Ake no Tobari Ch. 265-269 (and Peerless Dad Webtoon Universe review)

Nanaten here suffering from a slight memory lapse. I am certain I uploaded Ake no Tobari and Corseltel chapters on Mangadex right before the Nanaten Awards. But when I came back to it to upload another chapter a couple of weeks ago, some of my releases dating back to 3 months ago disappeared. Not just on Mangadex, but on MangaUpdates as well. I can understand the latest chapters as it contains some advertisements of the Nanaten Awards, but my whole releases for the past three months? Is there something wrong with my memory?

I've been reading a couple of Murim Korean webtoons recently. It all started with Peerless Dad, that I've been following for the past couple of years. For those who doesn't know about the series, it's about this ex-mercenary who became a single father when his wife passed away after giving birth to triplets. To provide for his family, he decided to become a gatekeeper at this martial arts society. Unbeknownst to others (himself included), he's actually pretty OP. So he reluctantly got dragged into this martial arts world yet still try to find time to be with his family. One thing that I really like about the series is that it mostly focuses on the characters and the family aspect of the story rather than the whole martial arts and qi nonsense. The latest arc kinda focused on the political aspect of the world, which for me was a bit of a turn off. But I'm really excited for the current arc.

And last month, I realized that the writer had other series set in the same universe. I was already aware of Red Storm before that, but I wasn't really interested in that. There're two other webtoon series that's actually set in the same universe: Governor Lee Kangjin, and Sunyu of the Shadowless. The former is more of a prequel to Peerless Dad featuring one of the Antagonists (?) as the titular character and the latter actually sets in the same timeframe as the main series. Governor Lee Kangjin did a great job at portraying the main character in a compelling way. I like the way how the MC develops in accordance to how he build relationships with other characters that feels genuine. And as a prequel, I'm looking forward to see how the MC progresses from a child psychopath into a calculating martyr as he's portrayed in the main series. Since Sunyu sets parallel with the main series, it actually has a few crossovers with Peerless Dad. The main draw for me is that I get to see different takes of the same events as they're portrayed in a different perspective and art style and character design. And it's actually fascinating how the action of the character of one series affects the other. It did its job as a spin-off series to build the world.

Other stuff: I've been watching a lot of old Top Gear clips on youtube recently. I actually pretty late writing this post because I got distracted from watching it too much. I really like the chemistry between Richard, Jeremy, and James and their antics and challenges. I wish I can develop a relationship like this.

I have been so busy with work that it essentially messed up my translation workflow and schedule for the past month. So I decided to hit total reset on upload schedule and just upload the two batches of Ake no Tobari chapters here. So here you go.

As per usual, let me know if you find mistakes or errors in the link. Next week will be a Corseltel Update.

Ake no Tobari 265: Read online | Download 

Ake no Tobari 266: Read Online | Download 

Ake no Tobari 267: Read Online | Download 

Ake no Tobari 268: Read Online | Download
Ake no Tobari 269: Read Online | Download 

Special shoutout to this month's patrons. Thank you for your support.

Cameron Moriarty

Gregory

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MrIncognito

TWil

The Marrer

Kevin

CnR-KM Vol. 3 Ch. 21

 

Nanaten here. So last week, my internet was down for a couple of days. By the time it was up again, it was already Thursday, so I had to delay this chapter for a week. On the other hand, I actually finished Tales of Arise and now lurking at Tales subreddit for Law memes, because Law is a good boi and there's nothing you can do to change that.

Speaking of games that I finished, on this week's (or rather, a couple of week's ago) VOD:

I finally finished One Hand Clapping (or rather, what's currently available on Steam Early Access). I had an enjoyable time playing this game. It makes me want to sing again. In fact, I finished record my parts for Twilight Night, so look forward to that. 

Random stuff: I also spent the week reading The Kurosagi Corpse Delivary Service. I don't know why I need to write about this now, but I don't think I'll have another chance to talk about this series. There's just something charming about the black humor in this manga. Such a shame that Dark Horse canceled the English translation. It had, hands down, the most detailed translation effort I've ever seen in a manga. So I decided to read the available Japanese raws, and I can see how this series is still going strong in Japan. There's a shake-up in the status quo that happened at volume 21 which kept the series fresh. I've never seen a large shake up like that in an episodic manga. Then again, the series has been running for almost 20 years.

About this chapter: ah screw it, it's just a short story collection, so let's just talk about the new Corseltel series. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)

The Baby Dragons have grown up, AAAAAAAAAA!!!

