Manga Review: BARBARITIES Vol. 1 by Tsuta Suzuki (2023)

Genre: Historical Yaoi Seinen
Year Release in English: 2023
Source: BOOK☆WALKER

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Content warnings: Political corruption, sexual harassment, explicit sexual content

People call this a historical fiction inspired by Renaissance Europe but I’m pretty sure it’s a secondary world fantasy minus the magic and monsters (I would love for someone to correct me if this is not the case).

Viscount Adam Canning is hired to be the bodyguard of Lord Montague, who has several secrets up his sleeve in order to maintain the efficiency of his station. But tensions between church and state brew in the background, and while a romance between a playboy and a sexually inept young man play out in the forefront.

I kept this manga on my radar when an artist was drawing Luis and Gil, one of the other couples in this work (they are very gay and absurd in their affection). The characters are charming with very quick work done by Suzuki to establish their backstories. I am pulled in hard by the political intrigue unfolding in this work. There’s a tension between the main religion and the more secular monarchy, plus Adam’s entanglements with the queen and her cohort. Joel seems to have several tricks up his sleeve, including eluding an assassination attempt. Who sent the killers? What does he know? I’m invested in the story as well as seeing when (if?) the insta-love and the slow-burn crush will even out in their attraction.

Manga Review: GUNBURED X SISTERS Vol. 1 – 3 by Wataru Mitogawa (2022-2023)

Genre: Fantasy Yuri Seinen
Year Release in English: 2022 – 2023
Source: BOOK☆WALKER

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I thought I had reviewed the first two volumes of this high octane manga about a religious order who fight vampires, but apparently not. It is sexy and little perverted, it’s over-the-top, there are girls in love, girls in rivalries, and knights who use she/they pronouns. The series is fun and irreverent with really fun fights and so many ulterior motives among people supposedly working together.

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Manga Review: DICK FIGHT ISLAND Vol. 2 by Reibun Ike (2022)

Genre: Fantasy Josei
Year Release in English: 2022
Source: Physical Copy

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Review of Volume 1 can be found here
Content warnings: Dubious consent with lots of male sexuality on display; fantasy prejudice

The second half of the story of Pulau’s political system of having a coming tournament every four years focuses on the relationships between its chosens and the origins of the Great Wyrm Tournament. It’s earnest, it’s sexy, and there are so many men in love with other men.

We get the full introduction to Harto and his lover, Matthew, who were roommates in college. They got along as more than just students, with Harto telling Matthew about his culture to comedic and earnest effect. The way their relationship develops is swoony and romantic.

Then we cut to others who also had chance encounters connected to some loosely developed mythology. Bulan had been saved by a stag that loosely reminds him of Roro, and years later, the two get stuck in a snowstorm and there’s only one bed. Another couple are gifted a whole lot of lube to improve their “technique.” There’s even a wedding. It’s a wonderful snapshot of different types of relationships, and, honestly, this had me smiling and flailing from cover to cover.

Very fluffy, raunchy, and full of gay earnestness.

Manga Review: ROSEN BLOOD Vol. 1 by Kachiru Ishizue (2022)

Genre: Fantasy Shoujo
Year Release in English: 2022
Source: Kinokuniya

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Content warnings: Blood, attempted murder

Stella is on her way to start a new job after a freak accident takes out her carriage driver, and she wakes up in a Gothic mansion that’s more a thorned cage than a residence occupied by four men who are definitely vampires. They eat crystals, have strange mannequins, and barely leave the building. There’s a sense of dread but the boys and the art are swoony.

This first volume is horny in ways that are very befitting of vampire lore. There’s a fixation on taste and devouring, with sensual wound care, and one of the vampires gets put in a muzzle during one of the chapters. As far as the boys go, the work leans into tropes and archetypes in ways that are swoony and delightful. I had fun during this first read, and I’m definitely looking forward to more.

Manga Review: THE KINGDOMS OF RUIN Vol. 5 by yoruhashi (2022)

Genre: Dark Fantasy Seinen
Year Release in English: 2022
Source: BOOK☆WALKER

Reminder: The star rating reflects overall opinion of the series. Click here for my reviews of the previous volumes.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Content warnings: Gore, violence, blood, robot necrophilia (aftermath), beheading

After the levity of the previous entry into the series, Adonis and Doroka continue on their way through the wastes with Redian special forces hot on their trail. They come across several abandoned towns, each ruined by technology in different ways.

