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kaoarika · 4 years

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I rarely write about (Korean) webtoons, but I kinda wanted to write about this one even if it’s about some short thoughts because... I REALLY shouldn’t give them a binge read in 2 days or something like that.

I finally went to read “Orange Marmalade” by Seok Woo and I’m “hmmmmmm” about it as a whole.

I understand, it’s a bit cheesy. A cheesy high school romance which also touches the whole oppresion topic because the main female character (Mari) is a vampire.

Cannot stop comparing to what the author went to do later (HanaHaru/ Days of Hana) because it treats similar themes and I KINDA want to say OM is more like a proto-storytelling version of what he (?) eventually did in HanaHaru.

Both are a romance drama story with a supernatural touch although the latter ended up in a more tragic note than the former :I. I was expecting OM being a bit more tragic than it was... because HanaHaru really spoiled me in that point, hah... hah.

But, that didn’t stop me from reading it because I wanted to know what the deal was with it. That’s why I came to that conclusion “so, this pretty much is more of a prototype for what Seok Woo ended up doing in HanaHaru”, even though from another perspective in the same opression-kind of root.

I will say this, from the 2nd part onwards it gets a nice development boost, the first was REALLY slow in development although understandable if you are in the feet of Baek Mari (the female MC) because she is a vampire and the way she acts so distant is because she REALLY doesn’t want to get involved with humans because she has suffered from discriminative agressions in the past (that made her and her whole family move because they would become a perfect attacking target).

It’s when she starts giving herself this opportunity to have friends and a boyfriend that she realizes she wants to live as normal as possible as any human... excepts she knows that just the slight reveal that she is a vampire, her entire friend circle would crumble around her because they have this entire prejudice about vampires = monsters and... WELL. You know.

The world might change little by little, she thinks and hopes. Probably. Especially when a famous singer comes out as one, and the opinions about her seem divisive at best. Except that the prejudice is soooo impregnated within people around Mari that it makes her doubt about what will happen if she comes out as a vampire publicly.

...especially with her boyfriend, Jung Jaemin. A guy who has been catalogued as a “mysoginist” (lmao, what) by his peers just because he wants to avoid contact with girls... except Mari, who was initially attracted to him because his blood is “very sweet”. Also, has a complicated relationship with his mother because of stuff that happened in the past (that are later revealed to be related to the fact that she ended up marrying an old flame who happened to be a vampire, so he suffered abuse from his biological dad’s family DUE to this fact alone. GEEZ.)

Don’t let me start with how I was bothered with some typical shoujo-like clichés, even if the development kinda twisted them around. There was also some unnecessary drama that I could be fine without it, just to make some characters’ background deeper than they were, or just for the sake of making more problems come by... I guess?

For example, by the last arc of the series, it was already revealed that Mari was a vampire in front of all the school. And all of this not coming from the alpha-b*tch that Jo Ara has been for an enormous portion of the series, oh, no - it was from a very, VERY salty and childish kneejerk reaction from a girl who happened to be Han Sihoo’s “girlfriend” and who was extremely friendly with her when she was introduced. Like, LMAO? And the worst part? It’s because this jerk told her “lol, no, I only see you as a thing/prey because you are only a human and I MAY have fallen in love with Mari and I MAY be marrying her”, so “YEAH, let’s reveal to the entire school that you are IN fact the vampire because you robbed my boyfriend, so I WANT YOU BOTH AND YOUR ENTIRE SPECIES ANNIHILATED???” WHAT THE HELL. That’s... very childish of you??? You both have been very friendly with each other... and just because the jerk was a jerk... you turned against her back? WOW, how petty of YOU.

And the weird part of this, becasue the author never touched it? It looks like both this girl and Sihoo reconcile by the end of the series...? Huh? At leat, in my head I’m like... “maybe they got things right... but oh, boy, what the hell happened right before it...”

