What manga are you reading now?

Vinland Saga vol 17
Ghosts of the past.
One chapter had some glaring historical inaccuracies which took me out of the story for a bit, then I read the afterwords and found out the idea for the thing in that chapter was from an anime, LOL!
I vaguely remember watching episodes of this when I was a kid myself!
 
Just posting a link to this week's The Manga Review (compiled and edited by Katherine Dacey of Manga Bookshelf). We're always really thrilled to have our reviews mentioned in this - but just to say that it's an excellent resource not just for manga reviews but to see what's coming out; there are links to many really interesting sites and manga bloggers.
 
I was reading the Wikipedia page for a manga the other day and spotted someone had put in the thoughts of an AUKN reviewer in the Reception part.
Thank you for noticing us Out There. I've occasionally spotted our reviews being mentioned by Wikipedia writers which is (a) flattering (b) disconcerting especially when they don't quote but summarize (and not always correctly) - it's also nice when publishers use little quotes from our reviews to promote the next volumes of manga in series (Kodansha have been kind in that respect). It's always a surprise for us - and hopefully, usually a nice one!
 
they don't quote but summarize
Summarises that @Demelza had mixed feelings about the first volume and criticized the art and characters.
Which isn't wholly true, but was a criticism of part of the story:
 
Weathering With You volume 2 - Spending significant time away from this has done it good me thinks, I like the art more than I did with Volume 1 even though it hasn't changed that much. This one gives the other characters more focus, too, so I'm looking forward to picking up Volume 3 to see how it finishes.

Matcha Made in Heaven volume 3 - A+ level of drama this time around. Still a fan of this unlikely couple, even if most of the problems this time around could have been solved several chapters earlier had they just talked to one another.

Moriarty the Patriot volume 9 - Ah the infamous court case, I still find this storyline a little ridiculous but then when is Moriarty not...

Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?! volume 3 - Starting to run out of content to adapt now, which is a shame but not a lot you can do when the LN got axed early.

Pokemon Journeys volume 1 - A fairly straight adaptation of the current TV series. Only four volumes in length, which is a bit of a shame given how much anime they could have made into manga but at the same time the short length and familiar characters make it a perfect series for parents to pick up for younger Pokémon fans.

Is Love the Answer? (complete) - Mixed feelings on this one. Enjoyed it overall, but it feels like it tries to juggle a lot of characters and storylines and doesn't quite deliver on them all. It also feels a little textbook in places where it's desperately trying to get the audience to understand asexuality alongside the MC, which isn't a problem per se but it does mean it's not a casual read. You need to be able to sit down and commit to reading it all at once to get anything out of it. As I say, I enjoyed it and would recommend it but it won't work for everyone which is a shame when these topics are so rarely explored in manga.

Death's Daughter and the Ebony Blade volume 3 (LN) - According to the afterword we're halfway through the series now, although I'd be surprised if that was true given it's currently at 7 volumes in Japan and I don't think that's the end. Still interesting provided you can deal with the fact the MC is overpowered and kills everyone with one swing of the sword.

Sasaki and Peeps Volume 1 (LN) - Reviewed for the site.

Review to follow:
Rent-A-Girlfriend volumes 13-14
A Sister's All You Need volume 13 (LN) - Almost at the end 😭
 
Papa and Daddy's Home Cooking volumes 1-2 - From the mangaka behind Cherry Magic! comes a sweet slice-of-life series telling the story of two single dads and their difficulties bringing up their kids. I'm not usually a big fan of manga revolving around food, but I really like how each dish ties into a portion of the cast's lives and seeing how it may have brought them together. Certainly will be keeping up with this when more is available. Also, strangely, the art to me seems much better than Cherry Magic! despite being older. Maybe the mangaka just had more time to work on it or deliberately went for a less detailed style with their later work? 🤔

Noragami volume 25 - Another emotional read as we get closer to the end of the series.

My Happy Marriage volume 2 - Almost finished adapting Volume 1 of the original LNs now. Looks like Volume 3 of the manga might even have content from #2 of the LNs, so I should probably get that bought and read beforehand... Really impressed with how well this has transitioned to manga, makes me even more excited for its future anime debut~

Reincarnated as an Apple: This Forbidden Fruit is Forever Unblemished volume 2 (LN, complete) - I say complete, but it might not be. The ending wasn't particularly conclusive so it looks like it got axed, something I am more certain of since the author was plugging the web novel version in the afterword this time around. It was a fun read as part of my JNC sub but I'm not sure I'd readily recommend it unless you really want to see a silly isekai where the protagonist is an apple...

