New Sword Art Online and Naruto manga series, the next volume of Dark Moon: The Blood Altar, and a brand new story set in the world of Unnamed Memory are among the diverse offerings in this week’s column! Check out all our reviews below and let us know which you’re looking forward to reading!
Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture (Vol. 3) • Babel (Vol. 1) • Dark Moon: The Blood Altar (Vol. 3) • Demons’ Crest (Vol. 1) • Fly Me to the Moon (Vol. 21) • The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station • Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion (Vol. 4) • Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You (Vol. 4) • Naruto: Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust: The Manga (Vol. 1) • Sword Art Online: Kiss and Fly (Vol. 1) • Usotoki Rhetoric (Vol. 7)
Babel, Light Novel Vol. 1
Babel comes to us from Kuji Furumiya, the author of Unnamed Memory—and in fact, Babel takes place in the same world, albeit three hundred years later (though you don’t need to know UM to understand and enjoy Babel). A Japanese college girl named Shizuku Minase finds herself whisked away to another world— Wait! Don’t run away! Yes, it’s another isekai, but this one is actually different! Shizuku is not overpowered, nor does she upend society by bringing in modern inventions (or foods!). In fact, Babel in some ways reads like an anti-Ascendance of a Bookworm: Shizuku, a humanities student, discusses with her companion Erik, a mage, whether contaminating the natural progression of their history with our world’s technology would be a good idea or not, and they come to a surprisingly deep explanation for why it wouldn’t. (Whereas AoaB is all about transforming society just so that Myne can read her books. Don’t even get me started on other series that never bother with the social ramifications of such contamination.) Anyway: Why is Babel a good story that you should read? I’ll try to keep my explanation shorter than volume one itself (which is long, clocking in at 372 pages). Mild spoiler, but there’s a pretty sharp distinction between our world and the other: The world of Babel never underwent any “Tower of Babel” event to vary up their languages, while ours did (whether it was literally the biblical Tower of Babel or something else with a similar effect hasn’t been explained). So the people of the other world all understand each other well enough, with only slight regional variations in dialect. And even Shizuku finds herself able to communicate with them flawlessly, for reasons that have only begun to be explored. Unfortunately, Shizuku and Erik have to try to unravel these and a host of related mysteries while on the run: war is on the horizon, an evil cult is about to complete a centuries-old plot, and certain sketchy people have started to take notice of the strange young woman trying to journey incognito… I will have to sit down some day and do a thorough literary analysis of this book; the author is doing a lot with the nature of symbols, meaning, narrative, and a host of other related themes—a veritable feast for someone like me! Regardless, this story is so good that even my wife couldn’t put it down—and she hardly ever gets into anime, manga, or light novels! Its only major flaw is a stilted translation; the prose reads rather woodenly throughout, somewhat over-literally. Otherwise, I can’t recommend this one enough. ~ NegativePrimes
Babel is published by Yen Press. Volume one releases on June 18th.
Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion, Manga Vol. 4
Oh my goodness, what can I say about this volume without giving spoilers!? In the previous volume, things were starting to heat up between Harij and Rose, but then he was pulled away to fulfill his duties as a knight. One month later, however, he shows up back at Rose’s hermitage, claiming he drank a love potion?! Best. Volume. Yet! I was on cloud nine for the majority of this volume and didn’t know to squeal, swoon, or do both! The tension, the romantic development, flails! The artist thrived bringing Harij’s struggle to life so vividly! Goodness, even Rose’s struggle is brought to life in a new way that we haven’t quite seen before! Each moment, each page really kept building and building until I didn’t know if my “flea heart” could handle these new developments! I think I was sort of worried that in terms of them expressing their feelings, it would be drawn out for a long while? (No pun intended!) Without going into spoilers, that worry is long gone and sort of like, “How did that even feel again?” Ha! Truly the payoff in this volume is everything, and I definitely think this is the best volume yet! The other volumes have been so good, but everything hit differently in this one, especially with how it ended! I am crushed to know that we are currently caught up to Japan with no volume five in sight, because I neeedddd more! I need to know what is going to happen and how their relationship will be moving forward! I am very thankful I was encouraged to pick up this series because it definitely been one of the best series I’ve picked up at the recommendation of the shoujo community! Highly recommend it if you’re not already reading it! ~ Laura A. Grace
Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion is published by Yen Press. Volume four releases on June 18th.
