Manga Round-up

Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu!

This one reminds me a lot of Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro but it’s even more sexualized. Not nudity, but more fan service as a degenerate sort of character, Miss Akutsu has descended on the main characters apartment. And, well, she’s made it her hangout spot which is driving the main character up the wall. He has no idea of what she’s going to do, and I’m not convinced that she does either. But either way, both of them kind of like the other or are growing to like the other.

You can see how that kind of matches up with Don’t Toy WIth Me, Miss Nagatoro. And it’s enjoyable to see it again. The stories are very short and vey slice of life as different things happen to both Miss Akutsu and the main character. But mainly, she just doesn’t want to leave his place and won’t no matter what he tries.

Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc.

Magilumiere Magical Girls is a new manga that I stumbled across. It’s a world of magic girls with magical powers who work at companies and defeat monsters for them. It’s kind of a business, though how the companies get paid, I don’t fully understand that.

Sakuragi is a recent college graduate who is failing at a job hunt. She over prepares and over thinks everything as she is looking for work. She helps a magical girl take out one of the monsters with her knowledges of the monsters. So the company that that magical girl works for recruits her.

The story is fun and different from my normal fantasy manga reading. The main character is a lot of fun. And the company that she goes to work for is a start-up magical girl company with an interesting cast of employees. It is more going to be about them, or at least it will be a lot of the time, than the magical girl fighting.

The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic

Now we’re to fantasy manga and Isekai. Our main character is brought to a fantasy world and, well, he doesn’t get what is considered a cool power. Nope, instead he gets healing magic. Turns out, healing magic is pretty rare. But the top healer, she is a bit eccentric in her training of healers looking for someone like her.

What is like her? Well, the main character is basically broken down and learns how to use healing magic on himself. He is a tank, not for combat but for being able to heal on the front lines. The last time the demons attacked, the other healer is the only reason everyone survived. So she wants other healers like her to keep the demons at bay next time they attack.

I enjoy this type of story. The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic is pretty standard in what is does. A fantasy world with demons attacking is what I expect from an isekai. It is just enough different and I haven’t gotten into the “let’s fight” portion of the manga that I’m enjoying it thus far.

I Want to End This Love Game

Now time for a cute manga. I really enjoy cute manga, and I Want To End This Love Game is a fun cute one. To me, I think of Kaguya-sama: Love is War as a comparison. Mainly it is two characters who love each other, but neither is going to fold to be the first two admit it.

How did we end up here? Yukiya and Miku make a bet as kids or more of a dare. They tell each other “I love you” and the first to have their heart flutter is the loser. Well, for both of them, the time of their heart fluttering has long past. They now love each other but neither of them dare admit it because that will mean that they lose the game.

The manga is the story of them trying to get the other to break. Because, once the other breaks, they now confess their love and their heart fluttering is fine. The story is just really cute and enjoyable.

Overgeared

Finally we have Overgeared. According to what I looked up, I haven’t written about this one. I thought maybe I had because I’m book three of this webtoon turned manga or manhwa. And it is back to fantasy with Overgeared.

At the moment he dies, our main character, in a video game, unlocks the secret new class of a master blacksmith. He rebuilds in the game from being a top character to now even a more powerful character, but one who has no idea of how it all works. It is less of a fantasy romp of fighting monsters and more of him figuring how to make it in his career as a blacksmith. And in real life how he is able to help support his family now through the video game. Though, half the battle is convincing his parents that is even possible.

It is a fun fantasy story. I like the ones with kind of an underdog character. I say kind of because he is powerful. But also I like the story of the unlikely skill being used to come up as a big time hero. Overgeared is that type of story, so I like that element.

Final Thoughts

I like all of these manga. Normally, I think there is one or two where I look at it and go, I won’t get more of them. In this batch, I want to read more of them. My investment with Overgeared is already there. The one that I think I might end up dropping is The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic but I want to read a little more of it first. Mainly that is the most generic of the manga in the group.

