I love the numbers reflected in our reviews this week: 1, as in the initial volumes of four series we review this week. 5, as in the volume of Chitose where the other shoe drops. 19, as in almost c…
Nov 28, 2023 • Subscribe
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When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement! Manga Volume 1 Review
Message to the reader: When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement suffers from what I think of as Light Novel Title Syndrome.
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 4
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 1
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 2
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 6
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 3
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle, Vol. 5
By Hiromu and raemz. Released in Japan as “Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Evie Lund.…
Reader’s Corner: Housekeeping Mage from Another World, Frieren (Vol. 3), and Chitose is in the Ramune Bottle
Piano Duo for the Left Hand, Vol. 1 Akari is the school’s princess, a piano prodigy of unprecedented talent. Why would she have anything to do with Shu,…
Reader’s Corner: A Condition Called Love (Vol. 1), Chitose is in the Ramune Bottle (Vol. 3), and More Valentine’s Day Picks
Happy Valentine’s Day, readers! Serendipitously, this week’s light novel and manga reviews mostly all center on romance, with a few digging into a deeper kind of love as…
Reader’s Corner: Mame Coordinate, Alice in Kyoto, and When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace
We have a varied slate of reviews for you today, from large publishers to self-published, a popular series receiving a light novel release to brand new series, and…
The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass
What would happen if you died wanting revenge on your killer? Surely, you would want to carry out that revenge plot, no? Well, that is exactly what happened…
I’m in Love with the Villainess – 07 – The Noble and the Commoner
The president of the Knights asks Rae to find someone to train everyone in proper service technique, and she chose Lene. Little did she know Lene would immediately become…
Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou – 15 – Scratch Off
After coming so close to a good ending only for a crazed Ooishi to kill everyone, Rika is buoyed by her friends to try five more loops before using…
Reader’s Corner: Fangirl, Deadpool Samurai, and The Dragon’s Soulmate Is a Mushroom Princess!
It’s a MARVELous day here at Beneath the Tangles as we review not one, but two Marvel / Shonen Jump crossover manga from Viz Media that are releasing…
Reader’s Corner: Romantic Killer, Dandadan, and At Night, I Become a Monster
Transformers or Demon King housekeepers? Youth doing romance “wrong” or boys that turn into monsters at night? Boys that turn into monsters PERIOD or a wizard cursing a…
Reader’s Corner: The Villainess Stans the Heroes, MonsTABOO, and Rascal Does Not Dream of a Lost Singer
It’s a Yen Press kind of week here on Reader’s Corner, with all nine of our reviews for manga and light novels released by the publisher. But that…
Reader’s Corner: Though I’m an Inept Villainess, Manga Metamorphosis, and Alice in Borderland (Vol. 3)
While settings, archetypes, and genres are so often limited in manga and light novels, this week’s selection demonstrates how creative writers and artists can be within these confines,…
Reader’s Corner: Frieren (Vol. 4), My Wife is an Oni, and I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 8 I’ve been both anticipating volume eight of Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki and dreading it, worried that this series I’ve come to adore might just…
Reader’s Corner: A Sign of Affection, Dragon and Ceremony, and My Next Life as a Villainess Side Story
My Youth Romantic Comedy is Wrong, As I Expected @ comic, Vol. 17 The final arc of Oregairu (this is the 17th of 19 manga volumes) shifts heavily…
Reader’s Corner: Goodbye Eri, Island in a Puddle, and I’m a Wolf, But My Boss is a Sheep!
Our selection of reviews this week include a couple shoujo titles, a self-published work, a throwback as we dig into the modern classic, The Ancient Magus Bride, and…
Reader’s Corner: Solo Leveling, Horimiya, and Love in Focus
My Best Friend’s Little Sister Has it in for Me, Vol. 1 Ten or fifteen years ago, I was involved in a roleplay writing community. For those that…
I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s So Cheeky for a Commoner, Vol. 2
y Inori and Hanagata. Released in Japan as “Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina!” by GL Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka.. This…
I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner, Volume 1
In 2020, I first read and reviewed what we now think of as I’m in Love With the Villainess, Volume 1 of the Light Novel series. In that…
I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s So Cheeky for a Commoner, Vol. 1
By Inori and Hanagata. Released in Japan as “Heimin no Kuse ni Namaikina!” by GL Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka. Adapted…
Reader’s Corner: The Reincarnated Villainess Won’t Seek Revenge, My Special One, and I Saw It: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
Why anime and manga? This week’s reviews give a glimpse into one of the aspects of manga and related media that we fans adore: the creativity of the…
●SIGNATURE● DRAWING IN A BOTTLE "August is over"
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
The Day I Became a God
The Day I Became a God quickly became one of the most hated anime series of the season by fans. Does it deserve all this hate?
