James Nicoll Reviews

Stanisław Lem’s 1986 Microworlds: Writings on Science Fiction and Fantasy is a collection of essays, most of which concern science fiction.

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2021’s Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 11 is the eleventh tankōbon in Ryoko Kui’s secondary-world comedy fantasy manga series. Originally published as Danjon Meshi, Delicious in Dungeon appears in Enterbrain’s Harta. Volume 11 was translated into English in 2022.

Laios and his dungeon delving companions (half-elf mage Marcille, halfling security expert Chilchuck, dwarf fighter Senshi, and cat-beastkin ninja Izutsumi) appear to have the edge over the Lunatic Magician. True, the magician is very powerful, but he is one person while the party is many.

If only the Lunatic Magician were not accompanied by an army of ferocious dragons.

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Eniale & Dewiela, Volume 1 is the first volume of three that collect Kamome Shirahama’s modern fantasy manga series. Eniale & Dewiela was serialized in Fellows! from 2012 to 2015. The English translation of volume 1 was published in 2020. Whereas Shirahama’s Witch Hat Atelier is a drama, Eniale & Dewiela is comedy.

Eniale is a low-ranked angel, forever determined to better the world. Dewiela is an equally low-ranked devil, forever determined to better herself. Playing as they do for opposing teams, their perpetual proximity must logically be due to their never-ending rivalry. Right?

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Nene Yukimori’s Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Volume One (Japanese: 久保さんは僕を許さない, Hepburn: Kubo-san wa Mobu o Yurusanai, Kubo Won’t Give Up the Mob (Is Me)) is the first of twelve volumes collecting Yukimori’s speculative fiction manga series. Prior to collection, it was serialized in Shueisha’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from October 2019 to March 2023.

High school student Junta Shiraishi has turned being unremarkable into what would in other contexts be deemed a superpower. He is effectively invisible. Classmates speculate about his whereabouts in Junta’s presence. Even automatic doors have a hard time noticing Junta. Since Junta has no control over his lack of presence, his ability is more of a burden than a power.

Pretty and popular Nagisa Kubo has a curious immunity to Junta’s invisibility. This has consequences.

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Junji Ito’s Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu is a semi-autobiographical manga. First serialized as Itō Junji no Neko Nikki: Yon & Mū in Japanese manga magazine Monthly Magazine Z from the January 2008 issue to the February 2009 issue, Cat Diary was collected into a single volume in 2009 and translated into English in 2015.

Years of hard work¹ have delivered horror manga artist J‑kun the life he covets. He has a brand-new home. He has a darling fiancée, A‑ko. However, to his growing alarm, he discovers A‑ko has dreadful plans, plans against which a simple writer/artist cannot hope to prevail.

Whereas J‑kun is a dog person, A‑ko is a cat person. A‑ko has a cat named Yon. Yon will be living with J‑kun and A‑ko.

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2019’s Insomniacs After School, Volume Two is the second tankōbon of Makoto Ojiro’s manga series. Serialized in Shogakukan’s seinen manga magazine Weekly Big Comic Spirits, Insomniacs After School has been ongoing since May 2019. The English translation of Volume Two is slated to appear in 2023.

I previously reviewed Volume One of this manga and you can find the review here. But if you don’t want to read the older review, here’s a recap.

Teacher Kurashiki accepted insomniac students Ganta Nakami and Isaki Magari’s perfectly plausible explanation as to why the sleepless pair were hanging out together in their high school’s disused observatory¹. She even provided the pair with a more acceptable reason to continue using the facility: re-start the school’s astronomy class.

There is a catch.

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2016’s The Story of Hong Gildong is a translation, by Minsoo Kang, of a classic Korean tale.

Born to high-ranking Minister Hong, Gildong is bright, talented, and clearly destined for a glorious future serving the kingdom. Or he would be, if only he were the son of the minister’s legal wife, rather than being the son of a concubine.

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Masaoki Shindo’s RuriDragon (Japanese: ルリドラゴン, Hepburn: Ruridoragon) is a Japanese modern-day manga series. Originally a one-shot published in Shueisha’s Jump Giga magazine in December 2020, RuriDragon was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump starting in June 2022.

Adolescence is a time of sometimes bewildering physical change. Japanese schoolgirl Ruri is more bewildered than most teens. One morning she glances in the bathroom mirror to discover that during the night she has sprouted two razor-sharp horns.

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2018’s The Apothecary Diaries, Volume Seven is the seventh volume in Natsu Hyuuga’s secondary-universe light novel series. Illustrations¹ are by Touko Shina. The 2023 English translation is by Kevin Steinbach. 

In this volume, Maomao struggles with school work, international intrigue, and of course the glacial progress of the romance between her and attractive (but incapable of straight-forward declaration) Jinshu, revealed as a prince of Li a few volumes ago.

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2021’s Delicious in Dungeon, Volume 10 is the tenth tankōbon in Ryoko Kui’s secondary-world fantasy manga series. Originally published as Danjon Meshi, Delicious in Dungeon appears in Enterbrain’s Harta. Volume 10 was translated into English in 2022.

Laios has a plan to save his monstrously transformed sister Falin. With the help of his companions (half-elf mage Marcille, halfling security expert Chilchuck, dwarf fighter Senshi, and cat-beastkin ninja Izutsumi), he is determined to put his scheme into action.

There are one or two minor impediments to the plan.

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