Lenni Reviews: “Champion of the Rose” Vol. 1, by Cat Aquino & Dominique Duran

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Princess Rosa’s brother tragically dies, making her hair to the throne of the Empire of Sagrada. As the largest kingdom in the Known World, Rosa looks forward to serving her people and the Dying God they all worship but instead, her father holds a tournament where the prize is her hand in marriage. Desperate to become queen and make real change, she enlists Rey as her champion. Rey is a swordsman from one of the kingdom’s colonies and only wants to earn enough money to return to his native lands.

It’s interesting that Rosa is a mixed-race princess of a kingdom fueled by colonizing others. She has to come to terms with what her kingdom has done to people who look just like her. She may have been relatively sheltered as a princess, but that doesn’t stop the whispers and judgment. Rey is a transman and a fucking badass, who literally and figuratively is infected by the evils done by those who’ve conquered his people. The combat is fantastically done. It’s ruthless and dark. It reminds me of Centuria, making this a damn good dark fantasy. 4.5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Lynx” Vol. 1, by Samuel Sattin & Tokitokoro

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

After a climate disaster known as The Regression, humanity is stuck in a perpetual winter. Detective Lynx Takuma and her enhanced cat partner Skua, have investigating a series of deaths where strange feathers were found at the scene.

While this throws a lot of lore and abilities and backstories at you, it feels a bit flat. I think it’s because a lot of the backgrounds are solid whites. But it is a winter dystopia so I can’t judge it too hard for that. I do love a hard boiled lesbian detective with cool powers and a weird mystery brewing in a complicated world. I think it’s pretty cool so far! 3.5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 2, by Takeru Hokazono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Hishaku, who are the ones who killed Chihiro’s father, have captured Char and Chihiro goes to rescue her before they can use her unique abilities for evil.

This volume focuses on defeating Genichi Sojo, who possesses the Cloud Gouger blade. They have one heck of a battle and it’s fantastically done. They fit in a lot of lore about the weapons while the actions takes place. There isn’t a chunk of exposition when it comes to back story or the sword’s powers. I’m also glad we get to see more of Chihiro’s father in the flashbacks. He’s got a fun personality and balances out his very stoic son. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Books, Iced Coffee & a Side of Dragons” by Amanda Lovelace & Raquel Travé

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Lucinda owns Little Lighthouse Books, a struggling book store. She deals daily with the antics of her dragon and her crush on Aster, the owner of the coffee shop next door.

This does have “Tea Dragon Society” vibes in that this book has the coziest vibes and beautiful colors. The drama is very low stakes and grounded. This has great representation and while it’s not subtle, it doesn’t need to be. It’s a cute little sapphic romance and a slice of magical joy that’s sorely needed. 4.5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Spacewalking With You" Vol. 1, by Inuhiko Doronoda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Kobayashi is an underachiever, completely apathetic towards school, and can't seem to focus. When a new student, Uno, arrives, Uno is overly enthusiastic and on the spectrum, opening Kobayashi's eyes to different ways of thinking and doing things.

After so much yaoi and romance, I can't express how refreshing this beautiful friendship is. I know what I pick to read, and I'm not ashamed of it, but I will say this is a breath of fresh air. I admit to tearing up. So far, the whole cast is fantastic and positive. Uno has his breakdowns, and the art represents this as well as a neurotypical person like me can say they do. Those are the most intense parts. It's as if you took the romance (and possible death omens) out of Insomniacs After School and replaced it with mismatched friends. I love it! 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Kagurabachi” Vol. 1, by Takeru Hokazono

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Chihiro Rokuhira, son of the most famous swordsmith in the land, Kunishige . When Kunishige is killed and six of his enchanted swords stolen, Chihiro goes on a mission to recover the lost blades and avenge his father’s murder.

