Dining Bar Akira (Rank 2)

Publisher: Netcomics
Volumes: 1/1 (Complete)
Yaoi
Genre: Romance, Age-Gap Yaoi Romance

Summary: Akira Koji is the manager at Dining Bar Akira, which he started with a friend. One day out of the blue, one of his employees, Torihara Yasuyuki, confesses he has feelings for him. At first he wants to fire him and can’t respond seriously, but as he starts to think about it more, he finds he can’t get Torihara out of his head. Can he manage to get past his own homophobia and give his growing attraction to Torihara a chance? 

Includes a side story, Diary of a Manager: introduces the other employees of the Dining Bar Akira and how the rest of them get along.

Also includes: Foggy Scene: A young gay teen in high school who is secretly in love with his straight best friend, tries to distract himself with a fling with the new substitute teacher.

Riverside Moonlight: A 27 year old gay guy who thought he only liked hot guys had a sex dream about his ordinary looking co-worker. He starts trying to figure out if it would work out between them, without saying it.

Review: I set out to review this title thinking it might be of interest to general readers, as a highly rated Yaoi title among dedicated Yaoi readers, but unfortunately I found that wasn’t the case.

The first big issue is the artwork inside. I loved the cover artwork, it’s fantastically detailed, and has a lot of care that was chosen to depict the main two characters, their chef uniforms, and some hints of their personalities. But inside, the artwork is a different story- it’s really quite sketchy, has loose lines and is unfinished looking like an amateur comic (doujinshi). The backgrounds are often empty and surfaces are very lacking in detail. Another big issue that annoyed me was the fact the two main characters look way too similar, except the older guy has some facial hair on his chin and the other guy doesn’t. Which is weird, because the older guy is supposed to be noticeably older but they look the same age. I had a lot of trouble telling them apart.

The major plus that Yaoi fans liked about this title was that the main two characters actually read like more realistically masculine than the whole classic blushing yaoi brides that are so common in the genre. But for better or worse the mangaka decided to go the extra authentic route and make the older man have a lot of internalized homophobia, and says things like “How could I not be disgusted after kissing a guy?” or calling Torihara a gay slur or talking about how a gay relationship has no future.

But the strangest thing that really hit me was how differently the ending reads to Yaoi fans vs. a general western audience. The story ends with Torihara and Akira at a baseball game together with Torihara reflecting that whether their relationship will last or not will depend on how strongly they feel about each other. He ends up reaffirming his love for Akira and earlier before this Akira had said “The truth is foolishly simple, if you like someone then that’s good enough.” By Yaoi standards it’s supposed to be a big scene where you’re supposed to understand he’s gotten over his own homophobia, and their mutual aligned feelings are basically the genre’s equivalent to a flashing Neon sign that says “And They Lived Happily Ever After.” But by western standards, it’s an ambiguous ending, and the western thinking is that even if they are madly in love now, it doesn’t mean they stay together happily forever.

Short Story Mini Reviews: Foggy Scene is a 30-ish page story that reads like it could have been a pilot for a new series. It was promising but ends ambiguously. Riverside Moonlight, though it's some sort of attempt at a comedy, it reads like a very one-sided potential romance and is way too short.

Recommended: TLDR; All in all this Boss and Employee age-gap Yaoi romance title is probably of most interest to Yaoi fans who are already deep into the genre, and not so much for general readers looking for LGBT stories.

LGBT Friendly: 3/10

Age Rating: Older Teen: some non-explicit sex scenes

Other Works from this Mangaka in English (from most to least popular):

• Don't Cry, Girl (Shoujo) (digital only)
• Yes, It's Me (Yaoi) (digital only)
• I Want a Love Story (Yaoi) (digital only)
• Black-Winged Love (Yaoi)
• The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window (Yaoi)
• Mo-some Sting (Yaoi) (digital only)

I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up! (Rank 2.5)

Publisher: Seven Seas

Volumes: 1/1 (Complete), In Print

Yuri

Genre: Romance

Summary: Machi Morimoto is sick of her demanding mother trying to set her up with guys, and no matter who she dates, her mother always finds something wrong with them. She’s so tired of it all, that she wants to get married just so her mother can stop bothering her about it. Her best friend, Agaya Hana, who was her junior back when they were in high school together, suggests marrying her! She accepts and they now have a civil union together in the city of Shibuya. Can this sham marriage turn real? 

The main story is only about 120 pages, and then there’s an unrelated yuri short story:

Anaerobic Love: Oshimi Rika admires her roommate, Ishii Mutsumi, who is the top athlete in track at their ultra competitive athlete high school. Can she realize her feelings in time to cheer her on?

Review: This is fun and sweet one volume manga. I think it’s interesting how manga readers rated this title as being average, but casual readers looking for LGBT comics rated this series quite a lot higher. I decided to split the difference and rank it in between. Overall it’s a fairly accessible and enjoyable yuri romance for first time readers but it’s also more or less what you would expect from the title.

I did see one minority review complain about consent as Agaya is a bit pushy in the beginning, trying to have a bath together even though at that point they’re still just friends. But she backs off and then the story is very sweet as Machi slowly starts to develop feelings for Agaya, and also starts to find more confidence in herself thanks to Agaya’s influence. Then as Agaya starts to lose hope that anything will ever come out of this sham marriage as she starts thinking about her ex, can Machi realize her feelings in time for her to stay?

Recommended: If you like the concept of the series, give it a try.

LGBT Friendly: 8/10

Age Rating: PG13 some kissing and making out.

