Spell of Desire, Vol. 1

Today's manga post is on Spell of Desire, Vol. 1 by Tomu Ohmi. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters, Kaoruko and Kaname on it. The intended reader is someone who likes josei, romance manga with a urban fantasy setting. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of Kaoruko. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Kaoruko Mochizuki runs an herb shop in a small seaside town. One day, a mysterious man dressed in black named Kaname Hibiki enters her shop and reveals that Kaoruko is actually a witch. And what’s more, Kaoruko needs Kaname to help control her awakening power!
Among the shocking news that Kaname imparts is that Kaoruko’s mother is still alive and has entrusted Kaoruko with the immense power of the Witch Queen. As long as Kaoruko has that power, she will be the target of humans and demonic spirits alike. Kaname claims to be a “knight” that protects witches, but then he steals a kiss from Kaoruko…!

Review- Kaoruko is running a small herbal shop in a small village until a man comes and tells her that she is a witch and her mother is the black witch queen. For some reason, now Kaoruko's magic is out of control and Kaname has come to help her. That is the set-up for the story. This is going to be a very heavy romance story and I'm fine with that. I hope that we get more world building in the next volume. I want to know why Kaoruko's magic is getting out of control now and why did her mother send Kaname to help her? I am looking forward to the next volume. 

I give this manga a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 24

Today's manga post is on Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 24 by Mizuho Kusanagi. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Yona with Hak behind her. As it is the twenty-fourth volume in the series, you need to have read the first twenty-three to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes political, fantasy with light romance in this back ground. There is no foul language, no sex, and action violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga-In order to prevent war with the nation of Xing, Yona and Hak ask the informant Ogi to deliver an important letter to Su-won. Later, Yona races to the Fire Tribe to appeal to an ally there—Kang Tae-jun! Will Yona succeed in helping her friends who are captured in Xing?

Review- Yona and Hak go in two different directions to try and handle this very serious brewing war. But before they part, Yona kisses Hake and makes his brain melt. This is a funny scene because he is so shocked. But the war is coming and the dragons are still in the hands of a crazy person. This plot arc is very interesting with the kingdom of Xing and the war crimes of Su-Won's father. I am glad that Yona is doing something about her feelings towards Hak. I cannot wait to read the next volume. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Takane & Hana, Vol. 9

Today's manga post is on Takane & Hana, Vol. 9 by Yuki Shiwasu. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Hana, Okomon, and Takane on it. As it is the ninth in the series, you need to have read the read the first eight volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes humorous, slow burn love stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Hana’s father makes the deal of a lifetime and moves the Nonomura family into a huge mansion… But what the Nonomuras didn’t plan on was Takane moving in with them! Just how are Takane and Hana going to adjust to living together?

Review- Takane's grandfather is putting him under a lot of pressure. Both in his job and in this relationship with Hana. Because of that Takane is being more difficult than usual. So Hana has to annoy him more than usual to get him out of it. Then Okomon just confesses to her and that is going to make things more complicated. I like how much communication there is in this volume. Between all the characters, from Hana and Takane to Hana's father and Takane's grandfather, there are no real misunderstandings in this volume. I am very curious about how Okomon's confessions is going to affect the story from here out. 

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 7

Today's manga post is on An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 7 by Maki Enjōji. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has Nanse and Kairi on it. As it is the seventh in the series, you need to have read the first six volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes mature love stories with a medical twist. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this volume. The story is told from third person close of characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Nanase became a nurse to chase after Dr. Kairi Tendo. Before Kairi travels abroad to study, the two decide to do the things that lovers do. Their love deepens during their limited time together, but a problem arises concerning Kairi’s succession in his family’s business. What will happen to their romance?

Review- Kairi has decided that he is going to study in America for three years. Nanase decides that she is going to support him and study to become a better nurse herself in Japan. I like how honest they are with each other from what they want to their plans for the future. This is has been a adult romance with two characters who learn and grown over the course of the series. The roamnce in the story was a vehicle for the character growth, as they grew together both Nanase and Kairi were forced to face themselves and their faults. This was a very good series and I would like to read from Maki Enjōji.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Waiting for Spring, Vol. 9

Today's manga post is on Waiting for Spring, Vol. 9 by Anashin. It is 178 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Mitsuki and Kyosuke on it. As it is the ninth in the series, you need to have read the first eight volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes first love stories, shojo manga, and coming of age stories. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this volume. The story is told from third person close of characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- LOVE TRIANGLES
The pressure is on now that Aya and Towa have both professed their love to Mitsuki! Fortunately, she has a reliable mentor in Nanase, who is happy to offer what advice she can. But in the course of the conversation, Mitsuki hears some news so troubling that she forgets her own romantic woes...Are Ryūji's hopes doomed to come crashing down around him?!

Review- Things are getting more intense in this volume with Aya getting injured by protecting Mitsuki from an accident. So he can't play basketball and she feels guilty. To be fair to Aya, he doesn't want her to feel that way. He just wanted to keep her safe. But that does make things harder for Ryūji, as she is spending time with Aya as he is recovering. But Mutsuki learns that she really likes Ryūji. This is a very cute coming of age story and I look forward to the next volume. 

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 4

Today's manga post is on Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 4 by Ryōsuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi (Illustrator). It is 208 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover has John Watson on it. As it is the fourth in the series, you need to have read the first three volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes mysteries, re-imaging of classic literature, and intense plots. There is mild foul language, no sex, and action violence in this volume. The story is told from third person close of characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- Mycroft Holmes gives MI6 a top secret mission to put an end to the Third Anglo-Afghan War. William believes Colonel Moran, who once fought in the war, is the right man for the job and asks Albert to recruit the colonel. But will old memories from Moran’s past hinder his efforts to assist the mission? Meanwhile, more dark figures lurk in London’s nobility, spreading further chaos in the country…

Review- This volume is about one of Moriarty's men and it is very interesting to see his background and what made him join Moriarty. I like seeing this story lines that focus on Moriarty's men and why they would join him and do things that will be seen as bad. Moran is shown to be both a good agent and a good leader. But of course Moriarty knows who he chose to join him on the quest. I hope that we see Holmes in the next volume but this was a good volume.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money. 

Knight of the Ice, Vol. 6

Today's manga post is on Knight of the Ice, Vol. 6 by Yayoi Ogawa. It is 176 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Kokoro in a new skating outfit. As it is the sixth volume in the series, you need to have read the first five volumes to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who is interested in sports love stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this series. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the manga- EASIER SAID THAN DONE
Thanks to a magical last-minute kiss with Chitose, Kokoro defends his title as Japan’s National Champion, and afterward, the two of them meet up for a short date to work out their relationship issues. Just as the couple gets a moment to catch their breath, Team Kokoro sets off for both the Four Continents Championships and Worlds. But instead of being focused on the ice, Kokoro’s focus is on Louis and Kyle…after he catches them in an intimate moment! Meanwhile, Chitose finds herself still worried over Kokoro’s rumored fiancée… With all these new developments, will the Japanese skaters still be able to secure enough points to guarantee Japan’s entry into the Olympics?

Review- Chitose and Kokoro are getting closer but he is worrying about getting into the Olympics when he gets injured. it causes some friction with other skaters but the important thing is the arranged marriage of Kokoro. This continues to be a fun series. With interesting characters and lots of drama, both on and off the rink, I am having a good time reading this. The art is good, the setting is unique, and the characters are fun. It also has some good representation of LBGT characters. I look forward to the next volume. 

I give this volume Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.