graphic novel review

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Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 7, by Rumiko Takahashi

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

Old rivalries from Mao’s past come to light with even more exorcists from his days at the temple come back into his life.

This cast is getting big and I wonder if they’ll all finally get to the truth of what happened the night Mao was cursed and a bunch of people ended up dead. After all this buildup, I really hope the reveal lives up to it. This is an exciting volume and I have so many questions. Takahashi usually pulls everything together in her stories so I’m trying to trust the process. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love” Vol. 3, by Ayuko Hatta

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

Yagyu and Satomi are still happily dating and go to a couples event at the cultural festival at school. But Tatsukawa, another student, sets his sights on Satomi, making Yagyu jealous.

It’s looking like Tatsukawa is going to be a real threat to Yagyu and Satomi’s idyllic relationship. I did wonder if any conflict would come into the story or if we would just watch the couple be perfect and cute the entire time. That’s not bad but it could end up repetitive and boring. We’ll see how this new guy factors in. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Look Back” by Tatsuki Fujimoto

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

Fujino loves to draw manga and since she makes comics for the school newspaper, she’s popular. By chance she meets another girl in town who also loves drawing named Kyomoto, who’s a shut-in who doesn’t have other friends. They team up to make a manga for a contest but as they develop as artists, their lives take different paths.

This is beautifully done; showing the way people’s lives naturally come together and grow apart. It’s compact with plenty and the emotions and the art allows the expressions tell so much more than just the words on the page. I do think the tragic event is… Abrupt. It threw me off. Such things can happen but it blindsided me, which was likely the point. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 2, by Yūsei Matsui

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

Tokiyuki is hiding out in Suwa under Yorishige’s protection at a shrine. But when the shrine is hosting a dog shooting competition where one of Takauji’s vassals shows up to compete while searching for anyone from the Hojo clan that may be hiding at the shrine.

While I like the art style when people are fighting or talking, there are parts of this where the characters are super-deformed and I find them unintentionally terrifying. Other than that, this series is interesting. There’s some tonal whiplash between the silly parts where everyone is laughing and putting severed heads on display. We’ve got our colorful cast of characters with all these bombastic personalities that keeps it entertaining if not completely engrossing. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Beastars” Vol. 20, by Paru Itagaki

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

Gosha and Yahya are in the Black Market where Legoshi prepares to work his way through the various gang leaders; starting with the Doku-gumi – a gang of Komodo dragons.

The action in this volume is top notch for this series. Even with Legoshi’s classic goofy moments, it’s a real page turner. It’s cool to read but I find it a little bit of a buzzkill for Legoshi to need to go through so many other people to get to Melon but it gives us a change to see what Legoshi has learned so far and apply it in combat. We did read through all that training he was doing so, it’s to see it pay off. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible” Vol. 3, by Nene Yukimori


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

In this volume, Shiraishi catches a cold and has to stay home from school. As usual, nobody notices but Kubo, who comes by to take care of him.

It’s clear Shiraishi is only kinda clueless about the clear feelings developing between him and Kubo. It’s cute when they spend time together and Kubo may still tease him but she’s not cruel about it. She’s giving Shiraishi a chance to enjoy himself instead of just floating through life without anybody seeing him. I like that progression but where could this go in the next volumes. I hope it stays light hearted and sweet. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Crazy Food Truck” Vol. 2, by Rokurou Ogaki

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

Gordon and Arisa are still traveling the dry apocalyptic wastelands, following the trail of various ingredients to use in Gordon’s cooking. But a former subordinate of Gordon, Kyle, is sent to retrieve them and is paired with a young woman with abilities like Arisa’s named Myna. Myna also happens to be Arisa’s little sister.

I think it’s funny that this is part post apocalyptic adventure and part cooking tutorial. There’s a good balance of the food stuff and action so one doesn’t overpower the other or grinding the story to a halt to have a random cooking session. I can tell there’s a bigger story brewing but this volume is some good, goofy fun. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible” Vol. 2, by Nene Yukimori

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

This volume puts Kubo and Shirashi in some classic manga situations like Valentine’s Day and White Day, exchanging numbers for the first time, and studying together. We get to see Kubo being sly but also sweet. It would be so easy to just have her tease Shirashi all the time but I’m glad this doesn’t go down that road. This stays good natured and light hearted. They’re slowly and naturally becoming closer and it’s sweet! I’m not particularly a fan of the drawings of Kubo that are more fanservicy than necessary since she’s young but I skip passed them to get back to the story. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ghost Reaper Girl” Vol. 2, by Akissa Saiké

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

While Chloe seems to become an official reaper to help contain escaped souls, Nyarlathotep has some ulterior motives and plans working behind the scenes. As she adjusts to her new role, we meet other hunters including a necromancer with a deadly reanimated assistant.

The art is fantastic in the battle scenes. It’s easy to know what’s going on and exciting. Chloe is just the right mix of irreverent and serious when facing these scary spirits. With stories like this, the main character can be flat and angsty or too silly for the situation but Chloe has a good balance and natural reactions to all the crazy stuff she deals with now. This volume also rounds out the main cast and hits at the larger threat to come. I can see this shaping up to be a cool series. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Call of the Night” Vol. 9, by Kotoyama

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

The secret we’ve been building up to in Nazuna’s past puts all vampire kind in danger as Uguisu sets her sights on killing Nazuna and her vampire friends and Ko as well.

I have to say Uguisu’s backstory and her dealings with vampires was not what I expected it to be but it’s interesting. It fits in well with the unique way vampires function in this universe. It presents a problem that makes me wonder if the solution will be satisfying to the plot. Uguisu is set on killing all the vampires and doesn’t fear putting crazy stunts in crowds of people. We’ll have to see what Nazuna decides to do in the next volume because all this exposure is clearly not a good thing. 4 out of 5.

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