It’s time to be thankful as Miso’s November 2024 Manga Minis are here! We have a new series release from Square Enix Manga, a first-time review from Abrams ComicArts, and an early review of Kodansha’s release of Confession. Check out our picks below!
Dragon and Chameleon Volume 1 (Square Enix Manga)
As much as I love manga, I understand that I don’t know much about the industry since I live in the west. Thankfully, manga like Bakuman described the manga trade well, and I’ve been looking for something similar since. Thankfully, Dragon and Chameleon is here to fill that void, with some amazing art to boot.
Garyo Hanagami is a renowned manga artist, whose second manga Doragon Land continues to shoot up the rankings. While eccentric, he masterfully creates unique works and is known as a dragon. On the other hand, his temp artist Shinobu Miyama is a stoic genius that excellently mimics styles and is known as a chameleon. The two are masters in their crafts but hold quite different ideologies.
One day, a freak accident causes the two to switch bodies, which causes them to switch their reputations as well. Unfortunately. Shinobu is less than willing to go back to being a background player, so it’s up to Garyo in his new body to regain his standing so he may return to normal.
While I did say that this series reminds me of Bakuman, it’s also reminiscent of a short-lived Shonen Jump manga too: Time Paradox Ghostwriter. It got cut off quickly, but the idea that a mangaka is ambiguously plagiarizing by copying ideas in the future was a neat concept. Here, Shinobu’s using Garyo’s reputation to cling to fame, and having an opponent that can mimic your every move is a cool application for something that doesn’t involve fights. I do enjoy the dynamic between the two characters, though I’d like to see more of Shinobu-as-Garyo in future chapters. From what’s here, it seems he’s not doing a great job, but I would assume he’s making things work. Other than that, I appreciate Garyo’s passionate and infectiously friendly attitude, and I think this is a great manga for those looking to check out the industry behind the scenes.
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Battle Royale: Enforcers Volume 2 (VIZ Media)
A few months ago, I was praising Battle Royale: Enforcers for being a fresh take on the Battle Royale franchise. I still stand by my accolades of the first volume, though this next one might be a little mixed.
Now that the game’s afoot, each of the remaining students are in a fight to survive. To force squads to move, Sister introduces orienteering, which means that all members must check into designated checkpoints. Meanwhile, we get a look at some of the other squad leaders, which are all in different mental and physical states. They’re all introduced quickly, with a few of them getting more than a few pages of exposition and characterization.
This volume has the unfortunate problem of making me care for every other squad other than Rion Sakamoto’s… you know, the main protagonist. From Kenji Kogure’s near-death experience dealing with gender identity and losing most of squad 5 to Ryoto Makibe’s militaristic past, there’s no shortage of interesting characters.
Again, Rion’s squad feels the most undercooked in the cast (which includes a squad who is two-thirds eliminated). I’m thinking the story might pull a decoy protagonist twist, but in order to do that, you have to have a main protagonist that’s likeable.
Also, a quick note, this manga is M-rated for good reason, and the original Battle Royale manga had multiple scenes of depravity. Subjects like rape are explored here for drama and may be unsettling for those picking up the previous volume (as it didn’t have more graphic depictions). It’s a brutal tale and not for the faint of heart.
I am optimistic for the next volumes of Battle Royale: Enforcers, but it isn’t looking good for the time being.
Rating: 2 out of 5 UwUs
Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table Volume 2 (Yen Press)
Related to Battle Royale: Enforcers, I enjoyed the first light novel release of Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table. It had an irresistible premise and a no-nonsense protagonist that, while cold and aloof, had reasons to be so. This new volume recontextualizes a lot from the previous one, with some new gameplay mechanics to boot.
We continue to follow Yuki’s adventures into clearing ninety-nine death games to fulfill her goal to her mentor (who may or may not have perished in her ninth game, Candle Woods). The narrative goes straight to game ten, Scrap Building, as she and four other girls need to navigate a decaying building full of traps. While there may be a feral monster inside, the true monstrosity occurs at the end of the game.
