yaksha's reminiscence

I think it's the least titles I've had to update in a while... or so I said when I first redacted this many weeks ago, when I was still keeping up a weekly schedule. Somehow, even though I'm in my last weeks of the semester (probably because of that) I started reading a bunch of the titles I had on my "Plan to Read" page in Anilist, and here I am! It probably has to do with the fact that I also paused Yona for now, which meant I didn't have anything due to read (I prefer to focus on one title at a time, besides the manga I'm already caught up with.) Please bear with me!

A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow by Makoto Hagino

I planned to buy this physically, but it was nine volumes and pretty expensive (like 9,95€ per volume... What,) but I decided to just read it online in the end, and I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected. By the summary, I was already expecting to like it, but some scenes got more serious than I imagined for a manga that seemed a bit more lighthearted... Being lonely "together" with someone else can be dangerous, but I like how they both move on in the end and acknowledge how much they mean for each other. It reminded me of Kanamafu, which is a ship I really like in Project Sekai, so there's that, too! I just wish the romance had been a little bit more out there... I suppose it simply wasn't published on a yuri magazine?

BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! Swaying in the Rain, Looking for the Sunshine by Yuama (Chapter 4)

I got scared thinking I couldn't read this anymore because some links stopped working and chapters get locked by the moment, but I was able to keep reading! Since it gets monthly updates, I kinda forget what happened before, but thankfully it's following the original story pretty closely, so I'm glad.

Blue Lock by Muneyuki Kaneshiro & Yusuke Nomura (Chapters 300-302)

Okay, this... was surely a rollercoaster of emotions. The latest chapter was especially heartbreaking, with all the parallels to the very first Epinagi chapter, only this time Nagi was truly alone... Really hoping for a comeback. Other than that, it was nice to see the characters fooling around for a change, and to see what might be in store next arc for the other non-Blue Lock players.

Blue Lock: Episode Nagi by Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Kouta Sannomiya & Yusuke Nomura (Chapter 34)

Considering what's happening in the main manga, you'd expect Epinagi to be a bit more happier... Well, it's not doing bad, but the announcement that Volume 8 would be the final one had me pretty shocked. I mean, I thought it'd keep up for as long as the main man kept up, but considering it's a monthly manga, and that Volume 7 is already out (I think)... I don't know if it'll get to the U-20, which I was really hoping to see, and the NEL is definitely out of the question...

Butai ni Sake! by Shou Harusono

This was the manga I read trying to get out of my reading slump, and it didn't disappoint! I related to the characters more than I liked to admit, honestly, which is something I wasn't expecting on such a short manga because the character development is a bit less prominent. I might get this one when it's out in Spain (it was announced back in December,) because I really liked it, but also because the fan translation's quality really decreased in the middle, to the point it was hard to make sense of what was happening compared to the beginning and end, which were translated by other groups. That's my only real complaint, and it doesn't have to do with the manga itself, so this one was definitely a total hit.

Daraku Kazokuron by Mayo Tsurukame

I almost forgot about this one because I read it during the national blackout in Spain, but it also surprised me greatly! It didn't feel rushed, which says a lot in a 2-volume series, although I wish we'd seen more of Meguru... I'm also not sure if they felt like a family by the end of it, but I think they all make a good match — it was refreshing to see them fighting and clashing with each other, instead of trying to act all nice.

Hirano and Kagiura by Shou Harusono (Chapters 1-29)

Catching up with Sasamiya made me want to read Harusono's other works, so of course I had to check out Hirano and Kagiura! I wasn't expecting a lot, because I just really love Sasamiya, but I really loved this too as well! I don't think this was 100% the aim of the author, but both characters read to me as being in the aromantic spectrum, which is something I can definitely relate to, and it was comforting. I really resonate with how they describe what love means to them. I wonder how they'll get together, if they even get together, that is (I wouldn't mind either outcome, tbh.)

LOVE BULLET by inee (Chapters 1-12)

I'd been meaning to check this out ever since it went viral on Twitter because everyone said it was pretty good, but the more I'm told to read something, the less I want to read it, so I waited a little... and I hate to admit it, but this is really good! It has a pretty original premise, and the story's pacing is a bit slower, so the intrigue works out better. I can't believe it's only on its second arc and it's already this interesting! I hope publishers overseas pick it up.

Medalist by Tsurumaikada (Chapter 53)

As always, Medalist is absolute cinema! I'm glad Tsukasa and Inori are finally addressing her drive for victory, because while it kept her motivated, Inori's fixation was starting to get unhealthy. About time Tsukasa figured out how to have a serious talk with her, as well! Iruka's state after the competitions also surprised me... We already knew she'd had a fair share of problems, but the self-harm surprised me, as well as her call-out to Mika... Despite everything, I still want them to properly reunite, because I think they could still keep up their friendship. I also wonder about what Yodaka will be up to next, but I don't think we'll be seeing him for a while, which is okay.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't A Guy At All by Sumiko Arai (Chapters 122-125)

It's been a while since I last caught up with this! I don't really have anything noteworthy to say, though, they're just very cute, although I'm not sure if they're dating or not... They should really ask each other out!!

Sasaki and Miyano by Shou Harusono (Chapters 43-51)

I've been waiting for Volume 10 to be released in Spain for almost a year now, and it seems like it got delayed again (yes, they keep delaying it), so I just caught up online. These chapters were pretty cute; I especially liked when Sasaki went to an event to pick up doujinshi for Miyano, lol. However, what I'm intrigued about the most is Sasaki's uni classmate, Sora. He seemed to be a doujin artist too, and he finally caught on Sasaki's partner, so... What's next, I wonder? I think it'll update this month, so that's pretty cool!

Sukeban to Tenkousei by Fujichika (Chapters 1-13)

This is another manga I was planning on buying whenever the final volume is edited, but it's also taking long, so I just read what the scanlations have out for now, and this was super cute!! It's very fluffy and feel-good, but it also throws curveballs at you sometimes, lol. The drawings really give off that 80s manga aesthetic.

Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi (Chapters 72-84)

New arc! It seems interesting, because I was curious about the other tribes; however, I've decided to take a break from reading for now. I read it a little out of obligation because a friend of mine really liked it, but it was hard keeping my interest on it, so I won't be updating on it for the foreseeable future. I'm sorry!

Yoru to Umi by Goumoto

I once saw a Japanese ranking for what yuri manga they liked best on a website, and scrolling through all the votes and reading the different titles got me to this one, which I haven't heard many people talk about! I think the story could have been a little better, because its main theme was very compelling, but the ending felt very rushed... That being said, the drawings were AMAZING. It's not an art style I've seen often in manga, but I wish I saw it more — everything about it just fit seamlessly with each other, including the many metaphors the author depicted.