#Does Tanba have a crush?

[tracingdreams]

Daiya no Ace: The Dramas #10: Third Year Study Group

An explanation…

To keep my brain from rusting I started a project to translate the drama tracks that came with the character song CDs and other stuff relating to Daiya no Ace (because I love them and they’re all hilarious). My disclaimer - I am not a native speaker of Japanese, but I will do my best!

Character Song CD 07 Yuuki Tetsuya Drama Track 02 featuring Tetsu, Jun and Tanba.

Scene: Tetsu, Jun and Tanba have got together – either in the dorm canteen or their classroom – to hold an exam study group for the examinations coming up. The subjects they are most concerned with are those taught by the teachers who run the baseball club, especially Kataoka’s ‘Modern Japanese’ class…

Translator’s Note: Another appearance by the third years! And also, this time, the coach appears! And we learn some interesting trivia about the senpai! This drama is full of word discussions, so I’ve done my best to make it clear!

Tetsu: It’s finally tomorrow, huh.

Jun: There’s seriously not enough time

Tetsu: We can’t ignore Modern Japanese…

Jun: The coach is the teacher, after all. And we have to really be careful of Social Studies and English as well.

Tetsu: Ōta Buchou and Takashima Fuku-buchou’s classes, huh.

Jun: Even at the very worst we need to get above the average mark. And more to the point, where’s Tanba? I said I’d study too because he said he was going to do exam revision!

Tetsu: He said he was going to wash off the sweat of training and then come.

Jun: He’s in the bath, huh. How long is he planning to spend in there?

The door opens and Tanba enters.

Tanba: (Stretches and sighs).

Jun: Oi, you finally turned up, Tanba! How long did you take in the bath, dammit?

Tanba: I shaved my head. Completely.

Jun: You’re really laid back, you know. We have exams from tomorrow.

Tanba: I did it to focus my emotions.

Tetsu: Mm. It seems like the sparkle on your head is even greater than usual. (I think he pats it).

Tanba: Hey! Don’t touch it, Yuuki! I just got myself hyped up and you’ll ruin it!

Jun: Hey, let’s get down to it, guys!

Tetsu: Mm. What shall we begin with?

Tanba: I want to start with figuring out a strategy to tackle Modern Japanese.

Tetsu: Because it’s the coach’s class, huh?

Tanba: That’s a part of it, but it’s also the first exam tomorrow morning. If we can do a good paper then, it will set us up with a good vibe for the rest.

Tetsu: Mm. You’re quite right.

Jun: Yosh! Let’s start with Modern Japanese! Someone get the textbook open, dammit!

(they get to work).

Tanba: Hrm, it seems like the key to Modern Japanese is definitely reading prowess.

Tetsu: The power to read a paragraph, and understand the contents and meaning from doing so, huh.

Jun: I’m always reading books, so I’m pretty confident about that.

Tanba: Me too. What about you, Yuuki?

Tetsu: I often read books that examine good moves and strategy.

Jun: Those are shougi books, right? That’s not helping your reading ability, but more like your ability to carry out exercises.

Tanba: Yosh. In that case I’ll lend you a book written by the person I respect the most.

Yuuki: (takes the book): Okamoto Tarou. (Translator’s note – I believe he was a Japanese artist…but am not quite sure how that feeds into what Jun and Tanba say, so I may be missing a more native Japanese joke here. Or maybe Tanba is just really into abstract art.)

Jun: That’s a book on guidance for life, right?

Tanba: Yes. It resolves all the troubles I have and answers all my questions perfectly. It’s really beneficial.

Jun: But it’s not going to come up on the exam.

Tetsu: I’d really like a book that’s going to help with my results.

Tanba: In that case, Isashiki, don’t you have anything?

Jun: Huh? Me?

Tanba: Yeah. Something relevant to the exam.

Jun: I have, but…

Tetsu: Please lend it to me, Jun.

Jun: Tsch. I guess it can’t be helped. Here you go.

