ALTERNATIVE[SELF LINER NOTE] | By Chiaki Yagura | Manga Mavericks – As a new publisher, Manga Mavericks has entered the field with a strong selection of short indie works. ALTERNATIVE[SELF LINER NOTE] is among its initial releases, one that I was particularly drawn to as it takes for its subject matter music as a form of creative expression. The manga is a beautifully introspective work, following an alt-rock musician who is struggling with self-doubt. Her internal voice, ever-present in the manga, is constantly questioning what she is doing with her life. She can’t help but notice the successes of others—close friends as well as more famous individuals—and feel crushingly inadequate. It’s an incredibly authentic portrayal of artistic turmoil. ALTERNATIVE[SELF LINER NOTE] is the first original short by Yagura, who hopes that it “leaves an impression or resonates within your hearts.” I can absolutely say that it does and that I am very glad to have read it. – Ash Brown
Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party with His Mom!, Vol. 2 | By Ishino Yassan and Makoto Kuon | Ghost Ship – I had not really planned on reviewing more beyond the first volume of this series, but there was enough in this second one that I thought I might give it a try. First of all, I appreciated the fact that, despite their crappy actions towards him and general badness, our hero is not all that interested in revenge on the hero’s party—he just wants to move on. Admittedly, the moms may get revenge regardless. (We’re already seeing the classic “without him they turn out to be terrible” cliche.) As for mom #2, we don’t get cheating or a horrible husband; instead, we’re reminded that this weird world considers late thirties to be old age, so everything’s consensual. Still what it is, but better than expected. – Sean Gaffney
BONDS | By ZENZO | Manga Mavericks – I’m always excited to see another publisher starting to release print indie manga, but I was particularly interested in reading BONDS. I’m not familiar with ZENZO’s work, understandable as this is the creator’s first original manga, but I am familiar with the story. BONDS presents a brief episode from The Journey to the West, taking place soon after Goku joins the Buddhist priest Sanzo as his bodyguard. While there are differences, ZENZO’s version doesn’t stray far from the original. The resulting manga is an earnest and immensely enjoyable retelling. I love the character designs, especially Goku’s, as well as the expressiveness of the illustrations in general. Thematically the story focuses on bonds, both literal restraints and the figurative ties that bind people together. BONDS is a short, quickly paced manga, but ZENZO’s exploration of the developing relationship between Goku and Sanzo is excellent. I hope to read more of ZENZO’s work. – Ash Brown
Friday at the Atelier, Vol. 4 | By Sakura Hamada | Yen Press – There was only one thing that had to happen in this book. Ishihara has accepted his feelings and knows he wants to be with Tamaki, but she’s still not quite getting there. As it turns out, much of her life has been spent not thinking about her life, and just going on automatic pilot. But even though that’s helped get her through some mental issues (there’s a really good metaphorical shot of her working at her desk while next to an underwater shipwreck, thinking “I’m fine”), in order to move on she has to think, realize this is love, and that she does want to date Ishihara. All ends well, and I think this was just the right length. And we get a bit more of the beta couple, who don’t hook up but might soon. Weird fun. – Sean Gaffney
Medalist, Vol. 12 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics We’ve seen that this series is first and foremost about the rivalry between Inori and Hikaru, but for the most part it’s obviously been from the Inori side of the fence. That changes in this volume, which spends 2/3 of its time on Hikaru leaving her team and transferring to Riley’s group… which will hopefully be good for her? Riley seemed eccentric last time; the artwork this time makes her seem a bit evil? Also, now it’s Hikaru’s turn to deal with the horror of skating first. As for Inori, the main thing we notice is that she’s kept up the intensity but lost a lot of the nerves. That’s a good thing, as she’ll really need to be amazing to get anywhere in this competition. One of the best manga out there, sports or otherwise. – Sean Gaffney
A Sign of Affection, Vol. 11 | By Suu Morishita | Kodansha Comics – After putting off the payoff for what seemed far too long, at least the manga is getting to Itsuomi’s backstory, why he’s so dedicated to traveling overseas, and what that travel really entails. It’s a terrific look at the social and economic inequality in this world, and how sometimes you can’t do anything to stop death and despair, especially when you’re just a kid. But it also is about not giving up and just thinking “that’s the way things are, I guess,” which feels entirely apropos lately. Yuki handles all of this pretty well, in fact. That said, we do still have one boiling plot tumor to lance, and it appears it’s coming in the next volume. Will Oushi stay friends, or cut himself off from his past completely? A nice volume. – Sean Gaffney
Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life, Vol. 1 | By Miyu Morishita | Viz Media – Well, this was just freaking adorable. Tsumiki is a werewolf girl, in a world where all of a sudden mythological beasts went public, and they have started to be accepted into the world. That said, it’s still a work in progress. Tsumiki seems to have her life together a lot more than the indecisive Yutaka, who is human and trying to have a “high school debut” but failing. However, Tsumiki’s family worry about her trying too hard, and we see that there are a lot of issues to think about with non-humans in this world—even vampires who are seemingly smug and arrogant are putting on a front. All this plus a budding romcom. If you want another sweet Shonen Sunday romance, this is a great one. – Sean Gaffney
Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale, Vol. 1 | By Yui Kodama | Seven Seas – I wasn’t sure what to think about this manga, which I mostly got as it runs in the magazine Flowers, which needs more love over here. Our heroine is a high school girl who feels adrift. Then one day she runs into a young man selling wine, who immediately knows what she doesn’t: she’s actually a wolf—and so is he. After trusting him just a bit too much (as is acknowledged throughout the volume—her adoptive parents are worried), she goes to meet his family and finally transforms—but she’s a GREY wolf. This is almost unheard of? What’s more, because this is a josei manga, there’s a rival for her affection. This is compelling, even though there’s a frisson of stranger danger to the whole thing. – Sean Gaffney
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