On this week’s corner, we’re covering volume one of Scavengers Another Sky, a brand new series featuring interdimensional scavengers; the final explosive volume of Itaewon Class, and much, much more! Read our reviews and let us know what you think of these recently-released volumes!
Bocchi the Rock! (Vol. 7) • Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga (Vol. 6) • I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class (Vol. 2) • Itaewon Class (Vol. 8) • Scavengers Another Sky (Vol. 1) • Shadows House (Vol. 9) • Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life (Vol. 4)
Scavengers Another Sky, Manga Vol. 1
A set of young girls and women have a daily job of jumping to alternate dimension Earths and scavenging for whatever they can find of value. They have to be on their toes, though, as malevolent entities called Floaters show up regularly on these expeditions. Scavengers can even get stranded in the other dimensions if things go too awry. This is an intriguing setup and worldbuilding that somehow, for me, didn’t quite manage to live up to its promise. I’m not sure I could nail down anything specifically wrong with the sci-fi (and by the end, sci-fi/horror) tale shown here, but it didn’t quite grab my attention enough to keep me invested beyond this initial volume. If you’re looking for something different in speculative fiction with a horror twist, consider giving Scavengers Another Sky a shot. ~ Dr. Steve
Scavengers Another Sky is published by Titan Comics.
Shadows House, Manga Vol. 9
Kate and her allies are back, ready to continue their rebellion against Lord Grandfather! And finally, we start to uncover some of the backstories of the characters and what happened before they were brought to Shadows House. The reveals practically leap from every page! But first, our conspirators must elude the well-meaning but hostile eyes keeping watch over them in the children’s wing of the mansion. And at the very end, we suddenly get a background reveal for a character I was not expecting! Oh man, Shadows House is so good! You might think that a volume largely dedicated to reveals that have been set up over the course of the previous eight volumes would be very important to pull off correctly, and you’d be right; you might also suppose that the tempo of the story would flag, but there you’d be wrong. The manga doesn’t miss a beat and serves as a satisfying close to a number of questions that have been haunting the pages of the story for some time. But answers simply beget more questions and more plot threads. What is Kate really up to? Guess I’ll have to wait for volume ten to find out—oh wait, no I don’t! It’s sitting right next to me. Be back shortly, folks! ~ NegativePrimes
Shadows House is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of Shadows House: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 8
Bocchi the Rock!, Manga Vol. 7
The girls of Kessoku Band are leveling up! Nijika and Ryou graduate from high school—thanks to a well-donated wad of cash from her parents, in Ryou’s case—while Kita and Hitori embark on that most formative of youthful experiences, the School Trip. Hitori actually crushes it too, making a splash among the throngs of foreign tourists in Kyoto for shredding her guitar while cosplaying as a kimono-wearing metalhead. But it’s not just personal milestones that the girls achieve this volume; they are also on the rise as a band, thanks to their label, Stray Beat, which throws them a launch party featuring a trending opening act, Klimt’s Night (inspired by anime opening song powerhouse, Yoasobi). All these “achievements,” personal and collective, give this volume a sense of momentum that has eluded some of the earlier installments, which tend to wander about a bit more from gag to gag. It feels like KSB (and the plot) is finally back on track toward some kind of breakthrough! Part of this has to do with the supporting characters. Pretty much every volume introduces a few new faces to the ensemble, mostly for the purposes of punchlines. They’re fun, but apart from Hiroi, they don’t really add much to our anxious heroine’s stuttering coming-of-age story. But Ame-san of Klimt’s Night is different, and the change is most welcome! Ame-san is essentially a mirror image of Bocchi, but a Bocchi who is still stuck alone in her middle school closet. The tentative but growing friendship between these two ultra introverts is delightful, with Hitori for once taking the lead, showcasing just how far she has come over these past two years by taking one small step after the other. All this bodes well for the series, especially if and when it continues beyond the girls’ high school era. Grown-up KSB? Bring it on! ~ claire
Bocchi the Rock! is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of Bocchi the Rock!: Vols. 1 & 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6
I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class, Manga Vol. 2
The description of volume two of I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class feels like the utmost in wish fulfillment: After becoming secret friends with the beautiful Asanagi, Maehara now starts becoming close with her friend, Amani—the “prettiest” girl in school—making Asanagi jealous. For sure, there are moments in this volume that feel that way, as if this series is made only for boys pining away at love. I could also do without the cringey bits, with boys saying how Asanagi isn’t as pretty as Amani but still very pretty (these asides are meant to be cringe, but don’t come off as self-aware as they’re intended). Still, there’s an authenticity to this work that’s hard for me to pin down. It came across stronger in the initial volume, but it’s still felt here—the characters (including the “plain” male lead) are lovable, and there’s truly a sense that the two girls will become friends with Maehara because he is set apart from the boys around him. And in high school, friendship between a boy and a girl is always only a stone’s throw away from romance. All in all, I continue to enjoy this series; I just hope it stays the course instead of going the easy route—straight to shonen romance tropes without continuing to build the characters and relationships needed to make that road once worth traveling. ~ Twwk
I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class is published by Yen Press.