The one that I like best is easily I Want To End This Love Game. The premise is just so much fun, and the characters aren’t mean about it. They tease each other to get them flustered. But they both want the other character to get flustered and fall in love with them. So the idea of being too mean and antagonizing the other person is a real concern which means, they need to be sweet.

Have you read any new manga lately?

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Manga Round-up

Living Room Matsunaga-san

This one is one that my wife really liked. It reminds me some of Short Cake Cake which we read a while ago. But it is a cute one and one that I need to get back to. Basically a story of a girl who is getting displaced into some housing for school. And it’s mixed housing and falls in love. There is a twist on it that she falls in love with someone older than her, high schooler to young professional, which is not that last time you’ll see that on the list. It’s not the greatest twist to things, but the manga is cute with a lot of heart.

Horimiya

Another romance manga, this is one that I picked out. Horimiya is the story of two high school students who are very different at high school than at home. Hori is popular but never goes out to do anything because she needs to go home to take care of her little brother. Miyamura is a quite looking kid at school who is less so outside of school. It’s a very cute story as they bounce around liking each other, but also doesn’t drag out that point too long. One that I likely will review completely, like Living Room Matsunaga-san.

Call to Adventure! Defeating Dungeons with my Skill Board

This one is not an Isekai, surprisingly. But it’s a story of dungeons popping up around the real world. And it basically pulling in fantasy and magic in the dungeons. The main character is a low ranked adventurer in real life, but when they find a skill board, basically a skill menu, they now are able to allocate points. How that plays out is fun. And it’s a story type that I like, the real world with monsters that is a twist that I’ve seen in things like Tomb Raider King and Solo Leveling.

Skeleton Knight in Another World

Yup, this is an Isekai. A character who played with a skeleton skin in a MMORPG in the real world passes away. Wakes up finding that they are basically their character, but in world it won’t make sense that they are a skeleton. In fact it’ll make people think they are a monster. A twist on the genre slightly and while a number of the Isekai I’ve read haven’t been great, this one is fun.

The Beginning After the End

Basically a powerful king passes away and is reincarnated as a baby with a lot of powers. The story just kind of goes nowhere on this one. And it’s not one that I plan on keeping up with. I think the issue, for me, is that the main character isn’t likeable and isn’t unlikeable. They are just kind of there, and so much of the story is done through this narration versus actual dialog and being in scenes. It just feels boring and after the first collection, not one that I feel like I need to come back to. The cliffhanger or hook to read more at the end is not good enough.

Love’s In Sight

I like my romance manga, and this isn’t an exception, though I maybe like it less than some others. A legally blind girl, she can make out some shapes, falls for a bad boy. And he falls for her as well because she isn’t scared of him, and now he’s rushing all around to make sure that she is treated like a princess while overcoming the fact that he looks like a bad guy. It’s definitely a lighter romance than some and doesn’t take itself seriously.

The World After the Fall

Another one of those stories like Call to Adventure! where dungeons appear across the world. This one, however, is a whole lot bleaker, and I think works really well for that. If you are a hero you go into the dungeon and you can’t come out. You just need to battle. What is happening to the outside world? Who knows. Has it been over run with monsters? Most likely. And it’s down to one adventurer who is searching for the point of it all. Parts are bleak, parts are great action, and the whole thing has a bigger and weirder story than I expected.

Loner Life in Another World

The main character and his class from school get sucked into an Isekai situation. He just happens to show up after everyone else has picked all of the good skills. Now, turns out that his skills are good as well, just not the standard ones. This is another one that I bounced off of. The writing is not that good, the story wasn’t that compelling, and the main character is awesome and supposed to be likeable, kind of, but he really isn’t. And the rest of the story just kind of stumbles along.

The Eminence in Shadow

This one is just goofy and over the top. Another Isekai, though you forget that fairly quickly, about a character who is over powered, again. But their goal is to just work in the shadows. When they rescue an elf, I believe, they make up an absurd story of what is happening in the world. About how there is a sect who wants to awaken an ancient demon. Turns out that this thing they are making up, and that they think everyone is playing along with, it might just be true. It’s an absurd premise and a fun one.

Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Party Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to an Infinite Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge

Worlds longest title? Yes. Is that the most interesting thing about the manga, possibly. It’s a fantasy setting about a character who is just overpowered. But everyone assumes that they aren’t, and even he assumes that. He’s a human, the race that is the weakest out of all of them and has the least potential. So when he’s betrayed and left for dead, he has to rely on his skill of basically summoning things. Which turns out he can summon amazingly powerful things. But the story is not compelling and the main character is an edge lord not done in an interesting way.

The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine

This is a short one, one that I can write a review on coming up her because I have read the whole thing. Two misfits, though one should be popular, are brought together by this tunnel. I won’t explain what it does because it’s the crux of the story, though you figure that out early on. It’s a story of loss and melancholy but done with this certain level of beauty to it. And the twists on the story and heartfelt moments are great. One that surprised me in a good way as something different but that I like.

Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!)

Itsuki just want to lead a normal slow life in this fantasy world. After he is brought to this world by a god, he picks a basic skill that will just give him enough money each day to get by. But life has other plans for him and soon he’s mixed up a whole lot more. This is one that intrigued me enough to keep coming back for more. It’s also one that lands on some jokes that just don’t work that well. Such as some of the knowledge that he takes from Earth to bring to this world just kind of falls flat. It’s one that I read some of it, but will I continue?

Final Thoughts

Some hits and misses here, though, I think I did a better job of finding hits this time around. And this isn’t everything that I’ve read. I think that tomorrow it’ll be back for some more manga that I’ve read because some very fun ones still need to get written about. And I think there are a few more duds in there as well that I’ll recommend avoiding. I’ll see how many more there are.

But have you read any good manga recently?

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Mashle – Synopsis

The basics are that Mash lives in a world where magic is everything and those without are seen as abominations. And of course Mash doesn’t have magic, but he’s been trained up and worked so hard that he is all muscle.

And, to go with that, Mash goes to a magic school. As part of the training of the world, everyone gets trained in magic. So the big question for the manga is how is Mash going to survive as a non-magic user? And how will Mash survive in a magic school?

Other Notes

I like to toss in this section mainly to call out fan service in the shows. It isn’t really part of the plot, but it is something that shows up a lot. So in this one, there really isn’t any. It is a very clean manga that way and that makes sense.

I think it is worth noting here, and I’ll talk about it more later, Mash is a little slow. Meaning he isn’t always catching onto everything that is going on. This, I believe, is an attempt to make him more of a meathead character. Whether or not that works, we’ll find out.

What Doesn’t Work?

Let’s just start out with Mash and how he is portrayed in this. It’s a little clunky. Now, I call out how he is thought of as slow or comes across that way in the book. That is the part that is clunky about it. I think that a lot of his focus and drive work well, but the slowness is clunky. The writer gives him good things to care about and reason for doing things. But at the same time writes him simply.

The manga also does fall into some things I’d consider more standard. Again, not a major knock on it. But the school idea, it works well. However, a magic school, that is an idea that is done a lot. It works well because it is relatable for everyone. Not because we go to magic schools, but because the concept of school and going to school is common. So the setting is familiar.

What Works?

Now, I just said that Mash isn’t always written the best. He is also a highlight for the humor of the manga. There is an earnestness to him that comes through. And I believe it because of how the world is set-up. He might be a meathead or slow, but his convictions are true. And while other characters are snobby and elite, Mash truly cares about everyone in his own way. Which now that I’m thinking about it might be backwoods or redneck in the writing attempt.

I also like the use of humor in this. The author, Hajime Komoto, does a very good job of blending in humor. And this is where some of the tropes come in, but also the interactions with Mash. No one understands Mash, which is something that makes sense. Mash is an outcast in the world, he can’t do magic. With that handicap, he is still exceedingly powerful. Of times he is more powerful than magic users because of the training and rigors he goes through.

Who Is It For?

