How To Raise A Boring Girlfriend Vol. #04 Manga Review

Let's find our happiness together!

Creative Staff:

Original Story: Fumiaki Maruto

Art: Takeshi Moriki

Character Design: Kurehito Misaki

Translation: Kumar Sivasubramanian

Translation Consultant: Chitoku Teshima

Lettering: Phil Christie

What They Say:

Game script aside, Aki's dating sim is getting nowhere. And in a fix like this, who has time to think about stuff like background music?!!! With the finished product but a dream, the usual chaos continues. But when Aki's beautiful runaway cousin, the guitarist Michiru Hyoudou, suddenly joins the fray, the surprise appearance of a new rival forcing her way into Aki's life throws the other girls for a loop! Is she the solution to the game's soundtrack troubles? Or will Aki's otaku tendencies send her running for the hills?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Considering that volume three of "How To Raise A Boring Girlfriend" was [in my opinion] a masterpiece in terms of both quality and content, volume four has a lot to live up to. But considering Saekano has yet to let me down (In both the animation and the manga), I'm sure it will be able to manage. Now that our circle has been established and named [Blessing Software], there is plenty of work that needs to be done if the team is going to make it to Winter Comiket. But there's one thing that Tomoya has overlooked in terms of development -- the music. Luckily for him, he has yet another chance encounter with a beautiful girl that will go on to shape his future. This time, it's his own cousin, Michiru Hyoudo.

Michiru is the kind of girl that can never stand still. For as long as Tomoya has known her, she's been swapping back and forth between different clubs and groups of friends. That said, when she announces her latest passion of becoming a musician, our protagonist is a bit dismissive -- until he hears her play. There is something about Michiru's music that instils a sense of nostalgia in Tomoya. And this feeling is something that he isn't just going to let slip away. From this point on, he is dead set on getting her to join the circle. The only problem is that she has an immense distaste for otaku culture and the anime community as a whole. This, meshed with the fact that she's totally hiding some feelings for Tomoya, sparks quite an interesting development in a group of girls that all want to jump on the same main character.

It's clear that Kasumigaoka and Eriri dislike Michiru. I mean, she's the ultimate childhood friend. Not only is she a blood relative of Tomoya, but they were literally born in the same exact hospital on the same exact day. And is if this wasn't a sign of fate itself, they've even started living together after Michiru ran away from home. However, Michiru has made it clear that she has no intention of joining the circle and, instead, wants Tomoya to become the manager of her band. And, after consulting with the heroine of his game, Tomoya decides to do just that. Of course, he has a bit of an ulterior motive in doing so. That motive winds up being fed and nourished as soon as he discovers exactly what kind of band Michiru has joined up with.

As it turns out, Michiru has somehow managed to get herself wrapped up in an anime cover band. Her band members, however, had been hiding this from her, knowing well her disposition toward the culture. But after Tomoya books them a show at a cosplay club in Akihabara, the truth comes pouring out. Michiru, not wanting to throw aside her new friends and her cousin, plays the show and comes to terms with otaku-dom not being all that weird after all. Now, Tomoya should have a much easier time in getting her to join up with Blessing Software.

In Summary:

This volume, while offering a bit less in terms of content compared to the ones preceding it, still has plenty to offer in terms of quality and comedy. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- How To Raise A Boring Girlfriend is one of the underrated and overlooked franchises on the market. We're four volumes in now and I still do not have one complaint about the series. Not only are each of the heroines absolutely lovable in their own, unique ways, but we have a protagonist literally created to tailor to each and every one of us hardcore otakus out there while [somehow] managing to not look pathetic or hopeless. Tomoya is simply just a guy dead-set on doing what he loves. That relatable passion combined with next-level artwork blend together to formulate one of the most clear-cut, hilarious slice of life series to date. 

Content Grade: A-

Art Grade: A+

Packaging Grade: A-

Text/Translation Grade: A+

Age Rating: 16+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: October 25, 2016

MSRP: $12.99

Rewrite Episode #24 Anime Review (Season Finale)

One day, I realized I had nothing.

What They Say:

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosy boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

When Rewrite's second season started, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't the slightest bit sceptical concerning whatever the hell its game plan was. Now after watching all eleven of its episodes (Equating to a full 24 over the course of both seasons), I would be a fool to say that the series fell flat. At the same time, I would also be a fool to say that I understood everything that happened. Rewrite is a damn confusing show -- season two proves that. And this episode may just be the most confusing one yet. After all, the end of the world can't possibly be all that simple, right?