Hmm... yeah... It was a nice read, and all that in general... it could have been better, I guess... and I suppose the execution in this series’ plot might have been improved in HanaHaru (despite all the tragic trips it went for... I am like, “well, at least no one dies in OM... because in HH... WELL”

I know by the fact that there’s a drama adaptation (from 2015) and the responses are very... mixed. From what I’m seeing in the tag... I’m kinda “:/c” because it looks (and feels) quite different from the webtoon. Not like my expectations were high, tbh... really put more emphasis in a love triangle which was... not really a LOVE triangle in the webtoon? Sihoo is a JERK in the webtoon, he mellows to Mari way later when she emphasizes to him that she REALLY wants to see the world around them (vampires) to change but his views are not helping at all (dunno what to say about readers who wanted those two be together either...?). Also, what I’m seeing about a sudden flashback arc to the past...? What? Lol.

Ahhh... (a bit offtopic) I’m not really looking forward what might happen in other drama adaptation series that are announced for the next two years like Favorite Part or a Good Day to be a Dog, in all honesty (even more in the latter due to the supernatural topics it has)... *suddenly worried, and expectations from lower go even lower... Like, SURE, OM was released less than 5 years ago, and other adaptations may have been... uhm... better than OM was, I guess, like My ID is Gangnam Beauty (or worst? like, Possession was a mess and a half...)

ALSO, an hilarious extra point - looking back when LINE Webtoon was just starting (so, around 2015?, they still have been using their official tumblr account) in the tags is hilarious as hell, because they REALLY spoil an important point in the series which wasn’t revealed until... ch 80-something, LMAO. I DUNNO if this was actually taking approach of the fact the drama was airing and/or it might have revealed in the drama earlier... but... GUYS???? I MEAN, SERIOUSLY????

#kao's ramblings

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photonconductor · 7 years

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i dont have an ao3 but shout out to my homeboys

once upon there was a gay on th e moon bc of a really lovng alternate au idea where elc turened BAD and klaus had a 1000 year nap and it'd take too long to fucking explain this so just roll with it ok. this gay--its elcrest btw hes also a Bad Boy now; he rly likes hot topic and thinks those t shirts with sarcastic sayings are actually rly funny but we all know they aren't--was feleing emo bc he couldn't see his bf xen o bc he betrayed him. so he stayed in his room whining abt how fgay he was until eve showed up

"hey whats wrong elc mother is here for u" even tho shes like 5000 years old and looks like shes 2 and also a rock (but im not rockist guys i promise). elc looked at her with his optics shining in the pale argentate light. good thing hes the seme here bc otherwise he'd start crying. in reality he rly wanted to fucking bone xeno bc obviously they had a lot of gay sex b4 they tried to kkill his mom once nad staring at rocks all day kinda sucks.

a;so burnign alive but hes kind of over that phase.

"im sad my bf left me for 1000 years can i pls go back to earth my raging hard on can't be satisfied bc rocks. my dicks not a jack hammer even tho im jacking it all the time (thats what guys do right bitch i dont know)" eve was so offended she put her hands on her giant rock self thats not just herself. its rly fucking complicated shut up u came here for the gay sex not instructibles on how physical forms manifest.

"we dont say ROCKS in this household young man!!!!"

"ＢＵＴＭＯＯＯＭＭＭＭＭ sorry i forgot to turn off my seme voice lemme adjust my mic it happens when my dick is hard" elcrest coughed twice "ok sounds good, BUT MOM I RLY NEED TO NUT. YOU KNOW NUT I'M SAYING... ITS ALL OR NUTTING BUT MOSTLY NUTTING IN XENO'S SWEET HOT BUNS"

"stop talking abt nuts u disgusting boy fine, god, if u leave me alone u gaylord"

and then eve punched him so hard in the dick that elcrest landed on earth in a giatn crater. how hes still alive is bc he still had some continues left like in mario even though this is a srpg game. once elc recovered he struck a pose and laughed evilly while twirling his mustache.

"finally...... I have RETURNED for xeno's hot man breasts! the world cannot stop me now!!" he cackly cackkled and quickly ripped off the fake mustache he put on just for this one scene. then elc went on a quest to find where klaus was and bc the author is too lazy to write any tansitional scenes.

elc found him chilling in his bed reading a book that was called Sweets and You: Do sweets make u inherantly Gay? elcrest made the PFFT noise. ofc they make u gay, fuckiing idiot book. he could write better than that author. in fact, elcrest was gonna do that when he got home bc obviously if this trash is published any shit elc wrote would be good.

