It’s catch-up time! With the next slate of new releases dropping in April, we’re taking this opportunity to review the most recent volume of works we’re following, from Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards to Choking on Love, and from Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life to Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent!

Almark (Vol. 1) • Choking on Love (Vol. 4) • Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki (Vol. 5) • Fool Night (Vol. 7) • Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent (Vol. 5) • Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (Vol. 8) • A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom (Vol. 7) • RuriDragon (Vol. 3) • Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life (Vol. 5)

Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards, Manga Vol. 8

Sojima Kodo has gone to ground for the moment, but there’s no rest for the weary members of Class 3-4 as the last remnants of the Hunting Dogs and the Funeral Garden gangs have launched a final attack. Those yakuza might be down to a pair of bosses and a bunch of disposable mooks now, but their plan appears foolproof: publicly attack Sosoji High School’s culture festival and force Honeko Akabane’s bodyguards to either let their charge be killed, or to blow their cover and ruin her life. But “foolproof” doesn’t mean “crazyproof,” and Arakuni has concocted a counterplan just crazy enough to work: announce that a staged yakuza attack will be made during the festival as part of a show Class 3-4 is putting on for the school’s entertainment (and thus any combat stunts you might see them pulling off are just smoke, mirrors, and wirework). One way or another, this culture fest is going down in school history… After getting mixed results in volume seven with an imperfect introduction of serious crime drama elements into the story, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards goes back to playing to its strengths with this utterly, gleefully, magnificently ridiculous arc. None of it is grounded or realistic, just a story reveling in “that only works in manga, so it’s a good thing this IS a manga” logic. Everything in the story somehow revolving around Japanese high school life? Check. Heroes protecting their secret identities with preposterous explanations that everyone in the crowd just blindly accepts? That’s here. A supposedly serious situation being hijacked by love quadrilateral shenanigans? Present and accounted for. The characters might all be keeping a straight face as the farce builds towards a crescendo, but I was grinning from ear to ear. ~ 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 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7

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Fool Night, Manga Vol. 7

Although it’s probably the most conventional volume of Fool Night so far—a gun fight, emotional backstory, heroic protagonist putting life on the line—volume seven of the series is incredibly effective because of the build-up that’s led to it. After all the violence of the last volume, Toshiro and Hourai are now in a position to trap Dr. Kudai and protect themselves from the conspiracy rapidly vilifying them and their colleagues. But the pain of the past catches up to Hourai at the worst possible moment—as does an unexpected force. This volume finally lays out an important character background and, surprise surprise, it makes the morality of this world and its characters even more ambiguous. And yet, I think this stunning, thoughtful series does offer an answer, that it does tell us that the powers that be, when given the opportunity, will run over and destroy whomever they need to in order to meet their goals. But can those same people find goodness and meaning? Can those who have done evil find redemption? Volume seven starts to travel further down the path of answering those questions while showing its ever-amazing artwork, this time often in fast-paced action scenes. Fool Night remains an absolutely experience—and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes us next. ~ Twwk

Fool Night is published by VIZ Media.

Read Reviews of Fool Night: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6

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Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life, Manga Vol. 5

Tsumiki and Yutaka join the student council! In volume five of Tsumiki’s Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life, the central duo begin to take on tasks—like volunteering for an outdoor event and helping make a winter wonderland for a snow mythfolk—to help the council. Along the way, Yutaka meets a succubus, Yumenaka, who has all the boys wrapped up in her finger (or under her gaze). Here it is, folks: the romantic rival! Honestly, five volumes in feels a little late to introduce this role, but it’s actually quite fitting for Tsumiki Ogami. One of the manga’s strengths is in showing how mythfolk are similar to humans but set apart in a variety of ways; Tsumiki herself doesn’t necessarily feel the same sense of romance a human girl might at her age, so inserting a love rival into the story doesn’t necessarily make sense. But mangaka Miyu Morishita makes it work, in large part because Yumenaka, just like the rest of the mythfolk, is an unusual but very lovable character. She’s a great addition. I also like how this volume revised some of the other major characters in the series, which I now have a better feel for than I had previously. As I mentioned last time, the series is getting better and better. It’s inevitably going to be compared to other series with sincere leads and oddball classmate characters, like Komi Can’t Communicate, and while it’s not quite at the heights of the best of those series yet, it may reach them. I guess I’ll just have to keep reading to see if makes it there! ~ 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 // Vol. 4