The final instalment of season two begins with a brief monologue from our protagonist about how he has betrayed everyone he loves all for one person. Well, one person and the fate of the world. You get the point. However, shortly after his monologue comes to a close, Kotarou is discovered by Imamiya and several other Guardian hunters, where he is clearly and obviously labelled a traitor. But after finally showing his former comrades his true power of blood manipulation and overall superhuman strength, Kotarou is able to escape and sets his sights on Gaia's headquarters, where they have once again broken out the choir to usher in the end of the world. By the time he gets there, it's already too late.

The song has ended, but the world still stands. And amongst the bodies scattered all over the glass floor is none other than the original Martel foster mom, Iko. Iko, having lost all hope for raising orphans, wound up trading in her position for a chance to 'make the world a better place'. After a sentimental monologue and a surprisingly emotional reaction from Kotarou (Who I thought was supposed to be devoid of everything at this point), Iko passes away. I imagine that the reason for this intense grief brought on by the passing of Iko is that she was never really the bad guy. She was always just some lawful-good foster mom who wanted nothing more than to watch over her children -- no matter how terrible she was at it.

After leaving the Gaia sky-platform, Kotarou pays a quick visit to the City of Stone where he meets up with Akane and gives her a few mammoths to keep her company. This is an extremely kind gesture because everyone she knows just died. Immediately after entrusting a ten-year-old girl with the lives of two animals, Kotarou comes back to the normal realm and sets off to find Kagari. However, when he finally reaches the hill they always meet on, his body has given up on him. Kotarou collapses to the ground and starts transforming due to the Rewrite power's side effects. Before he is fully gone, however, Kagari walks up to him and essentially tells him that they failed their mission and that the world is still doomed. Also, she has long hair now for some reason. It's probably a metaphor.

The most confusing part of this episode is everything surrounding this scene and everything that comes afterwards. One thing I'm concerned about is pretty much everything about Yasmin. There is a monologue from her perspective somewhere around this scene where she's basically talking about how she misses Kotarou and how he's trying so hard to save the world. Which is all fine and good, until she looks out the window and says, "I hope you're happy on wherever planet you go next," as she stares at some celestial body that is clearly way more important than just a normal moon. And as if that wasn't enough to start messing with my head, all five of the main heroines then show up and then summon Kotarou out of a tree. But before we get into that, I'm obligated to talk more about the thirty seconds leading up to it.

Apparently, Kotarou has somehow managed to unify Guardian and Gaia. I think. Once again, I never played the visual novel so this is just my interpretation. But after Kotarou dies, we see a short montage of the five main heroines pretty much growing up together and attending the same foster care. In said foster care, Shizuru and Lucia are doing normal badass combat stuff while Akane and Chihaya play with monsters. Once again, this is all fine and good, but what was the deciding factor in allying these two forces that were enemies moments ago? I feel like something was missed there. Okay, NOW we can talk about the tree.

So, plain and simple, the tree is Kotarou. After he dies and Kagari vanishes, his body continues transforming over time and eventually grows to be the height of the world tree we've been seeing for two seasons now (Or maybe he was the world tree all along?). This idea, in itself, is phenomenal. I love it. But as soon as I realized how much I loved this, Rewrite's weirdness kicked in again and the heroines all joined hands in front of the tree before summoning a butler version of Kotarou with the dude from NeverShoutNever's haircut. Then, Kotarou sucks all five of them into the tree, they turn into a ball of light, and then they go to the moon to visit Kagari. But there are so many questions. Do these girls know Kagari? We clearly saw alternate timelines colliding in Kotarou's memories just moments ago, so the idea is possible. But instead, Kotarou and Kagari just kiss and all of the girls gasp. What?

I promise that moment was a lot more emotional than I just made it sound.

In Summary:

Despite having one of the rockiest starts in recent memory, Rewrite's second season wound up being significantly better than its first -- even with its unanswered plot-holes. But, from what I understand, there is still a lot that we've missed out on. I'm unsure of where the visual novel ends, but there's something about this ending that just seems so...incomplete. None of the heroines besides Kagari and Kotori even had a chance to do anything this season. And even then, Kotori's role was exponentially smaller than expected. There are still too many unanswered questions and there's still too much that needs to be uncovered. If this truly is the ending of the series, it was not articulated very well. However, if there is more to come after this, I have complete faith that Rewrite will be an incredible series overall. This season, by no means, deserves to be wrapped up with an "And then they all lived happily ever after" ending.

