fantasy graphic novel

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Lenni Reviews: “A Vampire in the Bathhouse” by Niko Izuki

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

When Luka, a vampire, visits a bathhouse to recover from a hangover, he falls in love with the place. Now that it’s Luka’s regular spot, Sakura, the eldest son running the place, has his life turned upside down with supernatural shenanigans.

This is a fun comedy that features my favorite character type of “positive, good-natured, hard worker” in Sakura. The art style looks like it could handle some more serious supernatural elements, but overall, this stays light-hearted. There are the typical comedic tropes and some suggestive nudity (it is set in a bathhouse after all), but there is no smut. If you’re in the market for some goofy fun with a smattering of mostly naked pretty men, this is amusing. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day” Vol 1, by Nachi Aono

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

At an orphanage, the children are trained as magical soldiers for the military. Sheena Totsuki recently lost her roommate, a casualty of the war, and one night she runs into a strange girl named Mimi, a very powerful soldier who now rooms with her.

Prepare for children getting hurt. BADLY. If you can’t handle that, this is not the comic for you. It is also weird… They have this thing where kissing transfers mana to heal, and this means adults kissing young children. Nope, not on the forehead or something. The nurse is a fucking creep. Mimi is 10 years old.

Since we’re still introducing the world and characters, we don’t know much about what’s going on. Only that these child soldiers are undergoing dangerous training to put their lives on the line fighting monsters. I sincerely hope the kissing thing is phased out or relegated to two characters of the same damn age because, what the fuck. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dra-Q” Vol. 1, by Chiyo

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers due to gore.

Amelie Kurosaki is a high school girl hiding the fact that she is a vampire who must follow strict rules in order to continue living among humans. When attacks on humans seem vampiric, it puts Amelie’s secret at risk.

This volume doesn’t waste any time getting started. Main character, love interest, family drama, and rival love interest all plunked down in under 200 pages. It’s gory and has some dark humor, but the pace doesn’t let you sit with what’s happening for very long. You know the rules Amelie is given are presented to be inevitably broken, but I didn’t think all of them would be broken in the first volume. The plot is fun, the blood and gore are top-notch, but I almost felt dizzy by the end of it. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Magical Girl Dandelion” Vol. 1, by Kaeru Mizuho

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

Tanpopo Ohaniami is offered the chance to be a magical girl and fight the Fiends that plague humanity. But the Fiend that has been her companion her entire life, Shade, doesn’t want her to get involved in this dangerous conflict.

This is gorier than I’d expected. Fiends eat people, and it actually threw me off for a second to go from the cute stuff to a severed head and body horror. Now, I love me a twist on the magical girl genre, and this is a compelling start. We have our plucky main character, hard-ass magical girl veteran, a supernatural sidekick, and hints of something bigger at play. Everything I like in an opening volume. The art fits both the cutesy stuff and the horrific, with some impressive creature designs. Just be aware that while this isn’t Magical Girl Apocalypse (at least not yet), it’s no Card Captor Sakura. It gets dark. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 5, by Miyu Morishita

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

In an attempt to be more involved, Yutaka is considering clubs to join, and Tsumiki decides to do the same. Meanwhile, a succubus named Ako sets her sights on Yutaka.

This volume is just Tsumiki and Yutaka being adorable. The introduction of Axo may seem like there’d be all this drama and angst, but we’re still in jovial slice of life territory. Tsumiki is her usual supportive, quirky bestie to Yutaka, who is trying his best. I’m enjoying the introductions of new types of mythical beings and, as these are teenagers, I’m relieved at the way Ako was handled. She’s not hyper sexualized, she just craves to be wanted and basks in the attention. It’s a cute volume. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 6, by Alto Yukimura

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

Menthe is unwell, and Colette tries to save her. Colette also journeys with Hadies to the Frozen Wastes, where she may confess her feelings.

I haven’t been mentioning much about the inclusion of the gods. Dionysus and Hermes have great chemistry, and while Colette is being her usual inspiring self and her romance with Hadies is progressing, spending time with those two was a nice aside. In the back of my mind, I am concerned about the inevitable conflict between Colette’s drive to be an apotheary and being in a relationship with a god who will inevitably outlive her. We shall see! 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rooster Fighter” Vol. 9, by Shu Sakuratani

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

Elizabeth, Keisuke, and Keiji are still searching for the Righteous Master to save Keizan while being pursued by a demon who wants to capture them.

This volume has some great lore as we finally get to meet the Righteous Master, and the demon hunting them gives us some fun action scenes. This is also a far more serious installment with only tiny bits of humor. The focus is on the brothers and more information about Righteous Eggs. I can feel the impending training arc coming up, but that’s still fun to see. You almost forget this is the demon fighting chickens series since it’s a good story. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 9, by Daruma Matsuura

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

In Yumiko Village, Aki’s hometown, one of the 12 Divine Generals, Toki: The Rooster, targets Aki.

Toki is a scary villain. I think in general, enemies that can puppet your loved ones and allies against you are creepy. We also get to see the time when Toki and Bokutake trained together, and this makes up a big chunk of the volume, bookended by Toki’s attack. She is genuinely terrifying, and I’m a little annoyed that there’s a cliffhanger (spoilers?) without a plan to stop her. Sure it’s the classic “evil child” trope, but it is effective. 4.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 6, by Takeru Hokazono

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

Chihiro and Hakuri head to Kokugoku hot spring, where the enchanted sword bearer is being held. When they encounter Hiruhiko from the Hishaku, they end up in a tense battle.

This is an action-packed, angsty volume. There’s blood and body parts flying everywhere, giving us a chance to see some great swordplay and powers. It’s all very exciting, and Chihiro is an easy protagonist to root for. He has some AWESOME moments and fits right in with all the new characters. The world and cast are expanding and I love when a simple premise (get the swords back) branches off into something more. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dark Gathering” Vol. 17, by Kenichi Kondō

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

Now, we are in the final stage against Yin Jiao with one graduate left to face the god’s wrath. But even if they prevail, there are still greater threats around our main cast.

I have to wonder how the stakes will rise higher than “defeat a god’ but let’s go for it! I love this series! Tama’s backstory and association with the same curse that afflicted Ai, as well as Ai’s family history with the entity, is a great story. I love this deep dive into all the lore around this god. Now, the focus shifts to the spirits stealing bodies and going after the spirit that took Yayoi’s mother. These characters are so entertaining and I can’t wait to see what happens next. 4.5 out of 5.

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