Holiday Review #8: THE SCENE OF MY RUMSPRINGA

 I generally don't keep up with a lot of digital-exclusive BL if simply because there are so many companies and services offering it that it's nigh-impossible to keep up with everything that gets licensed.  That's why I was surprised to see this pop up in a recent sale on Bookwalker.

THE SCENE OF MY RUMSPRINGA (Rumspringa no Joukei), by Kaya Azuma.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

Oswald wanted to be a professional dancer in New York City, but things didn't work out.  Now he's stuck somewhere in Pennsylvania, dividing his time between sex work and working as a waiter/bouncer at the local bar.  That's how he meets Theodore, a naive young man from the local Amish community out on his rumspringa.  Oswald ends up taking Theo in and the two start to fall for one another, but can their love survive a visit to Theo's hometown?

Merry Month of (Shojo) Manga: HAREM DAYS: THE SEVEN-STARRED COUNTRY

Now we go from one of the oldest shojo manga releases to a recent one from an all-digital publisher.  Is it good enough to stand out in a sea of physical releases from bigger name companies?

HAREM DAYS: THE SEVEN-STARRED COUNTRY (Koukyu Days: Shichijoukoku Monogatari), by Momo Sumomo.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2018.  

PLOT:

As a young girl, Hisui's life was changed forever when her parents were killed and her beloved older brother Kohaku disappeared.  She was taken in by a wandering performance troupe, and nowadays is acclaimed just as much for her convincing drag performance as she is for her martial arts.  When they are called upon to perform for the handsome young emperor Ryusei, he selects her to join his harem as an entertainer.  Hisui finds herself flustered by the emperor's attentions as well as his resemblance to her long-lost brother.  Soon enough, though, she finds herself caught up in a deadly conspiracy that threatens the emperor's life.

Holiday Review: WAKAKOZAKE

As we get closer to Christmas, why not read a manga that's all about enjoying good food and drink?  Luckily, this year we got one from Media-Do that I had been craving for years.

WAKAKOZAKE, by Chie Shinkyu.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Wakako Murasake is a 26-year-old office lady who enjoys nothing more than a good meal.  To her, nothing is more relaxing and enjoyable than a good izakaya dish paired with the perfect drink.  It's the best way to celebrate the small joys of life, get away from the world's frustrations, or just fill yourself until all you can say is "~pshuuuu."

Holiday Review: LA MAGNIFIQUE GRANDE SCENE

This year saw the debut of a lot of new digital-only manga publishers.  The most prolific of the lot was Media-Do, whose library could be generously described as a grab-bag.  Even then, there were some gems in that grab-bag, such as this unconventional little seinen series about ballet.

LA MAGNIFIQUE GRANDE SCENE (Kenrantaru Grande Scene), by Cuvie.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Inspired by the performance by her neighbor Risa, young Kanade decides to take up ballet dancing.  It turns out that learning ballet is harder than it looks, and Kanade's ready to give up even before she gets the pointe shoes she so desires.  Maybe what she needs to find her way is a new approach and to learn from the girl she so idolized.

Review: HOUSE OF FLOWERS

Flowers can serve as metaphors for all sorts of things in manga: romance, joy, sadness, transformation, etc.  So why not review a manga that seems to contain all that and more?

HOUSE OF FLOWERS (Hana no Ie), by Mako Takami.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Acclaimed kabuki actor Kaoru Fujita is finally taking a wife...but on the day of the wedding his bride runs away.  His little sister Hiyori convinces a friend from art school named Nakai to pose as her publicly, and the ruse succeeds beyond anyone's expectations.  Nakai agrees to stay on for half a year until they can fake a divorce, but in the process he discovers some family secrets, his love for Hiyori, and a desire to become a kabuki actor himself.