It’s September, which means we’ve got our back to school 2025 manga minis for you to enjoy! Take a break from studying and catch up on the Gantz: G omnibus or finish up some manga with the finales of Leviathan and YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record!
Gantz: G Omnibus (Dark Horse) – Back to School 2025 Manga Minis Advanced Review!
Gantz is one of those manga that I see critically lauded but always with a, “It’s a bit mature” disclaimer attached to it. I was up in the air reading this or Berserk, so I chose Gantz instead since I’m a fan of the survival game genre. Reading almost all of it in a month, I can see why it’s heralded as a classic. However, now that the Gantz: G spinoff is available in collected omnibus form, can it hold a candle to the mainstay mature manga?
Gantz: G is an alternate parallel story to the main narrative as Kei Kurona (maybe a little on the nose?) and her class dies in an accident during a school trip. They are all transported to a room with a familiar Gantz ball, which tells them they need to kill target aliens to survive.
Like most Gantz games, a lot of students and teachers ignore the warnings to take it seriously and end up getting eviscerated. In the end, only Kei and four other of her female classmates outlast the experience, with veteran Gantz players Akibo and Fujimoto helping the survivors train for the next one. Finding out that a person who died can be revived after earning 100 points in the games, Kei builds her resolve to revive Naiki (a boy she likes who ends up biting it after the first game). Will the G-unit of Gantz players be able to make it out alive?
The main issue with Gantz: G is how compressed the pacing is. Ironically, this omnibus shows how long the whole spinoff story is, and it’s a bit leaner than I expected. Each of the games takes one volume to complete, with the second volume breaking up the action. This unfortunately means that a lot of character development has to get crammed into the middle, with only one or two characters receiving a satisfying arc.
This is a shame, because each of the five girls has an interesting backstory that could go on for a few volumes but condensing them to a few chapters makes all the development rushed. Probably the biggest offender is Yoshiko Miyazaki, who is physically the weakest but a great shot; she had a good development arc with her trying to make it with her debut manga, but because of the abrupt nature of the Gantz summoning, must put it on hold.
Weirdly enough, I still think this is a good starting point for those interested in reading Gantz. It lacks a lot of the cruder sexual elements that were present in the first nine volumes of the original and includes the trademark gore for which the series is known. There is some brief nudity, but unlike the original series, is just displayed for horror rather than titillation (and horror).
The omnibus edition of Gantz: G is the perfect way to dip one’s toes into the water of this classic franchise, but for veterans of the series, it may be too rushed to enjoy fully.
Rating: 3 out of 5 UwUs
Leviathan Volume 3 (Kana)
The final volume of Leviathan picks up with the final skirmishes between the remaining survivors. Kazuma prepares to find the emergency to survive the shipwreck in space but is haunted by his past decisions. Will disgraced class leader Yo or the femme fatale Futaba be able to prevent Kazuma from staying alive? Meanwhile, the looters in the present continue to read the journal of events and find a video log that turns the narrative onto its head. What exactly transpired, and who will be in the cryopod when the smoke settles?
Out of the three volumes, I think the second one had the most action in terms of narrative flow. However, this feels like a somber denouement rather than a thrilling conclusion, since the battles here feel emotionally draining rather than high-octane. There’s one twist that I saw a mile away, but a second one that threw me for a loop. The revelations in this volume do a perfect job in recontextualizing the previous chapters and making for an interesting finale.
The length of this story is perfect for what’s being shown, though there’s still questions that remain unanswered by the time the final chapter rolls around. Oddly enough, a lot of these questions are first brought up in this last volume. This means a lot of the lingering threads quickly enter the story without time to fully explain themselves, which could cause a bit of confusion.
All in all, I had a wonderful ride with Leviathan, and I’m intrigued to see what Kana cooks up with their line of manga releases this year!
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Bride of the Death God Volume 1 (Square Enix Manga) Back to School 2025 Manga Minis Advanced Review!
In this manga, Aibi Aihara is close to death. She has a rare disease called bouquet syndrome, which causes the afflicted to bloom flowers on their body. There is no cure for this disease, which Aibi knows full well. An unnamed Shinigami comes to reap her soul and gives her seven days to live. However, he’s confused that she is not scared; rather, she enjoys his company throughout the week.
At the scheduled time of her death, the Shinigami is frustrated that he hasn’t scared Aibi. He makes it his goal to make her suffer before she dies… even if it means he has to cheat her own death to do it. Thus begins the budding relationship of the potential bride-to-be and her god of death.
At first, I dismissed the story as typical edgy generic romance fare. And in fact, most of the chapters proved me right. It seems that Aibi has the worst mother and gets into terrible situations because of her illness. The Shinigami (who Aibi affectionately calls Shii-kun) also has the typical cold and brooding personality that fits an attractive god of death.
However, by the time the manga introduces Himeno (Aibi’s classmate who can see the Shinigami due to his family’s lineage as exorcists), the story takes some good narrative turns. The consequences of letting someone live past their intended death are hinted at for future chapters, which gives this story a leg to stand on.
All in all, it’s a generic romance with a supernatural twist, but with enough here to warrant a read through. There are better classroom romance series from Square Enix, but this one has potential.
Rating: 2 out of 5 UwUs
Veil Volume 2 (Udon Entertainment)
In this second volume of romantic cheer, police officer Alex continues to charm the heiress Emma as they live life together. This volume includes more vignettes related to Emma’s blindness as Alex acclimates to life without one of her senses. However, it’s still a thrilling symphony of sounds and smells as the duo’s relationship blossoms.
This one is a little lighter on exposition, with more of the volume dedicated to sketches and art of the couple. You still have text stories and some quiet scenes with the two, but this one is a more visual piece. That said, what it lacks in its story, it utterly impresses with its art. I bought both volumes physically, and the presentation for this series is impeccable. It feels like a premium edition of a book, and I’m glad this got a physical release.
This volume is more of the same compared to the first, with a little less heft in the exposition. It still is a masterclass in romance manga, and I just LOVED the physical presentation of the book too (the pages have a nice weight, with the color popping out of each spread).
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record Volume 4 (Square Enix Manga)
The wait for this series was excruciating (I didn’t realize it’s been nearly two years since the first volume came out!) but we’ve finally reached the finale of this Nier: Automata prequel. As the party of androids whittles to a handful, No. 2 and No. 4 reach the server room. Alongside resistance members Rose and Gerbera, the survivors lead a hopeless battle in trying to complete the operation.
Meanwhile, the commander and mission control above have second thoughts about what they’re actually doing here, and we get some painful truths at the true purpose of this mission. This tale is a foregone conclusion, but the story gets strung nicely here, with some monologues highlighting the internal struggles and unfortunate end of most of the cast.
As most of the previous characters are either dead or otherwise absent in this volume, it gives No. (A)2 a chance to shine with her pre-game characterization. Rose and No. 4 also get some nice moments and flashbacks, which ties up the short story well. The quick pace means that not every story thread is resolved, but it’s a nice hook for the actual game should you decide to play it after picking this up.
For those wanting a little more in the Nier: Automata universe (or for those who haven’t experienced it yet), Yorha: Pearl Harbor Descent Record is a tragically poignant manga which dives into the world of the game.
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
Thanks for reading our back to school 2025 manga minis! Stay tuned for more manga reviews here on Miso!
