Adam

I think at this point it's fair to say the series is less “parody of Harry Potter” and more “One-Punch Man style book set in a Harry Potter parody.” The early chapters of this book were funny because it was taking a bunch of recognized conventions and poking fun of them in that school setting. Now, it's a ton of giant fights with named moves and it feels like One-Punch Man in more than just the spirit of Mash being a good person trying to do the right thing. - I don't hate this, but it is certainly a different type of book than where it started.

Mash is basically having to fight his way through all the Innocent Zero's sons now. Domina is most of this book, but we meet Doom at the end and he's even more powerful. Mash had bracelets limiting his power and speed at his father's request, but when he really cuts loose here we see he's even stronger than we knew. This series is rounding the bend towards its conclusion and it's not skimping on anything along the way there.

Headmaster Wahlberg gets pulled into the fight when the Innocent Zero show up and try to hold the whole school in their thrall. We learn a ton about who the actual threat is here and how Wahlberg got mixed up with them in the first place. Mash is tested again and again, but continues to do the right thing for the right reasons. The head Innocent Zero is out only for himself and immortality, we learn why he is after Mash and it actually fits within the story framework really nicely.

This is my favorite installment in a while not just for the giant action set pieces, but for the sheer amount of plot and context we get. I'll be very curious where the story pivots next, but they laid a lot of groundwork for where ever they would like to go.

As this series borrows a lot of tropes from another series of books about a magic school with magical students, we have a Tri-Wizard tournament plot. Of the 3 magic schools, the Innocent Zero send a mole to one and he will be their entry. He destroys students from the third school to make room for more of his followers. Mash, however, has made friends at Eaton who are willing to fight along side him and for him. They volunteer to enter as well and even the odds.
There was a lot of set up in this volume with some backstory for some of our newer characters and overall a really great launch into the next major chapter.

You can find my full review for No Flying No Tights here. The TL:DR of it all is that this was a little disappointing. The art is great and I really appreciate what the book was going for, but it's awfully disjointed. As an American reader it also smacks of a European author in love with an American jazz icon and tries too hard to be a piece of art as well.

This book was a real emotional roller-coaster. You feel Gail's frustration, sadness, anger, joy and relief as every new turn brings her into a wholly different environment. [a:G. Neri 998418 G. Neri https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1196111531p2/998418.jpg] tells the biographical story of a family member in Gail Ruffu as she tries to save the life of a horse who doesn't deserve to be another racing statistic. Gail lives an incredible life in front of us and the black and white art from [a:Corban Wilkin 17915135 Corban Wilkin https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1691691314p2/17915135.jpg] delivers every emotion from every character on both sides of the struggle. I knew little of horse racing and the details of this book really bring you right into the stables with them. Truly a compelling read and one that I will be recommending to a lot of people.

The art really ties this book together (and that's true across the volumes) because as goofy as the story lines get, the art never winks at the audience. The only reason the conceit works here is because it's illustrated like a straightforward book with a yakuza protagonist. Dramatic lighting, close ups, bold angles - these all help sell jokes about surviving a heat wave or selling goods in the street. This series is still a great way to break up your other reading.

A lot of smaller stories in here, more so than previous installments. Not all of it was great, but it does try to add some color and flair to the world that is being built. Still fun for fans of the series, but also felt like they were trying to use up some spare story parts that were sitting around.

Already in the running for most interesting book I will read in 2024, Tokyo These Days is a cinematic, engrossing, reflective book. It asks the reader to think about what one's life is really for, where is the line between work and art and how do the two tie together. Shiozawa's journey has a profound affect on the lives around him as he strives to make sense of his 30 years editing manga when he thinks he's reached the end of the road.

This book is incredibly easy to read and also deeply introspective. I read reread certain sections to better absorb the broader implications to the world around Shiozawa and how everyone he comes in contact with finds themselves unpacking the themes he introduces. Truly the work of a great artist, Taiyo Matsumoto immediately made a new out of me and I cannot wait to read vol 2. In the mean time, I'll check out more of their award winning work.

Maybe my favorite volume yet. The climax of this story has provided so much payoff that I'm willing to forgive some of the earlier annoyances I had. It really does tie together so much of different threads that it has made me think more highly of the series. The action is nonstop, the emotional beats are merited and overall the storytelling is really well coordinated.

