Volume one was incredible. But what about volume two? The second volume of manga series is so critical—it’s an opportunity for readers to see if a new favorite can possibly continue the momentum from the first few chapters, or if it was all merely lightning in a bottle. On today’s Reader’s Corner, we review five volume two releases—along with volume numbers for others up to volume 13! So check them out below and let us know what you feel about this series!

Choking on Love (Vol. 2) • A Condition Called Love (Vol. 13) • Dandadan (Vol. 13) • Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki (Vol. 3) • The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity (Vol. 7) • Home Sweet Home (Vol. 2) • It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love (Vol. 2) • Pink & Habanero (Vol. 3) • A Star Brighter than the Sun (Vol. 2) • The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom (Vol. 2) • Unholy Blood (Vol. 6)

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, Manga Vol. 7

It’s summer vacation—a time of discovery, friendship, and, for Rintaro and Kaoruko, love, as the two officially walk hand in hand as a couple. Volume seven is as precious as the previous ones, leaning into the earnestness and kindness of each of the characters; throughout this volume, Rintaro considers the cake he’s going to make for Kaoruko while his passion for baking grows, and Kaoruko finds strength in spending time with her boyfriend, even if she can only do so on most days by phone. However, there’s as much a focus on the remaining characters in these chapters as there is on the main couple, including Natsusawa, whose birthday is being celebrated, and all four boys during a flashback scene. It’s all very lovely. The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is so good at building our affection for the six major characters, bit by bit; we want the best for all of them, and seeing them all experience growth in different ways, as occurs for several in this volume, is so satisfying. I’m now eager to see how the manga translates to anime (the series premieres in about a month); I have a feeling that the warmth in the volumes is going to be difficult to convey in animation, but here’s hoping Cloverworks can capture a glimpse of what makes this manga so wonderful. ~ Twwk

The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity is published by Kodansha.

Read The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6

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Unholy Blood, Manhwa Vol. 6

Hayan, the pure-blooded vampire, and the detective Euntae have discovered the truth: The anti-vampire vaccine will actually transform people into vampires! But can they convince a paranoid world of the truth in time? Meanwhile, the Angels of Death keep targeting them. While it’s something of a cliche in these stories for enemies to attack the hero one at a time, it turns out that “God” (the leader of the evil vampires) has a motive for doing so that actually makes sense in the story. So it is that Hayan and Euntae run up against the magician Vael—or is Vael on their side after all? And isn’t Vael’s pet lion, Daniel, just the cutest, goodest boy? Why, yes he is! Who’s a good apex predator, Daniel? That’s right, YOU are! …Ahem. Anyway, this volume suffers from the same weaknesses as the previous one: the anti-vaccine plot thread, which is disturbingly evocative of real-world propaganda; the ease with which Hayan gets strung along and “God” sees through every ruse on the good guys’ part; and so on. At the same time, at least “God” isn’t a pushover as many storybook villains are, even if he goes to the opposite extreme. And Vael’s “Androcles and the Lion” subplot is genuinely touching and raises the quality of the volume as a whole. So although this part of Unholy Blood (starting in the previous volume) is in some ways the weakest, it’s still a decent read and is moving toward its epic conclusion (which, having read it on Webtoon, I know will be worth the journey!). ~ NegativePrimes

Unholy Blood is published by Ize Press.

READ Reviews of Unholy Blood: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5

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Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki, Manga Vol. 3

Aoi is on the summer beach trip with her family…and with Sena too! With her recent awareness of her feelings for Sena, she struggles to not be flustered around him and not make her feelings known. Thankfully (or not thankfully), when they return back to school, they have a seat change. Just when she starts to wish maybe they hadn’t, a new handsome girl appears who happened to be Sena’s classmate in the past?! I continue to love this series so much, and am very much touched by Aoi’s growth in this volume specifically! She continues to be blunt to Sena, but! There is a scene where we really see her speak her thoughts as to why she wants to grow and what she wants to see as a result of that growth. I’ve been cheering for her since the start, but my heart definitely went out to her, and I felt a renewal of wanting to cheer for her all the harder! I really liked the last chapter and being able to see things from Sena’s perspective because that chapter really shows how genuine his feelings are for Aoi. I think they were genuine even back when he first started realizing he had feelings for her, but seeing him not wanting other guys to notice how cute she is made me giggle because he has fallen hard for our girl! The story progression was perfect, and I was really excited to see more of this new character! She reminds me so much of Yoi in the beginning of In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, and now I’m wishing we had more girls like them that are “handsome” and proud of it (or at least this new character is proud to be called that)! Overall, another very good volume that left me feeling extremely giddy afterwards! I can’t wait to read what happens next! ~ Laura A. Grace

Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki is published by Seven Seas.

READ Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2

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Home Sweet Home, Manga Vol. 2

Just when Moemi realizes her feelings for Senpai, his ex shows up on the scene! Between overthinking about how her actions appear and wanting to share her feelings, Moemi struggles with awkwardness when they’re together at home. However, when she finally does confess to him, what will happen next?! This volume was just as wonderful as volume one, and I am so excited to say that! This was one of my most anticipated releases in May, and I was desperately hoping volume one wasn’t a “one-hit wonder,” even though there is nothing groundbreaking about this series. It’s a fun and feel-good time, and that continues to be very true with this volume too! I will mention that I honestly was very surprised that the “drama” with Senpai’s ex was not drawn out. I loved how the biggest “problem” of our leads potentially dating is that their parents don’t know Senpai isn’t actually a girl. It of course does come out that he is not a girl, and that was hilarious! In fact, seeing Moemi’s dad on page was my favorite part, and I laughed out loud a lot! Something I continue to appreciate about this series is that the miscommunication (or lack of communication in general) is always short-lived. We really see more into Senpai’s actions: He said one very upsetting thing in this volume, but that was shortly followed by why he said what he did. Senpai’s best friend may annoy me with how much of a gossip he is, but he is a really good friend to him, and I was thankful for how he encouraged Senpai to tell Moemi what he was thinking. Speaking of Moemi, I loved all her super funny expressions and how earnest she is! She continues to be a really fun heroine to follow! Overall, this continues to be such a gem to read if you’re looking for a cute series to read! I can’t wait to read the next volume! ~ Laura A. Grace

Home Sweet Home is published by Seven Seas.

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The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom, Manga Vol. 2

Philia has officially left her homeland and is now helping the new country she lives in, Parnacorta, to prepare for an overwhelming monster attack. As she helps share what the soldiers and herself can do, she can’t help but worry about Mia and her homeland… Meanwhile, Mia is doing everything she can to find out exactly what happened to Philia and why she suddenly left. Will she find out what happened, and will Philia be able to help protect Parnacorta to her fullest? This volume wasn’t quite as exciting as volume one, but still a very engaging volume nonetheless! Honestly, seeing Philia be loved, listened to, and encouraged to be herself and find hobbies was deeply satisfying as a reader. I want nothing but the best for her and think her many expressions of disbelief and not understanding brings a humor that offsets the underlying sadness about her situation. I think this volume shows a little more of her longing for home, but also a home that no longer wants her. It’s very bittersweet in light of the treatment she was given in her home country to the treatment she is given now. However, if there is one person who does want Philia home, it’s Mia, and wow! That last chapter was something else!! I am so very happy and relieved that Mia is in fact not against her sister, but deeply loves and treasures her! Seeing her ask questions that no one seems to be asking or even care to ask is validating because yes, why isn’t anyone bothered that their greatest saint is gone?! I am not one for revenge, but I’m invested in Mia’s journey and seeing how it plays out. I loved the two new characters we met, even if it was sort of brief with one of them. I appreciate how they deeply love and admire Philia because it really does my heart good to see her loved. Overall, another really good volume that has me interested in reading more! ~ Laura A. Grace

The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom is published by Seven Seas.