Other Works from this mangaka in English: (from most to least popular)

• NTR: Netsuzou Trap
• Syrup: A Yuri Anthology (1 story)
• Code Geass - Queen (1 story in a tribute anthology)
• Manage My Love (Josei/Smut)

Secretly I’ve been Suffering About being Sexless (Rank 3)

Publisher: Yen Press

Volume: 1/1 (Complete)

Josei (reads like)

Genre: Memoir, Dieting

Summary: Togame and her husband were happily married. After a passionate romance, they were each other’s first sexual partners, they got married and decided to try for a baby. But the longer they were together the more and more mismatched their sex drives became. Togame (the wife) is always ready to go, but her husband is never in the mood. After he lets slip that she’s let herself go since they got together, she is determined to diet and exercise until he finds her desirable again. Meanwhile, she feels the urge to cheat as the sexless months pass by without any respite in sight. Can she get her husband to desire her again? Can she resist the urge to cheat?

Review: I picked this one up because reviewers said it was similar to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. Honestly while the covers are kind of similar, I didn’t really think they had a whole lot in common besides being autobiographical manga memoirs from the viewpoint of women. Which admittedly is still pretty rare, and heck, I am a big fan of comic memoirs anyway.

The short memoir story is mostly about her libido and her efforts in trying to fix her sexless marriage as she tries to diet, exercise, and read tips from magazines, wearing sexy outfits, trying to seduce him and so on. For the most part her efforts are fruitless, and she is driven to almost cheat, but then she remembers how much she loves her husband and goes back to him. Finally, she does what she should have from the very beginning, have a heart to heart talk with him about it, so they could fix it together.

Recommended: All in all, it’s a very horny but ultimately sweet story about trying to fix problems in a sexless marriage from both sides.

Age Rating: Older Teen lots of suggestive poses and a wild imagination but nothing explicit.

My Solo Exchange Diary (Rank 2.5)

Publisher: Seven Seas
Volumes: 2/2 (Complete), In Print
Shoujo/Josei
Genre: Memoir

Summary: In this sequel to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, the difficult life of Nagata Kabi continues. After a suggestion from her editor, she bases her new comic on the idea on a diary written in the format of letters addressed to herself. After an initial spending spree using up money her parents’ saved for her, she finds the experience left her feeling empty, and she resolves that maybe things will be better if she can fulfill her goals of making money and living independently of her parents.

She moves out but is immediately overwhelmed by loneliness, which oddly also makes her feel cold as well. She goes back to hiring the lesbian escort agency again but this time just wants to be cuddled. It does help temporarily but soon she’s back to being lonely and depressed. Meanwhile, the publication of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness is straining her already difficult relationship with her parents. All she wants to find her own way to independent adulthood herself, and to love and be loved. Why are things so complicated?

Review: It’s really a very difficult read in more than one way. The first is that simply, as a story, it lacks focus. The first book was centered around her decision to hire a lesbian escort, and that is the central focus of the first book. These two volumes on the other hand, are simply stories and thoughts from her life, and while they do have a bit of a theme as she struggles with identity, finding happiness and struggling with relationships with others, there isn’t really anything that ties them together. But to some degree, personally it didn’t bother me that much because I’m OK with it just being a Diary, and life rarely organizes itself into neat stories anyway.

But perhaps the most difficult part of these books is the way she takes two steps forward and three steps backwards. There are a number of subplots in the book, her moving out, trying to be financially independent, her battle with depression, trying to date, her unhealthy codependent relationship with her mother, her trying to be accepted by her unsupportive parents as a lesbian and also a manga artist, and so on. Basically none of these things resolve, and the only improvement at best is marginal.

By the end of the two books, she’s actually in even worse shape than she started, as she ends up in a mental hospital. That being said, it's still worth a read as her unique art style has become even more polished and her thoughts about her life are very soul searched and incredibly honest. Just don't expect the story to be anything other than a difficult struggle with mental health.

Recommended: Despite these two books being a sequel of sorts to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, My Solo Exchange Diary is more about depression and her difficult relationship with her parents than her sexuality. All in all it's a good read, but honestly kind of depressing as she is unable to make much progress in most of the things that matter to her.

Prequel: My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness
Sequel: My Alcoholic Escape from Reality

Age Rating: Older Teen some nudity, self-harm, suicide attempt, alcoholism

Though You May Burn to Ash (rank 4)

Publisher: Yen Press
Volumes: 6/6 (Complete, Unfinished by Author’s Death), In Print
Seinen
Genre: Sadistic Horror, Life or Death Games, Strategy, Ecchi

Summary: Ryouma lost his parents when his father murdered his mother. All he has left is his little sister, Yukina, as they live ostracized from society for being the children of a murderer. But he may lose his sister too, she’s very ill and needs an expensive operation to save her life. An operation that costs 1 Billion Yen! (about $9 Million USD) A strange woman approaches him and asks him if he is willing to risk his life for money. In exchange for playing a game, he can win any amount of money he desires. He accepts and promptly dies in a car accident, and then wakes up in Limbo in the body of a girl.

An “Angel” appears and explains the rules of the game. They must hide their identities and use fake names as anyone who’s real name is spoken aloud in Limbo dies. Each game must have players eliminated, and those who lose die for real. The final winner of the game can come back to life and keep all the money they won in the game. Can Ryouma win? Is there something more going on here?

Review: This manga is really hard for a vast majority of readers to stomach, having not one, but 3 very long graphic torture scenes. And while normal people can watch someone like James Bond getting tortured, this manga’s story appears pointlessly sadistic as the losers of this Life or Death game are killed slowly and cruelly and while appearing to be schoolgirls at that. And then, for those readers with stronger stomachs out there, there’s the fact that this manga was discontinued by the unexpected death of the author, leaving the story permanently incomplete.

