The Summer Hikaru Died, Volume 4 (Japanese title: Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) by Mokumokuren published by Yen Press 2024
The story of rural schoolboy Yoshiki and the eerie, replacement version of his dear friend, Hikaru, resumes with a sink full of bloody clothes, plus a newfound determination to figure out what Hikaru is.
The boys’ research uncovers darkness. A name written by original Hiraku triggers a rant from Hikaru’s unfocused grandfather about a man asking <a being> for something inappropriate in the distant past, which created the current misfortunes… Hikaru uncovers creepy place names of surrounding towns… A local back to bury her mother shares that her sister went up the mountain and never came back…
The only positive-seeming news is that Kurebayashi-san, the ordinary-looking lady whose dead husband’s unworkable-but-wanted return informs her views with deepempathy, intervenes when the boys are in danger. She has an ability to push <things> back to where they belong, and a theory about why there are so many <things> in the village now.
Her theory involves Hikaru.
This volume ends in violentsuspense at the end of chapter 21. (Chapter 29 will be released this week in digital format, so my impatience while awaiting the tankōbon to be printed is catching up with me!)
This is my first real horror manga, and it is SUPERB. I am eager for more.
The village where dear friends Yoshiki and Hikaru live has a traditional festival to the god of the mountain. A mountain where Yoshiki’s father warned him never to explore. A mountain where, the boys don’t realize, Hikaru’s family used to keep <things> in their rightful places…
There are people in the village who can hear <things> from the Other Side. Others can see <things>. But engaging with <the things>, talking to them, or in any way acknowledging them can make the people who respond more attractive to the restless spirits, and that is a problem. A problem Yoshiki’s closeness with Hikaru, including their physical closeness, may soon reveal. Not just in the cold, unhealed bruise on Yoshiki’s arm…
Classmate Asako is sensitive to these <things>, and has seen a <thing> save the friend she loves most, so her questions for Hikaru are well-meaning – alarming, but innocent. Her innocence doesn’t mean she is safe, however.
Volume 3 is the smooth continuation of the spooky story of Yoshiki and the being occupying his beloved friend Hikaru’s body. The tension is superb. The body horror is impressive. The traumas are real. And the ethics and attitudes of <things> are highly uncomfortable…
This horror story of a loving friendship between two boys, one of whom is no longer human, is SO GOOD. And SO CREEPY.
Yoshiki was already warned that it is dangerous for him to stay close to his not-quite-the-same friend, Hikaru. That being near <things like him> attracts <other things>. The woman who told him knows from experience. But that doesn’t prepare Yoshiki or his sister for <the thing> that turns up in the bathroom. Hikaru thinks he can handle it, but… can he?
Hikaru is determined to stay near and protect Yoshiki, and did so once before, but can he really protect him? Or is his affection just putting Yoshiki deeper into danger?
In this volume, we see original Hikaru’s dying wish, and know how much he cared for his best friend.
Volume 2 is another sweet, creepy, wonderful volume.
Hikaru went missing in the mountains. And then… Hikaru came back.
But the Hikaru that came back is not the same lifelong friend that Yoshiki has always had at his side. This Hikaru admits that he is… something else, something that has never been human before. It has Hikaru’s memories, but is feeling everything in Hikaru’s body for the first time. And in a moment of stress, he/it loses some of Hikaru’s form, and Yoshiki can see things he should not be able to see.
But Yoshiki has missed his dear friend so badly, that maybe this other Hikaru is enough. Maybe.
The cicadas chirps fill the air, the summer heat makes the boys sweat on their walks to school, and Yoshiki gets warnings that something dark is taking over the town, from others who have seen the forms the darkness can take…
This is broad-daylight-spooky. I can’t wait to read the next two volumes!
Teenager Takiko Okuda’s mother is dying of TB, her father only cares about his career, and her love for an older man is unrequited. Both luckily and unluckily for her, her father’s research led him to translate and transcribe a prophesy that can take Takiko into another time and place, the Universe of the Four Gods, where she has the power to save a country and its people.
In the ancient country of Bei Ja, Takiko manifests as the Priestess of Genbu, whose duty is to find and assemble the Celestial Warriors and summon the god Genbu to save the country. This isn’t an easy task: the arrival of either the priestess or the warriors is a sign of disaster to locals. As a result, they are dreaded, shunned – and worse. But our heroine is determined to save this harsh world at any cost, and works hard to persuade the reluctant warriors to assemble and save the country.
Kind and determined women with long weapons – my favorite kind of women!
With supportive allies who have faith in her, kind strangers, a dragon, and her first and favorite warrior to love at her side, Takiko will give everything to be useful to her comrades in arms and to save her troubled, adopted homeworld.
Author and Artist Yuu Watase’s monochrome art style (known to me from the comedy Absolute Boyfriend) is enjoyable (the hair on these characters!), and her work on the regional costumes as the characters travel show a zeal that grounds the mythical (western China-like) continent in its vastness, with its differing cultures and customs. I appreciate great, lovingly-drawn costumes!
