Manga in the Middle

Sasaki and Miyano by Shou Harusono

12/16/2024

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I love this series. That's it. That's the review.

More? Okay. Sasaki and Miyano is an extremely sweet, boys' love romance set in high school. It plays into a lot of boys' love tropes---there is a taller, masculine character and a shorter, 'cuter' character---but it toys with those tropes by making the reading of boys' love manga PART of the story!

Miyano is a BL fan (for the stories!) and through a series of events starts sharing his manga with upperclassman Sasaki. Sasaki realizes he has feelings for Miyano (fairly quickly) and confesses to him. But, our sweet Miyano--even as a huge BL fan--doesn't realize that he himself is living in a BL story. It takes him a while to figure himself out. Sasaki gives him space and time, while maintaining a positive friendship.

This is a slooowwww burn...with an equally adorable anime adaptation.

VERDICT: A lovely, Queer romance to have in your collection. Yen Press rates it as teen (13+) and I think it's a great fit and buy for a MS collection. It's ongoing; the 10th volume comes out in January 2025.

[There is a spin-off series, Hirano and Kagiura, which I think is EVEN BETTER. They are both great buys!]

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Ima Koi: Now I'm in Love by Ayuko Hatta

12/2/2024

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This shojo series has been on my TBR list for a while and I finally dove in and ordered a copy. Protagonists Mizusawa and Yagyu are first year HS students (rough equivalent of American 10th graders) making this a 'younger' HS series and (so far) a nice fit for middle school readers.

Their 'meeting' is a bit intense: Yagyu protects Mizusawa from a passenger groping her on the subway. Calling it a 'meeting' is a bit generous as it takes a while for Yagyu to remember Mizusawa! She persists, though, in both thanking him and then trying to learn more about him. Their romance develops from there...

I enjoyed this title and Mizusawa is a plucky protagonist who is figuring out how dating and relationships work. Volume 1 is a good fit for middle school--there is no sex, violence, or language. The only CW would be for the groping/SA that happens on the first pages when Mizusawa is so shocked, she's unable to speak. It is very quick and not explicit. A younger reader may not even know what is happening.

VERDICT: Not a must buy, but a nice addition if you have a big audience for romance manga. I would call this 8th grade+.

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The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All by Sumiko Arai

11/14/2024

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There are so many things about this manga to grab your students' attention! First, that cover. The interesting perspective, the vibrant background and the title that promises some kind of gender exploration are all WINNERS in terms of engagement.

When you open up this title, you'll see that the color scheme continues and is green, black, and white throughout. It's gorgeous!

The story? That's a winner too. Aya has a crush on the clerk of a cool music store she visits. In Aya's eyes, "he's" dreamy, with his cool clothes, black nail polish, hoodies, and masks. (The clerk is likewise smitten with Aya. ) BUT, the clerk is actually Aya's female classmate, Mitsuki! The first volume captures their budding relationship (identities ARE revealed) and the thread is the music they both love. [There are playlists on both Apple and Spotify that tie-in to the manga!]

The book does include some playing with gender presentation ideas, but to be clear, both of the MCs are cis high school girls.

VERIDCT: BUY THIS FOR YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL LIBRARIES. We need more female/female love stories and this one is edgy enough to be appealing and still super sweet. The publisher age rating is teen (13+). I would call it 7th grade+.

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VERSUS by ONE and Kyoutarou Azuma

10/25/2024

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Full honesty: I purchased VERSUS for the library on the recommendation from a comic book store owner that it would be 'the next big thing'---I was not expecting to like it myself. I read it and I DID like it!

First, why 'the next big thing'? Well, the story for VERSUS was created by ONE, the same person who brought us the hugely popular manga One-Punch Man AND Mob Psycho 100! For that reason alone, it's worth a purchase and I also think the first volume is fine for Middle School. There IS violence, but it is cartoon-like violence, unlike, for example Jujutsu Kaisen gore.

I don't want to tease too much of the plot as there are some twists and turns but the basic beginning set up is that there are a group of Heroes set on defeating the Great Demon King and his generals. It's yes, a shonen-battle manga!

VERDICT: If shonen battle manga are huge in your library (and I'm betting they are), then buy this one! The first volume is a reasonable purchase for middle school collections--I'm not sure why it's rated older teen. When the second volume comes out, I'll review again.

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Blue Lock: Episode Nagi by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Kota Sannomiya

10/18/2024

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EPISODE NAGI!

Episode Nagi is a spin-off of the dynamic and popular Blue Lock series. Nagi was a character introduced later in the Blue Lock series and IMO, is a fan favorite. Episode Nagi will only solidify this! In this first volume, we get a developed backstory that was only teased at in the original manga/anime run.

Nagi--with his large, wet eyes--really just wants to be left alone to play games on his phone. Even eating seems like a digestive hassle to him. Enter Reo--a popular and wealthy student--who sees Nagi make an amazingly athletic move with his falling phone and becomes convinced they can win the World Cup together. Reo convinces Nagi to play soccer with him and the boys begin a real friendship. This first volume finds them entering Blue Lock and getting through the preliminary test.

For those students familiar with Blue Lock lore, this volume hits hard emotionally because we know what's coming. BUT, this volume also works as an introduction to Blue Lock and someone can actually start with this series, if they want--making it an ideal purchasing choice. {Also, it's already a movie--so anime bump!}
VERDICT. Buy it for your MS libraries! There is one F-bomb, that is not gratuitous, but adds to the emotional story-telling in one scene. I would call this grade 7+.

