Holiday Review #11: BUTAREBA: THE STORY OF A MAN TURNED INTO A PIG

 It's true that a lot of isekai protagonists could be described as pigs, but usually it's not THIS literal.

BUTAREBA: THE STORY OF A MAN TURNED INTO A PIG (Buta no Reba wa Kanetsu Shiro), based on the light novels by Takuma Shikai and illustrations by Asagi Tohsaka, with art by Minami.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Once he was a man who happened to eat some raw pig liver.  One moment he passed out at the rail station, the next he was reborn as an ordinary hog in a world far removed from modern-day Japan.  It's there that he meets Jess, a slave girl who is able to hear his thoughts and thus realize he is not just some pig.  Before they can work on changing him back, he'll need to help Jess with a scheme to obtain a magic crystal, a scheme that threatens to become deadly for one of them.

Holiday Review #10: I WANT A GAL GAMER TO PRAISE ME

 The success of My Dress-Up Darling has led to a wave of shonen romances where a flirty gyaru gal with a otaku-friendly interest gets together with an ordinary teen boy all while missing what made that series so good and appealing in the first place.

I WANT A GAL GAMER TO PRAISE ME (Gyaru Gamer ni Homeraretai), by Geshumaro.  First published in 2022 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Raito Sasaki wants to be better at battle royale games, so he figures he could hire a top-ranked player to be his coach.  He never expected that coach to be a perky gal with a rockin' bod.  Rion's advice is good and her perspective is always positive, but how can Raito focus when a hot girl is in his room pressing herself close to him at every turn?

Holiday Review #9: THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR SPOILS ME ROTTEN

As far as straight romance manga goes, there was unfortunately plenty of light novel-based wish-fulfillment fodder like this one.

THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR SPOILS ME ROTTEN (Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsu no Ma ni ka Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken), based on the light novels by Saekisan and illustrations by Hanekoto, with art by Wan Shibata and storyboards by Suzu Yuki.  First published in 2022 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Amane is your average Japanese high school kid, the kind who lives in a messy apartment, subsists entirely off of take-out, and generally goes through life unnoticed.  He certainly could never compare to the likes of Miharu, the "angel" of their class and his next-door neighbor.  That's why he's so surprised to see her sitting alone in a rainy playground without so much as an umbrella.  What begins as a simple kind gesture to her leads to Miharu taking it upon herself to regularly feed him and clean his place.  Is this the beginning of a romance or merely a relationship of convenience?

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.