#6. vs toga!camie

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 180: Deku VS Gentle ~Conclusion~

Previously on BnHA: The U.A. cultural festival kicked off. Gentle and Deku continued to duke it out. Gentle was still powered up with La Brava’s love quirk, but it wasn’t enough to really give him an edge; the two of them were pretty much going toe to toe and not dealing any real damage. Gentle tried to squish Deku under some stretchy air, but Deku unleashed his inner hobbit and fucking burrowed his way free. There was a lot of other ridiculous stuff like jacket-pulling and a lot of rough and tumble nonsense, and then Gentle had a tragic flashback. Basically he wanted to be a hero back in high school, but was something of a disaster, and was eventually expelled after a botched rescue attempt. Four years later he ran into an old classmate who had become a successful hero himself. Said classmate had no idea who Gentle was. The sting of this incident gave Gentle the motivation to study and train until he mastered his quirk, tired of being a failure. Back in the present, Deku’s attempts at trying to talk sense into him fell on deaf ears, and we were promised a conclusion in the next chapter. Which is this chapter! So bring it on!

Today on BnHA: Gentle and Deku stare at each other angrily while gripping each other’s hands and kind of pushing each other back and forth aggressively. It’s pretty intense but also ridiculous. Meanwhile La Brava flees into the woods with her laptop, desperate to hack U.A.’s security and complete Gentle’s mission. Gentle is all “I have to finish this quickly!” and starts bouncing around not really doing anything. Finally, Deku finishes him off with a shoot style roundhouse kick. He sportingly tells Gentle it was a difficult fight (which is a straight up lie but Deku is a nice person okay), right as La Brava comes running back and realizes Gentle has lost. She starts cutely beating Deku with her fists while crying, and Gentle realizes the situation he’s put her in, and that his failure means that she’ll be arrested as well. So he flings Deku away, attempting to make it look like the battle never occurred, and then he hugs La Brava, and then the pros arrive and he surrenders.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 206 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

holy

wtf is happening to him

Deku’s struggling to hold him off, and he seems to be losing his damn mind

yikes

fucking look at this limbo champ right here. how the fuck is he still on his feet

now Gentle is asking Deku why he aspires to be a hero

funny that you should ask that, Gentle! because the thing is, Deku doesn’t actually care about recognition at all. he just wants to be a hero so that he can help others. imagine that

not that there’s anything wrong with wanting recognition. but if that’s the only thing you want, and you’re unable to be satisfied by anything else, you might want to prepare yourself for a lot of disappointment in life. and for the inevitable crisis you’ll have if and when you do ever finally achieve it, only to realize that it doesn’t really change anything and that you’ll still feel hollow inside until you finally realize that what you really wanted was ~love~

which you already have, apparently. so that’s great, dude. (again, just so long as it’s platonic??) I just wish you’d fucking figure it out already

maybe Deku can help him out. Deku?

okay, first of all, HOW DARE YOU with that shot of Nighteye. I DON’T NEED THIS

but on the other hand, having All Might and Inko side by side is A++. like, he genuinely thinks of them as his mom and dad. those are his parents. this is great. All Might, your proposal had better be real classy. don’t try any of that cheesy surprise proposal in public in front of dozens of other people bullshit. she will get super shy and embarrassed. what you should do is take her on a romantic nighttime walk on Dagobah Beach, and tell her this is where you trained with Izuku before giving him OFA, and you’re so grateful that the two of them came into your life, and you can’t imagine it without them. and then you drop down on one knee and you whip out the ring and that’s when you pop the question, bro

anyways I got swept up in my fantasies, but Deku is still continuing his speech here

very nice callback to that “you can be a hero” moment. you know what, I haven’t listened to the OST in a while. I’m gonna put that on

and Gentle seems to be smiling and he’s all “the same, huh”

and now he’s fucking flinging Deku into a nearby tree. rude

wow, La Brava is still committed to the plan and telling herself that Gentle will definitely win, and she’s actually setting up her fucking laptop in the middle of the woods and trying to connect to U.A.’s wireless network

but apparently she is “just barely” out of range

holy shit how far does U.A.’s network extend. is there a reason they need wifi all the way out in the middle of the damn woods? probably so the teachers can dick around on their phones while the students do survival exercises

so she’s picking up the laptop and running!