This manga is actually not as pointlessly sadistic as it seems, but most readers dropped this title and never found that out. My initial impression of this manga was a hard to stomach manga about the potential for cruelty that humans can have when their life is on the line. It didn’t seem particularly deep or interesting to say that humans super desperate for money can kill for it or that people can desire to kill to save their own lives. 

But then at the end of the first game round (about halfway through volume 3) there is a big twist: the reason for the fake schoolgirl bodies and fake names is because nearly all the participants all know each other! And what’s more, Ryouma’s sister, Yukina is playing the game too! But only Yukina suspects her brother is also in the game, Ryouma doesn’t know his sister is also a player. The game then turns into hoping that both of them win the game (which conveniently allows two final winners) without killing each other, and hope for Ryouma to avoid becoming a monster as well.

The winners of the first round then play a twisted game of tag that disallows direct violence but involves a lot of trickery as only those who are “It” know that they are “It.” As well, two “Safe” players can join hands and become invincible to being tagged, but they have no direct way of knowing who is Safe and who is “It.” The game is actually really interesting as players lie about their own status in an attempt to trick others. Also, the game allows use of special skills, with each player being limited to skill uses based on the money they won in the first round. Skills include things like “Nightmare” that forces the target to relive their greatest trauma, as well as “Change” that can swap two person’s “It/Safe” status in the user’s line of sight. And etc. The game itself is pretty interesting but perhaps the most interesting was the twist at the end- as the story switches from killing others to save yourself, to asking what/who would you sacrifice your life for?

In the end it’s hard to say what was going to happen because the series was prematurely ended by the death of the mangaka, but there was revealed to be a special player, a “Messiah” who can stop the game and possibly even bring dead players back to life. I suspect this game was going to be either a contest between heaven and hell over the true nature of humans. Or possibly an elaborate punishment for a certain number of sinners using their relatives and others they care about. In the end we will never know, which is such a shame, because it ended when it was getting interesting.

Recommended: If you can stomach some extremely sadistic torture sequences, and manipulative cruel plotting of the characters, then there is some very interesting strategy in the second game, as they play a deadly game of tag. As well as some very interesting reveals of the true purpose of the game. Unfortunately this manga was prematurely ended by the death of the mangaka, so the series was only about halfway done, and it is permanently incomplete.

Age Rating: R+ This is some extremely disturbing stuff, I don’t I’ve ever seen a manga with 3 torture scenes in it before. Also has quite a LOT of graphic gore, killings, manipulation, sexual perversion and overall this isn’t something most people would enjoy. Oh and it's got a lot of female nudity and cleavage etc.

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness (rank 2)

Publisher: Seven Seas
Volumes: 1/1 (Complete), In Print
Yuri
Genre: LGBT, Memoir

Summary: In this intimate memoir from a lesbian manga artist, Nagata Kabi, she talks with a naked honesty about the events in her life that lead to her hiring a escort from a lesbian escort agency, an act that for her was half desperation and yet also trying to take control of her life. She details the period of time in her life after dropping out of college, feeling like it wasn’t something she wanted to do, but not knowing what she actually wanted to do. After struggling in and out of part time jobs, a couple interviews ask her what she's passionate about, which she answers about how she’s always wanted to make manga, which led to the creation of this comic.

She tackles a lot of difficult subjects in her life, from discussing her budding lesbian sexuality, her craving for touch, reassurance, unconditional love that she doesn’t know how to get in her life. She struggles with becoming an adult and also the hallmarks of adulthood, for her parents this means having a full time job, for her it means not being a sexless virgin anymore. Meanwhile she struggles with depression and anxiety, her stress induced pulling out hair from her head, cutting herself and eating disorders as she tries valiantly over and over again to try and turn her life around.

Review: This manga is the top lesbian manga out there and also a very rare candid autobiographical memoir from an actual lesbian. (Compared to most Yuri comics which are written generally by straight men). It caused a bit of a splash when released and won some awards, and was particularly very well received by the LGBT community.

I’m very fond of this comic, it’s an up close and personal look at the inside of someone’s life, and an unusual viewpoint you don’t see often, especially in manga. And the mixture of the minimalist artwork and the incredibly personal details really makes for a soul-baring, and fascinating read. It’s also so incredibly intensely honest as she shares many things that most people wouldn’t even admit to their closest friends.

That being said, it’s also really difficult to read as she struggles so much, and tries so hard, and yet the story emotionally is kind of like falling in a pit and trying to get out of it over and over again. But this particular book ends on a high note, full of hope, and the majority of it is about her experience with the escort agency, and her early success publishing the comic about it online. 

The thing is though, this book is technically the first in a series, followed by My Solo Exchange Diary, and then followed by the forthcoming My Alcoholic Escape from Reality. Honestly if you want a happy, upbeat ending and a more focused, stronger story, I would just read this one and stop. Anyone who knows anything about depression, troubled families, conservative Asian culture, knows that her problems won’t be solved just by hiring an escort.

Highly Recommended: While this autobiographical memoir will be of most interest to those in the LGBT community, it’s of such a rare intimate and soul-baring quality that I would recommend it to general readers as well. That being said, though this is the first book in a series, I would recommend only reading only this one if you want a focused story and a hopeful ending.

Age Rating: R: This is sexually explicit, although not like hentai or anything. 

