Review: AIR GEAR

This month we're looking at nothing but shonen manga.  The focus has been on Viz's offerings for the better part of two decades, but I'm going to start with a somewhat forgotten title from Kodansha.

AIR GEAR (Ea Gia), by Oh! Great.  First published in 2002 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Itsuki Minami is the talk of his junior high class.  He's the leader of the Eastside gang, has incredible strength, and lives with the tough but beautiful Noyamano sisters.  One day, the violent and vindictive Skullsaiders gang take their violent revenge upon Itsuki's gang, which plunges him into despair.  That's when the sisters reveal that they are members of a secret gang of their own.  They bring Itsuki into their fold, gifting him a pair of special motorized in-line skates called Air Treks.  These combined with his natural strength and agility give Itsuki the ability to do all sorts of fantastic feats.  Now Itsuki has the tools he needs to rebuild his gang, take back his turf, and spread his wings.

Review: YAKUZA FIANCE

 Perhaps the hardest thing about this month is finding romance manga that are messed-up enough to fit the theme but aren't awful.  

This year, I managed to find one.

YAKUZA FIANCE (Raise wa tanin ga Ii), by Asuka Konishi.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

Yoshino is the granddaughter of an Osaka-area yakuza clan, but all she wants is a normal life.  That's why she's so frustrated when she learns from the local tabloids that she's being engaged against her will to Kirishima, the grandson of a Tokyo clan.  

At first, Kirishima seems too good to be true: handsome, polite, and attentive.  Then the mask slips and the real Kirishima is revealed, a cold, cruel, sadomasochistic enforcer.  At first Yoshino is frightened, but then resolves to scare him off with a stunt of her own.  Who could have guessed that it would backfire and that Kirishima would end up genuinely smitten with her as a result?

Review: MY HAPPY MARRIAGE

It's January again, which means once more it's Dealer's Choice Month.  That means there's no theme tying together this month's review beyond the fact that I want to talk about them...or in this case, that the second season of the anime adaptation of this work is currently airing. 

MY HAPPY MARRIAGE (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon), based on the light novels by Akumi Agitogi and illustrations by Tsukiho Tsukioka, with art by Rito Kohsaka.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

For almost as long as Miyo Saimori can remember, her life has been nothing but misery.  She was the product of a loveless arranged marriage, lacking in the hereditary magical powers that noble families like hers are supposed to possess.  When her mother died and her father remarried, her life became nothing but an endless wave of drudgery, abuse, neglect, and depression.  Miyo has no reason to believe her life could be anything different, even when her father sends her off to be married to the notoriously icy Lord Kiyoka Kudo.

With the help of Kiyoka's kindly housekeeper Yumie, Miyo slowly begins to open up to others and piece together her sense of self-worth.  In turn, Kiyoka finds himself drawn to this strange, sad, lonely young woman, even as outside forces conspire to sabotage their romance before it can properly begin.

Holiday Review #25: LAST QUARTER

This marks the second year in a row that I've ended our holiday reviews with a Ai Yazawa manga.  It's almost like it took Viz way too long to figure out that there was a majorly pent-up desire for more works of hers beyond Nana!

Regardless, I'm always ready to celebrate when we get more older shojo titles on the shelves and what is Christmas if not a celebration?

LAST QUARTER (Kagen no Tsuki), by Ai Yazawa.  First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Mizuki was frustrated with everything: her dead mom, her dad's infidelity and remarriage, her new step-sister, her cheating boyfriend.  She's willing to throw everything away to be with the handsome, troubled musician Adam...until it ends up costing her life.

Young Hotaru had an encounter with Mizuki while she was in a coma.  Now she finds herself drawn to the house where Mizuki and Adam once lived, where Mizuki's spirt now dwells, unable to remember who she was and why she is there.  Thus it's up to Hotaru and her classmates to solve the mystery of the ghost they dub "Eve."

Holiday Review #24: WHOEVER STEALS THIS BOOK

 I was struggling to figure out what to put in this spot so close to the end of our review marathon, but then I stumbled upon this curious little story that's all about the power of books.  What could be more perfect for this site?

WHOEVER STEALS THIS BOOK (Kono Hon o Nusumu-mono wa), based on the light novels by Nowaki Fukamidori with art by Kakeru Sora.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Mifuyu lives in a town that lives for books.  Her ancestors were avid collectors who created their own private library, one that has been locked away from the public for generations after a number of them were stolen.  She's come to hate her family's legacy almost as much as she hates how much the town around revolves around books.  Things only get worse when her dad ends up in the hospital, forcing her to enter her family's library to keep an eye on its keeper, her reclusive aunt Hirune.  During her visit, Mifuyu finds a strange talisman and an even stranger white-haired girl name Mashiro.  The talisman turns out to be a curse, one that forces Mifuyu and Mashiro to enter the stories of the missing books to recover them.

