graphic novel

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Lenni Reviews: “Call of the Night” Vol. 11, by Kotoyama

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

Uguisu is on the trail of a very old vampire named Kiku Hoshimi, who is known for turning humans and abandoning them. She enlists Ko and Nazuna for help but Ko has some strange things going on with his body.

I am beginning to see how Uguisu fits into the cast now and I’m warming up to her. It was still jarring for her to go from major threat to part of the main group so quickly but now, we have Kiku. Whatever Kiku is up to is messed up but what I’m really interested in is what’s going on with Ko. It makes the story so much more interesting than him just becoming a vampire. It makes me want more. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Color of Always” Edited by Brent Fisher & Michele Abounader

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

This LGBTQ+ anthology features different romance stories across the LGBTQ+ perspective. I love the idea and the various art styles are gorgeous but I honestly wish there was more. A lot of emotion is packed into these shorts but some could have benefitted from more length. But it’s not a crime for a story or stories to be so good, you wish you could spend more time with it. You have self-acceptance, transitions, POC, and a whole lot of heart. In case it triggers you, there are some instances of homophobia, religious judgement, and transphobia. If collections like this are your jam, I’d absolutely check this out. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Choujin X” Vol. 1, by Sui Ishida

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

Tokio and Azuma volunteer to assist in the search and rescue efforts at a plane crash were even though the plane was said to be on fire, all the passengers survived. Such a strange event is rumored to involve a choujin – a person with supernatural abilities – and an encounter with a bully with such powers puts the friends in the direct path of a choujin’s wrath.

Even though this is the start to a series, I feel like I’m missing some back story. The concept, action, characters, and what’s been revealed so far are fucking amazing and I absolutely want to continue reading. Maybe the next volume will fill in some gaps for me. Tokio is a great reluctant hero. This is the same creator as Tokyo Ghoul and I can see a bit of commonality in the protagonists but they’re not exactly the same. So far, my favorite is Ely. She’s adorable and has an awesome design. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbow Days” Vol. 2, by Minami Mizuno

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

Natsuki volunteers for the Beautification Committee in order to get closer to a girl he likes while Keiichi gets a confession from a girl after recently being dumped but since he’s got some unique proclivities, is uncertain about accepting any confessions from girls who won’t understand.

What makes this manga entertaining are the personalities of the four main characters. The little side stories from the girl’s perspectives are fun as well. Other than that, even for a slice of life this is a lot of fluff. It’s ok but a couple of these boys get off-putting and creepy while the others are too pure for this world. It’s an okay series so far but there isn’t much for me to latch on to. 2.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rooster Fighter” Vol. 3, by Shū Sakuratani

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

Keiji is reluctantly famous after a video of him defeating a demon and all he wants is respite from people trying to catch him or constantly taking pictures. He finds an arcade where he meets a demon who, unlike the others, doesn’t want to fight.

This volume has a little drama and levity but it has some awesome action. Not only do we see more powers from Keiji but there’s a new angle if there’s demons who just exist and don’t hurt anyone. I bet there are others like that around and maybe Keiji’s group will get bigger. We didn’t get much closer to Keiji’s end goal about his sister but this was a great book. 4.8 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Way of the Househusband” Vol. 9, by Kousuke Oono

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

In this volume, Tatsu:

  • Takes up needle felting
  • Finds creative ways to cool off in a heat wave
  • Helps a mom get her kid to eat her veggies
  • Does some weeding in a neighbors garden
  • Helps out a local small business
  • Visits a maid cafe

It’s been awhile since we’ve went along with Tatsu carrying out housework and daily activities in his own unique way. This series continues to be hilarious entertainment. I’m not sure if I want it to continue with these little vignettes or settle on one overarching plot. I can see the benefits of both unless the goal is to keep this from getting to heavy and staying a source of fun enjoyment. I do want to see more of Tatsu’s backstory, thought. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand” by Yôko Komori

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

After Tokiko’s parent’s divorce, she and her father move to a small coastal town to live with her grandfather. After leaving all her friends behind, Tokiko is happy to find the locals are nice and her friend group grows quickly, including a solemn boy named Narumi. Together, they look for a secret place where there could be mermaids.

Without spoilers, this did not go where I expected it to go but this was still nice to read. It’s oddly calming; the minimalistic art does so heavy lifting in providing plenty of emotions as the story plays out. I recommend it if you’re looking for some young adult manga in a “small town with a secret” typed of story. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 9, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

Rumors of a vaccine prompt Akira and his friends head to Osaka but encounter a different kind of zombie and an old friend.

This volume has the group in one spot longer than before in a settlement where cans of food are used as currency and Akira wants to cross “own a bar” off his list. Since we have more downtime, there’s more character work and some day to day running of this bar happening here. It’s not bad but if you’re in this for the zombie action, there isn’t much here. I like this one because there is come conflict in the group to be resolved instead of them getting along so perfectly all the time. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 23, by Tomohito Oda

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

Valentine’s Day comes again and both Komi and Manbagi want to confess to Tadano.

Whelp, folks! We finally got what we were all waiting for: the actual confessions to Tadano and it plays out with the same insightful and sweet tone the series has kept up with so far. As the parent of a teenager, I am very away real kids probably wouldn’t be this mature in a situation where two friends like the same person but I love that this series keeps the friend group together. The ultimate goal for Komi is to be more comfortable talking to people and make 100 friends; not get a boyfriend. This volume was very cute! 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Inuyashiki” Vol. 1, by Hiroya Oku

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Ichiro Inuyashiki lives a sad life with a family that doesn’t care about him, a dull job, and a dismal medical diagnosis of terminal cancer. One night while out walking his dog (the only creature that seems to care about him) he sees a blinding light and wakes up hours later in the park. At first it seems nothing’s changed but Inuyashiki realizes his body has been drastically altered.

This is a bleak but solid start to the series. Inuyashiki’s life is just depressing and seeing him get a little bit of happiness is genuinely touching. This volume sets up the twist happening in his life and a possible conflict with another person who has also been changed. Oku also made Gantz and as such that series gets more than a nod here. It’s fine to do that but the story stops dead in it’s tracks so two characters can debate if Gantz is good or not. I ended up skipping over that part to get back to the main story and I honestly hope that doesn’t happen again. 3.7 out of 5.

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