Afterwards, we’re transported to Yuki’s thirtieth game, which holds significance in the storyline. The Wall of Thirty is an unofficial curse that befalls players as they try and beat thirty games. Most end up dying at this milestone, and Yuki struggles as she tries to clear the Golden Bath with the cards stacked against her. Will this be Yuki’s last game?
Oddly enough, the main issue I have with this series so far is addressed in the commentary epilogue of the light novel. Yuki survives her games (assumedly), which means everyone else is up in the air. However, we finally get a recurring character in Mishiro, an initially spoiled girl who changes drastically from her first appearance to her second. While we don’t get a lot of character development for most of the supporting cast in each separate game, I did enjoy the arc for her. I can see more “one-or-two-off” characters getting more of the spotlight in future volumes as well.
In addition, there were a few actions in the Scrap Building game that references Yuki’s behavior in future games (such as the fact that she cannot possibly save everyone she meets). If you’re into high stakes survival games, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table is a treat!
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Leviathan Volume 1 (Abrams ComicArts/Kana)
Wow, three Battle Royale-esque reviews this column, it’s a theme for our November 2024 Manga Minis, huh? Leviathan’s western is one of the first out of Kana, Abrams ComicArts’ new manga imprint. It holds an interesting storyline with two narratives wrapped around a mysterious disaster.
The story begins as a group of looters explore the titular abandoned spaceship. One of the looters comes across an old notebook belonging to Kazuma Ichinose. In it, the writer recounts what transpired here years ago, as he and fellow classmate Futaba Nikaido come across a deadly secret. A freak accident on the Leviathan depletes the oxygen levels on the spaceship. However, an emergency pod will sustain one survivor.
The rest will go down with the ship.
Burdened with this information, Kazuma initially panics and wonders what to do; Futaba forces him to keep quiet, or else the whole class will start to get restless. Unfortunately, due to the adults dying early in the story, everything goes sideways once the realization sets in. Friends become foes as groups form. However, it might all be for nothing, as only one student can remain.
This is a good start for a manga like this, though the buildup can get slow for most of it. It’s only near the end of the volume when things pick up. However, it’s also because the early deaths don’t have much weight to them (as if the adults are mere throwaway characters). I would rather have the newer teacher Yuriko Momose stick around for a while longer. This would create a student/teacher power imbalance on a sinking spaceship. Futaba’s character feels a bit too abrasive, but Kazuma has his head on straight at least. Overall, the cast feels uneven, but I can see this improving in future volumes.
That said, the art is gorgeous and haunting; if you want to check out a new manga imprint, Kana’s Leviathan is a solid debut.
Rating: 3 out of 5 UwUs
Confession (Kodansha)
Sometimes I just want a standalone one-and-done tale that leaves me thinking after I put it down. Kodansha recently unveiled Confession, a classic thriller manga that highlights the frailty of the human mind in times of immense stress and danger. A minimal cast of characters and the frightening cold make this a perfect single-night read for those wanting some suspenseful thrills.
Longtime mountaineering friends Asai and Ishikura are stranded on a mountain, with no hope in sight. Fearing that he will die where he lays, Ishikura admits a heavy burden: He killed fellow mountaineering club member Sayuri.
Fortunately for Asai, the two find shelter in an abandoned cabin. Unfortunately, Ishikura seems shifty and Asai gets paranoid about the situation. Throughout the story, Asai tries to grapple with the fact that he’s in living quarters with a killer. What will happen with the two, and will Asai survive the night?
Confession was a gripping tale that had me hooked on the first page. I always saw the “deathbed-confession-but-not-really” trope to be a more comical trope, but here this takes that to a frightening conclusion. After all, finding out your friend is a murderer while he has a way to kill you isn’t the most peaceful scenario out there. The manga does a masterful job with creating a claustrophobic and tense atmosphere with its two main characters, and nothing is quite as it seems.
While the buildup after the initial confession does take some time to fully realize itself, once it does, the story hits its stride. At a little over 300 pages, this single volume work is the perfect size to eat it up in one sitting. If you want a grim thriller with a great suspenseful narrative, Confession should be up your alley this winter.
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
And that’s our November 2024 Manga Minis! Stay tuned for more manga reviews here on Miso!