I only read Koryu Monogatari up to volume 10. I read a couple of previews on Bookwalker, and that's it. It was April, when I heard about the announcement of the final volume of Koryu Monogatari. I was honestly surprised that the series ended. That and a bonus booklet that came with it that actually spoiled some stuff for me in regards of certain characters. In Koryu Monogatari, they had a couple of long story arcs that tied loose ends that has been there since the original series. When I heard of the final volume announcement, I thought that there weren't any more stories to tell. And how glad I was wrong about that, because Ayuma Isurugi-sensei announced a new Corseltel series. And for the first time ever, It's available to read on the Online version of Zero-Sum.

This new series is clearly aimed towards long time Corseltel fans. The first chapter of each incarnation of the series always acted as a soft reboot of sorts. They would re-introduce us to the setting and characters. But not in this one. The first chapter feels more like a third season premiere of a TV show. They didn't have to introduce the characters because the readers have already familiar with them, even as they grow older. And that's the premise of this new series: the baby dragons are now on their teens and set on their own adventure OUTSIDE OF CORSELTEL.

As of first chapter, only Sa-ta, A-ta, and Ta-ta are venturing outside

This opens to a lot of storylines. So far in the main series, we only had a couple of second hand information of the outside world from testimonies and flashbacks. We had a taste of outside world with Illbeck no Seireijutsushi. In that Spin-off, we had an interesting perspective of an outsider looking for Corseltel. And now, the dragons get to experience that first hand.

The art remains solid, it is what you expect from the series. I do like the new character designs. It really shows how the characters have grown. Even Marciel, who only appears in two panels. While in terms of outfit, they don't change much. The only noteworthy change is Sa-ta, who is now carrying a sword with his emblem and wearing glasses instead of headband. Fun fact: in the Drama CD of CnRM, Sa-ta was voiced by Junko Takeuchi, most famously known for voicing Naruto. So yeah, there is a parallel.

New Character, adding to what people already regarded as an extensive cast for a manga about dragon babysitters.

In the dragons journey, they are now alone. They are accompanied by Theod Cardell, a young son of a merchant tasked by a certain someone to aid the young dragons. However, Theod himself has a past and a secret of his own. He certainly is a nice addition to round up the cast for the new series. He sort of act as the audience's surrogate. It's always nice to see an outsider's perspective to an already established character dynamics. There's a scene where he remarks about how confusing the dragon names are. The overall mystery about his past is also intriguing. I can't wait to see how he would shake things up for the new series.

I've already finished the script and collected the raws for the first chapter. And I must say, obviously since it is a sequel, there are a bunch of spoilers of Koryu Monogatari and Illbeck. So I may only start working on this after I'm done with Illbeck and past a certain point of Koryu Monogatari, because it may confuse a bunch of people otherwise. Koryu Boukenki is published sporadically, due to Ayuma Isurugi-sensei's health issue. That being said, she recently has started her own twitter account where she would post updates on her condition and the series. She would also answer questions about the world settings and such. So please consider following her on twitter @isurugi0000000 and send your support.

And that's my first impression of Corseltel no Ryujutsushi Koryu Boukenki. Anyway, here's the Koryu Monogatari chapter. As usual, let me know what you think about the chapter in the Disqus section. Also let me know if you find any error or mistake. Next update will be Ake no Tobari.

Corseltel no Ryujutushi Koryu Monogatari Volume 3 Chapter 21:
Read Online | Download

Shout-out to this month's patrons:

Natsidle

Gregory

Vydricka
Tracy Umeda
MrIncognito
TWil

The Marrer
Vivant

M. Buttery

Kaiouki Vol. 10 Ch. 30 (and Demon Slayers: Kimetsu no Yaiba Movie Review)

 

Nanaten here. Last week I went to see the Demon Slayers Mugen Train movie in theatre with my friends. It's a bit strange experience to be in theatre during this New Normal situation. The thing that sticks out to me is that I was not allowed to bring food inside. I know, it's pretty strange to be so hung up about that. It's just that the theatre was literally selling them right at the entrance and you are not supposed to bring them inside? Talk about a rip-off.

About the movie itself, I already read the manga when the corresponding chapters came out, so I knew what I was getting myself into in terms of the plot (except for my friend who is an anime only kind of guy). Thus, I was more focused on the visual presentation. And wow, what a spectacle. The particle effects, the dynamic camera movements, the color grading, and the lighting. My favorite bits were the one that utilized visual and audio cues. They were done so well, you could tell that something eerie was going in that train right at the beginning.

