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 #19: TALES OF THE TENDO FAMILY

There was good shojo manga to be found this year, ones that relied not on webnovel buzzwords but on good old-fashioned drama and trauma.

TALES OF THE TENDO FAMILY (Tendo-ke Monogatari), by Ken Saito.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Ran Hojo was sent to settle her family's debts by marrying Masato Tendo, the middle child of a noble family.  In despair, she throws herself into the river only to be rescued by a nameless peasant girl.  The peasant girl offers to save Ran by taking her place, in the hopes that she will die a noble death by aiding another.  Masato is a cruel, twisted young man who immediately sees through "Ran's" deception, but her willingness to die has him intrigued.  If she wants to die so badly, she can do so by helping him navigate the intrigues of his equally twisted family.

Holiday Review #18: DUCHESS IN THE ATTIC

 Of course, there was plenty of lady-led light novel adaptations to go around.  This is probably one of the few that didn't involve reincarnations or villainesses, although that doesn't make any better than the rest.

DUCHESS IN THE ATTIC (Yane Urabeya no Koshaku Fujin), based on the light novels by Mori and character designs by Huyuko Aoi, with art by Maki Hayashi.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Opal dreamed of having a beautiful wedding as a child, but her chances were ruined forever thanks to one man getting fresh with her during her debut.  Now all of the other nobles presume she's a harlot, and she's forced to marry a duke who covets her fortune and only cares for his sickly mistress.  Opal knows where she's not wanted, so she moves herself to the attic to bide her time, review her husband's ledgers, and find a way to get herself out of this mess..

Holiday Review #17: ROYAL TAILOR: CLOTHIER TO THE CROWN

Of course there were plenty of lady-led fantasy titles, and this is one of the rare ones that didn't involve reincarnation or villainesses or anything like that.

ROYAL TAILOR: CLOTHIER TO THE CROWN (Royal Tailor: Okyu no Saihoshi), by Nakasane Nowaki.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Long in the past, humanity reigned supreme over the various other supernatural creatures of the world.  There was a great war and humanity lost, and those that survived are pariahs in this world.  Hana is one of those humans, a young woman who learned how to make clothes during her time in an orphanage.  She's been hired by a prestigious tailor shop to help their clients to obtain the outfits that best compliment them, be they elven nobility, lioness princesses, or undead bridegrooms.

Holiday Review #16: FRIDAY AT THE ATELIER

Seinen magazines seems to be the place to go these days if you want quirky romance manga starring adults, much like this one.

FRIDAYS AT THE ATELIER (Kinyoubi wa Atelier de), by Sakura Hamada.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Emiko is so exhausted with her life that she's considering suicide, but then she comes across a man who has tripped in the street, spilling a bag of fish.  The man is Shunsui, an artist, and he believes Emiko to be the perfect model for his work.  That's how she finds herself at his studio, nude and covered in fish.  It's an odd arrangement to be sure, but Emiko usually gets a free meal of freshly cooked fish out of it so that's something.  The longer this goes on, the more Emiko wonders if Shunsui wants more from here than mere modeling...and if she does as well.

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 #12: IN THE NAME OF THE MERMAID PRINCESS

 Ok, after all that we need something cute, frothy, and feminine.  Surely a cute shojo manga from Shojo Beat can deliver that!

...right?

IN THE NAME OF THE MERMAID PRINCESS (Mio no Na no Moto ni), written by Yoshino Fumikawa with art by Miya Tashiro.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Princess Mio was born a mermaid, but her kingdom of Blognig severely persecutes demi-humans like her.  As such, she is hidden from the world, forced to take magical medicines to hide her true form.  Only her father and a select few servants know the truth, and all of them go out of their way to avoid touching her.

As her sixteenth birthday approaches, she is assigned a tutor to teach her the ways of her fiance's kingdom.  This tutor, Yuri, refuses to humor her kingdom's prejudices and encourages her to embrace her true form and abilities, putting the both of them in peril.  It's up to Mio to use her abilities to save Yuri and escape to a world where they both can safely exist.

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.

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 #5: GOKURAKUGAI

Even shonen manga is not immune to the horror vibes, even if it mostly takes the form of demon fighters like this one.

