Holiday Review: OTHERWORLDLY IZAKAYA NOBU

Thankfully, there are isekai stories out there that aren't naked power fantasies, edgelord or otherwise.  Some of them are just about having nice bar food.

OTHERWORLDY IZAKAYA NOBU (Isekai Izakaya "Nobu"), based on the story by Natsuya Semikawa and character designs by Kururi; art by Virginia Nitouhei.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

With the medieval walled city of Eiteriach, there is a strange pub that serves as a portal to another world.  Within its walls, the head chef and his friendly waitress Shinobu offer up classic izakaya fare to the grateful populace.  Whether it's soldiers from the city watch, snooty tax collectors, or fussy aristocrats, all find themselves overwhelmed by the exotic new food and cold mugs of 'whatsontapp.'

2017 in the Rear View Mirror & Holiday Giveaway Winner!

First of all, my apologies for the lateness of this post.  A lot of stuff came my way at the end of the year: family get-togethers, a wicked 1-2 punch of a head cold and tonsilitis, and the addition of two small, furry, squirrelly members to our household who are currently dividing their time between zooming around my house and sleeping sweetly on the couch.

First things first, it's time to announce this year's Holiday Giveaway Winner!  We had plenty of good comments, but according to the random number generator our winner is...Usamimi!

That's so hard!! I'd say the Rakugo Shinju manga just because I love the series so much & I'm so glad we're getting it in English.

Goodness knows I won't argue with that assessment.  Congratulations to our winner, and I'll be getting in touch with her soon to deliver her prize.

That said, this year was...interesting for The Manga Test Drive.  It's certainly the busiest I've been outside of the site.  I wrote a couple of articles for Anime Feminist, presented a couple of panels at last year's AnimeFest in Dallas, started a new feature on Infinite Rainy Day,and  got pull-quoted by Dark Horse for both the latest volume of Berserk and the upcoming guide book.  I was also chosen to be one of the judges for Manga of the Year for Crunchyroll's annual Anime Awards, something which continues to blow my mind considering that many of the other judges are writers and reviewers whose works I followed for years and (in some cases) inspired me to create this very site.

I also entered the world of crowdfunding when I started a Patreon campaign back in March.  To my surprise and delight, it managed to make more than a handful of change right from the start! Some even increased their donations during Patreon's brief, misguided fit of greed in December.  I can't overstate how much that support means to me and the site and I hope that many more regular readers join them.

That being said, the kerfuffle over Patreon last month helped me realize that I needed to diversify my crowdfunding options to help stave off concerns about corporate freakouts like that and to give my readers more ways to help support the site.  That's why I'm proud to announce that The Manga Test Drive now has a Ko-Fi account!



Now in addition to supporting the site on a regular, monthly basis through Patreon, you can support us anytime for any reason through Ko-Fi.  This will not be the last addition, though.  In the coming months, I plan on opening up a Paypal tip jar (along with the possibility of commission for future non-Test Drive reviews and features).  I will also be looking into other crowdfunding sites such as Drip as they go public.  Of course, I will keep you all informed as any changes come and The Manga Test Drive enters its sixth year.

Holiday Review: MY BROTHER'S HUSBAND

True to form, I end these holiday reviews with a story that's all about family and acceptance, as well as yet another stand-out LGBTQ-themed book from another unexpected source.

MY BROTHER'S HUSBAND (Ototo no Otto), by Gengoroh Tagame.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Yaichi leads a largely comfortable life raising his daughter Kana, even as he tries to come to terms with the recent death of his estranged twin brother Ryoji.  Then one day his brother's widower shows up at his door, a big, burly, gentle ginger giant named Mike.  Mike has come to Japan to learn about his late husband's family and early life, but his presence ends up forcing Yaichi to come to terms with not only his own prejudices, but his own past as well.

Holiday Review: DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON

For me, Christmas is a time all about good food.  Naturally, this means my mind turns to good food manga, and we got a doozy of a food manga this year.

DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON (Danjon Meshi), by Ryoko Kui.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Laios was deep in a dungeon when his sister was eaten by a dragon.  With Marcelle the elven mage and Chilchuck the halfing at his side, he's determined to make his way back to the dragon by subsisting entirely on food gathered from the dungeons.  Together with Senshi the dwarf, they will cook their way through floors full of basilisks, slimes, living armor and more.