READ: Reviews of Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3
Demons’ Crest, Light Novel Vol. 1: Reality Erosion
Reki Kawahara, the author of Sword Art Online, Accel World, more Sword Art Online, and—get this—even more Sword Art Online, launches a new story with this first volume of Demons’ Crest. Like his previous work, DC explores the relationship between the virtual or digital world and the real one: SAO trapped people inside a virtual world that could affect (and end) their real lives, AW introduced a system that allowed one’s virtual life to enhance one’s real life, and now DC presents a kind of inverted SAO in which a virtual world spills out into the real world (with deadly results). Middle schooler Yuuma Asihara and his twin sister Sawa join the rest of their class for a “field trip” that consists of trying out the new “fulldive” VRMMORPG Actual Magic. They enter a fancy, state-of-the-art gaming center that can hold dozens of people in “pods” while they immerse themselves in the virtual game. The game of Actual Magic is a pretty typical RPG—until something goes wrong, and the kids find themselves ejected from the game back into reality. But the real world has gone drastically awry: all the adults are missing, all the power in the gaming center is off, and…there appears to be no way out of the building. Oh, and monsters from the game start appearing. The kids must struggle to survive with their wits and the magic skills that they have acquired in the game, now manifested in reality by means of mysterious “crests” that appear on their bodies. Fortunately, Yuuma has his sister—a very capable player—watching out for him; but does she perhaps know more than she is letting on? Demons’ Crest so far does not exhibit the same flaws that SAO has become notorious for, like gratuitous sexual abuse or heavily implied incest. In some ways, Reki Kawahra is giving us a work that showcases his mature writing, and I have nothing to object to. Volume one is clearly still setting the stage for what is to come, and so there are a lot of open questions at this point; I’m eager to see how they are answered. The only caveat that some readers may wish to be aware of is that there is a lot more body horror here than in SAO; if that’s not your cup of tea, you may want to steer clear of this one. ~ NegativePrimes
Demons’ Crest is published by Yen Press. Volume one releases on June 18th.
Usotoki Rhetoric, Manga Vol. 7
Thankfully, with Soma’s name now cleared, he and Kanoko can solve mysteries in their small town once again! At least, that is what Kanako thinks until Soma mentions he is planning to see his brother, Atsushi! Kanoko is determined to come with him and use her abilities to help, but both quickly realize meeting with Soma’s brother won’t be easy, especially since he has zero desire to see them. Another very great volume that I super enjoyed! I love seeing Chiyo open up the story because you know it’s sure to be a fun time with her involved, and boy was it! Ha! Not only did I laugh a whole bunch when reading it, but I thought it was fun seeing what was happening when everything was going down with Soma. It was nice to see that Kanoko wasn’t the only one giving her all to help Soma! The mystery in this one was a good one! Once again we’re seeing an “older” character make a comeback, and this time it was Lily! I loved seeing her once again, and even outside of her normal element no less! Well, in a way, but we still saw her feistiness! Ha! My poor heart, though! It was really going out to Kanako and how she was struggling! I feel she is so worried she won’t be able to be by Soma’s side, and I just want to hug her and remind her that there is no way she wouldn’t be by his side! They are our dynamic duo, and I feel they’ll always be together! I’m excited to pick up the next volume and see how this mystery continues to unfold! The new character we met may seem “naive,” but she shows she is far from it! It will be interesting to see what happens next! ~ Laura A. Grace
Usotoki Rhetoric is published by ONE PEACE BOOKS.
READ Reviews of Usotoki Rhetoric: Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6
Fly Me to the Moon, Manga Vol. 21
This volume again had a really satisfying balance of advancing the plot and engaging in cute/silly shenanigans. After the students leave, Nasa, Tsukasa, and Chitose are left to sort through the house’s stuff. Nasa goes into detective mode upon realizing that Tokiko may have hidden something there, and finds parts for some kind of data reader. Later, back home, Tsukasa ponders whether she’s “self-sufficient” or “needy,” while Nasa ponders how to assemble the data reader. Aurora the maid drops by to say that Kaguya may be on to Tsukasa’s secret. Some romcom antics happen, and then we get some slice-of-life stuff that reveals more about what kind of person Kaguya is. She visits Nasa and Tsukasa in order to question them…but not for the reason you might expect. And then the manga recounts a version of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which, of course, happens to be about a girl named Kaguya. The emperor visits her, but she spurns his advances. As he sits on the riverbank, discouraged, who should pass by but Tsukasa? Where could this be going? And then the absurd chapter “summaries” strike again, although they didn’t entertain me as much as last volume, because I didn’t get as many of the references. ~ JeskaiAngel
Fly Me to the Moon is published by Viz.
