What’s on your summer reading list? What manga and light novels are you taking to the beach? Wait, you don’t yet have one? No problem, fam—we’ve got you covered! Check our reviews below for some summer reading ideas (and perhaps one or two volumes to stay away from).

Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent (Vol. 2) • Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (Vol. 3) • I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness (Vol. 8) • Kaiju No. 8: B-Side (Vol. 1) • My Girlfriend’s Child (Vol. 7) • Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Vol. 7) • Rainbow Days (Vol. 16) • To Sir Without Love: I’m Divorcing You (Vol. 1)

Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent, Manga Vol. 2

Momo is still reeling from Ichikura telling her to be his girlfriend, but for some reason, she agrees despite her fear of delinquents. To her surprise, the more she gets to know him and hang out with him, the more she continues to fall for him! Yet when their senpai asks for help from their club and shares how she knows Ichikura’s past, Momo begins to feel insecure and nervous about their new relationship. Does Ichikura really like her as much as she likes him? I loved this volume so much! Just like with volume one, this volume was complete perfection! I loved the moments when Ichikura shows he does care for Momose and is dating her because he likes her, even if at first nothing seemed different or had changed. Plus, the date they went on was so fun and cute and made me deeply happy! The gyaru chapters were funny, and I really appreciated how they pushed the romance forward in a meaningful way instead of just causing drama for the sake of drama. The ending was easily my favorite part, though, as I couldn’t help but be happy about how Momo and Ichikura’s relationship had progressed in such a natural way! One thing that was interesting to me reading this physically is that apparently this series seems to have ended at two volumes, but got revived because of readers in Japan wanting more! I had no idea when I first read this series on K MANGA last year! Unlike when I read it digitally on the app, there was no short afterwards of showcasing where all the characters are when they’re older, which was a fun and unique “spoiler” to see in the physical! However, don’t worry! Volume three is already up for preorder in the US, and I of course already have my copy preordered because this series continues to be one of my favorite series to read! ~ Laura A. Grace

Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent is published by Seven Seas.

READ Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent Vol. 1 Review

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To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You, Manga Vol. 1

To Sir, Without Love: I’m divorcing you. Really, I’m ending my relationship with this manga—one volume of this awful series is enough. Why is it so awful? I’m glad you asked. It starts with the characterization. It’s not unusual for shoujo to make one lead or another hard to like at first, and I’m not diametrically opposed to that structure (you see it in Io Sakisaka’s works, for instance), but it’s hard to give them the benefit of the doubt when the series is poorly written. To Sir, Without Love begins with the shrewd Byletta being married off to a military man who goes to war before they can even meet. Byletta intends to divorce him eventually, biding her time to build businesses and otherwise carry out a fulfilling life until her husband returns. The problem is that Byletta is unlikeable, and her interactions with others—like her new “sister” and her uncle—feel mechanical. There’s no realness to them. And when her husband returns, boy oh boy—he’s not only equally unlikeable, he’s also sexually forceful. But it’s okay since they’re married, even if they’ve never met before—at least that’s what we as the audience are meant to think. But I dare you to tell me that at the very least, you don’t feel awkward when he forces himself on her, and at worst, consider it to be an assault. And yet, the story is already being laid out as traditionally shoujo, with two leads whose hearts will thaw. I won’t be sticking around for that warmth to build, though—there’s nothing here that I can’t find being done better elsewhere (and with less ickiness). ~ Twwk

To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You is published by Yen Press.

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Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards, Manga Vol. 3

Arakuni Ibuki’s search for the traitor among Honeko Akabane’s bodyguards has hit a dead end for now. A defeated Masachika Jingu reveals that whoever it was covered their tracks so well that even she never knew who was leaking information to her. So all our hero can do for now is protect his childhood friend and wait for the traitor to slip up. But on the plus side, he’s made some powerful allies: Sumihiko, the coldly brilliant tactician; Nei, the tomboy karate master; and Masachika—who frankly caused fewer problems when she was a villain, but she’s trying to turn her life around, okay? Powerful allies are just what Arakuni will need too, because Sosoji High’s senior class trip to Kyoto has coincided with that of a certain infamous high school which is considered more of a waiting room for juvenile prison than an institution of learning. And as bad as that is, a train car full of violent delinquents might just be the least of his worries… The battle aspect of this “battle/rom-com” manga might have been put on the back burner while the first two volumes focused more on building the main characters and fleshing out the setting, but now it’s time for some proper villains to make their entrance. And mangaka Masamitsu Nigatsu also uses this opportunity to give character development and set up arcs for some previously unimportant supporting cast members, which helps keep things fresh. As for the villains themselves, we’ll see how things progress with them. But interestingly, it appears that their various stories are tied to bodyguards other than our main character. The typical tactic in cases like this is to connect each major villain with the hero in some way, but so far a villain whose main “beef” is with Arakuni has yet to appear. These are just the minibosses, however. If there’s one thing this volume makes clear, it’s that the true heavy hitters are still waiting in the wings. ~ WacOtaku

Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards is published by Kodansha.

