Lost Lad London Volume 3

The mystery concludes in Shima Shinya’s Lost Lad London volume 3. (I previously wrote about the first book and the second one.) This final volume begins with a fascinating chapter. Instead of showing the suspect Al and detective Ellis working on the case, we check in on the perspective of several supporting characters: Rosie, a female police officer; Safa, her co-worker, a woman of color who wears a headscarf; and the Asian couple who runs the Chinese restaurant where Al […]

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What Did You Eat Yesterday? Volume 19

With this latest installment, What Did You Eat Yesterday? volume 19, the series by Fumi Yoshinaga remains my favorite manga. One of the strong reasons is that it’s so rare to see comic characters in late middle age going through challenges of daily life. Each chapter stands alone, and the focus of each chapter is how to make a reasonably priced meal using seasonal produce or tying into recent events, but the underlying conflicts involve such things as whether one […]

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Blue Box Volume 1

Blue Box by Kouji Miura tries to refresh two common manga genres, the sports competition and the school romance, by putting them into the same book. Taiki plays badminton. He’s got a crush on the year-older Chinatsu, who’s on the girls’ basketball team. Her dedication and skills inspire him to vow that he will practice and work hard enough to make it to the national competition for his sport. Meanwhile, he’s thrown together with her in unusual circumstances, providing plenty […]

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Cat Massage Therapy Volume 3

It’s usually around the third volume that I start wondering if a series has legs. The idea behind Cat Massage Therapy by Haru Hisakawa is pretty simple, after all: having cats walk or sleep on you is relaxing. Could this concept support three books? Yes, it turns out. Cat Massage Therapy volume 3 was a pleasure to read, a relaxing escape. The second book introduced some new “cast members” (cats), so this one just lets them do their things. I […]

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Sue & Tai-Chan Volume 1

The author of the popular Chi’s Sweet Home, Konami Kanata, returns with another cute cat manga. Sue & Tai-Chan is full-color, printed left to right, for maximum English-speaking audience appeal. Sue is an elderly cat, set in her ways, when her owner takes in the kitten Tai-chan. The older feline is drawn with simple lines, while Tai-chan is fuzzy, with huge eyes, capturing his youth. Sue sleeps most of the time, while Tai-chan explores the world. The short chapters allow […]

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Cat + Gamer Volume 2

Although I’m neither a cat owner nor a gamer, I enjoyed the first volume of this series by Wataru Nadatami because of the way it used the language of one hobby to talk about another. Cat + Gamer volume 2 has moved away from that premise somewhat to present more generic examples of how life works with a pet cat. Readers who enjoy seeing adorable animals will still enjoy these stories, because Musubi is drawn to be excessively cute. My […]

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Lost Lad London Volume 2

There’s not much progression in the solution of the mystery in this second volume of the series, but Lost Lad London volume 2 sets up more threats against Al as we learn more about the forces arrayed against him. Al ponders the depth of the situation he’s in — framed for murder, and living in the detective’s messy house. He’s in danger, and that makes him wonder about the choices he’s made in his life. Meanwhile, Inspector Ellis, the detective, […]

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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! Volume 4

I’m entertained by how this series is moving along, without drawing out plot points redundantly. Adachi, with his virginal telepathy, has the advantage of knowing Kurosawa honestly likes him — and excessively so, sometimes. So far, the series has been about what he decides to do about it, with him coming to a decision in the previous book. Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! volume 4 sends the two on a proper date, which of […]

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