#MangaMonday Review – Beastars Vol. 2

Beastars Vol. 2
By: Paru Itagaki
Illustrator: Paru Itagaki
Translator: Tomoko Kimura (Tanslator); Annette Roman (Adaptation)
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Series: Beastars #2
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


A truly fantastic manga, Beastars, Vol. 2 by Paru Itagaki centers on Legoshi, a wolf, attending high school with both predators and prey. Tensions are high between the two groups; peace is something that could be broken at any moment despite many rules and regulations being in place. If you haven’t read the first volume yet, or are interested in my thoughts on it, please check out my review of Beastars, Vol. 1.

#MangaMonday Review – Our Wonderful Days, Vol. 1 by Kei Hamuro

Our Wonderful Days Volume 1 Our Wonderful Days, Vol. 1
By: Kei Hamuro
Illustrator: Kei Hamuro (Art); Erika Terriquez (Lettering & Retouching)
Translator: Katrina Leonoudakis (Translator); Asha Bardon (Adaptation)
Release Date: November 12, 2019
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: Our Wonderful Days #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Also known as Tsurezure Biyori, new series Our Wonderful Days Vol. 1 by Kei Hamuro is a sweet slice-of-life yuri manga that is perfect for all lovers of romances and slice-of-life stories set in schools. Once childhood friends, Koharu and Mafuyu drifted apart after Mafuyu moved when they were still young. Now in high school, those seem like distant days. But when Mafuyu moves back to town, she reconnects with Koharu. And, now that their grown, Koharu can’t help but start falling for her friend.

#FridayReads – A Library Book Filled Weekend

Happy Friday, everyone! Another weekend is here. It’s cold. There’s snow. And its perfect for bundling up with some great books!

There’s going to be less cracking a book open for the first time this weekend and more finishing the half-dozen books I’ve started over the last week. A number of them are almost done, and I can’t wait to get to the end! So without further ado, here’s what’s on my reading agenda this weekend.

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#MangaMonday Review – My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Vol. 1 by Satoru Yamaguchi and Nami Hidaka

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Vol 1
By: Satoru Yamaguchi
Illustrator: Nami Hidaka
Release Date: August 6, 2019
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: My Next Life as a Villainess
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Isekai and otome combine in 2019’s manga My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! Vol 1 written by Satoru Yamaguchi and illustrated by Nami Hidaka. This is the manga adapatation of a light novel of the same title, publishing by J-Novel Club, and is set for an anime adaptation during the Spring 2020 season.

Review – Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff

Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-Goff Last Ones Left Alive
By: Sarah Davis-Goff
Release Date: August 27, 2019
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Debut author Sarah Davis-Goff brings us a standalone novel titled Last Ones Left Alive, a unique take on what happens when a sheltered young woman has to suddenly face the post-apocalypse alone. This novel is set in a post-apocalyptic Ireland, a place filled with zombie-like creatures called skrake. Orpen’s early life was sheltered, having been raised by her mother and Maeve on an uninfested island off the Irish coast. But now her mother’s gone, and Maeve is gravely ill. Determined, angry, and searching for her identity in the remnants of the world, Orpen takes Maeve to Ireland on a journey to find a rumored city and the banshees—the all-women fighting force that’s fought the skrake for generations.

#MangaMonday Review – No Longer Human by Junji Ito

No Longer Human
By: Junji Ito; Osamu Dazai (original novel)
Illustrator: Junji Ito
Translator: Jocelyn Allen
Release Date: December 17, 2019
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


The latest manga from Junji Ito is somewhat different from his usual fare. No Longer Human by Junji Ito is Ito’s take on Osamu Dazai’s novel of the same title. A character study more than true horror, this story is filled more with commentary on the human psyche than the monsters and ghosts that frequent Ito’s pages.

4 (More!) Podcasts for Audiobook Lovers

Here’s the thing with fictionalized podcasts. They can be hard to find. For example, I use Google Play to listen to most of my favorite podcasts, but the platform doesn’t have any sort genre listing for fictional stories. This makes it difficult to find fictional stories at large, let alone stories in a specific genre.

Once again, I’m here with podcasts that tell fictional stories that are perfect for audiobook lovers. Everything I’ve recommended below is something I’ve listened to completion or am fully caught up with all released episodes. If you’re interested in more recommendations you can visit the first and second posts in this series!

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#MangaMonday Review – Ghostly Things, Vol. 1 by Ushio Shirotori

Ghostly Things Volume 1 Ghostly Things, Vol. 1
By: Ushio Shirotori
Illustrator: Ushio Shirotori (Illustrator); Rina Mapa (Lettering)
Translator: Nova Skipper (Translator); Clint Bickham (Adaptation)
Release Date: October 1, 2019
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: Ghostly Things #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


The start of a new series, Ghostly Things, Vol. 1 by Ushio Shirotori is a paranormal fantasy manga featuring a teenager in a new (and probably haunted) house.

#MangaMonday Review – No Guns Life, Vol. 2 by Tasuku Karasuma

NO Guns Life Volume 2 No Guns Life, Vol. 2
By: Tasuku Karasuma
Illustrator: Tasuku Karasuma
Translator: Joe Yamazaki
Release Date: November 19, 2019
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Series: No Guns Life #2
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


The second volume in the series, No Guns Life, Vol. 2 by Tasuku Karasuma is the next volume in this gritty noir science fiction manga which was begun with No Guns Life, Vol. 1. The arc in this volume is in the 2019 anime adaptation of this title, which goes by the same name. Those who prefer to pick up a manga series after the ending point of an anime adaptation will want to wait for a future volume before beginning their collection.

#MangaMonday Review – The Brave-Tuber, Vol. 1 by Takahito Oosaki and Ikuro

Brave-Tuber Vol 1 by Takahito Oosaki and Ikuro Brave-Tuber, Vol. 1
By: Takahito Oosaki (Illustrator); James Gaubatz (Lettering)
Illustrator: Ikuro
Translator: Thomas Zimmerman (Translation); Dawn Davis (Adaptation)
Release Date: September 10, 2019
Publisher: Seven Seas
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


In a world replete with isekai, this manga is much more of a typical fantasy if that fantasy was thrown on its head and mixed in with a little YouTube and vlogging culture. If that sounds like a mix you’ve never heard of before, you might be right. The Brave-Tuber, Vol. 1 is written by Takahito Oosaki and illustrated by Ikuro, and is set to become an ONA in late December of 2019.