Dawn of the Arcana Volume 02, by Rei Toma | Manga Review #34

Princess Nakaba of Senan and Prince Caesar of Belquat only married each other for the sake of peace between their two warring countries, but things take a surprising turn when Caesar finds himself falling for his strange wife! Caesar tries to get Nakaba to return his feelings, but she maintains that he is her enemy and that she hates him. So when Nakaba has a vision of Caesar getting killed, will she say anything to save him?

---

I genuinely didn’t know what to expect going into this second volume, since it feels like it’s been an age since I last read the first volume of Dawn of the Arcana. So I was quite nervous for the characters honestly!

The plot escalates quite quickly! Everything about this story engages you in the story. From the art work, to the characters, the pace of the story. As well as the fact that we see more of a development in the overall story within these 4 chapters.

It was different seeing a known passive character to act so vengeful. Something about another character has me concerned, since they play a pretty vital role in the story. I also don’t like that there seems to be a love triangle going to happen? Anywho…

What I liked about this second volume was that these chapters were incredibly fast to read. But these few chapters are also really engaging. While reading I could easily palce myself in the story and watch everything play out like a movie.

I give this second volume of Dawn of the Arcana, 2 stars!

Happy Reading!
— Adele

Konohan Kitan Volume 01, by Sakuya Amano | {ARC} Manga Review #33

Huge Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors, via Netgalley for allowing me to read Konohan Kitan Volume 01, by Sakuya Amano, in exchange for an honest review.

Yuzu is a brand new employee at Konohanatei, the hot-springs inn that sits on the crossroads between worlds. A simple, clumsy but charmingly earnest girl, Yuzu must now figure out her new life working alongside all the other fox-spirits who run the inn under one cardinal rule – at Konohanatei, every guest is a god!

Konohana Kitan follows Yuzu’s day to day life working at the inn, meeting the other employees and ever-eclectic guests, and learning to appreciate the beauty of the world around her.

---

The fact that the inn cliental are all gods is simply fascinating. Which is one of the reasons why I read this manga, truthfully! When I started reading Konohan Kitan, I kept my mind open to the possibilities of everything — I didn’t want to expect anything. I wanted to like this volume, I truly did.

When I first read about Konohan Kitan, I knew that there was a chance that I could end up enjoying it. I got the chance to read Konohan Kitan, so I was excited. I like reading manga, and watching anime. I have a serious soft spot for anime/manga where there are fox characters. And just reading that the Konohanatei Inn is run by fox characters was very appealing to me!

Within this first volume we see a lot. We see how the fox characters interact with the cliental, and with us seeing that, we see their stories play out. I especially liked seeing the few mini stories. It was such a great thing to see. The way that the story plays out almost had me in tears a few times. I like to say that that doesn’t happen often!

The first chapter of Konohan Kitan actually gave me chills. Not in the creepy sense, more-so in an eye-opening way. The way that the second chapter played out was amazing, and a great way to see how the rest of the story went.

Yuzu is such a great character. She seems to innocent about everything so I know that she’ll become a favourite of mine. I also really like how clueless she is about a lot of things as well, and she’s a bit of an airhead as well. Yuzu is seriously charming and over-the-top cute!!

Seeing in this story, of all the ways that fate seems to work, either against us, or for us…It was great to see. I loved all the little stories and visitors that the Konohanatei Inn had, and I know I’ll enjoy the rest of the volumes as well. There’s so much that I loved about Konohan Kitan. I’m anticipating the release of the second volume!

I give Konohan Kitan Volume 01, 5 stars!

Happy Reading!
— Adele

The Water Dragon’s Bride Volume 03 by Rei Tōma | Manga Review #32

This review contains spoilers.

A modern-day girl gets whisked away to a strange land where she is sacrificed to a water dragon god!

In the blink of an eye, a modern-day girl named Asahi is whisked away from her warm and happy home and stranded in a strange and mysterious world where she meets a water dragon god!

Unable to return home, Asahi grows into a lovely young woman. As a priestess, she must spend time with the water dragon god for a ritual every year, but because of her connection to the water dragon god’s power, someone kidnaps her! Will Asahi be able to escape unscathed?

---

The story in this third volume of The Water Dragon’s Bride actually moves pretty quickly. There were some new characters that were introduced and I’m sure we’ll see again in the fourth volume.

I think what I like about this third volume the most is that this book is told as they are teenagers!!! Asahi and Subaru, that is. Everyone else is a little older as well. But the story, for the most part, is still very much Asahi, Subaru, and the Water God.

What I didn’t like about this story was that Asahi was kidnapped. But, it was rather interesting. As an afterthought though, it kind of feels like the story is just getting thrown together.

What I enjoyed about this third volumes was that the Water God is slowly being more intrigued by Asahi. I hope that one day the Water God will love Asahi. I hope that’s the way that this manga will go.. I genuinely enjoyed reading that the Water God has in their own way developed feelings for Asahi.

