Today’s collection of reviews is all about beginnings and climaxes, as Twwk reviews the opening volumes of four series (including the excellent initial volumes of RuriDragon and Luciole Has a Dream) and climactic ones of two others—Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture and Rainbow Days. You’re in for an exciting ride with all these manga and light novels, so buckle up, get your reading glasses ready, and cruise right into this week’s Reader’s Corner!

365 Days to the Wedding (Vol. 1) • Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture (Vol. 5) • Before the Tutorial Starts: A Few Things I Can Do to Keep the Bosses Alive (Vol. 1) • Luciole Has a Dream (Vol. 1) • Rainbow Days (Vol. 13) • RuriDragon (Vol. 1)

Luciole Has a Dream, Manga Vol. 1

Luciole, a child awakened from stasis without any memories, and Claude, the self-proclaimed “magician” who awoke him, are the only two people left alive on their planet, as far as they can tell. But day after day they travel and look for survivors of some catastrophic event from centuries prior—well, Luciole looks; Claude just sleeps and complains. And thus the stage for a warm but quiet and haunting series is set. This volume, which has relatively little dialogue, focusing instead on the artwork depicting the wild remains of what was once civilization, will remind readers of series like Samoli and the Guardian of the Forest, Kino’s Journey, and The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, which likewise contrast solitary existences with friendships while delving into mysteries involving fantasy civilizations and the central characters’ relationships with them. Luciole is full of spirit and retains a beautiful innocence, making him undeniably likable; so, too, is the lazy Claude, whom readers will feel an affinity toward although he does nothing particularly helpful in this volume and harbors secrets that are possibly quite dark. The two are a perfect pair for mangaka Yuu Morikawa’s (Mr. Villain’s Day Off) beautifully drawn post-apocalyptic world. I’m eager to see more of it revealed as we discover the mysteries behind the extinction event and what Claude and Luciole have to do with it. This series is already a new favorite for 2025. ~ Twwk

Luciole Has a Dream is published by VIZ Media.

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Rainbow Days, Manga Vol. 13

My feelings towards the Rainbow Days volumes have ebbed and flowed according to where the series places its focus. The times when the emphasis is on the guys’ friendships and takes only a superficial but cute glance at the possibilities of romantic relationships between them and the girls have been fun; volumes that try to get more serious in their characterizations and relationships, on the other hand, are poorly written. Or at least that used to be true. As relationships have become official over the past two volumes, the manga has remained an excellent read. How so? Well, the mangaka’s writing in significant moments hasn’t gotten any better, but the buildup from the past many chapters is paying off; the doki doki feels are strong because we are finally seeing the fulfillment of 12 volumes worth of pining on the part of the boys and the girls coming to “see the light.” Rainbow Days seems to be hitting its peak right at its climax, and I think that’s precisely what I hope for from a romance series. But we’re not through yet! There’s a possibility for one other romance to blossom, while another—one that was already established as this series began—is growing in depth, so there’s plenty of material to mine in the remaining volumes. ~ Twwk

Rainbow Days is published by VIZ Media.

READ Rainbow Days Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vol. 12

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Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture, Light Novel Vol. 5

All of the quiet moments, past trauma, character development, and relationship building have been for this moment. This payoff. And wow, does volume five ever deliver! The tension starts ratcheting up from the very start when Naoya, pressed by Professor Takatsuki, makes a fateful decision to return to the otherworldly festival from his youth and confront his painful past. The first half of the novel is beautifully crafted, creating a slow-rising feeling of dread as readers start to develop insights like, “Naoya, you shouldn’t go back!” and “Professor, are you actually using him?” Another question I had was whether the author would be bold enough to let the climactic event play out as it should with all its consequences—ones that might change the duo’s lives forever (or even take their lives from them). As indicated above, the answer is an affirmative “yes!” The conflict at the center of this volume is handled in a satisfying way; the denouement, on the other hand, is a little tropey, but even so, I have to commend Sawamura-sensei for bravely taking the story where it needed to go. This is the volume readers have been waiting for. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and be sure to read the extra chapter after the volume proper—it is lovely! ~ Twwk

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture is published by Yen Press.

