What was your first Rumiko Takahashi manga or anime? Did you grow up on Inuyasha? Or did your fandom reach even further back to Ranma 1/2 or Urusei Yatsura? Or did you first experience her through a newer work like RIN-NE? Whichever it is, a new artbook from VIZ has you covered this week, displaying Takahashi-sensei’s extraordinary work in full color! We’re reviewing that collection and more—including the latest Secrets of the Silent Witch and The Eminence in Shadow manga adaptations—in this week’s column!
The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978–2024 • The Eminence in Shadow (Vol. 13) • In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name (Vol. 3) • Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Repeat (Vol. 1) • Ponyo Film Comic: All-in-One Edition • Secrets of the Silent Witch (Vol. 4)
In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name, Manga Vol. 3
Ichika and the “gang” are preparing for a trip to a neighboring kingdom on behalf of the king, much to everyone’s dismay. In between preparations, she continues trying to learn how to use magic, but she is still struggling. However, when a mysterious and beautiful girl shows up while she is practicing, she quickly realizes that this young girl may be the very teacher she has been needing. Let me just say that when I finished this volume, I was internally screaming and freaking out. That reveal at the end! Oh my goodness! Seriously, though, after finishing this volume, I went on a desperate search to see if there was a volume four up for preorder in English (it is finally up for preorder!), if the series had been recently updated with a new chapter in Japan (after a year long hiatus it also is finally updating again), and if there was any other general information I could find because I needed answers ASAP! I thought this volume would be a casual read before bed, but my mistake! Granted, before it got to the end, I thought it was a very strong read with some great world-building! We met a new character (they were great! I love them!) who is really helping our girl here, and I hope they continue to come around! Then, of course, the hinted trip in volume two now officially begins, and that was…interesting…to say the least. Ha! I love how Ichika and Noah are getting closer together, as you can definitely tell they are with all the fun banter they have! But the ending! The most epic reveal of reveals! I had to go spam a friend who read it because I never expected what happened to happen! It’s going to be very interesting to see what unfolds! Things are definitely going to change, and I can only hope for the better, especially after the author’s note! Please let the next volume be released soon! ~ Laura A. Grace
In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2
Secrets of the Silent Witch, Manga Vol. 4
Monica’s life only continues to get busier and busier at the academy, but I don’t think she was prepared for intruders trying to enter the school! If that wasn’t scary enough, now she has to learn ballroom dancing and hosting tea! Not to mention she still has to watch over the Prince too! This was another wonderful volume that left me feeling so happy after reading, because what a gem of a heroine Monica is! I continue to deeply admire her because we can really see in this volume how she is pushing herself to do things she has never done before. She is so much more courageous than she realizes, because I think, as Nero tells her after one incident, this would have been a time that she would have been bawling and wanting to go back home. Instead, though, she gets up and does her best in earnest! I’m excited for this new character we meet! She seems really great, and I love how she is helping our dear Monica in more ways than one! And sweet Glenn! I loved seeing more of him! The scenes with him dancing with Monica had me feeling so bad for her, but oh my goodness! The way my heart swooned when Cyril came on page! Eeeeepp!! Maybe I should have been feeling something more for the Prince, but he just can’t compare! Though I honestly don’t even know if he or Cyril stands a chance because near the end, the Prince makes a comment I loved, that he just couldn’t compete with Monica’s passion for numbers! Ha! I honestly had a similar thought when reading because no one gets Monica excited the same way her love for numbers does! Lastly, I loved that little moment of Monica being taught how villainesses act! Ha! Absolute gold! Definitely another fantastic volume, and I very much hoping volume five will be out before I know it! ~ Laura A. Grace
Secrets of the Silent Witch is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of Secrets of the Silent Witch: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3
The Eminence in Shadow, Manga Vol. 13
