It took me a couple of tries to get into the original Genshiken series by Shimoku Kio, which concluded with a ninth volume in 2007. So although I wasn’t won over by the first book of this sequel series, I expect that I’ll enjoy Genshiken: Second Season more in future volumes. My biggest problem was that I didn’t remember enough about the first series. (Those who began reading or re-reading with the recent omnibus re-release won’t have that issue.) Many […]

After being just the tiniest bit disappointed with volume 2 after volume 1 impressed me, I found volume 3 a welcome return to forward movement for this shojo mystery. The four chapters here move the underlying investigation along while providing character insight. Tsubasa (pretending to be twin sister Arisa) and Akira are attempting to find out who the King is. This mysterious friend promises to grant the wishes of five specially selected classmates. A game that was intended to make […]

Compared to the previous volume from Del Rey, the design of this book is remarkably similar. Same types of translation notes, same layout and cover look, exact same honorific page, even the same translator. When set next to each other, only the logo at the bottom of the spine differs. That’s a bonus for those of us who are a bit obsessive about that kind of thing. New to this volume and very helpful is a comprehensive “story so far” […]