NO! he had to focus! but he couldnt stop staring at xenos man boobs and felt his dick get hard again. elc got a nose bleed too bc thats what happens in anime right. i played persona 4 i know what im about

"damn u xeno." elc said thru his nosebleed and klaus looked up bc the author cant fucking rmemeber who is klaus and who is xeno and was surprised i remmebred his name but could not remember remember the 5th of novemember

"what"

"XENO IT IS I" since h e was caught red handed he just kickflipped through the window anyway. he did a sick flip then stood in the middle of klauses room. klaus made a gay gaspp

"alto! what are u doing hre!?" klaus said, bc in this AU that was his codename. elc wanted to be currently doing that but eve said no. fuck his mom. except please dont bc i know you sick fucks are thinking abt it.

"I HAVE COME TO BRING YOU BACK TO THE GAY SIDE, XENO WE HAVE COOKIES. bc i really miss that bammin slammin bootilicious sex we used 2 have and you are in fact bammin slammin bootilicious. also have u heard the word and gospel of our savior mother" elc said gayly

"dude no please stop preaching in my house im a changed man now" xeno pirouetted out of bed

"cmon man im ur seme u cant refuse we made like a yaoi blood oath u cant go back on ur word" elc pushed him back on thebed bc he'd have his ass yet anyway so no real use getting up. bc what is consent anyway hes Bad

"o shit really huh" klaus paused in thougt and bad elc laughed evilly. his plan was working!! all he had 2 do was the final touches! i mean besides touching xenos dick or whatever we're not yet. sorry u have to suffer for ten more paragraphs for sweat boy on boy. elc then turned around an produced a kitty keyboard from the recesses of his coat tails. xeno made the :O face and elc sat down bc playing while standing rly fuckin g sucks

"i wrote this for u on the moon so you'll be hypnotized by my sick beats" then he pulled the mic out of the keyboard and made a sick beatbox noise. No i dont know what the fuck it sounds like just google it. klaus blushued and made another gay gasp and elc made the >:3 face

then be started to play the piano keyboard. he was playing cruel angel thesis, their theme song that they had decided at 1am while xeno was drunk af. it was their theme song despite none of them speaking fucking japanese but they just felt it in their SOULS. it was rly gay. elc was going so fucking hARD that his hard on was getting 40 hard ons. and thats four tens the hard ons. and its rad.

except the ebst part was it was all in meows so it spoke 2 klaus' furry soul.

klaus nyaed softly in surprise and suddenly all his memories of being xneo were restored!!! he gave into the desire that he craved in his soul and opened his big man arms bc for some reaon everyone thinks dudes are thirsty af. dont ask me why

"elc1!1 pls take me!! but be gentle my ass hasnt been ravaged in 1000 years (sick reference to hilda and altos magical wedding night by sorunort like, comment, subscribe for more sick referneces like this one)" xeno mewled like afucking furry and elc nodded once. xeno walked up to elc an touched his man boob sensually even tho xeno is like 60 feet taller than elc just imagine it ok

elc now has sunglasses just bc i think its a funny image

"xeno...... lets do it" elc said softly

"o h elc senpai......." xeno meowed

"and i'll keep my sunglasses on bc i hate the sun #moonlifeforever" and xeno gayzed into his emotion shields sensuallyier. then elc kissed him passionately and their tongues battled for dominance but we all know klaus is a fucking bottom bitch as stated in hilda and altos magical wedding night by sorunort paragraph 17 and 18 bc it was a dialogue.

then elc ripped off his clothes bc hes fucking JACKED and jACKED OFF and xeno gay gasped forlike the third time in this fic. elc was fuckign shredded. legends told of his abs but this time it was real. almost like the fact that shaved ice flavors dont actually exists the syrup is just food coloring. his dong dangled in the breeze and xeno was turned tf on so he took off his clothes too bc hes not a god damn animal god whats wrong with u elc.

except elc didnt take off the sunglasses like he promised so those were still on dont worry readers i got you covered.