oh my god lol I almost said “you can do it!!” out loud and then I remembered that I’m supposed to be rooting against her lol

Gentle’s calling after her not to go and that it’s too dangerous on her own

that’s right, there is a werewolf prowling these here woods, don’t forget

anyway, so now Gentle is all “I have to finish this quickly!”

and yes, you do! because Deku has a fucking concert to get to!!

lol. yeah he’s a right pain in the ass, this one, isn’t he

now Gentle is losing his damn mind and he’s all “I’LL BEAT YOU EVEN IF IT MEANS DISREGARDING EVERYTHING THAT I STAND FOR, BASICALLY!!”

I was going to be all sarcastic and like “yes, nothing says respect like trying to beat the shit out of someone.” but then I remembered that this is shounen and that actually is how people show respect, like, all the time. so okay, yeah, that’s fair

AHHHHH YESSSSS

HOUNDDOG AND ECTO TO THE RESCUE

sorry my cute lil bean, looks like the jig is up

LMAOOOOOOO

THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE PANEL IN THE ENTIRE FUCKING SERIES. RIP KOUTA PUNCHING DEKU IN THE NUTS, 2018-2019

holy shit I keep looking at it and cracking the fuck up. his face. HIS DRAMATIC HAND GESTURES. DEKU OUT HERE LOSING HIS GD MIND AND I’M LIVING FOR IT

anyway, so it’s about time he fired an air gun with his left hand! yeesh

and now he’s finally finishing him off!!

this is a total Katsuki move. rotating in midair. and then finishing with an Iida move. I like this. I like this a lot

Deku there’s no need to try and spare his feelings. why you lyin bro. “of all the battles I’ve fought till now, this was... one of them”

(ETA: but seriously though. this has to be the first fight he’s ever been in where he didn’t even need any patching up afterwards. this was not even remotely a challenge for him. this was more like a Disney Channel Original Movie fight where he was more concerned about finishing up in time for the big dance competition)

nooooo now La Brava is running back out of the woods and she’s all like “GENTLE THE HEROES ARE COMING--”

nooooooooo

ah so there is a limit. as I thought

and yes, run away La Brava! you’re still so young! you have your whole life ahead of you, don’t throw it all away for this sad old man who flunked out of school 50 years ago and is now trying to be famous. he could have escaped, after all. he’s the one who decided he had to do this for some inexplicable reason

ffff she’s sobbing and telling Deku to “knock it off” and let him go

do you think he’s just going to shrug his shoulders and be like, “oh, sure thing, my bad”

oh my god

definitely one of them. one of the battles. but uh. most difficult? nahhh

listen kid. sometimes people try really hard and they still fail. it happens. maybe next time don’t pour your heart and soul into an assault on a school if you want people to feel bad when you fail

she’s saying Gentle is everything to her and her only light

okay I really want La Brava to make some nicer, more age-appropriate friends who don’t commit as many crimes

(ETA: well okay, the age thing is apparently not an issue, so that’s good. hopefully the two of them have learned their lesson and will be good citizens after they’ve done their time. maybe they’ll let them off with community service)

this is like fucking Zabuza and Haku in the fucking Wave Arc. holy shit. how many years ago was that

(ETA: 19. 19 fucking years ago. holy shit. that is a whole generation)

and now Gentle is belatedly realizing that even though La Brava is innocent (I guess “innocent” here is a relative term), if she gets caught now then she’ll be charged as an accomplice

why didn’t you fucking think about stuff like this before you made a teenage girl your evil sidekick

omg

did he just fucking yeet Deku into the air behind his back

and Deku landed in another one of those elastic air pockets it looks like

so what, you tried to make it look like you didn’t fight Deku and you just somehow happened to end up in the woods outside U.A. all beat up? lol okay then

that was pretty dumb but also hilarious. at any rate, I guess we get to go onto the festival now! BRING ME MY BAND AU AND MY HAPPY ERI’S SMILING FACE

no bonus, but look, Deku survived a 1-on-1 villain fight with no lasting damage, the villain learned a valuable lesson about love and friendship, class A is about to slay the entire U.A. campus with their sound, and All Might is proposing to Inko on the beach. basically life is pretty good.

