It’s been hot here in the west, and what better way to celebrate than with August 2025 Manga Minis? In this column, it’s our first Fantagraphics review, followed by some amazing works by Square Enix Manga, VIZ Media, and Yen Press! Check out our reviews for some hot titles below!
Brain Damage (Fantagraphics)
Horror isn’t something I frequent, but I do admit I hold series like Uzumaki and The Drifting Classroom in high regard. I was able to check out Shintaro Kago’s Brain Damage, which is four of his collected one-shot stories in one package. While his style is interesting and intriguing, it’s decidedly not for everyone… myself included.
Brain Damage is an anthology of four different tales featuring copious amounts of body horror and high school girls trying to survive. “Labyrinth Quartet” includes four girls, with not-so-identical faces trying to escape a mysterious masked killer. “Curse Room” features a different take on the zombie epidemic, while “Family Portrait” includes an eldritch abomination with an elder god (in a sense…) Finally, “Blood Harvest” mixes Final Destination with cult film Rubber, which is a slightly inaccurate description but makes sense in context.
What’s interesting about these one-shots is how complete they feel. While “Labyrinth Quartet” is probably the most ambiguous story, they all have a good concept without feeling too stale. “Curse Room” is probably the best story in the bunch, with a sardonic take on the “I can fix them!” trend as well as the commodification of unique services. The collection has a macabre sense of humor, and rather than outright scaring you, each story attempts to make you chuckle by the end. (Again, when I compare “Blood Harvest” with the prior comparisons, I mean it lovingly.) It’s a unique take on scary tales that had me intrigued.
However, whether the actual joke lands are something else entirely. The humor is uneven, and this is highlighted especially in “Family Portrait”, which works well in its scary narrative but absolutely botches its punchline. In fact, its sequence of abuse and partial nudity outright ruined the goodwill of the buildup.
I understand that this work is supposed to transcend and challenge, but the only justifiable time nudity would be depicted was possibly in “Curse Room” due to the mechanics of the titular location. Every other instance felt gratuitous and lessened the impact of the tale itself. “Blood Harvest” also suffered immensely from this, with a final page that takes the wind out of its sails with a really lame final line mixed with something that is detestable.
I wasn’t as disgusted with this as I was with something like Drip Drip, but I was close. However, I do have to commend Brain Damage for creating a unique set of stories that have the potential to be silly and scary. It’s just a shame that a lot of it is wasted.
Rating: 2 out of 5 UwUs
Dragon and Chameleon Volume 4 (Square Enix Manga) – August 2025 Manga Minis Early Review!
I’ve been reading some more behind-the-scenes articles about the manga industry, and it’s so fascinating to see how it all works. I’ve also been reading more manga about manga, finishing Taiyō Matsumoto’s Tokyo These Days in between volumes of Dragon and Chameleon. I’ve felt like these titles are a great way to look at the inner workings of how manga works, with some very amazing artwork as well.
Fresh of his deal in creating a series by the ruthless Orochi Yamadano, Garyo Hanagami (body swapped as Shinobu Miyama) needs to find assistants to help him with his new series coming in the magazine. This volume chronicles the prodigy’s efforts as he selects his team, from the shy Yamato Kenzaki to the hot-blooded Rion Honesaka to the elusive Seiichiro Hiiragi. Each of these characters has a small arc within the volume dedicated to recruiting the respective member.
However, the talented Ikki Fugaku decides he wants a piece of the pie and decides to stake his claim with a new series in the same magazine Hanagami is in! With a huge cult following and an incredible eye for detail, will the body-swap manga master finally meet his match?
This volume of Dragon and Chameleon does a wonderful job in juggling more characters, with three new supporting members and an antagonist with which to deal. As always, the art here is amazing and stylistic to all of the assistants, with some great fantasy backgrounds.
There’s an increased presence in manga lingo, which helps keep the narrative fresh and authentic, and even Fugaku’s scathing criticisms are delivered perfectly. I think the only qualm I have is that Shinobu-as-Garyo isn’t present at all in this volume; I’d love to see how he’s dealing with stardom and a potential rival series. I adore the continued drama between magazines, and I can’t wait to read more about Hanagami’s return to manga!