READ Reviews of Fly Me to the Moon: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vols. 12-13 // Vol. 14 // Vols. 15-16 // Vol. 17 // Vol. 18 // Vol. 19 // Vol. 20
Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture, Manga Vol. 3
One thing I appreciate about this series is how seamlessly the mysteries flow between one another to comprise a larger story. Mystery series tend to follow a generally episodic structure, sacrificing plot and character development to make each arc its own self-contained puzzle for readers to decipher. But Akira Tatatsuki‘s, well, conjecture is that it’s possible to do both—to craft compelling mysteries and to attend to careful character development and satisfying story beats. Case in point—Naoya Fukamachi losing his ability to detect lies at the beginning of this volume becomes the foil for a mystery that doesn’t rely on his truth-seeking talents, but it also raises some lingering questions from the previous volume: Does Naoya want to be free from the visceral effects of lies? Or has this thorn in his side become a part of him in some sense? And what happens to his relationship with Professor Tatatsuki once his link to the supernatural wanes? Each of the kaleidoscopic elements of this series—the expressive panel composition, the complex characters, mingle to provide an experience that few other manga in this space can offer. What’s more, Professor Tatatsuki himself is always full of wisdom and courage, ravenously desirous of the truth while aware of the ways that lies distort it and the past conceals it. It’s a stirring reminder never to stop seeking answers to the deepest mysteries of our own lives—after all, everyone who seeks will find. And given the central questions that linger surrounding Professor Tatatsuki’s identity and Naoya’s backstory, I’m pretty sure the finding, for this series, is coming sooner rather than later. ~ sleepminusminus
Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture is published by Yen Press.
READ: Reviews of Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture Vol. 1 // Vol. 2
Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You, Manga Vol. 4
“I hope you’ll share more of your favorites with me from now on. Because I want to keep getting closer to you.” Our adorable leads are finally a couple! They have started dating, and even though they aren’t sure what to do next, they know they’ll continue to try to get closer to one another! It took me forever to come back and read this final volume, and all I can say is why did I wait so long?! I really really appreciated how this final volume unfolded and how this series was the perfect length! I think sometimes stories like this that have the same “gag” over and over again, and can seem repetitive, but I think through every volume, though especially this one, the title really delivers. Each moment has the cute awkwardness of them not knowing what to do but getting more and more “greedy,” wanting to get to know the other person more. I love how both of them were very excited to do the other’s favorite things so they could get closer to them and see more of their likes. Overall, this was a very wonderful series and is one I’ll definitely be keeping in my collection! I found each volume super sweet, but this final volume took the cake! I very much appreciated how the creator showed a mini time skip, but also kept it open-ended, leaving me satisfied in more ways than one. Highly recommend this series if you’re looking for an ex-delinquent boy x “good girl” romance trope with lots of wholesome shenanigans! I eagerly look forward to rereading this again in the future! ~ Laura A. Grace
Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You is published by Kodansha.
READ: Reviews of Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3
The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station, Novel
Although hampered by cliche plot choices, The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station is nevertheless worth reading for its sentimentality (and very short read time). Structured in four chapters, each relaying the tale of an individual who lost a loved one in the same tragic train accident, the overall story is dressed up as a supernatural tale, though it’s really more about moving forward when you feel that doing so is impossible. Each of the four main characters—I won’t spoil their relations to the deceased—hears a story that if you go to the Nishi-Yuigahama station late at night, you may be able to see a ghost who will invite you onto the very train that crashed and on the day of its derailment, giving you a final chance to talk to your loved one. There’s no rescuing him or her, though, and if you stay on too long, you, too, will die. But the ghostly train ride is typically just a couple of pages long; the rest of each chapter provides backstory, which is where both the best and worst of this novel come through. The author, Takeshi Murase, has a beautiful writing style. The very Japanese way of structuring sentences is somehow very fitting for a sad, nostalgic tale, and every paragraph is beautifully written. The contents of those paragraphs, though, leave much to be desired, as most stories go exactly where you would predict them to, sometimes down the very action and word. Contrivances also flow in as needed; after all, the book is short (about 170 pages) and the author needs to make events happen quickly to get to the wreck, ghost story, and the ride itself. On the plus side, though, is the denouement of each chapter. These last few pages are probably what’s best in the book—they’re certainly what’s most sentimental, as each loved one considers what to do next after the fateful final meeting. There’s encouragement here in the sadness, and though, again, I feel like much of what preceded the chapter closings is contrived, I was hit by waves of emotions in the conclusions to the stories, especially to the first two stories. These heartfelt moments make this flawed book worth reading, especially since it’s a very brisk and beautiful read. Don’t expect something particularly creative in The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station, but you can expect your heart to be moved. And that in itself makes this novel special. ~ Twwk
The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station is published by Yen On, an imprint of Yen Press.