The Flowers of Evil volume 10 - Gave up on Azuki being able to get more of this, so I picked up volume 10/11 in the current Kodansha sale so I could finally finish it off. I probably should have reread volume 9 first so I had a better idea of what had been happening beforehand, but oh well. Looking forward to seeing how the drama comes to ahead in the next book.

Bungo Stray Dogs volume 22 - I really do wonder how the story is going to resolve as we get further and further into power creeps and convoluted twists and turns. A couple of volumes ago I was complaining about the direction of the story, but I'm back on board with it more or less. I still wonder if this will end up being the conclusion to the entire series, but I guess we'll see. I believe this arc is the one still running in the current chapters, but Japan is only a volume ahead of us anyway so it doesn't mean much.

Mr. Bride volume 7 - A rival appears!

Continuing on more or less as they were:
The Greatest Magicmaster's Retirement Plan volume 15 (LN)
The Mythical Hero's Otherworld Chronicles volume 2 (LN)
The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest volume 10
The Faraway Paladin volume 9
 
Heartstopper Volumes 2 & 3 - Still really enjoying this though it's also bringing up some painful stuff for me :confused:

Inside Mari Volumes 5 & 6 - Whooaaaaa so good! I love it's existential horror take on the body swap genre and can't wait to read Volumes 7-9! :)
 
Inside Mari Volumes 7-9 COMPLETE - I got a lot out of this series even though I have no idea what to put here about it 😅 Shuzo Oshimi is one of my all-time favourite mangaka and this is the third series of his that I have completed (the other two are The Flowers of Evil and Happiness) :)
 
Kare Kano Volumes 3-4 - Been wanting to read this ever since seeing the anime at the age of about 16 years old (I'm now 34!) and I'm finally doing it (I did read Volumes 1-2 years ago tbf), so far it's very good, covering the content that the anime adapted, I am really interested to get to the manga-only part of the story but having a good time reading these early volumes as well :)
 
K-on!
Such a fun read. I love the show and always have. It's nice to finally have the manga physically and get to enjoy their stories again.

Audiobooks
So I'm A Spider, So what? vol 3
The human part of the story has finally got interesting but waaaaay too much time is spent on it. The book is always at its best when it's just with our spider MC. Honestly I would happily drop all the extra stuff to just follow her on her adventures in the Labyrinth.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic and On The Shoulders of Titans by Andrew Rowe. These 2 books were great. Magic, highschool, Monsters, political scheming, God's. Well written and fun. A likable and understandably awkward MC. The author has 3 interlinked series on the go at the moment and I shall be continuing with the start of another series next rather than continue this one for the maximum effect of the crossovers to be apparent.
 
Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest ch 124 - 125

Hajimete no Gal ch 148 - 149

Houkago no Goumon Shoujo ch 149

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord ch 92.1 - 92.3

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san ch 168

Karakai Jouzu no (Moto) Takagi-san ch 259 - 260

Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou ch 80

The Rising of the Shield Hero ch 93
 
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Vinland Saga vol 21
Infiltration.
The current arc is dragging a little. The story after farmland took another interesting turn, but was followed by a short distraction from their new goal. They did meet a new and quite interesting character, even if the meeting seemed a little too contrived! But now they've got stuck in an even longer distraction that's taken up about 3 volumes and looking at the contents there's another to follow! So they've been stuck in the same place and having the same fights, and thus going round in circles plot wise. It's not particularly interesting, especially compared to the mission they set out to complete when they left Iceland.
 
Excuse Me Dentist, It's Touching Me! (complete, Manga +) - Always difficult to bring a gag series to an end, but I think the author did a pretty good job with this one. I don't think it'll prove memorable on the whole, but it wasn't a bad way to spend 10-15 minutes once a week.

Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World volume 3 (LN) - Better than Volume 2 since while the MC is still acting like a bit of a brat, he was more palatable on the whole. Closer to what Volume 1 was, really.

Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My Old World Whenever I Want! volume 2 (LN) - I Wasn't as on board with this one compared to Volume 1 since it introduced an annoying fairy character, but the twist at the end keeps me on the hook for Volume 3 at least so we'll see how it goes.

The Flowers of Evil volume 11 (complete) - I still think I should have gone back and reread some of this, maybe I'll do a complete read-through in the near future. Definitely, the author at his best and I can see how it transformed so many readers into fans of his.

