Holiday Review #3: HER FRANKENSTEIN

 Many of these newer, smaller publishers are taking advantage of the current horror manga boom to pick up older, lesser-known titles like this one.

HER FRANKENSTEIN (Frankenstein no Otoko), by Norikazu Kawashima.  First published in 1986 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

In his youth, Tetsuo Utsugi was a scrawny wimp neglected by his family and picked on by everyone else.  He was fascinated by Kimiko Kimikage, a haughty, sickly, and angry rich girl who took a strange liking to him.  She was fascinated by Frankenstein's monster, and to please her Tetsuo makes a Frankenstein mask.  From that moment he is her Frankenstein, a creature who would terrorize others at her command.  Her demands grew more and more extreme until a terrible accident occurred.

Now Tetsuo is an adult, but he is still haunted by Kimiko's ghost.  There is something inside him that yearns for her guidance and to become her Frankenstein once again...

Holiday Review #2: MY LOVE STORY WITH YAMADA-KUN AT LV999

Among all those new publishers are a number of digital-only apps or subscription sites making their first ventures into print.  This is just one of a handful of examples that came out this year.

MY LOVE STORY WITH YAMADA-KUN AT LV999 (Yamada-kun to Reburu Kyu-hyaku Kyu-jyu Kyu no Koi o Suru), by Mashimo.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Akane can't believe it.  Her boyfriend convinced her to start playing an MMO, only to leave her for another girl in their guild!  She's utterly heartbroken, so she takes out some frustration in the game.  That's where she encounters Yamada, a long-time player of few words and even less sympathy.  She might not have thought more of that interaction if she hadn't gone to a tie-in event with the hopes of showing up her ex.  She runs into Yamada there and in a fit of pique declares him to be her boyfriend.  He's not willing to play along with her ruse, but he turns out to be not entirely insensitive to her and Akane finds her thoughts turning to him more and more both inside and outside the game.

Holiday Review #1: EDEN OF WITCHES

This year might feature the most diverse line-up we've had since I started doing these holiday reviews.  A big part of that is that we've seen a lot of new manga publishers start up, including this debut work from a French manga publisher.

EDEN OF WITCHES (Majo no Eden/L'eden de sorcieres), by Yumeji.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Long ago, plants, animals, and humans lived in harmony.  Then the humans began indiscriminately began killing the animals, and the plants and animals hid themselves from humanity.  A select few humans possessed the ability to sense and communicate with the plants, but they too were driven into hiding inside their own personal oases while the rest of humanity clings to life.

Inside one of these oases is Pili, an apprentice witch.  She has never ventured into the outside world, but her hand is forced when her mentor falls ill.  Instead of finding help she inadvertently leads an imperial inquisitor to their home who proceeds to kill her mentor and steal their precious plants.  In all the confusion, Pili summons an amurd - a power animal-plant hybrid spirit that she had previously planted.  Together the two must wander forth into the world to fulfill the dying wish of Pili's mentor: to find Eden, the last enclave of the witches.