graphic novel

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Lenni Reviews: “On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance” Vol. 2, by Shinnosuke Kanazawa

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

Aki and Kanade’s friendship is growing, unaware that they are coworkers. They run into Roku, an old friend of Aki’s who also leads a bit of a double life as a punk but a clean-cut teacher when he’s “off.” He gets a bit jealous of Aki’s new friend.

Most of this volume is just Aki and Kanade hanging out together, but Kanade is still hiding that not only is he a guy, but that he works with Aki. The secret is gonna have to come out at some point. While Aki can be brusque at work, I hope that doesn’t mean she’ll be cruel to Kanade. It’s nice to see them getting to be good friends and for Aki to loosen up a bit. I just like seeing them chilling. It’s so sweet. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “The Elusive Samurai” Vol. 19, by Yūsei Matsui

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

This volume is the Battle at Ishizu where Akiie’s army is outnumbered and Tokiyuki faces his former retainer, Morofuyu.

I get that fleeing is Tokiyuki’s thing, but wow, he is losing allies and friends right and left. This is historically based, and yes, when waging a war, things don’t go smoothly and you lose people. But still, this volume doesn’t really make Tokiyuki look good. 2.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection”by Junji Ito

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

The actual summary works here, so I don’t spoil or sound rambly: “Art teacher Okabe creates strange, headless statues. One day, he is found murdered, his corpse headless. From that day on, art club member Shimada seems off somehow… Elsewhere, in a curious town custom, the dead are placed on a tatami mat and set out on the river. Kanako’s grandmother lives alone in a house near this river. What did she witness at one of these funerals long ago? And a mysterious disease makes girls suddenly become more beautiful. But soon they all die. The only way to survive might be worse than death itself”

This collection of stories is pretty good, but also very rapid-fire and short. Some of these could easily be expanded a bit more so they don’t feel like they’re incomplete. I still enjoy them, but a couple more pages would have helped them feel more fleshed out. No pun intended. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 37, by Tomohito Oda

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

It’s graduation time, and Komi reflects on how far she’s come and her plans for the future.

As a final volume, it encapsulates the tone of the entire series: wimsy, sweetness, comedy, and weird, quirky characters. I could have done without the Tadano and the boys in the bathhouse, and Yamai is still a fucking creep.

And of course, leave it to Tadano to deliver on the feels.

The end is so touching, gives positivity towards their future, and fits the journey we took. Congratulations Komi. It was so much fun to read your story. 4.5 out of 5.

 

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Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 8, by Aki Kusaka

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

Since Keiichiro and Yuri have kissed, they’ve broken the rules and will be taken to Keiichiro’s grandfather to face the consequences.

You gotta respect a man who takes hot pot seriously.

That’s my favorite meal, right alongside nachos or a good burrito bowl.

Back to the point, it was nice to see Keiichiro do more things as opposed to Yuri being the one to be more proactive, albeit in the most bombastic, impulsive way possible within the confines of a young adult romantic comedy. Again, I love how honestly in love they are. Yeah, they’re still kids, and I get that this family has overbearing rules that make them want to rebel, but they are genuinely sweet together. 3.5 out of 5 for being cute but ultimately predictable.

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Lenni Reviews: “After God” Vol. 9, by Sumi Eno

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

Tokinaga is still stuck as a dog but after he finds a way to escape, Wauke attacks the Anti-God institute to try and convince Waka to turn on them.

This is batshit insane. Tokinaga’s time travel abilities make things interesting, especially since others know about it or sus him out. It’s not used as a Deus ex Machina but as an additional tool for the Anti-God Institute. The fights are wild, but a lot of implications are still brewing by the end of it that I’m dying to find out more about. That’s fine, it’s keeping me involved and I’m having so much fun reading this. 4 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: “The Climber” Vol. 1, by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, Jirō Nitta, Yoshio Nabeta & Hiroshi Takano

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

New student Buntaro Mori is a quiet loner who everyone pegs as a troublemaker until he shows skills at climbing.

I’m not that into sports manga, but I was honestly intrigued by the idea of competitive climbing. As this volume stands, it’s pretty much exactly like other shonen manga where the protagonist shows unusual prowess at a thing but is cocky and doesn’t want to learn things from the professionals, the protagonist has some tragedy/taruma, the rival… All the ingredients in this common recipe. Common but not boring. The art is able to make things appropriately dramatic and I can see continuing this series. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Vagabond” Definitive Edition Vol. 5, by Takehiko Inoue

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

Takezo faces Kohei, Master of Chain and Sickle.

While we learn Kohei’s backstory, we also learn about Kojiro, a deaf child raised by Jisai. Kojiro’s growth into a skilled swordsman takes up the bulk of this volume. It seems he’s destined from birth to wield a sword, but like a lot of stories in this genre, that’s a tragic fate. This had to be my favorite of the series so far. It’s everything I love about this genre, despite including some SA. 5 out of 5.

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