Holiday Review: THE FULL TIME WIFE ESCAPIST

I also don't want to imply that there was no good josei either.  Kodansha took up the mantle there too, albeit mostly digitally.  The obvious choice would be Akiko Higashimura's Tokyo Tarareba Girls, but since that's getting a print release next year I'm going to hold off on that.  Instead I want to talk about another great josei series that mostly slipped under everyone's radar.

THE FULL TIME ESCAPIST'S WIFE (Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu), by Tsunami Umino.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Mikuri spent her twenties working on a graduate degree in psychology, only to find herself unable to find work in both her field and through temp agencies.  To support herself, she takes up a housekeeping job for Tsukazi, a standoffish salaryman, but this job is put into peril when Mikuri's parents decide to retire to the countryside.  That's when she and Tsukazi come up with a bold plan: the two will go through with a common-law marriage to keep up appearances, but otherwise continue with the same professional arrangement they had before.  Things seem to go smoothly at first, but can these two fake being married without feelings ever coming into the picture or anyone learning the truth?

Holiday Review: THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE

I feel bad for implying that there wasn't any truly stand-out shoujo series released this year as that's simply not true.  Things can't be all bad when you get a new series from the creator of Dawn of the Arcana.

THE WATER DRAGON'S BRIDE (Suijin no Hanayome), by Rei Toma.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Asahi was just playing in her parents' yard when she's whisked into the pond and transported to a realm that's many hundreds of years before her own.  Initially she is saved by a young boy from the village, but the rest of the village sees her as an outsider who will do as a sacrifice to the water dragon in the lake.  Now she is trapped in the realm of the water dragon who has little interest in humanity, much less a bride, desperate to simply go home.

Holiday Review: ACCA 13

It's rather appropriate that I brought up Natsume Ono in the last review, as her latest series came out here less than a month ago.  Does it live up to the high standards of her previous work?  Well, that depends on how you look at it...

ACCA 13: TERRITORY INSPECTION DEPARTMENT (Acca 13: Jusan-ku Kansatsu-ka), by Natsume Ono.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

The land of Dowa is a seemingly peaceful collection of 13 districts united under a king.  This peace is maintained in part by the Acca Office, whose duty is to inspect the other territorial bureaus for discrepancies.  Their best agent is Vice-Chair Jean Otus, who is known just as much for his smoking habit as he is for his keen eyes and mind.  Initially, his goal is to simply preserve the office from being shut down as a budget-saving measure, but as the story progresses we learn that he may have more ambitious goals in mind for himself.

Holiday Review: DESCENDING STORIES: SHOWA GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJU

Yuki Fumino isn't the only BL mangaka to make an impression this year.  Haruko Kumota primarily makes BL herself, but she finally made her print debut in English with her josei series about an obscure form of stagecraft and a LOT of complicated feelings.

DESCENDING STORIES: SHOW GENROKU RAKUGO SHINJU, by Haruko Kumota.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Fresh out of prison, a young man is determined to find Yakumo,the rakugo master who inspired him and become his apprentice.  He manages to convince the difficult old man, but the newly dubbed Yotaro finds himself now caught in the middle of a long-simmering family feud between Yakumo, his adopted daughter Konatsu, and the dead man whose memories haunt them both.

Holiday Review: I HEAR THE SUNSPOT

Thankfully, there was a lot more LGTBQ-related manga that came out this year to counter missteps like the previous review, including today's subject.  Who could have guessed that the best BL book to come out in English this year wasn't from a specialized imprint, but from an oddball publisher like One Peace Books?

I HEAR THE SUNSPOT (Hidamari Ga Kikoeru), by Yuki Fumino.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Taichi is a cheerful, outspoken college kid who is driven more by his hunger than anything else.  That hunger ends up leading him to Kohei, whose hearing loss has led him to withdraw from most of his peers.  Taichi accepts his offer to take his notes in exchange for food, and the two become friends.  That friendship is put to the test when Kohei's condition gets worse and Taichi begins to understand his true feelings.