LGBT Friendly: 10/10

Sequels: My Solo Exchange Diary, followed by My Alcoholic Escape from Reality

Tales of Berseria (rank 4)

Publisher: Kodansha
Volumes: 3/3 (Complete), In Print
Shounen
Genre: Fighting, Demons, Fantasy

Summary: Three years ago a plague known as the Daemonblight spread over the land that turned people into monsters. But the blight had not yet reached where Velvet lived peacefully with her sick younger brother Laphi, and her friend and protector, Artorius. But one night during a Blood Red Moon, Artorius betrayed them, and sacrificed Laphi in a ritual for power by summoning magical beings known as Malakhim. Since then, Artorius founded the Order of Exorcists and was hailed as the savior of the world. Meanwhile, Velvet rots in a special prison for the Daemon infected, as she has an infected arm that eats Daemons. One day an old friend comes and frees her, and she breaks out along with a motley crew and swears revenge on Artorius, even if it kills her.

Review: This manga was adapted from a popular videogame, but the general consensus seems to be that the videogame has a much better story. And I don’t doubt that at all, it really reads like a below average Shounen manga, with the only unique quality being that it’s unusual for a guy's manga to have a Heroine as the main character. And the artwork is a bit more ornate than average but also kind of generic fantasy looking too.

It started out as a very cut and dried revenge story and the first volume is incredibly boring. Nothing much happens past the beginning and the rest is just an extended introduction to the large cast as they meet each other and start their quests. The only thing of interest is the reveal that the Malakhim, who form contracts of power with Exorcists, are basically slaves. The Second volume has some more of the central plot between Velvet and Artorius, but looking back at it after finishing the series I don’t think it made a lot of sense. Artorius and Velvet used to live together, it is weird how Artorius isn’t trying to convince Velvet to his side, or claim that sacrificing Laphi was necessary or anything really. He acts like he barely knows her.

Finally in Volume 3, it’s really very rushed as the central plot comes crashing in all at once. After a big twist, Velvet ends up fighting for the free will and emotions of all humans instead of revenge for her brother. It was an interesting concept, IMO, but it really needed more foreshadowing before the twist. And lastly the ending was fine. But honestly the plot was kind of convenient in a lot of ways, it’s kind of weird that the Malakhim she happened to save and the book they happened to steal from the Exorcists ended up both being super important.

All in all the manga really suffers from a pacing issue. It goes from sluggish to average and then almost all the plot is crammed into the last volume. It should have been about 5 volumes. I also think the relationship between Artorius and Velvet was weirdly untouched/undeveloped even though they are supposed to be opposites fighting each other over the fate of humanity.

Recommended: TLDR; All in all, this might be of interest to fans of the videogame, but it’s not really going to be of interest to most readers, due a lot of issues in the story.

Age Rating: PG13: quite a lot of cleavage. Some moderate violence but not very graphic.

Related Series: Tales of Zestiria 

Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty (rank 2.5)

Publisher: Kodansha
Volumes: 6/6 (Complete), In Print
Shoujo
Genre: Supernatural, Friendship, Romance, Family, Sports (Soccer)

Summary: Tetsu just started working at the so-called Haunted House up the hill. It’s said that the rich lady who lives there has a sick daughter who lives in a cottage behind the mansion, but no one has ever seen her. One day Tetsu falls asleep on a bench outside the cottage and he meets the daughter, Shizu. But strangely, she doesn’t seem sick at all. He falls in love at first sight but then he discovers he confessed to one of her multiple personalities, or so he thought. After a shock, he discovers the truth, she actually doesn’t have multiple personalities at all, but rather she is easily possessed by ghosts! Unfortunately Tetsu is terrified of ghosts...

Shizu’s mother hires him to look after her daughter, since Shizu seems to be interested in him, for the first time in her life. And he desperately needs the money for some reason, so he accepts. Can he get Shizu interested in living life? Will Shizu ever return his feelings? And what’s up with Tetsu’s desperate need for money, and what does that have to do with him quitting the soccer team?

Review: This is an unusual series. From the cover art I expected a straight up romance, instead it’s a supernatural ghost story. The first few volumes are driven by the mystery behind her Ghost possession problem, as well as the few spirits who try to protect her. She is protected by the spirits of her great-grandfather Shinobu, a 30 year old fatherly ghost Haru, and the spirit of a young woman Mirei, who likes to have fun. But all of them look out for Shizu’s best interests, because she herself is very helpless and innocent.

Especially in the beginning there actually isn’t much interaction between Shizu and Tetsu at all, because Shizu is shy and not used to people, so he ends up finding out a lot about her from the spirits who take turns possessing her, with her permission. That being said, the interactions the two of them do have are notable and sweet. After that, the story shifts to focusing on Shizu’s relationship with her parents, and also reveals the story behind Tetsu’s situation as well. Then finally, in the last volume it finally gets back to the romance.

All in all, it’s a bittersweet story that is inspired by the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. At heart it’s a story about a prince rescuing the princess, or at least a sort of modern take on it. But it was kind of hard to enjoy it. Shizu is very innocent and thoughtful, but it’s soon revealed that her childlike personality is a result of being abandoned by her parents, who gave up on her when she was still very young. As for Tetsu, he’s a good kid who never had much chance to have a childhood either, and feels responsible for those around him. On the plus side, both of them grow a lot and learn to deal with their issues better. Overall, I did enjoy this series but wished it could at least have been a couple volumes longer.

Recommended: TLDR; If you want to read a bittersweet supernatural story about a young woman’s ghost possession problems and the people who care about her, then it’s a good read. And while there is some romance in the story, a lot of it is actually about the main two character’s families, including Shizu’s ghost family.

