slice of life manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 23, by Tomohito Oda

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

Valentine’s Day comes again and both Komi and Manbagi want to confess to Tadano.

Whelp, folks! We finally got what we were all waiting for: the actual confessions to Tadano and it plays out with the same insightful and sweet tone the series has kept up with so far. As the parent of a teenager, I am very away real kids probably wouldn’t be this mature in a situation where two friends like the same person but I love that this series keeps the friend group together. The ultimate goal for Komi is to be more comfortable talking to people and make 100 friends; not get a boyfriend. This volume was very cute! 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 7, by Umi Sakurai

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Another brilliant pianist, Geoffroy, comes to Japan to challenge Kanda and overtake him as the best. On the way to Kanda’s house, Geoffroy finds a box of cold, lonely, abandoned kittens.

Ah, if only all the world’s problems could be solved by a box of adorable kittens…

The characters are becoming better people because the action of bonding with the cats lets down the barriers they’ve built up and it’s really touching and sweet. This volume didn’t hit me in the feels as hard as the others but it’s still good and still worth reading if you want something cute and fun that will make you smile. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible” Vol. 5, by Nene Yukimori

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

As Shiraishi starts to experience more of actual high school life, sports day, getting little notes in his locker, having someone to celebrate his birthday with, etc, more people start taking notice of him.

It’s sweet to see these two growing closer and Shiraishi getting more friends. Something about the interaction with Shiraishi’s mother confirms my suspicion that he wasn’t as ok being invisible as we were lead to believe. He’s coming out of his shell and having more fun and it’s wholesome to see. This is a great slice of life, relaxing read. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbow Days” Vol 1, by Minami Mizuno

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

This series follows four teenage boys as they find their way through romance and relationships in high school.

In this volume, we focus on Natsuki, who is hoping to spend Christmas Eve with his friends who all have girlfriends. This is very slice of life, light, and breezy with some laughs. Definitely a book that’s something to kick back for a relaxing read with a cast of characters that are all pretty likeable. I found myself rooting for them to be happy. The art is classic and expressive with some fun details. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 22, by Tomohito Oda

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

While in New York, Manbagi decides its time to tell Tadano about her feelings for him. We also get a story about Shosuke, who’s class is also going on a trip and he has to be persuaded to go.

While the field trip antics are fun to read, not much progress was made in the confession department. I am glad Shoko and Rumiko’s friendship is honest and strong; not falling into a typical trope to make them have a falling out. I want to rate this higher because of my personal affinity for this series, but this wasn’t as enjoyable as the other volumes. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible” Vol. 4, by Nene Yukimori

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Shiraishi and Kubo are in the same class again this year and Kubo won’t let Shiraishi just fade into the background; insisting he get involved with a school committee. Meanwhile, Kubo isn’t the only one who’s noticed Shiraishi as another classmate, Sudo has noticed him all this time.

We don’t get much of Sudo in this volume as it focuses on Shiraishi and Kubo spending more time together. They are so cute and it’s good to see someone appreciate Shiraishi and his interests. Clearly, he was more bothered by being invisible, as I’ve said before, and his relationship with Kubo is slowly unfolding. Shiraishi is actually enjoying Kubo’s little teasing and is having fun! It’s going bit by bit but progress is happening. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 6, by Umi Sakurai

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Kanda is going out more and it invited by Moriyama only to find Moriyama has ditched him. Kanda has to overcome his panic attacks and fear in order to cope.

In this volume, we get to know more about Moriyama a lot more and it’s more of a music manga than a cat one. I’m completely fine with that since Kanda is healing from his past traumas and him adopting a cat was the catalyst for everything going on in is life now. It’s still very cute and Fukumaru has plenty of time to shine so you get your fix of adorable felines. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 5, by Umi Sakurai

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In a change up from previous volumes, this one has more emphasis on the cats. Fukumaru recognizes an old neighbor from the pet shop wandering outside. This cat just runs off, prompting Fukumaru to run out and help him; only to get lost and Kanda rushes to find him.

I’m a wimp, I got misty eyed. I’m almost mad at how easily this volume made me cry but I’m an animal lover. One of my financial goals is to adopt another pet and pets are a big part of my retirement plan. I am a soft touch when it comes to all these feels. It’s also a testament to the art, which allows for all the emotions to come through. Very good volume. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 4, by Umi Sakurai

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A rival of Kanda’s, Hibino, is determined to do whatever it takes to surpass Kanda’s incredible talent for the piano. But Hibino’s flighty mother suddenly decides she doesn’t want to bother with her cat anymore and dumps the cat on him. With no idea what to do, Hibino ends up asking Kanda for help.

Well, I wouldn’t expect a cute story about a guy adoring his pet cat to deal with all these types of human trauma but, here we are. At least it’s handled well, classy even considering this is marketed as a cozy read about an elderly man and his cat. 5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Man and His Cat” Vol. 3, by Umi Sakurai

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After the time comes for Fukumaru to get neutered, we have a new character enter the cast named Moriyama; a young man who works with Kanda and greatly admires Kanda’s piano skills. Unfortunately, Moriyama is unaware of Kanda’s past and how traumatic it would be for him to attend a piano concert.

I like learning about these characters through the cats. We spend plenty of time with both the human characters and the felines so there’s a good balance. This series is getting a little more dramatic and very touching. 4.5 out of 5. 

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