young adult manga

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 5, by Kazune Kawahara

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

The closing of the school festival is a fireworks show, an ideal setting for Sae to confess her feelings.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say if you’re familiar with this genre at all and you’ve read through this series so far, (spoilers) that you know they’ve both had feelings for each other the whole time, right? So, with everything out in the open, where do we go from here? Will there be more drama, will we have more flashbacks to their past, or will we just bask in their awkward cuteness? I dunno about the flashbacks but it’s all sweet enough either way to enjoy this volume and look forward to the next. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 4, by Kazune Kawahara

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

Sae decides to confess to Koki at the school festival, but it all goes wrong, and Koki ends up comforting another girl.

This dragged, going back and forth with trying to find the right moment to confess while prepping for the school festival, and we’re no closer to that by the end of the volume. It felt like we were just circling, and that could have been summed up in a couple of pages, not an entire volume. I’m not a fan of stretching out something like this so long, and I don’t feel like the story moved forward. I feel meh about the whole volume. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate: Making Friends and Not Scaring People” by Tomohito Oda

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

This book is a Komi-themed guide to opening up and making new friends.

This is really cute, and while it is absolutely idealistic, it’s very digestible. It’s a fun way to learn a bit and relive some classic moments from the manga series. If you are a huge fan, this may be a worthwhile addition to your collection or maybe a gift to a young fan who’s a bit shy. I think these types of books are fun! I wonder if Food Wars will come out with an official cookbook (one lazy search brought up some independently published ones). 4.7 out of 5 since it’s a fun little extra book for fans.

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Lenni Reviews: “Let’s Do It Already!” Vol. 8, by Aki Kusaka

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

Since Keiichiro and Yuri have kissed, they’ve broken the rules and will be taken to Keiichiro’s grandfather to face the consequences.

You gotta respect a man who takes hot pot seriously.

That’s my favorite meal, right alongside nachos or a good burrito bowl.

Back to the point, it was nice to see Keiichiro do more things as opposed to Yuri being the one to be more proactive, albeit in the most bombastic, impulsive way possible within the confines of a young adult romantic comedy. Again, I love how honestly in love they are. Yeah, they’re still kids, and I get that this family has overbearing rules that make them want to rebel, but they are genuinely sweet together. 3.5 out of 5 for being cute but ultimately predictable.

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 5, by Miyu Morishita

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

In an attempt to be more involved, Yutaka is considering clubs to join, and Tsumiki decides to do the same. Meanwhile, a succubus named Ako sets her sights on Yutaka.

This volume is just Tsumiki and Yutaka being adorable. The introduction of Axo may seem like there’d be all this drama and angst, but we’re still in jovial slice of life territory. Tsumiki is her usual supportive, quirky bestie to Yutaka, who is trying his best. I’m enjoying the introductions of new types of mythical beings and, as these are teenagers, I’m relieved at the way Ako was handled. She’s not hyper sexualized, she just craves to be wanted and basks in the attention. It’s a cute volume. 3.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 8, by Luka Kobachi

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

As our couple enjoys the school’s sports festival, Chidori is hesitant to be more physical in her relationship with Nanoha. They are also approaching graduation, after which Chidori has plans, but Nanoha does not.

Trying to balance spending time with each other, yet be there for their friends who still don’t know about them, is the main conflict in the manga. It’s all super cute and still light-hearted. Very fluffy slice of life that just makes you smile. It does still make me wonder if they will hide this secret throughout the entire series. I still can’t see this series getting all that dark, but there has to be some sort of payoff for all this sneaking around. 4 out of 5. 

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Lenni Reviews: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 4, by Miyu Morishita

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

It’s time for the Cultural Festival, and their class decides to do a cosplay cafe.

This volume has more of Tsumiki’s family, where we learn that while she’s upbeat and positive now, she hasn’t always had the easiest time of it. This is still a fun read; nothing is really dark. There’s some humor mixed in, some nice character moments with Mokuri, all in all, some very cozy slice of life antics that leave you with a smile and a curitosity to know more about all the different types of creatures. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 13, by Makoto Ojiro

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

Nakami and Magari go with their friends to Osaka to check out colleges. Energized by the trip, they both throw themselves into intense studying.

There is also a change in Magai’s condition, and we learn more about Nakami’s parents. It’s a bittersweet volume since now that we know about Magari’s illness, it’s possible this series will take that dark turn. I sincerely hope it doesn’t, since, while it is a realistic possibility, for me it doesn’t fit with the tone this series has had up to this point. Although it would fit with the message of living in the moment and treasuring them… 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I Wanna Be Your Girl” Vol. 2, by Umi Takase

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

As Akira struggles to be seen at school as a girl, Hime has a heart-to-heart with Yukka, who shares her backstory about her time in the track club.

This volume is very insightful. It not only addresses how Hime can be a better ally, but also how Akira perceives being a girl. Akira also talks to her father about presenting a girl, and Hime tells her parents why she’d started wearing a boy’s uniform to school. Spoilers, but I think it’s important for potential readers to know that the parents we’ve seen so far are pretty supportive. Akira’s dad is iffy, though. Overall, I like the growth we’re getting. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Boyfriend, Sometimes Girlfriend” Vol. 1, by Musawo

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

Shishizaki is the prettiest and most popular girl in school, and while Akizuki feels he has no chance, he confesses to her. To his surprise, she accepts! But she is hiding a strange secret: her family is cursed.

Okay, soooo, this is some Ranma 1/2 shit going on here, only instead of using water, it’s a kiss that sparks the transformation. The tone swings from cutesy to “Kasane” levels of creepy (that’s a great comic, you should check it out). This smacks of YA romance, so I doubt it will get as dark as that series, but I can see Shishitaki’s ability used for some sick shit. Either way, this is a tepid opening and we’ll see if it gets better. 2.5 out of 5.

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