What manga are you reading now?

Chio's School Road vol 1
Gamer girl.
Checked to see how long ago the anime was. It was 3 and a half years ago already. Still remember the opening chapter and the Bloody Butterfly chapter, but had forgotten the rest.
 
Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest ch 97 - 98

Hajimete no Gal Ch 128 - 133

Houkago no Goumon Shoujo ch 108 - 109

Karakai Jouzu no (Moto) Takagi-san ch 206 - 207

KissxSis ch 150 - 151

Lust Geass ch 40

Special training in the Secret Dungeon ch 61

The Princess Knight is a Classmate! ch 44

Tsugumomo ch 144
 
Waterstones had a 50% off all hardbacks sale and I went a bit crazy buying hardbacks... ended up picking up Junji Ito's No Longer Human. I don't read horror normally (my last attempt with Blood on the Tracks didn't end well, I put it down within the first few pages cause I found it too disturbing and uncomfortable) but this one had interested me and it was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

I started reading it immediately after I got it because I was just so curious about it. I really loved it! I read it in two sittings, it's a really thick book but I found it so hard to put down. The themes of mental health were really well touched upon, aswell as growing up with the main character and my favourite scene is (end of story spoiler) in the mental hospital at the end, I thought that was so meta and unique, very thought provoking especially regarding the author's real life.

At first, I worried I'd probably have to sell it or offer it up to trade, but now I'm definitely keeping this one in my collection and will re-read it in future for sure.
 
Read BL Metamorphosis 1 and had to dive right into 2. Such a wholesome and heartwarming manga. Don't be fooled by the title, it's not a BL, just an unlikely friendship story of a teen who struggles making friends and elderly lady who bond over BL manga.
 
Gacha Girls Corps volume 3
Durarara SH! volume 2 (LN)
Pretty Boy Detective Club volume 2
JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World volume 2
Magical Explorer volume 1 (LN)
 
setokaiba said:
How is it? These LNs are tempting me but I'm so torn about if I'll actually enjoy it, being too swept up in the hype or not, which one to even choose out of the 3...
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I went into Scum Villian blind unlike the other 2 where I had seen the donghua's. It's the first one she did and like the other set in an ancient Chinese cultivator world but with a twist. I really liked it and would recommend it.
 
A Kiss, For Real volume 4
My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World volume 1

My Next Life as a Villainess Side Story: On the Verge of Doom! volume 1 - This is fun if you're a villainess fan. It's an alternate reality where Katarina doesn't regain her memories until she's only a year away from being killed/exiled/whatever, so now it's a lot more difficult for her to overturn the bad ends. Of course, she still ends up being the lovable idiot that we readers know and love.

Hitorijime Boyfriend (Complete) - I have to say that for as much as I like Hitorijime My Hero (which was born from this series), I was shocked by how abusive the relationship between Kensuke and Hasekura is. There are quite a few sexual scenes where Kensuke is saying no but Hasekura continues with whatever they are doing in the given scene, which is uncomfortable considering the much more gentle and wholesome the relationship is between them in My Hero. A lot of BL titles are like this so it doesn't really bother me on a fundamental level since I know the genre is like this, I just didn't expect Hitorijime Boyfriend to follow the same trend given the series that span out of it. Also on a much more minor point, I didn't find the lettering/translation quality to be up to Kodansha's usual standards, feels somewhat stiff in places and there is at least one very noticeable typo. :/

Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl (LN) - Argh this had such an evil cliffhanger, I'm going to be crying about it for days! Another incredibly emotional volume that I couldn't put down until I reached the end. Can't wait for the next volume!
 
Demelza said:
Hitorijime Boyfriend (Complete) - I have to say that for as much as I like Hitorijime My Hero (which was born from this series), I was shocked by how abusive the relationship between Kensuke and Hasekura is. There are quite a few sexual scenes where Kensuke is saying no but Hasekura continues with whatever they are doing in the given scene, which is uncomfortable considering the much more gentle and wholesome the relationship is between them in My Hero. A lot of BL titles are like this so it doesn't really bother me on a fundamental level since I know the genre is like this, I just didn't expect Hitorijime Boyfriend to follow the same trend given the series that span out of it. Also on a much more minor point, I didn't find the lettering/translation quality to be up to Kodansha's usual standards, feels somewhat stiff in places and there is at least one very noticeable typo. :/
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This early volume dates from 2010 (so probably was serialized a little earlier, in the noughties) and is an 'interesting' example of how storytelling has changed in BL (as you rightly say) in a decade or so. The main thing that struck me with this volume is the much more conventional art style used by the mangaka for her characters! (Hasekura! Those eyes!) Since then, Memeco Arii has let her style become much more loose and free (I hesitate to say cartoonish, but you know what I mean?) - which seems to me to express a general change in attitude towards her characters and storytelling too.
 
Sarah said:
The main thing that struck me with this volume is the much more conventional art style used by the mangaka for her characters! (Hasekura! Those eyes!) Since then, Memeco Arii has let her style become much more loose and free (I hesitate to say cartoonish, but you know what I mean?) - which seems to me to express a general change in attitude towards her characters and storytelling too.
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Agreed, I much prefer the direction she's developed her artwork now compared to Hitorijime Boyfriend. It especially worked for me since I got into Hitorijime through the anime adaptation first and that certainly benefited from her style.

Most of all I just appreciate that the characters are less stereotypical (even back at the beginning) and have had the chance to be developed in so many interesting ways. It's a series that doesn't feel trapped by the conventions of the genre, that's for sure.
 
Demelza said:
Most of all I just appreciate that the characters are less stereotypical (even back at the beginning) and have had the chance to be developed in so many interesting ways.
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You're so right - and it's telling that the secondary characters in Boyfriend are the ones that had so much more potential for development. Maybe she had to 'prove herself' with a more conventional volume first before the publisher/editor felt confident they could let her loose on the story she really wanted to write. Or maybe, in writing the first book, the other story emerged and demanded greater attention...
 
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