GOKURAKUGAI, by Yuto Sano.  First published in 2022 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

In the neighborhood of Gokurakugai, there are two troubleshooters named Alma and Ms. Tao.  They are guns for hire, committed to hunting down demonic creatures known as magas in the Chinatown in which they live.  That means doing everything from solving missing persons cases, comforting victims of familial abuse, or hunting down a serial killer.

STORY:

So even if you aren't the sort of person who keeps up with all the latest chapters in the Shonen Jump app, odds are good you've heard of this series because for a while it was a meme.  The joke was that despite having only a handful of chapters to its name and rather middling rankings, Gokurakugai was the most impossibly popular, acclaimed manga to ever run in Weekly Shonen Jump.  

I can see how these jokes would arise because Gokurakugai is aggressively mid.  The premise is flexible, but there are countless other action exorcist/spirit detective styles stories like this one, even if you only limit yourself to Weekly Shonen Jump.  Alma is pretty much every Shonen Action Boy you've ever seen: dumb, happy, gluttonous, eager to help, with hints of a dark past and the flashy ability to pull a giant knife made of blood from his chest.  Tao is just an enigma, carried more by the coolness of her design than anything else.  The rest of the cast is full of familiar shonen character types, ranging from the Token Cute Girl to the Token Sleezy Guy (who is both a money-grubber and mildly pervy).  

The stories we see in this volume also have the same problem.  They are perfectly fine, largely self-contained stories that follow a fairly firm formula.  Someone brings a case to Alma and Tao, they go to the site, they have a big flashy action sequence, and all the loose ends are wrapped up tidily (save for the final story in this volume, which leaves off on a cliffhanger).  Curiously, these fights are also often use for exposition dumps about Alma's supernatural origins or the demons they fight.  I'd be lying if I wasn't amused at the fact that they are called "maga," and that Alma himself declares him and Tao to be "maga hunters."  That term is a lot more loaded for Americans than it is for the Japanese, but there's no doubt that quite a few people would find the prospect a little more appealing after this year's election.  It's just hard to understand how this otherwise unremarkable series survived when so many others like with much more memorable premises and characters did not.

ART:

This is apparently Sano's first serialized series, but you'd never guess it from looking at this book.  Everything from the designs to the backgrounds are polished and technically competent.  It's just a shame that despite all that effort, Gokurakugai still feels generic.  Maybe they are a touch more realistic than you typically see in Shonen Jump, but you could probably swap them with similar characters from half a dozen other titles running in the magazine right now and not notice much of a difference.  The only design that feels mildly inspired is Tao's, with her long braid of grey hair, cool shades, skintight bodysuit, and ever-present cigarette.  Even then, she feels more like a thirst trap than a character in her own right.  The most distinct thing this series has going for it visually is its Chinatown setting, and even then it feels very shallow, as if everyone is cosplaying in a theme park.

RATING:

I'm sure that the usual crowd will declare Gokurakugai to be DA BEST MANGA EVAR in an unironic fashion when it inevitably makes the leap to anime, but as it stands right now it's the manga equivalent of Panda Express: offering up a familiar if unchallenging recipe with a vaguely Chinese flair that is forgotten almost as soon as it is consumed.  Even then, I will likely find myself sooner craving some of their orange chicken than I will crave to read the second volume of this.

This manga is published by Viz.  This series is ongoing in Japan with 4 volumes available.  3 volumes have been published and are currently in print.  This series is also serialized weekly via the Shonen Jump app.

Our Holiday Review Giveaway is underway! To find out more and potentially win a $25 Bookshop.org gift certificate, click the link above.

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!

Review: DARLING IN THE FRANXX

 This one is going to be a doozy.  What happens when you combine one of the most controversial mecha shows from the last decade and combine it with one of the horniest mangaka currently working in shonen manga?  You get THIS.

DARLING IN THE FRANXX (Darin In Za Furankisu), based on the original concept by Code:000 with art by Kentaro Yabuki.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

The world has been ravaged by alien creatures known as Klaxosaurs.  What remains of humanity are locked away in mobile fortresses called Plantations, which are protected by giant robots called FRANXX that require both a boy and a girl to pilot.  Young Hiro is one of the many children raised to become a pilot, but he and his previous partner failed and he can't stop sulking over it.  Then he meets the mysterious Zero Two, a half-Klaxosaur girl with a reputation for devouring her partners.  Against all odds, she takes a liking to Hiro, declaring him her "darling" and agreeing to become his co-pilot.  