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Run on Your New Legs Volumes 2 + 3 by Wataru Midori

4/23/2023

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Manga in the Middle LOVES Run on Your New Legs (see review of Volume 1 here). Volumes 2 and 3 only improve on the first volume. This story of a former middle school soccer star who starts high school after a serious accident is a MUST BUY for middle school collections!

In Volume 2, we get more page time with Kikuzato's mother, who is understandably protective of her son after his accident and amputation. How this conflict is resolved is very well done--and feels earned/authentic. We also see Kikuzato joining the track and field club at his school. In Volume 3, we explore his new club friendships and check in with his old middle school soccer teammate, who is NOT thriving (athletically or socially) without Kikuzato.
Two more quick points I love about this series!
~~It addresses the COVID pandemic! Volume 3 finishes in Spring 2020 with the cancellation of regional sports tournaments.
~~Like all well done sports manga, it makes me care about the minutiae of a sport I've never cared about before--in this case, sprinting!

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A Sign of Affection by suu Morishita

1/6/2023

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A Sign of Affection by suu Morishita is an engaging (and adorable) romance series featuring a deaf, female protaganist, Yuki, and a male world traveler/adventurer named Itsuomi. They have a 'meet cute' moment in the start of Volume 1 and start spending more time together. It's clear that Yuki is crushing on Itsuomi early on. Whether or not Itsuomi is interested in Yuki as a friend because of his fascination with new languages and experiences or if he genuinely cares about her is more of a slow build.

The way Yuki's signing and her understanding of the conversations around her is interestingly done. Disability positive titles are always a clear need for every format, including manga! The mangaka is not Deaf, but collaborates with a Deaf Sign Language Expert, Yuki Miyazaki.

I'm four volumes in and I really love this series. Is it an okay fit for middle school? Yes. However, it definitely has an older feel to it as the characters are college-aged (but there is no content four volumes in which makes this a non-fit for MS). [Absolute, MUST BUY FOR HIGH SCHOOL.] For MS, if you already have several more age-matching romance series and your students are clamoring for more, you could certainly buy this one. However, if you're just starting to collect romance manga in your middle school, I'd start with Those Not-So-Sweet Boys, Fruits Basket, and Weathering With You.

Tiny note: Don't be put off by the covers, which have a bit of a dated look for me (which is not an opinion shared by everyone and some love the covers). Regardless, the interior black/white artwork is GORGEOUS, which everyone seems to agree on. ❤

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Satoko and Nada by Yupechika

11/30/2022

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Satoko and Nada by Yupechika is a lovely, slice-of-life story about (funnily enough) Satoko and Nada, two students attending college in the US. (Satoko is from Japan and Nada is from Saudi Arabia.) This is a friendship story, made deeper with two people from different cultures learning about each other, including information about their countries, religions, customs, and food. The readers especially learn a lot about Muslim culture through Satoko learning about Nada, but it never feels didactic, only eminently readable.

This manga is structured into very short vignettes--each page is basically a micro-chapter. It absolutely works and feels like a linear narrative. I was quickly turning pages, excited for what would happen next!

I'm calling this 4-volume series a must buy for Middle School. Even though the characters are college-aged, the story is still a nice fit for middle school and touches on themes that our students are extremely interested in: friendship, navigating differences, and being in a new place! It also fills a probable void on many of our manga shelves--a friendship story spanning cultures, races, and religions. It's beautiful. Buy it. ♥

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Run on Your New Legs by Wataru Midori

10/25/2022

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Let me start this way: I love this new manga series.

Run on Your New Legs by Wataru Midori is IMO a perfect first volume—it introduces the world, the set of main characters and telegraphs information on key conflicts. It also peeks into backstory, teases plot entanglements, and hooks us to root for our hero, Kikuzato.

Kikuzato--a former soccer star--has given up his athletic hopes after an accident. A chance meeting with a prosthetic inventor changes his course! So far, the disability representation is sensitively done.

PERFECT BUY for your middle school collection. Engaging content and eye-catching cover. Can't wait to read #2 which is out now.i#wcpssreads

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World Piece by Josh Tierney

10/4/2022

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World Piece is a new offering from Viz Originals. [From the publisher: VIZ Originals is a new imprint of VIZ Media dedicated to publishing original graphic novels developed my manga-inspired creators.] I would call it more of a semi-manga-style graphic novel. I...

I...

Let me start over. [I'm struggling with this one a bit. I was excited to read this when I saw the cover.] This is a sci-fi story centering on Lucas, a perfectly likeable protagonist who unwittingly shrinks Earth down to the size of a basketball. To restore Earth to regular size, he travels through Affin and meets friends to help him with his goal.

I found this title to be a bit boring, with some unfortunate plot holes (eg. are we going to find out why Lucas can treat Earth like a weapon, but it doesn't get destroyed? I winced every time.)

The rating is for Older Teen and I'm, once again, mystified by this. There was one instance of 'son of a bitch' and some cartoon-like violence. By all means, IMO, Volume 1 is fine for middle school.

I'm not recommending this for purchase unless you already have a VERY, VERY well-stocked manga collection and your students are looking for something new.

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<<Previous

MICRO-REVIEWS.

Sasaki and Miyano by Shou Harusono

Ima Koi: Now I'm in Love by Ayuko Hatta

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn't a Guy At All by Sumiko Arai

VERSUS by ONE and Kyoutarou Azuma

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Kota Sannomiya

EPISODE NAGI!

Run on Your New Legs Volumes 2 + 3 by Wataru Midori

A Sign of Affection by suu Morishita

Satoko and Nada by Yupechika

Run on Your New Legs by Wataru Midori

World Piece by Josh Tierney

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