Reader’s Corner: MHA Team-Up Missions, Assassination Classroom, and Love Me, Love Me Not

My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, Vol. 1

Developed to put the various characters from the MHA universe into short-term teams with one another, My Hero Academia: Team Up Missions features side stories and regular content in what amounts to fun but inconsequential filler material. The premise is that with provisional licenses now in hand, the Class 1-A students will work with each other and those from other classes (and perhaps other schools in the future) as they join with professional heroes in their job duties (think of the internship filler episodes, but with two or three students assigned per hero). It’s not a bad setup to get to know the characters better, but volume one is a bit of a false start: There are really only two original missions in this volume—the rest of the material consists of previously published one-shots with plots similar enough to be gathered together under this new manga’s moniker. A number of the chapters have an introductory feel to them, dragging the pacing of the volume down, but seeing fan favorites teaming up and in chapters they may not have previously read will excite MHA fans, and the mangaka developing this series has a firm grasp on the characters and world, ensuring that future volumes should similarly be pleasing to readers of the beloved manga—though it probably is best left for those who live and breathe My Hero Academia.  ~ twwk

My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, Vol. 1 is available through Viz.

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 7

After the past two volumes featured increasingly contrived plot devices that were undermining what had been a smart and romantice series, Love Me, Love Me Not gets back on track in volume seven by honing on one of the series’ themes: moving forward. As more and more facets of the four main characters are revealed, Sakisaka continues to weave a sweetness into her story, painted with brushes of humor and plenty of angst and romance as the school festival concludes and a double date of sorts follows. What’s perhaps most interesting in these chapters is how Yuna and Rio continue to defy the expectations of their initial roles and develop as characters, while Akari, too, undergoes realistic transformation. It’s only Inui that remains a wildcard, a character whom I’m unsure of—is he still purposely mysterious, or just an undefined character? It seems that the coming volumes will reveal which is true, and I’ll certainly be reading along to find out what becomes of him and the rest of the lovable cast, who are increasingly joined by a fifth character, the Sakisaka herself, whose liner notes continue to be amusing additions that reveal that the clumsy and lovable mangaka is perhaps herself suited and destined to be a walking, talking shoujo heroine. ~ twwk

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 7 is available through Viz.

My Wife is an Oni, Vol. 1

While My Wife is an Oni is created by a staff member of the ecchi monster girl series, Monster Musume, Nadeshiko Yamato’s doujinshi isn’t really ecchi at all. Focusing on the relationship of a human husband and his monster girl wife, volume 1 is pretty much just adorably pure. Each chapter is a short two pages with quick showing snippets in the life of Tomoyuki and his tall, oni wife Mitsuki. They love each other so much—it’s undeniably cute. The art is great and just super-cute as well. Did I say that this doujinshi is cute? I love what the translators did with Mitsuki’s dialogue as well, incoporating English slang to emphasize her country roots. This series appears to be a winner—in fact, I liked it so much that I’ve already bought volumes two and three from Irodori Comics. ~ MDMRN

My Wife is an Oni, Vol. 1 is available through Irodori Comics.

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 7

I recently started a journey through the popular series, Assassination Classroom, recently completing volume seven. I’m glad I went into this series blind. It’s a fascinating work, in part because of their squid-teacher. Koro-sensei who seeks to foster a strong, competitive classroom where students reach their full potential. This pairs with the desire for one of the students to assassinate Koro-sensei in order to prevent the world being destroyed. These two divergent paths somehow work in this series. I can’t exactly explain how or why, but the unusual storyline does. I’m simultaneously rooting for the greatest teacher these students will ever know while also rooting for them to kill him. It’s quite the conundrum, and I think that speaks how well written the series is that even with that baseline level of confusion, I keep coming back for more. ~ MDMRN

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 7 is available through Viz.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 4

Volume four of The Way of the Househusband opens with an action-filled sequence, as Tatsu chases down a thief, at one point incurring the wrath of a group of dangerous hoodlums during his pursuit. Just when things are about to come to head, though, Tatsu and the others give up. Instead, they smile serenely at the culprit—a cat—feeding the stolen item (a fish) to her kittens. Those familiar with The Way of Househusband won’t be surprised with sequences like that, and as with previous volumes, the juxtaposition between yakuza and househusband makes for page after page of uproarious panels and more than a few sweet ones as well. Among the situations for Tatsu in volume four are a visit to a theme park with his wife; tutoring an associate in the art of making the perfect boba; and teaching kids with his unique spin on a children’s story and with math. The volume also ends with some bonus manga, one featuring Miku, a consistent a welcome face besides Tatsu’s in the series, which continues to find ways to make one basis premise hilarious time after time. ~ twwk

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 4 is available through Viz.

Featured illustration by SIKA (reprinted w/permission).

mdmrn
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