The movie also move at a fast pace, just like the train itself, with some rest stops for comedic and dramatic moments. It picked up right after the end of the first season. It didn't waste time to introduce the main trio Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, their motivation, and all that. They boarded the train and immediately introduce the main piece of this story: Rengoku. Rengoku is the star of this movie. He's there to be give our demon slayer trio some crash course in demon busting. And it works. His personality is so high in tension, with the skill to back it up, which is effective as a foil to the trio's comedic dynamic, it adds to that. 

(SPOILER TERITORY)
So if you've read the manga, you already know what was going to happen to Rengoku. My friend actually didn't see it coming. In the span of the movie, it managed to make us care about Rengoku, which what makes the ending much more devastating. Rengoku's death was so effective because it was the first major demon slayer corp in the series. Throughout the series, they keep reminding us that the mortality rate for demon slayers is very high, and Rengoku's death shows us that not even the main pillar can escape that.

This is also present at the very first scene of the movie, where we see Ubuyashiki strolling at a gravesite of fallen demon slayers. The demon slayer corp, as noble as they be, is still a dangerous job. They're mortals fighting against monsters who are impervious to normal damage and can instantly heal. For one upper demon killed, there's a trail of fallen demon slayers behind them. In Season 1, those deaths were treated lightly just as cannon fodder to show how strong the demon were. They showed a bunch of corpses, our heroes faced the demons, they moved on. But not this movie. Rengoku's death lingers. His death has an impact towards the rest of the characters and the direction of the next story, where our heroes go to next, how they will face their next adversary. 

(END OF SPOILER TALK)

But as much as the movie focuses on Rengoku, the series is still about Tanjiro and Nezuko. Now here, once again, Nezuko takes a back seat to give us insight on Tajiro's psyche after their family was killed. My favorite bits on the series has always been where the ghosts of Kamado siblings help their living siblings during crisis. It shows that Tanjiro is still feeling guilt for not being able to protect his family. And the movie puts a heavy focus on that by putting Tanjiro in a dream world where his family is still alive. He subconsciously knew it wasn't real so he struggles to let go. We as the audience felt his pain of losing his family again as he runs off to be the main character and save the day.

Now let's talk about the action scenes. All I can say is there are lots and I mean lots of dynamic camera movements. And unlike some generic anime fight sequence, you can actually follow what's going on screen. The closest thing I can compare the camera work to is the action scene of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (but, you know, in 2D). There's really nothing much to say since it's Ufotable.

So, yeah, I had a great time watching it. Please watch it in theatre if you can. Those who have read the manga won't be disappointed. Those who have seen the movie but yet to read the manga, I recommend you to read the corresponding chapter because the movie left out some explanations for the sake of pacing.

Anyway, back to the regular update:

This week's video: I did a Minecraft SMP stream last week. If you've seen Bonk's first SMP stream from my last update, this actually picks up from that.

Sorry, for the lag footage, I was streaming from my PC instead of my brother's. This PC doesn't have a graphic card (or should I say HAD a graphic card. I broke the last two graphic cards because of power surge). I am currently saving my money to buy a decent graphic card. So if you would like to donate, you can do that by going on the donation button at the side panel, thank you. We'll be doing Minecraft SMP every Saturday 11:30 PM CST. I'll see you there.

So here's the chapter. I really don't have anything to say because this post is already long enough and it's already 2 AM. Let me know if you find error or translation mistake. Next week will be a Tobari update.

Kaiouki Volume 10 Chapter 30:
Read Online | Download

Shout out to this month's patrons:

Natsidle

Gregory

Vydricka
Tracy Umeda
MrIncognito
TWil
Vivant

M. Buttery

Umarekawatte mo mata, Watashi to Kekkon shite kuremasu ka Vol. 1 Extra

Nanaten here suffering pain from taking too much acid (Note to self: never have spicy meatball for dinner ever again). Also, there was a power outage, so I am a few hours late with posting this update.

This week, I went to see Weathering with You in Cinema. My impression was "Wow, they weren't kidding when people said it's Your Name 2.0." It had so many Makoto Shinkai visual trademark all over it, from vibrant colors of urban setting even down to his glorious food porn. I also enjoy different water effects used throughout the movie. The usage of rain in this movie kind of reminds me of a Japanese movie Sweet Rain, where rain is also used as a plot device. The transparency of the water creature kind of reminds me of the mountain god from Princess Mononoke. But what I really enjoy the most is the sweat (kind of weird now to think of it). It was sort of mix between Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo.

