Alina fights a dark god, Saitou and his party face a vengeful hero, a new arc begins in Oshi no Ko, and much much more in this week’s reviews! Check out our thoughts on these exciting new volumes (and a few older ones) and let us know what you think!

Handyman Saitou in Another World (Vol. 6) • I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time (Vol. 4) • Laid-Back Camp (Vol. 16) • Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms (Vol. 6) • Oshi no Ko (Vol. 9) • Steel of the Celestial Shadows (Vol. 5)

Steel of the Celestial Shadows, Manga Vol. 5

Takuyama Katsuma, one of the few “Gifted” in Japan not under the control of the mysterious and powerful court noble Haretake Tsuchimikado, has just revealed something horrifying to our heroes: That young man died as a toddler. The previous lord of the Tsuchimikado clan resurrected him with the family’s most secret and taboo rite, but not without paying a price. When Haretake returned to the land of the living…something…came back within him, bubbling slowly but steadily to the surface. That something needs Tsuki and her abilities in order to achieve its ambitions. And speaking of his wife, the deeper Ryudo gets into this mystery, the more he realizes that he actually knows very little about her… All the way back in volume one, there was an exchange where Ryudo told Tsuki that the only reason he wasn’t convinced she was trying to scam him was that he couldn’t figure out what she could possibly steal from an impoverished, undistinguished, middle-aged samurai. It was played for dry humor and as a window into Ryudo’s pessimistic mindset, but it hinted at a deeper mystery that has been kept on the back burner until now: Why did a such beautiful younger woman of means and magic powers suddenly show up on Ryudo’s doorstep and offer him all her love and devotion? The desperate battles of life and death over the previous few volumes monopolized our focus, but now it’s time to pick up that dangling plot thread again and start getting some answers. I have a personal theory involving Tsuki, Aki, and their time-bending powers, but we’ll have to wait and see. I’ve typically seen Kodansha as the heavyweight in the English-language seinen manga publishing scene, but the more I read of Steel of the Celestial Shadows, the more I think VIZ Media has found a series that could put a real dent in that dominance. ~ WacOtaku

Steel of the Celestial Shadows is published by VIZ Media.

Read reviews of Steel of the Celestial Shadows: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4

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Handyman Saitou in Another World, Manga Vol. 6

Holy cow! Volume six of Handyman Saitou in Another World is spectacularly epic—filled with high-tension and high-stakes battles—and deeply emotional due to Saitou’s party being thrown into an impossible and deadly situation, plus the love the members have for one another. Emotions are high too, because of the story of the bodiless, gold-armored soldier in this arc who may or may not be out for revenge, and his connection to a pair of adventurers in the modern day. While Handyman Saitou feels at its best when it follows down seemingly meandering paths that somehow end up connecting, volume six shows that mangaka Kazutomo Ichitomo can create thrilling stories that are more straightforward. What a powerful volume—it and the entire series shouldn’t be missed. ~ Twwk

Handyman Saitou in Another World is published by Yen Press.

READ Reviews of Handyman Saitou in Another World: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5

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Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms, Manga Vol. 6

Mona might have only been trying to charm Medaka out of wounded pride before now, but after he (unintentionally and unbeknownst to himself) swept her off her feet during the group trip to the amusement park, she’s in it to win it. Not that her newfound resolution will make things any easier going forward. Asahi is only more determined to triumph in this game of love now, and Medaka still couldn’t get a clue from Scooby-Doo. To get through his black belt-level skills in misunderstanding her intentions, Mona’s going to have to create a scenario where any boy with a pulse would fall in love—and a date in central Tokyo thinly disguised as an errand may just be her best bet… The series shifts its status quo in this volume, and it’s a fun shift. Attentive readers have seen for a while that Mona puts up her trendy, flirtatious persona as a mask to fool herself as much as everyone else. Watching her switch away from seeking a quick boost to her false pride as would-be temptress to looking for the genuine affection she truly wants is an enjoyable change (and has contributed to the number of gratuitous fanservice incidents trending downwards over the last few volumes). That being said, the series still is what it is, and Maison Ikkoku and Oh My Goddess! are unlikely to be knocked off their Romantic Comedy thrones by Mona and Medaka. Oh, and I can’t stretch out that fast food analogy which I’ve been using any longer, so this is where I drop the bit. ~ WacOtaku

Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms is published by Kodansha.

READ Reviews of Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5

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Laid-Back Camp, Manga Vol. 16

Onto Gumna! As Golden Week arrives, several of the girls find themselves available to go camping—with our two originals, Nadeshiko and Rin, intending to meet at Gunma. Volume sixteen of Laid-Back Camp is another lovely read. Rin’s solo story bookends the one featuring Nadeshiko’s group, which includes Ena and Ema. The Nadeshiko portion feels a little full, but that’s not unusual for Nadeshiko’s excursions, as she likes to do lot of things on them, suitable to her personality. For volume sixteen, that means visiting a train museum and hurrying, hurrying, hurrying! It was fun seeing the trains and getting to know the new girl, Ema, a little. But Rin’s parts always bring me the most comfort, as peaceful as they are, and in this volume that includes…her getting a trim! Much of the humor revolves around her trademark bun going away for now. I will note, however, that volume sixteen doesn’t seem to have quite the same magic as past ones; it’s a little less charming and a little too packed. Still, it’s a peaceful and fun read. And if you can’t go camping, reading Laid-Back Camp is quite a good alternative! ~ Twwk

Laid-Back Camp is published by Yen Press.

^{READ: Laid-Back Camp Reviews Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vol. 12 // Vol. 13 // Vol. 14 // Vol. 15}

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[Oshi no Ko], Manga Vol. 9

Welcome, “Mainstay Arc”! Volume nine kicks off with the stuff I love most about Oshi no Ko—deep dives into the entertainment industry and twisted plot lines, the latter contributed now, in large part, by the transformed Ruby Hoshino. After discovering Gorou’s body in the last arc and being informed that one of Ai’s killers remains out there, Ruby starts to change and become much like Aqua was, conniving and underhanded. It’s terrible and brilliant, but most engaging because it happens under the umbrella of changes over the past six months for all the major characters, whose careers are progressing. Now, a variety show—especially the behind-the-scenes of it—becomes the stage for learning more about entertainment. New characters are introduced and new problems arise. It’s all so fascinating and engaging. I love this series! And I’m so happy that we’re moving away from what I felt was too deep of a dive into a love triangle and not enough focus on the bigger picture of Oshi no Ko. The past several volumes have been very good, but we’re now back to top-shelf material! ~ Twwk

Oshi no Ko is published by Yen Press.

READ Reviews of Oshi no Ko: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8

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I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time, Manga Vol. 4

Alina faces her first true challenge to her overpowered skills—the Dark God Silha, who has apparently killed Jade and is thirsty to find more worthy foes in volume four of I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time! This volume closes out the first real arc of the story and starts another focusing on Lululee, and in fact leaves this volume on a cliffhanger like volume three did. The series is getting really good at doing that! Sigh. And it handles all the in-between really well too. Followers of the manga will enjoy seeing Alina at full power. The manga also does emotional scenes very well—which in volume four involve Jade being at death’s door and Alina’s recollection of Shroud. That conveying of emotion—particularly when referring back to Alina’s youth—is an advantage the manga has over the light novel. Viewers of the anime, however, need not necessarily dig into this series; I think what the anime does well, so does the manga, and visa-versa. Either one is a fun romp with an interesting story, cool characters, and a good balance between action, mystery, and humor. This is an energetic and delightful series! ~ Twwk

I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time is published by Yen Press.

READ Reviews of I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3

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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.