Not gonna lie, I was expecting a period piece like Steel of Celestial Shadows but the clothes are more modern and there are flip phones. This kicks off with some great battles and lore. A lot was unexpected and fresh; Kunishige is kind of a goof instead of a grumpy, vengeance driven sword master and I really like it. The art style give us some beautiful fights and abilities and in general has a fast pace with a wide variety of characters. I look forward to more. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance” Vol. 1, by Shinnosuke Kanazawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Sotaro Amata is popular in the office where he works, but in his off hours, he dresses up in Lolita fashion in beautiful lace and ruffles. Akira Hanku is less popular in the office, but in her off hours, she’s a punk girl in leather and spikes. They may butt heads at work, but when they run into each other off hours without recognizing each other, their relationship is entirely different.

This first volume is just setting up the vast differences between our main leads and getting them to meet up. They seem like two people who have been lonely, keeping up this mask at work, but can enjoy each other’s company once those masks are gone. In fact, Akira outright dislikes Sotaro at work but is smitten with him when he’s in the Lolita clothes. I made it a point to link to what I mean here since Lolita has an entirely different context in this case. I do wonder if this will get super dramatic and angsty once Akira finds out who she’s hanging out with, but I really hope it stays light and fun. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition” Vol. 1, by Kazuo Umezz

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*This  book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Satoru’s father works at a factory and when he hears from his dad that there will be a new robot there, he can’t help but what to investigate, learning how to use it and even adding some instructions of his own.

Until Satoru gets into tinkering with Marilyn (the name of the robot) he’s absolutely insufferable. I was concerned I would have to deal with this brat the entire volume but once he’s into programming and has something to focus on, he’s so much better. It’s interesting and a bit foreboding that the story infers this is the machine reflecting on past events; which makes me wonder what will happen once it becomes known that Satoru is messing with the machine. 3 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 8 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The bulk of this book is devoted to the class trip to Kyoto and Komi is scared to go because she skipped the last one because she had no friends to hang out with. But now, she’s able to muster the courage to go and have a good time.

We also meet a new character, Naruse; a narcissist convinced Komi is in love with him because he thinks everyone adores him. He warps every situation he’s in as “they’re only doing it because I’m so amazing. Thank goodness the trip is most of the book because Naruse is annoying. The rest is just so wholesome and genuine, it put a smile on my face. 5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 7 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

It’s Christmas season for Komi and her friends and also Komi’s birthday. While Komi struggles with gift buying, her friends go through the usual insanity of a “Present Death Game” to find something for Komi. They also have fun in the snow, go ice skating, and various other Winter and family activities.

This is still just the cutest manga and I can’t get enough of it. I’m always disappointed when I get to the end because I want more! It’d be nice if people were this kind all the time. Except for Yamai. She’s a creepy stalker and considering the books I’ve read, I have no problem judging the heck out of. She’s over the top on purpose. and whatever but she’s the worst part of this series. 5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 6 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, Komi goes to karaoke with her friends after the Culture Festival, shopping for clothes with her equally quiet father, and we introduce a new character, Katai; who also has trouble talking to others because he looks too much like a stereotypical thug. We also have the appearance of an adorable cat cafe!

Other than the low hanging cute that is the cat cafe, what shines in this book is how patient and kind with Katai even though every other student in the class is scared of him. He’s so gently folded into the growing group of friends, it’s genuinely touching! If I had to complain about something, it would be Yamai and Nukanaka. I understand they want to hog Komi’s attention but they are so fucking creepy about it, I find it hard to like them. 4.9 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” Vol. 4 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

This volume goes through Komi’s summer vacation, return to school, and the Sports Festival.

If you like slice-of-life manga, that’s the core of this volume. Little things like Komi milling around on a hot day, cooking dinner for her family, and helping her friends with their summer assignments. Then we get the festival with a particularly competitive classmate. It’s all very lighthearted and cute – a breath of fresh air after some of the downers I’ve been reading lately. Only 89 friends to go for Komi! 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Komi Can’t Communicate” : Vol. 2 by Tomohito Oda

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Hitohito Tadano continues to help Shoko Komi with her awkwardness and inadvertently, this earns Komi a rival, Makeru Yadano; who wants to defeat Komi in the health exams. Komi also manages to pick up another friend, Ren Yamai, who has an obvious crush on her. Well, obvious to everyone but Komi.

