#Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai

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Light Novel Club Chapter 35: Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai

After several months, the Light Novel Club reconvenes!

Apologies for our long absence. We indeed have been reading and discussing (if just a bit behind and with a break as well), but haven’t posted our discussions. We’ll be catching up over the next few weeks and introducing a different direction our club will take—something to anticipate!

But for now, we’re diving into the second volume of the Rascal Does Not Dream… light novel series, Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai. Enjoy the discussion below based on questions from our light novel prez, stardf29, and look forward to our next one, over The NPCs in This Village Sim Game Must Be Real, Vol. 1!

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Q1: What are your overall thoughts on the novel?

stardf29: Ah, the classic time-loop storyline. Though time didn’t loop all that many times, all things considered, and it was focused more on the why someone wants to turn back time and how that is worked through. Overall I thought this was a good follow-up to the first volume, allowing Sakuta to deal with a different form of Adolescence Syndrome while interacting with a different focus girl. In that way it definitely has a structural similarity to the Monogatari series, which isn’t a bad thing in my book, and the story itself works well in its own regard too.

Twwk: During our last discussion, I was the Negative Nancy, giving reasons why I was up and down about volume one. But I thoroughly enjoyed reading volume two, which stayed away from what I saw as some of the weak points of the initial release, while creating a surprisingly compelling story. Petite Devil Kohai is a fun and thoughtful read.

Jeskai Angel: To large degree, this volume is “more of the same” as vol. 1, high school romantic comedy with paranormal mystery elements, plus tons of witty dialogue and a lot of heart. In the original anime, this was my least favorite arc, and while I still can’t say I’m a huge fan, I actually think the novel pulls it off more plausibly than I recall the anime doing.

Q2: What do you think of the characters?

Jeskai Angel: Umm…they’re all good? Sakuta remains (often awkwardly) honest and open, but also surprisingly perceptive and impressively compassionate. That said… In this volume, both Mai and Rio call out Sakuta for the Tomoe charade by pointing out how out of character it is for him to engage in such a deception. If multiple characters within the story call out the protagonist for acting of character, shouldn’t that maybe be a warning sign to the author to reconsider whether this is really the best way to tell the story?

It’s totally in character for him to want to help Tomoe. It’s also fine for characters to make bad choices–but their failings or unwise decisions should make sense in character. The way Sakuta goes about helping Tomoe just feels too jarring. I think the novel handled the justifications better than the anime did, but I’m still not convinced it actually makes sense for him to act as he does.

Mai is great; I think perhaps the most shocking part of the story is the way she agrees to put up with the Tomoe charade. That, more than anything, reveals how much she trusts and cares about Sakuta. I also loved how she brought new clothes for Kaede; she tries to play the ice queen role, but her real kindness shines through.

Kaede and Rio are still kind of side characters, but both are prominent enough to hint that they will be significant in the future (especially Kaede, with Sakuta’s ongoing investigation and efforts to help her). Rio was quite funny, with some really great retorts to Sakuta’s silliness that wouldn’t make sense coming from anyone else; she’s also pretty insightful, showing a good grasp of what’s really going on with the Tomoe charade even without being told.

Tomoe is one those “I can’t believe I don’t hate her more” characters one sometimes encounters. I feel like she’s the sort of character I’d expect myself to dislike, but she’s just too real, and goodhearted, to really feel that badly about. She’s also the character with the most development in this volume, and character growth is always great. Whatever her flaws, she is visibly making progress and trying to improve.

stardf29: Tomoe is definitely the highlight character here, and she has the challenging prospect of being a “love interest” that has no realistic chance of actually ending up with the protagonist, which is why it’s a good thing she has her own troubles to deal with beyond her romantic feelings. I will look more at that in a later question, but for now she’s overall a great character and I’m glad she was able to come to terms with her feelings and still have her “place”. Sakuta continues to be a good mix of cheeky and thoughtful. His way of defending Tomoe was amusing, and definitely brave on his part, though I suppose the fact that he figures he has nothing to lose socially as it is helps. Mai, meanwhile, is nicely understanding of Sakuta’s whole fake-dating event, when I certainly wouldn’t blame her for not wanting to understand.