I actually quite like the Tree God, too. Tree God is honestly more caring and it shows. Actually come to think of it, all of these Gods are really well planned out. What they each represent is how they act as well.

I’m very pleased with how the story is going. I like how involved in the story I feel, when I’m reading the books. Though I’m kind of saddened by the fact that the series isn’t close to finishing like i thought it was. After I read the fourth one, I have to wait even longer for the 5th one to come out in English, and for my library to acquire them.

I give this 3rd volume 3.5 stars!

Happy Reading!
— Adele

He’s My Only Vampire Volume 03 + 04, Aya Shouto | Manga Review #30 & 31

Both reviews contain spoilers.

Upon Eve’s invitation, Aki agrees to attend the Soiree on his own. However, Kana and Jin aren’t far behind, trailing him in secret. Then, at the climax of the blood-drenched ceremonies, Kana’s “Awakening” begins at last!

It’s been a while since I last read the second volume of He’s My Only Vampire, so I kind of remembered what to expect, but I liked getting to know the story again.

The Water Dragon’s Bride Volume 02, by Rei Tōma | Manga Review #28

 

This review contains spoilers. 

A modern-day girl gets whisked away to a strange land where she is sacrificed to a water dragon god!

In the blink of an eye, a modern-day girl named Asahi is whisked away from her warm and happy home and stranded in a strange and mysterious world where she is sacrificed to a water dragon god! What plans are in store for her, and what will happen when she comes face to face with this god?

After a ritual in the village leaves her hovering on the brink of death, Asahi is rescued by the power of the water dragon god! Has he awakened to feelings of compassion, or does Asahi need to flee this treacherous world before something even worse happens to her?

---

I was quite intrigued by the first volume so I started reading this second volume right away. However, quickly into the story I saw that this book was heading in a direction that I didn’t even foresee. There were quite the plot twists!

Goldfisch Volume 02, by Nana Yaa | {ARC}Manga Review #27

 

Thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and Tokyopop via Netgalley, for allowing me to read Goldfisch Volume 2 by Nana Yaa in exchange for an honest review.

Say hi to Morrey Gibbs! A fisher-boy in a flooded world overrun with dangerous mutated animals known as “anomals”, he’s got his own problems to worry about. Namely, how everything he touches turns to gold! Sure it sounds great, but gold underpants aren’t exactly stylish — or comfortable!

Together with his otter buddy and new inventor friend Shelly, Morrey’s on a quest to rid himself of his blessing-turned-curse and undo the tragedy it caused. That is of course, if they can dodge the treasure-hungry bounty hunters… This is volume 2 of the Goldfisch series!

---

Publication Date: April 24 2018.

My thoughts on Goldfisch volume 2 are very scattered, to say the least. So much happened in this volume. There were some happy moments that the four-some had, but for the most part, this volume is kinda sad!

At the beginning, I was very confused. There was a note from the editor saying that the  chapters were sent to them out of order. I read half of a chapter before I got the idea to flip to the back of the file and work my way upwards. Haha.

This second volume has left me feeling many things. I’m upset over the fact that Otta is probably dead, I’m upset that Zaka’s mother is most definitely dead. Agh, there’s a lot of saddness and quite a bit of trouble in this one. Added to that, the ending to this second volume is dark.

what i liked about Goldfisch volume 2 was that I laughed when Otta gave one of the bad guys the bird, ahahahah. I also liked that we saw other sides to the characters that we wouldn’t have seen had Morrey been there.

All in all, while I didn’t absolutely love this volume, there were some pretty interesting times. I should have remembered that the first volume was kind of dark as well. Which I should have expected, forgetting that just made this second volume that more surprising!

I give Goldfisch Volume 02 3 stars.

If you’d like to check out my review of the first volume of Goldfisch, click here.

Happy Reading!
— Adele

The Water Dragon’s Bride Volume 01, by Rei Toma | Manga Review #25

A modern-day girl gets whisked away to a strange land where she is sacrificed to a water dragon god!

In the blink of an eye, a modern-day girl named Asahi is whisked away from her warm and happy home and stranded in a strange and mysterious world where she is sacrificed to a water dragon god! What plans are in store for her, and what will happen when she comes face to face with this god?

A young boy named Subaru comes to Asahi’s aid, but despite his help, Asahi must endure a test of survival! Will she be able to make it out alive, or will she end up being sacrificed?

---

I found that my local library had the first three volumes of the manga in, so of course i requested them! I’m actually pretty glad that I’d borrowed them from the library, since not only was The Water Dragon’s Bride a fast read, but it was also a very interesting one as well.

My thoughts on this first volume of The Water Dragon’s Bride was that though the story was kind of slow, there is quite a bit of progress that happens–both character wise, and story wise. Which is always an interesting thing to see and read about. Though I’m a little bummed that manga’s aren’t in colour—-at least the ones I’ve read. I feel like we, the readers, miss out on so much when it’s not in colour.

There are two things that I didn’t like in this first volume.

