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Lenni Reviews: “Old-Fashioned Cupcake” by Sagan Sagan

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

Nozue is feeling like he’s in a rut. He may be the oldest and most popular person in his office job but all he does is go to work and come home. When speaking with his coworker, Togawa, the younger man decides to help with what he calls “andropause” by helping Nozue experience more of life. Togawa’s intentions are kind but it is clear he has a crush on the older man.

This is a fun May/December romance. There are some intimate scenes but they’re not super graphic. Togawa is the stern type, doing a poor job at hiding his feelings, and Nozue is the oblivious one who needs a roadmap to see he’s the target of a crush. As they come together, we get some nice slice of life moments. It’s nice to see older characters – even though 40 is hardly “old” – and it’s a quick read that makes you smile. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Fist of the North Star” Vol. 10, by Buronson & Tetsuo Hara

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

Ken has found Yuria but Raoh is also after her to keep her from Ken. Now, it’s time for their showdown utilizing a deadly final technique.

This was an interesting final battle but it feels a little silly that with the tone of this series, after the technique and strength shown in the final battle really came down to love and feelings. I mean, I get it, it was entertaining but I thought it would come down to all the experience Ken has gained allowing him to win the fight. The final battle between them was cool, though but Yuria was super dull. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Call of the Night” Vol. 13, by Kotoyama

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

As Ko’s power grows so does the threat to him and Nazuna as the object capable of killing her is finally discovered.

Kiku’s possible endgame in all this pales in comparison to what’s going on with Ko, in my opinion. I do want a resolution to whatever Kiku is doing but the entire cast is baffled as to why and how Ko is changing the way he is and is massive strength. So far, his scary moments are confined to when he’s fighting so we’ll have to keep going to find out the details. As for Kiku, she’s just the right amount of flippant, manipulative, and dangerous to be interesting up to this point but I’d like her story to make more movement forward. Other than that, this was an action-packed volume with not much downtime and gives us a lot of information. 4.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Wolf Girl and Black Prince” Vol. 3, by Ayuko Hatta

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

As they head back to school after Christmas break, Erika’s grades have tanked due to her being distracted with Kyoya so he offers to tutor her. When Valentine’s Day rolls around, their classmate Shinohara develops a crush on Erika, making Kyoya jealous.

Okay, Kyoya is crossing the line between cutting and aloof to flat out abusive asshole. It isn’t healthy or amusing to see him treat Erika like crap, making her cry, and generally making her miserable. Its enough to make you hope she dumps him flat out for someone better. There is also a side story “I Ain’t Your Clown” where a student named Kodama uses humor to avoid being rejected. She is so adorable, it washed the nasty taste Kyoya left in my mouth. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Alice in Borderland” vol. 7, by Haro Aso

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

The Jack of Hearts game comes to a close in this volume only to go right into the next; the King of Spades where a man armed to the teeth ruthlessly hunts down the participants and the only way to win is to take him out.

The Kind of Spades fight is super dramatic; really digging into the lives of career soldiers and how combat affects them. I like the combination of the middle schooler Dodo, high schooler Akane and the soldier, Agumi. They are so different and play off each other well; making it easy to root for them as we take a break from Arisu and his group. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Where the Body Was” by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips & Jacob Phillips

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

In the summer of 1984, a dead body is found on Pelican road, kicking off a series of events that exposes dark secrets in this seemingly idyllic suburban neighborhood. This dramatic mystery has a cheating wife, runaway drug addict, a little girl who believes she’s a superhero, and a fake cop all get pulled into orbit when a dead guy turns up on the sidewalk. It reads like a true crime documentary and the art reflects the gritty mess that are people’s private lives. It switches perspectives through each character and has some great twists and turns. If you’re looking for a crime story that has some unexpected curves, this is pretty good. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Mao” Vol. 13, by Rumiko Takahashi

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

This volume reveals who killed Sana and what Yurako really is.

A lot of this is learning about Mei and why she works with Shiranui while the main group deals with a  corrupt industrialist (there are a lot of crappy elites in this series) and other than the overarching plot evolving Byoki, Nanoka’s abilities, and the secrets being kept in the background, I like watching Mao work and hearing about the various entities they battle. I like a nice mix of ‘villain of the week’ and long form story in my media and this series is doing that pretty well so far! 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Dark Gathering” Vol. 3, by Kenichi Kondō

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

Keitaro, Yayoi, and Eiko are actively hunting spirits together but regular life must go on so Keitaro gets a job tutoring Ai, a young lady who is plagued by bad luck and spirits.

This volume has much less breaks for humor so, it’s pretty fucking creepy. Yayoi is less creepy cute and more genuinely terrifying, the spirits are getting stronger, and its fucking fantastic. I am psyched for the next book as this one was gripping and scary. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love” Vol. 7, by Ayuko Hatta

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

While Satomi and Yagyu are usually the stars, this volume spends it’s time with Miria and Noda. Miria has confessed her feelings for Noda, who doesn’t seem to care for relationships until Kenishi, Miria’s cousin who is now a student teacher at their school, enters the picture and Noda becomes jealous.

Miria is the breakout of this volume. Her personality is fun and vibrant, even as she shares some of Satomi’s hesitation when it comes to dating for the first time. We’re hitting the same series of firsts as Satomi and Yagyu but the time taken to watch Miria and Noda grow was enjoyable to me but I can see if some readers would want the series to go back to our main couple instead. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible” Vol. 9, by Nene Yukimori

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

Shiraishi makes an effort to take Kubo out for her birthday but the real meat of this volume is Kubo and Shiraishi going to see fireworks; which Shiraishi hasn’t done since he was a young child.

This volume gives more of how being invisible actually effects Shiraishi. This series started off with it being a bit of a joke that he brushes off. Here, we’re seeing how much of a tole this takes on this kid. And I enjoy how supportive Kubo is. I know her teasing was never meant to be mean spirited but it’s enjoyable to see them getting closer and Shiraishi having a good friend group. 4 out of 5.

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