Tetsu and Tanba gasp.

Tetsu: Chihayafuru?! (Translator note: I had to stop the drama to laugh at this the first time I listened to it. I also love Chihayafuru. Go Jun!)

Tanba: Shoujo manga?

Jun: (defensive): What, you got a problem with it?!

Tanba: Uh…well…no…that’s not what I…

Jun: It helps with reading skill and with learning the hyakunin isshū as well! (Translator note: If you’re not familiar with Chihayafuru, it features a card game called Karuta in which players have to match the top and bottom halves of waka poems before their opponent. These poems come from an ancient collection of traditional Japanese waka poetry called the hyakunin isshū).

Tetsu: (Serious) It certainly sounds useful.

Tanba: But…Isashiki…The hyakunin isshū aren’t on the syllabus this time around.

Jun: (angry): What?! In that case, what about Asaki Yumemishi! (Another manga, based around the ancient text Genji Monogatari, also known as the ‘Tale of Genji’)

Tetsu: Genji Monogatari, huh…

Tanba: That’s also outside the syllabus.

Jun: WHAT?!

Tanba: In any case, both of them are based around things from Classical Japanese, not Modern Japanese! Let’s focus on Modern Japanese!

Tetsu: Right. Then what other skills are likely to be tested?

Tanba: Vocabulary knowledge, probably. Whether we know the correct meaning for idioms or kanji.

Jun: Oh! In that case, let’s try some practice questions!

Tanba: That’s a good idea. The one asking questions and the one answering them will both get something from that.

Tetsu: Yosh. Then I’ll ask some questions.

Jun: All right! Bring it, Tetsu!

Tetsu: Mm. Kanji or idiom meanings, huh…first is, ‘hachiku no ikioi’ (literally, the force taken to split bamboo, idiomatically, an irresistible force).

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: To advance with fierce energy, right?

Jun: Pretty much the same thing as taking the national title, then!

Tetsu: Correct. Next. ‘Kouitten’ (literally, one red point, idiomatically, a woman that stands out from the crowd).

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: Takashima-sensei..? (Translator’s note: Something you want to tell us there, Tanba?)

Jun: No, more like one of the manager girls, surely?

Tetsu: Nope, those answers are no good. (he answers very matter-of-factly). Next. ‘Kendou juurai’ (Literally this one makes no sense, idiomatically to regroup to try again)

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: Finding the power to try again at something you already failed at once. To turn the tables back on a defeat!

Jun: Just you wait, Inajitsu! Next time we will DEFINITELY WIN!

Tetsu: Correct.

Tanba: You really know these answers well, Yuuki.

Jun: How did you learn them?

Tetsu: I didn’t do anything particularly special. I just watched a lot of TV dramas…and they naturally just stuck in my head.

Jun: That reminds me, you like Yorozuya Kinnosuke, don’t you? (Translator’s Note: A famous Japanese actor, who performed on both stage and screen).

Tanba: From watching period drama, huh…ah! But now we really need to get back to doing Modern Japanese!

The door of the room opens and Kataoka enters. Maybe Tanba’s sudden flurry back to study is because he sees the coach coming!

Kataoka: What’s that about Modern Japanese?

Jun: C…Coach!

Kataoka: What are you guys doing here this late at night? Don’t tell me you think you can overnight cram my class material, do you?

Jun: Of course not!

Tetsu: We were just making some final clarifications together.

Tanba has basically frozen like a statue and is making incoherent sounds.

Jun: Don’t freeze up, Tanba, say something!

Kataoka: The most important thing in studying is to build on it, day by day. You understand that, right?

The boys: Yes sir!

Kataoka: I believe you can apply the dedicated attitude you have towards baseball to the approach you take to your studies. I am expecting good results from you all.

Jun: Yes sir!

Kataoka: Mm! It will soon be the time to close up. Yuuki, hurry up and go home.

Tetsu: Yes sir!

Kataoka: Isashiki and Tanba, you should go get some sleep.