The Dawn of the Witch volume 1 (LN) - Reviewed.

Haibara's Teenage New Game + volume 2 (LN) - Kinda like Peddler where I enjoyed Volume 1 more than the second outing, but I'm not quite at the point of wanting to let it go either.

Outbreak Company: Gaiden (complete, LN) - Outbreak Company returned for one last outing in a book that serves as an epilogue of sorts. Been a while since J-Novel Club finished the main series, so I was more than happy to be reunited with the cast and follow their silly mishaps for a bit longer.

The Disowned Queen's Consulting Detective Agency volume 1 (complete? LN) - From the author behind I'm a Villainess, So I'm Taming the Final Boss comes a mystery series about a detective collecting magical items and facing off against a "Phantom Thief" alongside a suspicious assistant who may have a connection to the criminal. Honestly, this was very silly at times but also very enjoyable. Unfortunately, it hasn't had a follow-up volume since its debut in early 2022, so I suspect that's not continuing at this point. The end of Vol 1 does serve as a wrap-up of sorts, but I really wish we could have spent more time with the cast overall.

Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts with a Village volume 3 - Continuing on more or less as it was. Still want to go back to the LNs for it. Some really lovely artwork here, so always a joy to read this manga adaptation.

Infinite Dendrogram volume 19 (LN) - Another overpowered weapon gets introduced! I like this series a great deal, but it's way better nowadays when exploring the other characters instead of protagonist Ray.

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer volume 7 (LN) - You can definitely see that the end is in sight for this one now most of the major story beats are beginning to wrap up.

A Side Character's Love Story volume 13 - While Volume 12 felt like a stopgap between arcs, this one delivers a better read as it moves the story along. Volume 14 marks a significant change for the characters, so I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes their lives next.

Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting A Fresh Start with Magical Tools! volume 6 (LN) - A highly emotional volume as all romance and slice-of-life scenes are put aside so Dahlia can save a friend in a dire situation. I've been a big fan of this one since it started and with the focus being so heavy on the characters and their relationships in this volume, it really stepped up and reminded me why I enjoy it so much (not that a reminder was needed!).

Cooking with Wild Game volume 20 (LN) - Supposedly only seven months have passed in this series since it started. Seven months in 20 books! That reveal threw me for a loop given with the amount that's happened it feels more like a year should have passed by now...

So I'm a Spider, So What? The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters volume 1 - Not convinced I'll return to this spin-off. It was fun watching Kumoko (whose mind alters have been given bodies and thus we have four different Kumoko's), but the comedy just didn't work consistently enough for me to want to go through more volumes of this.

Gacha Girls Corps volume 4 - More or less continuing on as it was. Still a lot of focus on the little rabbit that got introduced recently, so between that and already enjoying what the series was offering I remain entertained.

Enough with the Slow Life! I was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I'm Bored volume 1 (LN, dropped) - One of those light novels that happily lives in the 'slow life' genre. I didn't dislike it, but I find that genre can be boring and this one didn't do anything to convince me I need to read more. If you like the idea of following an Elf who gets bored with his life and decides to integrate himself in human society and become a blacksmith, then it's worth a look but I imagine that audience is quite small...

I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I'm the Strongest? I'm Not Even an Adventurer! volume 1 (LN) - A silly OP story where the protagonist has struggled to learn any skills other than parry. But of course, because of that he trained parry every day for years and is now incredibly skilled with it, meaning he can face off against the most fearsome of monsters! Unfortunately like most of these LN leads, he has 0 self-awareness and is convinced these monsters are just extremely weak while everyone around him is flabbergasted by his antics. Not the most original of premises but it was entertaining so I'll give it another vol.

I Want to be a Wall volume 2 - Enjoyed this one a lot more than Volume 1, but I am sad to discover it has wrapped up in Japan with only enough content for one more book. I'm not convinced just one more is going to give us enough content to really feel satisfied with the lives of the two main characters, particularly since it introduced quite a few new characters to juggle in Volume 2. Doesn't look like Volume 3 is out yet, so I guess we won't be finding out for a while (unless I break down and read the raws, but the Yen Press releases have been quite nice so I will try to be patient)


Reviews to follow for:
My Isekai Life volume 4
As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal SKill to Rise in Another World volume 1
Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World volume 1 (LN)

I need to remember to post in here a little more often so I'm not wall of texting you all...
 
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