Let's not forget about the soundtrack. RADWIMPS just nails the music department here. Sure, some of them are just different arrangements of Is There Anything Love Can Still Do and Grand Escape but they still managed to convey the tone of the scene very well. There's a progress from somber melancholy to a dash of bright optimism in the music as the film goes.

As for the plot, however, I cannot say I really enjoy it. Like I said earlier, it's Your Name 2.0. It retains the plot structure as the previous movie and I could not overlook that for some reason. I think it tries to tell both a romantic comedy and coming-of-age story but never really quite get there. And it all comes crashing down at the third act, where a subplot with no proper setup suddenly emerges for the climax (or maybe there was a setup and I just missed it, either way it's still lacking.) But I do enjoy the twist ending, despite the slightly lack of resolution in the form of open-ending-ness (the resolution is just too short).

My conclusion is: the movie is visually stunning, but it tries too much to live up to previous movie. I will still wait for the novel adaptation to be localized.

Now back to the manga, a little announcement: The series is coming to an end. Yes, the last chapter of the series will be released on Pixiv Comics sometimes next month. Without giving away any spoiler, I really do hope Toranosuke and Kaoru have a happy ending. And I wish for Miku Morinaga's next work to be just as good as this series.

About this chapter: so this is the extra material taken from volume 1. Shout-out to DASZGFZ for providing me with the raws. So this extra contains character profiles featured in this volume. It was tough to decipher Miku Morinaga's handwriting, which is why I decided to skip the afterword written by her. But I do provide the illustration used for the afterword in the download version for my own announcement: I NEED RAWS FOR VOLUME 2 AND 3!!! I do have some of the Pixiv raws (courtesy of Thebenefactor) including the latest chapters. But when the respective volume is released, Pixiv deletes the last two chapters of said volume. And I cannot skip those chapters because of spoilers. That being said, I will still work on the series up until the missing chapters. So please let me know if you have the raws of volume 2 and 3.

So here are the volume 1 extra of Umakawa. Next week will be a T&T update.

Umakawa Volume 1 Extra
Read Online | Download

Shout out to this month's patrons:

Natalie Steffen
Natsidle
John Thor

Aja C.

Tobias Steinbach
Gregory
Vydricka
Tracy Umeda
MrIncognito
First Last

Ake no Tobari Ch. 135 & T-Sensei Vol. 3 Ch.17

Nanaten here. I've been spending the past week trying to land auditions on Casting Call Club. After a whole year of absence, I decided to go back doing voice work, not that it matters because I can't seem to land any of the roles because of my accent and lackluster talent for acting.

Speaking of my lackluster voice acting ability, this week's video:

I did another Japanese manga dub of T-Sensei. This was recorded a few days after the first video. I just thought that people might enjoy this kind of content. I've been thinking of making this manga dub as a series for both this blog and my channel. That of course, I'm thinking of making it an English dub instead of Japanese like I did, cause let's be honest, my Japanese sucks. So please tell me if you enjoy it and maybe I will do a casting call.

Random stuff: I just got back from watching My Hero Academia: The Two Heroes on theatre. I quite enjoyed it. It has amusing moments between the characters. While it feels weird to see it after watching season 3 (the movie sets right after Hero Killer Stain arc), the portrayal for most of the characters were on point. The whole movie screams: this is a movie, this won't affect the main story in any kind of way, but Melissa was such a treat and a great addition to the cast. I wish she was featured in the main series (that special episode on season 3 doesn't count).

The only weakness of this movie though is the villains. They are just kinda there to be the punching bag for the heroes. And that is not something you want for an anime movie that spend the second act doing a take on Die Hard. There's also an issue with how they treated side characters. MHA has extensive characters, so it was a given that some will be thrown into the sidelines. But for those characters to do absolutely nothing during the whole movie was kinda a huge bummer.

In conclusion: it feels like a good filler arc. It's funny, the new characters feels right into the series and on point, adds world building to the series, but the villains are forgettable and some characters were reduced to cameos.

About this chapters: once again, big thanks to Eva (and Mayu) for cleaning and typesetting. My mind is currently occupied with the matters I mentioned above, so I don't have anything interesting to say about these chapters. Huh, that's a first.

And that's it for this week's updates. I ran out of manga chapters on my reserves, so I think I'm gonna spend the week working on chapters. That means I'll be taking a break next week to work on chapters.

