fantasy graphic novel

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Lenni Reviews: “May I Have a Taste?” Vol. 2, by Amidamuku

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

Minoru is gravely injured trying to save Yamadera after he risks his life trying to become a vampire. An older vampire, Mire, comes to assist Minoru.

I like that the world is expanding. I don’t like Yamadera, so spending time with any other character is a net positive. We do get some backstory for Mine, another new vampire, Itachi, and introduce Mei, who reminds me of Kiku from Call of the Night. I’m glad what seemed to be a predatory version of Ko annoying Minoru, who just wants to live his life, is shaping into something more. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Champion of the Rose” Vol. 1, by Cat Aquino & Dominique Duran

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

Princess Rosa’s brother tragically dies, making her hair to the throne of the Empire of Sagrada. As the largest kingdom in the Known World, Rosa looks forward to serving her people and the Dying God they all worship but instead, her father holds a tournament where the prize is her hand in marriage. Desperate to become queen and make real change, she enlists Rey as her champion. Rey is a swordsman from one of the kingdom’s colonies and only wants to earn enough money to return to his native lands.

It’s interesting that Rosa is a mixed-race princess of a kingdom fueled by colonizing others. She has to come to terms with what her kingdom has done to people who look just like her. She may have been relatively sheltered as a princess, but that doesn’t stop the whispers and judgment. Rey is a transman and a fucking badass, who literally and figuratively is infected by the evils done by those who’ve conquered his people. The combat is fantastically done. It’s ruthless and dark. It reminds me of Centuria, making this a damn good dark fantasy. 4.5 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Lumine” Vol. 4, by Emma Krogell

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

After an emergency teleportation, Kody and Lumine are stranded alone in Terranevo, Lumine’s home country.

I’m enjoying the location change. The new characters are interesting, and of course, learning more about Lumine is a treat. He has a classic tragic backstory for a protagonist, but it makes for a good tone only to bring back a bit of humor later on. We’re slowly learning more about other characters and the world around them, and all the magic and history is intriguing. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Magical Girl Dandelion” Vol. 2, by Kaeru Mizuho

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

After Tanpopo’s battle with Alice concludes, Peony discovers her connection to Shade.

Peony reacts as you’d expect, unwilling to accept that some fiends can be different. This volume expands the world and lore, using Peony and Tanpopo’s differing views on how to fight fiends. I’m sure we’ll get more backstory about why Peony is so gung-ho about killing fiends as we go. It was cool to see the two magical girls working together. They have the odd couple thing going on, and it’s interesting to see them use their abilities. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 24, by Rumiko Takahashi

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

Mao and company heal with the Tazuru family, cursed by the seed of Haku. Afterwards, Mao investigates cursed beauty products and the “Box of Monstrocity.”

We’re back to what may feel like a ‘villain of the week’ format, but the Goku Clan’s artifacts are a consistent throughline. Aside for them continuing to just be the worst, it’s so cool to see Mao and Nanoka working together. Yeah, you can see the romance building, but I can see he respects not only her abilities but her drive to improve them. They have a great dynamic. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 7, by Alto Yukimura

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

Now that feelings are confessed, the skeletons and the underworld are all in a tizzy. Meanwhile, Aries and Athena continue a long-standing rivalry.

While Ares and Athena’s duel takes up a good chunk of this volume, it’s a fun bit of comedy. I think including Colette in it was a bit forced? I get that she’s the main character, but I would have liked to see the competition without her involvement, more than there already was. Just to get more of the gods interacting, maybe a bit of backstory about this rivalry from Athena’s perspective. Something to widen the world a bit now that Hades and Colette are officially a couple. It’s not bad, I was just hoping for something a little different. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 12, by Sui Ishida

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

The Yamato Mori are still battling through the Tower of Mourning, and during the fight, Azuma loses complete control. Tokio faces Zora and must decide whether or not to take the mark.

Since killing Zora would kill anyone with her blood (this is not a spoiler for this volume; it was revealed in the last one), they were going to have to make a decision about carrying on with the battle and sacrificing them, or come up with something else. I won’t spoil what they come to, but I will say that it fits with Tokio’s character. I am so interested in what happens next. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 7, by Takeru Hokazono

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

Chihiro and Haruki face Hirukiko, who has an obsession with Chihiro. Samura decides that the root of the problem is the swordbearers, not the enchanted swords themselves.

With Samura making that decision, the bulk of this volume is protecting his daughter, Iori. There’s a sprinkle of Chihiro working on becoming a better swordsman so he can use regular swords proficiently, which will eventually help him become even better with the magic ones. I’m sure we’ll see more of that later, but this volume is getting Iori. I can see how we got here, and I like the direction this is going. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 6, by Miyu Morishita

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

Tsumiki and Yutaka start their student council duties, where they meet Student Council President: Raizen, a lightning dragon with a strict temperament. They prepare for the last event of the year – the Sports Festival – and then they head into the Christmas season.

We still get tiny glimpses of how lonely Yutaka’s past was, and while it does show how far he’s come, I feel like I need more. I’m so ready for a long flashback session where maybe Tsumiki meets more old classmates of his? Eh, even if we never get that, the slice of life with mythical creatures is still entertaining and heartwarming at times. I enjoy wondering what they’ll get up to next. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Witchcraft” by Sole Otero & Andrea Rosenberg

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

The María sisters wield powerful magic, and as they live through the ages, they have a profound effect on the people around them. 

First off, I adore the art style. It’s beautiful and takes full advantage of the page layouts to evoke this mystical feeling. It can be confusing sometimes, but overall, it’s cool. Since it’s not told in chronological order, it didn’t feel like some of these stories ended; they just stopped. As if a scene was cut. It’s still worthwhile to check out if you like enigmatic witch stories. 3.5 out of 5.

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