Holiday Review #8: TEPPEKI HONEYMOON

Of course, we got plenty of shojo manga this year as well (even if it continues to be a struggle to get anyone - even the publishers - to make a big deal out of it).  We even got some new titles from older, proven creators like this one.

TEPPEKI HONEYMOON (Teppeki Hanimun), by Meca Tanaka.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Ena's been trying to hold her family business together with nothing but hard work and her unusual strength, but that alone can't save her from the millions of yen in debt hanging over her head.  A chance encounter with a strange young man leads to her getting summoned to the Kugo security company.  They want only the strongest young woman to marry their son Kanae, but Kanae just wants them to stop so he live and work in peace.  Eventually he and Ena come to an agreement: he'll pay off her debts in full if she's willing to pose as his fiancé for two months.  That sounds simple enough, but what happens when the lines between reality and the ruse start to blur?

Review: I WAS SOLD DIRT CHEAP BUT MY POWER LEVEL IS OFF THE CHARTS

It's mecha month once more, and that includes isekai manga.  There's been a recent spate of isekai light novel adaptations featuring mecha and this is...certainly one of them.

I WAS SOLD DIRT CHEAP BUT MY POWER LEVEL IS OFF THE CHARTS (Class Saiyasunede Urareta Orewa, Jitsuwa Saikyo Parameter), based on the light novels by RYOMA and original character designs by Susumu Koroi with art by Cambria Bakuhatsu Tarou.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

For Yuta and his classmates, it was just supposed to be an ordinary class trip. Then their entire bus was magically transported to another world expressly for the purpose of being sold off as slaves.  Those found to possess a high magical power (such as Yuta’s crush and his best friend) are sold for a fortune to nearby lords and kingdoms to pilot powerful, ancient mecha suits to fight their own petty struggles.  Those found lacking are sold off for practically nothing for cheap labor…like Yuta.  What Yuta doesn’t know is that his magic levels are so strong that they could not be accurately measured.  He’ll unwittingly use that power to escape slavery, make some friends, and eventually find his way into the cockpit of one of those magical mecha on his own terms.

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.

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.

Review: THE REPRISE OF THE SPEAR HERO

 You might be surprised to see me give another chance to another installment in this regrettable franchise, but considering this one is all about second chances it only seems fitting.

THE REPRISE OF THE SPEAR HERO (Yari no Yusha no Yarinaoshi), based on the original light novels by Aneko Yusagi and character designs by Minami Seira with art by Neet.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:  

Motoyasu Kitamura was summoned to another world to become the legendary Spear Hero…at least, until he died.  Curiously, upon dying he wakes up once more at the moment of his summoning, with only fragmentary memories but his skills and levels intact.  The one thing he does remember clearly from his past is Filo-tan, the beautiful bird-girl who spurned him before.  This time around he’s determined to find her again and win her heart!  To do so, Motoyasu needs to protect her past and future ‘father’ Naofumi the Shield Hero, even if it means dying over and over until he gets it right.

Review: THE RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO

Sadly, not all isekai fantasy stories these days are as harmless as So I'm a Spider, So What?.  The concept has always been a playground for male power fantasies, and these days it seems the fantasies are taking more and more from both hentai doujin and the darkest parts of their creator's minds.

THE RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO (Tate no Yusha no Nariagari), based on the light novel by Aneko Yusagi & character designs by Minami Seira, with art by Aiya Kyu.  First published in 2014, and first published in North America in 2015.

PLOT:

Naofumi Iwatani was just another hapless college-aged otaku, but a chance encounter with a strange old book sending him hurdling into a strange, medieval world alongside 3 other young men.  They are declared heroes of prophecy and gifted with magic weapons.  Naofumi is initially disappointed to get only a shield, but when the pretty young Myne offers to join his party, he believes his fortunes are finally looking up.

Then Myne betrays him, steals his goods, and accuses him of rape.  Naofumi quickly becomes a pariah in the kingdom.  The only party member he can get is Raphtalia, a half-tanuki girl that he buys as a slave.  Together the two venture out into the world to level up and discover what fate the world has in store for them.

Holiday Reviews: HINAMATSURI

Comedy manga is a hard thing to pull off, and deadpan comedy even more so.  So leave it to a seinen story of a yakuza thug and his unwittingly adopted psychic daughter to get it right.

HINAMATSURI, by Masao Ohtake.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Yoshifumi Nitta is an up-and-coming Yazkua whose decadent life is turned upside down by a strange metal egg that appears in his apartment, which in turn contains a strange young girl named Hina.  Hina has incredible telekinetic powers, but she also has expensive taste in food and her powers creates as many problems for Nitta as it does solve them.  Together the two will have to find a way to forge something like a family despite neither of them quite knowing how that works.

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.

Review: MARIA HOLIC

Until today, I wondered to myself "why hasn't anyone made a yuri harem series?  It could be fun, or at least a different take on a very tired genre."

Then I read today's offering, and it not only manage to spoil that scenario, but managed to piss me off in the process.

MARIA HOLIC (Maria Horikku), by Minari Endou.  First published in 2006 and first published in North America in 2009.

PLOT:

Kanako couldn't be happier to be attending an all-girls' high school.  Kanako is not only a lesbian, but she fears men to the point where she gets hives if a man touches her.  Thus, she's all too ready to take in all the beauties around her, even if means constant nosebleeds.  Then she stumbles upon a terrible secret.  It seems that Mariya, the school beauty, is secretly a boy, and he will resort to all sorts of dirty tactics to keep his secret.  Things only get more complicated when Kanako's attempts at making friends end up turning into an impromptu harem of girls, all of whom want to protect her, date her, or befriend her.