New Things Are Being Ordered Now! Just added My Cute Little Kitten Volume 2 to my review pile. And pre ordered Fly Me To The Moon Volume 23.
Does this FINALLY make progress after these upcoming two volumes of backstory reveal?!? Stay tuned.
Next week Friday it’s time to pre order She Loves To Cook She Loves To Eat’s newest Volume. Presently the only manga with a recurring Trigger Warning Alert.
Given that this manga addresses the sensitive topic of eating disorders and family dysfunctionality in regards to this topic in Japan? You can kinda see why the warnings are needed. Yes?
Monday I’ll tell you how the short trip to the MANGAVERSE devolved into a deep dark rabbit hole, with now X-Men Ronin 2003 joining the review schedule! Ugh. Stay tuned.
It’s time to say goodbye to Kaguya and her entourage. Kaguya hunting to get friends again that she’s more than she seems. But maybe the long flashback will reveal why she’s different.
Realizing that they have yet to find the hidden secret that will help unlock the secrets of the 5-D chip, Nasa tries to think… Flashing back to Tokiko and everything she told him.
First going on a hunch, as he and Tsukasa talk… Joined by Chitose… His hunch morphs into a full on One Truth Prevails revelation. He finally figured out where the secret Tokiko hid was.
Well… I guess it’s not that surprising. Guess what. It’s hidden in the one and only functioning device in the manor.By its very nature as last device working it stands out.
So next time we go through an entire Chapter where Nasa does a Shinichi Conan and reveal everything to Tsukasa and Chitose. Then… The title teased resolution only to take it away.
Then the title makes you sit through the world’s longest backstory moment yet for this title… Maybe not but it eats up the rest of this volume and a lot of Volume 22. So yeah. It’s alot.
But for now… The solution to the non crime non mystery of where Tokiko his the device to translate the 5-D chip. Tomorrow. See you.
Katai Ai Has Arrived! So we roll into Volume 14. Probably near the end of Season 3… If my theory holds out. Anyway this is a flashback to before the present summer arc… Which is why Hitomi & Shosuke are in school.
This year Ai Has moved up to first year high school, at a school that isn’t Komi/Hitohito/Makoto’s. As far as she’s concerned? She’s just too bad add for the whole school.
She will learn soon enough that she is but a pale image next to the true power duo of the year. Shosuke and Minami. Though… Why does their class come complete with a Buddha student clone? Wasn’t one Buddha enough?
Meeting Shosuke, Ai experiences reverse Makoto. Falling in love with a Komi instead of a Tadano. Yeah. He is rather manly so I’ll give her that. Nice choice.
Then she meets Tadano Hitomi. One of the few humans that gives Freddy Krueger nightmares. Her reaction to Hitomi is… Revulsion. Anyway Hitomi ends up dragging Ai & Shosuke on a school tour. To The admiration of the class.
While in the tour? A strange small female bike gang shows up to assault Ai? Well it’s sometime during the day in anycase. They take a hostage… Why… And end up beating Ai.
Only to be confronted by Shosuke and his “voice” Hitomi. Who is still doing the ventriloquist act with him. Not that he’s easy to beat. The two female minions find him hard to land a blow on.
But while they’re distracted? Hitomi easily takes out the leader, saving the hostage. She then easily dispatched the two minions without them even realizing what is happening.
Will this slight misunderstanding (Ai being out cold missing Hitomi beating up the ladies) lead to love? Only future Volumes (and probably a theoretical Season 4) will answer that.
Now. It’s back to summer. It’s time to visit the family, including everyone’s favorite kinda shy niece. But this time Komi brother and sister are traveling on their own. How do they fare? Find out tomorrow! See you!
The Long Long Day Of Minami The following 30-ish pages is a long day story for Minami. From morning to night on a Friday. It basically is a full story about Minami, and her relationships with Iori & Shizuku past.
We will skip over the flashback with Shizuku. We are trying to focus on her here and now present with Shiori. So we will just focus on her here and now present. Nice.
No matter how troublesome and alcoholic Iori is, and how much Minami has to take care of Iori? Minami loves her so. And not just because she moved in with Iori in her apartment.
The morning to noon is Minami taking care of Iori and the apartment. Making Vento box lunch for Iori, cleaning up after her, feeding her breakfast, getting her out the door to work.
So… Iori seems to work in at least the same office building as Shinohara. They know each other, and for a time I thought they worked at the same Manga and/or Light Novel Publishing Company. But May be they work in different companies in the building.
And all of this is before she travels to work, and works her own job at the bar as one of the hostesses. Which should be an adult job but ok. Minami supposedly is still “underaged”. Huh?