Jun and Tanba: Yes sir!

(he leaves).

Jun: Ah, that was a shock.

Tanba: My palms are sweating.

Tetsu: Tonight’s study group is disbanded then, I guess.

Tanba: The coach said he expects good results from us…what do you suppose that means?

Jun: Getting higher than the class average is probably not going to cut it.

Tetsu: He probably wants us to aim for the top rankings.

Tanba: What should we do…

Jun: No point in flapping about it! The exam is tomorrow. All we can do is take it on the best we can!

Tetsu: I don’t know about results, but if we leave our fortunes to heaven, we can do our best.

Tanba: Yes!

Tetsu: Tanba.

Tanba: ‘Ichikabachika’, right? (to sink or swim).

Tetsu: Tanba. You are correct.

Jun: You nailed it.

Tanba: Uh. But…that one isn’t on the syllabus.

Tetsu: What?!

[ukaiknowsbest]

Review: Tamayomi

[will contain spoilers]

Lately I have been pretty bored with the recent developments in Daiya no A and Oofuri. New Shonen anime stuff just don't appeal to me, so I bit the bullet and watched Tamayomi for at least one episode a day.

Like me, people would normally think "HOW TF ARE THEY GOING TO PLAY BASEBALL? AREN'T THEY WEARING SHORTS??? IS THIS JUST FANSERVICE?? OMYGOD"

But I did it. I watched the whole thing. 12 episodes.

And I enjoyed it.

THE SETUP/PLOT

pretty standard fare

Pitcher Yomi Takeda accidentally reunites with her childhood friend who's actually a nationals-level in middle school catcher when they both end up in the same highschool.

School: former powerhouse located in Saitama, now baseball club is almost non-existent. Yomi and a few other will try to revive the team from scratch.

Basically Shin Koshigaya is a brand new team where they struggle to look for new members and majority are first years.

They have to face other stronger teams even when they have a few members and some decent players.

Demographic is SEINEN (like oofuri, last inning, one outs, etc.)

CHARACTERS

Yomi Takeda as Main character and pitcher- skilled, resilient, funny, hardworking, does a lot of research which enabled her to perfect her form and hone her breaking ball. She keeps improving in a good pace too.

Tamaki Yamazaki former childhood friend of Yomi. Is a decent catcher in middle school. A bit well known. Good communicator.

Yoshino - team manager and coach. srsly she is a boss. She's not infallible but she tries her best.

and other decent players with adequate skill

For a sports anime they have decent cast. This is probably the closest we can currently get of a story where the girls are just focused on the sport, do their own strategizing/planning/training. All of them are cute but also serious about what they do.

There's no boys here so there's no talk about het-crushes and other distractions. It's a clamfest babyyyy.

I've seen a little of Major 2 (the one abt the son and his coed team) and I couldn't stand it because it was just slice of life in sportsy undertones.

There is also decent communication among all the players. It's pretty refreshing to watch. The catcher is well rounded and the pitcher is good. Everyone talk things out and there is not a lot of drama.

FANSERVICE

Wearing shorts to a sport that involves a lot of making contact with the ground is just illogical lmao.

Their school uniform skirt is pretty short

A little bit of their manager prodding the thighs of each person she meets but with good reason (she can tell how much muscle/exercise a person does just by a little prodding). It's a trope thing.

That's all. There are no panty shots, unnecessary locker room nudity, boob action, see through sweaty shirts. Most of the cringy things I've seen in other girls sports anime aren't present.

Eventually I even forget that they're wearing shorts or that it impedes their performance. It seems like it doesn't matter much to the characters so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't know if like the hugging or holding hands is considered fanservice. In my experiece we ladies just act like that irl. What they do is nothing out of the ordinary.

REALISM

3/5. They wear shorts and dont tie their hair up. The baseball part seem pretty decent though. The pacing of the story and matches was like watching IRL Koshien. It's all very clinical and straightforward.

