What manga are you reading now?

Not manga or LNs but I read all of Ariadne by Jennifer Saint and started reading The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, I would thoroughly recommend Ariadne, it was a fascinating, feminist retelling of the story of the women who helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur, and were betrayed by him, from their perspective. Waterstones shortlisted it for Book of the Year 2021 and I'm not surprised, it's written beautifully and I kept connecting more things as I read through it in a way that was very satisfying, like little things that foreshadow events really well but subtly. The Thursday Murder Club is a warm, witty, thoroughly entertaining book about four OAPs who live in a luxury retirement village and solve a murder case together. It's written with great kindness yet full of moments that made me chuckle and laugh out loud :)
 
Honnou Switch volume 1 (JP)
The Apothecary Diaries volume 4
Rent-A-(Really Shy!)-Girlfriend volume 1
Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend volume 4 (LN)
Honnou Switch volume 2 (JP)
Konosuba volume 15 (LN)

Yagami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga inai volume 1 (JP) - Probably not going back to this one anytime soon. It was fine, but more of a comedy than I usually like (especially when I'm still not very good at picking up on the nuance in Japanese). I only tried it out since it was part of some Secret Santa recommendations I got.

Astra Lost in Space volume 2
Nosatsu Junkie volume 10 (JP) - Almost at the end! Still enjoying this one despite reading it quite slowly. I love all of the authors work, but her characters always talk a mile a minute so there is a lot of dialogue to get through...
 
Twittering Birds Never Fly #6 Kou Yoneda June (it's been a long wait...)
Blue Period #5 Tsubasa Yamaguchi Kodansha (review to follow) - the second half of Episode 8 of the anime is based on the first chapter of #5 [Stroke 17] so we're nearly all caught up now.
 
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun volume 11 - Things are getting very interesting in the plot recently, looking forward to seeing where volume 12 takes us!

Eromanga Sensei volume 8 (JP)
Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing volume 2 (LN)
 
If I Could Reach You vol 1
Crushing hard.
Was reading the first volume to check if I wanted to get the next volume and I think I will, although as I have 5 volumes already and I've just found out there's 7 in total I probably would have continued even if it was middling.
 
Been reading the Saga of Tanya the evil manga and it's striking how different it is from the LN and anime. I've seen the anime and movie. I've read through the currently released 8 LNs and currently on vol 4 of the manga.

Some of the biggest changes is that all political imagery and war overview is drawn in propaganda style instead of realistic, where each side is drawn as anthropomorphised stereotypical animals instead of humans.

Tanya's magic is also more akin to DBZ character and can just shoot out energy beams or slice people in half with her bares hands, doesn't even use a gun.

Also Tanya acts a lot more cute and girly, with plenty smiling faces and even flowery imagery.

At first I was initially put off by the differences, but I'm glad they exist as it makes it a completely unique experience rather than just rereading the same exact story.
 
I've been reading Summit of the Gods and all I have to say is wow, I'm not finished yet and it's already one of the greatest manga I've ever read. I never see any talk of this whatsoever and it has to be one of the most underrated manga (in English), maybe that's just because the publisher is a pretty obscure one... but I urge you to pick this up. It's so great that I don't even feel like I can compare it to anything, it just stands up in a league of it's own.

The artwork is breathtaking, the story and characters and the way their stories weave together is masterful. You can tell that it was originally written as a novel because wow the writing is incredible, it's like the pairing of an incredible artist and writer together to make something that's truly excellent. It's the type of story you just can't put down, you feel immersed and the characters feel truly real.

The story is raw, human and real to the point where I really do feel like I'm reading a real life account. It makes you feel deeply in the scene there with the characters, there are times where it made me so emotional that I cried. It makes you contemplate the vastness and brutality aswell as the beauty of this world we live in. It makes you want to pursue to reach the greatest heights, while also grounding you to reality, there are no miracles here only your own determination and what you make of it. Most importantly, it makes you feel. This manga is a true hidden gem.

I was drawn to this one when I saw the covers. Despite my bias for light and fluffy stories, I also enjoy realism, raw stories and topics of human determination. This story delivered so much more than I had expected. It's rare I feel like writing about my reads lately admittedly but for this one I just wanted to come here and spread the good word of it.
 
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Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody ch 82

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest ch 95 - 96

Houkago no Goumon ch 106 - 107

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord ch 77.1 - 77.2

In Another World With My Smartphone ch 61
 
Received my first ever pre-order manga, Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?
Before ordering this I had been pretty excited about it so I had looked at the genres online and such. And... nothing prepared me for what it actually was like, lol.

I want to be clear first and state that I enjoyed this and will be buying the rest. But boy, I have never felt catfished by a manga before now!

The impression I got from the description, cover images and genres I read online... this would be a fun, lewd manga. I expected some lighthearted lewdness and that's all I really wanted. Seven Seas listed it as "Drama, Harem" under genres. Yes it had the "drama" genre but that just means drama between contestants, right? Nothing big, they are competing over a guy afterall so there should be some drama moments...
The cover and back cover lined up with that image too when I got it.