Action-packed, out-of-left-field, and wickedly funny, this is The Eminence in Shadow at its best. In my review of volume twelve, I mentioned how exciting it was to see this series suddenly change settings and genres, and in volume thirteen, the new alternate reality sci-fi story moves into full tilt, with Akane dealing with monsters and memory loss, Cid going full-out Shadow as usual, and Beta…learning Japanese? I can’t convey just how much fun this volume is! I’m a fan of the whole post-apocalyptic, “beasts taking over the abandoned wilds” type of storyline, which is central here as Akane and her fellow knights defend humans against invading creatures; however, the timing of the humor The Eminence in Shadow is so impeccable, keeping the series from going too self-serious and reminding us that Cid is the most clueless OP characters…well, maybe ever. I hope this arc stretches out for a few more volumes (there’s room here, for instance, for more exploration of the mechanics of the entire isekai system that took Cid out of Earth), but even if it concludes in the next volume or two, I’m grateful for this turn toward something totally unexpected—which, of course, is what I expect from this fantastic series. ~ Twwk
The Eminence in Shadow is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of The Eminence in Shadow (Manga): Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vol. 12
Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Repeat, Manga Vol. 1
After the disappointment of Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Reload, released earlier this summer, I was not looking forward to repeating my experience with this new anthology. But those fears were unfounded. Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Repeat is a vast improvement on the previous release. Unlike that one, this anthology is very focused: Takina and Chisato are the stars of every story, and virtually every story revolves around Takina continuing to thaw and learn to live a more normal life, while Chisato helps her along in her unique way. The result is a bunch of sweet, funny stories that don’t aim too high or veer too far away from the original anime. As is expected, part of the charm is also seeing the characters drawn in various styles, though I would have liked to see a wider range in this anthology. Otherwise, this is a perfectly lovely manga to pick up for fans of the show; here’s hoping that the “1” on the cover does indeed indicate more volumes to come! ~ Twwk
Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Reload, Vol. 1 is published by Yen Press.
Read: Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Reload Vol. 1 Review
Ponyo Film Comic: All-in-One Edition, Manga
The Ponyo film comic is a slight improvement over others, but will still only appeal to the most hardcore Studio Ghibli fans and to parents looking to introduce young children to the studio. For those unaware, a “film comic” is an adaptation featuring page after page of stills from the movie, and which gives the dialogue too, like in a manga. The All-In-One editions are small, hardcover works, and nice to hold and behold. This particular film comic also features a character introduction and, in its final pages, the words to the Ponyo song. Those are nice additions, but not enough to make this an interesting work for most adults. Still, it’s an easy and lovely way to encourage children to learn about and embrace this wonderful studio. Ponyo is a good series to start with too, since it’s aimed at younger ages (though I continued to find the relationship Fujimoto and the goddess strange and confusing—and surely children will also). But if you’re not a kid or parent, you’re better off watching the film. ~ Twwk
Ponyo Film Comic: All-in-One Edition is published by VIZ Media.
Read Studio Ghibli Film Comic Reviews: My Neighbor Totoro // Kiki’s Delivery Service // Spirited Away
The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978–2024, Art Book
As a new generation discovers Rumiko Takahashi through reboots of her classic series, VIZ has released a dazzling artbook featuring many of her illustrations and manga panels in full color. The Art of Rumiko Takahashi is structured very simply, taking us section by section and chronologically through her major series: Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½, Inuyasha, RIN-NE, and Mao. The beautiful coloring leaps off the pages, as does Takahashi-sensei’s wonderful drawings generally. It helped me remember my love for her works, and again hope that my favorite of hers, Maison Ikkoku, is next in line for a reboot. The extras about Takahashi-sensei seem fairly minimal, but the little asides from her throughout the artbook and an informative interview at its end make for quite a lot of commentary. Lovers of her work will appreciate hearing so much from the mangaka herself. It should be noted that there isn’t any original work that’s been added here, and you’ll also see that the final two sections are very short and feature many more black-and-white drawings. Nonetheless, it’s terrific to be able to have so many color works of hers assembled all in one hardcover edition—a lovely collection from perhaps our greatest mangaka! ~ Twwk
The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978–2024 is published by VIZ Media.
“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.