I look forward to seeing how it's finally resolved, but I can finally say with certainty I now understand the love for this series and why it has so many fans.

A lot of info on young Loid and how he started on the path to becoming the spy he is today. He survived a pretty terrible time and it really informs the character in a way we haven't seen yet. Also some backstory on the warring factions that make up the country they live in. This one wraps up more lightheartedly with Yor meeting the Sy-On boys mom and being invited to be friends with her. The relationship with the Desmonds is taking a turn here and “The Battle of the Friendship Schemes” is no on for both Yor and Anya.

There were still a few surprises in this ending volume, but [a:Koyoharu Gotouge 17299725 Koyoharu Gotouge https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1539844241p2/17299725.jpg] still delivers the main beats you'd expect (and hope for) after all 200+ chapters. This is maybe one of the better conclusions I've read in a while. Nothing about the end of this story was easy and so much of this feels earned for all the characters. There weren't any cop-out solutions provided for the sake of wrapping up the story and that also helps this feel like a satisfying end. I can recommend this series without hesitation now that I know how well orchestrated it was and how it improved over time. Glad I gave it a chance, stuck with it and am able to give it it's credit.

You can read my full review for No Flying No Tights here.
The TL:DR is that you should pick up the physical book for this one, it's a gorgeous oversized volume of Tradd Moore art that take 2 reads to absorb. The story itself isn't world changing, but in conjunction with the art it really was a great time.

You can read my full review for No Flying No Tights here.
I will say that this will feel familiar to Brubaker/Phillips fans in a lot of ways, but it also changes the narrative structure you'd expect from them and makes a few unexpected turns. Also, the most nudity/sex I've seen from them in a while, so not necessarily for younger readers.

It's getting really hard to review this series without spoilers. I'll say this, if you were on the fence about reading this series, the final arc has been one of the most interesting and most rewarding I can remember. I was guilty of complaining about the pace and plot issues earlier on, but in this last stretch so many ideas and characters are getting paid off that it's become incredibly compelling and fulfilling. I don't know if I'm going to get a chance to watch the show, but I'm now really glad I committed to reading the series.

Maybe the most interesting volume to date, thanks entirely to the backstory of Upper Rank demon 1. We learn so much about who he is and was, where he came from and what compelled him to this life. There is a lot to learn about the corps members fighting him, but it all seemed secondary to his and his families story. I'm really curious about what the last couple books look like because the exposition and plot development has been top notch lately and there are only a couple of outstanding questions left, but there also aren't many books left. Let's see if they stick the landing.

You can read my full review for No Flying No Tights here. The short version is I really loved what Zoe did with this book. Visually it's fascinating and surprising at turns. The direct address to the audience was helpful, honest and self-effacing. 10/10 recommend and I fully understand all the praise and award nominations.

After all my complaining through earlier story arcs and what felt like 1/2 developed character ideas, this book hasn't slowed down since we arrived in the mysterious Infinity Castle. The lead up to this moment in the story may have been a grind, but the payoff now is making it all a lot easier to have sat through.
Kanao and Inosuke are fighting Upper Rank demon 2 Doma and the emotional journey both go on is a breath of fresh air considering how they have been treated by the story previously. Shinobu and Kanae are both giving some time as is Inosuke's mother. - Upper Rank 4 is putting up a fight for Iguro and Kanroji, showing us why it's the “infinity” castle. The climax of this book is the Corps members stumble upon Upper Rank demon 1 and Muichiro, Genya, Sanemi put Mist and Wind up against his skill. The demon says Muichiro must be a descendant of his and we learn this demon has breathing techniques as well. It goes poorly for both him and Genya, but Sanemi puts up a fight until the Stone Hashira Gyomei shows up.
I know most of that reads like nonsense words strung together, but this volume is really strong and a good reason to read through the earlier (frustrating) volumes.

I would argue you could skip this volume if you have a thing about body horror. I don't know where a portion of this subplot is going to go, but for the main plot nothing happens. A twisted doctor is brought in to try and solve the riddle of Manji's immortality at the behest of Kagimura, but they don't know about the bloodworms. So it's just about hacking limbs off people and reattaching them to others. Rin is looking for him, but that's about 4 pages altogether. This feels like a lot of time spent on the experimentation and nothing happens to justify it. Maybe in subsequent volumes this was all really important, but I'm over it right now.

