YA romance manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 36, by Tomohito Oda

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

Tadano goes with Komi to her grandmother’s house for a few weeks to study, and he gets closer to Komi’s family.

It was nice to see them working hard but also having some fun. Tadano stays there for a while, so there’s plenty of time to watch them enjoy New Year’s and such before we go back to their exams. While it’s sweet to see them support each other, I do wonder about Tadano making it his mission to follow Komi to her choice of school. Maybe do your own thing? It’s still very lighthearted and sweet; not a bit of toxic or questionable actions, thank goodness. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Sakura, Saku” Vol. 9, by Io Sakisaka

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

After rejecting Haruki’s confession, Saku is convinced she did the right thing, freeing him to love Hazuki. But Kotono’s scolding has her doubting her decision in this final volume.

While I’m glad Saku finally stepped up and was honest about what she wanted, I’m actually disappointed Haruki (spoilers) was indeed the guardian angel the whole time because that’s pretty predictable. It’s sweet, but part of me wanted it to be a completely random person who had nothing to do with any of them, but they got together anyway. This was still nice, though. Even if you can totally see it coming. As the final volume, all my tender-hearted readers out there get our happy ending. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 3, by Miyu Morishita

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

After the Sports Festival, it’s time for midterms, and Tsumiki needs to buckle down and study. Yutaka offers to help her, but after the exams are over, he sees less of her and the rest of his friends. He fears they will forget him if they can’t hang out.

Most of this is the kids enjoying their summer, and it’s a genuinely fun slice of life read. The background details of the other students and their unique traits – the invisible boy has some great scenes – are used to create some fun visual gags and touching moments. I’m glad it didn’t linger too long on Yutaka’s dilemma because it fits Tsumiki’s character to intervene, so he can’t brood about this. She solves shit like that ASAP. Similar to Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible or Komi Can’t Communicate, it’s nice to see the male lead come out of his shell. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite” Vol. 5, by Julietta Suzuki

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

After the attack in the vampire bar, Amanatsu has been having nightmares, and Hina wants to cheer him up by taking him out for animal therapy. They run into Rinya, the voice actor for Hina’s favorite character, who is also long-lived and doesn’t understand why Hina is so enthusiastic after so much time.

This volume balances the silly and serious better and advances the relationship between our two main romantic leads. There are some new characters, and it was interesting for a second to see Hina wanting to protect Amanatsu, some actual lasting effects of the risks he’s taken, but still, it’s resolved too quickly for me. It seems like there should be more attention on that than the romantic drama. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 3, by Alto Yukimura

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

Dionysus makes an appearance as he’s one of many afflicted with a cold that’s going around. As thanks for treatment, he invites Hades and Colette to a banquet to get closer.

In addition to the banquet, we see more of Colette being an amazing apocathary and how deep her connection to the vilage goes. Again, this is one of those series where the romance and fantasy are great but Colette’s pure hearted and earnest dedication drives this story and is a pleasure to read. Seriously, the budding romance between Hades and Colette is such an afterthought in my mind. I could have the whole series just be about her and be totally fine with it. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite” Vol. 4, by Julietta Suzuki

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

After the cosplay shoot, Amanatsu gains a bit of fame when the photos are posted online, resulting in a forced date that triggers Viktor to trick Hina and Amanatstu to go back to Hina’s father.

This volume balances the silly and the serious better than the previous ones. It also builds up another person lurking in the background and shows that Hina is a force to be reckoned with, despite her adorable otaku nature. It’s nice to see them getting closer and having fun. I would like to see Hina come into her own while still being her goofy self, but it feels like we’re still getting the cast together for whatever plot points are coming up. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 6, by Luka Kobachi

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

Nanoha and Chidori’s relationship is discovered by Mai, who has a crush on Nanoha. As they go on a school trip, tension forms between them as Nanoha is jealous of how close Chidori gets to Mai, which puts pressure on the entire friend group.

Yeah, the stakes are still pretty low considering Mai has no real ill intentions towards the couple and it’s mostly the friend group just wanting to enjoy the trip without drama. Fair, considering what a breakup can do to a friend group, even if they’re not all aware of the couple. They just need to communicate properly if they want this relationship to work. It’s a nice story beat, even if their fight went on a bit long for me. I was probably just as annoyed as their friends were. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 2, by Alto Yukimura

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

When Apollo decides to go on vacation, Colette volunteers to fill in as healer to the gods in his absence.

In this volume, we also get Charon’s backstory, which is so sad. For all its whimsy, this series gets dark sometimes. I have to admit, I’m totally about the hardworking, sweet characters that are super genuine and are actually rewarded for their efforts. I’m not even into the possible romance. I can watch Colette just do her thing: healing people and expanding her apothecary skills. It’s also a way to learn about the world they live in and the unique take on the Greek Gods, even if some of them just kinda drop in and vanish within a few pages. I feel like if we’re going to include them, just go for it and give them some real “screen” time. 4 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: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 11, by Makoto Ojiro

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

As winter passes and spring arrives, Magari fills the photo album Nakami gave her with pictures of her own. As Nakami’s birthday comes and the second year of high school begins, their relationship changes in unexpected ways.

As they’re making college plans, Magari has to take her heart condition into account when considering what or where she wants to study. Bit of a spoiler, but it looks like this probably won’t lean into her dying young since the comic makes a point to say that with treatment and surgery, she could live to 50. That’s something of a relief, but it’s entirely possible the plot will take a nose-dive off the tragedy cliff. Nakami gets some development as well, and it’s nice to see him opening up to the new club members and within the friend group. This series is so good at conveying so much without words, unease as much as joy. 4 out of 5.

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