Stories keep driving forward with big events in volume two of Rai Rai Rai, volume seven of I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World, and volume 13 (!) of Mint Chocolate! We’ve got more on tap, too—check out our reviews of these recent releases below!
Cosmos (Vol. 3) • Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (Vol. 6) • I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World (Vol. 7) • Itaewon Class (Vol. 7) • Mint Chocolate (Vol. 13) • Rai Rai Rai (Vol. 2) • Villains Are Destined to Die (Vol. 8)
Rai Rai Rai, Manga Vol. 2
There’s a favorable comparison to be made between Rai Rai Rai and Kaiju No. 8. Not that the latter is bad by any means—quite the opposite actually—but this series knows what it does well, and instead of diving into the normal “kaiju battle” tropes you think it might, it just assumes you know them and focuses instead on character dynamics and the battles themselves. Take, for instance, how volume two of the manga begins. Instead of spending time showing Sumire in training and outlining how her suit works, much of the former happens in the background, and the latter is explained in a couple of short info dumps; most of the first half of volume two is used to develop Sumire’s relationship with Hazuki, who becomes her new roommate. It’s so much fun to see the two interact. I was surprised, also, that Hazuki is more obviously caring and kind than others of her “responsible but impatient” archetype, which to me indicates subtle writing that I didn’t expect out of the series after its slam-bang first volume. Not that there isn’t craziness in this volume as well, with the latter portion dedicated to exposing Sumire as a weapon and reminding the audience that she’s not a normal Raiden Corporation employee—she’s one that could be terminated by the company at any moment. The element of danger, along with the series humor and now warmer moments, has me hooked—and I’m eager to see if this series can keep my attention, when others of its kind haven’t always. ~ Twwk
Rai Rai Rai is published by VIZ Media.
READ Rai Rai Rai Vol. 1 Review
Itaewon Class, Manhwa Vol. 7
Here. We. Go. While I complained about how quickly the series was moving through its story in my review of volume six of Itaewon Class, we get the fruits of that decision here. As Honey Night’s battle against Jangga Group turns violent, the series digs into the past in a variety of ways, most significantly through leaning into all the relationships that Saeroyi has built over the years. Readers will have been expecting that Saeroyi’s integrity and kindness would pay off, but Itaewon Class doesn’t just rely on rest on the laurels of all this planning; volume seven rolls out appearances and incidents from the past in a careful, well laid-out way through these chapters, the result of which is surprise and satisfaction for readers. That said, I should note that this isn’t the conclusion to the manhwa; it’s full of action and features a cliffhanger as well. What a volume! And also on a positive note, while I’ve been harsh on the artwork, I’ve started to come around regarding that too—I appreciate the artist’s determination to tell this wonderful story, though he may be limited in ability. The heart comes through in the attention to his panels the way he makes the story move in an exciting way by choices of what to feature in them. Excellent work! ~ Twwk
Itaewon Class is published by Ize Press.
READ Reviews of Itaewon Class: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6
Cosmos, Manga Vol. 3
Volume three of Cosmos introduces two new characters, which lend themselves to two stories with very different tones. The first story is a Christmas-ish tale involving Kaede’s sister, Sakura, and demonstrates how the series can be tender and subtle, and conveys strong coming-of-age elements. The latter is Soprano, a gyaru member of the team whose powers and past come to the surface during a multi-part story that dips the entire manga into a deeper narrative that’s only been hinted at thus far. Oh, and there’s a fun action story too, which focuses on Rin. All of it is excellent. I’m consistently impressed by Tamura-sensei’s ability to write humor, sci-fi, and drama, and all of it well. The artwork is excellent, and the action scenes are good enough, though they might be the weakest aspect of the series. Even so, I’m finding the series to be thrilling—it entertains me in so many ways, from my heart to my brain. I encourage you to check Cosmos out if you haven’t yet; I’m confident you’ll become a fan like I am, and can do so now before the whole world (or universe?) finds out about this charming and smart series. ~ Twwk
Cosmos is published by VIZ Media.