The story is serious; the characters are troubled by past traumas and ongoing family dramas; the nation seems doomed; and the stakes are high for all involved. Young people risking – and giving up – their lives for others is touching, and (if the grown-ups were running the world properly) should not be necessary – there are some serious adult mismanagement of the world going on here. The message that how you chose to live matters, and that a life of service can be profoundly meaningful comes through well in this story.
This story took Watase a decade to complete, as the artist (X-gender with she/her pronouns) had many other publishing commitments as a prolific manga artist. I enjoy her notes in between volumes (reproduced in the Viz English editions) about the toll long hours take on her health, and the interruptions to her progress. The story feels continuous and uninterrupted in all the best ways – it is quite an accomplishment!
I enjoyed this as a standalone story, knowing it is a prequel to an even longer work by Watase that was published in the 1990s, Fushigi Yûgi. There is a sequel to FY:GK coming in the future, once Watase recovers from the toll of all of this drawing called Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki. I will wait patiently for it to be complete!
Tappytoon banner for The Knight and Her Emperor by GM and Team IYAK (winter, heyum).
The Knight and Her Emperor by. G.M, Team IYAK (winter, heyum) published by Tappytoon (197 chapters over 4 seasons, complete) 2023
Pollyanna’s neglectful family needed to contribute a family member to the war effort. Her parents favored her younger sister, so they just… handed Pollyana over to be trained as a solider, and didn’t look back. Her mentor trained her as well as he could, advising her on how to compensate for her weaknesses, while grimly warning that both the enemy and her own side were likely to rape her. Her fellow soldiers were cold and abusive, and she had little personal safety and no sympathy. She gave up all femininity to be one of the guys, pulled together a loyal team during military campaigns, and tried to die an honorable soldier’s death while saving them.
As her captors struggled to execute her less-than-honorably, she made an impression on the enemy’s emperor.
Such a big impression, that he offered her a job.
And, given her first real opportunity, the foreign (!) woman (!) solider (!) took that job offer and ROLLED WITH IT. Pollyanna swore an oath to the emperor, became the knight Sir Pol, and served his majesty faithfully throughout his military campaign to conquer the incessantly warring continent.
This webtoon spans MORE THAN A DECADE! (I’ll change to present tense!) In a country where people express sympathy for the misfortune of giving birth to a daughter, Pol’s life requires near-daily struggle, struggle softened by the loyalty and friendship of her knights plus rewards from her appreciative emperor. Along the way she makes friends and enemies, kicks men where it hurts, becomes a war hero, conceals weapons in formalwear, inspires fierce loyalty in comrades at arms, becomes lonely, tries to do too much herself, develops close female friendships, becomes a role model, and… punches trees.
This multi-season graphic novel (based on a book) took the artists six years to complete, and it’s epic! I hadn’t realized when I started how many chapters were available, so each chapter was a cliffhanger – I wasn’t sure anyone would survive, and was pleasantly surprised to hit the button providing the next chapter, even when the (relatable) pain of Pol’s struggles to be taken seriously stung me in familiar ways. In that spirit of suspense, I’ll only note that Season 1 centers on the decade-long war across the continent; Season 2 is focuses on establishing a lasting peace and living in a society that has no clear space for senior female officers; and Season 3 is about being true to oneself and pursuing happiness against all odds after ALL OF THAT.
I felt weary on Pol’s behalf at the at the end of the war, worried that Pol’s spirit would be broken during peacetime by hateful old men, charmed by the emperor’s adoration-plus-respect for her [swoon], and misty that she could be herself AND (to her own surprise) have people who truly care about her and like her just as she is.
This webtoon has many lighthearted moments, funny jokes told by characters that other characters refuse to laugh at, adorable chibi-style illustrations, hard life lessons, babies drooling, a man with blinding physical beauty, and moments of yelling at the characters to JUST TELL EACH OTHER WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH that must go unheeded for the sake of the plot for a while, but not forever.
This webtoon delights me, and I’m so glad I read it. I developed care and affection for the characters, and was emotionally moved at the end. I strongly recommend The Knight and Her Emperor.
This is the most beautiful monochrome manga. Toma’s art is INCREDIBLE. And her people, especially her men, are SO GORGEOUS!
I am 61 chapters into the story (!), and there are more to come, but I’m impatient to gush about it. (I also want to say that the ears on the Ajin characters are not some fetish thing, so read without fear.) Viz has lovely previews of each volume on their website, linked above.
The story: our hero(ine) is Rangetsu. She is one of the Ajin, an human-oppressed group of people who happen to have some animal features like furry ears and tails. Ajin women are forced into prostitution; Ajin men have limited options as exploited laborers, but the most accomplished among them can work for the Imperial Family as personal servants or soldiers.
Rangetsu is a young girl; her twin brother went to work for the Imperial family, and was brutally murdered. Rangetsu vows to avenge her twin, but the only way to access the Imperial palace and investigate his murder is to present as a boy, become physically powerful, compete for a job there as an imperial beast-servant, and win. Only then, after devoting years of her life to this purpose, will she have a chance to use her position to avenge herself against the likely culprit, Prince Tenyou.