"get on ur knees dude and give me a wet willy but like on my dick" elc demanded

"wtf no"

"dude u cant say no its a smutfic"

"ok yeah i guess i kinda do like sucking dick or somethign"

"PREPARE TO EAT YOUR LAST DICK, XENO" elc cackcled and then xeno succed his dick like no tomorrow. elc practically creamed right there bc he couldnt get his rocks off on the moon for 1000 years (hahaha no im not gonna stop makign rock jokes). also xeno has no gagreflex bc he succed dick like a thousand times. once that was over elc just punched his dick in xenos hot cross buns and xeno meowed again

"why are u still a furry after 1000 years" elc asked but continued to Ravage The Promised Ass

"do u nyat like it erucu-kun???" xeno purred and elc shook his head

"no ur still banging its ok"

NUT THEN (i wanted to write but but i typoed and decided to keep it its funnier this way) xenos ass started 2 glow with a new holy light

"WHAT tHE FUCK" elc yelled

"my ass was actually the only way we could turn u good again! the more u fuck me the gooder u are!" and elc gasped gayily! no! his plan was working against him! he could alredy feel the goodness (haha get it bc fucking is hot i guess) turning him good! he had 2 pull out but found he couldnt. xeno was just too bammin slammin bootlicious

"HOW DARE YOU TRICK, I, ELCREST THE CONDICKTOR" he roared and xeno was tuned on again bc roaring is prolly a furry thign im not a furry im sorry

"it was for ur own good elc bc i love you!" xeno dokied so hard there were shoujo sparkles and even elc got shoujo sparkles. his azure optics glew like stella glow and u could almost see constellations in them. except there were sunglasses so u couldnt actually see it but the reader can. xneo was right. he was his tru love..... not the Mother..... his mom was lame anyway all she did was talk to rocks

"xeno.............." elc said wiwstfully before bangin xeno harder. their bangin was so intense everyone could hear it in the kngihts barraks. it was so loud that even ana in her coma woke up for like a second to be like The Gays are At It Again. soon enough the banging was sucessful. elc glew in a beautiful magical girl ligtht and he was become good again. xeno shed a single tear but licked it away

"im cured! xeno ur ass did it! plus that was hot" elc smiled and im pretty sure xeno cried bc look at that man. hes so beautiful. please take the $2 from my purse. they embraced in a gay way. it was cute and xeno did a thumbs up and ana's face appeared at 20% opacity in the bg and she was also winking

"elc i am so glad u are back and i love u" then they made out. for a rly long time too bc theyre so fucking GAY good lord how could stella glow keep this under wraps. then they decidd they had to punch eve in the rock bc she was a dickw hile elc was being emo and stuff. BUT FIRST, xeno got porked lke 80 more times b4 then bc 1000 years does a lot do u.

the end remember to like, comment, subscribe for more fics like this one, seeya

#choo choo motherfucker #im sorry

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elfgrove · 7 years

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So let me tell you about the professionally published Pidge/Keith Knight/Demon fantasy AU I’m reading right now.

I’d worry about spoilers, but there is nothing remotely unpredictable about this book so long as you have read more than 2 or 3 shoujo manga in your life.

So I'm audio-booking something titled "Paladin" right now.

I see the knowing eye-rolls from my Voltron peeps, SHHHHH. It was in my Audible cart before the new show released. This has been a hilarious coincidence-filled surprise.

So "Paladin" is about a Duke's daughter (Sam) who already loved swordwork and sassing off at suitors more than being a traditional lady before any of the events of the book go down. After her Mom is killed by a demon in the first chapter or two, she spends a couple of years training her ass off extra hard despite Daddy Duke trying to stop the training that had been previously allowed. Mom had supported her learning sword work because in the country Mommy came from it was acceptable for girls to be warriors. Sam then runs away to try to join the Paladins military force who exist solely to fight demons. It's all very Mulan (but generically European fantasy) since the Paladins are a males-only group.

To be honest, the writing is middling so far. Not bad, but not very memorable either. What's fun is that it's unapologetically tropey as hell, and that's kind of delightful for my work commute.