All of that was quickly shattered however when it takes twist and turn and surprises you over and over. It is VERY intense and left me wanting more, it just isn't what I thought I signed up for! I'm happy with it but the cover and description are very misleading imho I can see how some people might not take it as well as I did.
 
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The Magician Who Rose From Failure volume 4 (LN) - Caught up with the Japanese releases now, not been one for a bit so I hope we don't end up with it going unfinished like the authors other series The Magic in This World Is Too Far Behind. :<

Black Summoner volume 7 (LN)
Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast volume 2 - Still enjoying this one as far as Bungo spin-offs go, although I imagine volume 3 will be the end of it given how far through the story we've gotten. Maybe vol 4 at most.

Momo Oni (One-shot, JP)
The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend volume 1 (LN)
Yozakura Quartet volumes 12-13
Noragami volume 23 - This one feels like it barely comes out anymore, but when it does it's always fantastic! Quite a few plot twists in this one that I'm looking forward to watching play out in the books to come.

Astra Lost in Space volume 3
With a Dog and a Cat, Every Day is Fun! volume 6
 
I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up (complete)
A short and sweet yuri story about an OL and her friend, who was her kouhai at school, who suggests they get "married" to stop the OL's parents from bugging her about finding a man.
Due to circumstances the kouhai moves in and gradually the OL falls in love with her. There's a slight awkward feeling that the kouhai, who has liked her friend since school used the situation to finally get what she wants, but the OL does genuinely seem more pleased with life now she's accepted someone into her life in such a way as she seemed to be drifting along in life beforehand.
It's probably a bit too short, 3 chapters plus a short bonus chapter, to really get a good feeling for the characters, but I enjoyed it enough.
There's also a one shot about 2 high schoolers in a school renowned for athletics. One has always lost to the other and is a little obsessed with her, whilst the other struggles to stay at the top. It was OK, but definitely not as good as the main story.
7/10
 
My Hero Academia School Briefs 4
Another fun entry. I really like that these books give more of a spotlight to side characters.

Also read a load of comic form Kickstarters. Buuza vol3 was especially good. Set in an alternate middle east with a fantasy twist and a bunch of lgbt+ characters that adds a really interesting side to the character stories.
 
WMD said:
Also read a load of comic form Kickstarters. Buuza vol3 was especially good. Set in an alternate middle east with a fantasy twist and a bunch of lgbt+ characters that adds a really interesting side to the character stories.
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That sounds really cool I wish I could find the time to read it XP
 
Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town volume 5
A School Frozen in Time volume 4 (Complete)
In Another World with my Smartphone volume 24 (LN) - Another volume of nothing really happening...
How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom volume 15 (LN)
Yagi the Bookshop Goat (complete)
Astra Lost in Space volumes 4-5 (complete) - Had a blast revisiting this one through the original manga. Also showed how good an anime adaptation it had since basically nothing got left out or removed.

Altina the Sword Princess volume 12 (LN)
Bootsleg volume 2 (JP) - All caught up now, which pains me since the series is released very slowly. Hopefully there will be a volume 3 toward the end of 2022 because I sure am a huge fan of this one already.
 
Just read volume 1 of one of Seven Seas' newest releases, The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World.

DbpBPZM.jpg


This one is an isekai. Among all the genres I'd say I'm least interested in isekai, harems and horror. But there are always exceptions and what caught my eye about this one was that it is a josei, a really underrepresented demographic among English published manga and it also had these lovely romantic vibes to it. I decided to pre-order as I like to support Seven Seas' releases, I love how they pick up so many smaller less hyped series that are hidden gems.

What exactly is my problem with isekai? Well, I don't mean to stereotype the whole genre as it is quite broad and diverse, but generally I am not a fan of the cliche "I've been sucked into an RPG and now I'm super strong and I have hot women in my party who adore me"... it feels a little like the fantasy of a teenage boy, perhaps because they are usually the intended audience. It doesn't appeal to me. This one takes a different direction and appeals instead to the fantasy of an adult woman who likes quietly enjoying her hobbies and reading - for me, much more relatable.

This one delivered what I expected from it but I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. It has these dreamy, romantic vibes and the artwork is very soft and pleasant to look at. I found the protagonist very relatable and far from typical, a pleasure to read. It left with our protagonist in a dilemma so I'm very much interested to see what happens next and I hope it doesn't affect her comfy lifestyle too much. From the upcoming covers and what we've seen so far, I'm sensing that it will go in a romance direction and I'm hoping that it will. I'll definitely be picking up the next volume!

I recommend this one to people who like light and dreamy manga, particularly the type written for women. If you don't enjoy the typical isekai like me, this one might be for you.
 