Holiday Review: THE HIGH SCHOOL LIFE OF A FUDANSHI

You'd think that I would have been looking forward to this one, considering that it was a 4-koma comedy all about BL fandom and Seven Seas's first tenuous steps towards licensing the real deal.  If only it had more than just one joke.

THE HIGH SCHOOL LIFE OF A FUDANSHI (Fudanshi Koko Seikatsu), by Atami Michinoku.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Ryo Sakaguchi has a secret: he loves BL manga.  He loves it so much that he ships his classmates, spends all his money on manga and merchandise, and confuses his best friend Nakamura with fandom jargon.  Yet he's afraid of others finding out and thinking that he's gay, so he often has to settle for Twitter and lurking in the BL aisles of bookstores.  So how is he going to deal with manipulative, openly gay Shiratori, fanatical fujoshi Nishihara, and fellow fudanshi and amateur mangaka Daigo?

Holiday Review: AHO-GIRL

There wasn't a lot of comedy manga to speak of this year, so all we had to read was manga like....THIS.

AHO-GIRL (Aho garu), by Hiroyuki.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Yoshiko is stupid.  Abysmally stupid.  Her only interests seem to be playing, eating bananas, and tormenting teasing her neighbor Akkun.  Meanwhile, he's simply trying to study while keeping Yoshiko's stupidity under control and endure the weirdness of his fellow classmates.

Holiday Review: THE HOUND AND OTHER STORIES

Meanwhile, Dark Horse was largely busy this year with the American side of their business.  The manga side was mostly just keeping up with Berserk's most recent return from hiatus, but they also put out a single volume manga dealing with one of modern horror's favorite authors: H. P. Lovecraft.

H. P. LOVECRAFT'S THE HOUND AND OTHER STORIES (Maken - Lovecraft Kessakushu), adapted and artwork by Gou Tanabe.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

This collection covers three stories from Lovecraft's earlier days.  First there is "The Temple," where a crew of a Nazi U-boat is slowly driven to madness and mutiny by ancient forces.  Next is the titular story, where a pair of graverobbers steal a pendant and unleash a terrible supernatural creature in the process.  Finally there is "The Nameless City," where an explorer discovers a lost city in the desert, and barely escapes from the forces that destroyed it in the first place.

Holiday Review: DISSOLVING CLASSROOM

There was a small but strong line up of horror manga to come out this year, kicked off with a collection by one of the genre's masters.

DISSOLVING CLASSROOM (Yokai Kyoushitsu), by Junji Ito.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Across Japan, a strange phenomenon is happening.  People are having their brains melted out of their very heads.  Sometimes their entire bodies disappear into a puddle of goo, leaving nothing but a stain.  Others have their faces warped into hideous visages, all while telling themselves that they are unparalleled beauties.  All of these strange occurences seemed to be tied to two people: Chizumi Azawa, a creepy girl with a fondness for brains, and her big brother Yuuma who can't stop apologizing for everything.

Holiday Review: SP BABY

That wasn't the only josei series to come out this year, though.  Viz continues to sneak out the occasional josei title through the Shojo Beat line, and sadly they can't all be Everyone's Getting Married levels of good.

SP BABY (SPxBaby), by Maki Enjoji.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Tamaki Hasegawa was simply trying to get to an interview.  She just couldn't help kicking and lashing out when she saw what she thought was a man in a fight.  That man turned out to be Kagetora Suga, the nephew of the prime minister, and he thinks she'll be perfect to serve as his bodyguard.  No one ever said that this new job would also require fending off a lot of stolen kisses and possibly her own changing feelings for her new boss.

Holiday Review: FRAU FAUST

This was easily one of my most anticipated titles of the year since not only was it a new josei title, but one from the creator of one of my favorite ongoing manga.  So why does it feel like a bit of a disappointment?

FRAU FAUST, by Kore Yamazaki.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

To young Marion, Johanna was simply the strange yet smart stranger in town who needed his help.  He could have never guessed that she was the Dr. Faust of legend, who made a deal with a demon and now seeks to reassemble the same demon she dealt with.  Soon Marion finds himself joining her motley household of orphans and creations, all while holy crusaders try to hunt her down.

Holiday Review: THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Then there's the work that everyone presumed was shoujo but wasn't.  Much like The Ancient Magus' Bride before it, this is technically shonen but still managed to capture something strange yet beautiful.

THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE: SIUIL, A RUIN: (Totsukuni no Shoujo), by Nagabe.  First published in 2015 and first published in 2017.

PLOT:

Deep in the forest, past the abandoned village, lives two beings in a cozy cottage.  One is Shiva, a friendly and curious young girl who waits everyday for her auntie to return for her.  The other is nameless, known only as "Teacher" to Shiva.  He cares for her and protects her, but makes her promise one thing: that she never touch him.  He bears a curse that turned him into a dark and demonic-looking creature, and if Shiva should touch him the curse will spread to her.  That's far from the only danger she faces, though.  Not only are there soldiers looking to kill anyone who might be tainted with the curse, there are other creatures like Teacher whose intentions are nowhere near so noble.

Holiday Review: BEAUTY BUNNY

Kodansha has been picking up all sorts of shoujo manga, but most of it is digital only.  I have to wonder whether this because they want to give harder-to-market works a chance to find a fandom or to simply hide titles like this out of shame.

BEAUTY BUNNY, by Mari Yoshino.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Kohane is a 17-year-old who takes care of her flighty, irresponsible hostess mother while she accomadates to her new high school. Things get off to a bad start when class prince/makeup company scion Iori calls her ugly.  Things only get worse when he gets Kohane out of a scrape with a makeover and he decides to make her his personal pet project.  Kohane never had much interest in makeup and other girly things, but maybe his skills will help her change her mind...

Holiday Review: THE ROYAL TUTOR

Yen Press's shojo offerings have always been hit or miss, but today's review covers one of the more notable ones, not the least of which is because it was originally one of their digital exclusives.

THE ROYAL TUTOR (Oshitsu Kyoshi Haine), by Higasa Akai.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Heine Wittgenstein has been summoned to the Royal Palace of Granzreich for a daunting task: to become the royal tutor and turn the king's four younger sons into men worthy of the throne.  This is no small feat, as he has to deal with the stubborn and childish Leonhart, the quiet and taciturn Kai, the scholarly and competitive Bruno, and the flirtatious and flippant Liche.  It will take all of Heine's intellect and wit to get past their defenses and prove to them that he is worthy of the role as their teacher.

Holiday Review: ANONYMOUS NOISE

There was plenty of shoujo manga that came out this year, but for once it wasn't Viz leading the charge as far as number or quality.  With debuts like this, it's little wonder why this year was an off one for them.

ANONYMOUS NOISE (Fukumenkei Noizu), by Ryoko Fukuyama.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Nino Arusigawa's childhood was defined by two major losses.  The first was her best friend Momo, who would sing with her from their bedroom windows whenever their parents fought.  Her grief over him led her to Yuzu, a moody young boy with a gift for songwriting.  Both boys were captivated by her voice.  Momo told her that if she sang loud enough, he would always find her; Yuzu simply wanted to keep that powerful voice for himself to fuel his own passion for music.

Fast forward to high school, where Nino's grief is still so strong that she wears headphones to shut out the world and a surgical mask to keep herself from screaming in grief.  She reunites with Yuzu and finds her voice again, unaware that Momo may be closer than she expected...

Holiday Review: THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SLIME

A lot of recent isekai stories have tried to distinguish themselves by having the hero reincarnate as something other than human within their fantasy worlds.  Some of them can get particularly wacky with this idea, but when it works the results can be interesting.

THAT TIME I GOT REINCARNATED AS A SLIME (Tenshi Shitara Slime Datta Ken), based on the novel by Fuse, with art by Taiki Kawakami and character designs by Mitz Yah.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Satoru Mikami is another run-of-the-mill salaryman until the day he gets stabbed to death.  Instead of crossing over into the afterlife, he is instead reincarnated as a humble slime monster within a cave.  After making a deal with a dragon to gain some senses and absorb some new skills, the newly redubbed Rimaru Tempest plops his way into the world, ready to explore the world.