[nejiyuyu]

you, a mere bastard: i cant wait for the bakugo vs izuku fight!

me, has my priorities straight:

[mysterylover123]

Top 10 Must Read/See BNHA Meta for Mega Fans

The One You Absolutely Must Read:

1. Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Tragedy

https://www.reddit.com/r/BokuNoHeroAcademia/comments/5n21a9/imitation_is_the_sincerest_form_of_tragedy_a_boku/

This is the must-read post for any BNHA fan. Even if you don’t bother with any of these other posts, this is by far the best written essay about the show I’ve come across so far. It’s mostly about one of the series’ core themes: The concept of Imitation. It connects every single major hero player in the series to this theme quite brilliantly, and does so while also analyzing the villains, thematic ideas, and concepts. It was written around the time of the Provisional License Exam Arc, so bear that in mind.

The Best Relative Meta Award goes to…

2. Meadowshadowdroagon “All for One is Midoriya’s Father”

https://megashadowdragon.tumblr.com/post/145069488107/all-for-one-is-midoriyas-father  

Yeah I’m a Dad-for-One theorist. But this particular Dad-for-One meta is definitely excellent, standing out for how detailed it is. Spoilers through Chapter 217. Though I can add that they haven’t updated with 221 yet, so that’ll change things some. Great fan theory, at the very least good fanfic fodder.

The Best Traitor Theory Meta Award goes to…

3. Yeast of Eden “Let’s Talk Who’s the Traitor”

http://yeastofeden.tumblr.com/post/154703433055/so-lets-talk-whos-the-traitor

I’m fairly attached to this one very specific traitor theory, not because I want the character to be the bad guy, but because it makes a lot of sense to me. Another one that’s at least a good springboard for fanfic, and definitely brings some important insights into the cast.

The Best Bakugo Meta Writer Award Goes to…

4. Kira Elric’s Bakugo Meta

For those looking to get a grasp on BNHA’s most controversial player, here’s a few great meta on him from one of my favorite BNHA meta writers. It was hard to narrow this down because there’s so much BKG meta out there, god damn.

Katsuki Bakugou and Society (spoilers) 

A look at Katsuki and Izuku’s Childhood

The Best Villain Meta award goes To…

5. Codename is anazanka’s Shigaraki meta

https://codenamesazanka.tumblr.com

Can’t pick just one codenamesazanka Shigaraki/villain meta, they’re all too good. If you’re looking for insight into the League of Villains, then this is where you should go. The writer loves them all and has a good grasp of their characters.

The Best Endeavor/Mitsuki Meta Award Goes to…

6. Makeste’s Mitsuki Bakugo meta

https://makeste.tumblr.com/post/182924845218/bnha-bonus-rant-4-bakumom 

Makes hitting a home run again! This one should be read because it’s the best meta I’ve found about the presentations of Mitsuki Bakugo and Endeavor in BNHA. It has good insight into the concept of a redemption arc, and even some discussion of opinion vs authorial intent. Great read.

For All your Minor Character Meta Needs:

7. Meti Not the Bad Guy’s The Beauty Of videos 

Link to the Hatsume vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpBFaCKazqE 

These are by far the most thoroughly researched, careful and clever BNHA meta out there on youtube. Meti has covered from BNHA: Kyoka Jiro, Kamui Woods, Himiko Toga, Twice, Overhaul, Mt. Lady, Nejire Hado, Mirio Togata, Tamaki Amajiki, Gentle and La Brava, Katsuki Bakugo, Fatgum, Saiko Intelli, Inasa Yoaroshi, Camie Utsushimi, Mei Hatsume, Yui Kodai, Endeavor, Seiji, Kendo, and Hitoshi Shinso. They’re absolutely worth checking out.

