young adult graphic novel

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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: “Red and the Wolves: A Graphic Novel” by Cherry Zong

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

Red is a talented hunter tasked with protecting her Grandmother and helping to exorcize the Nawa in the dying forest around them. On a hunt, she meets Sil, a wolf girl who got caught in a trap. They become friends, but the threat of the rot spreading through the land still looms, and Red is plunged into a more serious threat than she could have imagined.

Far be it from me to turn town a witch fantasy comic. This one is beautiful and fun with some exciting moments, but as an avid reader, the twist wasn’t as shocking to me as it would be to someone less experienced in the genre. The lore and characters are so well done, and I am SO happy this was towards 400 pages. The story had plenty of time to breathe and is so well paced. The art style handles action, sprawling fantasy settings, and quiet moments with ease, and I highly recommend it. 4.8 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Colette Decides to Die” Vol. 4, by Alto Yukimura

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

As Colette’s journey to her hometown continues, she encounters Hercules and spends time with her siblings. We learn more about all of them and their journey as healers.

Kotume is an adorable addition, and screw Posidon for being cruel to that precious little bean.

How can you be mean to that little face!!??

Other than that, this volume is mostly about Colette and Hades getting closer. There was the chance of a typical ‘beach episode,’ but she is such a hard worker that we skip that trope, and she spends the time learning unique skills from the healers near the sea. She adds these to her skill set before heading back to the underworld. This is the volume with the most negativity as some apprentices are nasty to Marie (Colette’s older sister) and the harsh treatment of Kotsume (an otter). It was a downer in the series for sure. 4 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: “Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite” Vol. 3, by Julietta Suzuki

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

Kyuta is still hiding his vampire status from his friends and when he and Hoshino luck into tickets for a hot spring, he sees it as a chance to come out.

Again, the super serious and super silly in this volume is jarring. Spoilers for this volume, but Hina and Amanatsu get hit by a fucking truck. But like the stalker, it was just kinda handwaved away, and we’re off to a cosplay photoshoot. Yes, it’s adorable and fun, watching Hina and Amanatsu do their little crush thing is cute, but excuse me? They were hit by a TRUCK. How can I take threats seriously in this series if that’s just not a bother? Hina I get is a vampire, but the volume has a time jump to when Amanatsu is just all better now! There could have been some interesting things to explore while he healed up with all these other supernatural people around him, but nope. It’s odd. 3 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: “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: “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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