Ake no Tobari Chapter 135:
Read Online | Download

T-Sensei Volume 3 Chapter 17:
Read Online | Download

Shout out for this month's patrons:

Natalie Steffen
Natsidle
John Thor

Aja C.
Tobias Steinbach
Gregory
Vydricka
Tracy Umeda
MitsuTsumi
Siana Richardson
First Last

Ake no Tobari Ch. 107

Nanaten here completely forgetting about today's update. I apologize for that. I was playing Breath of Fire 5 and after 14 plus hours of dying, restore, and losing all my items, I realized it was already 12pm on Saturday. Also I forgot about doing next week's chapters as well, returning mangas I rented last week (the fine is increasing as we speak), or even doing episodes of next week's Citrus Plays.

Speaking of which:

This week, I played Detective Conan - The Great Deduction of Three People for Playstation 1. I played this when I was 10 and it's actually one of the games that influences me to learn Japanese. So one thing I decided is to play each game for three episodes before switch to other game, unless you want me to continue my playthrough. Perhaps on a livestream? I also need to think up an intro.

From anime side of things: I watched Devilman Crybaby a few days ago. It was amazing. The art style and music were amazing. I cannot express how much I love this anime well enough. By putting it on Netflix, Studio Saru realized there is almost no restriction in their visuals. And they utilized it in a way no one expected from a Japanese anime. It took me a few days just to get over the last two episodes.

How to Keep a Mummy anime aired this week and just like Gakuen Babysitter, it was adorable. It adapts the original webcomic version well. I can't help but to grin at every scene as I recall it from the webcomic. Some part of the chapter have to be rearranged to fit the general story and to introduce the characters quicker. From the pacing, promotional material, and opening theme song, I predict it will adapt to chapter 108 of the webcomic (just after the series gets slightly darker, but not before DARK, darker). The voice actor for Sora took a while to get used to. There's also that ending theme dance routine. I need a full version of that.

Another thing I did last week:

Character: Mashirao Ojiro (My Hero Academia)
Photo & Editing: @izzahphoto_art (@_gracom)
Location: Universitas Hasanuddin#myheroacademiacosplay #bokunoheroacademia #myheroacademia #mashiraoojirocosplay #mashiraoojiro pic.twitter.com/ROHvMii0rq

— Nanaten (@citrus_nanaten) January 12, 2018

I went to a My Hero Academia cosplay photo session organized by a good friend of mine (you should totally check out his instagram accounts). I cosplayed as Mashirao Ojiro (also known as that guy with a tail) from My Hero Academia with other people. More photos will be posted on his facebook page. You can check out the full album here.

It was at this point of writing this post I realized that I'm slowly shifting away from translation. While it is not a bad thing, because it means I can provide more variety of things, I somehow cannot stress my apologize enough for those who come here for translation.

Speaking of translation, this week, Batoto announced their site's shut down. It was a huge sad news for me. Batoto has always been my go to site for uploading chapter since I started manga translation. Although it has it ups and downs with some titles getting either banned or DMCA'd, It's still a great part of me as manga translator (I rarely go to Manga Traders, so...). Right now I am lost in finding an alternative to upload because I've been trying to find it ever since the DMCA incident. Can anyone suggest a good website and know how? Tell me in the comments.

About this chapter: as you can tell from the thumbnail by now, this is a popular chapter in Japan. There is no conflict, we get to see little Tobari, and a nice character moment. The next few chapters is also like that. It's a nice distraction from knowing of the impending battle that is about to come (and the amount of work I will have to do).

One problem during translation of this chapter: I accidentally ruined my space key when I tried to clean it. Sometimes it won't register. It took me a while to get used to, but it still frustrating that you have to go back and hit space key again. So apologize if you found a slight space typo. Let me know if you found one in the next release. I am the type who take criticism seriously as long as it for self improvement.

So here's the adorable Tobari strikes again. Next week, we get to check Tobari's latest retainer.

Ake no Tobari Chapter 107:
Read Online | Download

Special thanks to this month's patrons:

Eldistan
Natalie Steffen
Camilla
Tobias Steinbach
Gregory
Vydricka
Tracy Umeda
MitsuTsumi
Siana Richardson
First Last

Ake no Tobari Ch. 52-54

Nanaten here. After a full month of delay, it's finally here. Special thanks to Hayal from Mavi manga for the amazing cleaning and typesetting.