Despite Doroka using her love powers to defensive means, it’s charming to see that she hasn’t lost her faith in humanity (in the spiritual sense) while Adonis works extra hard to maintain his edge. Their rapport is so good, giving necessary levity to the bleakness of their surroundings. The landscapes are chilling, especially with the ways that decay is evident and what becomes of the people left behind. What’s almost as frightening are the super-powered humans chasing the witch and boy-witch, and that fight introduced at the very end of the volume is bound to be a doozy.

Manga Review: MIERUKO-CHAN Vol. 6 by Tomoki Izumi (2022)

Genre: Slice-of-Life Horror
Year Release in English: 2022
Source: BOOK☆Walker

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Content warnings: Ghosts, body horror, disturbing imagery

Miko goes to the temple hidden by a forbidden barrier with Mitsue and Rom, despite Mitsue warning them both about trying to put those spirits to rest. The young woman might be the key to putting the disturbance to rest, however.

This volume has smaller cast, featuring just the three in the summary with references to Hana and Yuria in flashbacks and mentions. The focus of the art in this one, as a result, is centered on the horrific ghosts, and Izumi really shows off what they’re capable of. I recoiled at some of the panels, and it’s great fun.

I did not expect to get so emo about the ghost psychic shill, Rom. The backstory about him and Mitsue is among the most touching. While this series veers towards more comedy and slice-of-life, those take a backseat to horror and more linear plot. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hilarious that Rom metal music playing from his phone as part of his ghost-taming arsenal. But, it’s a mostly seriously volume that has me on the edge of my seat for the next volume.

Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 8-14 by Sui Ishida (2016-2017)

Genre: Horror Seinen
Year Release in English: 2016-2017
Source: Viz Media Digital Subscription

Reminder: The star rating reflects overall opinion of the series. My review of the first half can be found here.

My review starts with me cupping my face with my hands and yelling into my palms. The journey beyond the anime is incredible and definitely something that will stay with me as I keep growing into my dark fantasy/horror self. It’s definitely making me want to go further and explore more within my work, but also the stark differences between the anime and the manga are making me appreciate manga as a medium a lot more.

The standoff between the CCG and the ghouls comes to an end with casualties on both sides, more deranged characters with their own ends and ideas of ghouls vs humans, with a deep thread of defining the boundaries of goodness, kindness, and the things people are willing to do to protect those they care about. Amid the blood and the gore, there is so much compassion that left me somewhat shaken.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
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Manga Review: Tokyo Ghoul Vol. 1-7 by Sui Ishida (2015-2016)

Genre: Horror Seinen
Year Release in English: 2015-2016
Source: Viz Media Digital Subscription

Reminder: The star rating reflects overall opinion of the series.

Tokyo Ghoul is an anime that I watched early during my creative journey. The aesthetic, the music, the character journeys, the violence, the world-building—it all has stuck with me since 2015 when it first aired. Unfortunately, the story never finished getting adapted (do not talk to me about Root A, though it will be mentioned when I finish the second half).

This series comes with hauntingly beautiful art, compelling characters, and a unique exploration on what makes people good told both through monstrosity and monstrous humanity, this is going to continue being one of my influences and series to return to moving forward.

Rating: 5 out of 5.
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Manga Review: DICK FIGHT ISLAND Vol. 1 by Reibun Ike (2021)

Genre: Fantasy Josei
Year Release in English: 2021
Source: Physical Copy

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Content warnings: Dubious consent with lots of male sexuality on display

This over-the-top sexual fantasy story has chosen warriors from various clans vying for the spot of king in a tournament where whoever comes first loses.

The lads who are signed up for this are so enthusiastic about participating and giving sexual pleasure to their opponent. One of them, Harto, returns from studying abroad with a new technique that’s destined to decimate his enemies. But he also has a secret that might disqualify him. There’s tenderness and so much mutual respect as warriors and interesting powers that verge on magic. It’s so earnest, and the characterizations are top notch. My personal favorite is Vampir, but that’s because I’m predictable.

The art is high quality and the variety of dicks is delightful. Each one has elaborate armor that comes off during the battle. If you want to squeal in the delight that is the absurdity of a political system that revolves around orgasms, this one is for you.

Manga Review: FIRE PUNCH Vol. 1 & 2 by Tatsuki Fujimoto (2018)

Genre: Horror Seinen
Year Release in English: 2018
Source: Viz Media

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fire Punch is the first manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, best known for Chainsaw Man. This dystopian horror in which certain humans are blessed with elemental powers feels scoured directly from the litany of things I like in my fiction. It’s hyperviolent, it’s bleak as all get out, there’s an ice witch who destroyed the world, there are people with powers and completely irresponsible ways of using, it’s complete Jo bait.

I’m only two volumes in, and I am definitely continuing with the series as the need for treats come in because wow.

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