Review: THE RUTHLESS COMMANDER AND HIS REINCARNATED WARHORSE

 There's still not a lot of BL isekai out there, but this particular one stands out by virtue of having one of the wackiest premises I've seen.

THE RUTHLESS COMMANDER AND HIS REINCARNATED WARHORSE (Shouwaru Boukun Kishu to Nagasare Senba), based on the light novel by Sakashima with art by Nomoto Narita.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

Deep in a forest, a young foal is born.  Once he was a modern-day Japanese man, but now he's enjoying the freedom and simplicity of life as a horse.  Then one day he encounters Lieutenant Commander Felix, a strict but handsome young soldier.  Felix takes this horse (now named Aleksei) for himself, and Aleksei commits himself to becoming his loyal steed.  When the two are attacked by bandits, Aleksei undergoes a strange transformation that allows the two to become closer than ever before.

Merry Month of Manga: SHINO CAN'T SAY HER NAME

 I finally found it - a Shuzo Oshimi manga that doesn't have weird hangups about women!  It's a miracle!

SHINO CAN'T SAY HER NAME (Shino-chan wa Jibun no Namae ga Ienai), by Shuzo Oshimi.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

Shino has long suffered from a stutter, one that tends to stop up her speech entirely in moments of stress (which only serve to make them more stressful).  It strikes during her class introduction, which only leads to mockery and alienation.  Then Shino meets Kayo, a rough-around-the-edges classmate who loves music but can't sing to save her life.  They form a tentative friendship, but can it survive a school festival music performance, a classmate with a crush, and Shino's own anxieties?

Holiday Review #23: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK - BELTORCHIKA'S CHILDREN

 There's no way that I wasn't going to talk about this, the latest Gundam manga to hit our shores (especially since it had been delayed for so long, between Covid-related printing issues and clearing all the various necessary rights).

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK - BELTORCHIKA'S CHILDREN (Kido Senshi Gundamu: Gyakushu no Char - Berutochika Chirudoren), based on the original story by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate and mobile suit designs by Yutaka Izubuchi, with art by Uroaki Sabisi and Takayuki Yanase.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

In the year UC 0093, Char Aznable has reappeared as the leader of Neo Zeon.  He has an army of mobile suits at his command, and his target is not just the Earth Federation but the Earth itself.  The only force that can stand up to him is that on the Londo Bell, commanded by former White Base captain Bright Noa.  No one on the ship is more determined to stop Char than Amuro Ray, the Gundam pilot who has both fought against and aside Char in the past.  As the battle grows, it will encompass not just Char, Amuro, and those who fight alongside them, but younger children such as runaway rich girl Quess Paraya and Bright's son Hathaway.

Holiday Review #7: A HERO IN THE DEMON'S CASTLE

 This year was a good one for Denpa Books and the same is true for their BL imprint Kuma.  It was sincerely hard for me to choose whether to talk about this one or Harada's Happy Crappy Life, but I feel like I made the choice that gave me the most interesting stuff to talk about.

A HERO IN THE DEMON'S CASTLE (Yusha In Maonchi), written by Inutoki and art by Syohei.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

Wisped is a powerful demon king who spends his days exhausted at all of these human heroes who keep barging into his castle.  He's tired of having his sleep and hours of lonely brooding interrupted (along with all the holes they leave in the castle after he boots them back to the human realm).  Then a hapless young hero named True shows up, a young man whose strength is equaled only by his innocence and his refusal to leave the premises.  At first, Wisped takes it upon himself to watch over True in order to educate him a little and keep him from destroying the castle by accident, but as time passes he finds himself caring more and more for this strange, wide-eyed, blond annoyance of a boy.

Holiday Review #24: BABY BEAR'S BAKERY

 The holidays are also a time for copious amounts of sweet things, so it's the perfect time to read something like this.

BABY BEAR'S BAKERY (Koguma no Cakeya-san), by Kamentotsu.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

This is the story of a baby bear who runs his own cake shop.  He's eager to learn about the world around him alongside the shop's waiter, all while making and sharing his many magnificent cakes with others.

Review: THE MEN WHO CREATED GUNDAM

There's still plenty of Gundam manga out there I could talk about (and probably will at some point), but there is only one is about the making of Gundam itself ...sort of.

THE MEN WHO CREATED GUNDAM (Gundam Sousei), by Hideki Ohwada.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

This comic retelling of the making of 1979's Mobile Suit Gundam follows Yoshiyuki Tomino as he wins over collaborators with his brilliant ideas, works around the schemes of corporations, assaults actors and staff alike, and eventually win the hearts and minds of a generation of otaku with one of anime's most iconic franchises.

Holiday Review: LIL' LEO

Sadly, a lot of Denpa's releases for this year got caught up in Covid-related delays.  Thankfully, we did eventually get this charming little one-shot from a shojo manga legend, showing us a very different side of her works just in time for Christmas.

LIL' LEO (Leo-kun), by Moto Hagio.  First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

Leo is an adventurous little tabby cat.  He'll go to school, work at a job, and even try to become a movie star in order to pursue his curiosity (and maybe get a treat out it).

Review: TODAY'S MENU FOR THE EMIYA FAMILY

With Thanksgiving and its many bountiful meals on the horizon, now's as good as time as any to take a look at some food manga.   After all, a lot of food manga are all about getting together with others and being thankful for good food like this series.

TODAY'S MENU FOR THE EMIYA FAMILY (Emiya-sanchi no Kyo no Gohan), based on the original story by TYPE-MOON with art by TAa and food direction by Makoto Tadano.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

In a world where masters can summon magical servants from history and legend, even something as momentous as a Holy Grail War can be put aside so that the cast of Fate/Stay Night can get together and enjoy some good food thanks to Shiro Emiya and his cooking skills.

Holiday Review: THE GIRL WITH THE SANPAKU EYES

Even shojo manga is turning more and more to pixiv and other webcomic sites for new material, and one of Denpa Book's latest titles is a good example of this.

THE GIRL WITH THE SANPAKU EYES (Sanpakugan-chan wa Tsuteitai), by Shunsuke Sorato.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2020.

PLOT:

Amane Mizuno might have a fierce, mean-looking face but on the inside she's as nervous and romantic as any teenage girl.  The object of her affection is Katou, an exuberant classmate of hers.  Can she ever figure out how to communicate her feelings to him without scaring him off or weirding him out?

Holiday Review: MAIDEN RAILWAYS

Josei manga continues to creep into the US, helped along in no small part thanks to publishers like Denpa Books.

MAIDEN RAILWAYS (Tetsudo Shojo Manga), by Asumiko Nakamura.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

This collection of short stories cover a wide variety of romantic and relationship intersections along railways, be it the fumbling beginnings of new ones, the struggles of long-term ones, and the messy conclusions of failing ones.

Holiday Review: AN INVITATION FROM A CRAB

Everything old is new again, and this was even true for manga publishers this year.  Ed Chavez, the long-time head of marketing at Vertical, has returned from years of exile to start his own company: Denpa Books.  Sadly, I missed out on their debut at this year's Otabrew by a matter of minutes, but I wanted to mke sure I didn't miss out on one of their debut titles before the end of the year.

AN INVITATION FROM A CRAB (Kani wo Sasowarete), by panpanya.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Sometimes wandering will lead you to wondrous things.  Maybe it'll be a crab that leads to you its fishmonger.  Maybe it's a question of where pineapples come from.  Maybe it's wondering just how cracking coconuts produces energy, or what happens when your soul gets off at the wrong station.  This book is a collection of those wanderings, and the stories that result from them.