So I spent the week playing Tales of Berseria this time. Here's my review: Tales of Berseria managed to improved most of the aspects Tales of Zestiria did wrong: free-run is now available from the start, you can rotate the camera during battle (I have no issue with it before, but I've seen people complained about it), maps are now not just a pile of land of nothing, the battle animation is clearer now (now I don't have to mash buttons to see my combo connects. Well, I still mash button but you get the point.), party members leave from time to time but not permanently (looking at you, Alisha!), the soul gauge system is fun compared to stamina system (done right, Magilou's soul blast is OP). As for the story, it managed to be its own story rather than just being Zestiria prequel. I probably should make a separate review, ain't I?

That being said, I still enjoy Zestiria. Thankfully the anime did the game justice (That's what my friend told me. Still haven't watched it.). I'm thinking of playing it again. Either that or Symphonia. And I still haven't finished Phantasia.

So here's last month's sponsored chapters. Next week will be this month's double chapters (if I manage to remember to do it. I'm still in the middle of EX Dungeon of Berseria).

Chapter 52.
Chapter 53.
Chapter 54.

Special thanks to this month's patrons:

First Last

MitsuTsumi

Brett Bonn

Lizzie C
Natalie Steffen

Aja C.

Manga Summary: Illbeck no Seireijutsushi

Nanaten's Random Friday

Nanaten here procrastinating again. Looking back to my first impression posts, I realized that I'm terrible at reviews. So I might as well give up and just spoil the whole thing. This time I'm doing Corseltel no Ryuujutsushi Spin-off manga, Illbeck no Ryuujutsushi by Ayuma Isurugi.

All of the scans are taken from Purple Candy's blog. If anyone of you knew Chinese, say hi to him.

Anyway, here we go. Ultimate Spoiler Warning

Illbeck no Seireijutsushi (Spirit Mage of Illbeck)

Story and Art: Ayuma ISURUGI

Publisher: Ichijinsha (Zero-Sum Magazine)

Status: Complete (2 Volumes)

First Impression: Ryusui no Tsubasa

Nanaten's Random Review

Ryusui no Tsubasa: Shiki Ryuko Seike Iden Volume 1

Nanaten here finally able to read the latest series by Kawahara Masatoshi sensei. The public raw is finally available. I was planning to post this on Friday but I got too excited.

Just like my review on Shura no Toki volume 16, the public scans is that of low quality one. I don't have the magazine scans. Makes me wondering if now is the right time to use money from donation and patreon to buy the raws. I probably should. 

One more thing: I'm not familiar with wuxia genre or Chinese history. I use the Japanese names to refer the characters. Anyway, here we go.

Ryusui no Tsubasa: Shiki Ryuko Seike Iden

Story and Art: Masatoshi Kawahara

Publisher: Kodansha (Monthly Shonen Magazine)

Series I wish someone translates

Nanaten's Random Friday

It's been a while since the last time I did a Random Friday. And I think the best thing to do it is to show you some of the series that I read and I wish to translate but don't have the skill to do so. You can read most of the series in Japanese at their respective websites which I will include.

Miira no Kaikata/How to Keep a Mummy (Kakeru Utsugi)

I'm talking about the webmanga version. The premise is that a high school student, Sora Kahiwagi, was sent a package from Egypt by his father. Inside, there's a cute little mummy. It's a very cute slice-of-life story with tons of fun characters, both humans and non-humans. There are also some dark chapters focusing on supernatural collectors. First two chapters are already translated and the first tankobon version is available at Crunchyroll.

Bijutsushitsu no Kaibutsu/Monster in the Art Room (Kei Akazawa)

Shiro Fushimi heard a rumor that a ghost appeared in his school art room. When he entered, he encountered a woman, Touko. He immediately fall in love with her. Together, they try to discover the nature of Touko and the nature of relationships. It gives me a fuzzy feeling every time I read it. The main focus is the relationship between each character and how they interact: Fushimi is in love with Touko; childhood friend, Komai, is in love with Fushimi; Komai's friend, Misono, is in what appears to be a toxic relationship; while Touko just wanted someone to talk to.

Beast Tamer (Akira Mitsuya)

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where most of them is turned to stone. The series tells about a young boy named Rudy who claimed himself as a Beast Tamer, someone who can control magical monster which was the cause of the disaster that turned the world into stone. He has a magical monster partner, Kousuke. It's an action series with Kousuke as the main charm. The way Kousuke interacts with other characters he met is cute and funny. 

Hakase to Slime-chan/Professor and Little Slime (Nayuta Izaki)

A monster professor conducted an experiment. The result is a cute and lovely slime, Lime. The series mostly focuses on Lime's growth as she gain intelligence, interact with other monsters, and later, adapted a human form. While the professor dotes on Lime, he still maintained a professional behavior observing her growth. There are also many other characters, such as a male mermaid, a maid cat (yup, imagine how those two interact), a dryad and treant, and professor's mentor and colleague who also did experiments on slimes.