READ The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom Vol. 1 Review

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Choking on Love, Manga Vol. 2

Hibari has been trying so hard not to fall for Gaku, but she keeps thinking about him and how she might want to actually get to know him more. Yet she keeps fighting back her real feelings and even goes out of the way to tell Gaku to forget the drunken kiss she gave him! Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for her, Gaku wants to know her more too. In between his antics of singling her out at one of his shows and their daily interactions, Hibari may be more over her head than she realizes! This second volume was sooo good! I was squealing and kicking my feet at my kitchen table when eating lunch because the romance was amping up and I was here for it!! However it’s not just the romance, but the music too! I really love how the music and graphic design parts of this story are not disappearing after originally establishing the “base” of this story. I know that might not sound like that big of an issue, but these were reasons why I was super excited about the series in the first place, so seeing them continue to be prevalent has made me really happy. Plus, I never tire of seeing Gaku perform, though hopefully, he won’t continue to greet Hibari as extremely as he did in this one. Cue nervous laughter. Seriously though, the romance had me swooning! I know a lot of people miss slow-burn manga being as prevalent as it was years ago, but I am thriving reading this series! I love seeing Hibari steadily grow bolder and take daring first steps in showing her feelings. She continues to be a great and relatable character! The art is so fun and I loved a lot of the smol angry panels because everyone looks so funny! Volume two definitely lived up to the hype of volume one, and I can’t wait to read more! ~ Laura A. Grace

Choking on Love is published by Seven Seas.

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It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love, Manga Vol. 2

When Sana and Kanato-senpai went to hangout at the end of the previous volume, Sana was shocked when Kanato-senpai seemed to lean in to give her a kiss! He (sadly) doesn’t, but ever since then, Sana can’t stop thinking of him, and not just because she has to take and post photos of him on the school’s social media account. Deciding they need to not spend as much time together, Sana soon realizes just how deep her feelings go for her more-than-a-pretty-face senpai… So much squealing! I really really enjoyed this volume just as much as volume one! Sana is too cute, and at times, very relatable! I loved how she wrestled with herself over how she wanted distance between her and Senpai but also wanted to be closer to him and got “upset” when she couldn’t. I also really love how her expressions give her away what she’s thinking every single time! I also liked how this volume introduced us to a new friend, even if it was very briefly! I was excited to see the preview for the next volume actually mention how that character would be coming back because they seem like a really fun character! We also saw more of Doigaki, and I was excited about that as well! He seems like such an interesting character, and I’m very curious whether his kindness is as genuine as it appears to be? I have little doubt that he actually likes Sana, but if he really does, will it cause more tension later on? Sana is too focused on Senpai, I think, to actually even notice, but I still think it’s going to be a “concern” for later volumes. In the meantime, I will happily bask in the cuteness this volume had and hope it won’t feel too long in waiting for my preorder of volume three to arrive! ~ Laura A. Grace

It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love Kingdom is published by Seven Seas.

READ It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love Vol. 1 Review

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Pink & Habanero, Manga Vol. 3

Somehow Mugi has found herself roped into helping Kurose at his job, where she has to keep yet another secret about Kurose working at a cosplay cafe! She gets to witness more of his “knight” side and once again finds herself falling more for him. But why is it that whenever they are off shift, he starts making fun of her or they start arguing?! You know the song “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry? That could be Kurose’s theme song in this volume: Why does he sometimes treat Mugi sweetly, only to be so mean to her afterward? I loved volume two, and I remember vividly it being one of my favorite volumes that I read earlier this year because we saw so much more into why Kurose acts the way he does, but he was so hot and cold in this volume that I increasingly felt upset. I think if Mugi wasn’t so earnest in her reactions to him and her feelings so genuine, I would feel differently, but that ending hurt! I think, unfortunately, it “sealed the deal” for me dropping this series because even though I adore Mugi and find her so fun, there was a point I caught myself thinking, “Your life would be better off if you just stopped liking him…” I don’t want to think that, because there were several parts where I laughed out loud and had a really good time, but it’s because I love her character that I don’t want to see her try so hard for a guy who really seems to tear her down more than lift her up—or at the least, who seems not be very kind to her, because she is so sweet, kind, and deeply caring, as this volume shows. Overall, there is a lot of fun in this series, and I know I would love it even more if Kurose could just be less “cruel” in his actions towards Mugi. I definitely think if you like “girl fail” heroines and want something to make you laugh, but also don’t mind a very tsundere character, this is a wonderful series to read! I wish I could have handled Kurose’s actions a little better, because there is definitely a large part of me sad not to continue this series and see what Mugi will do next… ~ Laura A. Grace

Pink & Habanero is published by Yen Press.

