Cat + Gamer Volume 1

This quiet manga is very relatable. Riko Kozakura is almost 30, a hard worker who gets her tasks done so she can leave the office every day at the stroke of 5 PM. She spends all her spare time playing video games, treating herself to expensive food while finishing up her latest game. Then she adopts a stray cat on a whim in Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani. Riko doesn’t know anything about taking care of a pet, but […]

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The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus Volume 5

The great famine is over. There’s a new Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service volume. The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service volume 14 came out summer 2015, seven years ago. There’s a note at the end of that book that they’re about to begin the Omnibus reprints, and the future of the series likely will depend on how those do. They did well. Still, this fifth collection, the first with new material, was originally planned for 2020 (but we know all kinds of […]

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Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! Volume 3

Although the premise of Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! is ludicrous — if you’re a virgin when you turn thirty, you get telepathy by touch to make up for it — there’s a sweetness to the BL series by Yuu Toyota that I appreciate. There are plenty of familiar tropes; the second volume had the group vacation trip, while in this third volume, Adachi is sick and Kurosawa, who likes him, comes over to […]

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The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame Volume 1

I became familiar with the work of Gengoroh Tagame, as so many people did, through My Brother’s Husband. That’s a well-meaning, comfortable story about a man learning not to be afraid of gay people by meeting his dead twin’s husband. Many of the chapters are almost lessons, or even in the style of a very special sitcom episode, the kind that educates on social issues. The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame of course shares the art style, with glorious images of […]

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I Am a Cat Barista Volume 1

The premise of I Am a Cat Barista by Hiro Maijima is clear from the title, but on its own, that doesn’t capture the charm and comfort of this reassuring series. Every chapter is another story where someone discovers this unusual cat café, “a place only the weariest of souls can find.” The human-sized cat barista doesn’t offer a menu. Instead, he observes and gives them what they most need. An exhausted office worker with a jerk boss who’s too […]

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Lost Lad London Volume 1

Lost Lad London by Shima Shinya sets up an intriguing mystery premise. The mayor of London is found dead, stabbed, on an Underground train. Our protagonist is Al, a University student and loner. He’s making his own way by writing papers for other students. A beaten-down detective with a variety of injuries has a history of guilt from when a wrongly charged suspect killed themselves; that case was never solved. He comes to Al’s flat while interviewing witnesses, but Al […]

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A Man and His Cat Volume 6

A Man and His Cat volume 6 continues with dramatic events. I’m more comfortable with them this time around, compared to the last book, because they happen to the humans, not the felines. The man of the title, Mr. Kanda, has performance anxiety. He used to be a famous pianist, but he can’t stand to be on stage any more. He works with another man, Moriyama, who dreams of being in a band… and his dreams are coming true. He’s […]

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Fangirl Volume 2

The second volume of the manga adaptation of Rainbow Rowell’s novel Fangirl is out now. New this volume is a change to the credits. Still illustrated by Gabi Nam, the adaptation is now credited to both Sam Maggs and Rowell. (Maggs had solo credit for volume 1.) That may be related to the promotion that this book includes “all-new scenes by Rainbow Rowell.” I’m not sure which those are — I did a page-by-page comparison for the first book in […]

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