Plus they include a lot of interesting baseball stuff which I haven't seen happen in early stages of other shonen anime like: specifically training the pitcher in other positions, showing what fielders yell to each other, letting other relievers start to reserve their ace (ppl can yell DnA did this but remember Tanba was injury boy throughout Act 1).

COMPARISON TO OTHER BASEBALL MANGA

based on technicality Tamayomi is prolly one of the top among baseball anime/manga I have seen.

Last Inning

Oofuri

Tamayomi

Daiya no A

Now don't chase me with pitchforks because of this ranking just yet. The fact that Shin Koshigaya coach's decisions and reasonings for plays and lineups are discussed makes the show at par with Last Inning and Oofuri. (we dont see DnA kataoka talk abt this sht like..ever)

Moreover Tamayomi has similar vibes to Oofuri/Big Windup but less dramatic. I do not think it's good for beginners too (especially with just 12 episodes). You need to have prior baseball knowledge to understand what the characters were doing.

However, this show is probably the most no-fuss baseball anime/manga I have watched. It does not rely on hype like DnA and it also don't have heavy topics like Oofuri and Last Inning. It's not wacky like One Outs and it's not uber slice of life like Cross Game. It's just baseball.

My minor complaint is that they don't give numbers when talking about things like pitching speed tho. It would've been more realistic if actual numbers were dropped XD

ART/ DESIGN/ANIMATION

A.k.a the thing most viewers complain about.

Character design is subpar. Everyone's faces are almost the same. You can tell who's the character not by face but by hair and height. Personally I don't mind this. I don't really look for realism in most things I watch. And I think the hair designs are cool.

Lots of people drop this show because of bad animation. There are shots/scenes where it's like I'm watching fanmade AMV's in nicovideo/youtube from the early 2000's. Pitching motions and Batting motions look like character movements in rpg games.

It's not really a problem for me though. I think it's charming for some reason. I don't mind it. A lot of people do but I'm not them.

CONCLUSION

NGL I wanted more. 12 episodes is too short. I hope a better animation company picks this up. I'm rewatching the whole thing because I enjoyed it a lot. I'll even check out the manga if I have time.

If anyone's interested here's my tamayomi livetweet thread

This is one of the closest thing I could get to what a decent girl sports anime looks like. If the character designs, art, animation and the uniforms were just better this show would have gone pretty far.

Compared to Shonen types of manga this was relaxing to watch, especially before bed. I'd honestly recommend it you wanna watch smth that doesnt involve a lot of feelings and drama but still feel like watching an actual sport.

Girls are fun. Finally.

[personal notes under the cut]

I get that people reading this would think I'm being too optimistic about a show they considered shtty but I kid you not, I dropped Bakuten (boys gymnastic's anime) coz even with it's wonderful animation i thought it was boring af.

I have dropped so many prettily animated shows coz i just cant get into the characters nor the story.

I've also said before in my Two Car review that I am actively avoiding shows with popular VA's. Idk much abt female VA's in anime, therefore watching Tamayomi was the perfect solution for me.

The reason I like tamayomi so much is that it gave me the same feeling of watching Summer Koshien 2021. I just think an anime that made me remember that kind of feeling was cool.

I'll rewatch hanebado next. wish me luck.

[getsuruito]

What’s your character’s greatest fear?

What bad habits do they have?

❥ CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONS

What’s your character’s greatest fear?

There aren't a whole lot of things, people, or concepts that Tanba fears, or is outright terrified of, but of those few things that do stand out and really make him go 😱 the idea of being struck down by Nobunaga again is definitely one of the biggest. Tanba isn't afraid of Nobunaga of course, quite the opposite actually, but they were the only person who was ever capable of totally defeating him in life, the only person who was capable of truly crushing his dreams, and while Tanba's ego is inflated to high hell and he's thoroughly convinced he's the most powerful person around, the possibility of history repeating itself when he does have his rematch with Nobunaga is something he's thought about on occasion and it has inspired a good deal of fear!!

What bad habits do they have?