For all your Todoroki needs:

8. Blodoycarnations Todoroki meta

https://bloodycarnations.tumblr.com/post/174148585324/could-you-please-elaborate-on-shotos-ideal

If you’re looking to gain some insight into icy-hot, this is the one to read. It tells you all about Shoto’s ideal of heroism and his core motivations. I’ll admit I had trouble wrapping my mind around Shoto as a character, until I read this meta. It’ll help you understand so, so much about him that isn’t easy to spot. I felt like I truly understood Shoto for the first time on reading it.

For your Fight Scene and OP Analysis Needs:

9. Mother’s Basement’s Fight and OP Analysis Vids

Mother’s Basement has my favorite coverage of these two topics. Of Mother’s Basement’s vids on BNHA, here’s the priority list for them (in my opinion) for watching:

#1. It All Comes Back to All Might

#2. What’s in a Fight? (Stain vs Deku, Iida and Todoroki)

#3. OP analyses (1-5)

#4. The Redemption of Bakugo

#5. Animelee: United States of Smash

#6. How HeroAca and One Punch Man Flip the Script on Superhero Anime

#7. What’s in a Fight, Deku vs Todoroki

#8. My Hero Academia: The Anti-Naruto

And now the shipping meta

10. Here’s all of ‘em, the best shipping meta I found for the big ships.

BKDK

http://kiraelric.tumblr.com/post/154543674203/what-is-your-favorite-headcanon-about-izuku

http://kiraelric.tumblr.com/post/158423114578/my-best-friends-a-fucking-nerd-and-an-idiot-god

TODODEKU

https://yorekichan.tumblr.com/post/159617317225/tododeku-relationship-evolution

TODOBAKU

https://bloodycarnations.tumblr.com/post/172497880044/how-about-some-of-your-amazing-todobaku-friendship

KIRIBAKU

https://cheescheesy.tumblr.com/post/174719413946/bakushimakiribaku-could-be-canon  

KACCHAKO

https://saisai-chan.tumblr.com/post/153745493434/now-im-a-new-follower-so-if-youve-answered-an

IZUOCHA

https://c-jay321.tumblr.com/post/164275251022/every-izuocha-scene-in-bnha-and-other-izuocha

TODOMOMO

https://c-jay321.tumblr.com/post/162572358697/i-dont-really-get-why-people-ship-todomomo-its

KAMIJIRO

https://etsukotez.tumblr.com/post/161265316165/do-you-have-signs-that-denki-and-jirou-will-end-up

[thequietmanno1]

Thelreads, MHA 166, Replies Part 3

1)“ALSO HER QUIRK! SHE’S AN ILLUSIONIST! HOLY SHIT, LIKE MISS JOKE, ITS A POWER THAT DOESN’T SEEM THAT LETHAL ON ITS ON, BUT ADD A BIT OF MARTIAL ARTS AND YOU’LL ABSOLUTELY DESTROY ANYONE ON YOUR WAY”-as some of the asks mentioned, this does go a long way as to why nobody noticed anything out of the ordinary with Camie for a while when Toga replaced her- any instance of her shapeshifting abilities being used would be chalked up to Camie using her illusionist abilities to confuse the enemy- Bakugou’s reaction here confirms that the people  around her targets see the same thing, though I wonder if Camie’s using some kind of scent/air-based quirk to pull it off, given the focus on the clouds of her illusions dissipating around her- like she releases a chemical from her body into the air around her and it causes everybody who breathes it in to see the same or similar things based upon subconscious signals or triggers she’s sending out to control what they see.

