Happy (almost) Halloween, all you scary readers out there! We don’t review a whole lot of horror on Reader’s Corner, but we have a few that quality (or nearly do!) for a special spooky edition! Leading the ghastly collection is Uncanny: The Origins of Fear, horror master Junji Ito’s illustrated memoir; joining it are the newest volumes of the grimdark isekai, My Instant Death Ability, and of Demon’s Crest, and the first volumes of the comic adaptation of apocalyptic series, The Three-Body Problem and the manga for Blade & Bastard, which is a dark fantasy focusing on an adventurer whose work is to recover the bodies of his dead colleagues. Plus, we’ve got a cool JoJo artbook and the manga adaptation of hit anime, Lycoric Recoil! Check our reviews out below…if you dare!

Blade & Bastard (Vol. 1) • Demon’s Crest (Vol. 2) • JoJo A-Go!Go! • Lycoris Recoil (Vol. 1) • My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me -AΩ- (Vol. 6) • Overgeared (Vol. 5) • The Three-Body Problem: The Comic Edition (Vol. 1) • Uncanny: The Origins of Fear

Uncanny: The Origins of Fear, Book

In recent years, Junji Ito has become a sort of international treasure to manga fans, a master of horror who seems goofy and pleasant, a wide contradiction that tickles his audiences. In Uncanny: The Origins of Fear, Ito’s “professional memoir,” the treasure creates a treasure in a book that’s part recollection and part manual for artists who are looking for inspiration and guidance. In the early chapters, Ito recounts much of his life, particularly the episodes that guided his path from horror and sci-fi fanatic to dental technician working as a part-time mangaka to a full-time artist, and in doing so he often references the other mangaka and other masters who influenced him. It becomes clear that out of his love for these mentors, some of whom he would eventually meet and work with, he intends to pay it forward to a new generation that may venerate him, though it’s always with his trademark humility. In fact, his voice is part of what makes the first two chapters particularly readable; it’s a lovely read from a lovely man, but inspiring, too, for those of us who have creative longings of any kind and who likewise had a passion for various types of media when we were growing up. He may be talented, but it’s clear that the same hands that guided him were not too different from most of our own. We, too, can make our way toward something we’re passionate about. These chapters are filled with what I imagine are new illustrations showing specific parts of his life that he discusses as well as pages from the pieces that inspired him. The final three chapters also feature plenty of illustrations (from Ito’s work with plenty of annotations), but on the other hand, they are more dense and so full of detail for artists—particularly those interested in horror, but I think artists of all kind. It’s no surprise that Ito is highly intelligent and what he has to share is likewise full of depth. This is the second memoir I’ve read from a notable member of the anime/manga industry, and for all its differences in tone and subject, it joins the other—Megumi Hayashibara’s—as warm reads that are easy to embrace, and more importantly, inspiring pieces for those looking to enter the profession they’ve mastered. I highly recommend it. ~ Twwk

Uncanny: The Origins of Fear is published by VIZ Media.

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JoJo A-Go!Go!, Artbook

Funky. Colorful. Mesmerizing. All these describe Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure—and they do JoJo A-Go!Go!, an artbook featuring work from much of the series run but particularly from the “Phantom Blood” through “Vento Aureo” arcs. At fourteen inches tall (and looking even larger than that), this artbook really stands out—as it should, being a collection from this unique series. The theme is dance and music, and much of the early images show the cast dancing or in dance-like poses; the theme virtually disappears throughout most of the book, but it’s still an admirable thought. I also appreciate the use of transparent vellum at the opening and closing of the book, adding a sophisticated feel to it, and the graphic design which is celebratory and artistic. The drawbacks, however, are the lack of new illustrations (only a few among what are mostly covers) and the additional non-illustrative content that the original Japanese language release came with. Still, this is a wondrous coffee table book for the otaku—a centerpiece-type collectible that will be picked up, hemmed, and hawed over by friends and visitors to your abode. And for that—and the pure joy of flipping through it—it’s worth considering. ~ Twwk

JoJo A-Go!Go! is published by VIZ Media.

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My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me -AΩ-, Manga Vol. 6

Volume six is essentially divided into two halves, the present and a flashback. The first half picks up immediately where we left off, with the demise of the Dark God—and if you love chaos, you’ll thrive on the next scenes, as several of the key plotlines converge delightfully at the top of the tower! The demons are freaking out and threaten to demolish the humans; the heroes prepare to defend the humans; the mysterious blade…thing…shows up and attacks the goddess, who survives but goes nuts; and Aoi finally meets Yogiri, our protagonist. Yes, this is all happening at the same time and in the same location. Let the sparks fly and the fur hit the fan! This is probably my favorite moment in the entire series, as far as it has been published until now; nothing since has quite reached the same level for me. So if you like this kind of story, I recommend reading at least through this volume. That includes the second half, which finally gives us a lot of Yogiri’s backstory and how he came to be the kind of person he is, in the place where he is. It also makes for good reading, as a kind of dessert after the main course. ~ NegativePrimes

My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me -AΩ- is published by Yen Press.

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The Three-Body Problem: The Comic Edition, Vol. 1

The Three-Body Problem is an award-winning science fiction novel (serialized in 2006, published in 2008) by Liu Cixin, the first in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. It’s been adapted to TV as well. But I’ve never read or watched the story until now, with Yen Press’s release of the graphic novel version. The world’s greatest physicists are committing suicide one after another, and there are few clues to go by. But one has left behind a note asserting, “Everything points to a single conclusion: physics has never existed, and will never exist.” Well, that’s not problematic or anything! Wang Miao, an engineer, is tasked with infiltrating the Frontiers of Science, a suspicious and secretive group that may be involved. But as Wang creeps closer to what he hopes is the truth, unsettling realities begin to surface: among other things, he encounters scientific experiments that should be consistent but behave randomly, a digital countdown that only he can see appearing in his vision, and evidence that humanity itself may be on the verge of a sudden and unsuspected extinction! Folks, this is a fun one if you like sci-fi! I can definitely recommend it. ~ NegativePrimes

The Three-Body Problem: The Comic Edition is published by Yen Press.