Tanba has so many bad habits I'm not even sure I could properly list them all, BUT, ones that immediately come to mind;

- being a little too eager to murder people

- struggling with or being unable to handle problems in romantic relationships he happens to get into with people (which 9 times out of 10 ends up with him dipping on his partners-- the guy's been married and divorced NUMEROUS times bc of shit like this lmfaO)

- his inherently unhealthy ego and all the habits tied to it

- his self proclaimed pass-time of 'people watching' which a lot of times, with him, translates into him just straight up spying on people for no other reason than he finds it entertaining.

- he's really bad at the whole 'personal space' thing sometimes

- he can be an instigator in the sense that, he's good at getting people to start shit with each other, sometimes for truly manipulative ends but also sometimes because... he's bored and he wants to watch something entertaining go down (LMAO)

- he absolutely refuses to pay for anything with credit cards or money, he strictly pays for shit with pure gold bars/coins and nothing else. definitely a headache for cashiers in the modern age.

- he leaves the cap off the toopthpaste

- in keeping with his, 'doing awful shit just for entertainments sake' way of thinking, he's prone to pulling pranks on or just straight up screwing with people through the use of his ninja abilities or his hensojutsu noble phantasm.

- yeah i could keep going but JHSDGFSGHJDFGJH YOU GET HE GIST. HE'S GOT SOME BAD HABITS (LMAO) some worse than others.

[daiyadreamer]

Hello hello 🤗 I have returned to ask for more headcanons, this time for Kominato Ryousuke! Congratulations on your 100 followers! You totally deserve every single one 💙

Hello sir! (sorry I call everyone sir) It’s my favourite person! Thank you so much for your continued support! It means a lot! ♡＾▽＾♡

Some Kominato Ryousuke coming right up!

1. Ryousuke’s first thoughts upon seeing:a) Tetsu - Tall. Strong looking. I could still probably beat him in a fight.b) Jun - Angry and dramatic. Easy to rile up. Fun to tease already.c) Masuko - Big. Too shy to fight. Boring.d) Tanba - Weak. Shy. Stutter. Fun to tease.

2. Honestly like this kid. He loves horror movies, and enjoys inflicting the passion into EVerYoNe. How and where does he get these???

3. Is ready to fight 24/7, every day of the year.

4. He secretly likes to write confession notes to the team members signed as various girls, and savours the look on everyone’s faces when it turns out it’s fAKE. The only person he hasn’t done this to is Kuramochi and recently Tetsu, because really, Tetsu’s life is baseball and Jun.

5. Ryousuke is gayyyyyyyyyyy

6. Did I mention I love this kid? Kuramochi’s my fave, but damn if Ryousuke isn’t a close second.

7. This kid’s backpack is 93% pins. A few honourable mentions are:-a cheetah pin from mochi-a wooden bat pin from harucchi-a rice ball also from mochi

8. Ryou lives for aesthetic things. His favourite colour is a pine green (which may or may not be the same shade as mochi’s hair)

9. He loves aesthetic photographs the most. Mochi gave him a baseball aesthetic board and he was Sold™೭੧(❛〜❛✿)੭೨

10. He is ruthless when it comes to pointing out others mistakes

11. He gets jealous really easily

12. If it’s for a dare, he’ll do anything

13. ANYTHING

14. He’s honestly a mess, his room looks like a whirlwind. He can’t clean to save his life

15. He nearly cried when Jun sent him a picture of a cat with its paw on Mochi’s nose

17. His hobby is teasing Jun about his crush on Tetsu

18. Jun gets him back by getting really close to Kuramochi, especially when helping out with baseball

19. Ryousuke has a hard time not scowling and destroying Jun, and he thinks he’s being discreet but. He has his death glare on.

