Review: SPELL OF DESIRE

This October I want to look at some manga about some decidedly un-wicked witches, such as this josei romance title. 

SPELL OF DESIRE (Majo no Biyaku), by Tomu Ohmi.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Ever since her grandmother died, Kaoruko has spent her time running her grandmother's herbalist shop, fending off both pests and the attention of other men.  Her quiet days come to an end when Kaname Hibiki steps through her door with some stunning revelations.  Kaoruko is the latest in a long line of witches, and not only is Kaoruko's long-absent mother still alive, but a witch queen.  Kaoruko possess the same magic potential as her mother, but that same power makes her enticing to both strange men and strange creatures.  Her only defense is Kaname, a magical knight who can defend her from all threats and seal her runaway magic with a kiss.

Review: THE FAILURE AT GOD SCHOOL

Let's take a look at some modern shojo school stories, starting with this recent title.

THE FAILURE AT GOD SCHOOL (Kami-sama Gakko no Ochikobore), based on the light novels by Natsu Hyuuga and character designs by Seikaisha with art by Modomu Akagawara.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

In a Japan not too different from our own, there are "Himiko," people who possess supernatural powers like telekinesis, telepathy, or the ability to manifest or manipulate the elements around them.  These people are tracked and classified by the government and most are sent to specialized schools to further refine their abilities so that they can aid their communities.  Only a select few possess potent enough powers to be classified as "gods," and Nagi is in desperate need of a god.

Her grandmother was a god who once staffed the local shrine.  Nagi's twin brother Takeru was supposed to take her place after her death, but his powers are lacking and his social anxiety has turned him into a hikikomori who communicates with her telepathically through a plush bear.  Nagi thought she didn't have any powers at all...until she gets an acceptance letter to Kannagara Academy after saving a missing neighborhood boy.  Now it's up to her to make friends, try and figure out what skills she might possess, and why she was sent there in the first place.

Review: ALICE THE 101ST

Of course, there are plenty of shojo titles about schools (and music schools in particular), but few of them are as messy as this one.

ALICE THE 101ST (101 Hitome no Alice), by Chigusa Kawai.  First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

There is no academy that can compare with the Mondonville School of Music.  Only the most talented kids are admitted, and only 100 students are admitted each year.  That's why everyone is surprised when there's an extra boy on this year's list by the name of Aristide Lang.

Aristide (nicknamed "Alice") comes from a long line of violinists, and while he's got an incredible ear for music he struggles with actually playing and the formality of the school's curriculum and students.  This combined with his short stature and pretty face makes him a target for bullies like Richard de Diamant, the wealthy second chair violinist who sees his place in the school as his birthright.  He doesn't understand why his late grandfather insisted that he come to this school, but Aristide is willing to work hard, make friends, hone his skills, and prove his worth.

Review: ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT GIRL NUKU NUKU

This is a manga release I suspect most of you didn't even know existed.  As we'll see, maybe there's a good reason for that.

ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT GIRL NUKU NUKU (Banno Bunka Nekomusume), by Yuzo Takada and Yuji Moriyama.  First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Late one Christmas Eve, young Ryunosuke and his scientist father Kyusaku discover an injured cat.  Ryunosuke begs his father to save the cat, which Kyusaku does by implanting its brain into a prototype android body.  Now she is Nuku Nuku, a teen girl with the strength of a robot and the instincts of a cat.  All she wants to do is please her newfound family, even if it means dealing with school trips, alien cats, and Kyusaku's ex-wife.

Review: THE LEGEND OF MOTHER SARAH

It's time for yet another Old School Month here at the Manga Test Drive, and we're digging deep into the Dark Horse library to dig up a forgotten story from one of manga's most legendary creators.

THE LEGEND OF MOTHER SARAH (Sara), by Katsuhiro Otomo with art by Takumi Nagayasu.  First published in 1990 and first published in North America in 1996.

PLOT:

In the future, nuclear devastation has driven humanity to space stations in low orbit.  A civil war broke out between those who wanted to stay in space and those who wanted to use an experimental bomb to reboot Earth's ecosystem and were unafraid to bomb those space stations to prove their point.

Only a small portion of humanity made it back to Earth, struggling to survive in this post-apocalyptic world.  One of those survivors is Sarah, who wanders the world in the hopes of finding the children she lost during the evacuation.  In the process, she finds herself in a mining town ruled by a tyrant.  There, water is just as precious as gold and there are plenty who would fight to control them both.

Review: FRUITS BASKET ANOTHER

Let's wrap things up with the modern sequel to one of shojo manga's most beloved series.

FRUITS BASKET ANOTHER (Furutsu Basuketto Anaza), by Natsuki Takaya.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Sawa can't seem to do anything right.  Everyone seems to be judging her: her teachers, her classmates, her mother, her landlord.  Her anxiety is so bad that she can barely function.  That's when Mutsumi Sohma, the handsome school council president, extends his hand in kindness to her (while also securing her a spot on the student council).  Bit by bit, Sawa's world begins to open up alongside Mutsumi, his reticent cousin Hajime, and Hajime's perky twin sister Sora.