Naruto: Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust: The Manga, Vol. 1
Side stories tend to accomplish two things: they fill in gaps and provide fanservice. The quality of the side story is almost always lesser than the parent manga. These trends hold true for the opening volume of Naruto: Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust: The Manga, which gives Sasuke some narrative rope in the post-Shippuden timeline of Naruto. Having not read Boruto, I can’t quite place this story on the timeline for readers, though the opening pages provide a macguffin that can likely do so for fans: Sasuke is going undercover in a prison to find a cure for an ailment from which his friend Naruto is suffering (as Kakashi, off-manga, is searching for the same). Sakura, for unknown reasons, joins along. Actually, the reason is clear: it’s to appease Sasusaku fans. And that very plot convenience pretty much tells you all you need to know about Sasuke’s Story. This side story barely rises above the level of filler, if it indeed does even that. But if you’re a Sasuke fan, that’s probably okay. Getting the chance to see him be the central character might be worth it, particularly when you get to see emotions like regret, kindness, and affection from him (all in little doses, of course). The addition of new characters in the prison setting where he’s looking for clues (and bumps into a new enemy)—which, as you might have guessed by the subtitle, seem to connect with his family (oh, Uchiha clan…)—are also fun. In fact, I enjoyed my time returning to the world of ninjas, though ultimately I was more encouraged by volume one to return to the classic Naruto or check out Boruto rather than continue with this throwaway tale. I’ll note, though, that I think it would function better as a light novel side story, and indeed, the original version is just that. ~ Twwk
Naruto: Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust: The Manga is published by VIZ Media.
Sword Art Online: Kiss and Fly, Manga Vol. 1
Kiss and Fly is an original story from Reki Kawahara, the author of Sword Art Online. It starts off with Kirito about to propose to Asuna in the original Aincrad: he takes her to show her the house that he intends for them to live in, only to find that it is being carried off in a tornado! Thus begins a quest that, as you may have guessed, is inspired by the Wizard of Oz. They solve it within the first chapter, but the events set the tone for Kirito to reflect on what love really is, especially in a virtual world. The story then shifts ahead to after Aincrad has been re-created inside Alfheim Online. Our main cast is having fun playing through Aincrad again (this time in fairy form), but Asuna is having strange sensations in the game from time to time, as if her consciousness is being dragged out of her body. She and Kirito begin to investigate, and discover that the phenomenon may have something to do with an old friend of Kirito’s who never made it out of SAO… If you’re a fan of the franchise, and of Kirito and Asuna, consider checking out Kiss and Fly, which looks to be shaping up as a fleshing out of their story, and especially of their relationship (and their connections to others). This installment doesn’t have the epic feel of the original story, but it brings a sweetly executed focus to the characters themselves, showing the warmth of their humanness. I’ll be following along. ~ NegativePrimes
Sword Art Online: Kiss and Fly is published by Yen Press.
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar, Manhwa Vol. 3
Now that Sooha knows the truth about her friends and that they’re vampires, she feels things have just become much smoother in her life. She can go to school in peace and have fun—but just when all seems well, someone from the orphanage that Heli and the boys grew up in enters back into their lives! When she shares life-changing news, they have to make a choice to believe her or not, and quickly, because Sooha’s very life is in danger! There might have been a major info dump in the early half of this volume, but I’m thankful we have answers! Even more than that, though, that sports match in the second half was epic! I really felt the intensity of that match and how there was much more on the line than simply a championship title! Plus seeing each boy give more than 100% of his all and just look awesome, I couldn’t get enough of it and totally get why Sooha felt blown away! Speaking of her, I admire how she handled everything after what happened in the previous volume and how she gave these guys a second chance! I love how she reflected on how the guys knew her secret and yet still befriended her, and that now it was her chance to do the same for them. It showed a lot about her character and how courageous she is. I am also once again loving the Heli and Sooha moments! I ship them so hard! The way Heli was such a gentleman and spoke about not wanting to lose her trust made me swoon! Granted, I love all the guys and absolutely loved how each guy had a lot of focus in this volume, but those Heli and Sooha moments are everything! I’m thankful to have answers to the questions that have been being asked and to see what’s to come even though it looks pretty scary right now! Will be eagerly looking forward to the next volume! ~ Laura A. Grace
Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is published by IZE Press, an imprint of Yen Press.
READ: Reviews of Dark Moon: The Blood Altar: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2
“Reader’s Corner” is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works they’re reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works, and those older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.
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