(arc received from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review) 

Undead Girl Murder Farce is a comedic supernatural mystery that begins with the mysterious arrival of two mysterious detectives to a French vampire's estate. In a world where demons and humans coexist a little less than peacefully, the vampire lord's wife was murdered and police have refused to get involved. However, a strange detective known as the "cage user" has arrived to investigate. 

This manga had a very interesting concept. I'm a huge fan of detective stories, and whenever I see a detail-focused investigator in a story use little clues the rest would mix to get the whole story, I know I'm sure to like the character and be intrigued! However, in this case, it didn't extend to the rest of the story. There was a lot of talking and walking and not a lot of action, and after the killer was revealed (predictably and at an odd point in the plot) I found I didn't care about any of the characters enough for it to be a huge shock. The cliffhanger was slightly intriguing, and I might continue if the opportunity presents itself.

(received an arc from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

This manga was an overall letdown. From the cute cover and the summary, I was expecting a story about gay police officers with adorable art, but my hopes were very quickly dashed. Between an inconsistent, unaesthetically pleasing art style, randomly different fonts, and misplaced humor, there was nothing to make up for the transparent police propaganda this manga was. 

Overall, I couldn't bring myself to like it because there is zero depth. The bond between Kawai and her new coworker isn't built up very well and every time Kawai, who was originally going to resign, starts to consider possible corruption in the force or why people seem to dislike police so much, her thoughts get smoothed over with sudden humor or a "cute" moment. I especially disliked how civilians were constantly depicted as just being hard on police with their jobs for no reason. When they pulled over an old woman with shaking hands for speeding and gave her a nearly $200 ticket, I expected there to be some reflection of Kawai's part, but there was very little lack of awareness or nuance across this plot. I felt catfished when I expected there to be anything more than the same message I could get out of an afterschool special. I would not recommend this and I will not be continuing.

(received an arc from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

This reincarnation comedy centers around the rebirth of an old Chinese general from the Three Kingdoms era who wishes to be in a peaceful place in his next life, only to be reborn in the center of modern-day Tokyo right in the middle of a Halloween parade with his memory, youth, and clothes intact! So starts Kongming's new life as the manager to a rising club singer named Eiko as he uses his ancient wisdom to make her a star.

I liked the ridiculous humor of this and overall found it to be a good, fun read that I would recommend. There were a few aspects surrounding Kongming's rebirth that I would have liked to see done differently, but he grew on me quickly as a character. I also didn't care for the intense sexualization of Eiko when Kongming was over at her apartment the day after he was reborn. I normally don't care about that sort of thing, but it was really intense across a couple of pages and then very laid back both before and after, so it was a jarring tone shift. That along with the oddly inconsistent art style in that chapter gave this a rocky start, but by the end, I was rooting for both of them and will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next volume! 

( arc provided by the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review )

I thoroughly enjoyed this manga! Boys Run the Riot follows a transgender student named Ryo struggling with his identity and self-expression. He loves clothes, art, and streetwear, and ends up hitting it off with the scary new transfer student, Jin. When he asks Ryo to start a fashion brand with him, things at school start getting difficult, and Ryo has to deal with his past to live the life he wants in the future. 

The rep in this meant a lot to me as a trans reader! The author himself is trans, and it really reflects in the story. I loved the bonds between Ryo and his friends, and I found it really interesting how much detail was put into the opening of their business! (Between this and all the small business tiktoks I get on my fyp, it's making me want to open my own...) The character development for Ryo as he moved through the story was paced quite well, and it was clear how Jin's acceptance of him really helped him grow into his own. 

I also loved how fashion was utilized as a form of self-expression in this story. Clothing can be super important to people, and it's recently become very important to me, so I think I read this as just the right time. I can't wait to read the next volume! 

(arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
 

This paranormal romance really took me back to the old days. This first volume follows a human, Kagari, who is a rare "honey-blood" in a society where vampires and human feeders, called Pabulum, live alongside each other. Her rare blood type has intoxicatingly scented, high-quality blood that can send vampires into a frenzy from the smallest scrapes, so she's been assigned a special vampire bodyguard, an 'SP' named Ryotaro, to protect her. She's stubborn yet useless without him, and he's completely devoted yet has a possessive, sadistic streak, so you just know they have a complicated relationship that blurs passion and duty and is full of banter that hides their true feelings for each other! 

As far as the relationship goes, this manga really delivered! I liked the back and forth between them. Kagari's methods of trying to get closer to him were cute and funny, and though others might not care for it, I do enjoy possessive love interests, so Ryotaro's side of things and his teasing were sweet to me. I'm interested in exploring their backstory and the deeper bond that seems to be between them, and this had both a strong beginning and ending, with that cliffhanger! 

This was a good introductory novel for their basic situation, relationship, and clear conflicts that will happen down the line, but I was left with questions about the worldbuilding that I would have expected to have answered in the first volume. I'm pretty sure 'SP' stands for something, but what? Why is Kagari referred to as a princess? Is she really royalty, or is it just a pet name? (If so, why do other characters use 'sama' for her?) And most importantly, was it necessary for Ryotaro to drink from her toes?? I think I expected something different after that strong first page and was left with a sense of confusion throughout reading. It seemed like it was going to be a much darker story, but instead, this volume was mostly comedic and lighthearted. The author's note promises the next volume will be much darker than this one, so as it appears, I think my questions about their backstory will at least be answered which will probably have to be enough for me. 

Overall, I liked this manga well enough, and would recommend it to someone looking for a vampire romance, especially if they were a fan of something like Vampire Knight! I'll be keeping an eye out for volume 2. 

(arc received from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest response.) 

I really enjoyed this sweet but slightly messy story. Two boys, Tanaka and Nakata, accidentally get their papers mixed up due to their similar names. As they grow closer, they realize they have even more in common, from their heights to their meter dash times to their fashion and music tastes. But when Tanaka begins dating one of their classmates, Tanagaki, Nakata realizes that they may be more similar than he thought. 

I was a little unsure about this story at first. I liked the silly coincidences and I adored Tanaka and Nakata's friendship, but I was worried there was going to be some messiness with Nakata and Tanagaki. However, the story went in a lovely direction, and I loved all of the friendships in this story. There is a bit of cheating in this book, and though it's my least favorite trope, I think it was handled very well given all of the character's motivations and reactions, and the ending was satisfying for all of them. I'm really looking forward to reading more of Gorou Kanbe's work!