Review: GRAVITATION EX

It's time to return to one of the landmarks in millennial BL and see how its sequel fares.

GRAVITATION EX, by Maki Murakami.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2007.

PLOT:

Shuichi and Eiri have finally settled into a relationship, and now they are travelling to NYC so Yuki can give his final respects to his former teacher Yuki.  No sooner do they get there than they get saddled with Riku, Yuki's orphaned son.  The two now have to juggle caring for a child alongside managing their stormy relationship, the demands of Shuichi's rising music career, and all sorts of nonsense along the way.

Review: THE ECCENTRIC DOCTOR OF THE MOON FLOWER KINGDOM

 It was inevitable that the success of The Apothecary Diaries would spawn imitators.  Those imitators can be enjoyable in their own right, but this book can't help but make me wish I was just reading about MaoMao instead.

THE ECCENTRIC DOCTOR OF THE MOON FLOWER KINGDOM (Gekkakoku Kaiden), by Tohru Himuka.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2023.

PLOT:

Trouble is afoot in the capital of the Moon Flower Kingdom.  The head consort wants to clear the way for her own son, even if that means killing the crown prince Keiun.  His guard is injured during their escape, and this is what ultimately leads him to the small-town doctor Koyou.  Her pretty face and ditzy ways bely her talent for practical treatments and medicine-making.  Keiun takes it upon himself to bring her and her assistant to the palace to ply her trade, even if it means facing all the machinations of the royal court.

Review: SAKURA'S DEDICATION

April showers are bringing us a month of manga with flowery titles.  It's also the season for sakura blossoms, so naturally we should start with a schoolroom romance featuring a Sakura.

SAKURA'S DEDICATION (Sakura wa Watashi o Sukisugiru), by Fuyu Yukimiya.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

Sawa's just broke up with her boyfriend for cheating on her.  Her classmate Sakura confesses to her almost immediately upon hearing this, but she turns him down because he's just not her type.  He's not deterred, though, and soon Sawa begins to understand that maybe what she needs isn't someone who is 'her type,' but instead someone loyal, honest, and true.

Review: THIGH HIGH: REIWA HANAMARU ACADEMY

This month we'll be looking at some the ways that manga plays with flipping sexes and genders.  Since March is also the time for the start of the new school year in Japan, this series seems doubly suitable to kick things off.

THIGH HIGH: REIWA HANAMARU ACADEMY (Reiwa Hanamaru Gakuen), by Kotobuki.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

Hanamaru High School is a place where handsome young men can enjoy their free and youthful days.  Alas, this is not the case for the uptight, prudish, and socially awkward class representative Kiritani.  Thankfully his friend Harumi is there to help him get over his hang-ups and maybe even help out some of the other lovely boys with their own problems.

Holiday Review #24: CAT'S EYE

This year also brought us quite a few older manga titles from some surprising sources.  Kana took advantage of their French heritage and that country's long-standing love of Tsukasa Hojo to not only put out City Hunter again but publish Hojo's other hit series from the 1980s in English for the first time.

CAT'S EYE (Kyattsu Ai), by Tsukasa Hojo.  First published in 1981 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

By day, Rui, Hitomi, and Ai are the beautiful proprietors of the Cat's Eye cafe.  By night, the Kisugi sisters become Tokyo's most notorious art thieves, using all their skills to capture priceless paintings and jewels in the hopes of finding a lead on their long-missing father.  The only clue they ever leave is a calling card, much to the consternation of lead detective Toshio.  He would never guess that the answer to all his problems lies within his favorite hang-out spot or that his high-school sweetheart Hitomi is using him for insider info on their heists.

Holiday Review #22: A VAMPIRE IN THE BATHHOUSE

 Of course, it's also fun to take figures of horror and put them into wacky situations for the sake of comedy.  For example, you could have...

A VAMPIRE IN THE BATHHOUSE (Sento to Vampire), by Niko Izuki.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Luka Edelmondt Finsternis might be a regal, dashing vampire, but sometimes he gets curious about the human world and needs healing that his mage-in-training cannot provide.  His curiosity leads him the bathhouse run by Sakura Amamitsutsuki, who needs some extra help running his father's place.  Thus, Luka makes a deal: he will work for Sakura in return for free use of the baths...and a bit of blood now and then.

Holiday Review #21: MANSECT

 With so many horrors happening in the real world, it's almost a relief to turn to one of Living the Line's latest horror manga releases and enjoy a tale of supernatural terror on its 50th anniversary.

MANSECT (Yochu), by Koga Shinichi.  First published in 1975 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

After the loss of his mother, Hideo holed up in their empty house and filled it with insects.  His body soon undergoes a strange insect-like transformation, as silk spurts from his body to form a cocoon.  His transformation is interrupted before it is complete, leaving him a monstrous creature that is neither fully human nor fully insect.  He takes to lurking in the woods and the edge of town, seeking out other disaffected men who begin to undergo their own bizarre transformations.

