mangafanno1

”There Are Things I Can't Tell You” by Edako Mofumofu is a sweet coming of age story about unrequited love. Kyousuke is bright and popular, while Kasumi is a clumsy outsider, but the two very different boys become fast best friends in elementary school after Kyousuke sees Kasumi hanging a note with a wish onto the Wish Tree in the school library with the words ”I hope to marry someone I love and live happily ever after”. The theme in the story is ”What is happiness?”. The story is told from both Kasumi and Kyosuke's point of view - from elementary school boys to now 27 years old men that are trying to figure out what love and happiness is. I really liked that. It made me feel connected to the two men that come from different homes and have different demons that are following each of them into their adulthood. I hope there will be a book two because this was a great beginning.

”Wolf Girl And Black Prince, Vol 1” by Ayuko Hatta is a hilarious romantic comedy about Erika (The wolf girl) who cried too many times that she has a boyfriend – when she actually doesn't. Her friends think she's a liar, and scared of being left out in the cold, Erika takes a picture of a random hot guy in the street. If only she had known that they know him already because he goes to her school! The disaster feeling is strong when Erika is almost caught in her lies, but Sata, the guy, listens to her pleas about him becoming her fake boyfriend. He's a nice guy and agrees - all she has to do is be at his beck and call. His own personal slave dog. Turns out he's a wolf in sheep's clothing! Now, now, before anyone goes complaining that this guy is evil and mistreating her, just remember that Erika could stop this farce at any time by telling the truth to her friends. She doesn't and I think for sure there's going to be an important lesson to be learned he...

”After the Rain, Vol 1” by Jun Mayuzuki is a lovely, slow-building slice-of-life about living in the now, but also about moving forward. Tachibana is 17 years old and has a crush on her 45- year old manager at her workplace. There is nothing about this guy that screams a hunk or admirable or anything. He's a middle-aged man who has a shitty job, he's a divorcee, and at that point in life where everything is moving in slow-motion - in particular himself. He's most likely dealing with a midlife crisis. What she sees in him is unknown, but we know that Tachibana is going through a life crisis herself too. We have other characters that support the theme of standing still in life. I love when a story explores a theme in multiple ways. It makes you feel closer to the characters and their world. I would say that this is a book full of mood. There were whole pages where you had no text to support you, yet the feelings and thoughts of the characters were clear and moving. I ...

"Acid Town, Vol 1" by Kyugo. In a city where lawlessness rules, Yuki and his best friend Tetsu attempt to rob the headquarters of the local Seidoukai in order to steal money to pay for Yuki's little brother's hospital bill. The mission is a failure but piques the interest of mob boss Kazutaka Hyodo. He offers Yuki a deal; come to visit him once a week, and he'll take care of his brother's fees. Yuki accepts this arrangement without question, and so makes his first visit... The synopsis from the publisher makes it sounds much dirtier than it actually is. If you are looking for smut, this is not the book for you. Are you looking for a mafia story with hardships, politics, the ultimate risk of losing what's important to you, and the bonds created with those in the mafia, this is for you. An another group is trying to win ground and is doing the best they can to provoke the mob boss, Kazutaka. Tetsu, who is in love with Yuki, can only look on from the o...

”Return of The Prince” is written by Junko. The mangaka behind the series ”Kiss Him, Not Me”. If you were missing the boy-on-boy love action in that book, you will in this short story collection get a good selection of heartbreak and romance. The first story ”Return of the Prince” is about two cousins that meet each other after many years. The younger cousin, Fumi, has become a prince – he lost weight, is popular with the ladies, and goes to a high-prestige school. Everything is rolling for him, while life is difficult at the moment for the older cousin, Kou. When Fumi confesses his huge admiration for Kou, it complicates things – is it all a game or true love for Kou? I really liked the second story ”Metamorphosis”. It is about two childhood friends that are growing apart in High School because of their different interests. Yasuhiro is interested in soccer, and Ritsu is interested in bugs. Particular butterflies because of the transformation they go through to get their wings. ...