 It does raise an alarming question of how ‘long’ Toga was watching Camie and preparing for her switch, but I’m guessing it was a side-project of hers she’d set up prior to seeing the Stain video and joining the league and decided to pick up again once she’d had some free time

2)“OH MY GOD BAKUGO IS LOSING HIS SHIT AT ROMANTICDOROKI”- Personally, I like the fact that Bakugou’s still so focused on keeping up his tough guy antisocial image that he physically covers his mouth to prevent others seeing him smiling and guffawing his guts out, because even his iron willpower can’t stand up to how funny it was to see his stoic classmate getting turned into a romantic butt of a joke based on his pretty-boy looks

3)“Look Inasa, that’s a good lesson to teach them, but could you do it with a little less… intensity? Jesus Christ I think you’d have better chances of befriending Bakugo with faces like that.”-ironically I think Inasa’s so focused on making friends with Todoroki that he’s missed out on the easy friendship he could strike up with Iakugou based on their shared intense focus upon becoming top tier heroes. Level 1 friendship vs level 6 hardship rating- and Inasa’s not one to shy away from a challenge

4)I’m liking the little ‘oh, pretty!’ pose All Might strikes as he takes in the mini arctic Ice slide and the Accompanying Aroura Borealis

5)“And it was a masterful display of manipulation, using the kids’ quirks to lay the general structure of it, Inasa just had to put it on place and Todoroki build it. Nice team work there.”-Also a bit of masterful lying- Todoroki can create complex structures with his ice just fine if he wants to create something more sculpted than a massive insta-iceburg, it’s creating ‘stable’ structures he can’t quite pull off, because the ice would crack and break from the kid’s weight if there’s no solid ground for it to be built upon, but with Inasa arranging their quirk creations just so, he can swiftly cover everything in a sculpted artistic Ice-slide and use them as the backbone of the ride. 

Also, judging by that watermark, you switched briefly from one translation to another just for this single page- guess it must have been missing or something from the reader and got replaced

6)“Oh, it warms my cold heart seeing you, as the aloof one of the group, wanting those kids to open up their hearts in meaningful way. It’s a nice way to remind us that you really want to connect to others, you just don’t know how.”-ever since his own aggressive friendship Moment with Midoria in the middle of their public throw down, Todoroki’s come to appreciate just what It means to connect with other people, and thus has some experiences with being the kind of hero who ‘saves’ others emotionally as well as physically, even if his experience came from being saved by midoria, so it’s nice that, once he’s overcome the initial awkwardness of meeting new people and them trying to kill him, he can enjoy being the kind of hero he admired as a kid.

7)“Ohhhhhhhhhh… Now that hit the spot. That right there was something I was waiting for a long time: Growth. Undeniable, unambiguous and incontestable character growth. Alright Bakugo, now I’m happy.”-The thing about Bakugou’s growth is that it’s been a constant thing happening to him from chapter 1 of the manga, it’s just that here, he finally got himself into a situation that he can use that growth to demonstrate how far he’s come from the bratty bully he was introduced as, even as he still remains true to the spirit of that same stereotype, minus some of the more negative connotations he recognised that he needed to do away with in order to become the No1

8)“The inner flame of heroism is there to light the way, and to warm the hearts of those that feel the cold. Todoroki already got the true meaning of being a hero, now its your time Endeavor.”-it’s honestly interesting that Endeavour, despite being as close as other heroes can get to becoming a ‘perfect’ hero on paper without crossing whatever barrier All Might did that drove a deep gap between him and everybody else in term of heroic capabilities, is still getting the same learning and growing experiences that Class 1A is on their own journey to becoming pro heroes, finding areas where he is lacking, faced with impossible odds and pressure to succeed and the hopes of the hero society resting squarely on his shoulders, and finding himself currently inadequate to bear the burden- Similar to All Might, the hero that was unrivalled in all areas of the job, now having to struggle with the new hurdles of becoming a teacher and dealing with his relative powerlessness going forward, Endeavour is struggling just as much as the trainee protagonists with his own problems and finding new obstacles in his way with every step he takes with his new role in life. It goes to demonstrate that challenges and hardships ‘never’ stop throughout your entire life, but so too does your ability to learn and adapt to those hardships.

 Hopefully, for Endeavour, that means changing his currant personality to be one more aware of the necessity of saving the people’s feelings, even if he can no longer save those of his family.

9)“Nut peace is but a frail concept, and it won’t be long until the next challenger comes to shatter it into pieces…”-Can I assume they’re using Nutcrackers to do so?