20. One time Mochi got sick and the second string shortstop had to pair up with Ryou. It was a horrible day and Ryou was 10 times worse to everyone (especially the shortstop)

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 2/12/18

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 8 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – After a great deal of effort, Tanba shows himself to be in excellent shape for Koshien. This, plus the trust his teammates have in him, makes it even more devastating when he’s hit by a ball in a practice game right before the tournament begins, fracturing his jaw. He’ll be able to return by the quarter-finals, but meanwhile it’s up to the younger pitchers to keep things together until then. I’m a sucker for a good training montage, so enjoyed Chris drilling Furuya and Sawamura on their control and defensive fielding skills. The coach has some nice moments where he shows appreciation for both the team and the female managers, and it’s also satisfying to watch Seido crush their first-round opponents. In fact, this is quite a satisfying volume all around, aside from a couple of grammatical errors in the translation. – Michelle Smith

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 2 | By Ukami |Yen Press – There’s very little actual forward plot here—the series runs on its gags, so mostly what changes is the situation. We see the girls going to the beach; the story of how Gabriel and Vignette first met; the absolute ludicrousness that is Satanya buying a gun (no, not a real gun); Halloween costumes; and the class president, who is 100% human and a bit horrified by the out-of-context dialogue between the class angel and devil. Of course, the question here is “does it work? Is it funny?”, and the answer is yes, this is still funny. Raphael and her trolling continues to be my favorite, though we do see she does have one weakness. If you like light fluffiness and laughs, this is an excellent series to pick up. – Sean Gaffney

I Hear the Sunspot: Theory of Happiness | By Yuki Fumino | One Peace Books – One of the debut manga from last year that left the greatest impression on me was the deceptively quiet I Hear the Sunspot, so I was very happy to discover that it had a sequel, Theory of Happiness, that would also be translated. While ostensibly a boys’ love manga, the beautifully nuanced, evolving relationship between the series’ two leads—Taichi and Kohei—is rarely at the forefront of the story. Even so, it remains an essential underlying component constant to both the narrative and its characters. Theory of Happiness also introduces Maya who, like Kohei, has partial hearing loss, but whose experiences and perspectives are uniquely her own. As was the case with the first volume, Theory of Happiness is an exceptionally lovely and thoughtful manga with marvelous characterization. Apparently there is at least one more volume in the series; I hope to see it released in English, too. – Ash Brown

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 28 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The war ended up being a bit of an anticlimax, mostly as we find out late in the volume that Harukyuu had a ringer from the start who was going to make the outcome obvious. I continue to wonder if Sinbad is going to end up being the major antagonist of the series, but I suspect that may have to wait till Alibaba’s return. Which isn’t happening just yet, though his chibi-doll form is certainly proving more mature than the petulant Judar. As for the war itself, I definitely enjoyed the character development for Kogyoku, who is forced to fight and kill in order to protect those closest to her and make sure they don’t lose themselves. It’s a big step forward for the former petulant princess. As for Aladdin… he’s still a bit lost. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Murcielago, Vol. 5 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – Kuroko may be the star of the series, and she’s very good at being clever and solving the problems the police give her, but she is an absolutely horrible, despicable person. The only reason we read this series is because her over-the-top horribleness is so hilarious—when she sets out to seduce the mother of the missing nine-year-old girl who’s been captured by a serial child killer, your jaw wants to drop but you can only laugh. I actually wondered why we never got a follow through on it, but given the volume starts with Kuroko in bed with the victim from volume four, I may simply have to wait patiently. This is not a series for the timid—the graphic child strangulation is as bad as it sounds—but oh my god, it’s fun if you have a certain twisted mindset. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 11 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – The grimness of this arc doesn’t let up—Bakugo is rescued, but the sacrifices are significant. I appreciated their teacher explaining that if they weren’t in a very unusual situation right now, he would have expelled the entire class except for those kidnapped and/or injured. Being a hero means following the rules—that’s why they aren’t vigilantes. (No, I haven’t read the side series yet.) We also get some home visits to the class’s parents, which range from hilarious (Bakugo) to dramatic (Izuku) to rather sweet (Kyoka). Next time we should get preparation for provisional hero licenses. In the meantime, enjoy the best thing about the volume, which I never mentioned: the epic All-Might fight in the first half. (OK, yes, and the new dorm chapters.) Top-drawer Jump. – Sean Gaffney