READ Reviews of Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4

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RuriDragon, Manga Vol. 1

Don’t let the cover, featuring a darling girl with horns, fool you—RuriDragon may be a cute series, but it’s also meaningful and intelligently written. The cover girl, Ruri, wakes up one day to discover that horns have grown out of her head. That’s surprise number one. Surprise number two is the discovery that her father is a dragon. Surprise number three…well, I won’t ruin it, but it’s another shocker—and it’s not the last one in this volume. But the supernatural element isn’t the most central part of the narrative, and in fact, Ruri dealing with her horns and the attention they bring is used as an obvious analogy to how adolescents face social pressure and fears. Through that structure, mangaka Masaoki Shindo subtly weaves significant meaning into the tale. Ruri is confident at home and has a very strong personality, but she’s more reserved at school; bit by bit, with horns leading, she confronts the challenges of adolescence, like classmates who are kind, curious, mean, or in the category of “Who knows?” Shindo also chooses to create a supportive but laid-back teacher and a single mom whose parental methods are abnormal but ultimately prove to be excellent. This is a well-developed opening volume, full of little joys and memorable characters, recalling memories of adolescence for those of us no longer in its throws, with teachable moments for those who still might be. ~ Twwk

RuriDragon is published by VIZ Media.

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Before the Tutorial Starts: A Few Things I Can Do to Keep the Bosses Alive, Light Novel Vol. 1

Sometimes short and fun is exactly what you need. That’s an apt way to describe volume one of Before the Tutorial Starts: A Few Things I Can Do to Keep the Bosses Alive, which breaks no new ground in the world of isekai fantasy, but is nonetheless quite satisfying. The series jumps right into the tale: the nameless main character is reborn into his favorite game, playing the role of Kyouichirou, the tutorial villain who dies very early in the game. He intends to change his future, but more so, the impending death of one of his favorite characters. Kyouichirou starts his adventure by making his way to a secret boss that only he knows of at this time in the fantasy world. This first brave step brings him closer to his goals. The character relationship at the center of the series, between Kyouichirou and the boss, “Albi,” is fun, as is reading about him getting closer and closer to his goals through determination, training, and his knowledge of the game. Part of why the volume works so well is because it’s all meat: we don’t get a lot of background to read through, nor do we spend much time on Kyouchirou’s grinding, because this series doesn’t need any of that—it’s not meant to have that level of depth and worldbuilding. It’s just a lot of fun. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy light novels and has a couple of hours to kill. ~ Twwk

Before the Tutorial Starts: A Few Things I Can Do to Keep the Bosses Alive is published by Yen Press.

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365 Days to the Wedding, Manga Vol. 1

Oohara and Honjouji are both extremely introverted and misunderstood by their co-workers at the JTC travel agency. They don’t understand one another either, but when management declares that it will be sending an unmarried employee to their new office branch in Siberia, Honjouji crafts a plan to have a fake marriage with Oohara to help them both avoid such a fate. The idea sounds quite out of left field and a bit hackneyed, but in the hands of mangaka Tamiki Wakaki (The World God Only Knows), the story plays out with sincerity and thoughtfulness. It all starts with the two characters, whose depth is already apparent just a few chapters in. Oohara is an overthinker and a compassionate person, demonstrated by his love for the stray cat he takes in (and which his entire life revolves around), while Honjouji is smart, organized, and very kind as well. The two are easy to root for individually, even if—and perhaps because—it’s frustrating to see how they’re struggling to grow as adults. And in the scenes that bring them together as they craft their marriage, it’s even easier to root for them. I also really enjoy the theme that’s developing around the significance of marriage. Neither Oohara nor Honjouji “gets” it right now, which helps foreshadow how they’ll one day understand that their spouses will become their “shining inspirations.” This is a lovely, meaningful first volume. Now I totally get why it would lead to live-action and anime adaptations, and why our own Michel enjoyed the first episode oh so much! ~ Twwk

365 Days to the Wedding is published by Seven Seas Entertainment.

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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.