That cover has nothing to do with anything inside this volume and while there is a lot of set up here, nothing really happens. Rin has 2 house guests now who were formerly Itto-Ryu, but it doesn't come up. Manji is being held captive and the body horror of this condition finally finds it's way into the story. It could be far worse than it is here, but it's pretty dark. There is a lot of set up in this volume that alllllllll gets held till the next installment. I'm curious to see how the author deals with people trying to “take” Manji's immortality. It's all potential at this point since nothing was really resolved, but it's going to really affect the rest of the story from here on out.

This arc (I'm assuming final arc) has far and away been the most interesting and entertaining. We get so much information about characters and the backstory for some of these demons that's it is actually fulfilling.
Shinobu is fighting and losing to Doma, Kanao tries to help her master in that fight. Zenitsu is the best he's ever been in this volume and it's the first time I wasn't simply irritated at his presence. He's fighting Kaigaku, who was once his senior, but is now a demon and the amount of backstory we get there suddenly makes him a much more compelling and interesting part of the story. The children of Ubuyashiki house are desperately trying to coordinate information for the Slayer Corp members, but they have an impossibly large task ahead of them and are still in mourning. Tanjiro and Giyu are in their hardest fight yet against Akaza. His style and speed forces both to react and adapt, Giyu manifests his first mark and Tanjiro remembers his father and his teachings in a way he never has before.
If none of that made sense, I get it. There is a lot going on this far into the series, but it's also the most cohesive and interesting it's been so far. I realize the lunacy of what I'm saying, but 17 volumes in I think I'm finally starting to enjoy the series, not just survive it. There have been enough high points to keep me reading, but there were some stretches that were also just a grind to get through. I wanted to know why so many people loved this series and I understand the anime plays a large part in that, but I may finally be getting it.

This is my favorite volume so far. Akaza gets one of the most complete backstories we've seen so far. Tanjiro makes his greatest development so far and really evolves. We learn a ton about Inosuke as he helps Kanao fight Doma. The fight inside the Infinity Castle has a lot happening so there is plenty to try and keep track of, but the amount of plot and backstory we're FINALLY getting inside it are worth it. The pace has not relented since the fight started and it's a welcome change.

Some of the best info we've gotten yet on Class S heroes and their role. Huge action pieces, helpful/informative developments in the plot and outstanding art. Blizzard, Tornado, Flashy Flash, Saitama, Superalloy Blackluster and Garo are all featured along with a new monstrous human introduced to raise the stakes. One of my new favorite recent installments that really helps push the story forward while also helping us understand some of the heroes better.

This wraps up the Jack the Ripper story line, “Bonde” gets a new assignment, we meet James spy inside Scotland Yard, it brings Mycroft back in, we see Sherlock sit across from William for a chat, tons of useful plot progression and still winds up losing a star from me.

Why?

In order to prove a point in the Sherlock/William chapter they introduce a subplot with GOOD WILL HUNTING. Like, literally lifted the plot from the the Matt Damon/Ben Affleck movie. For reasons surpassing understanding.

Stop doing that Takeuchi. It's really pulling me out of the world your building and brings nothing to the table. (do I just give up on this series if it's going to keep doing this nonsense?)

Ok, credit where it's due: this volume solved a lot of my recent issues with the series. There were real stakes, big turns, exposition that moved the whole story forward, there was actual momentum.

The head of the demon slayer corps Ubuyashiki comes face to face with the demon lord Muzan and then the story kicks into what feels like it's final chapter. All the Hashira come racing to the aid of Ubuyashiki and his family, his biggest plan is then enacted and all of the remaining heroes are pulled into the biggest fight yet. I have to say I'm grateful for the moves this volume made because now it's starting to feel earned and I really look forward to this conclusion.

This volume is a lot of training montages and people healing up after the last giant fight. There is some exposition throughout where we learn about the power in Nezuko's blood and her ability to withstand sunlight. It's clearly setting up bigger things to come and the ultimate show down seems immanent.
There are still A TON of characters to juggle and the occasionally frenetic art doesn't always make it easy to keep everyone straight. As it stands I didn't hate this volume, but there were too many ideas teased and none really resolved for it not to have been at least a little frustrating.