Rating: 5 out of 5 UwUs
Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table Volume 3 (Yen Press)
I actually ate this up earlier in the year, but it seems I forgot to put my thoughts into this column! (That’s what you get when you binge on reading amazing stuff!) Volume 3 of one of my favorite light novel series continues with a bang, with familiar faces coming back to haunt Yuki as she continues her goal to clear ninety-nine death games.
After the events of clearing her thirtieth game, Yuki breezes through her next games. It seems that the challenges have been too easy, however, as the next game, Cloudy Beach, pits her against veteran players. From the relatively older Koyomi to the brutish Maguma, each of the girls involved in this game have cleared many previous trials. Tensions arise as the contestants start getting killed in a mysterious locked room scenario; with time running out, how will Yuki survive to the end?
This volume did a great job at highlighting another facet of the death games we know and love and incorporating a longer-length mystery. So long, in fact, that this is the first volume where only one game gets narrative focus. (The events of the fortieth game are shown, but that’s done in a few pages.) It’s an excellent change of pace from the previous volumes, and it improves on the characterization by giving most of the contestants some time to develop. (Which also means that the ones who do kick the bucket get a little more heart-wrenching deaths compared to the others in previous games.)
The twists and turns with this (especially the epilogue scenes regarding a familiar face), improve this series tenfold, and I can’t wait for next week’s installment!
Rating: 5 out of 5 UwUs
Battle Royale Enforcers Volume 3 (VIZ Media)
While I’m still up in the air with Battle Royale Enforcers, I have to say I liked this new volume. It’s an improvement from the previous one in terms of character development, though there’s still some rocky areas where the story could improve.
Reeling from the consequences of the previous volume, Takumi Hosoya’s true colors are revealed to the rest of his squad. After murdering two of his own, he gives the remaining squadmates a chance to survive while he tries to win on his own.
Meanwhile, we’re given some insight into squad 6, led by Kaede Yamaki. A rebellious soul who found a close relationship with fellow delinquent Maki Hasegawa, Kaede plans on splitting up to help her team survive. We also get a look at how Kunimitsu Watanabe’s holding up as a squad 1 transplant, and the prospects of his survival don’t look too good…
I feel like it’s a necessary evil to spotlight all eight squads at the cost of Rion’s squad not getting the central narrative (again). However, this volume does a better job than its previous one in humanizing its focus characters, and I’m invested in squad 6 more than I am squad 8 at this point. I’m guessing we’ll get more of Rion’s squad in the next volume, but for now I’m satisfied with what I got from that team.
It’s pretty interesting that nothing much happens in this volume (we get the aftermath of Takumi’s massacre, but that’s it), with a lot of the story focusing on flashbacks. Again, it’s necessary for a manga with this many characters, but I’m hoping for more action soon.
With this volume, I’m officially back on board with this manga. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the gang this month!
Rating: 3 out of 5 UwUs
Kindergarten Wars Volume 1 (Yen Press)
Assassination Classroom is my all-time favorite manga (just a heads up for all you Miso trivia folk!) and I like the “skilled killers doing mundane jobs” trope. Kindergarten Wars fills that niche pretty well, and while the debut takes some time to find its footing, I think this is a fun-filled action series to watch.
Kindergarten Noir is just your normal kindergarten… if all the staff were convicted criminals hoping to ease up their sentences. Among the staff members is Rita, a former assassin who needs to protect the kids for a year before she gets released. She’s also looking for love, which is a bit hard when all the hotties want you and your children dead.
Alongside the former thief Doug, Rita and the Dandelions protect the children of the powerful and rich (hence why the security is next to none in the kindergarten class). With new employee Hana on the roster, there’s sure to be thrills and kills… erm, skills with the new crowd! Will Rita find a man that doesn’t want to destroy her?
I enjoyed my time with this first volume, though the first chapters can get a bit uneven. The action sequences are finished too quickly, and there seems to be a lot going on to introduce Rita and Doug. The pacing is a bit off (since we need to establish flashbacks and origins here), but once the story introduces Hana, it gets much better. The goofy juxtaposition between violence and kiddie antics is refreshing as well.
I can see myself loving this series in the future, so I’ll keep my hands on the trigger (to my wallet) and wait for the next volume!
Rating: 3 out of 5 UwUs
Stay tuned for more manga minis here on Miso!