”Love, that's an understatement Vol 1” by Fujimomo is like a semi-mafia romance set in a school environment. I loved how the worlds of smart girl, Risa, and Zen and his group of delinquents mix. To some is Risa a very responsible person. To her classmates, she's robotic and cold. Of course, she doesn't like their view of her, but she is this way to not cause worries. But it has the effect that Risa is alone and doesn't know how to ask for help. I liked the mental picture the mangaka draw with Risa's heavy bag. Risa's bag is full of things that can help her in any given situation, so she doesn't have to rely on others. It becomes clear that it's a heavy burden if you can't get help when you need it. Risa is by no means a damsel in distress. She's more than capable of taking care of herself. We see it again and again in the story. There are scenes where most people would panic, but where she stands up for herself, and I screamed in delight! ...

"Knight of the Ice, Vol 1" by Yayoi Ogawa. As a reader, we know that Chitose and Kokoro have feelings for each other. That's probably why I thought the story was a bit slow at first because I wanted the romance to begin! But I got hooked after the second half, because, as the story progress, we see why their love story is not so easy. Chitose and Kokoro are each fighting with insecurities. Chitose is feeling insecure because of her height. At work, her boss is not taking her seriously, and everywhere else people see her at being below the cool and talented Kokoro, making her think that too. Kokoro is popular and a star skater, but he's younger than Chitose, and feels insecure because of it. She's a businesswoman. He's a skater that can't win if she doesn't cast a childhood magic spell on him. He feels like a kid next to her, and not like a man she can desire. Also, there's is something wrong with his manager. I don't know yet, if we are...

"Nighttime for Just Us Two" Volume 1 by Maki Miyoshi is a story about a girl, Nikaido, who feel she is an outsider at school. No one remembers her name and she's invisible to everyone. On a night walk, she meets the popular guy from her class, Koga-kun, but he presents himself as someone else... an alien that is exploring human life on earth. o.0 The first time I read the synopsis for this story I burst out laughing because... a shojo manga with an alien?! Never heard about it before and sounds crazy enough that it's hard to not check it out! I think this first volume was awesome! It was punchy and fast-paced and managed to show both Nikaido's loneliness, Koga's desperation, and Chiro-chan's happy attitude about living the human life. It was so funny! I love how Chiro-chan (the alien) and Koga (the human) come across as two different people. Chiro-chan is bright, happy and an airhead and Koga is... well, right now he is scared and is convinced he i...

I have always loved the story about Romeo & Juliet and have during the years seen many adaptions as movies, tv-series, and other works that are inspired by Romeo & Juliet as a theme. Therefore I have always wanted to read the original material, but haven't because Shakespeare is writing an old and hard to read English that makes it a torturous read, and who would like to torture themself? Not me! I read a lot of comics, so when I saw Romeo & Juliet as a manga who stays true to the original story, I had to try it. The drawings in the manga helped bringing this story alive to me. This manga is a direct adaption and stays very true to the original story. It has the old language, and though I had lines I didn't understand one-to-one, the visual story and gestures of the characters on the page made me understand a whole lot more than if I had read the text only. I can truthfully say that I enjoyed this read! It was an amazing detailed read. It was like seeing a t...

This is a series review of ”I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway!” by Sou Inaida It follows the same story plot as ”My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!” by Satoru Yamaguchi, which was just what I was hoping for :D Mystia, our female MC, begins at 10 years old having flashbacks and realise that she has been reincarnated into a game as the villainess. She doesn't remember the details but knows that a fatal ending is waiting for her if she doesn't change the storyline ... Mystia is like Katarina well-loved and admired by the people around her, but where Katarina is a villain until the point she remembers, Mystia seems like she has always been a clever and good girl who is much more aware of her lacks. She always acts out of a sense of duty and sensibility, which to the reader makes it clear that she's pure-hearted, but I could also see how her actions might be misunderstood and for others she might come acr...

