Girls Kingdom Vol. 2

I could read this series forever. Having successfully beaten off the attempted takeover of the Sky Salon in the first volume while also neatly helping her room-mate land a gig, volume two finds Misaki reflecting with relief on the latter… and noticing that she’s gotten a bit more into this whole being a Seraph thing than she’d realized....

Mar 2021

I Cannot Reach You Vol. 1 Review

Boring. Kakeru is a bubbly, none-too-bright high school boy who can’t figure out why his classmates are wary of his quiet and handsome childhood friend Yamato (oh damn, I see what you did there). Yamato, for his part, can’t figure out how to ‘fess up to Kakeru that he wants to kiss him, although he comes quite close to telling him straight-out...

Mar 2021

The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 2 Manga Review

The circle widens, the intrigue deepens. Having easily won over the consort Gyokuyo and the Jade Palace in the first volume, Maomao’s got her work cut out for her when the Emperor sends her to look after Consort Lihua of the Crystal Palace. Consort Lihua has not recovered in the wake of the death of her baby son in the first volume,...

Mar 2021

Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon Vol. 1 Review

Go buy this yuri. Hinako Uno’s a woman who would seem to have pulled off the perfect combination – perfect make-up, perfect outfits, the right personality and interests – but despite the flawless presentation, there’s definitely something missing from her life. And, no, the thing that is missing isn’t a man, although the fact that none...

Mar 2021

Sasaki and Miyano Vol. 1 Review

No. High schooler Miyano’s desperately trying to get some help for a classmate who is being beaten up when handsome Sasaki strolls into the scene, opting to rely on his own fists rather than calling for back-up. Since this is a BL, it’s love at first sight… or, well, that’s what the author is counting on the reader to believe before jerking...

Mar 2021

Failed Princesses Vol. 3 Review

Presumably successful princesses deal with less angst. Despite a tearful reunion at the end of volume two, jealousy continues to be a fairly significant theme in the third volume of Failed Princesses, as the formation of a new friend group manages to bring along a fair bit of insecurity for both Fujishiro and Kurokawa… as well as Izumi,...

Mar 2021

Even Though We’re Adults Vol. 1 Review

It’s a classic story. Woman meets other woman. Woman falls in love. Other woman shows up a few days later at woman’s restaurant with a husband in tow. Truly, haven’t we all been there? Well, perhaps not in quite that exact key, but the basic outlines aren’t entirely unfamiliar ones for a lot of queer women, even if schoolteacher Ayano,...

Feb 2021

Pretty Boy Detective Club: The Dark Star that Shines for You Alone Vol. 1 Review

Not one that shone for me. Years ago, when she was very small, Mayumi Dojima saw a beautiful star while on a family trip. Ever since then, she’s tried to find it again, but hasn’t been able to; after spending ten years searching, on the even of her fourteenth birday, she’s ready to bid her quest good-bye after one last study of the sky...

Feb 2021

Holmes of Kyoto Vol. 3 Review

Return to Kyoto, if only in spirit. The New Year is just around the corner, but Aoi doesn’t have much to look forward to when her sagging grades have her parents’ threatening to make her quit her part-time job. Luckily, Holmes is willing to pitch in on tutoring in between a gamut of rather salacious mysteries involving adultery, broken...

Feb 2021

The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess Vol. 1 Review

Choose your own isekai! Konoha Satou is a reclusive middle schooler who spends her free time in her room, working endlessly on her own isekai novel in which she gets to reincarnate as the incomparably beautiful and powerful Konoha Magnolia, a much-beleaguered and perfect young woman who gets to go on an exciting quest to save her beloved....

Feb 2021