manga reviews

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 5, by Kazune Kawahara

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

The closing of the school festival is a fireworks show, an ideal setting for Sae to confess her feelings.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say if you’re familiar with this genre at all and you’ve read through this series so far, (spoilers) that you know they’ve both had feelings for each other the whole time, right? So, with everything out in the open, where do we go from here? Will there be more drama, will we have more flashbacks to their past, or will we just bask in their awkward cuteness? I dunno about the flashbacks but it’s all sweet enough either way to enjoy this volume and look forward to the next. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 4, by Kazune Kawahara

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

Sae decides to confess to Koki at the school festival, but it all goes wrong, and Koki ends up comforting another girl.

This dragged, going back and forth with trying to find the right moment to confess while prepping for the school festival, and we’re no closer to that by the end of the volume. It felt like we were just circling, and that could have been summed up in a couple of pages, not an entire volume. I’m not a fan of stretching out something like this so long, and I don’t feel like the story moved forward. I feel meh about the whole volume. 3 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: “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite” Vol. 7, by Julietta Suzuki

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

Hina told Amanatsu she has feelings for him, and at first, she believes he brushed it off, but it’s clear he has feelings as well.

They do go on an actual date to see the Christmas lights, and I think Amanatsu is what the guy from Wolf Girl and Black Prince was trying to be. He can be aloof and snippy, but he’s not cruel and borderline abusive like Kyoya. Other than that, Hina’s inexperience with drinking blood causing the silly misunderstandings between her and Amanatsu was cute. It really softens the guy and puts a unique spin on this romantic trope. They’re a classic, adorable teen couple for a manga, and it’s still fun because they’re great characters. I still don’t like Rinya, taking advantage of Hina’s naivety when she’s vulnerable. I can’t wait for her to punish him in some way. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Confessions of a 35 Year Old” by TEI

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

Jason (Junren Liu) is a single office worker who is also a virgin. When a new co-worker, Frank (Qianfan Ye), needs a place to stay, Jason offers his spare room. Over time, they grow closer, and Jason wonders if this will be a chance at love.

While I am loving bisexual men representation, even for a one-shot, this felt too short. Just when things are getting good, we’re getting to know our MC’s, their relationship is growing, the conflict is established… Then it just stops. And on a cliffhanger at that! I mean, it’s easy to assume what the outcome will be, but still. What the heck? I think this would have been better if it were a little longer. It’s a cute story, I love the art style, but it needed more. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sayuri” by Rensuke Oshikiri

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

Norio and his family move into a new home only to find nothing but pain and hardship.

While it seems like this is building up slowly to a typical haunted house story, the absolute mad frenzy this becomes was genuinely horrific. It’s scary and sad to watch this family falling apart. Some of the art for this defies the original expectation I had of the style not being able to handle it, as it’s fairly cute, but:

I don’t want to post too many screenshots, but yeah, fucking terrifying. If you read a lot of horror manga, you might find this predictable, and I personally prefer happier endings, but this is worth checking out. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Parasyte Paperback Collection” Vol. 1, by Hitoshi Iwaaki

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

In a world where humanity is slowly being taken over by alien parasites, Shinichi ends up infected. While he manages to contain the being to his arm, he is thrust into a dangerous life with the alien Migi as an ally.

This is another series that I’ve gone so long without interacting with up until now. Finally getting to it, I can see why it’s such a classic. It has horror elements I enjoy, the clueless but well-meaning protagonist, a greater threat looming in the future… I can see where Ajin got its inspiration, while this is, of course, very different. Since it is an older series, the tone and art are very nostalgic, and maybe younger readers will be affected by that, as it’s a completely different vibe from more modern titles. As for me, I like it, and I’m glad I’m able to experience it. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “You’re All Mine Tonight” by Takiba

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+ and trigger warning for sexual assault.

Kanzaki is a straight-laced, dependable businessman who has kept it hidden that he had a long-standing tryst with a male sex worker who called himself “Nagi,” whom he still longs for. Five years later, Kanzaki meets Futagami at a work assignment, who looks just like him.

The art is beautiful, expressive, and lewd when it needs to be. However, as much as I was rooting for our main couple to be happy, I came away from this with the feeling that this was problematic. Nagisa’s character is made to actually not properly experience sex except with Kanzaki once they meet up again, but it is CLEARLY a trauma response from his time doing sex work and a sexual assault. Since this was never addressed, it felt tacked on to elicit emotion for the character rather than something he works through. Kanzaki just presses his feelings on him until poof, they’re in love. Nagisa’s rejection felt less like “I’m hiding my feelings” and more like a definitive NO that wasn’t listened to. I don’t like the idea of harassing someone until they date you. 2.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Flip Flip Slowly” by Mame Ohtako

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is rated 18+

Hagiwara is a librarian in a small town where nothing much happens. When a new face, Yubimi, becomes a regular, he is intrigued, and they become friends and possibly something more.

Not gonna lie, I see a main character that’s a librarian, I want to read it. Call it egotistical since I am a librarian. I gravitate towards depictions of my profession in media (if you haven’t seen The Public, you should. It’s amazing). So, when I say Hagiwara’s job is idealized as fuck, I’m not exaggerating. Maybe because it’s a small town and not American, but I did note a distinct lack of bodily fluids and screaming. And it’s also why I am extra “icked” out about Hagiwara dating a patron. That being said, this moved quickly to get our main couple into bed and then just kinda stopped. There were some heavy things in here that could have been explored, but weren’t, which is a shame because it had great potential. Also, a minor gripe: it’s not likely you’re gonna keep your glasses on when getting hot and heavy. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Spacewalking With You” Vol. 1, by Inuhiko Doronoda

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

Kobayashi is an underachiever, completely apathetic towards school, and can’t seem to focus. When a new student, Uno, arrives, Uno is overly enthusiastic and on the spectrum, opening Kobayashi’s eyes to different ways of thinking and doing things.

After so much yaoi and romance, I can’t express how refreshing this beautiful friendship is. I know what I pick to read, and I’m not ashamed of it, but I will say this is a breath of fresh air. I admit to tearing up. So far, the whole cast is fantastic and positive. Uno has his breakdowns, and the art represents this as well as a neurotypical person like me can say they do. Those are the most intense parts. It’s as if you took the romance (and possible death omens) out of Insomniacs After School and replaced it with mismatched friends. I love it! 4 out of 5.

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