Review: STELLVIA

It's so rare to find a mecha manga with a female protagonist and mostly female cast that isn't made for the sake of fanservice, which makes it all the more disappointing that this one turned out so poorly.

STELLVIA (Uchu no Suturuvia), based on the anime series by Xebec with art by Ryo Akitsuki.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

Nearly 200 years ago, Earth was ravaged by a massive electromagnetic wave from a supernova.  Even decades later, the night skies are still tinged with green.  That's the reason that Shima Katose wants to become a space pilot: to see what the stars truly look like.  She manages to get into the illustrious space academy Stellvia and makes some friends, but she struggles with her piloting courses.  What she and her friends don't know is that the second wave of radiation is only a few months away...

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: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: BLUE DESTINY

It's Mecha Month once more at the Manga Test Drive, and naturally I have to start with the franchise I know and like the best...even if this is not one of its best outings. 

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: BLUE DESTINY (Kidou Senshi Gundam Gaiden: THE BLUE DESTINY), based on the franchise created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yadate, written and illustrated by MIzuho Takayama.  First published in 1996 and first published in North America in 1999.

PLOT:

Yu Kajima is just one of the many Federation GM pilots fighting to repel the last remaining Zeon pilots in the closing weeks of the One Year War. His skills have brought him to the attention of Captain Alf Chamra, who believes that Yu is the perfect test pilot for his latest project: an experimental suit called The Blue Destiny, controlled by the equally experimental EXAM system.  Now Yu is being pursued by notorious Zeon ace pilot Nimbus Schatzen, all while experiencing strange visions of a mysterious young woman and piloting a mobile suit that struggles to distingush friend from foe in the heat of battle.

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: ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE: THE WITCH, THE KNIGHT, AND THE LOVE POTION SLIP-UP

There are plenty of witches to be found in the light novel world, alongside the many reincarnated noblewomen and villainesses.  Are they any good, though?

ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE: THE WITCH, THE KNIGHT, AND THE LOVE POTION SLIP-UP (Koisuru Majo wa Elite Kishi ni Horegusuri o Nomasete Shimaimashita: Itsuwari kara Hajimaru Watashi no Dekiai Seikatsu), based on the light novels by Harunadon and illustrations by Eda, written by Itsuki Azumaya with art by Shino Agetate.  First published in 2023 and first published in North America in 2024.

PLOT:

Cecily dreams of having a storybook romance of her own, but her status as a red-eyed witch makes her an outcast in her world.  According to her mother, the only way Cecily can find love is to hone her powers and make a love potion.  Cecily is reluctant to do such things, but after she falls for the kindly knight Zeke she gives in to the temptation.  She makes some major changes to the recipe, but it seems to work.  As Zeke draws Cecily further into his world, Cecily is torn between her growing affection for him and her guilt over building this relationship on a magical lie.

Review: FLYING WITCH

There are many manga that posit what it would be like if magic and witches were real.  This is possibly the most ordinary notion of that idea possible.

FLYING WITCH (Furaingu Witchi), by Chihiro Ishizuka.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

As far as Kei and Chinatsu knew, they were simply hosting their big city cousin Makoto while she went to school with them in rural Aomori.  What they didn't know is that Makoto is a witch in training who has come there to further her magical studies.  So while they help her get her bearings and make some friends, she helps them navigate some of the supernatural things she encounters.

Review: THE GOOD WITCH OF THE WEST

 This year things will be especially witchy at The Manga Test Drive.  Witches can take all sorts of shapes in the world of manga, including as innocent shojo heroines.

THE GOOD WITCH OF THE WEST (Nishi no Yoki Majo), based on the novels by Noriko Ogiwara with art by Haruhiko Momokawa.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Firiel Dee is a gentle girl growing up in the countryside alongside her loving foster parents, her reclusive biological father, and his brilliant but terse apprentice Rune.  On her fifteenth birthday, Firiel is given a beautiful necklace with a blue stone, an heirloom from her late mother.  In truth, Firiel's late mother was a runaway princess and this jewel marks Firiel as a potential candidate to become the next queen.  No sooner does Firiel learn about this than her life is thrown into chaos.  Her foster family is murdered, her bio father has fled, Rune has been captured by a cult, and the only way for Firiel to make it right is to embrace her royal heritage.

