What an interesting mix of series we’ve reviewed this week! From a classic boxing manga getting the hardcover treatment to a new, stylish sci-fi manhua, and from low points in the middle of a manga series to the stirring finale of another, this week’s Reader’s Column runs the gamut. And how appropriate that variety—a hallmark of our column—is especially emphasized this week as we turn fifteen!

After the Rain (Vol. 5) • Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow (Vol. 3) • Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (Vol. 4) • Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms (Vols. 7) • Yan (Vol. 2)

Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, Manga Vol. 3

Joe’s goal of going pro as a boxer and his personal obsession with fighting Rikiishi in a proper rematch have both hit a brick wall. And for once, the problem is one that he didn’t bring upon himself: Old man Danpei’s name is mud in the Japanese boxing world due to a series of drunken, violent, and frankly embarrassing incidents which occurred years before the two ever met. Their ragtag gym down by the river will stay blacklisted from official bouts forever unless something drastic happens. Not that Joe has ever blanched at the idea of doing something drastic, such as, say, causing a scene at a press conference to provoke a fight with one of the top rookie boxers in the country. As a consequence, however, that same boxer is now looking to beat Joe as close to death in the ring as Japanese law will allow—and maybe even worse if he can get away with it. His secret weapon? A bone-crushing technique specifically designed to turn Joe’s best move into a fatal weakness… In my review of volume one of this series, I remarked that Joe was a protagonist, but no hero. Now, however, Joe is slowly starting to act like someone who deserves that title. And fascinatingly, it’s largely because the people of his downtrodden neighborhood have begun to treat him like a hero first, rather than the other way around. We also get to see some development for supporting character Nishi, a former small-time hoodlum working hard to get his life back on track at Danpei’s gym. You have to feel for him, because it’s clear his role in this story is to be the “normal guy” to contrast Joe and Rikiishi’s near-maniacal obsession with boxing—and the lengths they’ll go to in order to improve their skills. The series that put the “man” in “manga” steamrolls on, and after reading the digital version of this 600-page volume in a single sitting, my only thought is: “Now I need to get my hands on the hardcover version too!” ~ WacOtaku

Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow is published by Kodansha.

Read Reviews of Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow: Vol. 1 // Vol.2

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After the Rain, Manga Vol. 5 (Final)

What a beautiful conclusion to a series that could have gone so so wrong, but ends so so right. At the end of the previous volume, both Akira and Kondo started gaining courage to once again seek the things they had lost but still loved—running for her and writing for him. Volume five fully explores that theme, features the final answer to the question of whether a May-December romance between Akira and Kondo will develop, and finalizes the storylines for both leads. That last part, the conclusion of the series, is appropriate for the tone of After the Rain—it is as wistful and poetic as the best parts of the series—but it doesn’t leave us hanging. It’s just right and fully expressed. I was satisfied by how the series ended and embraced the main characters even further to see how they were fully realized in this work. What a beautiful manga and what a perfect way to end it! ~ Twwk

After the Rain is published by Kodansha.

READ Reviews of After the Rain: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4

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Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards, Manga Vol. 4

The identity of the traitor in Honeko Akabane’s bodyguards has been revealed to the readers, but in a twist of dramatic irony, Ibuki Arakuni is still very much in the dark. The traitor, however, has figured out exactly what Arakuni is up to. Boss Jingu adding a complete outsider to the team immediately after Honeko’s identity was leaked was simply too obvious of a tactic to be anything else. So now with our hero in the traitor’s crosshairs, it’s unclear who is truly the hunter and who is truly the hunted. And all of this is going down while Class 3-4 is facing two life-or-death challenges of its own. One is to survive their grueling training arc at the hands of Arakuni’s own ex-Yakuza father. The other is to pass their Spring Term finals and avoid summer school—without cheating! Well, I really expected this manga to keep us all guessing about who sold out Honeko for much longer than it did, but it seems the decision was made against any extended mystery plot. That could be for the best (even the iconic series Death Note lost a lot of momentum when its own mystery plotlines were stretched out for far too long) but refocusing a series in progress is always a tricky business. On the plus side, one undisputed win for volume four is that mangaka Masamitsu Nigatsu is showing off a clear ability to develop and balance strong ensemble casts. This volume alone takes three supporting characters who were little more than names and faces, and showcases their distinct backstories, personalities, and goals all without slowing down the pace of the overall story. Vibrant, stylized, and detailed art combined with a lively and enjoyably over-the-top cast are doing a good job carrying this series.. ~ WacOtaku

Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards is published by Kodansha.

