young adult manga

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 10, by Luka Kobachi

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

While Nanoha has decided to attend confectionary school in Tokyo, Chidori is still unsure. She is only certain she wants to follow Nanoha to Tokyo.

If Chidori isn’t able to get into a school close to Nanoha, it brings the possibility of having to be in a long distance relationship. I have to say, they’re being very mature for a YA manga. I suppose since this has been a fairly cozy slice of life so far, it’s not going to make a pivot to big dramatics. Which is great! It’s a healthy relationship and they’re adorable together. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “I’m No Angel” Vol. 1, by Ai Yazawa

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

Modori is a first year high school student, excited to run for a spot on the Student Council. Her classmate, Akira, is also running, putting Midori in close quarters with her crush.

This was just not for me. Sometimes, slice of life doesn’t quite hit that sweet spot of mundane but still interesting enough to read. It felt too mundane for me, if that makes any sense. I think the characters aren’t engaging me like other slice of life series I’m reading right now. It’s not bad but I didn’t like it as much as I like other series by this creator. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Insomniacs After School” Vol. 14, by Makoto Ojiro

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

As Isaki checked into the hospital for her surgery, Ganta deals with the stress from that and exams by closing himself off from the whole friend group.

Yup, gonna spoil it: Isaki gets to graduate with all her friends and is still dating Ganta in this final volume. For those who prefer their media to have a happily ever after, you’ll get one here. I’m left with just this happy feeling, knowing a brighter future awaits for most of the cast; not counting the ones we don’t know much about. While I’d love to know more about their adult lives, I’m satisfied with this ending. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “A Star Brighter than the Sun” Vol. 6, by Kazune Kawahara

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

Sae and Koki are officially dating and the whole school has opinions about it.

We also dip into Koki’s backstory about his feelings for Sae. We’re at the stage of a YA romance where they’re figuring out what dating actually means for them. Sae is overthinking things and most of this is Koki remembering how long he’s wanted to be with Sae. Since they’re fumbling a bit, there isn’t much progress. Not a bad volume, especially if you’re looking forward to finally seeing these two together. 3.5 out of 5.

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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: “Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life” Vol. 6, by Miyu Morishita

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

Tsumiki and Yutaka start their student council duties, where they meet Student Council President: Raizen, a lightning dragon with a strict temperament. They prepare for the last event of the year – the Sports Festival – and then they head into the Christmas season.

We still get tiny glimpses of how lonely Yutaka’s past was, and while it does show how far he’s come, I feel like I need more. I’m so ready for a long flashback session where maybe Tsumiki meets more old classmates of his? Eh, even if we never get that, the slice of life with mythical creatures is still entertaining and heartwarming at times. I enjoy wondering what they’ll get up to next. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Rainbows After Storms” Vol. 9, by Luka Kobachi

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

Final exams are over and with Winter Break in full swing, the friend group decides to have a Christmas party. Nanoha searches for a goal to work towards for after graduation. 

What Nanoha will decide to do seems to be a ball that just keeps getting kicked down the line in favor of more slice-of-life events like New Year’s or Valentine’s Day. Those scenes are fine, but the way things are going, it’s just gonna be a bigger problem later on. Also, the way it’s just tucked in between Christmas parties and cookie baking makes me wonder if this will actually be a thing or if it just fizzle out. Guess we’ll see. 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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