Manga, Light Novel, and Video Game Reviews of the Month (September 2020)

Welcome back! As you already know, I've been keeping busy and writing reviews over at The Fandom Post. I hope you've been enjoying them! That being said, I don't only review anime over there. I also review manga, light novels, and video games! Pretty cool, right? I plan to provide links to all of my reviews at the end of each month. September wasn't as busy as August but I still managed to review a good chunk of stuff! Below you'll find reviews for The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Jack Flash and the Faerie Case Files, RaW Hero, NEKOPARA ~Chocola and Vanilla~, Ayakashi Triangle, The Devil's Red Bride, Good Pizza, Great Pizza, and Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue! Enjoy!

Disclaimer/Warning: There are spoilers below. Continue at your own risk. You have been warned!

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Summary: I am a fan of The Ancient Magus’ Bride series and was excited to read a story set in the same universe. This side story definitely has a different energy than the original series. Jack is an entertaining character. She aspires to be a capable, tough, and cool lady just like Irene Adler who she admires. I’d say that she already is. The only difference is that Jack is a huge otaku, haha. As I said before, we all have our own hobbies we enjoy. Jack loves anime and manga. Nothing wrong with that! Jack’s situation is a unique one but she’s doing her best every day to make a place for herself in the world. I admire that. That being said, I enjoyed reading the first volume of this spin-off series. You don’t have to be a fan of the original series to enjoy it either. New readers will have no trouble immersing themselves in the story. But fans of the original series will enjoy the references sprinkled throughout. I look forward to seeing more of Jack on the case. Always remember, at the Jack Flash Detective Agency, they move like lightning! In and out in a flash. They solve the case in a snap!

Read the entire The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Jack Flash and the Faerie Case Files Vol. #01 review here!

Summary: I don’t even know where to begin. This was one of the most bizarre things I have ever read. I was not prepared. If I’m being honest with you, I probably should have. I didn’t realize until I finished the volume that the author who wrote this also did Prison School. It made perfect sense at that point. First things first, I loved Prison School. I considered it one of the funniest series I have ever read or watched. Its raunchy and dark humor just constantly made me laugh out loud. That being said, I can’t say the same for Raw Hero. Well, not yet at least. It definitely had raunchy and dark humor but it was hit or miss with me. I’d even say it was more miss than hit. I can definitely see people being uncomfortable while reading this. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure. Most certainly not for children! I’m not really sure if it’s for me either. I also think that some of the dialogue felt off. I don’t usually talk a lot about the actual translation in my reviews but I thought I should mention that at least. In addition, I think the translator missed an opportunity by not translating “Jerri E. Fish” as “Jelli E. Fish” or something similar. The name is clearly supposed to be a pun of jellyfish. I think that would have been a better choice. Anyway, Raw Hero was an odd experience. If you want to get on a weird ride with ecchi and raunchy humor sprinkled in, hop aboard! If that’s not your cup of tea, you’re better off staying away.

Read the entire RaW Hero Vol. #01 review here!

Summary: Kashou is quite the cat-sanova, huh? I guess the cat is out of the bag! Alright, that’s enough cat puns. This manga basically follows what happens in the first volume of the NEKOPARA visual novel series. If you’ve played it, then you know what to expect. While I still think the visual novel is the best way to enjoy NEKOPARA, the manga was still charming in its own way. You definitely get to see more of Kashou, that’s for sure. But no one came here for him! I just want you all to know that I’m resisting the urge to make a dirty joke right now. You’re all just here for the adorable catgirls, am I right? Of course you are. And if you’re here for the lewd stuff, the manga does have some ecchi scenes sprinkled throughout. You’re probably better off playing the uncensored version of the visual novel though. As someone who has played the visual novel, it was fun getting to experience the story in manga form. I’m sure anyone else who has will feel the same way. I’m not kitten! Sorry, I just had to get one last cat pun in there.

Read the entire NEKOPARA ~Chocola and Vanilla~ review here!