@thelreads

[ao3feed-aizawashouta]

by Cordelia_Morning

Challenge Drawing Collection

1 - Mirio Togata 2 - Momo Yaoyorozu 3 - Shouto Todoroki 4 - TetsuTetsu and Itsuka Kendo 5 - Tamaki Amajiki and Eijirou Kirishima 6 - Camie Utsushime and Inasa Yoarashi 7 - Fat Gum 8 - Himiko Toga 9 - Ryuukyuu 10 - Midnigth 11- Asui Tsuyu 12 - Nezu 13 - Mirio Togata and Eri-chan 14 - 1A vs 1B 15 - Datte Arashi 16 - Overhaul 17- Izuku Midoriya 18 - Ochako and Yuuga Aoyama 19 -Nigtheye's Death 20 - All Migth, Deku and Bakugou 21 - Present Mic 22 - Shouta Aizawa 23- Mitsuki Bakugou 24 - Endeavor 25 - Shouto Todoroki 26 - Miruko 27 - Ejirou Kirishima, Denki Kaminari and Hanta Sero 28 - Eraser/Mic 29 - HQ's Vilain League 30 - Leaf Deku UA

Words: 0, Chapters: 3/30, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Toga Himiko, Amajiki Tamaki, Kendou Itsuka, Toogata Mirio, Hadou Nejire, Tatsuma Ryuuko | Ryuukyuu, Eri (My Hero Academia), Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Todoroki Shouto, Yaoyorozu Momo, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Yoarashi Inasa, Utsushimi Camie, Fat Gu, Toyomitsu Taishirou | Fat Gum, Asui Tsuyu, Nezu, Shinsou Hitoshi, Monoma Neito, Chisaki Kai | Overhaul, Aoyama Yuuga, Uraraka Ochako, Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Bakugou Mitsuki, Usagiyama Rumi | Miruko, Sero Hanta, Kaminari Denki

Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Amajiki Tamaki/Kirishima Eijirou

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 4/10/19

Akashic Records of Bastard Magica Instructor, Vol. 6 | By Hitsuji Tarou, Tsunemi Aosa and Kurone Mishima | Seven Seas – I was sort of hoping that Rumia would do something other than hang around and get saved, but alas. Most of the character work in this goes to Re=L, whose past turns out to be not quite her own, and the brother she’s so devoted to also turns out to be not what he seems. It’s filled with tragedy and manipulation, but fortunately Glenn is able to see her through it. And thus we move on to the next arc, which seems to be introducing a dead past love for Glenn… who happens to be a dead ringer for Sisti! Who is pretending Glenn is the man she’s going to marry. This remains middle-of-the-road manga, but it’s still interesting enough to make me get the next book. – Sean Gaffney

Berserk: Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1 | By Kentaro Miura | Dark Horse – Due to the price point, Dark Horse’s deluxe treatment of Berserk will likely appeal most to already established fans of the series (a group to which I belong), but it is a striking release nonetheless. The first deluxe omnibus collects the first three volumes of the manga in a single, massive, hardcover tome with a large trim size that showcases Miura’s artwork. There isn’t really any new or added content, although the covers of the individual volumes are included as color pages. It’s been a while since I’ve read Berserk from the beginning. The initial chapters feel a little directionless at times, nothing more than an excuse to have an astonishingly badass swordsman with a mysterious but obviously tragic backstory taking out demons, but soon the manga builds and coalesces into something truly epic. What remains constant is that Berserk is a violent, brutal, horrifying, and frequently disturbing dark fantasy. – Ash Brown

