fantasy manga

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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: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 8, by Alto Yukimura

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

Since Hades’ mirror has cracked causing a storm, Colette is working at a shelter while it gets repaired.

Aphrodite is in this volume and I dunno how I feel about how she’s represented. She’s got the silly with the serious undercurrent going on, which is a bit predictable. I think I would have liked to see more serious sides of her but she’s ok. I to enjoy how all the dead are just shades, a nice way to depict how in death everyone is equal. Baby Lord Chronos can get annoying when he’s throwing his tantrums but when he’s joined with the cast, he’s much better. The series still shines when Colette is being an amazing apothecary. Even being so skilled, she is still learning and I enjoy those parts the best. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 25, by Rumiko Takahashi

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

The Bronze Mirror is causing havoc and when Mao and Nanoka go to fix it, Shiranui comes to claim the cursed item for the Goku Clan. When Daigo appears to aid in an assault against Shiranui, his motives are uncertain.

Off topic, the name Shiranui unlocked a core memory of wearing out this VHS as a teen. I think I still have it somewhere…

None of this went how I thought it would and that’s what I love about it. Even the supposed villain of the week stories are woven in to the larger story about the Goku Clan, Byokki, and all the interpersonal things going in. And it’s done in a way that I’m not confused about all the intrigue. It may sound silly at 25 volumes deep but I am SO invested in this story! 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 13, by Sui Ishida

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

The Yamato Mori is in the upper level of the Tower of Mourning to eliminate Zora. When Zora makes an offer to go with the Yamato Mori, Batista has other plans.

Batista going berserk lets us go into his past and what happened to him to put him in this position. It’s a fairly classic tragic backstory. As that takes up a good portion of this, the battle against him isn’t concluded yet. The reality and time warping powers are amazing to see. You can tell it took a LOT of talent to make it look so overwhelming and off-putting. Very good volume. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Magical Girl Dandelion” Vol. 3, by Kaeru Mizuho

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

While Tanpopo and Peony are on a mission to protect Peony’s friend, Karakusa, Ice goes to great lengths to get back his old friend, Shade.

Prima and Stella are frightening. They have some amazing character designs. There isn’t much down time in this volume. Once Peony asks Tanpopo to help with Karakusa, the fiends show up and the action goes full throttle. I’m not happy about the cliffhanger but other than that, this was a lot of fun. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 8, by Takeru Hokazono

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

While taking refuge at the Kyoto Slaughter Hotel, Iori contemplates restoring her memories as Chihiro risks his life to protect her.

This volume dives into Iori’s past and growing up with a famous swordman like Samura. Now, there’s also a prophesy about the sword bearers causing a great calamity (reminds me of Choujin X) The action is fantastic and there’s a lot of heart tugging events here, too. And it’s paced well enough that while cluttered, it’s easy to read and flows very well. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 7, by Miyu Morishita

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

Yutaka is doing a lot if inner work on his feelings and making friends; including his student council duties and helping Tsumiki make Valentine’s Day treats.

Much like with Komi, Tsumiki’s earnest and positive attitude is so refreshing and nice to read. I would like to know more about other beings – Raizen’s portion was interesting – but our main two are adorable. You can tell Tsumiki is working slyly to help Yutaka. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Centuria” Vol. 3, by Tohru Kuramori

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

Angvall is forced into an impossible choice: obey the orders from the empire she’s pledged her life to, or protect her found family.

This does feel like an Oedipus situation (minus the incest) where by desperately trying to avoid a dismal fate, they’re running headlong into it. Elstri is so certain that Diana will destroy the kingdom, but maybe hunting her down and killing those she loves would give her good reason to? But she’s a zealot and this keeps the story going. It’s still action packed and gives us more characters with other powers. I am super hooked and if you’re into dark fantasy, this series (so far) does not disappoint. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rooster Fighter” Vol. 10 by Shu Sakuratani

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

Morio and Chicken Little head to the ocean while Keisuke and his group make a journey into underground caves on a quest to enter the Inner Yolk.

This is a lot of lore about the eggs and getting ready to train with whichever element the members of the group match with. I love that Elizabeth has her own side quest that’s relevant and shows off her skills. While this may feel a bit like filler, I’m hoping all this lore and training will have a good payoff. Chicken Little and Morio may be a complete side story, but their relationship is really sweet, and I enjoy it when they’re featured. 4 out of 5.

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