And now we switch gears hard, going from a sensitive and accomplished coming-of-age drama to a messy seinen crime story. SMUGGLER, by Shohe...
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Merry Month of Manga: SMUGGLER
And now we switch gears hard, going from a sensitive and accomplished coming-of-age drama to a messy seinen crime story. SMUGGLER, by Shohe...
Merry Month of Manga: RADIANT
Well, since I talked about Beyond the Clouds I might as well cover the other recent fantasy manga with French origins. RADIANT, by Tony Val...
Merry Month of Manga: ORFINA
It's time to take a look at another failed fantasy manga from CMX, although this one is less about fairy tale romance and more about epic ba...
Merry Month of Manga: TOMCATS
One of the advantages of a month of one-shots is that it gives me a chance to do some deep diving in my piles of BL books, since…
Merry Month of Manga: TOMCATS
One of the advantages of a month of one-shots is that it gives me a chance to do some deep diving in my piles of BL books, since…
Merry Month of Manga: DRAGON HALF
This month marks the ninth anniversary of The Manga Test Drive. It's honestly kind of fantastical that I've been doing this for so long, mu...
Merry Month of Manga: HETEROGENIA LINGUISTICO
There's a lot of fantasy manga out there, but this is the first one not to focus on a traditional hero's narrative or even fantasy food, but...
Merry Month of Manga: BLACK CLOVER
Weekly Shonen Jump doesn't dabble too much in fantasy these days, and the most recent example is...divisive, to say the least. BLACK CLOVER ...
Merry Month of Manga: INTERSPECIES REVIEWERS
Well, I guess I would have to reckon with this series someday, so I might as well take advantage of this month's theme and do so now. INTER...
Merry Month of Manga: PRINCESS PRINCE
Once upon a time, if you wanted a fairy-tale-style shojo fantasy, you had to settle for books like this. Thank goodness for progress. PRINC...
Merry Month of Manga: BEYOND THE CLOUDS
Thankfully, there are more recent fantasy series that is not only appropriate for kids, but also legitimately good all on its own. BEYOND TH...
Merry Month of Manga: THE LIZARD PRINCE
It's been too long since we've covered a CMX manga on here. They always had shojo fantasy series that were always interesting, even if they...
Merry Month of Manga: THE SACRED BLACKSMITH
Nothing's more disappointing than a series with squandered potential, and this is just one of countless examples. THE SACRED BLACKSMITH ( S...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #9: CROSS
Shojo manga loves to play with Christian imagery, but that doesn't always means it's tasteful about it. CROSS ( Juuji Kurosu ), by Sunuko A...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #10: UNICO
Let's look at a slightly unconventional bit of old-school shojo, one that's better known for its animated adaptations than the original sour...
Merry Month of Manga: RESTAURANT TO ANOTHER WORLD
When it comes to fantasy manga these days, it seems that the only thing more popular than sending random Japanese people to alternate world...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #10: UNICO
Let's look at a slightly unconventional bit of old-school shojo, one that's better known for its animated adaptations than the original sour...
Merry Month of Manga: DRAGON GOES HOUSE-HUNTING
What's the bigger fantasy here: a gentle dragon who only wants a house of his own, or the very idea of being able to afford to buy or…
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #9: CROSS
Shojo manga loves to play with Christian imagery, but that doesn't always means it's tasteful about it. CROSS ( Juuji Kurosu ), by Sunuko A...
Merry Month of Manga: MUSHOKU TENSEI: JOBLESS REINCARNATION
Isekai fantasy manga are all too often power fantasies for their readers, and sometimes those power fantasies can go in some obnoxious or da...
Merry Month of Manga: LOUIE THE RUNE SOLDIER
LOUIE THE RUNE SOLDIER ( Maho Senshi Riui ), based on the light novel series written by Ryou Mizuno and character designs by Mamoru Yokota...
Merry Month of Manga: THE DUNGEON OF BLACK COMPANY
Today's review exists because someone said "you know what a dungeon-crawling fantasy needs? CAPITALISM!" THE DUNGEON OF BLACK COMPANY ( Me...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #7: KAZE HIKARU
There are few Shojo Beat releases as notorious as this - not because of its content or quality, mind you, but because of how poorly it has ...
Merry Month of Shojo Manga Review #7: KAZE HIKARU
There are few Shojo Beat releases as notorious as this - not because of its content or quality, mind you, but because of how poorly it has ...
Merry Month of Manga: SHINO CAN'T SAY HER NAME
I finally found it - a Shuzo Oshimi manga that doesn't have weird hangups about women! It's a miracle! SHINO CAN'T SAY HER NAME ( Shino-ch...
