Can a replica fall in love? Can Victoria find a peaceful life? Can Bianca find a better chance at life? The volumes we’re reviewing today are full of questions—read our reviews to see if they have the answers (or are worth sticking out to find them!).
Even a Replica Can Fall in Love (Vol. 1) • Goblin Slayer: A Day in the Life, Vol. 3 • Historie (Vol. 4) • Marriage of Convenience (Vol. 2) • Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life (Vol. 2) • Victoria of Many Faces (Vol. 3)
Marriage of Convenience, Manhwa Vol. 2
Bianca is determined to make sure her second chance at life is much different than the first time. As she starts a business of her own and learns other new things like horseback riding, she is most amazed at getting to know her husband. She is even surprised when he invites her on a trip with him! There could be more change in Bianca’s life than she ever imagined! I absolutely loved this volume! I never imagined my enjoyment of this series would go up even more with reading this volume, but it did! The slowly unfolding romance is very, very good, and I definitely appreciated how they got to know one another over something I personally have never seen before in my manhwa reading: horseback riding! Bianca continues to be an incredible female lead, and to anyone who didn’t like how “harsh” she was in volume one, I would say she is more subdued in this one. Don’t get me wrong! She doesn’t put up with anything, and I loved seeing her cheer when she convinced her husband to let her learn how to ride a horse, but I found that she is much…softer? More likable?…when we see more into her heart as we did in this volume. Granted, I already really liked her, but I feel people will enjoy Bianca more in this volume even if they weren’t fans of her in volume one! I’m not a fan of one of the princes we meet at the end, and I hope he will stay far, far away from our leads because he just screams bad vibes! Apart from him, though, I am eager to read more of this series! I continue to love it so very much! ~ Laura A. Grace
Marriage of Convenience is published by Ize Press, an imprint of Yen Press.
READ Marriage of Convenience Vol. 1 Review
Even a Replica Can Fall in Love, Manga Vol. 1
Nao is a replica. She doesn’t “come out” unless she’s told to, and when she does, it’s to go to school on behalf of the“original,” where she acts just like her to the best of her ability. However, when Nao gets to know a classmate, she realizes she might want to be more than just a replica. Will she be able to get close to her classmate and keep her secret while being true to herself, whoever she might be? This is going to sound dramatic, but I am devastated that I read this so quickly! I don’t know what it was about this volume, but I was completely sucked in and could not read fast enough (even if I do wish I had read it slower LOL)! I got to the end and wanted more, not only because I loved it, but also because of that plot twist! Funny enough, the manga starts out really wholesome! I was super digging the romance with the little glimpses of something that isn’t quite right, and how we don’t know why our female lead is a replica, but the romance was cute, and it made me happy! However, when the male lead starts picking up on the differences in how she acts depending on whether her hair is down or up, the “real” FL makes a declaration of sorts, and then, to have the plot twist at the end, I went from giggling to quickly sitting up on my couch because what?! I have no idea where the manga is going to go, but I’m definitely seated! It was an easy-going read, and I deeply enjoyed my time with it! I look forward to reading volume two! ~ Laura A. Grace
Even a Replica Can Fall in Love is published by Yen Press.
Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life, Manga Vol. 2
Suzuki is slowly but surely reaching his dream of a fun high school experience. His classmates are starting to view him differently and genuinely befriend him, but he has to decide on which club to join, as required of freshmen. Does he join a club where he lives out his passions, or one that seems appropriate for him due to the way he looks, but which doesn’t match his heart? This volume was absolutely wonderful! I really enjoyed volume one, but I would say I enjoyed this one even more! It was so emotional and heartfelt to see our sweet male lead able to pursue his hobbies with other people! When he tells a few girls he hasn’t shared his hobbies with others before (as he used books and online guides to help himself), I totally teared up! So, so, so happy for him and how his high school experience is so different from his middle school! But oh my goodness, the way he helped one person from middle school was pretty amazing, honestly! I agreed with his buddy, who told him he should avoid that guy, but honestly, how Suzuki handled it was really inspiring! The ending did make me tear up as well, and I think it’s an extremely emotional chapter. I don’t want to spoil it, but I had to really be mindful of crying because my kids were around; the experience his friend is going through hit very close to home, as I went through the same thing. I’m glad he’s got a wonderful friend like Suzuki to support him! I’m very much looking forward to volume three! ~ Laura A. Grace
Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life is published by Yen Press.
