Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 2 by Kamome Shirahama Review

The second book of the manga all-girl reduced version of Harry Potter was a real yawner. The girls gotta escape a dragon in a maze and then save some randos from a river that’s burst its banks. What’s the main storyline again? Oh yeah, Coco’s trying to learn magic to save her literally statuesque ma. That’s put on hold for this book! Great…

Witch Hat Atelier, Volume 1 by Kamome Shirahama Review

Coco, the daughter of the village seamstress, dreams of being a witch. And she gets her chance at being one after a mysterious figure at a fair sells her a magic book and wand. Except she doesn’t know what she’s doing and accidentally transforms her mother into a statue! Luckily, a good witch – Qifrey – is nearby to save her from herself and decides to take her in as one of his students at his atelier. Coco must study magic to pass the Four Trials of the Librarians, gain access to the Tower of Tomes, and use what she finds there to undo the spell on her ma!

My Wife is Wagatsuma-san, Volume 1 Review (Yuu Kuraishi, Keishi Nishikida)

Dorky kid Aoshima, like every other boy, lusts after Wagatsuma-san, the cutest girl in school. But, as Wheatus sang in Teenage Dirtbag, she doesn’t know who he is and she doesn’t give a damn about him! One day, Aoshima wakes up and he’s somehow time-slipped ten years into the future – and he’s married to Wagatsuma-san! Howhaa…?! (Ooh yeah, dirt bag!)

All-Rounder Meguru, Volume 2 by Hiroki Endo Review

Young Meguru continues his MMA training in the wake of his first book defeats. But his new teacher’s a GIRL – ewwww! And he’s got a new sparring partner – who’s also a GIRL! Groooossss - cootie alert!

CITY, 5 by Keiichi Arawi Review

There aren’t any really bad stories in CITY Volume 5, there just aren’t that many standout ones. I only laughed once – when Tsuru drew on his dead dad’s nose and said “Smell you later!” – and a couple stories were pretty good. The girls enjoying the shlooping feeling of drinking tapioca milk tea (it’s amazing what passes as a “story” in this series!) and Ms Arama’s day off where she sleeps it away, then tries to cram in all the activities she wanted to do in the evening. Both are typical of Keiichi Arawi’s style: amusing and original.

Inuyashiki, Volume 5 by Hiroya Oku Review

Inuyashiki Volume 5 doesn’t feature the title character! Instead it’s all about what psychotic teen serial killer Shishigami did next. Which is plain confusing to me.

CITY, 4 by Keiichi Arawi Review

So CITY is basically my favourite new comics title!

There wasn’t much I disliked about this fourth volume so I’ll get those minor gripes out of the way first. Niikura chasing Mimineko who’s stolen her pendant went on a bit too long. The Where’s Wally?-type finale – while creative - really brought the momentum to a screeching halt and didn’t add much. That’s it!

CITY, 3 by Keiichi Arawi Review

Keiichi Arawi’s third CITY book isn’t as good as the last one but it still had some belly laughs. The mom waking up her family for breakfast was sooooo funny - the dad and sleeping grandpa (who’s the old guy with the hidden cameras plotting his vague revenge from the first book) kept getting hit on the head with stuff and carried on sleeping! It’s way funnier than you’d think.

Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? Volume 3 by Makihirochi Review

The third volume of the slice-of-life real estate manga set in Tokyo, Is Kichijoji The Only Place to Live?, sees twin sisters Tomiko and Miyako continue planning their house refurbishment as well as finding places for a lesbian couple, a young woman moving into her first flat and a French editor.

CITY, 2 by Keiichi Arawi Review

Yes - City is definitely my jam! The second book is funny right from the start as the deadbeat student (I know I should learn their names but the cast keeps growing and growing!) traps the gullible kid in the restaurant’s mascot outfit. The mascot’s face is accidentally printed on its butt and the kid’s such a doofus. I was laughing and laughing at how stupid it was – Keiichi Arawi’s comedy timing and knowing what to emphasise is spot on.

CITY, 1 by Keiichi Arawi Review

A deadbeat student dodges her elderly street fightin’ landlady. An impressionable lad is conned into wearing a miniskirt by his cheeky old pops. A newspaper cartoonist about to be unemployed, the Japanese version of Dudley Do-Right and a peeping tom with cameras dotted everywhere for some as-yet-unknown revenge all make up some of the cast of Keiichi Awari’s daffy sit-com CITY, set in a lively small urban neighbourhood - and the first volume’s not bad!

Inuyashiki, Volume 4 by Hiroya Oku Review

Inuyashiki goes from being mediocre back to boring again with this fourth volume. It’s the same with most superhero stories: every time the focus shifts to the good guy, things get really dull - it’s only entertaining once the hero and the villain are battling, or the focus is on the villain doing shady shit.

Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? Volume 2 by Makihirochi Review

Tomiko and Miyako help a divorcee, an artist just moved back from Brooklyn, a girl looking for a non-haunted property and an aspiring novelist all find new apartments in and around Tokyo while they plan to renovate their own place.

All-Rounder Meguru, Volume 1 by Hiroki Endo Review

All-Rounder Meguru is so very middle-of-the-road for me - it’s all-round mediocre! - that I find it hard to even muster up the energy to review it as I didn’t feel strongly about it either way. Eh, let’s give it a shot anyway - I like a challenge!

Is Kichijoji the Only Place to Live? 1 by Makihirochi Review

A couple of real estate agents show prospective tenants around Tokyo’s many rentable apartments. Didja know the trendy Tokyo district of Kichijoji isn’t the only cool place to live in the city?? And that’s the book - there’s no plot and creator Makihirochi makes no attempt at one either!

That sounds sooooo pants, right? And yet… I kinda dug it?! Makihirochi’s unabashed love letter to Tokyo is infectious!