fantasy

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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: “Centuria” Vol. 1, by Tōru Kuramori

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

All Julian has ever known is the brutal life of a slave. When he attempts to escape, he stows away on a slave ship in cursed waters. Julian encounters kindness and horror, resulting in his body being infused with the power of a hundred lives by a goddess and a newborn baby in his care.

It’s been a while since I dug into some high fantasy that’s not romance or slice of life. That being said, this is a pretty interesting yet standard-ish start to a dark fantasy. We’ve set up the small core cast and established some rules of this world and I would love to read more and get to know these characters more. 3 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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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 4, by Miyu Morishita

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

It’s time for the Cultural Festival, and their class decides to do a cosplay cafe.

This volume has more of Tsumiki’s family, where we learn that while she’s upbeat and positive now, she hasn’t always had the easiest time of it. This is still a fun read; nothing is really dark. There’s some humor mixed in, some nice character moments with Mokuri, all in all, some very cozy slice of life antics that leave you with a smile and a curitosity to know more about all the different types of creatures. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 23 by Rumiko Takahashi

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

Natsuno confronts Yurako about Sana’s death and Daigo reveals more Goku Clan secrets.

Yup, revealing even more horrid things the Goko Clan got up to. Holy hell, what an awful group. Fantastic and interesting story, but terrifying. After that, we go back to a sort of villain of the week vibe, but the revelation about those who have survived the Goku Clan is lingering in the background. It may be a bit of a spoiler to say it reminded me of Highlander, and pairing that with the fact that Shiranui is still handling dangerous Goku Clan weapons like Halloween candy, I bet things are gonna get wild. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 11. by Sui Ishida

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

As the Yamato Mori attacks the Tower of Mourning, Zora’s forces launch a powerful counterattack.

Continuing the battle, this volume has some cool art, especially as various characters show off new abilities. The splash pages are fantastic, and (no spoilers) what we learn about what it will mean if Zora is killed? Very interesting. It was a little disappointing that wasn’t the focus of the rest of the volume, but there is a LOT going on; plenty of enemies and some character work to get through. It’s alright that it doesn’t move forward much plot-wise since what we see is intriguing and entertaining. 3.5 out of 5.

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