READ Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life Vol. 1 Review
Goblin Slayer: A Day in the Life, Manga Vol. 3
This volume continues the (slightly) lighter series of stories that run somewhat tangential to the main story. Chapters eleven through fifteen detail a join venture between some of the younger adventurers and an older squad that includes Goblin Slayer, which culminates in a battle with a Beholder. It’s rather heartwarming to see how the youngsters have matured and yet also watch the senior team take over when the former are out of their depth. Chapters sixteen and seventeen follow the Hero’s party as it battles an evil mage, and the final chapter and interlude short story provide peaceful vignettes that present some precious moments of peace for our protagonists, both primary and secondary. All in all, if you like the world of Goblin Slayer, this is for you: the excellent art (though watch for some NSFW scenes), the characters we’ve become attached to as we’ve gone to hell and back with them (somewhat literally), the beautifully textured worldbuilding, and the plot that is merely decent in its own right but serves as an ideal backdrop to present the other elements. ~ NegativePrimes
Goblin Slayer: A Day in the Life is published by Yen Press.
Historie, Manga Simulpub Ch. 30-38 (Vol. 4)
Volume four wraps up the flashback—like legendary Odysseus, Eumenes has found himself shipwrecked far from Greece. But unlike that long-suffering voyager of the Homeric age, it is the best thing to ever happen to Eumenes. Washing up on the remote shores of Paphlagonia has given him a chance to start over as a free man in a land neither Greek nor Persian. He’s spent his teenage years among one of the numerous petty tribes which dot this border region and would be perfectly content to spend the rest of his life there as well. But trouble always seems to find him. Or perhaps it’s simply a troubled age. Regardless, this time around Eumenes plans on making sure his troubles will have trouble with him… At first, I thought this series might be moving away from its horror-flavored atmosphere into the sort of sword-and-sandal fare more typical of ancient historical fiction, but then I realized that the horror elements are still present in a different guise. This time, our protagonist is the “monster” and it’s the antagonists who are caught in his trap. And this makes for a fascinating contradiction within Eumenes’ character: He’s a man who genuinely respects the value of life and peace, yet his heart of hearts cannot resist the thrills and challenges of war—or restrain his ruthless determination to win. And for all his capacity for self-reflection, Eumenes may be the one person who doesn’t realize that fact about himself. Good stuff, and another good entry in this unique series. ~ WacOtaku
Historie is published by Kodansha through their K-Manga simulpub service.
READ Historie Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol.2 // Vol.3
Victoria of Many Faces, Manga Vol. 3
It took me a minute, but I’m finally enjoying Victoria of Many Faces—I think, perhaps, it’s because volume three fully commits to the idea that Victoria is being hunted and may not get to live a happy life with Nonna and Jeff. The early parts of volume three, however, serve well in making us hope for that outcome: Victoria and Nonna continue to be happy with life in Ashbury, with Victoria growing closer to Jeff, making new acquaintances, and even purchasing a horse! While teaching Nonna to ride, you have to wonder if Victoria hasn’t settled too comfortably into this life. However, the series reminds us that she’s in constant vigilance, from putting baby powder on her door to see if anyone has entered in her absence to keeping new friends at a distance, Victoria is always hyper aware. But could it be that she’s slipped up, just a bit? I do believe this story is ripe for a light novel retelling, but I really couldn’t get into the writing style of the LN; however, I’m enjoying this manga adaptation. If you’re like me and put the light novel down while reading the initial volume, I encourage you to pick up the manga—this series is a wonderful mixture of happy and sad, comfy and tense. And it is getting better and better. ~ Twwk
Victoria of Many Faces is published by Yen Press.
READ Victoria of Many Faces Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2
“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.