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RuriDragon, Manga Vol. 3

In volume three, RuriDragon continues to surprise me in the best of ways. It would be easy for this series to go the way of other comfy, school series where awkward teens—some also of the monster or demon variety—find themselves as they make friends. But RuriDragon goes deeper. Despite being half-dragon, Ruri is more “real” than many of those leads—she has a complex, sometimes paradoxical personality, and her dragon traits are kind of cool but they’re sometimes not, like when she vomits a toxin in this volume. Yuck. And the kids around her react like normal teens would: sometimes with curiosity, but sometimes with jealousy or disdain. And Ruri, in turn, isn’t exactly happy about their stares and unkind words. All that said, this is an optimistic tale, as most coming-of-age stories are, and volume three of RuriDragon, despite continuing to dive into teenage angst, is a fun, warm read. Ruri, after all, is learning to become friends, even with those who were previously her enemies. And she’s learning to be okay at being the center of attention—an issue that many of us, myself included, struggled with as teenagers, even without horns on our heads! But that’s what RuriDragon excels at—helping us relate to Ruri’s adolescent struggles, but knowing that as she struggles through adolescence, she’s growing too—and fire breath or not, one day, she’ll make it through just fine. ~ Twwk

RuriDragon is published by VIZ Media.

Read RuriDragon Reviews: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2

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Almark, Manga Vol. 1

Almark, a mercenary’s son and himself no stranger to violence, has a chance encounter with a schoolmaster that opens up the possibility of attending a magic school in the South—thereby escaping the bloody misfortunes of the North. But mercenaries are discriminated against in the peaceful South, and so Almark must hide his background as well as catch up with his peers—since, due to some odd swings of fortune, it takes him a couple of extra years to reach the school. And when he does get there, he may have to face an unprecedented challenge—cold classmates! When I read the first light novel for Almark—what Harry Potter would have been if Harry, instead of being abused by his relatives, had been cheating death and slaughtering soldiers as a mercenary and then saved Dumbledore from a bloody doom before ever setting foot in Hogwarts—I very much enjoyed it, thanks to the mildly gritty, middle fantasy setting and the art by Posuka Demizu. This manga volume, besides adding a lot of character designs from Demizu’s hand, solves the one rough spot of the novel, namely the occasionally odd pacing. Here everything is just polished and tight, and the ebb and flow of the tension and mood work perfectly. This is fun series, however you choose to enjoy it! ~ NegativePrimes

Almark is published by Yen Press.

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A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom, Manga Vol. 7

Sena has thankfully continued to rest on Mount Ryudo after helping in Ciepla, but she awakens to see Keith and Liskal in battle, and is worried about what has transpired during her sleep and rest. On the flip side, Keith’s frustration grows from feeling powerless as a steerer to aid Sena, and he almost demands that Liskal take him as an apprentice. Will Sena find out what happened, and will Keith be successful in convincing Liskal to take him on as an apprentice? Honestly, I feel this volume would be more of a four-star read, but the humor with Issac was too hilarious to give anything less than five stars! Truly, him “suppressing” his aura was easily the funniest thing in this entire volume! Then the gag comic at the end made it even funnier! Bahahaha! It’s interesting to me, though, how excited I was to see Issac again, because I still remember how much I did not like him when we first met him. He’s come a long way, and I definitely think this volume shows how he very much is a good guy! (Him being grumpy about Gideon was another funny part of this volume too!) I think outside of the humorous moments, though, seeing Keith shine was very awesome! I felt this was a transition volume of sorts, but also a moment for the manga to focus on Keith and let us readers see growth in his character. I definitely cheered at the end when it came to his part! Overall, I’m very excited to see what’s to come and to have such an interesting gang working together! ~ Laura A. Grace

A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom is published by Yen Press.