READ Pink & Habanero Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2

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A Condition Called Love, Manga Vol. 13

Hotaru and Hananoi seem closer than ever! After talking through what took place before their fight and now having made up, Hotaru wants them to get back to the everyday things they did before. Maybe even something new: When Hotaru tells Hananoi she doesn’t want to go back home one night, what is he going to do, and could there be something more going on that Hotaru isn’t saying? I really enjoyed this volume! I was surprised that it wasn’t as romantic as I thought it would be, considering Hotaru told Hananoi right at the end of the previous volume that she didn’t want to go home! However, I think it shows how perceptive Hananoi is that he knew something was wrong and was happy to be there for her. Granted, we see moments of longing in both of them, but this volume felt more like seeing the “bigger picture” outside of their romance, and I appreciated it. Don’t get me wrong! If it had been focused on romance, I would have been happy with that too! But seeing the backstory of a certain character, Hotaru realizing changes are coming soon, and Hotaru’s dad talking with Hananoi, I loved how so many familial characters were involved on the page! Based on the ending, though, I think a certain plot twist is about to drop, and I’m not sure how to feel just yet because I think it will be pretty upsetting for one character… ~ Laura A. Grace

 Condition Called Love is published by Kodansha.

READ Reviews of A Condition Called Love: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vol. 12

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A Star Brighter than the Sun, Manga Vol. 2

Sae realizes that she has feelings for Koki, but now knowing that Koki likes someone, Sae tries to keep a distance. Not only because she doesn’t want his crush to misunderstand their friendship, but also to help her heart not feel as sad that her feelings can’t be returned. Yet the more she tries to distance herself, the more she finds Koki by her side at school events! When she sends a text not meant for Koki to him by accident, what will the both of them do when Koki learns Sae has a crush on someone? I don’t remember the last time where I read something and felt like it was a slow-burn romance and enjoyed the ride! Sae is such a wonderful heroine because she is deeply thoughtful and caring, which adds a really touching layer to this childhood friends-to-lovers story! We see a few times in this volume where she still views Koki as the young boy she grew up with and wants to protect him, but! Koki on the other hand almost seems like he is trying to prove to her that he is not the young boy who needs protecting, but is in fact someone who can protect her. It’s moving and engaging because you can see how these two are growing right where they are and need to view the other person differently because of who they are in the present. I loved it! I’m definitely still enjoying the girl friendships in this story and how they are even closer than they were in volume one! I really liked how Sae’s friends encouraged her that her feelings for Koki are valid and that she doesn’t need to “shut them down” because there is no right or wrong for how she feels about liking him. It is wonderful seeing them support Sae! The ending definitely left me excited, and I can’t wait to see what’s to come and bloom between these two! ~ Laura A. Grace

A Star Brighter than the Sun is published by Shojo Beat, an imprint of VIZ Media.

READ A Star Brighter than the Sun Vol. 1 Review

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Dandadan, Manga Vol. 13

EPIC. Epic emotions and epic battles. Absolutely epic. Volume thirteen begins by completing Vamola’s flashback sequence, and it is one of the moving parts of the entire Dandadan series thus far—but that material is equaled by the fantastic fights occurring on three different fronts in the remaining chapters. The artwork for these fights, often in nearly full-page spreads, is absolutely stunning. I was chomping up the story in this volume but couldn’t speed through; I often needed to pause and appreciate the battles, which feel like they’re the stuff of a finale for a series. Even the antagonists of this arc, who largely felt nameless and faceless in previous volumes, become more prominent, raising the drama even further. What an incredible volume. What an incredible arc. This is what Dandadan is at its very best: epic.~ Twwk

Dandadan is published by VIZ Media.

READ Reviews of Dandadan: 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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“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.