On this week’s Reader’s Corner, we get deep into a manhwa (Overgeared), dark fantasy manga (Shadows House), and the manga adaptation of a supernatural romcom LN (Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl). Plus, much, much more!
Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice (Vol. 2) • Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion (Vol. 5) • Historie (Vol. 3) • Immortality and Punishment (Vol. 1) • Overgeared (Vol. 9) • Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl • Shadows House (Vol. 10)
Overgeared, Manhwa Vol. 9
As Grid gained fame around the world for his reveal as Satisfy’s global event, and then decided on even greater heights to attain, I began to worry that Overgeared was getting a little overbloated. One thing I’ve never said about the series is that it’s boring, but with Grid being so OP and just looking for the next adventure that he’ll complete fairly easily early in this volume, I started to feel that way. That is, until the second half of volume nine, when Grid’s arrogance leads to an unexpected turn of events (especially because the character who is most deeply involved is so unabashed in praising Grid earlier in the volume) and the entrance of a new character in Satisfy leads to a really fun dynamic and new storyline in the series. These twists and turns fit so well into the story of Grid’s growth as a person, adding some humanity to the chaos of the events in the game. And while Overgeared will never be confused for a great piece of literature, I was impressed by the storyline explored in volume nine. In other words, Overgeared isn’t resting on its laurels—and for that, all of us readers should be rejoicing. ~ Twwk
Overgeared is published by Ize Press, an imprint of Ize Press.
READ Reviews of Overgeared: Vol. 1 // Vol.2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8
Historie, Manga Simulpub Ch. 20-29 (Vol. 3)
Continuing the flashback from volume two, Thrax might have spared Eumenes from his blade, but in many ways our protagonist is still a casualty of that bloody night. The chaos gives his “father’s” majordomo and chief enforcer just the chance they need to betray and murder their boss. Eumenes, in turn, is sold into slavery to cover up their crime. Between that, discovering that he was born Scythian and kidnapped as a toddler, and his new master giving off a deeply unsettling air behind the practiced smiles, it is a grim time indeed for our young man. Then a pair of storms on the Black Sea interrupts his unwilling journey north to a Greek colony on the frigid Ukrainian steppe. One is a natural tempest of wind and waves, but the other is man-made—the product of the fury and long-desired vengeance of Eumenes’ fellow slaves… With the recent announcement that Historie will be receiving an anime adaptation, I decided it was a good time to return to reviewing this series. And once again, Hiroshi Iwaaki reminds us of his experience making horror manga even while working in the historical fiction genre. Thrax’s rampage is a slow burn of tension leading to an explosion of gore, but this volume changes up the formula as violent death blindsides its targets with little foreshadowing or lingering. It isn’t a jumpscare-a-minute series, however, as we do get to see Eumenes grow as a character over the course of his teenage years. Most intriguingly, this volume is quietly planting seeds of the idea that Eumenes is fated to be the outsider wherever he goes, always useful but never truly one of the group—which actually aligns very well with what we know through historians of his later life. The history buff in me loves the attention to that detail, and the manga fan in me enjoys the craftsmanship used to present it. ~ WacOtaku
Historie is published by Kodansha through their K-Manga simulpub service.
Immortality and Punishment, Manga Vol. 1
The idea of broken people trying to survive through a zombie apocalypse is nothing new, but volume one of Immortality and Punishment is breathtaking in its scope, brutality, and just how deep the sins are for its protagonist, Fumito. The manga starts from his perspective, acting as a male escort but unable to satisfy his customer—it’s from the bedroom of the hotel room that he begins to see news reports about individuals being attacked, which then morphs into reports of people rising from the dead. From his window, he sees the chaos—and he begins to hear it too, outside of his hotel room. The volume accelerates from 0 to 100, but it’s done so well. The graphic but shadowy illustrations add such a sense of menace to the work, and there’s a perfect balance of showing Fumito’s and others’ perspectives in dealing with zombies firsthand, with the grander narrative about what’s happening across Japan. The personal stories are also compelling, with four interesting characters introduced. While readers will be talking about Fumito, whose past is the stuff of true crime podcasts (it’s realistically frightening), the other characters’ stories and personalities are just as engaging to me. I already care about them (well, most of them) and am dying (har har) to see what happens to them next. The storytelling here and creativity with the artwork is high level; again, Fumito’s background adds an incredible layer to the tale, but each panel itself seems to tell a story, with unexpected illustrations like yakuza blasting away at zombies to a woman leaping off a six-story building (and the awfulness that results). This is a graphic tale in terms of sexuality, trauma, and, of course, grotesque violence. But if you can stand it and enjoy dark tales, I encourage you to try it out. This is the coolest volume I’ve read to start this new year. ~ Twwk
Immortality and Punishment is published by Yen Press.
Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice, Manga Vol. 2
Yuri’s life continues to get better and better with Ren by her side, but the question is should she let him? With a change in her job position (making it harder to avoid her ex), and Ren wanting to grow closer to Yuri while she is struggling with whether she should or not, Yuri has quite her hands full! Oh, how I loved this volume! Though I’ll admit I was very upset with Ren and one of his decisions! I was shocked and angry, and fully admit that I was glad we didn’t see him for a little bit, but! Apologizing and saying you acted in the wrong goes a long way, and I was very happy to see that here! I think the volume even showed how he did learn from his actions because near the end, when he could have done the same thing again, he didn’t. Instead, he asked, and I was very, very happy about that! So I would say that one of my favorite parts of this volume was seeing character growth in action! And it wasn’t just with Ren, because I loved how Yuri stood up for herself near the end, like yes! Tell it, girl! I loved when she said she wasn’t an object and that she’s a person, because I definitely feel that is exactly how one of the characters is treating her! (Not our wonderful Ren, though!) Overall, I’m very much still loving this manga and enjoying seeing our characters grow! While there was a moment when I thought that our leads might enter into a romantic relationship very early on, I was surprised to find out I was wrong! I can definitely say that I’m excited to see them grow in their feelings and to discover how our characters will move forward! ~ Laura A. Grace
Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice is published by Yen Press.
READ Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice Vol. 1 Review
Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion, Manga Vol. 5
Our leads are finally together, and I couldn’t be happier! However, Harij takes it one step further and asks for her hand in marriage! As he waits for Rose’s decision, they decide to have Rose stay at his estate, leading them to grow ever closer… This volume was so worth the wait! I deeply enjoyed every moment of it! I think my favorite part was anything involving the earthworms because they were so cute, but I would hands down react as everyone else did about Rose being excited about them! LOL! It was nice to see so many of her cute and earnest expressions during those moments! I would say, too, that I loved seeing Rose safe and happy! I don’t think there was nearly as much romance asin the last volume, but I found a sweetness in them being so close to one another at a variety of times that I was okay with that. Plus, seeing Harij “on the job” and totally not being afraid to say he’s changed because of a woman he loves was awesome! Not only that, but the new character—oh my goodness, she is so cute! I hope we see a lot more of her! The way she looked up to another character really touched my heart! She seems so sweet! Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this volume and think the only thing I’m sad about is having to wait for a new volume to release! LOL! Definitely continues to be as enjoyable as ever! ~ Laura A. Grace
Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion is published by Yen Press.
READ: Reviews of Hi, I’m a Witch, and My CrushWants Me to Make a Love Potion: Vol. 1 //Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl, Manga
The Dreaming Girl arc of the Rascal series follows the adventures of Sakuta, Mai, and one Shouko Makinohara—yes, another young woman to serve as the source of some ship-tease with Sakuta and consequently dark looks from Mai. But as is always the case in this series, at the end of the day, Sakuta only has eyes for Mai. Anyway, Dreaming Girl covers Shouko’s youth as a girl with a weak heart, who is not expected to live long. But through a series of events, she eventually receives a heart transplant—only to discover an unsettling fact about the heart. In an effort to change this fact, if possible, she embarks on her journey through puberty syndrome, a rather tight yet complex story that might involve time travel and/or alternate worlds. This is probably one of my favorite arcs in a series that I’ve largely enjoyed: The storytelling is solid and crisp, and every step along the way makes reasonable sense. I don’t want to say much more because of spoilers, but if you have enjoyed the Rascal series heretofore, you will probably find this one quite delightful. ~ Dr. Steve
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl is published by Yen Press.
Shadows House, Manga Vol. 10
This is one of the hardest books to review that I’ve ever seen. Not because of its quality—it’s amazing—but because pretty much anything I say would be a spoiler in some way. Suffice it to say that in this volume, we finally get Kate’s back story. Volume nine may have had the reveals fast and thick, but it ain’t got nothin’ on volume ten! In exploring Kate’s origin and how she came to Shadows House, we also learn more of the history of Mirrorside…and of Mirror House. Yes, there is a parallel and contrast between the good House and the bad House, much like between the kingdom of God and its evil counterfeits. And Kate very much feels like a Christ figure in some key ways… I’ve already said too much! Go read it! ~ NegativePrimes
Shadows House 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.