Age Rating: PG: nothing particularly objectionable but it does have ghost possession

Golosseum (rank 4)

Publisher: Kodansha
Volumes: 6/6 (Complete), In Print
Seinen
Genre: Absurdist Comedy, Fighting, Sports (Wrestling), Martial Arts, Political Satire, Scifi

Summary: The world has changed with the invention of a high tech bracelet, called the Peacemaker. It surrounds the wearer with a air permeable force field that prevents all conventional weapons and chemical weapons and viruses from harming the wearer. As a result the only way to harm a Peacemaker-equipped fighter is through hand to hand combat, like wrestling or martial arts. The fate of the world now rests in the hands of the most powerful fighters!

The source of this technology is unknown but came to Earth transcribed onto 3 Golden Records. The Russians, under President for Life Vladimir Putin Vladislav Putinov, were the first to get their hands on the first two records, which contained the secrets of the Peacemakers and the second contained the secret of human body modifications to create super-powered hulks. Then other countries stole or bartered for this new technology. No one knows what the contents of the 3rd Record contain, but sure it will change the world, Putin sends his forces after it, while the Japanese and the Americans try to prevent the disk from being stolen.

Review: The main plot centers around the coming showdown between the Russians, led by Putin and his soldiers, and the immortal “Mad Monk” Rasputin, who stole the 3rd Golden Record and defected to Japan. Rasputin, who can see the world’s potential futures, has determined the world will fall into ruin if Putin gets the 3rd Record. As such he starts by gathering some of the best fighters of the world, starting with Ryuzo Hijikata known as “the Grim Reaper” and Sasha Goundarenko, “the White Witch.” But also soon recruits some more recognizable names, including Bruce Lee. The Japanese Prime Minister is based on Wrestler Antonio Inoki. On the American side there’s also Hulk Hogan and Big Van Vader. (but all with fake names to avoid being sued) and many more I didn’t recognize.

At first glance this might look like a fighting manga, and while it does have many fights, at heart, it’s an absurdist comedy. Which is to say that it’s a comedy based on how ridiculous it can get. And it constantly tries to get more ridiculous. In the beginning the comedy is so understated, that honestly, I wasn’t even sure it was a comedy at all. Initially, it was so straight-faced and serious that I thought the ridiculousness of it was all just an excuse for the mangaka to have his favorite wrestlers and martial artists and his two main original characters fight each other.

But somewhere around volume 3 or so, when the mangaka unleashed the comedy plotline of Putin trying to train animals wearing Peacemakers into being his war mounts, well, that was just hilarious. If watching shirtless, muscleman Putin riding a Shark into battle against a Giant Squid doesn’t sound funny to you, then this probably isn’t something you will enjoy. There is quite a lot of political satire making fun of Putin as his publicity photos show him as a super macho guy, shirtless, and often riding something. There’s a lot more other ridiculousness too, like the American forces riding Segways into battle against a force of shirtless Russian Cossacks.  

Anyway if you read this manga like a regular fighting manga, then it is incredibly dumb and comes off as really stupid. But if you can read the ridiculousness of it as what it is, a parody, then it’s pretty funny. That being said, for a comedy, the series made the odd decision to have hyper violent and ultra realistic gore, as well as the death of random innocents which I totally get is going to be a turn off for some readers. And the two main characters Ryuzo and Sasha were pretty bland too, I would have scrapped them and made Bruce Lee or Samart Payakaroon the main character, they were both way more interesting.

The main thing I did dislike though, was the ending. For a series that revels in violence, it ends with an oddly out of place anti-war message. On top of that, somehow even though Putin was the villain to the very end, somehow he comes off as being a good guy because he reveals his desire is to keep the Peacemakers forever and wipe out all chance of nuclear war. He still was going to take over the world though.

Recommended: TLDR; If you want to read the combination of an absurdist comedy and part political satire that is also a tribute to famous wrestlers and a few famous martial artists, then this was pretty funny. But also really violent.

Age Rating: R: A lot of decapitations and other ultra violent deaths and gore. Also some very violent animal deaths, a tiger, a few bears and some horses.

Inuyashiki (rank 2)

Publisher: Kodansha
Volumes: 10/10 (Complete), In Print
Seinen
Genre: Fighting, Robots, Superheroes, Scifi

Summary: Mr. Inuyashiki has an awful life. He’s only 58 but looks like an old man, his children are ashamed of being seen with him, and his wife doesn’t care about him like she used to. The only one who cares about him is his newly adopted dog. Then, he finds out he has cancer and has only three months left to live. He goes to the park lost in thought after hearing the news. 

Suddenly he and a teen boy who was also standing on the hill are both killed in an explosion. He wakes up some time later and discovers he was remade into a super-powered robot by aliens trying to cover up their mistake. At first Mr. Inuyashiki is shocked by his transformation, but after rescuing a homeless guy from being nearly murdered by some delinquents, he decides that he’s going to prove his humanity by rescuing as many lives as possible with his new powers. But meanwhile his counterpart, the teen boy Shishigami-kun who was also on the hill, takes a darker path.

Review: This is a very popular Seinen title from the mangaka who is most famous for GANTZ. For those not familiar with GANTZ, it’s a Scifi action series with some fairly graphic gore, and Inuyashiki has a lot in common with it.