Twwk: I enjoyed getting to know the characters better through this volume. Although sleepminusminus wasn’t real high on some of Sakuta’s actions toward Tomoe, and I tend to agree in some ways, I still definitely admire his courage at the train station (the anime version is a favorite scene for me). Mai was great—no surprise. But what surprised me was how much I appreciated Tomoe’s character. She could easily come across as obnoxious and spoiled, but I thought she was written as well—compassionate, open, and earnest.

Q3: What do you make of Tomoe’s feelings about being afraid of losing her “place” in her social group and how she acts because of it?

Twwk: I kind of went back and forth with it, and reached a far different conclusion than that with which I started. It felt quite superficial at first, a bit like the author was digging for something that didn’t really ring as authentic. And maybe he was—I’m very up and down about the quality of this series—but the issue felt more and more genuine to me the further I read. There’s an intense pressure on kids, of course, to fit in. And with social media now a part of teenage existence, I have no problem buying that this pressure may be higher than ever, and it also feels very plausible that it’s a minute by minute kind of thing, as demonstrated about Tomoe’s worries about responding immediately.

Jeskai Angel: Feelings are always real, but the thoughts that generate them, or are generated by them, are not necessarily valid. So, for example, someone diagnosed with an anxiety disorder experiences painfully real distress when their anxiety is triggered…but that anxiety is not actually based on any objectively valid threat (I mean, if it were, then it would just be natural fear, not an anxiety disorder). With that in mind, I think the novel actually does a pretty good job of balancing the validity of Tomoe’s feels against unreasonable social system and superficial relationships she’s focused on. No matter how irrational the world of high school girl cliques may be, what Tomoe feels is real, and Sakuta acknowledges that. It’s precisely because of the validity of her feelings that he can see her as a parallel to Kaede. That said, how she acts because of those feelings is really messed up. There’s no excuse for asking someone else’s boyfriend to pretend to be your boyfriend for three weeks in order to deceive the entire school.

stardf29: At the most basic level, her need of having a “place” to belong is very normal. Unfortunately, between her immature view of where that “place” should be and the unfortunate reality of high school cliques, she ends up trying to do this whole “fake boyfriend” ploy. I definitely agree that this is a case where I can sympathize with Tomoe despite not agreeing with what she did, because it’s pretty clear that she’s still growing. I also like how her character takes a look at the classic “popular girl” and the internal struggles she goes through to stay relevant to her social group. On a side note, I feel like “disagreeing with their actions but sympathizing with them because they’re immature teenagers” is part of the appeal of all these high school anime/manga/light novels…

Q4: Do you think it would ever be okay in real life to start a “fake” romantic relationship with someone?

Twwk: I’m willing to open myself to some exception to the rule, but I’d have a hard time finding or thinking of one. It was hard for me to even accept it while reading. When you read through material, and it takes longer than an anime and delves more deeply into character’s motivations and thoughts (usually) than in animation, you also consider more and more the situation at hand. Thus, I don’t think it bothered me so much while watching the anime—I just could join in the fun of it. But while reading, I kept thinking about how this A) isn’t really good for Tomoe and B) this really really isn’t good for Mai.

It’s funny—and I think this is flaw of the series—that it makes so much of how famous Mai is, but really doesn’t lay out the impact of her relationship ending with Sakuta and then magically picking up again months later, which in a rumor-filled world would make her look desperate. Mai needs Sakuta’s support (having her be away at a shoot just seems way too convenient and, if applied to real life, doesn’t make it any easier to know your beloved is asking lovey-dovey with someone else), and they should be progressing. So the light novel, as fictional as it is, just couldn’t help but make me think of real life as I read it, and how damaging such a fake relationship could be.

Jeskai Angel: Uh…no? At least not in practical terms. I mean, there’s probably some kind of super niche exception out there that only God knows (maybe something sort of like the spies Joshua sent to Jericho visiting the house of Rahab the prostitute to hid?), but it’s highly unlikely any of us will come within light years of such a situation. It’s unreasonable and wrong for Tomoe to ask Sakuta to do this, and it’s unreasonable and wrong (and out of character!) that Sakuta goes along with it, and the same would be true for you or me. This was my least favorite arc of the anime because of how wrong it all felt, in both a literary and a moral sense.

Twwk: No excuse except that she’s 16? I mean, that’s generally what leads me to accept her actions here, as immature as they are, because she’s just a kid. I was a pretty immature 16-year-old, moreso than Tomoe and with fewer morals—so while I likewise manipulated people to my own ends and deceived them, I know I’d also try to get away with everything she’s attempting to if I had stumbled upon adolescence syndrome.

Jeskai Angel: To clarify what I meant about there being no excuse for what Tomoe does… On the one hand, Tomoe’s immaturity doesn’t make what she does any more morally acceptable. On the other hand, recognizing her immaturity should make us more sympathetic and help us temper our judgment of her as a person. It’s just that showing mercy to Tomoe the person isn’t the same thing as saying what she does is remotely defensible.

stardf29: Fake relationships is one of those tropes which we can be amused with in fiction, but are a terrible idea in reality. Overall, I definitely feel it is wrong because it is ultimately a type of deception, and one that can ultimately harm people in significant ways. I feel like the only time it might be acceptable is some kind of ridiculous life-threatening situation where either you fake a relationship or you die for some reason, and this story definitely isn’t that kind of situation. (Though perhaps in Tomoe’s mind, it does feel like she would “die” socially otherwise, but again, that’s her teenage immaturity.)

I like TWWK’s note about how in reality, such a relationship would be awfully damaging. As I mentioned earlier, Mai was very gracious in allowing Sakuta to do what he did; I absolutely would not have blamed her if she just wanted nothing to do with him after that. I guess it’s a good thing that the time loop ultimately erased the whole thing in the memory of anyone other than Tomoe and Sakuta, so we don’t have to see what kind of consequences that would have. In a way, it’s the ultimate sign of Tomoe’s growth that she ultimately chooses a timeline where she doesn’t feel like she has to fake a relationship.

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Thanks for joining us for this discussion! We’ll be following up with a couple others in the near future, and then big news about the Light Novel Club! Until then, keep reading, dear readers!

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What I think was the rest of the general expectations

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Yen Press Announces New Manga and Light Novel Releases for August 2020

Yen Press Announces New Manga and Light Novel Releases for August 2020

Yen Press has announced its new manga and light novel releases for August 2020.

Fiancé of the Wizard Volume 1 by Syuri Nakamura, artwork by Masaki Kazuka Available August 25, 2020

Went looking for magic but found love instead…

Filimena via Adina, daughter of nobility, awakens one day with the realization that she had been reborn into a world of sorcery and given a second chance at life. In her…

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Check out Rascal does not drea… on Mercari!

Check out what I just listed on Mercari. Tap the link to sign up and get up to $30 off. https://merc.li/4Dz9gwbfb

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Yen Press Announces New Manga and Light Novels for August

Yen Press Announces New Manga and Light Novels for August #manga

Fiancé of the Wizard, Vol. 1

By Syuri Nakamura, Artwork by Masaki Kazuka · Available August 25, 2020

Went looking for magic but found love instead…

Filimena via Adina, daughter of nobility, awakens one day with the realization that she had been reborn into a world of sorcery and given a second chance at life. In her new country full of heroes, she expects this means she’s a chosen one,…

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J-POP Manga e Edizioni BD: tutte le uscite di novembre 2021

In arrivo i cofanetti di Bunny Girl Senpai, Gekiman e il volume finale di Hell’s Paradise.

Di seguito tutte le novità targate Edizioni BD e J-POP Manga che potremo trovare in fumetteria e negli store online a partire da questo mese di novembre, che trovate più in dettaglio anche sul Direct 87.

4 NOVEMBRE

Dal 4 novembre saranno disponibili molte tra le novità più attese! BJ Alex di Mingwa, disponibile in un esclusivo cofanetto da collezione contenente i primi due volumi dell’opera e racconta la storia del timido Dong-Gyun che trascorre le sue serate guardando le dirette sexy di BJ Alex, lo streamer mascherato che lo sta facendo impazzire. Sarà inoltre disponibile il romanzo da cui è tratto l'adattamento manga e il film di animazione Josée la tigre e i pesci. Scritto da Seiko Tanabe, il volume racchiude un'antologia di nove splendidi racconti.

Continuano anche Hanako-kun, I 7 miseri dell'Accademia Kamome 13 e Jealousy 02.

Per Edizioni BD sarà disponibile Black Rock di Dario Sicchio e Jacopo Vanni, un teso western fuori dagli schemi e con tinte sovrannaturali nato per il mondo dei webcomics e finalmente adattato in formato cartaceo. Gli Squalificati, di Delia Parise, l'opera vincitrice dell'ultima edizione del Lucca Project Contest 2020, il più prestigioso concorso italiano per giovani talenti della nona arte! Ed infine il volume conclusivo della saga di Cullen Bunn, Dark Ark 04 - Dopo il diluvio.

10 NOVEMBRE 

Il 10 novembre arriva il nuovo titolo del maestro del gekiga Kazuo Kamimura che, insieme al famoso autore televisivo Yu Aku, ha creato Cannibale, uno straordinario inedito, un’opera spietata sul desiderio di celebrità e sul mondo dello spettacolo. La storia di una giovane ragazza disposta a tutto pur di diventare la nuova stella dello spettacolo. Sarà inoltre disponibile your name. – Official Visual Guide Book, l'anime di Makoto Shinkai che ha conquistato i botteghini di tutto il mondo, si svela in questa vera e propria guida illustrata: studi dei personaggi e delle ambientazioni, sketch e storyboard, segreti del dietro le quinte e interviste allo staff.

Per Edizioni BD arriva Tristerio e Vanglorio, opera di Federico Fabbri e Francesco Catelani in cui due cavalieri sgangherati alle prese con pericoli clamorosamente aldilà della loro portata. Il giusto mix di underground e comicità, impreziosito da eleganti e mature influenze retro-pop. Dalla penna di Roberto Recchioni, uno degli autori italiani contemporanei più conosciuti, arriva Cane Grinta, un’autoritratto d’autore visto dagli occhi di un cane fifone, disponibile in fumetteria anche nell’edizione deluxe a tiratura limitata.

Continuano Beyond the Clouds 03, Black Jack 04, Game of Familia 04 e La finestra di Orfeo 05.

17 NOVEMBRE 

Per J-POP manga, arriva il 17 novembre l’attesissimo Rascal does not dream of Bunny Girl Senpai, in un esclusivo cofanetto da collezione in cui sono inclusi i 2 volumi che comprendono il seguito: Rascal does not dream of Petit Devil Kohai. L’opera ha ispirato l’anime di successo dello studio CLOVERWORKS (Horimiya, Shadows House, The Promised Neverland)! Un racconto irresistibile in due miniserie complete, raccolte in un unico cofanetto per essere godute tutte d'un fiato.

Arriva inoltre l’opera che racconta la genesi di una delle pietre miliari del manga d’ogni tempo, Devilman, in un racconto a fumetti del mitico Go Nagai! In Gekiman, disponibile in un cofanetto comprensivo di 3 volumi in cui l’autore racconta la sua storia, riadattata, seguendo le vicissitudini di Geki Nagai. Tra aneddoti personali, professionali e una reinterpretazione moderna dello stesso Devilman. Sarà inoltre disponibile Dust 8, un nuovo volume unico della Osamushi Collection: durante il tragitto, un aereo attraversa in qualche modo il mondo degli spiriti e lì precipita, schiantandosi sulla "Montagna della vita". L'impatto frantuma la roccia magica del monte e ne proietta le schegge nei corpi di otto passeggeri...

Continuano Caste Heaven 07, BJ Alex 01, I diari della speziale 04, Kingdom 49, Kowloon Generic Romance 02, Land of the Lustrous 10, So, I’m a spider so what? 09, Tsugumi Project 03.

24 NOVEMBRE 

Il 24 novembre saranno disponibili ben due edizioni speciali: Blue Period 08, l’opera di successo di Tsubasa Yamaguchi, di cui ora è disponibile l’anime su Netflix, avrà in allegato un artbook esclusivo con le illustrazioni inedite dell’autrice.

Hell’s Paradise - Jigokuraku 13, volume conclusivo della serie action di Yuji Kaku, sarà disponibile con un esclusivo shikishi, in allegato alla prima tiratura dell’ultimo volume dell’opera.

Per gli amanti dello yaoi, arriva Fukurokoji – Vicolo Cieco di Tamekou, autrice di The Dream of Cuckoos e A lotus flower in the mud. Nazuna è sempre stato innamorato di Takumi, il fidanzato della sua sorella gemella. Dopo l’improvvisa morte in un incidente della ragazza, i due uomini iniziano una relazione, basata sull’incredibile somiglianza del volto di Nazuna con quello della sorella. Ciò che è nato dal profondo dolore per un lutto potrà diventare vero amore, o rimarrà un disperato tentativo di negare la tragedia di una vita spezzata?

Continuano anche: Bunny Girl Senpai 01, Frieren – Oltre la fine del viaggio 02, Il Terzo Occhio 02, Komi can’t communicate 12, Super HxEros 09, Tokyo Revengers 09 e Zombie 100 05.

RISTAMPE:

Game of Familia 02

The Promised Neverland 04, 05 e 06

Tokyo Revengers 04 e 05

Zombie 100 – 01

Golden Gai - Le notti di Tokyo

I Fiori del Male

Una gru infreddolita

Showa 01

La Regina d’Egitto - L’occhio azzurro di Horus 01, 02, 03 e 04

HoriMiya 16 (SPECIAL EDITION)

Non tormentarmi, Nagatoro! 02

Ten Count 01, 02, 03, 04 e 06

KILLING STALKING STAG. III - 04 – con box vuoto in allegato

KILLING STALKING STAG. III - 05 – con box vuoto in allegato

* NON VUOI PERDERTI NEANCHE UN POST? ENTRA NEL CANALE TELEGRAM! *

Autore: SilenziO)))

[FONTE]

[afkmanga]

[ Nouveautés Arrivés en Retard ] . . ▪︎Made In Abyss Anthology ▪︎Mai Ball Tome 8 ▪︎Ultramarine Magmell Tome 5 ▪︎Rascal Does Not Dream Of Little Devil Kohai Tome 1 ▪︎Asadora Tome 2 ▪︎Bloom Into You Tome 5 ▪︎Smokin' Parade Tome 7 ▪︎Versailles of the Dead Tome 3 ▪︎Fire Firce Tome 14 ▪︎5 Minutes Forward Tome 2 ▪︎Love, Be Loved, Leave, Be Left Tome 10 ▪︎Koro Quest ! Tome 5 ▪︎Un Petit Ami Trop Parfait ? Tome 3 ▪︎Gintama Tome 61 . Disponible dans votre Librairie ⛩ @afkmanga ⛩ . @editions_kana_officiel @ototoeditions . #manga #anime #librairie #librairiemanga #librairienice #niceshopping #nicetourisme #nice06 #nicefrance #niceville #cannes #cannesfrance #cagnessurmer #saintlaurentduvar #antibes #menton #monaco #frejus #instamanga #mangastagram #instalibrary #japon (à AFK Manga) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB2dKjkAFaV/?igshid=1ecueul0djr5m

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Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai

By Hajime Kamoshida and Keji Mizoguchi. Released in Japan as “Seishun Buta Yarou wa Chibi Devil Kohai no Yume wo Minai” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

This book had several hills to climb in order to win me over, to be honest. I enjoyed the romance in the first volume, and was not fond of it being torpedoed right off the bat in the cliffhanger. The heroine of this book, Tomoe, did not make all that good an impression on me in the first one. Time loop stories make me vaguely uncomfortable, hitting a certain level of “I get embarrassed reading this” in me. And fake dating stories also rub me the wrong way in actual books, though oddly I’m fine with it in fanfiction, mostly as it almost always leads to real dating. That said, it’s a testament to the writing skill of the author that I was able to enjoy the book regardless, and most of my objections stated above were put to rest fairly easily. (The one heroine per book thing is something I fear I will have to get used to.)

The time loop is helped by it only being relevant at the start and end of the book. Sakuta is caught in a loop of the same day… for three days, and then, when it breaks, he’s basically in the worst possible situation. This is due to the heroine of this book, Tomoe, who is not a literal devil but is a stand in for “Laplace’s Demon”. We saw her in book one kicking Sakuta’s butt (and getting kicked in the butt in return, something that Sakuta, being who he is, brings up over and over again in this book), and now she has a problem, one that she tried to get Sakuta to help with once the time loop breaks. In order to fend off the attention of another guy, they have to pretend to date for the rest of the semester. Of course, Sakuta is in love with Mai, which makes things just a bit difficult. And that’s not even getting into Tomoe hitting the “fanfiction” part of the trope and wanting to turn her fake dating real.

As with the first book, the main reason to read the series is Sakuta, who is both a very nice , upstanding guy and a completely terrible lech who just has no filter at all. This book provides a different heroine to react to this, and while Mai was basically doing her best Senjogahara impersonation, Tomoe is the sort of blush, stomp her feet and say “Geez!” at his antics. Tomoe is far more likeable in this book when she gets the entire novel to sell herself, and I really enjoyed her backstory, which also tied into the reason why Sakuta, who is still trying to tell Mai he loves her, agrees to do this at all. There are hints of future plot developments – the third book seems to feature Rio, and there’s some setup for that here, namely her not-so-hidden crush on her friend Yuuma, and there’s another shocking cliffhanger ending that will no doubt play out in future books somehow. And there’s a lot of fun humor, mostly because Sakuta exists.

To sum up, I was wary of this book, but it ended up being a lot of fun. I am definitely getting the next in the series.

By: Sean Gaffney

[kursed-arcana]

Check out Rascal does not drea… on Mercari!

Check out what I just listed on Mercari. Tap the link to sign up and get up to $30 off. https://merc.li/C6kW8UkTb

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Reader’s Corner: Springtime Window, Boys Run the Riot, and A Sign of Affection

A Sign of Affection, Vol. 2

Volume one of A Sign of Affection was a manga I had on pre-order a full year before it released, and I instantly hit the preorder button whenever a new volume becomes available. No surprise then that I stopped everything to read volume two when it arrived, and it did not disappoint. It’s every bit as good volume one, and perhaps better. My heart was so giddy and happy when I finished because Yuki is such a brave and courageous woman and was really moved at how she is able to share her feelings so openly. And Itsuomi! He treats her so well, and so respectfully! I am very much appreciating this very sweet, slow burn romance, though I am eager to witness it fully unfold, especially after seeing both these characters open up to one another. Volume two shows more of Yuki’s hope concerning her friendship with Itsuomi, as well as more about Itsuomi’s dream, along with the lingering concern, first voiced by another character, about whether Yuki can fit into it. And just as Yuki feels her time spent with Itusomi is so short, I can’t help but feel the same way. I’m desperate for the third volume because the ending was such a cliffhanger! But not only that—I just love the sweetness of this story and this beautiful romance. I highly recommend this josei series! ~ Laura A. Grace

A Sign of Affection is published by Kodansha Comics.

Stitch and Samurai, Volume 1

Stitch & Samurai asks a very important question: Can the premise of Lilo & Stitch titulor alien crash landing in feudal Japan and being found by an aggressive warlord carry an entire manga series? Turns out, the answer is yes, yes it can. This first volume opens with Lord Yamato preparing to burn an entire village down as a way of spreading his authority. Then he sees something crash into the ground. It’s a rocket, holding Stitch. The “blue racoon,” as Stitch is called, causes Yamato to totally lose focus on the war efforts and instead shift them toward trying to befriend Stitch. It’s ridiculous in the best possible way. Also, the artist approached this work by doing a combination of a more traditional and realistic manga-style artwork for the Japanese cast contrasted with the American cartoon look of Stitch. It works beautifully. The first volume was a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing where this ridiculous concept goes next. ~ MDMRN

Stitch & Samurai is published by TOKYOPOP.*

Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai (Rascal Series, Vol. 2)

Despite its focus shifting from “bunny girl senpai” to “petite devil kohai,” and thus severely lacking in the rapid fire exchange between Sakuta and Mai that made volume one so much fun, Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai is a vast improvement on its predecessor. Author Hajime Kamoshida’s habit of not letting the story unfold in a natural way, but forcing it to go where he wants and then quickly trying to explain the rational when certain situations don’t add up, returns but in far fewer instances. Although the plot seems as complex as that in volume one—Sakuta and Tomoe, the kohai with whom he exchanged butt kicks in volume one, are trapped in a time loop in which they pretend to be a dating couple to avoid the latter being ostracized by her friends—there are actually far fewer complications with this sci-fi device and thus a smoother plot overall. Buffeted by the endearing personalities of the central “couple,” as well as final chapters that take the story in an interesting and unexpected direction, Petite Devil Kohai is a triumph, an entry that is compelling from start to finish and, after the inconsistencies of Bunny Girl Senpai, an encouraging sign for the future of the series. ~ Twwk

Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai is published by Yen Press.*

Springtime by the Window, Vol. 1

Volume one of Springtime by the Window is nothing but warm, fuzzy feelings—namely, the lovey dovey kind. Cool and popular Yamada is in love with his childhood friend, Seno, while Yamada’s friends, Akama and Toda, appear to have feelings for one another as well. Originally posted as tweets by the artist, the volume has a social media or webcomic feel to it, featuring short chapters with miniature payoffs as they depict school life and place the would-be couples in situations that push them nearer and nearer to admitting their feelings. I do think this series would probably best be enjoyed in such short bursts, but I admit, I found myself reading quickly through the volume, like an elementary-aged child tearing through an entire bag of candy, making a meal on food that’s quite lacking in nutritional value, which in manga terms, comes across somewhat in story but more profoundly in the almost-novice and inconsistent art. But also like said kid, I was too hopped up on the sweetness to really care. ~ Twwk

Springtime by the Window is published by Tokyopop.*

Boys Run the Riot, Vol. 1

Based purely on the concept of the openly transgender mangaka Keito Gaku developing a manga featuring a transgender and LBGTQ+ lead discovering his voice while entering the world of street fashion, Boys Run the Riot would demand attention. But this series isn’t satisfied with staying within the confines of that premise, as complex as that lane by itself would be. Instead, Gaku is weaving a tale of young character who are trying to find out and be comfortable with who they are, despite the sacrifice and cost that comes with doing so, as represented in this volume through Ryo, who is facing gender dysphoria while being surrounded by fellow students and teachers who, whether entirely real or imagined, don’t care about his struggles; Jin, the transfer student, held a year back and seen as a delinquent, and who finds a kindred soul in Ryo as one who shares his eye for fashion, quickly enlisting him as a partner in starting a brand; and most surprisingly, several others in more subtle situations who are likewise trying to find their own way in an unforgiving world. What results is a powerful and human look at the complications for those working through issues of gender identity and a host of other identifying traits about themselves in a cultures that impresses normalcy on them, and how they learn to fight back by being themselves. This is a moving and significant work. ~ Twwk

Boys Run the Riot is published by Kodansha.*

The Treasure of the King and the Cat

The Treasure of the King and the Cat is a TokyoPop collection of two stories (and a set of small postlude vignettes) about the half-elf wizard O’Feuille and Prince Volks, the twin brother of King Castio, saving various people. The first story revolves around a young boy whose mother is ill while also conducting some world building about the inherent magical nature of half-elves in this world setting. The second leads more into the main plot about people disappearing and cats turning up all around town. This is advertised as a Boys Love (BL) manga as there’s heavy homosexual overtones, though everything is winked and nodded at with no actual relationships developing. Volks’ huge crush on O’Feuille is played up a lot with the king and his humble servant implied a lot as well, but again, no development beyond that, There’s a kingdom of missing people to deal with, after all! As you can tell, the story is silly and simple, a read without much distinction, but it does make one think about the nature of what it is you genuinely treasure. ~ MDMRN

The Treasure of the King and the Cat is published by TOKYOPOP.*

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Reader’s Corner is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works their reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works and older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.

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Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai (manga) (Rascal Does Not Dream (manga), 2)Paperback – December 15, 2020

Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kohai (manga) (Rascal Does Not Dream (manga), 2)Paperback – December 15, 2020

“Today…is yesterday?” Sakuta may have cured Mai’s Adolescence Syndrome in the nick of time, but now he faces a no-less-harrowing task: convincing her to officially date him. After managing to win that round of verbal fencing, he gets some well-deserved rest…only to wake up “yesterday,” with all his progress reset. This inexplicable phenomenon seems to be caused by Tomoe Koga—the self-righteous…