July’s coming up, so it’s high time for Super Summer Manga Minis! This batch consists of the final volume of Kodansha’s One Operation Joker, a climactic clash in Rooster Fighter, and the next volume of Victoria’s Electric Coffin. There’s a lot to love in this installment of our super summer manga minis. Check out below for our next batch of manga reviews!
One Operation Joker Volume 3 (Kodansha)
What I appreciate about these Kodansha collaboration manga is that they don’t overstay their welcome. Each of the titles last three volumes, so we’ll see a definite ending for the Superman and Batman series soon enough. In the meantime, I went back and picked up the final volume of One Operation Joker to finish this round of DC manga. Surprisingly, I fell in love with this more than the previous two, and it’s a fitting end to a wacky slice-of-life tale.
The Clown Prince of Crime continues his mission to create a vigilante with baby Batman. While he initially gives up control to Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred, it seems that the baby Batman only recognizes Joker as his adopted father. We also get to see what Robin’s doing as well as how this depowering affects villains like The Riddler. What will happen when the Joker must discipline Batman after he gets into a fight, and how will the baby Batman grow up in the future?
Compared to the previous volumes, I Joker’s inner monologue feels more balanced this time around. It’s probably because we don’t see it overpower much of the narrative, but it helps that there’s more characters that are present in these last few chapters so the melodrama isn’t dripping from Joker’s subconscious. I also enjoyed how even more stoic characters like Alfred can still have their goofy moments, and it was interesting to see some classic Batman references here. (There were some cool references to Batman’s backstory and even a panel depicting the famous camera pose from The Killing Joke).
The art remains excellent, and while the story ends with a return to the status quo, the character relationships are more fleshed out. I daresay that I felt bad for Joker by the end of the tale, even if he reverts to his psychotic self.
This was a great manga tale, and I’m eager to see what the mangaka comes up with next!
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Rooster Fighter Volume 5 (VIZ Media)
I meant to get this out sooner, but there were way too many great manga volumes out this year! Now that I’m catching up, I was able to read Rooster Fighter Volume 5, and it’s as solid as ever. (On the bright side, this means I can get out the review for the next volume real soon.)
Picking up from the previous volume, Keiji, Elizabeth, and Chicken Little meet up with Keiji’s brother, Keisuke. While Keiji is too stubborn to team up with his brother, the quartet realizes that they are up against bigger foes. Devils Yuji and Hikari are toying with the team as they bring back demons who are bigger than their last encounters. Specifically, Keiji’s demon friend Morio is one of the possessed foes that is wreaking havoc in town. After getting rushed by a stream of enemies, Chicken Little volunteers to defeat Morio from the inside. Has Keiji and his team finally met their match?
As Rooster Fighter introduced foes more foreboding than demons last volume, it’s good to see them pop up here. The introduction does have some of the usual shonen tropes, but it helps set the stage for the next chapters. This volume also ups the power scaling, as Keiji and Keisuke are grossly underpowered and need to coordinate their moves to survive.
Elizabeth steps out for a bit this volume to find a weapon to try and rescue the demons rather than destroy them entirely, and Chicken Little gets a day in the limelight. Her size is of use in trying to rescue the possessed Morio. I liked how her character gets more than a tagalong kid role and seeing her starting to get brave is refreshing. I just hope she can survive her debut battle!
All in all, this is another solid volume in a solid action series. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next installment! Who knows how Chicken Little will power up!
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Victoria’s Electric Coffin Volume 2 (Square Enix Manga)
Victoria’s Electric Coffin was a series that popped up on my radar when it debuted this year. It’s a great take on the Dr. Frankenstein mythos, and this volume adds some more great storytelling to the package.
The second volume picks up where the last one left off, as Ein and Victoria face off against Victoria’s rival Henry and his corpse bride Willie. Throughout this battle, it’s apparent to see how antithetical the doctors’ philosophies are when creating a new life.
Even after this fight, Henry continues to be a thorn in the duo’s side, bringing to light a deadly secret from Eins’ past. Henry’s actions also put into question Victoria’s electric coffin experiment as a pre-planned mishap turns a celebration into chaos.
In addition to an interesting battle between Willie, we’re treated to Eins’ past as David as we delve into his budding career as a barboy. A look into this event reveals who Justine was, the woman who was referenced from the last volume. It seems that there’s more to David’s story than what everyone knows publicly…
I liked how this volume balances its dramatic beats with action, as the fight with Willie and flashback sequences take about the same amount of space here. David’s past friendship with Justine also meets a tragic end here, and I enjoyed what was shown in these chapters. I would say that Henry’s rivalry with Victoria feels too cartoonishly evil, and his actions are just there to create conflict. I would love to see him receive his comeuppance, but that will have to wait. In the meantime, I think we’re getting a good balance of Eins’ old life as David and his struggle with his current state.
I’m anticipating a great continuation with volume 3, so keep it coming!
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
And that’s a wrap on our Super Summer Manga Minis! Let us know what else we should check out in the comments below. Stay tuned for more manga reviews here on Miso!