Sam ends up assigned as Trainee to the Paladin that saved her life from the demon two years ago. He doesn't recognize her, which gets increasingly fucking hilarious in a minute. A second trainee is also assigned to Paladin Lyons (pronounced in the audiobook as "Paladin Lions" -- I'm cackling because Voltron is everything now). Trainee Braeden is a half-demon, and his originally assigned Paladin quit rather than train him. Braeden has a guilt complex about his heritage roughly 20 miles wide. Sam and Braeden have to share quarters, but overall this is going without incident. They're becoming good friends because Sam doesn't treat Braeden like a demon, and Braeden has never had friend before. It's obvious as the reader that Braeden is starting to fall for Sam.

OMG THE TROPES! I'm cackling away. This is practically Pidge and Keith demon/knight AU fanfic.

BUT WAIT. Our heroes, for plot reasons, have to visit Sam's dad. They manage to get through the meeting without incident because --BLESS SAM'S HEART-- she antagonizes someone into punching her in the face so that she's bruised and swollen enough to avoid recognition. That's certainly... A PLAN. It's not a good plan, but it is one.

At the dinner they find out Paladin Lions was supposed to be Lady Samantha's betrothed, but her expected status of “missing” turns out she is now “presumed dead”, and her FIANCEE PALADIN LIONS has just been informed of her untimely death. Paladin Lions did not recognize the woman he was supposed to marry when he lives in the room next door to her, trains her, and gets into regular sass offs with -- because she cut her hair, bound her breasts, and said she was a boy.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I pretty much saw the fiancee bit coming, but I still had to pause the book to laugh. It was just so fun to have it be a thing, because when he finds out the reaction is going to be SO MUCH. The presumed dead was a surprise.

Daddy dearest never told Sam she was betrothed. MEANWHILE, Lions decides the best way to deal with the grief is to get epically drunk with his Trainees and then go to the local whorehouse and pay for a woman for each of them to make MEN of the BOYS in his charge.

That goes about as well as one might expect. Sam, being less than stellar at making good plans, ends up revealing her secret to Braeden so he'll help her convince the whore to be quiet about it. Braeden is hurt that his only friend had lied to him, WTF about YOU LET LIONS GRIEVE OVER YOUR DEATH, and also is now dealing with his "tingly" feelings for Sam are a) less confusing because it turns out Sam is a girl and b) there's a woman that doesn't flinch away at the sight of him, but in fact calls him friend and hugs him.

I still can't help that think Sam could have claimed to be gay and had less trouble, but whatever, this is not the most LGBTQA friendly story around.

Oh, during the whorehouse bit before Braedon learned about Sam's secret, he thought about how Sam was innocent for being skittish about having sex with a prostitute because "love is just an invention of women's imaginations", and I'm over here YOU'RE GONNA HAVE IT SO BAD BOY. SO BAD. PINING AND WRITING POETRY IN YOUR HEAD ABOUT HER FLASHING EYES KIND OF BAD. I mean, yes you can have sex without love, but that he voiced this thought in text? He's gonna be head over heels in love soon.

*cackles all the way home* It's so unapologetically, unflinchingly tropey, and I love it.

So far Lions is still none the wiser, Sam and Braeden are circling each other with growing feels, and I expect this all to explode hilariously.

I am in no way saying this is a quality and deep novel, but man oh man is it tropey fun. FLUFFY SHOUJO TWINKIE KIND OF FUN.

#elfgrove reads

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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Bookshelf Briefs 11/30/19

Let us give thanks for a hearty helping of briefs!

Beastars, Vol. 2 | By Paru Itagaki | Viz Media – If there was any doubt after reading the first volume of Beastars that I would be following the series, it has been completely banished after finishing the second. The sensitive gray wolf Legoshi continues to be a major draw for me, but so is Louis, the driven red deer who becomes an even more prominent character in the second volume (in addition to being featured on the cover). The scenes that the two share together are particularly intense, their contrasting personalities clashing and complementing each other in interesting ways. In part, using the framework of herbivore versus carnivore and the seemingly natural order of things, Beastars‘ narrative explores personal identities that challenge the expectations placed on individuals by a society that tries to neatly categorize them. But people are complicated and relationships are messy, something that Itagaki captures extremely well. Beastars is a dramatic and compelling series; I’m hooked. – Ash Brown