Merry Month of Manga: SHINO CAN'T SAY HER NAME
I finally found it - a Shuzo Oshimi manga that doesn't have weird hangups about women! It's a miracle! SHINO CAN'T SAY HER NAME ( Shino-ch...
Merry Month of Manga: MOURYOU KIDEN: LEGEND OF THE NYMPH
Once again I found myself staring down another Tamayo Akiyama manga. Could it possibly fare better than the likes of Zyword and Hyper Rune...
Merry Month of Manga: THE DEVIL IS A PART-TIMER
You know, we see so many stories about people travelling (by choice or by death-induced force) to other worlds. What you don't see as ofte...
Merry Month of Manga: SHORT-TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC AND OTHER STORIES
As this blog enters its 13th year, I'm celebrating it in the usual fashion: a month's worth of reviews. This time around, it's all One-Vol...
Merry Month of Manga: SLEEPY PRINCESS IN THE DEMON CASTLE
Finding a modern fantasy manga that has nothing to do with light novels is hard enough. Finding one of those that's a comedy is rarer still...
Merry Month of Manga: SHORT-TEMPERED MELANCHOLIC AND OTHER STORIES
As this blog enters its 13th year, I'm celebrating it in the usual fashion: a month's worth of reviews. This time around, it's all One-Vol...
Merry Month of Manga: KONOSUBA: GOD'S BLESSING ON THIS WONDERFUL WORLD
It's a miracle! A modern isekai manga that neither bored nor infuriated me! KONOSUBA: GOD'S BLESSING ON THIS WONDERFUL WORLD ( Kono Subarash...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #3: CANON
It figures when I need to talk about a good but overlooked shojo manga from the past, I can always turn to CMX. CANON ( Kanon ), by…
Merry Month of Shojo Review #13: OTOMEN
Shojo manga's relationship to gender performance can sometimes be kind of fraught, but this series strives to be a little more understanding...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #3: CANON
It figures when I need to talk about a good but overlooked shojo manga from the past, I can always turn to CMX. CANON ( Kanon ), by…
Merry Month of Shojo Review #13: OTOMEN
Shojo manga's relationship to gender performance can sometimes be kind of fraught, but this series strives to be a little more understanding...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #15: CIPHER
And now let's switch things around to the opposite: an old-school series set in (what were then) modern times. A series that's literally as...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #15: CIPHER
And now let's switch things around to the opposite: an old-school series set in (what were then) modern times. A series that's literally as...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #8: FLOCK OF ANGELS
I'm sure that the mangaka had nothing but good intentions with this one, but good intentions only get you so far with metaphors handled thi...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #8: FLOCK OF ANGELS
I'm sure that the mangaka had nothing but good intentions with this one, but good intentions only get you so far with metaphors handled thi...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #20: SHIRAHIME-SYO
Let's wrap things up with a beautiful little oddity from CLAMP's library of works. SHIRAHIME-SYO, by CLAMP. First published in 1992 and fi...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #4: KARAKURI ODETTE
Sci-fi and shojo is a combination we don't see a lot of in English, and that's a real shame because this series demonstrates just what kind...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #18: CHERRY JUICE
It's weird to come across a shojo manga that feels so much like a shonen ecchi manga without actually being an shonen ecchi manga. CHERRY JU...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #19: PRINCE FREYA
Do you like shojo adventure stories? Are you up to date on Yona of the Dawn and seeking something else in a similar vein? This series is…
Merry Month of Shojo Review #1: SKIP BEAT
The Manga Test Drive turns 11 this year! To celebrate this blog's entry into its pre-teens, we're once again going to enjoy an entire Merry...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #20: SHIRAHIME-SYO
Let's wrap things up with a beautiful little oddity from CLAMP's library of works. SHIRAHIME-SYO, by CLAMP. First published in 1992 and fi...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #4: KARAKURI ODETTE
Sci-fi and shojo is a combination we don't see a lot of in English, and that's a real shame because this series demonstrates just what kind...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #1: SKIP BEAT
The Manga Test Drive turns 11 this year! To celebrate this blog's entry into its pre-teens, we're once again going to enjoy an entire Merry...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #19: CHERRY JUICE
It's weird to come across a shojo manga that feels so much like a shonen ecchi manga without actually being an shonen ecchi manga. CHERRY JU...
Merry Month of Shojo Review #19: PRINCE FREYA
Do you like shojo adventure stories? Are you up to date on Yona of the Dawn and seeking something else in a similar vein? This series is…