^{READ: Our reviews of Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards Vol. 1 // Vol.2}

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Rainbow Days, Manga Vol. 16

I’m a little mystified at this volume being presented as “volume sixteen” of the series instead of as an “extra” edition. Maybe it’s for sales reasons? Maybe it’s because the chapters are fairly congruent with the remainder of the series? Whatever it is, I think it’s a mistake because “volume sixteen” really is just bonus material for Rainbow Days, which more properly concluded the volume before. And it’s not very good; it’s the most vanilla material for what was generally a vanilla series—so average that I really kind of wish that none of it had been developed. I don’t need to see the next steps in each of the main characters’ relationships; these chapters are not particularly cute or emotional or profound—they’re just slice of life kind of material. The only portion of volume sixteen that I particularly enjoyed was the conclusion for the basketball team’s story that started at the end of the last volume; I could see a spin-off for this group! Otherwise, this volume is best left uncollected and possibly unread by all but diehard Rainbow Days fans. ~ 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 // Vol. 13 // Vol. 14 // Vol. 15

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My Girlfriend’s Child, Manga Vol. 7

After the end of volume six, I felt so hopeful diving into volume seven! After all, Sachi seems so happy as she has made up with her best friend, she’s at peace about having her baby, and she has support from her boyfriend and family. However, that doesn’t include all her family, because when her dad returns home and gives her two options that don’t align with her original plans, she has to decide what she’ll do next. Another painful volume to read, though this one didn’t leave me sobbing like the previous volumes! That’s not to say that I didn’t want to cry, because I did! But now that Sachi’s dad is back home, I felt there was so much tension on the pages that I even felt myself being tense! I really didn’t know what would happen except that it would be nothing good, because her dad really doesn’t listen to her or anyone at home, honestly. He has a plan, and he expects everyone to follow it without argument. As a parent, I get his actions in wanting to help his little girl, but I don’t understand why he is trying to “help” in the way he is. I get that he’s the “breadwinner” and should have the final say, but why would you refuse to acknowledge what anyone is saying? He mentions he felt like an outsider, and I 100% agree that he is the outsider because he refuses to really see those around him. On the other hand, Kou still makes me upset, but there was a genuine shift in him. Unlike their dad, he asked questions, and I think he is trying to be supportive, even though he’s still trying to tell Sachi and Takara what to do. Speaking of Takara, my heart hurts for him so much! That ending was such a gut punch because he’s trying so hard and trying to be strong only for everyone to be against him—though, thankfully, Sachi’s mom seems to fully be embracing him, for which I’m deeply thankful! I continue to love this series even though it hurts so much to read! ~ Laura A. Grace

My Girlfriend’s Child is published by Seven Seas.

READ Reviews of My Girlfriend’s Child: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6

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I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness, Manga Vol. 8

The plan to eventually reunite Charlotte and Natalia is fully underway! Allen continues to act as Natalia’s teacher, and Charlotte, who is in disguise, is his assistant, while they all continue to grow closer. Even when Allen tries to ask Natalia about her feelings for Charlotte and gets the strong reply that he should never bring up her sister again, Allen doesn’t lose hope! However, Allen and Charlotte are both shocked to find out one morning that Natalia has vanished, and no one knows why or where she is! The reunion we have been waiting for! Allen really came in clutch in this volume, and I truly admired how he handled everything, because sometimes how he handles things is questionable! LOL! But this was such a wonderful volume, and I really appreciated how everything came to unfold! It was moving and made me a little teary-eyed reading! I also appreciated how we saw plenty of old faces again! It was brief, but there was a chapter I feel was dedicated to characters that haven’t had as much page time recently. I was thankful to see them again! I’m really looking forward to the next volume and seeing what Allen is going to do now in making Charlotte the happiest woman on Earth! I’m not sure if I should be worried or not, but I’ll definitely be getting the next volume to see what happens! ~ Laura A. Grace

I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness is published by Kodansha.

READ Reviews of I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7

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Kaiju No. 8: B-Side, Manga Vol. 1

Hoshina fans, unite! If you’ve ever been curious about Hoshina’s backstory, this manga is for you! Seeing how his father’s words impacted him and his concern over whether he could be part of the kaiju fighting forces, this volume reveals just how strong he was in moving forward and making a name for himself. However, I unfortunately have mixed feelings about this volume, but only because I read the novel of this story first and was bummed that some of the original content was left out. I know that’s such a small thing, especially considering this is a really good manga adaptation and the artist did a great job of mimicking the original artist’s work, but I kept catching myself wanting more of the novel’s details. The introduction of the novel was completely skipped over in this volume, which would make sense because this is a manga from Hoshina’s perspective, but I would have loved to have all of it. Outside of that, though, I think this was a strong first volume! It doesn’t quite match the dialogue and energy of the original series, but it’s still deeply engaging and shows so many cool moments of Hoshina! And not just him, but several members of the Third Division too! I think if you’re looking for a Hoshina-focused story, are a Kaiju No. 8 fan, or just want a good manga adaptation of the novel, I would give this a try! ~ Laura A. Grace

Kaiju No. 8: B-Side is published by Shonen Jump, an imprint of VIZ Media.

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Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Manhwa Vol. 7

ORV is non-stop adrenaline and fun. That’s what makes this series such a good read despite its problems. More on that in a minute, but first, the good. Volume seven has Dokja continuing in the War of the Kings, meeting several new Kings of Seoul and running into an old friend, while continuing to use his knowledge and allies to outsmart more powerful opponents and other readers of the story. New scenarios open up, and a massive conflict takes place in this volume, as we dig into the annals of Korean history with an event that leads to multiple kings fighting against one another. Speaking of that event, one of the things I appreciate about this manhwa is just how Korean it is; I would be absolutely flying through the volumes if I didn’t stop and go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole to read about characters, legends, and history that are referenced in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. That said, there are some issues—namely flat characters and too many of them; I was at a total loss at the beginning of volume seven, trying to remember who certain characters were and trying to match names up with others. But the tempo of the series is so great that you really don’t have too much time to think deeply about otherwise important considerations like that. Even the deeper philosophical questions at play only get a quick treatment, which I think is by design—you get small doses now in advance of bigger ones to come. And I cannot wait to see what else is headed our way in this long-running, epic series! ~ Twwk

Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is published by IZE Press.

READ Reviews of Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6

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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.