This week’s reviews include the first volumes of a fantasy light novel series, a romcom, and an independently published manga. We’ve also got the newest volumes of series like Oshi no Ko, A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special, and more!
Ako and Bambi (Vol. 6) • Delirium (Vol. 1) • If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love (Vol. 5) • My Super-Cute Black Mage! (Vol. 1) • Oshi no Ko (Vol. 13) • Our Party Nearly Wiped and Then Everything Went Downhill (Vol. 1) • A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special (Vol. 6)
If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love, Manga Vol. 5
Brigitte can finally see her contracted spirit, but just what kind of powers this cute little guy has is still to be determined. She doesn’t have much time to worry about it, though, because it’s time for a fun study session with her friends at Nival’s estate, and even Yuri is there! Is she going to be able to keep her focus as she begins to realize Yuri isn’t the cold-hearted villain he’s been portrayed as? Another wonderful volume in this series! I absolutely loved how the romantic plot seems to be moving forward! Though ugh! Get Prince Joseph off the page, because I know that man is simply using Brigitte! I deeply disliked how much page time he had, but! I was just a bit thankful that he was “hounding” Brigitte, as this did, at the very least, help her realize her feelings for Yuri, and I was so excited about that! What was more, I was so incredibly proud of Brigitte for standing up for herself! She has come so far, and I know it took so much courage for her to stand her ground. Of course, Yuri played a role in her having this courage, but I would also like to think the two new friends she has made have made a difference too! They have been supportive, and I deeply loved them reaching out to Brigitte to make sure she was okay after finding out Prince Joseph had been approaching her. There is one more thing I would love to gush about, but since it would be a spoiler, I’m going to end this review by saying that I continue to love this manga so much and hope we get volume six quickly! ~ Laura A. Grace
If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love is published by Yen Press.
READ Review ofIf the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4
Our Party Nearly Wiped and Then Everything Went Downhill, Light Novel Vol. 1
Imagine the world of Goblin Slayer, but with a protagonist who is committed to happy endings. Walker, a young man reincarnated from Earth into the world of a dark fantasy manga, realizes he is now living the role of a side character who dies early on in said manga in order to show how gritty the story is. Through great effort, he manages to save himself and his dungeon party from their scheduled demise, but loses his eye and leg in the process. That’s the setup—how will Walker now live in the cruel world fate has thrown him into, with his one gift, an incomparable skill with the sword, rendered useless by his injuries? …Well, he’ll live a pretty cushy life, as it turns out. After the initial gripping scenes, the story just kind of goes nowhere, with about seven chapters dedicated to repeating the same scenes of Walker’s party members (all young women who have a thing for him) responding to his bedridden condition from different points of view, as well as giving us their backstories. And these stories are, alas, nothing to write home about, as generic as one might expect. No trace remains of the supposedly “dark” fantasy world, with the characters instead inhabiting a perfectly generic fluffy fantasy (as popularized by a thousand forgettable anime) lacking any distinctive features. I was so bored reading this that I turned on YouTube in the background, and found the video review of an expensive and niche computer keyboard more riveting than the story I was trying to focus on. It’s almost tragic, in a way: I do like how the author explicitly leaves Walker disabled, as there’s a lot of potential to explore in a main character who has to deal with your typical isekai/fantasy tropes with disabilities, especially if the original dark fantasy premise were kept around. So, credit where credit is due: I think the author is trying something intriguing, even meritorious, and not all that common. But the plot just does not advance until the epilogue, and then not enough to hold my interest further. ~ Dr. Steve
Our Party Nearly Wiped and Then Everything Went Downhill is published by Yen Press.
[Oshi no Ko], Manga Vol. 13
As we near the end of Oshi no Ko, volume thirteen brings us back to the beginning—to a vital relationship that is foundational to the story but has largely been ignored all this time, and to one that was broken. Both stories, which take up the first two-thirds of the volume, are highly moving. But they are both left a little open-ended. The first and most major of them (I’ll avoid spoilers here) presents some complicated questions that are ultimately going to guide many of us, myself included, in our final judgment of this work. For now, I’m happy to delay this to see what happens as the story moves forward, but some may drop the series based on the events of this volume. To me, the final third of the volume, as production on the Ai Hoshino movie begins, is actually the most compelling part. The bringing together of various characters, Mem-cho’s personal thoughts (she’s a fav of mine), and another cliffhanger ending all add up to really engaging material. Oshi no Ko refuses to slow down; let’s hope that energy remains but is also tethered to an ending worthy of the expectations the series has built. ~ Twwk
Oshi no Ko is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of Oshi no Ko: Vol. 1 //Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5 // Vol. 6 // Vol. 7 // Vol. 8 // Vol. 9 // Vol. 10 // Vol. 11 // Vol. 12
Delirium, Manga Vol. 1
Sometimes the ghosts of our pasts don’t stay in the past. At least, that’s what it seems like for Hatoko. Despite the smiles she has for those around her, she often seems haunted by a young man from her teens. After being saved from what could have been a tragic accident, we learn that Hotako is a drama teacher and is helping college-aged students who have a criminal past. Though she seems to have found a “happy ending” with one young man, will she be able to be her real self and be happy alongside him? “Delirium” honestly feels like the perfect title for this manga! At first, I really wasn’t quite sure what was real and what was not, but I knew having a giant red “X” over a person’s face who looks like your younger self couldn’t be a good thing. And while that might sound like it was a confusing read of being unsure of what was fully happening, I found that wasn’t really the case! The blend of poetry and engaging storytelling had me reading faster than I realized, especially since I hardly read titles that have much stronger language or occasional nudity! Some may consider the romance to be “problematic” due to the age gap, but I confess I really liked the person who seems to be the love interest. Granted, that didn’t stop me from wondering if an old childhood friend was actually the love interest; but I second what the creator says in the character profile, that he seems too good to be true, so he’s probably not the main character! Ha! But the guy who seems to be the actual male lead is very rough around the edges and isn’t afraid to throw punches. That might not sound all that different from the delinquent manga I enjoy, but his loving classic literature was something I hadn’t seen before! I mean, his favorite novel is Jane Eyre! How cool is that?! And if that weren’t enough, the red splashes of color throughout really add an eerie feeling to the overall manga that has me very curious as to where things are going to go! ~ Laura A. Grace
Delirium is published by Goroweko.