CITY, Vol. 6 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – Again, I feel that Arawi is not playing to his strengths by making this story of a city try to be as broad as possible. It’s best when there’s a through plot we can enjoy, such as seeing the restaurant owner/chef suffer from his cooking being average and his restaurant failing. There’s also some chapters that succeed by showing off amusing faces, such as the one where they try to figure out if one girl is mad or not (she’s not… at first), or trying to tell two identical twins apart when they insist on doing the exact same thing despite yelling about their differences. Unfortunately, when it’s random people doing random gags, it’s merely an average title. I’d like to be able to recall the names of anyone in this the way I can for Nichijou. – Sean Gaffney

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 7 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – This volume concentrates on fleshing out the cast and backstory, possibly at the expense of the humor—there’s been less and less each book—but it’s not unwelcome. particularly when we get Senshi’s backstory. Elsewhere, Laios may be a child of prophecy, and he and his group had better find his sister and somehow get her back or the elves will get there first and destroy the entire dungeon… which will lead to massive loss of life. That said, rest assured that there’s still some eating of delicious monsters in this book, which is one reason people started to read it. It’s just that now there’s a plot that is more important. Now that this series comes out so infrequently, each volume is even more of a treasure. – Sean Gaffney

Dr. STONE, Vol. 8 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – We’re finally leaving the village, as Senku and company decide to take the fight to Tsukasa, which involves building a car. Yes, they build a car. That said, that’s hardly the most surprising thing in this volume, as we’re reintroduced to Taiju and Yuzuriha, last seen seemingly being written out of the manga for being too boring. But now, six volumes later, they’re back, and they’re in Tsukasa’s camp. Which is good, as Chrome has been captured. There’s slightly less science and slightly more action in this volume, but that just helps remind you that this is a Jump title at heart, and it will be nice to see the original three stars back together again. Though can Taiju and Yuzuriha magically get interesting? – Sean Gaffney

Guilty, Vol. 1 | By Ai Okaue | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Sayaka and Kazu have been married for ten years, but only now has Sayaka actually told him she wants a child. Kazu does not. You’d think they’d have had this conversation over a decade ago! While he initially seems like a kind husband, readers soon learn that he is carrying on an affair with Rui, a woman who has positioned herself as Sayaka’s confidante at the bar she frequents, and is essentially keeping Sayaka trapped in a lie and denying her what she really wants. He’s utter trash, but Sayaka’s hard to sympathize with, as she is all too ready to believe his flimsy excuses. Drama involving GPS trackers, a coworker’s extramarital affair, and Sayaka’s first love ensues. I don’t really like these characters—though I have to admire how conniving Rui is—but I will probably be back for more. – Michelle Smith

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 11 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The ‘serious’ plots here are Ishigami deciding to try and get serious about studies to woo the girl he likes, only to find out how hard that is when you’ve slacked off for so long, and the cliffhanger ending, where Shirogane reveals what he plans to do about college. There’s also some great stuff with Hayasaka having to once again pretend to be Kaguya’s butler in order to fool Fujiwara. But all that pales next to the extended chapters of rap battles we get which reminds you that when the series is trying to be as funny as possible there’s no equal. This was around when the anime was announced (there’s a chapter lampshading it), and I honestly can’t wait to see these chapters done. Still great. – Sean Gaffney

Melting Lover | By Bukuro Yamada | Kuma – This is a collection of BL short stories with a supernatural bent. In “Bottom of Heaven,” a reluctant hitman is followed by a hedonistic angel who helps his victims rest in peace. In “The Circus After Midnight,” troupe dancer Luce exposes his animal trainer roommate’s most closely held secret after said roommate fails to believe his father figure could be guilty of sexual assault. The best story of the bunch is “Melting Lover,” in which a typhoon carries a shapeshifting blob onto the balcony of Keisuke, who is obsessed with his (straight) senpai from high school. Does he fuck the blob? You bet he does. The worst is “Noisy Jungle,” in which an android tells himself it’s natural to boff his human pet, while clearly thinking of it as an animal. Ick. Overall, though, I liked these dark stories and would read more by this author. – Michelle Smith