Dreamin’ Sun Volume 03, by Ichigo Takano | Manga Review #24

When Shimana runs off into a rainstorm, the last person she expects comes to her rescue: Zen! When he gets a fever the next day, Shimana feels responsible and offers to nurse him back to health. While caring for him, she learns that eh’s been hiding something from her—-but that’s not the only surprise he has in store for her. Zen’s got a confession to make and it’s getting harder and harder for him to keep it under wraps. 

---

In this 3rd volume, we see Shimana in some very different situations. We see her own up to her mistakes. I’ve figured out that in this manga series, while they still revolve around Shimana, the books show more focus on the character that is on the cover. Which is incredibly interesting, since we still get Shimana’s point of view—-her story, as well as having focus on another character at the same time.

I liked seeing Shimana take care of Zen. And to see Zen sick was pretty adorable! The introduction to Zen’s older brother, Ken, was great as well. Poor Zen!! Gosh, I hope Zen and Shimana go out in one of these volumes..

I REALLY LIKE THIS VOLUME, OK?? Like, there are so many emotions that flow in the story, but I feel like in this volume especially, the feelings are amplified ’cause they’re being talked about.

I’m actually really looking forward to reading the fourth volume, I want to see if Ken follows his dream! It’d be amazing for Ken to win, and it’d be amazing for Zen to see his older brother follow his dream, since Zen wants to so desperately follow his own dreams.

Ahaha, I didn’t know that in this manga there was a little game you could play. Apparently the game is to find this dog named Poko, and in this volume he was hidden 6 different times. I found him 4 times, so I wonder where the other two Poko’s are.

I give this volume 4.5 stars!

What was the last manga that you read? 

Happy Reading!
–Adele

Perfect World Volume 01 by Rei Aruga | {ARC} Manga Review #23

A huge Thank You to Kodansha Comics, for allowing me to read Perfect World Volume 01 by Rie Aruga, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Perfect World is Rie Aruga’s touching drama about the romance that develops between an abled interior designer and her first love, whom she reencounters one day only to find he is wheelchair-bound.

26-year-old Tsugumi Kawana reunites with her first crush from high school, Itsuki Ayukawa, at a get-together between an architecture firm and the interior design company she works at. He sends her heart aflutter, until she realizes he’s now disabled, and in a wheelchair. At first she feels she couldn’t date a guy in a wheelchair, but then her feelings begin to change …

---

Perfect World was a manga that I had my eye on throughout this past March. I’m glad that I got the chance to read it, since I honestly ended up loving the story. Perfect World is different from all of the other Manga’s I’ve read because the story actually takes place in the character’s late 20’s instead of the usual high school age —- and the love interest who was able-bodied in high school is now wheelchair bound.

I was hesitant to read this book because while I was interested in Prefect World a great deal, I didn’t know how the story would actually pan out. Yet I found myself thinking of this story when I wasn’t even purposely thinking of this manga. My mind always found a way back to Perfect World.

I am so incredibly glad that I read Perfect World. Even though I am not wheelchair bound, I’m glad that Perfect World is realistic with the way that people think of those who are wheelchair bound.

I liked seeing Kawana’s initial struggle with Ayukawa’s disability, and how she grew to understand, very quickly, that Ayukawa life differs from the norm. I liked seeing Kawana admit that she has feelings for Ayukawa. I especially liked how Ayukawa admitted that he’s not yet truly accepted that he is wheelchair bound and will never walk again.

While the romance was only one sided in this first volume, I’m eagerly looking forward to reading the second volume whenever I’m able to.

Perfect World volume 01 is now genuinely one of my favourite manga’s.

I give Perfect World 5 stars.

Happy Reading!
— Adele

Dreamin’ Sun Volume 02, by Ichigo Takano | Manga Review #22

Home Is Where the Heart Is

When Shimana fails to work up the courage to ask Asashi out on a date, she decides it’s time to get a makeover as part of her self-improvement plan. But when she calls Asashi to come check out her new look, she’s too preoccupied with his own crush to pick up the phone. Is her transformation all for nothing? And what are those weird heart palpitations Zen’s getting every time he looks at Shimana? It’s a full house of unrequited love and self-discovery in volume 2 of this slice-of-life romance!

---

Zen is seriously so freakin’ cute. I want to just pinch his cheeks and tell him he’s a good boy! I totally ship Shimana and Zen together!!

One thing that sticked out to me a lot in this second volume, was the fat-shaming towards Shimana. Actually, I see this a lot fat-shaming in both manga and anime. I hate seeing it and that’s the number one thing that I hate seeing in Japanese culture. I don’t like seeing excessive thinness as a good thing in manga’s (nor in anime). I don’t like the fat-shame-ing, either. Frankly, it pisses me off.

Apart from that, for the most part, this second volume is another cute as heck! I laughed a lot and i’m genuinely looking forward to reading the next volume.

I give this second volume 3 stars.

Happy Reading!
— Adele