No Game No Life, Please!, Vol. 3 | By Kazuya Yuizaki and Yuu Kamiya | Yen Press -The laughable schedule of the NGNL novels, which have been delayed so often that people now simply roll their eyes, means that this third volume of the spinoff introduces characters from novels which aren’t out yet, and expects the reader to be familiar with them. That said, hardcore NGNL fans are famous for boycotting the Yen Press novels anyway, and are likely getting this solely for the laughs and the fanservice. There’s plenty of both, so they should feel at ease. We do see a bit of the point of this series, which is trying to give Izuna more experience. But for the most part it’s a goofy spinoff manga, not to be taken seriously and meant to be forgotten after it’s read. It does what it wants to. – Sean Gaffney

Orange Junk, Vol. 3 | By Heldrad | Chromatic Press – Oft described as a love letter to shoujo manga, Heldrad’s ongoing webcomic Orange Junk is a wonderfully energetic and addictive series. The third volume sees the conclusion of the male modeling competition which Bruce initially entered in an attempt to pay his mother’s hospital bills. Miles, the son of the man who financially ruined Louise’s family, unexpectedly turns out to be Bruce’s rival in the contest as well as in love. Louise, of course, remains rather oblivious to that particular fact; she hasn’t realized that Bruce has romantic feelings for her and the grudge she holds against Miles and his family overshadows most everything else. Orange Junk is intentionally ridiculous and melodramatic with explosive chemistry and surprising friendships among the increasingly large cast of strong personalities. While it isn’t exactly a parody, the series is most definitely a comedy, and a highly entertaining and legitimately funny one at that. – Ash Brown

Plum Crazy! Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat, Vol. 4| By Natsumi Hoshino | Seven Seas – You’d think that I, a fervent cat lover, would adore Plum Crazy!, but sadly that is proving not to be the case. Maybe the problem is that I love cats for how they actually are, but that the cats in Plum Crazy! are given so much inner dialogue and human motivation that they hardly feel like cats anymore. They exchange Christmas gifts, for example, and there’s a running gag (I use the term loosely) where Plum is concerned about the environment. Occasionally there are some cat-like behaviors, like Plum getting stuck above the ceiling (this really happened to a cat of mine!) and Snowball’s search for a snuggly sleeping spot, but they’re just not enough to make up for the rest (and it bugs me that nobody tries to correct Snowball’s bad behavior). Alas, I think I might be dropping this series. – Michelle Smith

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 2 | By Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu | VIZ Media – After a fantastic and surprising first volume, I have no excuse for being taken completely unawares by the big reveal in this volume, and yet I was. The nuanced way Norman managed to turn this information into an advantage was well handled, and boy, do I have sympathy for his position going forward. Meanwhile, a game of tag with Krone reveals it’s not impossible to get the jump on her, and the three leads decide to bring the next oldest pair (Don and Gilda) into the loop. The thing is… they don’t tell them the whole truth, and I’m sure this is going to come back to bite them, especially since Don is potentially about to discover it on his own by snooping in Mom’s secret room. What a cliffhanger! – Michelle Smith

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 9 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – STILL no amazing breakthrough, though it’s hinted we may FINALLY see it next time. Instead we mercifully get a bit less of Tatara and Chinatsu torturing themselves and more perspective from the rest of the cast, who can’t take their eyes away from this train wreck. We also see the return of Chinatsu’s rival Akira, who gets a flashback which shows, unsurprisingly, that her attitude stems from a severe case of hero worship gone wrong. (It could also be read as sort of yuri if you want to, but I suspect that’s not what the author has in mind.) There’s also a lot of dramatic dancing here, with lots of the art that is probably the best reason to read this title. I’m still reading it, but mother of God, END THIS ARC! – Sean Gaffney

By: Michelle Smith