Read: I Made Friends with the 2nd Prettiest Girl in My Class Vol. 1 Review
Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga, Vol. 6
Shrinkwrapped and showing Emi in skimpy clothing, the cover of Destroy All Humans volume six seemingly hints at a series headed toward a more fanservice-focused, ecchi path. Thankfully, inside the series remains the same reliably sweet and lovely story about two nerds falling in love (and the shrinkwrap is of course protecting the MTG card that comes with each volume). Valentine’s Day, White Day, and a new tournament bring the story along in these chapters, and draw us nearer and nearer to a romance that we hope will happen because it’s just too cute, but which might be doomed (“doomed” being the appropriate word with the apocalyptic overtones to the series). But first and foremost—Magic: The Gathering matches galore! Naturally. This is another solid volume of a sweet, fun series. ~ 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 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5
Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life, Manga Vol. 4
This is the best volume of Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life so far. Keiki High’s students are preparing for their cultural festival, and Tsumiki and Yutaka’s class decides on a cosplay cafe—though they may all be in over their heads. Thankfully, Tsumiki’s energy and enthusiasm are there to save the day, though Yutaka’s kindness and determination are no less vital. But what makes volume four special is the sidetrack the series takes toward a different classroom and character. Much of volume four focuses on Mokuri, a spider who is Instafamous for making silk art, but who’s cold and kind of a drag. Her story—including Yutaka and Tsumiki’s interactions with her—is meaningful and tender, and one of the most memorable parts of the series thus far. I’m enjoying the characterization that happens in each individual tale in this manga, though admittedly, I do forget the characters when they go from being featured to falling into the background; hopefully, more volumes and more time with the characters will help cure that. Otherwise, Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life continues to be an enjoyable series—and one that’s getting better and better. ~ Twwk
Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life is published by VIZ Media.
Read Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 3
Itaewon Class, Manhwa Vol. 8 (Final)
Itaewon Class comes to its conclusion with a bang (figuratively but perhaps also literally—I won’t spoil that for you) as Saeroyi confronts Geun-won to save Yiseo. I continue to be amazed at how Gwang Jin, the series creator, is able to tell a story filled with heart and tension despite limitations as an artist—and there are few arcs as tense as this one. I don’t want to spoil how the volume ends the series, but I will say I’m mostly satisfied with the final arc and conclusion. That’s not to say that there aren’t disappointments; the ultimate scene involving Jang Dae-hee is overwrought and not particularly earned, which is connected to the second problem (and one that’s been an issue the entire second half of this series): the quickness at which the action progresses. I can’t help but feel as if Gwang-seonsaengnim became overwhelmed with this story, and hurried it to a conclusion. If so, I’m sad to hear it went that way, because the characters and story he created deserved a series probably twice as long as what we received. Still, Itaewon Class was a moving, stirring manhwa, the kind that makes you want to be a better man (which, as Gwang-seonsaengnim notes, was what he had in mind in creating Saeroyi). And hey, if you want a longer series, you can always check out the excellent K-drama adaptation. ~ 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 // Vol. 7
“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.