They Say ”We Love Katamari”, But Turns Out I Don’t
Playing Katamari Damacy for the first time through its remastered Reroll release was nothing short of pure bliss from start to finish. It is a quirky and nonsensical…
Higurashi: When They Cry – 02 – Something is Rotten in Hinamizawa
From last week’s suddenly murderous Rena to Rika’s burning-red eyes, we open with Something Completely Different, with Rika waking up somewhere outside of normal time and space, welcome…
Reader’s Corner: Cat + Gamer, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, and When a Cat Faces West
Reader's Corner: Modern Villainess, Cat + Gamer, and The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady via @JeskaiAngel @MDMRN @laura_a_grace @thetangles
Reader’s Corner: One Piece, Orient, and Oregairu
Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 2, Vol. 1 After passing through the ornate gateway marking the threshold of the temple’s courtyard, lavished with lush floral arrangements, our pure-hearted…
I Became a Magical Girl?
A few months ago, I was told by Fred that I was, indeed, a Magical Girl! It was such an astonishing piece of news that it had me…
I Am One Yet Many: Plurality representation in the When They Cry Series
The horror genre has historically stigmatized mental health conditions, but Ciconia normalizes plurality and frames it as explicitly positive, making me feel comfortable in trying to express myself…
Reader’s Corner: The Villainess Stans the Heroes (Vol. 2), Looks Are All You Need (Vol. 1), and I Luv Halloween (Vol. 1)
We’re leading off today with the first volume of a ghoulish original English language manga series that have become a cult favorite: I Luv Halloween! Written by the…
Reader’s Corner: Haruhi’s Intution, Social Media in the RPG World, and a Rascal and Sister Home Alone
Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Home Alone Keji Mizoguchi’s Rascal series draws you in by the banter between Sakuta and his harem (particularly Mai), but really…
The Day I Became a God: Series Review and Rant
The Day I Became a God (Japanese: Kamisama ni natta hi) is a drama and comedy anime with a splash of sci-fi. I watched this show when it…
The Day I Became a God – 11 – Goddess in the Machine
Narukami backs off and observes Shiba interacting with Hina. Her daily routine is full of reluctant meals, a minimal physical exertion, and basic learning time. Through it all,…
Otaku Reader’s Corner: One Piece, Cutie Shikimori, and a Detestable Demon Falls in Love
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie, Vol. 1Shikimori seems like the perfect girlfriend—cute, sweet, bashful. But Izumi knows that’s only half her personality. Like some moe Jekyll and Hyde,…
Reader’s Corner: Return from Death, Dahlia in Bloom, and Fullmetal Alchemist: A New Beginning
The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes, Vol. 1 This is another reincarnation-type isekai of the reborn-as-an-otome-game-rival variety. The catch is that in the original …
Reader’s Corner: Solo Leveling, My Special One, and Alice in Borderland
Oh, the games we play! In our everyday lives, “playing games” could refer to video games or board games or, more figuratively, relationship games. But the world of…
Alice in Borderland, Alice in Wonderland, Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Reader’s Corner: The Girl Without a Face, In the Land of Leadale, and Rascal Does Not Dream
Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 3, Vol. 4 The newest volume in Miya Kazuki’s Ascendance of a Bookworm series dropped yesterday, and there’s a lot to take in…
Otaku Reader’s Corner: Haikyu, Fairy Tail, and A Wild Last Boss!
Haikyu!! (Chapter 401) After eight amazing years of manga, the story of our favorite volleyball bois from Karasuno and across Japan will come to an end. By the…
Reader’s Corner: Frieren (Vol. 5), Penguin & House, and A Silent Voice
While so many manga cross somewhat into the fantasy realm, our reviews this week focus on series firmly set in that genre, with cooking penguins, talking books, and…
Higurashi: When They Cry
Despite poor animation, Higurashi brings a unique and potent horror experience that will stick with you for days or weeks on end.
●SIGNATURE● DRAWING IN A BOTTLE "End of War Memorial Bottle"
Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira, Bibliography, Otomo, Animation, Manga, Steamboy, Japanimation,
I Quit Being a Hero #01 — And Became a Blowhard
Template template template template. Impressions: Nothing quite so exciting as an entire episode about a dude sitting in a room, narrating to the audience every single character's…
Reader’s Corner: Springtime Window, Boys Run the Riot, and A Sign of Affection
A Sign of Affection, Vol. 2 Volume one of A Sign of Affection was a manga I had on pre-order a full year before it released, and I…
Reader’s Corner: Last Dungeon, Talentless Nana, and Oregairu
The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat, Vol. 1 When a proficient assassin gets “taken care of” after he is no longer needed,…
Reader’s Corner: Wandance, Rooster Fighter, and Rainbow Days
This week’s reviews ask the question: Who’s the king of the roost? Is it the talented but unmotivated boxer, Yu? Kaboku’s high school dance club? Or is it…
Otaku Reader’s Corner: KH3, Eniale & Dewiela, and Reset!
Eniale & Dewiela, Vol. 1 Eniale is an angel. Dewiela is a demon. But the two of them are buddies. It’s an Odd Couple situation with two celestial…