After an initially depressing start, the manga takes off at full speed to be a page turning thriller. Mr. Inuyashiki becomes a hero as he tries to save people, going from someone who couldn’t even stand up to loud punks on the subway, to fighting the yakuza. Meanwhile Shishigami-kun initially seems like he wants to use his powers to help his bullied friend and his mother, but is also looking for excuses to kill others. Then the police catch up to Shishigami, tragedy strikes, and what follows is an escalated conflict where neither will back down, to horrendous results. Mr. Inuyashiki and Shishigami finally have a climactic showdown as Mr. Inuyashiki tries to save Japan. But this soon becomes upstaged as news of an asteroid heading towards Earth fills the news.

All in all, it’s a real page turner with a lot of action, fights and in a bit of an unusual twist, both Mr. Inuyashiki and Shishigami-kun both have wireless hacking abilities as well as a jetpack that comes out of their backs. There is also something kind of funny about watching what looks like a shirtless, frail, old man beating up bad guys twice his size. Or Shishigami shooting people with his literal finger gun. At heart it’s a big showdown between good and evil, but even though it was a real fun ride of a read, I did kind of wish there had been more depth to it. But the comic is basically a Scifi action movie. Lastly, the ending was good but I wished that the people of Earth knew why they were saved.

Recommended: TLDR; If you want to read a page turning Scifi thriller with plenty of action that is a big showdown between good and evil, and don’t mind some graphic gore, lots of deaths and some attempted rape then it’s a great read. 

Age Rating: Older Teen: Quite a lot of violence, some fairly graphic gore. Some male on male sexual assault (but not graphic), and also some attempted rape (lots of nudity but not graphic). If you have read GANTZ then this is actually tamer in comparison.

Other works in English from this mangaka: (from most to least popular): GANTZ, GANTZ G, Gigant

Kounodori - Dr. Stork (rank 4)

Publisher: Kodansha
Volumes: 14+/31+ (Ongoing) (Read: 1-12) (Digital eBooks only)
Seinen
Genre: Doctors and Nurses

Summary: Dr. Kounodori, whose name translates to Dr. Stork, has a secret. He’s actually the famous concert pianist known as “Baby”, a mysterious figure who no one knows why sometimes his concerts end early. In truth, he’s an on-call Obstetrician for the local hospital. The story follows him as he treats his patients through many different issues, from a requested abortion, a mother who smokes, a woman who’s baby has anencephaly, premature babies, twins, a woman who doesn’t want a C-section and many more. 

This won the Kodansha Manga Award for the General Category in 2016.

Review: Sometimes there are comics that don’t really manage to cross the cultural barriers between East and West well, and sadly this is one of them. In particular, Dr. Stork works at a Christian Hospital in Japan as an Obstetrician and the comic is heavily pro-life. It’s honestly kind of funny in a way, because the mangaka was careful to write Dr. Stork as a moderate middle of the road doctor, at least, by Japanese standards anyway. But by western standards he’s just slightly short of “Abortion is Murder” and says things like “No Mother was ever happy to have an abortion” and “Abortion gives Mothers PTSD” and tries to guilt his patients into keeping their unwanted babies.

This comic has an difficult readership problem. Even abortion aside, from any modern feminist angle this manga is a total nightmare. For example, one short story revolves around a pregnant teenager, and she tries to get an abortion. But apparently in Japan, an underage abortion requires her parent’s permission, plus the boyfriend/father’s permission plus the boyfriend’s parent’s permission as well! If any of them refuse a teenager can be forced to carry a child. That was gross enough, but there’s also a later story where a woman requests her surgery to try and save her uterus if possible. And the male doctors are against it because it would put her at 6% risk of death. Meanwhile the woman doctor on the team is the only one who is in favor of trying to save it. And this is only through volume 2! This comic would quickly alienate most potential female readers, as it’s preachy, lecturing and judgmental, leaving only the minority of Seinen readers who somehow want to read about a doctor who only delivers babies.

Secondly, this manga also made an odd decision to make Dr. Stork more or less an ordinary doctor. There are a few other manga in English about doctors and the most popular, Dr. Black Jack, is about a miracle worker/genius doctor. Which I totally get, because reading stories about heroes and incredible surgeries and etc. is fun and entertaining. In comparison, Dr. Stork does have genius talent… at piano. Which only strikes me as weird every time I think about it.

As to how the manga actually feels to read, well, it's alright. All the other things I mentioned earlier aside, it's above average, and it's clear the mangaka did a lot of research. But it's honestly not a very enjoyable read, as the vast majority of it is about possible complications during pregnancy and childbirth. For a medical drama I felt like as a whole, there's too much tension and not enough emotional pay off. A lot of the stories also end abruptly and I started to feel like the characters were just there to illustrate whatever the chosen storyline was about. There were a few short stories that I liked though, like one about a girl juvenile delinquent who decides becoming a midwife is her calling. And another one about the importance of getting the Rubella vaccine. And a longer story about a half-hearted resident whose life changes after he saves a pregnant woman and her baby when she has a heart attack.

More horrifying facts that I learned from this manga:

• Health Insurance in Japan doesn't cover pregnancy or childbirth costs.
• The MMR vaccine in Japan isn't standard and not covered by insurance. It costs $90!
• Conceiving through Egg donation isn't allowed in Japan for most women, but conceiving through Sperm donation is allowed.
• Those who give up children to orphanages can refuse to give up parental rights forever, keeping the child from being adopted ever. And less than 10% of healthy children in Japan get adopted. Unhealthy ones never get adopted.

Recommended: TLDR; This manga about a pro-life obstetrician is unfortunately not of interest to most readers and definitely not feminists. It may be of interest to those who are studying medicine or Ob/Gyns in particular, and maybe of interest to those who want to know how a 1st world country like Japan can be so backwards about public health.

Age Rating: Older Teen: Not that graphic but does discuss things like STDs, and of course stillborn babies, miscarriages, postpartum depression, etc. 