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special, Manhwa Vol. 6
Did I write in my review of volume five that this scenario hasn’t been feeling “terribly dangerous”? I take it back. Volume six of this wonderful series is intense as Desir and his crew—although now leveled up quite a bit—face antagonists who match or exceed them, and the curtain is pulled back a bit on the whos and whys behind the end-of-the-world scenario that the characters will soon face. I absolutely felt the sort of tension reserved for those scenes where you wonder if a character you’ve come to love is going to die. Again, this volume is intense. But it also remains very warm, centered on the wonderfully caring lead character and his group of likewise lovable comrades, which is slowly expanding. If there is a criticism I could levy at this volume, it would be the design of the villains—more than looks to taken straight from My Hero Academia. They look great, but too familiar. Otherwise, I continue to very happy with this manhwa, and cannot wait to see how the story progresses from here! ~ Twwk
A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special is published by Yen Press.
READ Reviews of A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special: Vol. 1 // Vol. 2 // Vol. 3 // Vol. 4 // Vol. 5
My Super-Cute Black Mage!, Manga Vol. 1
It was a total accident when Aria, a prefect at a magic school, accidentally reads her underclassman Jade’s mind. She is just frustrated that her GPA is at risk because he has not been coming to class and being engaged, but hey, her “job” as prefect is to help him succeed, even if he is being super harsh and mean! However, when she accidentally bumps into him and hears very different words in his thoughts compared to what’s coming out of his mouth, she starts wondering if he’s a lot kinder than he lets on. Very cute volume! I didn’t expect Jade to be quite as mean as he was to Aria, but I suppose that is where some of the humor comes in, because the things he says compared to what he thinks are absolutely hilarious! Ha! That ending was especially wonderful, but I do feel bad for Aria—how does anyone handle what she’s seen when they’re barely friends yet?! Ha! Speaking of, Aria is a complete sweetheart! I really, really liked her character and was so happy to see how much she really did believe in Jade! She probably wouldn’t have, though, if she didn’t have mind reading, but she’s a fun and earnest heroine! I’m excited to see her (hopefully) develop real romantic feelings for Jade, and in turn, his cute “fantasies” come true! Hehe! The world-building seems interesting from the little shown, and I think overall I will continue to really enjoy this manga with how light and fun it is! ~ Laura A. Grace
My Super-Cute Black Mage! is published by Yen Press.
Ako and Bambi, Manga Vol. 6
Looks can be deceiving—this is true of both the core mystery at the heart of Ako and Bambi, with volume six continuing to make us wonder what the endgame will be for our pair, and the manga itself. Volumes are thin, at about 144 pages apiece, but they are loaded with dialogue, and it takes a surprising amount of time to finish each volume (also because it remains hard to tell the characters apart). But because we spend so much time with the characters, and get to peek in frequently on their everyday conversations, they are given depth that we rarely get six volumes into a series. Along with the cute style, unconventional format, and lovely shading, that’s what makes Ako and Bambi such a special series. My heart is so invested in the characters—the titular ones, obviously, as they continue to figure out how they feel about one another and how they could possibly make it work, but also many of the others. And there are a lot of developments in this volume! Hiki and Hana inch closer to dating, while the editor also connects with the third link in their family, Riku. Yamashiro and Sukuwa advance in their relationship as well, and Azusa, whom you would think would struggle with that development, has bigger things on her mind. But it all goes back to Ako and Bambi themselves; they are cute and lovable enough to carry this increasingly complex series, but I have to note, their miscommunications are getting obnoxious—they feel disingenuous for a series that’s otherwise so well written. There are signs, though, that these misunderstandings will soon cease—I hope so, because it’s one of the few weak points for this excellent and one-of-a-kind manga. ~ Twwk
Ako and Bambi is published by Yen Press.
Read Reviews of Ako and Bambi: 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.
