This week, Kirito returns with the first volume of Unital Ring, in which we find him shopping for Asuna’s birthday? We’ve also got the first volume of the original novel adapted into the smash hit manhwa, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, and more!
DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR (Vol. 7) • Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga (Vol. 4) • Last Game (Vol. 9) • Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (Vol. 1) • Sword Art Online: Unital Ring (Vol. 1) • The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Novel Vol. 1
The webnovel that started it all has finally available in English! Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint details an interstellar survival story centered on Seoul. One day, as people are riding the train home, violence erupts at a fantasy creature’s behest; this strange, little “goblin” tells the passengers that they must each kill one person or they will die themselves—and the deed must be done within a short time limit. And sure enough, once time is up, heads begin to explode, while viewers known as “constellations” watch it all unfold. As this craziness is happening all over the city (or possibly world), at least one person understands what’s going on. Dokja Kim has read all of this already in his favorite novel, of which he’s seemingly the only reader to have made it to the end. And this gives Dokja, who otherwise would be considered a “substandard” young man in this world, an advantage as the scenarios become crazier and more precarious. I’ve been enjoying the manhwa adaptation tremendously, and the novel just as effectively conveys the nonstop action and high tension that makes the series so compelling. The feel of life and death stakes is made even stronger by how quickly the action moves; the cliffhanger that ends volume one helps as well. I would say that while the awesome illustrations in the manhwa make that a popular read, what you gain in the light novel are explanations that are easier to read in paragraph form than in the chunks of caption in the adaptation; it’s a good way—at least through volume one—to enjoy this series if you’re a light novel reader. What that means for me is that I’m excited to read this original form while also tackling the manhwa, currently being released physically by Ize Press. What a cool double combo! ~ Twwk
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is published by Ize Press. Volume one releases on July 22nd.
Sword Art Online: Unital Ring, Manga Vol. 1
In the world that Alicization took place in, years have passed since our friends left with a promise to return. The fantasy setting is now a sci-fi setting: ”Knights” have given way to ”pilots” who fly ships in space and battle interplanetary monstrosities. Meanwhile, in the real world, Kirito is caught in two dilemmas: When to return to the Alicization world, and what to get Asuna for her birthday? He heads to the virtual world of Aincrad to clear his head, when suddenly the earth shakes, Castle Aincrad falls from the sky (destroying twenty-five of the lower floors), and Kirito and his friends find that they have lost nearly all their equipment and skills. What is more, the game mechanics seem to have changed dramatically—and where is the logout button? Welcome to SAO: The ”Ark: Survival Evolved” Edition! Without saying more for fear of spoilers, I cannot help feeling there’s a bit of a bait-and-switch here—I was looking forward to learning more about the current Alicization world, which was teased at the beginning and which we’ve come to know and love, and instead got a survival game in what amounts to a new setting. Having said that, the story is enjoyable, and I can’t wait to see what happens next. If you’re an SAO fan, you know that Reki Kawahara’s storytelling skills have grown ever more polished over the years, and Unital Ring promises to be another fun installment with our SAO friends (including Alice!). ~ NegativePrimes
Sword Art Online: Unital Ring is published by Yen Press.
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga, Vol. 4
The sweetness and nostalgia continue in volume four of the MTG manga, Destroy All Humans! The new year is quickly approaching, and as the fall passes into winter, relationships begin to change: Hajime and Kurushima fight over cards (and girls?); Hajime begins to accept his feelings for Emi; and those around Hajime and Emi begin to see them as growing a little more mature. But adolescence isn’t an easy road straight to adulthood, and speed bumps get in the way—jealous and overprotective parents among them. I continue to love the sweetness of the series. I’ve mentioned this before, but it has naivete to it that stylistically feels late 90s/early 00s, fitting perfectly with the setting. The card matches have me totally lost, yet they’re still high-paced and enjoyable. And I also love the pop culture drops here and there, including one about Utada in this volume. But mostly, I’m here for Emi and Hajime, two sweet young kids who you’re rooting for; the problem, of course, is that something mystical sits above it all, and from volume one, the “destiny” that it’s carving seems to be one that will split the two teens apart. And yet…the series seems too sweet for a sad ending. We still have a while to go until that conclusion comes, but volume five will already bring us into 1999, and along with the pivotal year, surely more sweetness, more fun, more card battles, and more wondering if Emi and Hajime will somehow make it all work. ~ Twwk
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga is published by VIZ Media.