Tomorrow we skip past the flashback, and the half faceless school counselor lady. We return to Minami’s day as she starts her job at the bar. And we go on from there. Until Iori pick a her up from work, and go on a little together outing… Tomorrow.
Well just so you know, still waiting on my refund. The sooner I get it? The sooner we will have Case Closed Season 6-10 (sad Chinese Malaysian Bootleg) and Charlie’s Angels 1976-1981 Collection ordered. That would be nice. Stay tuned.
A Silent Audition Chapter Mostly silent. It’s the long tension of Wako auditioning for a role in Sakuma’s one hour special. Tense, as Wako worries as she awaits her turn to audition.
Seemingly auditioning with a couple of Wako clones. Strange. Anyway that’s all there is to say. The results is next Chapter. Sorry. If I remember right, she fails the audition.
We are coming close to the end of the Volume. And we were promised happy endings next time so… We shall see. We just need to get through these to get to the happy.
I already finished the series. Bought all four Volumes. I just need to sit down and review it to the end. Coming soon. Anyway next series I need to buy finish is probably Assorted Entanglements. Stay tuned.
There’s Always Room For Ozoni! So we start off Volume 3. The love story of a female member of Japanese Office Society (Nomoto) and her Uber/Seamless Driver soon to be lover (present best friend) Kasuga.
We get some new characters introduced this Volume. And movement in the relationship front, as Nomoto continues to learn about lesbians. Then get detailed by learning about Asexuals. Sigh.
We have trigger warnings later this volume! By the way! But it will be a week or so before that pops up. Anyway we continue this right where last Volume left off. The start of a brand new year.
Kasuga suggests they take the first trip to the local shrine to start the new year. Nomoto suggests they prepare for the trip by eating some Ozoni.
I like how this title is richly detailed about the food they each in each chapter. Yeah. It’s all from the viewpoint of a pair of Japanese ladies. We westerners might have little to no experience with a lot of these foods.
But that’s the joy of this title. You can pick this up, and be inspired by the stories to maybe expand your eating horizons. And try new foods you may be never tried before. That’s a definite bonus along with the love story.
Yes. It is kind of a slow moving love story. But by the time we reach the end of this volume? The relationship of Nomoto and Kasuga should be moving forward to the point they’re actively dating! So things are looking up.
Yeah. The series might end at Volume 4 in May. That will make me sad. But we will see what happens when May rolls around. Anyway the trip to the shrine is cancelled due to… Natural reasons. Ouch.
Next time a brand new character or two artives. One is the long teased new lady moving into the apartments. The other is a lady Nomoto knows. And seems to be the one curating Nomoto’s search for knowledge on her growing lesbian lovestyle… Also she’s the one who teaches her Asexuality. No lady. Don’t confuse her!!
Chapter Twenty is tomorrow. See you then. Hmmm… What will I be adding to replace the outgoing books I completed? Any suggestions? Post in the comments. Thanks.
I Don’t Remember Hiring A Rude Shark Teethed Female Maid! Hitomi!! Help!! So… Is Natsume an alternate reality Hitomi? You remember her, right? She’s shy with strangers. Anyway this is a lot of bluster, but right to the chase by Yuri.
Natsume seems hellbent on bringing Lilith back with her. Who wrote that letter Lilith sent back with a refusal? Natsume. Apparently there is no limits to what she will do to get Lilith.
Bad mouth Yuri. Claim he’s treating her as slave labor. Accuse him of being a generic Russian character. Anything… But the more she digs in, demanding and demanding Lilith back? It soon becomes clear what she really wants.
Having come into some rudimentary understanding of his own feelings. And his grasp of love, having just confessed his love (in quotes) to Lilith? He now realizes that Natsume loves Lilith.
Some leap of deduction… But he’s not wrong. She tries to shame him by declaring he should be ashamed of his feelings, that such feelings must be kept secret. He shoots her down with logic. Youth logic maybe, but logic nevertheless.
Schooled by a young man, Jardine breaks down and admits… She does indeed love Lilith. And want her back to prove how much she… HEY WAIT THEY DIDN’T CROP HER LOVE IN QUOTATION MARKS!!
Lesbian Maid Love? Perfectly normal. Young boy in love in a familiar family sense? Realizing he and Lilith may be siblings? STOP THE WORLD! THE LOCALIZER NEEDS TO GET OFF… No not like that.
So Natsume and Yuri are now seemingly at some sort of war with each other over Lilith and her love… I guess. Suddenly Natsume declares she won’t leave the mansion until she got Lilith… Or proved to herself that Yuri is the right master for Yuri.
Really? You sure? You just accused Yuri of treating Lilith like slave labor, now you want to work in Yuri’s residence… Sigh. Love, truly the worst four letter word ever made. Sigh.