Holiday Review #20: COLETTE DECIDES TO DIE

Ok, let's cover a shojo manga that's a little lighter in tone and content.

Yes I know what that title says, let me explain.

COLETTE DECIDES TO DIE (Koretto wa Shinu Koto ni Shita), by Alto Yukimura.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Colette is an overworked apothecary who is at her physical and mental limit.  She leaps into a well hoping for some relief in the land of Hades, but instead finds that Hades himself is in need of her skills!  She's able to cure him, but now she finds herself at his beck and call to help him and other in need of some tough love and good medicine, be they demi-gods or the shades of former loved ones.

Holiday Review #15: SECOND HAND LOVE

Two years ago I reviewed Talk to My Back, a quietly powerful work from one of the few women to ever gain prominence in the gekiga movement.  Naturally, when another release of hers came out this year I knew I had to talk about it.

SECOND HAND LOVE (Yurari Usuiro), by Yamada Murasaki.  First published in 1983 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Emi is having an affair.

She knows her lover is a married man.  She knows that he's using her, and that every time he comes over he will always slink back to his family in the middle of the night.  She knows that the few friends who do know about it judge her for it.  Yet she can't help herself.  She keeps letting him back in her place whenever he calls. 

Maybe it's her way of getting past a failed engagement.  

Maybe it's a form of rebellion.  

Maybe it's just better than being alone.

Holiday Reviews #14: HOME OFFICE ROMANCE

My favorite romance of the year wasn't shojo, though.  It was this simple little one volume seinen romance from the creator of Manga Test Drive favorite Sweat and Soap.

HOME OFFICE ROMANCE (Telework Yotabanashi), by Kintetsu Yamada.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Thanks to the pandemic lockdown, Nokoru is forced to work from home.  This becomes something of a boon for him, as gives him enough time to transform his bare apartment into a proper, personalized home.  It also gives him time to interact with his neighbor, an attractive archeology grad student named Natsu.  The two hit it off right away, but how do you start a romance in a time of social distancing?

Holiday Review #13: A SINNER OF THE DEEP SEA

If I had a nickel for every mermaid manga I read this year, I would have two nickels.  That isn't a lot but it's more that I would have expected for a concept this niche.

A SINNER OF THE DEEP SEA (Abyss Azure no Zaizin), by Akihito Tomi.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Deep in the ocean, there is an entire society of mermaids living their lives.  That includes Jo, a rebellious young mermaid who is happy to tag along with her best friend Ryuu, a popular dancer.  One day it is revealed that Ryuu committed the worst crime possible in their world: she revealed their existence to a human.  Worse still, she's fallen in love with them and is willing to go on a heartsick hunger strike to prove it! Jo is determined to save her friend at any cost, even if means swallowing her pride and risking her own freedom to confront this man herself.

Holiday Review #8: I GOT REINCARNATED IN A (BL) WORLD OF BIG (MAN) BOOBS

From the moment I saw the announcement for this one, I knew I had to talk about it.  I haven't been this compelled by a BL title since the days of Dick Fight Island.

I GOT REINCARNATED IN A (BL) WORLD OF BIG (MAN) BOOBS (Kyonyuu Suki nanoi BL Kai ni Tensei shimashita), by Tsukiji Nao.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Nagare Otokawa was just another otaku, full of dreams of big boobs and the desire to touch them before he got mowed down by a truck.  Things seem to be picking up when he is reincarnated as a handsome young man in a world that operates on visual novel rules.  Unfortunately it works like a BL VN, so every time he tries to make a move on the pretty, well-stacked Haruko he ends up (literally) running into the cushiony pecs of Ryuji Onizuka, a delinquent whose tough demeanor hides a heart as soft as his chest.  Can Nagare fight back against his fate and the other delinquents at school, or is he doomed to forever drown in man-titty while Haruko watches?

Holiday Review #7: AFTER SCHOOL ETUDE

There was also plenty of BL to choose from this year, but when I saw the cover for this one I knew I had to talk about it.

AFTER SCHOOL ETUDE (Hokago no Etude), by Hirune Cyan.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Minobe has the build of a great ballet dancer, but his technique has always been somewhat lacking.  That's why he hopes attending a private arts high school will help him improve.  Soon after starting, he encounters Shun, a sophomore with incredible technique and a surly attitude who only recently left the ballet program for modern dance.  The two end up paired together for practice, and Minobe finds himself drawn just as much to Shun's beautiful body as he is to his beautiful dancing.  As Shun helps Minobe inject some emotion into his dancing, Minobe helps Shun break down his emotional walls.

Holiday Review #6: THE GUY SHE WAS INTERESTED IN WASN'T A GUY AT ALL

 With all the yuri manga we're getting these days, it's hard for any title to make much of an impression.  That's why I was surprised by all the hype around this particular one, the sort I haven't seen since the days of Girl Friends.

Naturally I had to check it out.