READ Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3
Last Game, Manga Vol. 9
It might have taken several volumes for Kujou to realize her feelings for Yanagi, but once she does, she wants to do everything she can to convince Yanagi to like her. Yanagi even feels the same about her! Unfortunately, though, neither of them thinks the other likes them. Ha! What is it going to take for them to realize they both feel the same exact way?! Oh my goodness, that cliffhanger of an ending! I really feel like the blurb saying “same but different pages” is 1,000% accurate because our leads really are on the same page and want the same things—for the other to fall in love with them—but neither of them are realizing that the other is in love with them! Ha! This, of course, made some hilarious moments with Yanagi and his inability to sleep because he is going so crazy about things with Kujou! Ha! And poor Kujou is struggling because she wants to respect Yanagi’s feelings for his mysterious crush but is also heartbroken and treats him less kindly because of it. Ha! I feel Yanagi’s mom is a huge mood and love how she is totally getting involved because yes! We all feel the same! Ha! Really, really hoping we are going to see the ship finally sailing! I like the “ending” with Souma, and I say “ending” loosely because I’m sure will see more of him in the upcoming volumes, but I think he had a conclusion of sorts with everything that happened with Kujou. It made me happy that he had a really great birthday! I’m excited to see what happens next! ~ Laura A. Grace
Last Game is published by Seven Seas.
READ Last Game Vol. 1 Review
DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR, Manhwa Vol. 7
Heli and his brothers have finally reached Sooha, but not only is she powerless against Dardan, but the boys are too. Thankfully, when all seems lost, Khan’s secret abilities are revealed, and the losing battle is no more! Dardan can no longer wreak havock, but what will everyone do when it seems he is taking Sooha down with him?! I have never been so stumped or baffled by a direct ending, because what did those last two pages even mean when it came to the final chapter?! After doing immediate research once I finished reading, I discovered there is a sequel of sorts called The Blood of Vargr. But there is no English translation, and I can’t confirm if it’s a follow-up of sorts or something else entirely, but I felt really bummed originally because how could it end there?! Before that, though, I really, really loved the ending of this series! I felt a little bit let down with the villain even though I’m glad he got what was coming to him. I felt the big battle maybe wasn’t necessary, after all was said and done, even though it was so deeply engaging to read! I truly loved seeing the vampires and werewolves team up and work together! It was epic and made me love the ending all the more since they still sort of “hung out” later on! And overall, I enjoyed the whole volume, but considering how on edge I was reading the majority of the other volumes, this ending didn’t hit the same peak I really hoped it would. However, even with all that said, I was very excited to see our boys shine and finally overcome everything to get where they are! They got the happy ending I had desperately hoped for, and that was enough for me! (I’m just going to ignore those last two pages to help cope with the actual ending…) It truly made me happy, and I think I’ll come back to this series because it was such a thrill ride! So all in all, this was a really gripping series! Dash of romance, lots of action, and seeing a community together made it a great time! ~ Laura A. Grace
DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR is published by IZE Press.
READ Reviews of Dark Moon: The Blood Altar: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 6
The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya, Light Novel
We didn’t have to wait nine years for a new volume this time—only four! I think Haruhi would call that a win, particularly since this thirteenth volume of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series continues to feature the humor, intelligence, loopiness, and warmth that still makes this series special after all this time. The first two chapters of this volume, stylized as “acts,” were previously published almost twenty years ago, but the final two chapters from those stories, which have the SOS Brigade falling into an RPG-like world where they must rescue characters and defeat the bad guy (Haruhi, of course, decides to take short cuts in doing so—to unintended and hilarious effect), develop them into a fuller narrative. While this is certainly one of the lesser Haruhi Suzumiya works—in fact, it feels like we’ve been down this route before (which is actually a theme of this volume)—it’s still a lot of fun to read. The first two chapters are a breeze, but as Nagaru Tanigawa is apt to do, he takes the story down a more complex, sci-fi route that feeds our imaginations and minds. Nagato fans will particularly enjoy the volume—and hey, doesn’t that include us all? Be sure to pick The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya up if you’ve been a fan of the series all along; it’ll respark your interest in the series and prepare you for, hopefully, an incredible conclusion to it all one day! ~ Twwk
Haruhi Suzumiya is published by Yen Press.
“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.