Next time we will see how Natsume handles actually following Yuri’s orders… And being paid by Yuri. And stuff. Next time. See you.
Looking For A Good Silent Man? Try Shosuke. With Shosuke completely repairing Pikachu, right down to a fresh coat of paint, Rei is now quite curious about Shosuke. So this Chapter she is going to follow him.
Yes. That being early on that Shoko is following the two of them is persistent throughout. Even if you only see her at the start and end briefly.
The manga readers don’t need to be told how awesome Shosuke is… But may be the Anime watchers do. Why? Because I am judging this all on the past flashbacks of the Komi dad. If course.
In all the manga flashbacks we have seen so far, the father is the impossible man who can do anything he says his mind to. His son is exactly the same… So why are Anime viewers maybe in the dark?
Because the few flashbacks we should have seen in Season 2 were omitted by the Anime Team. I guess that’s fine. They also omitted the first time we learned Agari was Ramen Core so… Yeah.
So by the time this appears in Season 3? The important subtext that Shosuke takes after his dad, and his dad is amazing, might not synch with Anime viewers. Because they haven’t seen the context leading up to this.
Well… In our hearts we know Shosuke is awesome. We will leave it at that. Anyway next time Rei’s time at the Komi’s is coming to an end… Time for a new chance for Shoko and Rei to bond… Before it’s too late.
Rei’s conclusion (for now) is fast approaching. How will her arc end? Well… She won’t accuse Shoko of being a liar at least. There’s that. See you next time.
Komi, Not In It For The Stamps So this isshort. And it not only brings back the boys and girls of the snowball fight from year one (Season 2), it also brings back Giant Spying Mode Komi Head.
By chance Komi sees that Radio Exercises are being held that month at a nearby park. Its quite simple. Create a stamp book with the chart on the flyer, attend daily.
Each day you get a stamp. Full attendance equals… Something. As such the four elementary kids from Season 1 are attending. Their eyes on the prize (the stamps).
Suddenly the group leader notices Komi. Hiding behind a tree… Not so well I might add… Doing the exercises. She hides fairly well. Except Gor the giant spying head. And her occasional avoidance of cicadas.
Each day she comes to exercise. Not for stamps. But I guess she will get a stamp anyway, as she knocks this off her to do list. Anyway its a cute Chapter as she eventually joins the four and starts exercising with them.
A short and enjoyable cute Chapter. And the end of Komi’s freestyle summer until Rei leaves. Yup. The next batch of Chapters ending this volume has Komi Shoko meet Rei.
Rei, A girl who cannot make friends because her mom is a remote worker going from place to place to chase her work. This makes Rei what Komi Shoko used to be. Secluded isolated and alone.
These Chapters and the ones in Volume 13 covers Komi and friends helping Rei with her emotional struggles dealing with the life her .others work has thrust upon her.
I’m wondering if this arc would make for a good Komi Can’t Communicate movie during Season 3? Hmm… Anyway that begins on Monday or Tuesday. Depending on how fast Kitten ends. See you tomorrow.
You’d Ship YamaxNaka?!? Why! So, Im pretty sure if I asked Irina that Irina might say this, but there is a ship for every person out there. All I know is that my early informative years as a reviewer was fraught with bad ships.
Anyway come to class 2-3, where Yamai & Nakanaka are now. Yamai? Great at making friends. So much so she even has new new friends. Sorry. Rumiko’s friends aren’t here.
Nakanaka? Apparently you don’t have to be highly introverted to be troubled by making friends. A high imagination issue seems to also make making friends hard. Ergo Nakanaka.
When she started back in Year 1? She wore an eye patch because of an injury she sustained. Now… Its part of her school approved non stop cosplay. Along with her arm wrappings.
So… Is she a Final Fantasy character or a Fire Emblem character. Probably Fire Emblem. It explains her canon response as to why she cannot be resurrected if she dies.
Of course she gets harassed by Yamai. The girl needs something to occupy her time as she can’t stalk Komi while in school. But Yamai teasing her for not making friends compels her to make friends.
Mainly try to make the same new friends that Yamai made by… Stumbling onto them and being surprised by their presence. Uhh… No. I think the creator of the series hates that game trope as much as I do but… Who can say.
Guess what? That intro? And Yamai / Nakanaka’s Manga Odd Couple routine? Wins her friends. Because the friends Yamai made? Like her because she’s funny… (Quirky odd?) And the same goes for Nakanaka… I think.
So hey. Nakanaka made new friends by being herself. Her odd going through a phase self. Uh. What phase is this? After forty-ish years of social memory I never saw this “phase” until now.