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Demon’s Crest, Light Novel Vol. 2, Otherworldly Manifestation

Yuuma and his sister Sawa struggle with their friends to survive to continue surviving in the strange reality that the real world seems to have become, as monsters and powers of the VR game Actual Magic spill over into it. They are still on their quest to find food for their fellow students, but Valac—the entity who saved them at the end of volume one—tasks them with finding Nagi, a student who turned up missing right when the game went awry. The only catch? Nagi isn’t in the real world at all—she’s back in Actual Magic, the video game! Yes, it turns out that just as the world of AM is affecting ours, so our world is influencing AM, making it more real and allowing the students to transport back and forth. But even as the kids learn more about the rules this strange new reality follows, betrayal seems to lurk just around the corner… Reki Kawahara (Sword Art Online) brings his A-game to this second volume of his new series. The body horror from volume one is toned down here, but the suspense and mystery is maintained. The only caveat some readers might wish to be aware of is that it looks like an increasingly important part of the story is “demonic possession,” characters being possessed by beings called “demons” in-universe. Granted, this is the more neutral or benign “possession” of Japanese folklore, rather than the evil and dangerous sense that Christians use; and if you’ve spent any length of time imbibing anime or manga, this probably won’t bother you (think Naruto or Black Clover). I only wish to mention it just in case. Otherwise, I can recommend this volume without reservation. ~ NegativePrimes

Demon’s Crest is published by Yen Press.

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Lycoris Recoil, Manga Vol. 1

The original anime for Lycoris Recoil is very visual, leaning heavily on big action scenes, humorous situations, and even facial expressions by Chisato and Takina, the two teenage assassins (“lycoris”) at the center of the series. It’s no surprise then that this manga adaptation feels very natural; it’s a very close adaptation of the anime and works virtually as well. From the opening scene, in which Takina’s “rational” decision to blow an entire drug bust to hell, to her uneasy reassignment under the tutelage of Chisato, who seems far too concerned about caring for people (including her enemies) to be the type of lycoris that would have anything to teach her, the manga nicely conveys the very distinct personalities of the characters involved (often with hilarious results) and sets up an interesting mystery regarding the nature of the lycoris, in addition to their individual missions. Volume one is nonstop because of the fast-hitting action and humor, on the one hand, and the simple dialogue on the other, which conveys exactly what it needs to. The story is crafted well and the structure is nice in volume one—it feels quite like Bryan Singer’s first X-Men movie to me, actually, with Takina playing Wolverine and, maybe, Chisato as Professor X. Like that film, Lycoris Recoil is fun and dramatic. I expect that the manga—if allowed to continue to adapt the entire anime—will be worth the read. ~ Twwk

Lycoris Recoil is published by Yen Press.

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Overgeared, Manhwa Vol. 5

Each volume of Overgeared gets better and better—and it’s not simply because of the action, which was intense in volume four but takes a backseat to character building here in volume five. It’s because the series is excelling on all fronts. Let’s take the character development, for instance; while the manhwa felt a little overstuffed with characters, volume five ramps up the development of many of them, creating distinguishing characteristics that we really needed as readers. The bonding between Grid and Tzedakah Guild upon their teaming up against Malaxus gives the author space to build out the personalities several of the guild members And they’re fun personalities too, adding levity so that the series doesn’t fall into intense-all-the-time mode. Speaking of levity, Grid continues to bring the humor through his immense greed, even toward his newfound friends, but there are moments in this volume, too, where I found myself wondering why I’m rooting for him so hard. I realize that very subtly, the team at work on this series has added surprising heart to the generally immature protagonist, with a high point of volume five being “real world” events involving his growth. That’s not to say that the volume is lacking in action, though—it ramps right back up in the second half, not through another question but by battles that serve as world-building and character-developing moments. This is yet another heart-thumping and excellent read in a series that’s quickly becoming one of my favorites. ~ Twwk

Overgeared is published by Yen Press.

Read Reviews of Overgeared: Vol. 1 // Vol.2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4

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Blade & Bastard, Manga Vol. 1

Iarumas is an adventurer, but one that is at best avoided and at worst persecuted by others who enter the dungeon because he primarily works a different job—collecting the bodies of those who have died in the dungeon, bringing them back to the altar where they might possibly be revived, for a price. Why he’s doing this and what memories he’s missing are at the center of the mystery in volume one of Blade & Bastard, the manga adaptation of a light novel that likewise has a compelling start. Unlike the original, however, Iarumas is more easily liked right from the beginning, appearing and acting like a hero, even if he’s one who’s a bit shady. His relationship with Garbage—an enslaved young girl who acts like a dog—is likewise somehow easier to accept in this adaptation, where there’s no hint of sexualizing her. These can be obviously be seen as positives, though I should note that the strangeness of the LN, primarily in its characterizations, are also what help to make it compelling. But even without that tone, volume one of the manga is a brisk read, helped along by the excellent illustrations and nice fantasy tone, which is somewhat grimdark but, as I’ve hinted, surprisingly optimistic. This is a series worth checking out for fans of fantasy manga. ~ Twwk

Blade & Bastard is published by Yen Press.

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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.