Haro Aso

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Lenni Reviews: “Alice in Borderland Retry” by Haro Aso

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

Ryohei is a clinical psychologist working as a school counselor. He’s married to Yuzuha and they are expecting their first child. When everything seems perfect, Ryohei is thrown into Borderland once again after a tragic accident.

This is an interesting way to try and return to this concept and see our main character again but I think I would have loved to dive into why people are thrust into a death game after accidents or why Ryohei in particular has the type of mind to gravitate to death games when under duress. It was cool to read but unless you’re a big fan and are dying to read more from this universe (or complete your collection), I’m not sure you have to grab this one. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 20, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

With clinical trials for the vaccine in the works, the crew heads to Okinawa to respond to an SOS from a base about to be overrun with zombies.

In Okinawa, they meet Yui; a survivor who uses her anxiety to “predict” outcomes. I love her, and she must be protected at all costs.

This volume also puts the zombie’s ability to overwhelm with sheer numbers back to the forefront so they’re a threat. The art really does some great work making them look horrible and scary. It’s clear this series isn’t about them; it’s about Akira and company tripping their way into completing all the things on their bucket list. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 19, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

Returning from space, the group visits a safari to ride ostriches. Here they meet Mora Miike, the caretaker who prefers animals to humans.

While it’s fun to see Akira fulfilling his list in the wackiest ways, it is nice to see some forward motion in the creation of a vaccine and get some insight into what the rest of Japan is up to. I love our core group, but having some characters from previous adventures pop back in for a bit was cool. I am VERY curious about how the vaccine will change the dynamic of the plot or if this story will decide just to have it not work to keep the status quo. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 18 by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

After dealing with space zombies on the International Space Station, Akira and Shizuka work on getting world communication up again.

Okay, Akira’s world message was really sweet. It was cool to get a glimpse of people around the world dealing with the outbreak. I think the quest for a vaccine, alongside Akira’s bucket list quest, distracts me from the worldwide zombie problem. They’re just so much fun to follow. I look forward to seeing how this message impacts things in the future, if at all. It would be cool to have more people recognize him as he goes through his list. It’s cool to see this unassuming goofball happen to change this cruel world. 3.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 17, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

The group heads to Kagoshima where they visit the headquarters of Space W and their president, Ukaji; who is still working on his dream to send humanity to the stars even in the throws of a zombie apocalypse.

Well, this whole thing is just a wacky way to get our gang into space and have a Space X parody. The zombies are peppered in as a threat but overall, I found this goofy and didn’t take it seriously. I do like the drips of lore we’re getting and while the company parody is there, Ukaji isn’t an Elon Musk stand-in. Ukaji is inspiring and again, a bit goofy. It’s all fun but like candy it’s sweet but not a meal. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 16, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

The group heads to Mount Aso but their vehicle runs out of gas. Takemia and Izuna head off to find some and end up at the infamous Yamagami Family Manor.

This volume has a horror movie vibe, specifically in the killer family genre so, while I was blindsided by the included sex scene, this is going for a slasher movie tone and sexed up couples are a trope. I’m just not used to it in this series. Considering how everything’s been going, they worked in zombies as the threat again very well. It was easy to spot the cannon fodder characters and I’m glad we’re keeping the core cast I can rely on for now. You never know if the creator will change their mind about that but this was clearly not the volume he was gonna do it. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 15, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

Our group heads to Hashima where Shizuka notices that Akira has accomplished an interesting item on his list: “Meet the woman of my dreams.” This realization causes heavy awkwardness in the group that threatens to split them up for good.

There’s also funny asides to “Kensho in Borderland” and making a zombie movie.

The dolphin thing was kinda cute and I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to say Akira and Shizuka are adorable together. I do wonder what the next step will be since that’s worked itself out. I would like to see more progress towards a possible vaccine and crossing things of the list rather than add even more people to this growing cast. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 14, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata

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

Izuna comes into her own and starts fighting back as the group are trapped in a zombie infested facility. We also spend some time with Kencho as he tries to see his family.

While the looming threat of the Umbriel Corporation endures, Kencho’s side story was nice since we get to learn more about him. We know a lot about Akira so it’s good to give other characters some time in the spotlight. I enjoy these little stories even though they’re not focusing on the main plot so much. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Alice in Borderland” Vol. 9, by Haro Aso

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

For Arisu and Chishiya there is only one face card left after their final confrontation with Niragi.

Niragi is one of those characters that makes me go “Why are you still here?” The entire time of the last appearance, I was just metaphorically tapping my foot for the Queen if Hearts part. I did wonder if the source material would have the same ending as the show and (spoilers, I guess???) it’s pretty much the same and I do like the way it’s handled. It’s creative and I think it’s more interesting than some huge ass battle or another game with math that gives me a headache. These omnibus editions were really satisfying and I had a lot of fun reading them. If you like these survival game stories, this is a good series. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead” Vol. 13, by Haro Aso & Kōtarō Takata 

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

Shizuka has been bitten and the race is on to treat her before she turns. The facility with the means to treat her turns out to be full of hidden secrets and dangers.

Calling the sinister organization The Umbriel Corporation gave me a giggle. I’ll admit it. Other than that, this volume feels more like a typical zombie story: finding the cure, maybe a vaccine, secret evil corporation, battling manufactured giant mutated creatures made from the zombie virus, all that good stuff. The run part is really the characters that bring some originality and keep this series fun. I won’t spoil things but even the new additions have their unique charms despite falling back into the traditional zombie story tropes. 4 out of 5.

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