Rangetsu is hired into the palace, only to find Prince Tenyou to be (a) crushed over her brother’s death, and (b) shockingly beautiful. Tenyou wants to help Rangetsu (who is successfully passing as a boy despite being really, really pretty) find out what happened. How awkward it is for Rangetsu that the prince is so tender toward [her]. How awkward it is that the other (also gorgeous, ofttimes bitchy) princes are so… handsy.
The scenery is beautiful.
The architecture is beautiful.
The characters are beautiful.
Single panel from Rei Toma’s The King’s Beast, showing the gorgeous characters being gorgeous. (The conversation where this collection of character is being imagined made me laugh.)
I love the way Toma draws eyes. Many of her best eyes are subtle trapezoids, and the details in their irises are subtle washes. The main characters all have shapely eyebrows. Everyone of import also has good eyelashes, while their flowing hair goes on and on…
The story is high stakes – Rangetsu may be killed before she can discover who killed Sogetsu. And the other princes of the palace are shady. (Hot and shady.) Plus, the beast-servants of the other princes also have special powers, called arcana, making them extra-dangerous.
The vengeance story arc is a long one, but is very solid. This manga is a huge accomplishment, and is lovingly drawn. I’m looking forward to future issues.
Cross-dressing, palace intrigue, physical powers beyond those of humans, danger, Chinese palaces and gardens, eyes so deep you want to swim in them, confused longing, gorgeous men in flowing robes… Yes, I’m raving here: I highly recommend this manga.
Cover of Yakuza Lover volume 12 by Nozomi Mino, published in English by Viz
Yakuza Lover by Nozomi Mino published in English by Viz (complete 12 volumes) 2021-2024
Volume 12 was just published this month, so I can write about this breathless, living-dangerously fantasy of an assertive college girl who falls in love with a handsome, high-ranking professional criminal.
Yuri wants a boyfriend, and after a stylish organized crime boss gets her out of a bad situation at a party, she seeks him out to return his coat… And is dazzled by underboss Oya’s good looks, pretty tattoos, wealth, henchmen, aura of power – and his DRAMA!
If you want an obsessive older guy who says he’ll see you next week IF HE IS STILL ALIVE, this is the series for the impressionable and unwise young version of you!
Yuri doesn’t have non-guy goals, so she gets purpose and unusual experiences out of this relationship. Oya is a possessive / obsessive boyfriend who is wild for her, providing immature intensity, approval, good sex, excessive gifts, and access to luxurious places she would never ordinarily experience. Their relationship also puts Yuri in sketchy situations, gets her kidnapped, leads to being threatened by thugs, alienates people close to her, and requires her to make adjustments to accept his criminal underworld and its drama.
Hardships only bring Yuri and Oya closer together. The more people in their circles object, the tighter they hold each other, and the more delighted they look together in bed.
The drama, danger, Yuri’s giant-eyed-open-mouthed surprise at everything, and Oya’s lovey-dovey excessiveness make for an over-the-top, entertaining story.
This is the story of a warrior… going back to high school! Ashleigh Lute was tasked with a quest by the emperor, but once she completed it, the authorities wouldn’t allow her to admit that SHE was the one who killed the Demon King of the north.
Worse yet, while she was away for three years on her heroic quest with fellow adventurers, she missed three years of school – and now must complete her education, mingling with (UGH!) YOUNGER PEOPLE. Ash feels like, yes, a fossil, and can’t even really tell them why she was gone. Or how she became such a strong swordswoman.
Ashleigh Lute, the warrior heroine of the story who knows her way around a sword (two images); plus a quiet guy she is fond of from The Legendary Fossil, published by Tappytoon.
Typical for the Korean manga I’ve read, many of the characters have traumatic backstories they are trying to overcome: dead parents, abusive parents, murdered siblings, switched birth orders, sibling rivalries, and (oh yes!) MAGICALLY CURSED ITEMS.
The characters are cute, and the artists like to either remove facial features entirely in some scenes or have transparent versions of the characters’ eyes showing through their hair, which is kind of neat (see first character illustration – the characters all have softly draped hair in their eyes).
The last twenty (?) or so chapters introduced new characters and intrigue. The story had been more straightforward in a talk-to-the-sword way, but became more political. To my relief, the story still achieved a sword-centered ending. I was relieved that a betrayal I anticipated did not come to pass.
Recommended if you like: talented women with swords & secrets at school.
Riiko is a lonely young woman who orders a “boyfriend” from a sketchy company based on a sketchy ad. And what does she receive? A human-sized box with a human-sized, very charming android with superhero-like powers! Night, as she names him, is programmed to perform intimate services… which Riiko is not actually ready for. And the company she ordered him from wants their money, or at least some data about Night’s seduction abilities, which Riiko doesn’t want them to have….
This is a comedy with high levels of silliness, plus romance elements. This story involves jealous childhood friends, androids who can cook, fantasies of what makes the perfect bf, sketchy salesmen prone to cosplay, forbidden technologies, elaborately drawn hair, one way tickets to Europe, and possibly first love. It was initially too silly / over the top for me, but I came back to finish the main story arc, and was entertained.