READ Reviews of Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards: Vol. 1 // Vol.2 // Vol. 3

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Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms, Manga Vols. 7 & 8

Mona thinks her “errand” to downtown Tokyo with Medaka went well, but his iron-willed stoicism remains seemingly impervious to her charms. So hang subtlety—she’s out looking to smash through his mental barrier with sheer (romantic) force. The perfect opportunity to do so has presented itself in the form of the school’s annual beauty pageant, the final round of which consists of giving a staged love confession. All she has to do now is coast through the competition, confess to Medaka in front of the whole school, maybe throw in a surprise kiss to seal the deal, and voilà, she’s well on her way to trading “Miss Kawai” for “Mrs. Kuroiwa” in a few years. At least that’s the plan. It’s not as if Asahi would also enter the contest with the same goal in mind, or that Tomo would start acting strange, or that Shirahama would join in simply to revel in the chaos, or that she—the effortlessly charming Mona Kawai—would ever get nervous over the idea of a little k-k-kiss, right? Of course not… For a series which had been doing a good job of pulling itself up from the lowest common denominator, this arc was a step back. It’s not completely without good points, as Mona and Asahi’s rivalry of “Trendy Social Butterfly vs. Athletic Cool Beauty (but really they’re both just adorkably shy sweethearts)” remains a reliable source of fun material. And we get a really great moment of doki-doki for Mona in the first half of volume eight. But the two big problems are : 1) the school beauty contest arc—the swimsuit portion in particular—devolves into such eye-rolling ridiculousness with its blatant attempts to create fanservice scenarios that one is left genuinely wondering where the adults are at this school, and 2) the wrap-up is less embarrassing but more of a dull slog as we spent multiple chapters following a character who can’t carry that much screen time. In ye olden days we would’ve said, “Rent this tape at Blockbuster, but don’t buy it.” The one good thing about this part being a noticeable low point is that it means the rest gets better. ~ 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 // Vol. 6

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Yan, Manhua Vol. 2

There’s a monstrous mecha bearing down on Taipei, and it’s giving Yan Tieh Hua some trouble, even after she rips its head off. Time for the team to assemble! (Or at least not kill each other?) Yan and Mika find a way to combine forces, syncing their unique skill sets, but even so, it’s going to take a little something extra to face down this rampaging robot and the evil corporation behind its—and possibly Yan’s—creation. That help arrives with a flourish in the form of time and/or dimension hopper Rabbit Herlock, who seems to know more about the “facility” and Yan herself than anyone else so far. But before they can take on the villainous conglomerate, they’ve got some detective work to do, of both the literal crime-solving variety and the more philosophical, as they figure out what Mika’s visions mean and how they can work together to take on the big bad. Okay, boys and girls! It’s time for this wild action adventure to get properly sci-fi! We get time travel, mecha, evil AI, and more fantasy-inspired duels with destiny as the characters prepare to confront their makers and test out the limits and meaning of their powers. Mika really comes into her own as a character, as does the retired detective, while we are also treated to glimpses of Yan’s backstory, predating the massacre of her family. With all this development in their individual stories comes deeper relational development too among the ad hoc team, particularly for Mika and for Yan, who the girl adopts as an older sister. Chang Sheng’s art continues to impress, with its superlative draftsmanship and unique fusion of manga and western comic book styles, while the generous dimensions and glossy card cover of the physical release make the reading experience a delight. The story is wide open now, with all sorts of fascinating interlocking pieces, whirling like the gears of a steampunk contraption that you know will do something pretty impressive, even if you’re not sure what it will be exactly! There’s only one more volume to wrap up the series, and if the first two volumes are anything to go by, it’s going to be an explosive ending. If your reading list is in need of an injection of beautifully crafted high-octane action sci-fi, be sure to check this series out! ~ claire

Yan is published by Titan Comics.

READ: Yan (Vol. 1) Review

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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.