maybe there will be some reincarnation shenanigans? We shall see. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 6, by Daruma Matsuura

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

Konosuke, Aki, and Bokutake face off against the gambler: Rabbit Eyed Tenroku.

This volume also includes Tenroku’s backstory of suffering through famine (this was pretty fucked up…) and Konosuke’s powers finally manifest. It’s a little spoilery but I enjoy the idea of having luck so good that it destroys everyone around you. Very Twilight Zone. There’s plenty of plot to chew on with Konosuke and Tsuki’s powers. What hooked me about this series was their relationship and I hope these new revelations don’t negatively impact what they’ve built so far. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Marriage Toxin” Vol. 8, by Joumyaku & Mizuki Yoda

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

Erina and Mei conspire to get Gero and Chinatsu to date, then Ureshino calls to ask for Gero to help her friend, Makoto, who is also being forced to marry by her abusive father.

The majority of this is the job with Makoto and the marriage she’s being forced into. Her father is working with the Ghose Master, and his powers are unique, but I felt like it was just another woman to add to Gero’s roster of prospective brides, but he’s not making any progress in becoming more confident romantically. His confidence shows in combat and the fights are cool but I’m hoping this becomes more than collecting massive amounts of possible wives. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Marriage Toxin” Vol. 7, by Joumyaku & Mizuki Yoda

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

Teruaki is determined to get Hikaru to give up on the matchmaking and just be the head of the Poison Masters.

It’s a bit odd to show how dramatic the effects of the poison master can be, only to walk it back later. Last volume, Teruaki poisoned an entire crowd of people then drop in they were just knocked out in this volume. It gives me “Look! I can see their parachutes! They’re okay.” vibes. I was legitimately frightened at the implications last time. Then we move on to Gero’s next date, a bodyguard named Chinatsu whose client is a girl named Erina. The Wind Clan is introduced, and they are oddly wholesome. Considering the head of the Beast Clan is still fiddling around, we might be building towards a war between the clans, and that’s gonna throw a wrench in any marriage plans. I don’t like that Mei is acting all cryptic. He’s a lot of fun and I don’t wanna lose his presence. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Marriage Toxin” Vol. 6, by Joumyaku & Mizuki Yoda

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

The battle between Toshiro and Gero comes to an end, giving Gero the chance to once again pursue his romantic mission.

I had to look up Mei’s character profile to get the right pronouns. Yes, he/him is correct and I’ll be using those from now on. In this volume, we learn he has a brother, Okuto. Other than that, this is more about Toshiro working on himself and now Teruaki is coming to interfere. Again, the fighting techniques and talents are kinda scary in their implications, making it a relief when Toshiro is just his silly self. I was wondering when the rest of the clan would weigh in on what Toshiro is doing. They don’t seem the type to sit back and wait after forcing him into this situation. 4 out of 5.

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