Netgalley Manga Review Grab Bag

Today I’ll be posting some of my Netgalley reviews in a single blog post, rather than separately. This way, we can get them all out of the way at once and I don’t have to write a full post for something I may not have much to say about, and if you're not interested in manga you can easily skip this post.

I received free ARCs of these books from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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Title: I See Your Face, Turned Away Vol 1.

Author: Rumi Ichinohe

Rating: 2/5

Published by Kodansha and available May 7, 2024, I See Your Face, Turned Away is a shoujo high school story about teenagers being unable to express their feelings or even pinpoint what they feel. The dialog is a little choppy and I felt through much of it that I was just hearing parts of conversations rather than being privy to the characters’ thoughts and experiences. The art is serviceable realistic shoujo, but the two boys of the friend group look too similar suggesting that character design wasn’t a priority. There is some interesting commentary on beauty standards in the form of Hikari, the main point of view character, thinking she’d be more attractive with a double eyelid than a monolid, but this isn’t focused on for very long. Other than that brief nod to something deeper, this introductory volume didn’t grab me.

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Title: The Beast Player

Author: Nahoko Uehashi

Rating: 3/5

Published by Kodansha and available May 14, 2024, The Beast Player is a shounen fantasy based on the novel of the same name taking place in a fantasy world similar to Central Asia. The protagonist, Elin, comes from a culture that raises a species of crocodilian dragon called the toda. The world and their creatures is interesting and beautifully drawn, reminding me of Studio Ghibli's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The opening plot regarding Elin's mother is a bit predictable, straying into Dead Manga Mother territory, though as always this is a setup to the hero's journey for Elin. Overall, I'm intrigued to see more of this world and how the story progresses, and see how the title ties into the story.

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Title: Alley

Author: Junji Ito

Rating: 2.5/5

Published by Viz and available July 23, 2024, Alley is a collection of short stories by the modern master of Japanese horror, Junji Ito. This was my first time reading something by Ito, and while I can definitely see his skill, I wish I had been introduced to him via one of his other works, like Uzumaki, since this was just okay. Ito's style of horror may just not be mine-- things simply happen and there isn't a sense of rising terror or suspense in these short stories. This may just not be his best work, as I've seen other reviewers have similar opinions as mine on this volume. This should appeal to fans of supernatural and urban horror, as many stories are centered around town locations, as well as body horror-- while the writing may be a bit weak at times, the art is always atmospheric and captivating.

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Title: Hirayasumi 

Author: Keigo Shinzō

Rating: 4/5

Published by Viz and available May 21, 2024, Hirayasumi is a seinen slice of life manga staring an easy-going part-timer and his anxious art student cousin. I was instantly drawn into this beautifully illustrated, sweet story about life. This was definitely my favorite of the handful of volumes in this review batch. The omniscient narrator adds a lot to the story. This will definitely appeal to fans of slice of life (a manga genre focusing on day-to-day life) and anyone wanting an emotional but gentle read. 

Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law - A Review

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Title: Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law Vol. 1

Author: Yoshie Kaoruhara

Publisher: Kodansha

Rating: 3/5

I promise this isn't becoming a manga blog, though I will be posting a few more manga reviews in my capacity as a Netgalley reviewer. Today's review is of Kei X Yaku: Bound by Law Vol. 1, by Yoshie Kaoruhara, published by Kodansha and available May 14th.

Kei X Yaku has a clever title. Kei is the first part of keisatsu, police, and yaku is from yakuza, the Japanese system of organized crime. Put together, keiyaku can mean "contract" (Kei X Yaku pg. 160, Translation Notes). The main characters, Ichiro, a policeman, and Shiro, a member of the yakuza, find themselves in a strange contract-- faking being boyfriends to solve the apparent murder of a woman who matters to both of them. 

This is just the beginning of the series, which has been in publication in Japan since 2019. I think the first volume sets up an intriguing premise, one that will especially appeal to fans of "odd couple" pairings and tense mysteries. The first chapter moves rather quickly and it isn't exactly obvious what the opening event has to do with the story at large until later, which was confusing at first. Since this is a BL (Boy's Love, manga centering on romantic relationships between men, also often called yaoi), the two main characters are bound to get together at some point-- volume 1 just has tension. However, it's a good start and will leave BL fans, and fans of crime drama, excited for more. 

The art is decently skilled, though not exactly groundbreaking-- which is not necessarily a bad thing, it's not a niche genre work where more unique drawing might be expected. Some panels give us chibi versions of Ichiro and Shiro, as do the bonus comics between chapters that have a more slice of life tone.

Overall, I'm intrigued to see where the story goes and how the relationship between the leads will progress.