Holiday Review #20: YOU CAN'T BLUFF THE SHARP-EYED SISTER

 These last few years have been great one for Natsu Hyuuga, mostly due to the incredible success of The Apothecary Diaries.  This year we started to get some of the manga adaptations of other works she's written, so naturally I had to check this one out myself.

YOU CAN'T BLUFF THE SHARP-EYED SISTER (Seijo ni Uso wa Tsujinai), based on the light novels by Natsu Hyuuga and character designs by Chiho Shinishi, with art by Yo Asami.  First published in 2023 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

In the land of Mythos, select young women are born with powers known as "charisms" that grant them great beauty and supernatural powers.  Chloe is a novice at the church with an eye for money and a knack for gambling, so much so that handsome, noble young paladin named Erald believes she possess a charism.  Chloe is skeptical of both him and his claim.  She has no magical gift - she's just good at observing others!  Regardless, Erald needs a woman of her skills for a very specific purpose: to investigate a murder.

Holiday Review #11: DUR-AN-KI

 There was some original fantasy manga to be found in 2025.  Fittingly enough, some of it came from the team that helped to craft one of manga's greatest fantasy epics.

DUR-AN-KI (Duruanki), written by Kentaro Miura with art by Studio Gaga.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Long ago, the gods of ancient Greece and the Fertile Crescent combined their waning powers to create a child with the qualities of both man and god, man and woman.  This child, Usumgal, grows up carefree in the hillsides among the livestock and natural spirits.  Eventually they make friends with some of the boys from the local village, using their talent to make helpful devices and aid them on their hunts.  The more Usumgal spends time with other people, the more they learn about the human world for both good and ill.

Holiday Review #10: THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT: TOSSED ASIDE BY MY FIANCE AND SOLD TO ANOTHER KINGDOM

Of course, a lot of the romance manga these days comes in the form of light-novel adaptations, which are often just as much about the self-improvement of the heroine as it is about her getting dumped by a crappy prince only to pick up a better one on the rebound.

THE TOO-PERFECT SAINT: TOSSED ASIDE BY MY FIANCE AND SOLD TO ANOTHER KINGDOM (Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru), based on the light novels by Fuyutsuki Koki and character designs by Masami, with art by Mago Ayakita.  First published in 2021 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Philia is the finest saint Girtonia has ever known.  She's powerful enough to purge the land of monsters, summon rain, and develop new medicines all on her own, but she's seen as aloof and even arrogant because she never shows any outward emotion.  That includes her demanding, emotionally abusive parents and her bratty, deeply insecure fiancé Prince Julius.  He's so selfish and insecure that he sells her off to the neighboring kingdom of Parnacorta, exiling her overnight in the hope that he can marry her younger, sunnier sister Mia instead.

As Philia gets used to her friendlier new homeland, Mia takes it upon herself to find out what happened to her sister and to take down all the people responsible for her beloved sister's fate.

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?

Holiday Review #7: MISS RUKI

 I continue to be pleased that there are a precious few publishers out there willing to delve further back into josei's past to uncover acclaimed creators in need of an international spotlight.

MISS RUKI (Ruki-san), by Fumiko Takano.  First published in 1988 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

Ruki is a young Tokyo-area woman who spends most of her days enjoying the simple pleasures of life.  She doesn't aspire to the sort of glamour and sophistication that her office lady friend Ecchan does, but Ruki is more than content to enjoy her company and lend a sympathetic (if sometimes unfocused) ear.

Holiday Review #3: SHORT GAME

Since we're already on the topic of long-awaited releases of sports manga by legendary creators, we might as well talk about one of Denpa's latest releases.

SHORT GAME (SHORT GAME: Adachi Mitsuru ga Tanpen de Tsumugu Koko Yakyu), by Mitsuru Adachi.  First published in 2014 and first published in North America in 2025.

PLOT:

This collection of short stories follows the stories of various young men nostalgic for their time as stars on their school baseball teams, and the the relationships they found, lost, and found again along the way.

Review: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING: BLIND TARGET

 So my friends over at Giant Robot FM claim this is the best of the Gundam Wing manga they've read, but can this humble one-shot manage to rise above the rest?

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING: BLIND TARGET (Shin Kido Senki Gundam W: BLIND TARGET), based on the franchise created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate, written by Akemi Omode with art by Sakura Asagi.  First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2001.

PLOT:

In the months following the end of OZ, the boys of Operation Meteor try to settle back into civilian life.  This fragile peace is shattered when Quatre is nearly killed by assassins.  It seems that the remnants of Treize's White Fang faction want to overthrow Relena's government in the name of space colony independence, but they need the Gundams to do so.  Thus, the five former Gundam pilots must find a way to stop them before they start a new war.