READ Reviews of A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom: Vol. 1 //Vol. 2 //Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6

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Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki, Manga Vol. 5

Aoi and Sena are officially a couple! Eeeeepp! But even though they are in pure bliss, Aoi has asked him to continue to keep their relationship a secret. However, maybe she can gain some confidence by going on a date, especially since now there are rumors spreading about who Sena’s girlfriend is! I continue to absolutely love this series, with this volume being so, so, so wonderful! I cannot get over how smitten these two are, especially Sena! When they go on their date, and we see two passersby’s thoughts on how smitten he is, I could not help but agree because yes! I know I definitely was squealing a lot because of it! Truly, these two are so very wonderful, and I wish I could say more, but I worry I will go into spoilers. I guess I could say that I loved the beginning, because a sports match in my shoujo?! Yes please! (Sena looked so cool, and I could understand how Aoi felt!) I also really like how Sena can see that Aoi is slowly working up to being able to say they are in a relationship! He’s been so supportive, and it deeply warms my heart to see, especially when Aoi shares later how she that she can be herself! We truly love to see it! There were lots of very sweet kisses, and I couldn’t help but get giddy over all the sweet, intimate moments! Eagerly looking forward to the next volume because I have no doubts I’m going to love it just as much as I’ve loved this volume and the previous volumes! ~ Laura A. Grace

Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki is published by Seven Seas.

READ Reviews of Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4

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Choking on Love, Manga Vol. 4

Hibari has had a breakthrough in her shirt designs that she intends to sell at the upcoming university art festival, but that doesn’t mean she’s brimming with confidence that people will be interested. Thankfully, Gaku and his overconfidence are there to give her some of his, plus extra! Oh mannnn! That last page was epic!! And not because of the romance necessarily, but because of that look Gaku gave! Wow! Rewinding, though, this was such a fun volume! I loved seeing Hibari be brave when it came to the art festival! Gaku wasn’t the most encouraging, I feel, but seeing her eventually take his words to heart and step out of her comfort zone left me smiling! Honestly, even seeing Gaku “struggle” at one point was really good! Like Hibari, it reminded me he isn’t perfect—which, I mean, is obvious, given how unhinged he is. Ha! But what I mean is that he gets embarrassed just like everyone else and has his own challenges, even if they are vastly different from Hibari’s. I am also shipping Airi and Jo so hard and need the creator to give them more spotlight as she did in this volume! Pleassseeeeee! I’m invested in Hibari and Gaku, but there is a fun sweetness to watching Airi and Jo that I absolutely love! The art festival itself was great, and I deeply enjoyed everything that unfolded! I had a lot of fun reading and can’t wait to read the next volume! Hopefully, there will be even more romance because I’m with Gaku—they didn’t spend nearly enough time together!  ~ Laura A. Grace

Choking on Love is published by Seven Seas.

READ Reviews of Choking on Love: Vol. 2 // Vol. 3

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Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent, Manga Vol. 5

Now that things have calmed and Momo doesn’t feel she has to “fight” in her own way to stand by Ichikura’s side, she’s determined for them to go on a date! When she gives Ichikura a list of places that they can go, she’s surprised—he chooses his house?! My favessssss! I love them so so so much, and this volume had one of my favorite scenes in the whole series: the house date! Squeals! I loved how our leads were able to have some alone time and just chill and have fun together! I think it’s another moment where we can see how deeply these two care for each other and how they really are thinking of one another often. The next arc is such a fun one: I forgot how mixed my emotions were when meeting “The Handsome Guy with Red Hair,” because I thought he was really kind too at first, only to second Momo that he said something pretty crappy to someone. You can definitely sense the jealousy that is starting to form, and I wish Momo understood what Ichikura was implying, but I know these two will be okay! Can’t wait to read the next volume because it’s only continuing to get more and more exciting! ~ Laura A. Grace

Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent is published by Seven Seas.

READ Reviews of Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4

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“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.