It took me the longest time to get past page 1 of "Getting Closer To You" Vol 1 by Ruri Kamino. Not because the story is bad already from the get-go but because the very first panel is a close-up of the chest of a prime example of a male body. I had to take my time appreciating that panel. It very fast became clear to me that I would get along with the heroine and understand her joy for muscles. Hibi, female MC, is a muscle maniac and spends a lot of time spying on her school's sports teams. That's how she meets the muscle prince of the basketball team, who then finds her notebook and finds out about her obsession. He's part amused, freaked out, and fascinated about her passion and knowledge of muscles, and asks her (blackmail her) to become the manager of his sports team – the basketball team. You could think she was the luckiest girl getting a front-row to good-looking and fit muscles, but the basketball team are not well-trained guys nor are they doing we...

Series review of "Sakura's Dedication" by Fuyu Yukimiya. This is the shojo manga I have read about the love that comes after the first, young, insecure, inexperienced love. Sawa, our female MC, has had several boyfriends but her relationships all end with a bad breakup – just take her latest boyfriend who cheated on her. When her classmate Sakura confess his feelings to her, she replies that he's not her type. He's okay with that and doesn't give up on making her like him, because as he says ”one's type and the person you fall in love with are often different”, and it doesn't take more than one chapter for Sakura to win over Sawa. It's the story that follows that's fun to read because Sakura is different from the guys Sawa normally dates, so while she might be experienced in dating and think she knows how things will play out, she's thrown when their relationship is so different from her earlier relationships. The ex-boyfriends and b...

Series review of "Maid in Honey" by Mari Yoshino. I absolutely love "Kaichou wa Maid Sama", and have been looking for something that looks just like it – a story with a hardworking heroine, a push and pull relationship between the heroine and hero (something that makes my heart flutter), and a hero that annoys our heroine but helps her grow into herself. At school, Niko Nanase is a perfect high score student, admired by her peers, but the truth is that she has worked hard to enter the VIP private school with the not-so-noble propose - to find a rich husband. Somone who can help her make her dream come true, so she and her two younger sisters can find happiness again. Nanase is by no means a damsel in distress, but you get the sense that she fails at making her dream come true alone. Leon-kun is our male main character. An upcoming actor and school hottie, who quite early on shows an interest in our heroine. She's not impressed though by his flashy actor...

"A Sign of Affection" Vol 1 by Suu Morishita is such a cute and lovely beginning to a promising new series. We follow Yuki's challenges as she navigates the hearing world, college and love. I feel we got so many good glimpses of what it means to be deaf, and how challenging it can be. Yuki is at first glance a quiet and subduded young lady, but when she texts with her friends you get to see her sparkling personality. I loved it, and felt it really showed that there is more to people than what the eye can see (or ear can hear). The drawings is soooooo niiiiiceeeee! The hands are lively and detailed when Yuki is speaking (doing sign language). It is clear that the author wanted to make this as realistic as possible, and I applaud her for it. The characters faces – WOW! I could feel the intensity and silent speaking between Yuki and Itsuomi-san each time they look at each other. Their fascination of each other made me fascinated in return. Itsuomi-san is a we...

Sweet love. This is a review of the first 7 books. I've seen a few reviews complain how this series doesn't have any traditional drama (eg. mean girls), and while it's true, I also think this is what makes this such a charming story about exploring being in love the first time. That itself has a lot of drama! It's a tender and butterfly inducing story and I get teary-eyed sometimes because of the sweetness of it. The slow pace makes you really see the growth of these two's relationship - from the careful babysteps of figuring each other out to a relationship full of consent and equality. I love how they make each other swoon, and how well the author portray the strong feelings that are connected to liking someone. I can't wait to get more of this feel-good story about Serina and Mizukawa-Sempai.

Funny – check! Great and engaging plot – check! Amazing drawings – check! This is a story about Futaro, an excellent student whose family is suffering under crippling debt. To earn extra money, his father secures him a job as a tutor for a new student, but Futaro is very surprised when it turns out it is not just one person he has to tutor, but five identical quintuplets sisters that hate nothing more than doing their homework. (And for a good reason. They are struggling in getting passing grades) Futaro is set in for a challenge as all of the sisters hate him on sight alone, and will do anything to get away from him. At first, their relationship is full of distrust and dislike, as the story evolves, it turns into something different. We know very early, in a flashforward from chapter 1, that Futaro someday will marry one of the sisters, and at first that seems unlikely. Futaro is not your typical hero. He's stuck up, anal about homework and has been very busy in achievin...