This one is tougher to place. I do think that the writing isn’t up to the level I’d expect for some. However, Mashle is a manga that also has me laughing sometimes while reading it. So there is an element of humor that works well. I think it is best put as it’s a lighter, goofier manga. It is still very shonen in it’s style, so know that before you check it out.

Final Thoughts on Mashle

I enjoy Mashle a lot. I understand it’s flaws, but Mashle is like a good comfort food. Grabbing a book and reading it is like grabbing a bowl of popcorn and sitting down for a light movie. I expect that it is what the anime will be like as well. And when you get to laugh reading a book, I am enjoying it.

And also like I said, I think it might be a bit simple for some. I find it to balance that shonen background with some slice of life. Where yes, there is a storyline going through, but it is also feels like vignettes thrown in as well. So know that going in, if you check it out. The story is there, the story is fun, but it isn’t an amazing manga compared to other stories which run with more depth.

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That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime – Plot

So as the title suggests, the main character dies right away in the books and gets transported to this world. In this world they are not a human, but instead are a slime. As he goes out and starts to explore the world, he finds different races, and ends up being a leader of the monsters. And finds ways to build up the monster society.

But it isn’t just about the town building and society building but there is a plot going on in the background as well. Even at a level where as a reader we know that, but the main character is still fairly ignorant of everything that is going on.

General Thoughts

In terms of an Isekai, this is a little bit different. Because it is not a normal human or humanoid fantasy race protagonist. And because the character is more at the edges of society versus being a part of the main adventuring society. Granted, the main character become humanoid, or can be, pretty quickly, but the story is never your classic fantasy through what I’ve read.

I also like to mention fan service in this section. Just so you have an idea about it. It is certainly an Isekai where it happens fairly often. It isn’t really explicit and often played more for laughs. But it is part of the manga that you should be aware of. Though, the further you get in, the less there really seems to be.

What Doesn’t Work?

I think the fan service is a bit absurd in this one. It doesn’t really add to the story, which I mean, most of the time it doesn’t. And I believe that I’ll run across some more as I go on, if what I know about the anime is right. This is a time where it is for the audience, as it always is really, but detracts from what this story could be.

I also think that the story is just okay. Now, I’ll talk more later about how it does subvert the standard expectations somewhat. But the whole building up of the society piece is not too bad, it just isn’t always the most compelling. I think that is the best way to put it. It’s not that the story is bad, it is just not always compelling.

What Works?

That said about the story, I do appreciate that it is doing something different. I’ve read a LitRPG book where the author clearly draws on this for much of his inspiration. But the whole building up of a society is fun and unique. It offers a fantasy story that is really told from a different perspective, that of the monsters. Right now, I feel like that hasn’t too heavily played into the story, but it is an element.

I also talked about the fan service, but even with that, the manga is nice. It is a manga that isn’t about punching everyone in the face. The fan service is there, but it doesn’t come across as something that makes it so much for a certain gaze or taint the wholesomeness that you get through the story. It is a protagonist who generally does a good thing and who isn’t trying to take over everything or isn’t about being an edgelord. The main character genuinely just wants to improve things for the monsters.

Who Is It For?

I think that if you enjoy Isekai you will enjoy That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. It is a fun romp that feels a bit different than a lot of other Isekai out there. And I think it is even a decent jumping in point. If you don’t want something that is too crazy, though, this is crazy in other ways, it’ll work well. And while it is out there with a slime as the main character, the story is compelling enough and makes clear enough sense that I think more casual manga fans would enjoy it.

Final Thoughts on That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

This is a fun read, and it’s one that I will continue to get the books over time. I don’t feel like it’s quite to the level of some that I’ve read recently, The New Game and Shortcake Cake, where I want to pick up more immediately. And some of that is that there is a lot to catch up on. Not an insane amount, but enough.

I think that is the best way to describe it. This is just fun to read. And I want to know how everything is continued to be built up. It even makes me want to go back and try and anime again. The anime is not bad, it just didn’t grab my attention quite as much immediately. But reading it has, I think because it can move a little bit faster, and you kind of appreciate the main character more.