My Next Life As a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Vol. 2 | By Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka | Seven Seas – There’s another prose short story at the end of this second volume, which mostly just involves Katarina dreaming she’s in another universe, based on a standard shoujo private school manga, and because it lacks the “fantasy” elements her fate is… far more tolerable? As for the main manga, Katarina’s reactions to everything are the reason to get it, as it can give us all the faces that the light novel art wasn’t able to convey. She meets Maria here, who (to no one’s surprise) falls for Katarina just as hard as everyone else has, and Katarina is just as unaware of it. Still, Maria is still being bullied, so the plot of the game is still happening. A great adaptation. – Sean Gaffney

The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 6 | By Tomoko Yamashita | SuBLime (digital only) – I sometimes forget what an amazing balance Yamashita-sensei strikes between moments of romantic progress between Rihito and Mikado—like the scene where Rihito says, “I’ll help you. As long as it keeps you with me.”—and ominous reminders that Rihito has been through some terrible trauma and is a broken and dangerous person. In this volume, there are some parallels between his plight and that of Erika Hiura, who is trying to get away from the cult leader who’s compelling her to curse people. It was great seeing five to six characters in a scene together all working towards this common goal and feels like we might be heading towards a conclusion fairly soon. I hope Mikado emerges unscathed, but I do love that I am actually feeling some doubt about that. Can’t wait for the next volume! – Michelle Smith

One Piece, Vol. 92 | By Eiichiro Oda | VIZ Media – I was so worried going into this volume that Luffy was going to mess up the plans of the Wano rebels, which involve careful coordination and laying low for two weeks, neither of which he appears capable of. And, indeed, when he thinks Kaido has killed Tama, the little girl with whom he’s bonded, he picks a fight with the Emperor of the Sea. (I did appreciate seeing Luffy laid out by a single hit, though.) He ends up in a labor camp and, actually, this is for the best story-wise as it allows his more competent crewmates to help with the plan instead. It was so nice seeing Usopp distribute fliers, and Franky attempt to track down building plans for a mansion, and Robin snoop around in her geisha guise. I’ve missed those characters! This is shaping up to be a pretty fun arc! – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 43 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – I can’t recall there ever being a bad volume of Skip Beat!, but this one was exceptionally good. Kyoko has been cast as Momiji, but Moko did not get the role of Chidori, so Kyoko is worrying a lot about her (and feeling guilty). It turns out, however, that another challenging role has come Moko’s way. I very much love how these friends can talk to each other about their professional setbacks and opportunities. Meanwhile, Yashiro contrives for Ren and Kyoko to spend some time together, but it backfires when Kyoko, still beliving that Ren is in love with the horrible Morizumi, gets so overwhelmed by how he makes her feel that she gets mad. Poor baffled Ren. Still, I can’t help but feel that this is the start of some real progress for them. We shall see! – Michelle Smith

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 2 | By Honda | Yen Press – This is a fun title to read, but there’s not particularly much to review here. Honda-san walks us through more problems that Japanese bookstores have, from author signings to employee turnover and reassignments, to the difference between BL manga and gay manga. We meet wholesalers, go to a drinking party, and once again deal with a wide variety of customers, including possible yakuza and those who simply buy 90 pounds of titles and can’t carry them out the door. And there’s also the fact that Honda’s manga is now out, which means trouble when one of the prior plotlines, the customer service coaching one, annoyed the bosses. Still good, but you may want to stick to the anime. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 6 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – It’s hard to top the last volume, which contains the two most famous chapters in the series to date. But this volume remains cute as a button, with an extended plotline involving a visit to a water park that shows off Nishikata’s nice side as well as his embarrassed and scheming sides, and reminds you why Takagi likes him so much. Even better is a chapter where she’s depressed (and thus not teasing him) all day, and he tries to find out why and cheer her up. Not that she’s willing to give up her place as the winner of every battle. That said, even the chapter with the eyedrops (which is another “will they try for a kiss” moment) has a tag reminding us these are still innocent middle-schoolers. Which is why this is so cute. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

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