Review: A SCHOOL FROZEN IN TIME

Fittingly enough, we end this month on a distinctly spooky school, which has become the site of a very strange mystery. 

A SCHOOL FROZEN IN TIME (Tsumetai Kosha no Toki wa Tomeru), based on the novels by Mizuki Tsujimura with art by Naoshi Arakawa.  First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

It was seemingly just another snowy school day for Hiroshi, Mizuki, and their circle of friends.  It takes a while for them to realize that they are trapped in the school with no one else around, no cell phone service, and no way to get out of the building.  Stranger still, all their watches and clocks stop at the same time and mysterious messages start appearing on the chalkboards and coming through their phones.  It all seems to be tied to the suicide of a classmate three months prior, a classmate who has seemingly disappeared from their photos and memories.  In order to rediscover

Review: HIGH SCHOOL DXD

There was a time when you couldn't swing a stick without hitting a manga adaptation of a light novel series where some horny doofus and his harem of marketable waifus go to Magic School and have fanservice-laden adventures.

This is...certainly one example of those.

HIGH SCHOOL DXD (Haisukuru Di Di), based on the light novels by Ichiei Ishibumi and character designs by Zero Miyama with art by Hiroji Mishima.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Issei was your typical horny high school student, hoping to score some girls and touch some boobs instead of hanging out with his even hornier, stupider friends.  It figures that the first girl to give him the time of day turned out to be a fallen angel who killed him.  Now he's been resurrected as a demon, the latest minion of the bombshell popular girl/demon queen Rias.  Issei is now a soldier in a never-ending war between demons and angels, but he's got a secret weapon up his sleeve.

Review: GAKUEN HEAVEN

 It's back-to-school time here at the Manga Test Drive, which in the manga world means attending anything but your ordinary Japanese high school.  That's certainly the case with our first review, a visual novel adaptation about a very special (and very gay) school.

GAKUEN HEAVEN, based on the visual novel by SPRAY with art by You Higuri.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Keita Itou is a lucky boy.  While he seemingly has no outstanding qualities, he has been accepted to the prestigious boys' school Bell Liberty Academy where every boy has a special talent or quality.  Once he gets there, he is welcomed by the very tall, handsome student body (and in particular by the student council president Niwa).  Soon enough Keita is swept up in a school scavenger hunt where the winner is granted whatever they want.  The competition is fierce, especially once a group of boys use this opportunity to get to Niwa by attacking Keita.

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.

Review: GALAXY ANGEL

 It's once again time for Old-School Manga Month!  Although some of you might object to the inclusion of today's title as "old-school" as some of y'all are old enough to remember when the franchise this came from was brand new.  Alas, I cannot stop the passage of time from coming for your bubble-era faves no more than I can stop myself from giving my own hot take on them.

GALAXY ANGEL (Gyarakushi Enjeru), based on the original concept by Broccoli with story and art by Kanan.  First published in 2001 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Deep in space, an intergalactic civil war rages to determine who will control the Transbaal Empire.  The wicked Prince Eonia has killed everyone else in the royal family save for his youngest brother, Prince Shiva.  The only thing that stands between Shiva and Eonia is the Angel Troupe, five young women with quirky personalities whose duty is to protect the prince...at least, when they're not getting distracted by food or exploring their own massive ship.  Their mission only becomes more chaotic when the space patrolman Takuto gets caught up in their schemes.  Charmed by their mission and good looks, he's determined to help the Angel Troupe bring peace back to the galaxy.

Review: YOWAMUSHI PEDAL

It's once again time for the Summer Olympics, so in turn I'm going to be looking at some sports manga (and in particular those featuring sports you're likely to see at the Olympics), and that includes bike racing.

YOWAMUSHI PEDAL (Yowamushi Pedaru), by Wataru Watanabe.  First published in 2008 and first published in North America in 2015.

PLOT:

Sakamichi Onoda is an otaku who loves nothing more than his regular trips to Akibahara.  It doesn't matter that he lives in the hilly countryside nearly 50km away from the heart of Tokyo - he's happy to bike his way there and back if it lets him save that much more money for another vending machine toy.  Eventually Sakamichi's endurance is noticed by a couple of classmates who are part of the school's biking team.  They eventually convince Sakamichi to give them a chance, but the transition from casual trips to Tokyo on an everyday bike to serious races on sporting models is a rough, even perilous one.