Firefighter! Daigo of Company M (rank 2)

Publisher: Viz
Volumes: 20/20 (Complete), (OOP but still available in eBook)
Shounen
Genre: Real Heroes, Dreams

Summary: Daigo Asahina was rescued from a house fire when he was 6 years old, and his dream was to become a firefighter ever since. He just passed the firefighting exam and officially became a firefighter! He is assigned to Company M, but he soon finds that firefighting isn’t always the heroic rescues he’s dreamed of. Company M is under the command of Captain Gomi, and at first they seem like a laid back slacker company, but he soon finds out that they are experts on fire prevention. Daigo has what it takes to be a hero, but can he temper his hot blooded passion into learning how to be a real firefighter?

This Won the Shogakukan Manga Award for Shounen category in 1997.

Review: The small number of readers who have actually read this series have enjoyed it, to the point where I’m putting this as rank 2 because of consistently high average review scores, but it is not mainstream popular. Despite being a fun, passionate and dramatic series that is sorely underappreciated, this series was a commercial flop when released because of a mix of a slightly dated art style, a lack of sexy girls and supernatural powers at a time when ninjas and samurai were hot. Back then no one wanted to read a manga based in the real world. Thankfully things have changed somewhat as this series now enjoys some mild popularity.

Daigo seems at first to be a really inexperienced firefighter, but as the series goes on it becomes clear he has an uncanny sense for danger and a good intuition of where people might be in disaster areas. He has his first heroic rescue in volume 2 as he saves a child and an injured man out of a car teetering over the edge of a bridge by making sure the car doesn’t unbalance- by sitting in the backseat himself! Similarly he dives into a raging, flooded river to save his friend and rival, Amakasu, who jumped in himself to save a child from drowning.

Past volume 3 or so, after he fought a tiger that escaped from the zoo, I was really hooked on this series. It gets intense and extreme as Daigo goes into one dangerous situation after another, and yet almost always manages to save the day. He gains a reputation as a rule-breaking maverick, but in truth he has a knack for sensing danger and also intuition for gauging if a difficult rescue is possible. The rescue situations are very varied and never repeat, and a lot of them had me sitting on the edge on my seat, flipping pages to see what happens next. Daigo goes into many different situations, forest fires, a chemical spill, a tunnel filled with flammable gas, and etc. That being said even though many of the scenarios are extreme, the mangaka clearly did a lot of research into things that could really happen.

As the series continues, Daigo undergoes training and studying in the hopes of trying out for the special rescue squad, a team that only elite firefighters who pass a number of grueling tests can join. They mostly rescue people from crushed car accidents, which can explode at any moment, but also get called out to other more extreme situations as well. But partway Daigo faces a personal crisis as he begins to wonder why he feels drawn into dangerous situations and starts to question if he really wants to join.

There’s also a minor romantic subplot with Daigo and his former teacher, Ms. Ochiai, a young woman who reminded him of his dream shortly before he graduated. This led him to going to firefighter school. That being said their dates become something of a running joke as every single time he tries to go out on a date with her, some terrible disaster happens while he’s trying to get there. That being said I expected more romance from this manga, and somehow after he rescues her for one last time, the manga jumps forward several years to after they got married and had a kid together. Was a bit annoying that we never got to see any of the romance past his confession.

Lastly the ending and last volume honestly felt a bit cheesy as it suddenly skips forward in time and ends with Daigo becoming worldwide famous, even in America, with crowds chanting his name. But even though it was a bit silly of an ending, it was still alright. And the series overall was a great read so I didn’t mind that much.

Recommended: If you want to read a series of heroic rescues, have any interest in firefighting or fire prevention in a wide variety of extreme rescue scenarios, then really, it was a great read. Also this series could be considered secretly educational too, even though it’s not the focus.

Age Rating: PG: A lot of extremely dangerous situations but not graphic at all.

With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child (rank 2)

Publisher: Yen Press
Volumes: 8/8 Omnibuses (2-in-1 Omnibuses Complete)
(OOP but still available in eBook)
Josei
Genre: Disabilities, Family, Teachers

Summary: Sachiko, a new mother, had a baby boy, and named him Hikaru for the bright morning sun the day he was born. He was supposed to be the pride and joy of her life. But instead he cries constantly, always eats the same things and gets upset at small changes in routine. It has even become a point of contention between her and her husband, Masato. She soon finds out from the program helping new mothers that her child might be autistic. She can’t accept it at first, but as overwhelming pressure from her judgmental mother-in-law blames her for poor parenting, she soon goes back to the program for help. Will Hikaru ever call her mommy? Can she ever get him to stop crying? Will he ever be able to go to school and have a normal life? 

Volume 8 also includes two unrelated short stories:
Thank You, Sensei!: A well liked long term substitute teacher and her students struggle with her being forcefully reassigned away from their class. 
Spring Sunshine: A grouchy old man whose only joy in life is planting flowers, one day he meets a cheerful little boy who befriends him.

This won the Prize for Excellence at the 2004 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Review: This is a fantastic series that has some well deserved popularity among a crowd that normally doesn’t read manga. It works great as a story about the trials and difficulties of Hikaru’s Mother raising as autistic child, but also focuses on Hikaru’s difficulties too as an autistic child in a neurotypical world. The series was created based on a series of interviews and research that the mangaka did with real parents of autistic children and autistic adults. As a result, even though the story is fiction, it feels very authentic and is also very educational as well, to the point where it is often recommended reading for those looking for an accessible introduction to autism and learning disabilities.