My Hero Academia, Vol. 18 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – This is definitely a manga of two halves. The first is serious as can be—we have a major hero death, Mirio does NOT magically get his powers back, and Eri is saved but traumatized. Our main cast are changed as well… Ochaco now wants to save people as a main goal, and Kirishima also notes he’s shaken up. Fortunately for the reader, we have the back half of the manga, which introduces the REAL Camie (whom Toga had impersonated) and has the Remedial Hero License Exam… which involves winning over a class of spoiled kindergarten brats. It’s pretty hilarious all round, with some great gags and also showing us that Bakugo CAN learn and grow as well. An excellent volume of an outstanding series. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 1: Parents’ Day | By Kohei Horikoshi and Anri Yoshi | VIZ Media – The things the cretinous Mineta says in this prose spinoff are so vile that they eclipse the things he says and does in the manga/anime, and that’s really saying something. I appreciate the reactions from some classmates, like Tokoyami glaring at him with “utter contempt” and Kaminari getting a chance to show that his own horniness has limits, but I must remind the author… Mineta didn’t have to get this much of the spotlight, you know? Anyway, Parents’ Day is at hand (which makes for some drama at the end of the volume) but first several of the boys rescue a girl at an amusement park while three of the girls go to a supermarket. The latter story was promising until was revealed that the shoplifter they caught had crapped himself. So puerile. I wanted to like this but in the end it just pissed me off. – Michelle Smith

My Monster Secret, Vol. 15 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – This mostly expands on the new plot twists from last time. Shiho is still trying to find a way to avoid fate, which doesn’t work, but she, Mikan and Nagisa all reveal their secrets to each other at the same time, which is probably the funniest scene in the book, and leads to a lot of “yeah, so, most of us are supernatural in some way” scene. There’s also a summer beach chapters, which leads (chanks to Akane) our main couple getting left behind and stranded. They grow closer, there’s a kiss…. and then there’s a bite. Now it’s time for Akane to point out that biting for vampires isn’t just kissing, it’s a lot more serious. And finally, a reminder—again—that Youko is a vampire. Are we finally going to dark places? – Sean Gaffney

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, Vol. 3 | By Natsuya Semikawa and Virginia Nitouhei | Udon Entertainment – The “cute food manga” is still there, but things get a lot more dramatic in this third volume. We actually get some backstory for Shinobu, the heir to a restaurateur who is fleeing and arranged marriage, and Nobuyuki, her restaurant’s cook who had just quit. In the fantasy world, the asshole villain from last time is back, and trying to get the izakaya shut down—and its owners executed—for the beer they’re selling, as it’s actually lager, which is illegal in this world. This is one of those “every minor character who had loved their food comes together to help” plots that I really love, and it makes this volume the best of the series to date. – Sean Gaffney

That Blue Sky Feeling, Vol. 2 | By Okura and Coma Hashii | Viz Media – Noshiro may be a giant bundle of extrovert, but that’s not always a good thing, as this volume demonstrates. Whether Noshiro is gay or not is still up in the air—certainly Sanada thinks he’s straight—but his attempts to solve Sanada’s problems just lead to more problems, as Ayumi and Sanada cannot go back to what they were before, and underclassman Makoto (who has a giant crush on Noshiro) is another spanner in the works. Noshiro has to be reminded that “Oh, he’s gay!” is not just something you can say in a modern Japanese high-school environment… and Sanada has to be shown that it’s not the end of the world. Still surprisingly sweet. – Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 16 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – After a Vol. 15 that I gave a full review to as it wrapped up Negima properly, we’re back to the actual main cast of UQ Holder, who have been shown how to abuse time travel by Negi and company and are now abusing that for their own ends. It’s a good philosophical argument held here—we can’t save everyone vs. can we just let everyone die? We also get some insight into Jinbei and Gengoro and what kind of immortality they have, as well as the type of person they are—though honestly, Akamatsu tends to lean towards “battle crazy” a whole lot. One other thing I want to note is that, now that UQ Holder comes out in a monthly magazine rather than weekly, and the chapters are longer, it’s much better paced. – Sean Gaffney

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 17 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Media – A new arc begins in this volume, as the five-tribe council agrees to war with South Kai in order to reclaim Kin Province, lost in a previous war. Yona and company have befriended a kid from Kai and, after helping him get back home, witness firsthand the atrocities committed by the Kai soldiers after their defeat by Kohka. Meanwhile, several of the dragons have fallen ill and there is ominous talk (and, later, a bonus story about) what happens to the existing dragon when a new one is born. They decide to hide the fact that they are short-lived from Yona, and it’s perhaps because this put the idea of their demise into my head that I completely fell for a fakeout that ensues. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the mysterious Zeno, and continue to love this series very much. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown