On this week’s column, we feature two premieres, two outstanding manga both reaching their tenth volume, and more! It’s sizzling outside, so check out some of our recommended series (and maybe one or two you should say away from) and maybe grab yourself something to read in the comfort of an air-conditioned home!

Aria of the Beech Forest (Vol. 1) • Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga: Books of Heartslabyul (Vol. 4) • The Eminence in Shadow (Vol. 10) • Kaiju No. 8 (Vol. 10) • A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special (Vol. 4) • See You in My 19th Life (Vol. 3) • The Trials of Chiyodaku: Running the Supreme Court of Another World with My Sister (Vol. 1)

See You in My 19th Life, Manhwa Vol. 3

Past memories of how Jieum and Seoha first met are coming to the surface, and with it, the breaking down of walls around Seoha’s heart. He may still be on guard around Jieum, but he certainly can’t stop thinking about her! The same could be said of Chowon, as she once again takes a chance in asking out Doyun, who she can’t stop thinking about! I think I’ve realized after reading this latest volume that I like this series, but I’m too impatient and just want to see the end and everyone happily together. Cue nervous laughter. In spite of me feeling that way, though, there were lots of great developments in this volume, especially seeing the history of how our leads first met! Jieum has been determined since the beginning, but it really goes back even further than I first imagined! While I admit I’m not a fan of characters getting drunk and then suddenly being honest, I did appreciate seeing Seoha be much more honest about what he’s feeling. Usually seeing Jieum’s shenanigans is my favorite part, but I can say that Seoha’s growth was my favorite this time around! It’s been satisfying seeing him question and acknowledge rather than just try and shut out how he’s feeling. Moving on though, I really like Chowon and Doyun! I’m rooting more for their relationship than I am for our leads! Ha! There isn’t really any chemistry there I feel, but I still like them nonetheless! Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time reading these first three volumes, but sadly will be stopping here with the physicals. Instead, I’ll continue digitally and see where the story goes, and hopefully much faster than the pace of the physicals releasing! ~ Laura A. Grace

See You in My 19th Life is published by IZE Press.

READ See You in My 19th Life Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2

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The Trials of Chiyodaku: Running the Supreme Court of Another World with My Sister, Light Novel Vol. 1

Dear readers, if you are looking for an exemplar of a fascinating premise wasted on the worst tropes in the genre, look no further. The Trials of Chiyodaku is written from the perspective of 16-year-old Akuto, a boy who is summoned to a fantasy world along with his sister Tsukasa, who happens to be the greatest judge in Japan’s legal system. Yes, you read that right: they’ve been isekai’d in order to bring order (ha!) to the fantasy kingdom of Chiyodaku. Though there are hints that Akuto may have acquired some sort of OP ability, in this volume, at least, our main duo seem only able to call upon the power of the law: there is a magical justice system that enforces impartiality in court cases, and Akuto and Tsukasa are just as vulnerable to it as anyone else. The only thing they have going for them is Tsukasa’s grasp of legal principles and experience in the courtroom, and Akuto’s understanding of fantasy worlds (thanks to having played lots of video games and watched lots of anime); Akuto thus serves as a kind of translator for his sister, who is largely unfamiliar with such concepts. Volume one focuses on the trial of the former hero, who with his party once saved the kingdom from the Demon King, and who now stands accused of killing his former comrades—by his own admission. How the case unfolds, and the uncovering of the true events behind it, make for some intriguing reading and worldbuilding. If all this sounds pretty fascinating, it is—or would be, if it wasn’t drenched in the most sexist tropes light novels seem capable of. Page one—one!—is basically “My sister is actually 30, but when we got isekai’d, she got the body of a 15-year-old and everything shrank about her except her chest.” And it just gets worse from there: the book can hardly go two pages without mentioning her “assets,” otherwise objectifying women, or hinting at incest (because they’re actually not blood siblings, so it’s okay, dont’cha know?). Once, at least, sexual abuse is played for laughs. Never have I been happier to see an infodump interrupt the main action. By the last tenth of the volume, these sorts of things have mostly died down, allowing the story’s strong points to shine through more; but that’s not enough to redeem this story. I may check out volume two to see if the improvement is permanent or temporary; but either way, I cannot recommend this volume unless you’re still willing to wade through the morass of offensive content to get to what interesting writing there is. ~ NegativePrimes

The Trials of Chiyodaku: Running the Supreme Court of Another World with My Sister is published by Yen Press.

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Aria of the Beech Forest, Manga Vol. 1

Somewhere deep in the forest is a young witch who spends her days cleaning her home, drying herbs, and trying to grow in her magical ability. That is, until she meets a talking wolf! Little does she realize that her world is much bigger than her small hut and that this talking wolf will make her days all the more livelier. This was so incredibly cute and so very enjoyable! I felt a little hesitant that I would like this, but I can’t tell you why I felt that way. At the least, I felt I would only read volume one and call it a day, but this first volume was so delightful that I will be getting more volumes as they release! Goodness, I loved everything about this story! It has slice-of-life vibes, but just when the story seems likely to fall into the “mundane” of everyday life (which I personally wouldn’t have minded), a new character pops up and brings more excitement to Aria’s life! It really felt like just when you might even feel you could get bored, something new happens, making you sucked back into the story in a new way. I loved it so much! The art style is deeply charming, and I loved many of the expressions Aria makes, as well as the white wolf! Seeing them together made me laugh more than once and often say something about how cute they were together. The ending was especially endearing, and I’m very excited to see what will happen next! Truly, this is easily one of my favorite reads this month simply because of how wonderful this story was! I’m not sure what I was expecting when starting it, but it wasn’t this overwhelming cuteness and fun, that’s for sure! Highly recommend it if you’re looking for a wholesome story with a witch, great art, and maybe something with a little bit of Ghibli vibes! Volume two definitely can’t be released fast enough! ~ Laura A. Grace

Aria of the Beech Forest is published by Yen Press. Volume one releases on July 23rd.

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Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga: Books of Heartslabyul, Manga Vol. 4

Riddle has fully overblotted due to his high use of magic and strong emotions, and now no student or teacher is safe from his wrath! As the Headmage issues an evacuation, a few members from the dorm of the Heartslabyul, as well as Yu and Grimm, stay behind to help Riddle not only stop rampaging but also to hopefully come back to his senses before he suffers from being in overblot form. This was a fantastic conclusion to this series! As a fan of the game, I honestly think this manga made the game come to life in a very satisfying way! Seeing Riddle in overblot form and just how powerful (and scary!) he was felt incredible! I feel I knew that before reading this series, but the experience of seeing the story unfold panel-by-panel was something else. Some of the action was super detailed, and I wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, but I super appreciated seeing everything drawn out nonetheless! One thing that I think the manga helped me appreciate more fully than the game is seeing the first-years be the ones willing to “save” Riddle, despite Trey being a childhood best friend and Cater being another friend. Ace and Deuce might have been super angry over Riddle’s actions, but they were still determined to help him. Hands down my favorite part was the second half, because I loved seeing Riddle, Trey, and Chenya as kids! They were so cute! Especially Chenya! Granted, that cuteness came at a cost, and my heart broke for Riddle all over again, but goodness, the aftermath of everything was extremely touching! I confess I even got a little teary-eyed about it. Ha! Seeing Riddle look so soft was something I was not prepared for when starting this final volume. I would definitely encourage any fans of the game to pick up and read the manga! It really heightens and brings the game to life in such an exciting way that I super enjoyed every moment of while reading this series! Highly recommend it!  ~ Laura A. Grace

Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga: Books of Heartslabyul is published by VIZ Media.

READ Reviews of Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga: Books of Heartslabyul: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3

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The Eminence in Shadow, Manga Vol. 10

When The Eminence in Shadow is most on its game—and that’s the case here in volume ten—the humor is non-stop, finding its way into every situation. Touching, final, redeeming moments for a villain? Let’s have Cid confuse that for a buried treasure confession. Cid rips two guys’ hearts out? The manga reminds us, “This is our protagonist.” A civil war happening in a main character’s kingdom? Tragic, especially since a fort has fallen into the Perv Faction’s hands. You get the picture. And a beautiful picture it is. The Eminence in Shadow had become convoluted during the past two arcs, too wrapped up in legitimate mysteries and storylines to fall back into comedic and parodic territory. But as the bank arc completes, it’s able to do so without abandoning story-building. Here, as that arc tidies up and a new one begins, the manga demonstrates once again that it can be action-packed, give us a good mystery, and develop characters adequately, all while doing what it does best: make us laugh. Here’s hoping that volume ten is a return to form and that more and more of Cid’s serendipitous ignorance is on the way and fully front and center in the new arc. ~ Twwk

The Eminence in Shadow is published by Yen Press. Volume 10 releases on July 23rd.

READ Reviews of The Eminence in Shadow (Manga): Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9

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A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special, Manhwa Vol. 4

Thankfully, another year hasn’t passed between volume releases from Yen Press for A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special. Volume four, in fact, arrives just at the right time; with the first season of the anime concluding a few months back, this is the material we fans are salivating for, as it continues from the conclusion of the adaptation. And it moves quickly—Desir and his party don’t have time to enjoy now being single rankers as they have just a small amount of time to train before being sent into a Shadow Realm that he’s identified as containing a vital item he needs for the war ahead. Here’s where the story takes an interesting turn—I’d assumed the Shadow Realm was just a sort of demonic, interdimensional space that was gobbling up the real world; while that’s seemingly true, it’s also RPG-based, with scenarios that the visitors must solve to progress through. Desir, for instance, begins as a sous chef and must use wits and effort to ultimately defeat enemies in the realm. The swiftness of the series works really well in the manhwa—we don’t think too deeply about what’s occurring and don’t need to. We’re either being riveted by excitement, seeing the cute faces of Desir’s comrades (and assuming much more about the intimacy of their relationships than actions and words show), or simply enjoying the lovely artwork. Of course, the main problem with an excellent series that reads so quickly is that it’s over just like that, and typically on a cliffhanger, as is the case with volume four. Hopefully, we’ll continue to receive more regular releases of this wonderful manhwa, and I don’t think my heart could bear waiting much more than a few more months to see what happens next! ~ Twwk

A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special is published by Yen Press.

READ Reviews of A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3

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Kaiju No. 8, Manga Vol. 10

If it seemed this series was slowing down, this couldn’t be further from the truth! With an overwhelming surgent of kaiju, and even six supergiant-class kaiju, the Japanese Defense Force will need every man and woman at their strongest! Usually, I mention when writing reviews of this series that I forgot to breathe, but this time the overwhelming amount of times I had goosebumps while reading. Fear was gripping my heart because just when it seemed the Defense Force would be victorious, the creator had the situation looking even more dangerous and deeply deeply concerning. That is exactly what happened here. I loved the beginning and seeing Hoshina work with Kaiju. No 10 (the weapon) was everything! It was a very fun battle to see them work together and then successfully conquer. Though Kaiju No. 10 being like, “Let’s go fight the officers!” made me laugh because why in the world would Hoshina do that?! Ha! Things soon went south though, despite how awesome Mina looked, but let’s stop there for a second. Can we just appreciate how fantastically written the ladies are in this series? It was practically said that Mina is one of the best Defense Force members in the world, while Kikoru will one day be the core of the future Defense Force. I deeply love the care and attention the creator has put into making these ladies shine! Speaking of Kikoru, I felt the battle she was in had me trapped in time. I had goosebumps almost the entire time, and I’m not even sure I can describe what I was feeling because she is the Kikoru. And yet she is still growing, even in this battle alone! Every panel had me gripping my manga, turning pages as fast as I could because what a satisfying unfolding of her story this volume was! Granted, the ending though… The way these new kaiju are fighting has me afraid and literally left me asking where Kafaka was, because this is the time we need the hero. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I will be seated! ~ Laura A. Grace

Kajiu No. 8 is published by VIZ Media.

READ Kaiju No. 8 Reviews: Vol.1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol.4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9

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“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.