The main storyline follows Hikaru’s trials and difficulties starting from the very beginning as a newborn, to his toddler years, which is covered from volume 1. The bulk of the story focuses on his Elementary School years from volume 2 to 5 (Grades 1-6 in Japan) and then finally some of his Junior High years from volume 6 to 8. The way the plot had been going, I think the mangaka had planned to follow Hikaru and his family all the way through Hikaru’s adulthood, but sadly the creator died unexpectedly. This left the series with an ending so rushed, the last two chapters are literally still in unfinished storyboards.

That being said this is a rich, interesting story and an exceptionally unique comic. The beginning of the story is absolutely heartbreaking as poor Sachiko doesn’t know what’s wrong with Hikaru and why he acts differently from other children. She tries everything she can think of, but everyone around her, including her husband, Masato, blames her for her perceived faulty parenting. Thankfully after she decides to go back to the Welfare Center for help (Social Services equivalent in Japan) Masato soon changes his mind and decides his family is more important than his career, accepts a demotion, goes home and decides to help raise Hikaru. 

After that the story centers around young Hikaru as he slowly and steadily grows up. Sachiko and Masato don’t even know what he is able to do at first, but they soon discover he is able to learn, but he is very slow and requires a lot of repetition and consistency to understand something. He understands pictures and reading simple words much better than listening. He also has sensory issues and is easily overwhelmed by loud noises, long sentences and hates being touched from behind him. But still, for every obstacle he overcomes, a new one appears. Like when he’s a little older and learns to unlock doors but still doesn’t understand how to cross the street safely.

There’s also another theme in the story of both community involvement and acceptance. In this manga it does indeed take a village to raise a child, and Hikaru needs much more help than most children. But Hikaru and his parents face many barriers from those who aren’t willing to accommodate even simple requests for his well being or even requests that would allow him to behave. And even worse still, there are a number of adults who believe disabled people should be hidden out of sight, where they cannot bother or inconvenience regular people. That being said, there are also many who have experience with special needs children or are willing to learn, and they are a bright spot in the story.

Highly Recommended: TLDR; Of course I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in autism, but also in general I think it has a lot to say about teaching and family as well. It’s a touching, compassionate story that is very unique about the difficulties of raising an autistic child, but also the joy and satisfaction of his accomplishments as well. Even though it has no real ending, I think the story was more about the journey than the ending anyway, so please don’t let it stop you if you are interested.

Age Rating: PG13: for some brief storylines about child abuse and bullying. And also some discussion of masturbation (but it reads more like sexual education if anything and is not inappropriate)

Doubt (rank 2)

Publisher: Yen Press
Volumes: 2/2 (2-in-1 Omnibuses) (Complete), In Print
Shounen
Genre: Murder Mystery, Life or Death Game, Axe Murderer Horror, Horror

Summary: Yuu is meeting up with a bunch of other players of the popular cell phone game, Rabbit Doubt, in a real life meet and greet. He accidentally bumps into his childhood friend, Mitsuki while waiting for the others. His best friend Eiji is there, plus a couple of strangers. But they all get along great and decide to go out for karaoke. While they’re having a blast, someone sneaks up on them one by one and knocks them all unconscious. They wake up in a locked room with barcodes on their bodies. What’s going on, and can they get out of it alive?

Review: This is going to be an awkward review. This manga is rather popular because it sits at the intersection of two very popular genres, which are Murder Mysteries and Life or Death Games. Both of these genres despite their popularity, don’t have many offerings, and on top of that, the mangaka is the former assistant from a very popular series known as Soul Eater, so it really stands out. But unfortunately this series has a lot of flaws. Now, of course I can’t give away too many spoilers about this in my review, but I’m gonna try to review it. 

First is examining it as a Murder Mystery. Normally the pattern with murder mysteries that goes with serial killers is that each murder leaves a fresh batch of clues. Of these clues a certain number of them are real clues, and then there are fake clues that are supposed to throw you off the scent of the real killer. But the annoying thing about this manga is that (mild spoilers, highlight to read) all the clues are fake clues. There is no way to figure out the killer from the clues.

Secondly, examining this as a Life or Death game; Usually the players use the rules and the enforcement of those rules in a clever way to try and survive the game through their wits, plus sometimes manipulation of other players, teaming up, etc. It’s a fun horror genre because things can turn on a dime from winning to losing, and usually the protagonist is clever. But this… The only game element is that they all have barcodes on their bodies, and that each barcode can only be used to unlock a room once. After a room is unlocked, the barcode that unlocked it becomes the permanent key to lock or unlock that room. And then, it turns out the real killer can lock or unlock all the doors… so there’s no point to this game at all.

Also for all the fuss about the cellphone game Rabbit Doubt at the beginning, it turns out to be more or less unrelated to the actual game, and the rules of that game have no relation to the one they play. And as far as how the story feels to read, it is also very frustrating. From the very beginning none of them are intelligent enough to question whether they are being manipulated and they all end up doing more or less what the actual killer wanted. They get killed off one by one and none of them manage to figure out the identity of the killer before they are killed.

All in all, this manga was very unsatisfying to read, and while opinions differ on this, I was also not satisfied with the killer’s motives or methods at all. If I had to pick a word, I would say it felt contrived. I also did not like the ending either.

Recommended: TLDR; Personally I don’t recommend this title at all, I thought it suffered from too much contrived plot, and I didn’t find the ending reveal satisfying at all. But feel free to read it and draw your own conclusions.

Age Rating: Older Teen: some moderate amount of gore, murders

Related Series: This series has two sequels, Judge and Secret.