Holiday Review #4: GANNIBAL

For those who wanted horror manga that was a little more recent and gruesome, there were also releases like this one.

GANNIBAL (Gannibaru), by Masaaki Ninomiya.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Officer Daigo Agawa thought he was getting a break when he was assigned to Kuge, a remote village deep in the mountains.  The people there seem friendly enough, even if they constantly tease him for being a newcomer.  Then he finds the gruesome remains of an old woman in the woods, seemingly the victim of a bear but also bearing what appear to be human bite marks.  

From that moment things become tense between Daigo and the many members of the local Goto family.  Daigo can't help but think about his predecessor, who claimed that the village was full of cannibals before disappearing entirely.  He's determined to find the truth, but doing so may put him and his family in terrible danger.

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.

CHRISTMAS TIME! Reviews, Giveaways, and More!

 It's that time again.

It's the holiday season, which means it's time for another round of the Manga Test Drive's annual Holiday Reviews, where I review one new title from December 1 all the way to Christmas Day.  That also means it's time for our annual Holiday Review Giveaway, where I gift one chosen reader with a $25 gift certificate to Bookshop.org.  That way, your post-Christmas manga shopping spree can also help support whatever independent book store you wish!

In case you are new to the site, here are the rules:

1. To enter, you must leave a comment on this post at our Bluesky account telling us your favorite manga from 2024.  It doesn't matter if it's long or short, digital or print, old or new - so long as it was new to you this year, it counts!
2. The contest begins as soon as this post goes live and ends at 12:01AM CDT Christmas Day.  
3. One winner will be chosen at random no later than New Year's Eve of this year.  I will then contact the winner to obtain a valid email address where the prize can be sent.

I'm also going to do something a little extra this year.  I've been longing to get back to writing more Disaster Reports over at Renaissance Josei and I've also been trying to find way to encourage more people to join our Patreon.  After a bit of thinking, I've devised a way to do both.  I'm giving you, the reader, a chance to stuff our stocking with a bit of anime coal while supporting the site.

Here's my offer: If we get 10 new Patrons between now and Christmas Day, I will pull one of the most infamous works from our Box of Pain and see if I can find anything original to say about one of the most notorious OVAs of all time: Garzey's Wing.

If you want to make me rant about Yoshiyuki Tomino, the world of Byston Well, and YAMATOTAKERUNOMIKOTO, all you have to do is contribute at least $1/month to our Patreon.  If you contribute $5/month or more, you will get exclusive updates on all our various projects as well as a sneak peak of this and any future pieces before they go live.  In the meantime, make sure to follow our Bluesky account so you don't miss a single review.  Happy holidays!