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A School Frozen In Time
Really great little story this. The set up and mystery are really well presented the horror vibes are really well done. At the start of the final reveal I thought I knew it! It seemed very obvious but as it all unfolded there were still some surprises along the way which really elevated the whole thing for me. Suicide is a major part of the story from the first page so may be triggering for some but it was a very good manga and only 4 volumes to tell a complete story.
 
Therapy Game Restart Volume 1 Meguru Hinohara SuBLime
My Summer of You Volume 2: The Summer of You Nagisa Furuya Kodansha (recommended)
The Two Lions Nagisa Furuya Seven Seas (also recommended!)
My Boy Volume 8 by Hitomi Takano Vertical
The Witch and the Beast Volume 7 by Kousuke Satake Kodansha
Hitorijime Boyfriend by Memeco Arii Kodansha (the prequel)
Reviews will (eventually) follow - and I'm sure more of these will be recommended when I've finished them!
(Mostly reading manga in French, as always, and some great new titles there as well as the penultimate volume (27) of Karneval.)
 
Ended up reading a lot while I was under the weather after my booster on Tuesday...

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime volume 18 - Almost through the content of the last anime season.
Can Someone Please Explain What's Going On?! volume 8 (LN)
Slayers volume 12 (LN)
Our Bodies, Entwining, Entwined volume 2 - Still enjoying this one but did have an oddity with the translation where they'd chosen to use "sheerly", which is a word I have never heard in my life so I had to work out both what it meant and why it was being used in a modern-day slice of life setting. I remain unconvinced that it was a good choice for the scene/character. 😅

The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid volume 1
The Emperor's Lady-in-Waiting is Wanted as a Bride volume 3
My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom volume 10 (LN) - All caught up to the JP releases now, if it continues down this path it might wrap up soonish.

I am a Cat Barista volume 1
Uwasa no Saiki wa Kare to Koi ga Suitai volume 1 (complete, JP)
The Great Cleric volume 6 (LN)
Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte volume 2 (LN, complete) - Nice to have a series that wraps up in a couple of volumes and doesn't feel like it got cut off early. Not the most amazing series out there but certainly a whole lot of fun if you're into the villainess trend at the moment.

setokaiba said:
Just read volume 1 of one of Seven Seas' newest releases, The Savior's Book Cafe Story in Another World.

DbpBPZM.jpg


This one is an isekai. Among all the genres I'd say I'm least interested in isekai, harems and horror. But there are always exceptions and what caught my eye about this one was that it is a josei, a really underrepresented demographic among English published manga and it also had these lovely romantic vibes to it. I decided to pre-order as I like to support Seven Seas' releases, I love how they pick up so many smaller less hyped series that are hidden gems.

What exactly is my problem with isekai? Well, I don't mean to stereotype the whole genre as it is quite broad and diverse, but generally I am not a fan of the cliche "I've been sucked into an RPG and now I'm super strong and I have hot women in my party who adore me"... it feels a little like the fantasy of a teenage boy, perhaps because they are usually the intended audience. It doesn't appeal to me. This one takes a different direction and appeals instead to the fantasy of an adult woman who likes quietly enjoying her hobbies and reading - for me, much more relatable.

This one delivered what I expected from it but I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. It has these dreamy, romantic vibes and the artwork is very soft and pleasant to look at. I found the protagonist very relatable and far from typical, a pleasure to read. It left with our protagonist in a dilemma so I'm very much interested to see what happens next and I hope it doesn't affect her comfy lifestyle too much. From the upcoming covers and what we've seen so far, I'm sensing that it will go in a romance direction and I'm hoping that it will. I'll definitely be picking up the next volume!

I recommend this one to people who like light and dreamy manga, particularly the type written for women. If you don't enjoy the typical isekai like me, this one might be for you.
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Nice to see some positive thoughts on this one! I've been excited for it since Seven Seas licensed it, but I haven't picked it up yet since it went on my Christmas list instead. I admit I don't mind isekai (as you'll probably have noticed from my posts in this thread/my reviews) so that wasn't ever going to be an issue for me, but I'm glad that it fits well with the story here regardless. :)
 
Demelza said:
Nice to see some positive thoughts on this one! I've been excited for it since Seven Seas licensed it, but I haven't picked it up yet since it went on my Christmas list instead. I admit I don't mind isekai (as you'll probably have noticed from my posts in this thread/my reviews) so that wasn't ever going to be an issue for me, but I'm glad that it fits well with the story here regardless. :)
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Yes, I loved it and would definitely recommend it! It's not that I have something against isekai on a whole, I just tend to be picky and go for the atypical ones. Same with harems and horror, they also exist in my collection but I'm very picky. Reincarnated as a Slime however does also take my interest, I see you mentioned it, that one looks pretty fun.

The protagonist in particular was lovely to see. She has this gentle, peaceful personality which I love. It seems like a trend to always make female protagonists fiesty (which I tolerate but I don't love) but I much prefer to see a softer female protagonist (who is still strong, as she has strong magic!). I would love to see more like this.
 
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