Review: MISTER MISTRESS

 I can't not close out this month by shooting the metaphorical fish in the barrel - i.e., reaching deep into my boxes of BL manga and finding some silly-looking stinker to review.

MISTER MISTRESS (Aijin Incubus), by Rize Shinba.  First published in 2005 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Fujimaru is your standard horny hetero teen boy, and it turns out that his teenage libido is the key to unlocking the secret of his late grandfather's house: an incubus named Rei.  Rei craves Fujimaru's body and the raging hormones within it, but Fujimaru isn't very keen on the idea.  The more he tries to resist, the harder Rei tries to trick him into sex.  How long can Fujimari hold out against such temptation?

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.

Review: A FOREIGN LOVE AFFAIR

It's time once more for me to dive into my boxes of BL and find a fresh new handful to talk about this Pride month.  We'll start off simple with an early work from a familiar name.

A FOREIGN LOVE AFFAIR (Iroku Iroku Romantan), by Ayano Yamane.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

On a luxury cruise in the Mediterranean, the young yakuza heir Ranmaru Ohmi is supposed to be enjoying an Italian honeymoon with the daughter of a rival family.  Instead he's picking fights with everyone on the ship, from his new wife to random passengers.  It's up to cruise captain (and secret Japanophile) Alberto Valentiano to keep the peace.  He's instantly smitten with both Ranmaru's looks and insistence on wearing kimonos, and he swiftly seduces Ranmaru.  The two are reunited when Ranmaru goes missing, but that's just the beginning of their truly tumultuous love affair.

Merry Month of Manga: SMUGGLER

 And now we switch gears hard, going from a sensitive and accomplished coming-of-age drama to a messy seinen crime story.

SMUGGLER, by Shohei Manabe.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2006.

                                               

PLOT:

Kinuta didn't meant to end up in the Yakuza.  He wanted to be an actor.  Then he got into some financial trouble, which led to him meeting the worst sorts of people and getting himself deeper in trouble.  Now he's stuck dumping bodies, bereft of any purpose in his life.  Things only get worse when a couple of Chinese assassins take out his boss.  His gang manage to capture one of the assassins, but Kinuta accidentally lets him escape.  Kinuta must take the assassin's place to hide his failure, but the longer the deception goes on the more he loses himself in the role.

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?

Merry Month of Manga: TOMCATS

One of the advantages of a month of one-shots is that it gives me a chance to do some deep diving in my piles of BL books, since most of those are stand-alone volumes.

One of the disadvantages is that means I end up encountering oddities like this.

TOMCATS (Tenshi no Jikan), by Mashiro Minamino.  First published in 2005 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Mao was just another disaffected young man slaving his days away in a pizza parlor.  Then he meets Tora, a strong, silent man who becomes just as fond of Mao as he is of his cats (who just so happen to be little people with cat ears and tails who are capable of speech, understanding, and cooking).  Tora's yakuza past eventually catches up to him, forcing Tora to flee with Mao and their cats to the desert.  While Mao and Tora adjust to their new life, their pets discover magic birds, never-ending food supplies, and a cat god.

Merry Month of Manga: SHORT-TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC AND OTHER STORIES

 As this blog enters its 13th year, I'm celebrating it in the usual fashion: a month's worth of reviews.  This time around, it's all One-Volume Wonders, starting with this collection from notable shojo mangaka Arina Tanemura.

SHORT-TEMPERED MELACHOLIC AND OTHER STORIES (Kanshakudama no Yuutsu), by Arina Tanemura.  First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Kajika is the heir to an old ninja family and is proud to show off the skills her grandfather taught her...at least, until her crush Fujisaki tells her to be more ladylike.  Her attempts fail, but after her childhood best friend gets into a fight with Fujisaki for her honor she learns that it's better to be true to herself than to meet some boy's unrealistic expectations.  This is followed by other simple tales of teenaged love, including a girl who uses her ditzy best friend as a stand-in during a date with a pen-pal, a girl trying to convince a stubborn boy to not give up on love, and a girl who gets over her crush on her best friend's boyfriend thanks to a particularly persistent admirer.