Overall, this is one that I’d call fun. It might not be great manga, but it is a fun one. And I believe it was adapted from Light Novels to be a manga, which maybe the light novels would catch my attention more.

Have you read or watched That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime?

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The Plot – The New Gate

The story actually starts out a whole lot like SAO (Sword Art Online), there is a death game and all the players are trapped in it. But instead of starting at level one, we follow the player in the midst of the final battle against the boss. Shin, the hero, defeats the final boss and the log out button is enabled for the players. He watches as the world empties out and then sees a portal open.

He goes through that and wakes up in a new world, but not really a new world, just the video game world, 500 years later. Things are different, and while some of the world rules are the same, much has also changed. What has happened, how will he cope in The New Gate and maybe, eventually, get back to the real world, if that is even possible.

General Thoughts

Let’s just start out with some general thoughts on this, this won’t be my final opinion. But I think it’s worth chatting about because this might seem like a pretty standard Isekai manga, and well, it is. Now, I say that but also it’s a trope that is used a lot because it isn’t always a bad trope. And in this case, I would say it is a trope that works. This is not a manga that promises deep surprises and decisions. It is one where it’s meant to be fun action adventure reading and it is that.

Also, because it is for action and adventure and generally written for a male audience, it does have some fan service. It’s less of a put someone in a compromising position or someone walking in on them. It just is going to be images drawn where cleavage is very prominent, things like that. It is over the top at times and could be done less without affecting the story at all. But compared to some it is not that egregious either. It’s just more of the trope than anything.

What Doesn’t Work?

The writing or story is a bit like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. And for me this is not a major complaint to it. Generally you get one session or one arc in one of the manga collections, so about five chapters. Some chapters do more to set-up future chapters. And other collections generally stand on their own. But the cohesive story that is being told isn’t that cohesive. It’s more vignettes that make some sense, but often times don’t as much. It might all come together, but I’m not caught up yet.

I also will say that while I don’t mind the tropes and that The New Gate is what I’d qualify as summer reading, it is not deep. This ties in some with that Dungeons and Dragons campaign feel, I wish I could see more of the story developing. I think I know some ways it might go, I’d just like to know more of them or to see some more plot lines being weaved through everything.

What Works?

The main character is likeable and the side characters work. Some of the side characters are even more interesting than the main character. I think that the writing, as a whole, is solid, and I don’t really have a complaint about it. Which, I think is a mark for this manga. It could lean into some levels of absurdity that it doesn’t. It could spend more time on the male gaze than it does easily, but instead it creates nice characters that you enjoy reading about.

I also think it matches up it’s tone well. I just talked about how it isn’t that deep, but I picked it up not because I wanted something deep. You know what you are getting into with this manga. So while I do have it as a negative that I’d like the through storyline to be a bit more visible or even for there to be one, I don’t mind that it isn’t trying to deal with weighty topics. The manga is what it sets out to be and is what it advertised itself as which is why I picked it up.

Who Is It For?

I don’t think that I’d recommend it as an Isekai that someone starts out with, but it could be one that you grab shortly there after. I have no reason to say that except that I think it leans so heavily on the tropes and knowledge of them, that it might need that tiny bit of explaining. But if you like Isekai, you’ll likely enjoy this one, knowing that it takes a genre of manga that is already fairly popcorn and makes it more so.

Final Thoughts – The New Gate

This is a fun series. I own nine books now and I know I will get more. Sometimes I read a manga and I enjoy it, I enjoy most that I read, but I don’t care enough to continue. In fact, I am almost caught up, book 10 of The New Gate came out in June of this year, so as far as I can tell it’ll be continuing.

This is what I wanted to read when I got the book. And that is really the main thing about it. It is not the best Isekai that I’ve came across. I prefer Sword Art Online to it, though that is more an story with Isekai elements. Or The Devil is a Part-Timer is better as well. But I wanted to read a story that is just a fun adventure romp. That is what I got, and that is why I will continue reading it.

Have you read The New Gate?

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