Akuma no Memmem-chan/Little Devil Memmem (Keitaro Yotsuya)

This manga is the most recent on this list. It tells about a completely shy devil, Memmem, who tries to fulfil the desire of a young boy. As you can see, it's a very cute comedy series.

Orc ga Jokishi wo Ikusei Shita Mita/An Orc Tries to Nurture a Female Knight (Kuma)

A short and fat female knight was captured by orcs. Couldn't bear the shame, she begged them to kill her. A young orc is touched by her conviction, thus he decided to train her.

Denryu Shonen/Electronic Boy (Muro Niwaneko)

This one is my favorite from Manga One. It tells a story of anthropomorphized electronic appliances. The titular Electronic Boy is a camera. He likes to go outside and take pictures of cats. There are many fun and quirky big brothers in his household: mature TV; weak yet cool PC; twin Air Conditioner (representing indoor part and outdoor part); mother figure Rice Cooker; explosive Microwave, and many more. I keep imagining Muco from Itoshi no Muco series when camera speaks, as they have the same cheerful and outgoing personality (minus Muco's jealous part).

Sodatechi Maou!/The Devil is not so Black as He is Painted. (Kousuke Ijima)

A cute story about a demon lord taking care of an adorable human child. It is full of hijinks mostly from demon lord and his subordinates trying to keep the child, Maris, happy in demon castle.

I really wish someone would translate any of these series as they are cute and appeal many people.

Monthly Shonen Magazine June Issue

Nanaten's Random Friday

It's that time of the month again (I need to stop making this kind of joke). The site got updated earlier than expected. One new series started serialization in this magazine and I still don't have access to Kawahara Masatoshi's new manga. Sumire Suou (Sayonara, Watashi no Kurama) is on the cover.

Monthly Shonen Magazine May Issue

Nanaten's Random Review

It's that time of the year again. Summer Salt Turn and RiN ended in this issue to make room for next month's new series. More on that after the jump. Chinmi and Goku are on the cover for both editions.

Monthly Shonen Magazine April Issue

Nanaten's Random Review

It's that time of the month again. This month, two new series started, and one ended, and one is preparing to get back on the magazine. Liu Bang is on the front cover (Yato, Yukine, and Chiori is on front cover of the Kindle version).

Lineup (03/05/2016)

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• Ryusui no Tsubasa: Shiki Ryuko Seike Iden (Masatoshi Kawahara)

95 pages of goodness that I once again cannot read. But at least I got a new screen saver for my phone. From what I can read out of google translate, first chapter sets two years after the unification of China. It tells of how Zhang Liang found a baby fall off a cliff (or something, I don't know....).

Anyway, a reviewer said that Zhang Liang is kinda combination of various Kawahara-sensei's past characters (like how Tuban Sano's character design reminds us of Benkei from Shura no Toki). The fighting scene is still there, which gives us the feeling of Shura no Toki: China Arc, only without Mutsu. Although there is a fan theory that the characters in this manga are the ancestors of that Chinese clan from Dai ni Mon, but that's just stretching it.

Next chapter will be 105 pages and maybe the first chapter will be available for free on their website.

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• Noragami (Adachitoka)



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• Kakushigoto (Kouji Kumeda)

Hime brought her father's donut cushion and it's surprisingly popular. Then Kakushi took Hime to a summer festival, but he have to hide any of his merchandise sold in various stalls. And finally, policemen came to Kakushi's workplace for an inspection.

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• Okitegami Kyoko no Biboroku (Nishio Ishin & Yo Asami)

With Kyoko-san memories have been reset, it's time to solve the case. But there's still a bigger case on who wrote last chapter's note. 

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• Mashiro no Oto (Marimo Ragawa & Sai Aoya)

A special gourmet chapter featuring chibi-styled Setsu and Wakana. Next Issue, Mashiro no Oto will return from their break.

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• Haru yo, Kuru na (Bin Kusamizu & Mayo Hamazaki)

It's Takuya's first day as a med student and things aren't looking great for him.

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• RiN (Sakuishi Harold)



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• Dear Boys Overtime (Hiroki Yagami)



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• Kin no Kanojo Gin no Kanojo (Maruboro Akai)

The gang is helping their friend to meet a deadline for her erotic manga in 24 hours.