I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World, Manga Vol. 7
The Walhelnus tournament is here, and I couldn’t be more excited! While Nunnally plans to watch from the sidelines and cheer for Harré, little does she know that there is a sinister evil that seems to have its eye on her. To her dismay, though, she might find herself having a rematch with Rockmann! Will Nunnally finally beat Rockmann after all this time? I struggled initially when first starting this (I was very tired), but the competition was epic! I am extremely impressed by how everything was drawn, as it really brought this “battle” to life in such a big way! I could practically feel the magic moving across the pages and sense how intense the competition was! I will say, though, that the bonus story at the end was easily my favorite part of the whole volume, because seeing Nunnally and Rockmann banter back and forth never gets old! But let me back up: The beginning was very eye-opening! All the small pieces of info that have been dropped through the manga thus far are bringing everything together in this volume and revealing just how grave the stakes are. We even found out some backstory about Nunnally’s parents, and I was quite surprised—so much so that I had to read it twice to make sure I had understood it right the first time! I’m very interested in seeing what happens next because I have a feeling things are about to get even more intense due to that ending. ~ Laura A. Grace
I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6
Villains Are Destined to Die, Manhwa Vol. 8
Penelope is one step closer to her coming of age ceremony, and reality is starting to set in: Eckles’ has betrayed her, and she is that much closer to “game over” if she doesn’t get at least one love interest’s affection meter to where it’s supposed to be for a hard mode “win.” With her cutting ties with Callisto, Eckles in prison, and the real heroine in her very home, things couldn’t look bleaker for Penelope. No amount of spoilers I’ve seen could have prepared my heart for the devastation I feel after reading this volume. If I could spam the “sob” emoji throughout this review, I would, because even after a day, the heartache of this volume has not faded. The emotional pain that Penelope is feeling while preparing for the end is easily one of the hardest things I have ever read. I was able to keep my tears at bay during her and Callisto’s conversation, even though my heart was being torn in half for both of them. However, her conversation with her father completely broke me, from the things he revealed about what Reynold told him to him embracing her with genuine love and affection. Here was everything the OG Penelope would have wanted, but could never hear. And when Penelope thought about where OG Penelope went, I grieved for both the original and the Penelope we follow in this story. I am thankful that, even though I know what’s to come (due to actively keeping up with spoilers), IZE Press has blessed our broken hearts with a teaser for the next volume, and that all hope is not lost. Nevertheless, the ending is brutal, one I never desire to ever ever see for my all-time favorite female character. As Callisto said at one point, she deserves to be surrounded by beautiful and radiant things just as she is—because that really is exactly what she is. If you’re a fan and reader of this series, the only warning I can give is to prepare your heart. This is the toughest volume yet. ~ Laura A. Grace
Villains Are Destined to Die is published by IZE Press.
READ Reviews of Villains Are Destined to Die: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7
Mint Chocolate, Manga Vol. 13
Nanami and Suzumura have been putting their all into their upcoming school festival. Things are, however, not going as smoothly as they had hoped: Nanami is excited, but when they find out a friend they invited also invited someone else—who is bringing Suzumura’s mom—they all panic! Will they be able to help Suzumura avoid her and keep their parents from bumping into her at the festival, too? I confess I was really disappointed by this volume, and I think that’s mainly because we have a very unnecessary interloper on the scene. I enjoyed everything else in this volume, but this interloper suddenly had feelings for Nanami, which unfortunately didn’t make sense to me and deeply bothered me at that. Given how this character has acted before now, I can’t see why their feelings suddenly changed, even though I realize they have changed as an individual. I guess that, seeing how far we are into this series, it feels having a potential love triangle is unnecessary when the stress of potentially meeting Suzumura’s mom was clearly more than enough to carry the volume. I definitely would have preferred that to be the focus rather someone being rude to Nanami just because they realized they like her! I did however enjoy the conclusion! It was sweet, and I would like to see this series through to the very end, but if that interloper is a focus again next volume, I have a feeling I might not be able to, as sad as that is to say. Hopefully, I’m worrying for no reason, and we can see our leads continue to grow closer and closer, because that’s the best part! ~ Laura A. Grace
Mint Chocolate is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of Mint Chocolate: Vols. 1-8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vol. 12
Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards, Manga Vol. 6
Class 3-4 was on a major winning streak in the final showdown before summer break, swatting down mini-boss after mini-boss like so many bugs while maintaining an airtight defense around Honeko’s house. But there’s been a reversal at the last minute, as the final member of the Hunting Dogs gang left standing has managed to kidnap Kuran Shuto, “the Gambler” of Honeko Akabane’s bodyguards. Arakuni and the rest of 3-4 are in hot pursuit, but there’s something strange about this assassin, who goes by the name of “Moral.” He seems to be a cornered enemy just trying to spite the heroes by taking out one of their weak and injured teammates before his inevitable defeat, but he’s acting much too calmly for this to simply be some last, desperate gambit. There’s more to him–and to this whole situation—than meets the eye; and as Arakuni starts putting the pieces together, it becomes clear to him that he and Honeko are both mixed up in something deeper and more twisted than he ever expected. So much for a relaxing summer vacation… For all the talk in the previous volume about this battle being the “Final Showdown,” it was pretty obvious from the tone and story progression that this wasn’t to be the case. And it would have been an underwhelming climax if it had, since the only battle in this arc with any real emotional weight behind it was Yamihime’s duel against her deeply scarred and abusive mother back in volume five. This highlights a persistent flaw I’ve been seeing in Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards: Fights are often flashy and fun, but the story can struggle to make them feel serious even when it clearly wants to. At times, it can feel more like we’re going through the (superbly drawn) motions of a Big Shonen Fight than getting a truly visceral experience. The art and the ensemble cast dynamics remain excellent, and the romantic comedy elements are consistently trope-tastic fun, but the “battle” part of this Shonen Battle Rom-Com often seems like the green bean casserole at Thanksgiving dinner: competently made, but just sort of “there” because it’s expected to be. ~ WacOtaku
Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards is published by Kodansha.
READ Reviews of Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards: Vol. 1 // Vol.2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5
“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.