Review: PRETEAR

Spring is finally springing forth at last, and with it comes a month of magical girl manga here at the Manga Test Drive.  Our first title isn't one of the best known titles, but it's got some really interesting things going for it.

PRETEAR (Shin Shirayuki-hime Densetsu Puritia), written by Junichi Sato and art by Kaori Naruse.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Himeno went from near poverty to riches beyond their dreams when her father married a cosmetics magnate.  The only problem is that her stepmother and stepsisters antagonize her at every turn, to the point that Himeno feels like a stranger in her own household.  Her sad reveries are interrupted by seven strange men who declare her to be the Pretear and that they are her knights.  By magically fusing with these young men, she can gain elemental powers which she can use to fight the strange monsters that are stealing the life force from the world.  Himeno now has to juggle her family issues with her duties as a magical girl, even with the Princess of Disaster lingering on the sidelines.

Review: A TALE OF AN UNKNOWN COUNTRY

It's quite rare to see a shojo maid manga.  Maids tend to be there to assist the heroine, not be the focus of the story.  I guess that's technically true for this one as well...look, let me explain below.

A TALE OF AN UNKNOWN COUNTRY (Shirinai Kuni no Monogatari), by Natsuna Kawase.  First published in 2001 and first published in North America in 2009.

PLOT:

Rosemarie is the princess of a small but impoverished kingdom of Ardela, where even the royal family has to work part-time selling goods to tourists at their castle to get by.  To improve their lot, Rosemarie is to be married to Prince Reynol of the far more advanced kingdom of Yurinela.  Rosemarie has heard nothing but bad things about this prince, so to find out more she poses as "Marie" the maid and joins Reynol's household.  As the two grow closer, Rosemarie starts to worry that she can't reveal her true feelings without offending him and ruining everything.

Review: THE MAID I HIRED RECENTLY IS MYSTERIOUS

That's not to say that modern maid manga can't be horny either.  They just tend to be a little less obvious about it.

THE MAID I HIRED RECENTLY IS MYSTERIOUS (Saikin Yatotta Maid ga Ayashii), by Wakame Konbu.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

Somewhere in the countryside, a young man lives alone in a large house with a beautiful new maid.  He can't quite pin down why he finds her so fascinating.  Is it her excellent cooking? Her ability to guess his every need?  Her somewhat revealing uniform? Her exotic purple eyes? 

There's only one sensible explanation: she can't be human.  She must be some sort of demon or something!  That's why he can't stop thinking about her everyday!  It can't possibly be that he's attracted to her!  Clearly, the best response is to confront her with this truth, along with overly honest confessions of how much he thinks of her and how he wants her to stay with him forever.  That'll show her!

Review: HANAUKYO MAID TEAM

 The peak of maid manga came at the beginning of the millennium, when literally any doofus could make a ecchi manga, throw some maids in it, and call it a day.

HANAUKYO MAID TEAM (Hanaukyo Maid-tai), by Morishige.  First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2003.

STORY:

Tarou didn't know what to expect when his dying mother bid him to go to his grandfather.  He didn't expect his grandfather to be fabulously wealthy with a giant mansion full of horny maids to cater to his every need.  He definitely didn't expect said grandfather to leave everything to Tarou.  Now he has to learn how to navigate his life with an army of maids who create a lot of chaos in their attempts to manage every detail of his life.

Review: MY MAID, MISS KISHI

With spring on the horizon, it's time for some spring cleaning.  That makes it the perfect time of year to look at a few of the many maid manga out there, such as this recent digital offering from Kodansha.

MY MAID, MISS KISHI (Maid no Kishi-san), by Kano Kashiwagi.  First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

Kiichiro Hayase is the heir to a corporate conglomerate.  He's young, handsome, wealthy beyond measure, polite...and hopelessly klutzy.  That's why he relies upon his personal maid, Miss Kishi, to manage the little details of his everyday life.  Miss Kishi is as capable and reliable as he could ever hope for, but he begins to wonder why he's never seen her smile.  Thus, Kiichiro takes it upon himself to show his gratitude by finding a way to please Miss Kishi.  How do you find a gift for a maid who wants for nothing, isn't impressed by fabulous displays of wealth, and never seems to change her expression?