Anyway at Chapter end let’s briefly be insulted by new one panel character Sukida Lily. She loves “Girls Love”… aka Yuri? Yes? Uhh… Why is she drooling and looking deeply disturbed? Why ship YamaxNaka?!? Why does her existence bother me?
Maybe we will see her again. Maybe next time she won’t be a disturbing character that makes Yamai seem normal. Maybe a great many things… Sigh.
Speaking of Yamai? We aren’t done with her yet. It happens to be spring in this moment. As Summer is the big thing next issue. And with spring comes… Yamai’s desire to see Komi’s panties.
Time to initiate Operation Backward Flip! What could possibly go right… Guest starting the new Komi posse line up, and guess who thwarts Yamai’s plans this time! That’s tomorrow! See you!
The Tale Of The Basic Fur Who Lived… But Not Really. Though this manga is called My Cute Little Kitten? The Kitten in question isn’t the Basic Fur on the cover. Spoilers! It’s nowhere near that age at series start!
In Romance stories, be it Manga or Mainstream, there needs to be a catalyst that moves the story forward. My Best Friend’s Wedding? Julia Roberts being dragged to Chicago for her friend’s wedding.
She Loves To Cook And She Loves To Eat? One woman wanting to cook lavish meals for her neighbor. Love just happens to result from their friendship formed about food.
Here? The rescue of a small kitten left in dire straits. Sounds nice… Until you realize the kitten only exists to be a prod towards making the lesbian couple of the title (Yuna & Rena) move ahead in a relationship.
Sigh. The pairing reminds me of… Well… The Two Of Them Are Pretty Much Like That. Opposites who should be in love… If Rena builds up the courage to get the ball rolling. Apparently the only way to do that is being in a kitten.
And believe me. Of the 101 problems burdening this newborn Basic Fur? Playing Cupid to two humans? Not even close to entering his/her mind! His/her life is stress enough as is!
Anyway we have the responsible one. Rena. They both met in College… Some Junior College or something? Let’s just say they don’t have a Bachelors or Masters between them. I assume this means they’re the same age. Hard to believe given the heights.
Rena might as well be our Sakuma, minus the career of writing Adult Hentai Anime and OVA/Drama CD scripts. Her career? She might work in a fashion store.
Yuma, our intrepid Wako, works seemingly from home? Or has a tech job? Maybe? According to the opening she’s home at the shared apartment more than Rena. So she pays more in utilities.
Yeah. We don’t even get a hint there is a relationship looking to blossom until about the end of Chapter One. Again it’s all the kitten’s doing. Not the most convincing plot catalyst but ok.
Yuna was drawn to the park behind the apartments. There she bore witness to the tragic fate of what was twin newborns. One, who Yuna rescued, is here in her care… And no Rena. Amazon will NOT ship you a newborn Basic Fur in a large shopping box! Bad you!
The twin? Died alone in the park. On her way to buy Cat Milk for the young kitten. She vows to give the kitten a proper burial, and burn incense in the kittens memory. Great. But hurry! Apparently Crows in Japan might be carrion eaters! Eww!
Anyway she needs to run down to the store to get the kitten set food and Cat Milk. Because Cow Milk is no good for kittens. Uhhh… Cat Milk?!? Really?!? Uhh… I sense a need to Google this!
“What kind of milk is safe to give young kittens?” … Hmmm… Looks like this manga is… Right. You can’t give a newborn kitten cow milk. It will cause the poor kitten to have diarreha. Ditto with goats milk. And plant based milk… And Cat Milk not from an actual cat.
Uhh… So the creator is right… And wrong at the same time. Sigh. The proper milk? Milk sold by vets like Nutri Vet, Hartz, Just Born Nurturall-C or Let Lac. Hmmm… Remember that everyone!
Well… To be honest? I didn’t think I was going to get my newborn kitten life tips from a Romance Manga. Still come on creator! Do better!!
The drama? Whenever there’s a Romance brewing, be it straight or gay lesbian? There needs to be drama. This time? The apartments where these women live in? Don’t allow pets. Yup. It’s one of those stories. Where they must hide the kitten from the landlord.
We have Rena recap how she first met Yuna in… Auxiliary College? Something? It’s just building up to her telling Yuna she wants to be in a relationship with her.
Anyway the pair have been trying to find a new home for the kitten for a bit now. As their lives will become comp!I cared if they are caught with the kitten. However since Yuna is Wako? She goes out of the apartment with the kitten in plain sight.
Luckily no one catches her and Rena gets her back indoors before someone does see her. But yeah… We barely started the manga and things are already getting complicated. Ugh. We continue Chapter One tomorrow. See you.
Pop Goes the Darke Raven 