We’ve all had those friends we’ve fallen out of touch with. Not necessarily for negative reasons, but oftentimes because life just becomes busy. You can’t help but wonder about that person. Sometimes you might feel the urge to reach out and try to make a connection again, other times you might run into them again because the world can sometimes feel small.
Don’t let the cute cover of this manga fool you, there is more to this story than a childhood best friends to lovers romance. Not in a negative way, but buckle up because this manga is an emotional journey.
I can count on one hand the number of stories that have gripped me in the first few pages. Some of my all time favorite series have taken me several chapters, even volumes before I became truly hooked on their stories. If you’ve read The Lord of the Rings you know what I’m talking about. Yet on rare occasions, something will resonate with you immediately and you’ll know, this is a story just for you. Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku is just such a story.
Since I loved Kei Sanbe’s previous work, Erased, I immediately took note of The 13th Footprint being published by Yen Press earlier this year. Eager to see more of his writing, I went into this manga with higher than usual expectations for his new series.
Mysteries are one of my favorite genres, but the execution sometimes leaves me wary. Coming up with a compelling story which leaves you guessing isn’t easy. When I came across The Strange House, the cover of this manga immediately caught my attention as it had a blueprint of a house on the cover. Combined with the title, I wanted to find out what was so strange about this house.
While looking for something spooky to read this month for Halloween, I stumbled on the new manga release Monster and Ghost by Himemiko. The cover immediately captured my attention in addition since it appears to show a man kissing a spectral hand. I also wanted to learn more about the title. I ended up going into this fairly blind, choosing to avoid the summary before I started reading.
The breathtaking cover of Touch Within the Abyss immediately captured my interest and prompted me to purchase a copy. I almost found it impossible to believe this manga is the debut work of Moyori Mori. As I continued reading, I found myself swept up in a sweet and gentle story between two men who feel trapped by the world around them.
The meet cute is one of the most important parts of a story. It sets the tone for how two characters will interact throughout the rest. Whether they’re total strangers brought together by happenstance or they just happen to turn a specific way in a crowd and catch a special someone’s eye, the meet cute is the building block of any romance story.
But what happens when the meet cute builds a rocky emotional foundation for a relationship? For me, Beautiful Things by Nao Inui has one of the shakiest starts.
A new title was added to Shonen Jump’s lineup this past weekend. Joining its ranks is Embers by Kei Kurumazaki and Sotaro Nishii. While there are several exorcist, comedy, and action titles already in serialization, there is only one other sports manga which is the sports/romance series Blue Box.
Manga fans kick off February with several publishers including Yen Press, Viz Media, and even Dark Horse announcing new licenses. As always with these kinds of events, we get excited and hope that we’ll see something that we want to add to our reading list.
Here are the titles that caught my interest from the announcements.
We don’t see many stories (yet) set during the COVID pandemic. Home Office Romance puts this world event front and center. This manga really excels at showcasing those earlier days of lockdown when everyone had to readjust to working from home. From rearranging a home office to enjoying an extra hour of sleep without having to deal with a commute, I think everyone who lived through this experience will appreciate all the slice-of-life details shown in this manga. This background paired with a sweet romance piqued my interest.
Boy Meets Maria by Peyo is a special, unique manga that took me on an emotional journey. For anyone looking for a heartfelt story, check it out!
Despite being an area of historical interest to me, I haven’t read many books set during the Great War. Much of my previous historical fiction experiences have involved World War II, so when I stumbled upon No Man’s Land by Sally Malcolm, I was intrigued by the premise and setting and eager to dive into this story.
Connection From Chicago is a story about two goalies that highlights the pressures of being a professional athlete, dealing with grief, and how meeting the one person who understands you can make all the difference.
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