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• Kuro Ageha (Atsushi Kase)



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• Ponkotsundere na Osananajimi (Reona Umitsuki)

New romatic comedy series about a boy who has a weird girl childhood friend. It's a nice take on childhood friends genre.

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• Summer Salt Turn (Hajime Inoryu & Renji Hoshi)

Mizuno has found his determination to take down Ebina. Meanwhile, the girls are sorting out their feelings after Ebina's confession last chapter.

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• Bocchi Album (Satoshi Yamaguchi & Takeshi Hirai)

A girl is missing her shoes and everyone suspect Kurusu.

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• C. M. B. (Motohiro Kato)

Another treasure hunt for the duo. This time, a statue of an Egyptian cat that is connected to black magic.

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• Convenience Store Lady (Asumu Matsumoto)

This chapter, our lady is craving for some chocolate. However, when she heard about pop rocks, she decides to mix those two together.

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• Banjo no Polaris (Minori Kiguchi & Takahiro Wakamatsu)

Final chapter (Are you serious? This ended?!). Second match between Ippei and Aoi. This time, Ippei decides to take Aoi to his world. After that is time skip and Hikaru-no-Go-ish ending. Too bad this ended. It has so much potential.

I'm gonna miss this series

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• Tekken Chinmi Legends (Takeshi Maekawa)

A chapter featuring the antagonists. Yeah, I don't care either.

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• Chikuwa Machi no Susume (Naoki Hirano)



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• Ryuroden (Yoshito Yamahara)



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• Shin Kamen Rider Spirits (Ishinomori Shotaro & Kenichi Muraeda)

First Impression: Shura no Toki Volume 16

Nanaten's Random Review

Shura no Toki Volume 16

I haven't done a first impression a while now. It was so long time ago, I forgot how do I make first impression. Last time I make a first impression was when I went to get a signature and detained because of my sidelock.

Anyway, I finally found low quality scans of Shura no Toki volume 16. However, the color pages was over saturated. And since I'm never good at color correction, I'll just leave it at that. I also have acquired the magazine scans all except the final chapter. They have better color pages, but has a downside on normal ones. So I'll just mix both scans for this review.

It is hard to talk about this arc in particular without spoiling Shura no Mon. So spoilers ahead.

Mutsu Enmei Ryuu Gaiden - Shura no Toki: Showa Hen
Story and Art: Masatoshi Kawahara
Publisher: Kodansha (Monthly Shonen Magazine)

Monthly Shonen Magazine February Issue

It's that time of the month again. Mutsu Shizuru on the front page (the ebook version has the Gotou family from Kakushigoto).

Monthly Shonen Magazine January Issue

Nanaten's Random Friday

Monthly Shonen Magazine December Issue

Nanaten's Random Friday

It's that time of the month again. Meanwhile, I still haven't worked on any new chapters lately.

Monthly Shonen Magazine November Issue

Nanaten's Random Review

The magazine came out today. Noragami is on the cover celebrating its second season.

Regular Edition

Digital Edition

First Impression: New 3x3 Eyes

Instead of working on Yakumo Mutsu, let's take a look at another Yakumo.

Nanaten's Random Review

3x3 Eyes: Victims of Eidolon Forest (Volume 1)

3x3 Eyes: Victims of Eidolon Forest (3x3 Eyes: Genjū no Mori no Sōnansha)

Story & Art: Yuzo Takada

Publisher: Kodansha

Synopsis:

Sequel of 3x3 eyes sets years after the end of the original series. A group of mysterious people is targeting Yakumo while he’s investigating in Paris.

First Impression: Masquerade

NANATEN'S RANDOM REVIEW

Masquerade

I can't believe I just made a two pages review on a Hentai....

Gosenzo San’e (Masquerade)

Creator: Masaki Kajishima (Tenchi Muyo!, Dual Parallel Trouble Adventures)
Director: Yuusuke Yamamoto (Aquarion Evol, B Gata H Kei)
Studio: AIC

Synopsis:

Masquerade is the story surrounding the Hiraga bloodline in which Gen is a part of. Recently orphaned, he moves in to his grandmother's house and unwittingly triggers the Hiraga clan's curse in which nearly every member leads a tragically short life. In his grandmother's house, Gen begins to unravel vaguely remembered memories from a dream he's always had. With the help of an American graduate student, they try to uncover the secret of the Hiraga bloodline, the whispered legend of immortality that is locked in his genes, and a way to keep Gen from sharing the same fate that every one of his ancestors before him has suffered.
(Source: ANN)