Summary: A samurai revenge comic? Sign me up! The first issue does a good job setting up this tale of vengeance. Ketsuko is a fascinating character, not to mention a certified badass. She’s a woman of action. She knew that her brother wasn’t up to the task of leading their clan in battle. That’s why she donned the Red Devil mask. Granted, everyone thought it was her brother, but that’s just how things had to be. She was willing to do whatever it took to ensure the safety of her clan. Sadly, something went wrong down the line because the Aragami Clan ended up being massacred. I’m looking forward to finding out how that happened. I have a feeling that Ketsuko will have her revenge, no matter what. If you’re a fan of dark, bloody historical fantasies, then you’ll definitely want to pick this one up.

Read the entire The Devil's Red Bride #1 review here!

Summary: It’s nice seeing Matsuri getting along with Suzu’s friends. Well, I guess they’re his friends now, too. They’ve got his back and that’s pretty rad. Granted, Lu and Yayo are both oddballs. At least things will never get boring with them around. That being said, the next chapter is going to be steamy. Nothing says bonding like sharing a bath together, am I right?

Read the entire Ayakashi Triangle Chapter #10 review here!

Summary: This was a fun chapter. As I said last week, nothing says bonding like sharing a bath together. Needless to say, if you’re just here for the ecchi, then this chapter is everything you ever wanted from the series. It’s nice to see Matsuri’s friendship with Lu and Yayo coming along nicely. I hope Suzu doesn’t start getting jealous though. We know how shameless she can be.

Read the entire Ayakashi Triangle Chapter #11 review here!

Summary: A new love rival appears! Well, in Suzu’s case, not really. Ninokuru isn’t trying to steal Matsuri away from Suzu. He’s trying to steal her away from him! I do wonder how that confession would have turned out if he didn’t get nervous. Would Suzu have savagely turned him down? I’m thinking yes. The only guy/girl for her is Matsuri! As for the wandering artist, he seems like he’ll be a somewhat interesting villain. One has to wonder why Shirogane doesn’t like him though.

Read the entire Ayakashi Triangle Chapter #12 review here!

Summary: Suzu the Ayakashi God. I can see it. There’s always the chance that they all want to eat her though. You can’t forget that possibility. Either way, I’m interested in seeing what Garaku means when he said that Suzu can become the Ayakashi God. She probably has a whole bunch of other powers we’ve yet to see.

Read the entire Ayakashi Triangle Chapter #13 review here!

Summary: While Suzu has the potential to be an Ayakashi God, she’s not at the level yet. Thus, she’s not able to free Matsuri of his curse just yet. At least she had fun trying in this chapter. She sent her hot, flowing stuff into Matsuri and he definitely felt it. I guess that’s why this chapter was called, “Inside Matsuri.” She definitely was! Will she be able to break his curse one day though? That is the question. And lastly, what is Shirogane’s true objective? I’m curious to find out.

Read the entire Ayakashi Triangle Chapter #14 review here!

Summary: While Suzu has the potential to be an Ayakashi God, she’s not at the level yet. Thus, she’s not able to free Matsuri of his curse just yet. At least she had fun trying in this chapter. She sent her hot, flowing stuff into Matsuri and he definitely felt it. I guess that’s why this chapter was called, “Inside Matsuri.” She definitely was! Will she be able to break his curse one day though? That is the question. And lastly, what is Shirogane’s true objective? I’m curious to find out.

Read the entire Good Pizza, Great Pizza Switch review here!

Summary: Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue is a visual novel that soars high above the clouds. It has everything you could ever want from a visual novel – a good story, beautiful artwork, an epic soundtrack, a charming cast of characters, and just being plain fun. I’d even dare to say that people who aren’t usually fond of visual novels may enjoy giving this one a go. The fictional sport of Flying Circus has so much depth that it’s bound to keep you engaged throughout. Again, I wish Grav-Shoes were real. And of course, if you’re just here for the romance, then you won’t be disappointed. You’ve got a good group of girls to choose from. As I mentioned before, some routes are definitely better than others but that’s to be expected. I still stick with Misaki’s route being the best in the game. You learn more about Masaya in this route than any other. A lot of other cool stuff happens, too. It is a shame that the other routes didn’t delve into Masaya’s story more. But I guess that’s why you should always play through all the routes, huh? If you’re a visual novel fan, I definitely recommend you give Aokana a try if you haven’t already!

Read the entire Aokana: Four Rhythm Across the Blue Switch review here!

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