THE GUY SHE WAS INTERESTED IN WASN'T A GUY AT ALL (Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta), by Sumiko Arai.  First published in 2023 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Aya is a trendy, popular girl with a secret love of 90s American rock bands.  One of the few places where she can indulge in this interest is a local CD shop.  It helps that there's a mysterious but totally cool dude working there, who shares her interest.  She would never guess that the cool dude with the face mask, dark clothes, and hoodie is in fact Mitsuki, the quiet girl who sits next to her at school.  She just wants to get through school unnoticed, and she's afraid that Aya will be let down if she learns the truth.  Things might have continued like this forever if not for a curious classmate, a class committee assignment, and a concert.

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.

Review: BOKURANO:OURS

We got a lot of original mecha stories around the turn of the millennium, most of which were anime originals.  This is one of the rare exceptions (even if it got an anime adaptation later down the line). 

BOKURANO OURS (Bokurano), by Mohiro Kitoh.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

It's an ordinary summer in an otherwise unremarkable seaside town.  A group of kids are wandering around the beach when they discover a cave in the cliffside.  Inside that cave they find a strange man in a makeshift room loaded with machinery.  The man asks the kids if they want to play a game, but asks them to pledge to keep it secret.  The kids don't take the situation seriously at the time, but everything changes when they are whisked away from their classrooms and into a sparse, white room inside a giant insectoid robot.  It's only then that the man explains the rules of the game: each child will be given a chance to pilot the robot to fight other alien robots, with the fate of the world on the line.  The kids win their first battle, but in doing so expose some of the emotional fault lines within their friend group with deadly results.

Review: LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA

 OK, I need to cover a witch manga that's as traditional as you can get with witches.  Broomsticks, pointed hats, magic, the whole nine yards!  And one that's actually good!

Thankfully, Studio Trigger provided us with something that fits the bill perfectly

LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA (Ritoru Witchi Akademia), based on the original series by Studio Trigger and Yoh Yoshinari, with art by Keisuke Sato.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Ever since she was a little girl, Atsuko "Akko" Kagari admired the witch Shiny Chariot and yearned to be a witch just like her.  She even went so far as to apply to the same school Shiny Chariot attended: Luna Nova Academy.  The problem is that every other girl there is a witch born and raised, while Akko struggles with the basics and knows nothing of the witching world.  Nonetheless, she manages to make some friends while having some wild adventures of her own.

Review: TUXEDO GIN

One of the nice things about Old School Manga Month is that it's a good opportunity to bring forgotten favorites and hidden gems back to light.  Today's review is a prime example of both, a series I remember reading and liking even before I began this blog but was seldom mentioned by anyone then and all but forgotten now.

TUXEDO GIN (Takishido Gin), by Tokihiko Matsuura.  First published in 1997 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

When Ginji Kusanagi saw Minako Sasebo, it was love at first sight.  He certainly didn't expect a girl like her to accept a date from a rough-looking kid on the verge of his pro boxing debut like him, but a motorcycle accident kills Ginji the day before that date can take place.  An angel gives him a second chance, but in order to get his body and his life back Ginji must live out a second life as a penguin.

Things don't get easier for the newly dubbed "Gin" as a penguin.  No sooner does he manage to escape his aquarium home than he has to deal with the goons who caused his killer accident, Minako getting kidnapped, and a rich rival who's determined to make Minako his.

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 #25: NEIGHBORHOOD STORY

 We started this year's reviews with a long-awaited license, so it's only fitting to end it with one as well.  As much as I might complain about how much Viz neglects their non-WSJ titles or the titles they pick up for the Shojo Beat imprint, they did release this classic from Nana and Paradise Kiss creator Ai Yazawa just in time for the holidays.

NEIGHBORHOOD STORY (Gokinjo Monogatari), by Ai Yazawa.  First published in 1995 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

Mikako and Tsutomu have known each other forever.  They grew up together, go to the same art college, and even walk to class together.  Tsutomu's resemblance to a popular singer has rendered him unexpectedly popular with the ladies, much to Mikako's annoyance and Tsutomu's bafflement.  Neither of them are quite ready to admit they might have feelings for one another, but their friends will certainly try their best to bring them together.  Mikako's going to need all the help she can get to complete with her glamorous classmate Mariko.

Holiday Reviews #24: WITCH HAT ATELIER KITCHEN

 It's the time of year where many of us are busy in the kitchen with holiday meals and goodies galore, so there couldn't be a better time to talk about this particular spinoff.

WITCH HAT ATELIER KITCHEN (Tongari Boshi no Kitchin), by Hiromi Sato, based on the manga by Kamome Shirohama.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

When Qifrey isn't busy teaching his students and Olruggio isn't busy tinkering with his devices, the two of them need to eat.  They use the magical ingredients they have on hand to make simple dishes to enjoy together as well with Coco and the rest of the girls.