Remember in the first review when I talked about the horrible dark turn? Well, I thought Yamai was going to be it but although she comes off as a fucking creepy-ass stalker, the manga does keep things light and folds her into the growing group of Komi’s friends. Tadano still seems to be the one who knows her best out of the bunch though. Still loving this series. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: "Asadora!" vol 2, by Naoki Urasawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Jumping in to the future, it is now 1964 and Asadora is now 17, a pilot, and working with Kasuga at their advertising company; while also going to school and raising her younger siblings. A strange man comes around asking questions about the creature they saw destroy their hometown and the likelihood it is still around and a threat.

This is a strange little series so far. I’m totally here for it; I love Asadora, I wanna know more about the creature and what will happen next but whatever expectations I had were completely subverted. Sometimes that can be frustrating but I found it welcome and look forward to seeing how this continues. 4 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Asadora!” Vol. 1, by Naoki Urasawa

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review

Taking place in 1959, Asa is one of so many siblings she gets lost among them; frequently mistaken for the others if not forgotten about entirely. When her mother goes into labor during a typhoon, Asa runs out to get the doctor. She ends up kidnapped by Kasuga; a desperate war veteran who needs money.

Well, this book went in unexpected directions. And no, nothing horrible happens to Asa. This is a wholesome read about a random little girl swept up into an adventure and has this positive energy to pull in others along with her. Asa is very sweet and I can’t wait to see what’s next; even if it all comes off as a bit too idealistic But the world id dark enough already. I’ll take it. 4.9 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Levius/est” Vol. 3 by Haruhisa Nakata

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

As Levius prepares for his fight with the current champion, his trainer Zack wonders if Levius could ever be prepared for a fight on this level. Meanwhile, Amethyst returns (from way back in volume one) with an unbeatable new fighter named Balthus; the brother of A.J. who claims she no longer remembers him.

I was wondering if and how Amethyst would make his return and manipulating A.J.’s brother after all she did to protect him was just the type of messed up thing I’d expect from Amethyst. This volume is a real page-turner with some interesting character development and again, the fighting is drawn incredibly well. I am super pumped for the final showdown with Amethyst! 5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Beastars” Vol 5 by Paru Itagaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and is suggested for mature readers.

When Haru is kidnapped and Legoshi is ready to run right into the lair of a dangerous mob boss alone until Gohin knocks some sense into him. They have to come up with a plan before Haru is killed and eaten.

We also learn more about Haru’s childhood but the real focus is on the rescue. And MAN, are they really going dark in this manga. I won’t spoil the outcome but this volume has some awesome fight scenes and completely screwed my mind up with a cliffhanger. This series really is a surprisingly addicting read and really takes advantage of the original premise set forth in volume one. I can’t wait for the next one! 4.9 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Beastars” Vol. 4 by Paru Itagaki

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In this volume, we get some back story on Haru and Louis relationship, Jack’s friendship with Legoshi, and Juno – another wolf – trying to get closer to Legoshi. We also delve deeper in to Louis’ dark past.

This volume is my favorite so far. How the darkest parts of this world are revealed to us are really creative and really go into how complicated and tenuous the truce between the herbivores and carnivores is. It’s all well and good for these teens to want to get along but much like in reality, the world at large is much more complicated and dangerous than the safe confines of their school campus. Very intriguing! 5 out of 5.

Lenni Reviews: “Levius/Est” Vol. 2 by Haruhisa Nakata

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Levius is advancing in the ranks, facing tougher opponents the likes of Natalia; bringing in the notion of these mechanized warriors so dedicated to their battles, they will even fight unconscious. But as Levius nears his dream, another fighter named Kingsley tempts Levius with information about the father who abandoned Levius and his comatose mother.

It’s awesome to read about the mindset of the fighters and what victory means to each of them as they put their lives on the line. And it’s cool to see so much time spent on the fights. They are well-drawn and detailed so your eyes don’t get lost so you can keep track of what’s happening. I’m looking forward to seeing Levius face down someone so powerful who also knew his father. 4.5 out of 5.