review

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Lenni Reviews: “Marriage Toxin” Vol. 6, by Joumyaku & Mizuki Yoda

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

The battle between Toshiro and Gero comes to an end, giving Gero the chance to once again pursue his romantic mission.

I had to look up Mei’s character profile to get the right pronouns. Yes, he/him is correct and I’ll be using those from now on. In this volume, we learn he has a brother, Okuto. Other than that, this is more about Toshiro working on himself and now Teruaki is coming to interfere. Again, the fighting techniques and talents are kinda scary in their implications, making it a relief when Toshiro is just his silly self. I was wondering when the rest of the clan would weigh in on what Toshiro is doing. They don’t seem the type to sit back and wait after forcing him into this situation. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tokyo Fears Rhapsody” Vol. 2, by Akira Sugito

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

Hachiro is as enamored with the human world as ever and is trying to make a human friend.

Okay, it was way more entertaining for me to see Hachiro and Kosuke showing a bunch of elderly tourists around than is probably should have been. Even though this can get dark with bloody fights and such but the calm and funny moments are so endearing. I guess I have a weakness for lovable goodballs like Hachiro. While there is absolutely a bigger threat – not like in Villain’s Day Off where the invasion doesn’t seem to be taken very seriously – the parts with Hachiro are so much fun! Overall, it’s well balanced and I can’t wait to read more. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sleeping on Paper Boats” Vol. 1, by Teki Yatsuda

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

Set in Post-War Japan (1949) Keikitahara is a popular screenwriter who decides to quit when he realizes the people who inspired his characters ended up dead. He isolates himself, believing he is cursed. One night, he’s picked up after a fight by a photographer, Yoichi. Yoichi wants to get to know him, but Keikitahara tries to keep him away, thinking he will kill anyone he allows to get close to him.

Yoichi has his own thing going on, but holy shit, this is SAD. Kei clearly didn’t have any help dealing with the horrific trauma, and he is plagued with guilt. Yoichi kinda enables his worst ways to cope – spoiler/trigger warning for consensual choking during sex. But when they are happy together, it is so beautiful. The art is amazing at conveying all the wild emotions and the smut is light and suggestive. I recommend something light to read to cheer yourself up after reading this, though. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Moan” by Junji Ito

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

This is a collection of short stories:

  • Supernatural Transfer Student – The “Supernatural Club” in a school invites the strange new kid to join them
  • Moan – A mother becomes obsessed with cleaning to the point that it corrupts the home
  • Blood Orb Grave – After a car accident, a couple ends up in a village where the residents are obsessed with blood
  • Flesh Colored Mystery – A woman is attacked with a strange substance
  • Near Miss – A flight suddenly goes missing and the desperate search to find it
  • Under the Ground – The graduating class of 1974 has its 20-year reunion, unearthing a time capsule but one classmate can’t let go of the past

None of these stories went where I thought they would, and that didn’t always work for me. They’re not BAD by any means, and a wild twist is preferable to something blandly predictable. I have to admit though, I was left confused more than scared most of the time. 3.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Lumine” Vol. 3, by Emma Krogell

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After the failed kidnapping attempt, Lumine and Kody are recovering from their injuries. But they are still being hunted and Lumine’s secret of being a werewolf, thought to be an extinct species, may be exposed.

This volume has plenty of sweet moments and some bloody fights. Somehow, this manages to handle the cute and the gory equally well. It’s nice to see Kody grow closer to Lumine. He still has that same aloof demeanor he developed clearly as a defense mechanism. I am so glad that the Calla and the bullies plot is wrapped up because it makes more space for the bigger mystery behind the werewolves and Lumine’s parents not being around. Not to mention whatever is going on with Kody’s magic. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Merry Witches’ Life” Vol. 2, by Menota

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While Zoe is working very hard on their magic, a human finds out their secret and a writer comes to visit the town. While he claims to be doing research for a book, he’s hiding a secret of his own.

While the majority of this is slice of life and adding new characters, there’s an escalation and a bunch of lore like Zoe’s childhood and more about the ghosts hanging around Clay. There’s also more information about the magical parts of this world and while interesting, it feels like one big set up. It’s getting all the ducks in a row for perhaps something bigger? I suppose we’ll see. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Wanna Be Your Girl” Vol. 1, by Umi Takase

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

Hime is in love with her childhood best friend, Akira. When Akira comes out to her and says he feels more comfortable in girls’ clothes, she is super supportive but wonders what to do with her romantic feelings.

I like this as a start to the series. The focus isn’t on how Akira feels as a trans girl; it’s about Hime’s role as a friend and ally. She’s not perfect, blowing up at people and not considering how her actions make Akira feel or impact how her classmates feel about the whole thing. Then there’s Hime’s romantic feelings throwing a spanner in the works. I’m glad for the representation, but I get this very superficial feeling. A nugget of wisdom will get dropped and then we move swiftly on without really diving into it. Maybe it will get more depth as we go on. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 13, by Umi Sakurai

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Marin comes to visit and she’s put on weight from too many treats. Moriyama is on the hunt for new bandmates.

Spoiler, but it was a SHOCK to have the word “scumbag” come out of Kanda’s mouth. He’s such a precious bean that it felt wrong. He’s been stern but still has this positive energy that even a relatively mild insult like scumbag is jarring. Might as well be Mr. Rogers cursing someone out. Other than that, we’re still in the full-on funny slice of life mode with the slow build of Kanda getting up his motivation and strength to perform again. I wonder if his mother will come back into play since he has so much trauma about performing because of her. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 12, by Umi Sakurai

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Kanda takes his father-in-law’s advice to make sure to take good care of himself and be proud of the progress he’s made. Fukumaru has also made progress, so Kanda looks into a cat tree as a present.

There’s also a lost dog and Makoto, who’s stopped going to school due to bullying, but is put in charge of a kitten with health issues. This volume goes back to the episodic format and is even out of chronological order. The last volume was one complete storyline line but this is more bit of slice of life and adds a couple of new characters. Everything is as sweet as always and despite how cruel the bullying was to Makoto, it leaves you with a positive feeling. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 11, by Umi Sakurai

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Mr. Kanda pays a visit to his father-in-law and also sees his mother while Hoshinari deals with Teruki and his deception.

The flashback to where we meet Kanda’s wife, Suzune and the whole volume (except for the evil mom) is so damn emotional and adorable! Given how horrid his mother was, it’s so gratifying to see how much light was and is in Kanda’s life. When this series does get dark, it instantly balances it with so much love. Even the cats are learning lessons. I will admit, I teared up a bit. It’s a shame we don’t get more about Kanda’s mother other than she’s one of those Tiger Moms who puts too much pressure on her child. I wonder if the series will take time to redeem her or let a character stay shitty for once. 4.9 out of 5.Th

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