If you can look past how rushed that ending may feel and how confused the first several episodes are in terms of what they hope to accomplish, Rewrite's second season is great. The score is phenomenal and the backgrounds are some of the best in recent memory. This show has a lot of heart. It just has so much that, sometimes, it forgets how to show it.

Episode Grade: A-

Series Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

The Asterisk War Vol. #02 Manga Review

I choose my own path...My will is mine alone!

Creative Staff:

Art: Ningen

Original Story: Yuu Miyazaki

Character Design: okiura

Translation: Melissa Tanaka

Lettering: Morgan Hart

What They Say:

Having begun attending Seidoukan Academy--one of the six magical schools in the city known as the Asterisk--Ayato Amagiri begins the task he's truly there to accomplish: investigating the disappearance of his elder sister! He's given a powerful weapon that she once wielded, and it seems like he's on the right track. But when he and Julis are attacked in broad daylight by mysterious forces, it's clear his search isn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

After having pushed off the second volume of this manga for quite some time, I've finally wound up with ample time to come back to it. Considering I actually quite liked the first volume of Asterisk War, it's not like I was purposely ignoring the series. But after finishing the second volume, I can easily say that I'm glad I picked it back up. Without getting into the nitty-gritty in the first paragraph alone, I will assure you that fans of the anime will enjoy the manga. In my opinion, and this is just my judgement after only two volumes, this adaptation is better -- though, I have yet to check out the original light novel version of the title.

Anyway, the last volume ended with Julis and Saya confronting each other about how this harem is going to get started. Incapable of deciding which of them is going to show Ayato around town, the two girls declare a duel with each other. However, before this duel is able to kick off, another assassination attempt is made on Julis out of seemingly nowhere. Saya, who was her enemy just moments ago, winds up helping Julis to fend off the attackers and ultimately win the favor of the princess, ending the declaration of hot girl-on-girl action. Darn it. Regardless, we still get some fanservice in the ending pages of this chapter. While we're on the topic of fanservice, I just want to note that Asterisk War's use of the technique is actually pretty well done. The fanservice in this series isn't as over the top as it is in similar titles (I'm looking at you, Blade Dance of the Elementalers) but is still gratifying in the cases when it does happen. Okay, pretty much any scene with Claudia can get a little racy- but other than that, it's fine.

It's a good thing I nonchalantly segued into Claudia because she's pretty much the gear that gets this volume in motion. After summoning Ayato to her chambers, we discover some of the different theories behind the attempts at the life of Julis. In an effort to emphasize the small section of her heart that isn't pitch black, Claudia asks that Ayato watches over Riessfeld until the assassins vanish. For this, however, he's going to need some new gear. Queue the orga luxes! For those of you unfamiliar with the series, orga luxes are pretty much the noble phantasms of Asterisk War. For those of you unfamiliar with noble phantasms, go away. Watch the Fate series.

Sparing you details on the more action-oriented parts of this scene (Because reviewing action scenes is the absolute worst), Ayato takes on the same orga lux his sister used when she was in Seidoukan. Considering this is easily the most powerful of all the luxes, everyone is pretty impressed. Well, everyone except that jerk Lester. He's just pissed off. Either way, Ayato gains a new toy and it's now time to go on a date with the main love interest.

The date goes pretty well for the most part if you discount the third assassination attempt made on Julis. But after it comes to a close, we learn more about the princess's back story that goes on to flesh out her character pretty well. Julis makes it known that she isn't your run-of-the-mill princess. In fact, she used to be some tomboy that would sneak out of the castle to hang around with orphans all the time. However, growing up without parents (Who are dead, by the way) turned her into an incredibly driven, goal-oriented young woman who is dead set on doing anything possible to make her dreams come true. Her reason for fighting is now in the clear and we can begin inching toward watching her achieve that goal.

The only issue is making sure no one kills her before that happens.

In Summary:

Asterisk War boasts very impressive artwork and exceptional world building, making the manga a step above your typical action harem. Ayato, while relatively uninteresting, isn't necessarily a bad protagonist. But the real charm of Asterisk War is that all of the girls are actually pretty interesting. Rikka is a great setting for dueling factions, and the fact that each of these factions/schools have well-established and diverse reputations makes following the series that much easier. It's easy to choose which school you would want to be a part of on the [incredibly] off chance that you randomly become an anime protagonist. My only complaint about this volume is that the text continuity between some of the panels and pages makes reading several sections a bit confusing.

Content Grade: B+

Art Grade: A

Packaging Grade: A-

Text/Translation Grade: C+

Age Rating: 13+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: October 25, 2016

MSRP: $12.99