They Say There Are Spies Everywhere These Days

~Spy x Family~
Missions 1-17
Vol. 1-3
By Tatsuya Endo
Translated By Casey Loe
Amazon ~ Powell's

Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!

Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath!


I first heard about this story from my go-to AniTuber, Geoff Thew @ Mother's Basement when the anime was set to air this spring. It sounded cute and funny, with the chance of maybe some heartfelt moments? Who am I kidding‐it was promised to have heartfelt moments, plus some neat spy and assassin action, so I jumped straight in. And I'm glad I did.

I’m Not a Human or a Demon— But I Will Be an Exorcist

~Blue Exorcist~
Exorcist Cram School Enrollment &
Exorcist Candidate Live Combat Arcs
Vol. 1-4
By Kazue Kato
Translated By John Werry
Amazon ~ Powell's

Unbeknownst to fifteen-year-old Rin Okumura, both human and demon blood runs in his veins. After a fight with some delinquents causes his demonic powers to suddenly and violently awaken, he's thrown into a hidden world of demons and Exorcists. With his dubious heritage exposed, there's little choice left to him except to join the fight against demons and train to become an Exorcist himself.

And Rin is not one to merely go halfway. He vows to become the best, and sets his sights on one day defeating Satan himself.

Enrolled at True Cross Academy, alongside his more studious twin brother Yukio, Rin's training begins at the Exorcism Cram School. There he and the other students are quickly thrown into the thick of things, battling goblins, ghouls, and even a Demon God or two. Fighting, Rin can handle, but friendship is a challenge all to itself, and while honesty and trust is important, he's not sure revealing everything about himself is a good idea.

But that choice may not be entirely up to him.


I watched this story's anime way back when it was on Toonami and fell in love. A plucky teenage protagonist discovering a hidden magical world in which the forces of good and evil are locked in battle, deciding to join the fight, and slowly peeling back the misconceptions and corruption of this new world in his journey through school? What's not to love? I even found the manga online and read the unofficial translations for a while. When the anime came back in 2017, effectively erasing the last half of the non-canon first season in favor of the next arc from the manga, I was excited to see the gang back in action. But it took my recent forays into reading the medium to finally get me to revisit the manga proper.

Come Now, Midoriya—This Will Be Your Hero Academy!

~My Hero Academia~
Origin, Entrance Exam, Class 1-A Beginnings,
U.S.J. & Sports Festival Arcs
Vol. 1-5
By Kohei Horikoshi
Translated By Caleb Cook
Amazon ~ Powell's

One day, people began manifesting special abilities that came to be known as "Quirks," and before long, society became full of these super-powered humans. But with the advent of these exceptional individuals came an increase in crime, and governments were unable to deal with the situation. At the same time, others emerged to oppose the spread of evil! As if straight from the comic books, these heroes keep the peace and are even officially authorized to fight crime.

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…


It's honestly been quite some time since I first came across My Hero Academia (or Boku No Hero Academia as it's originally titled). Having watched the anime since shortly before season two started airing, I've been keeping up with the stories of Midoriya and the rest of the heroes (and villains) for a couple years now—but only in the anime. It wasn't until I started getting into official mangas this year (partly thanks to the Vampire Book Club, and partly thanks to Geoff Thew's [aka Mother's Basement] recommendation to do so) that I decided to go ahead and see what the manga had in store.

I Was Going to Tell You When I Was Sure You’d Keep Your Promise

~The Promised Neverland~
Introduction & Jailbreak Arcs
Vol. 1-5
By Kaiu Shirai & Posuka Demizu
Translated By Satsuki Yamashita
Amazon ~ Powell's

Norman, Emma, and Ray are the brightest kids at the Grace Field House orphanage. And under the care of Isabella, who they refer to as "Mom," all the kids have enjoyed a comfortable life. Good food, clean clothes, and the perfect environment to learn- what more could an orphan ask for? One day, though, Emma and Norman uncover the dark and twisted truth of the outside world they are forbidden from seeing.

Emma swears that she'll never lose another family member and starts gathering information in order to survive. They eventually bring Ray into the fold, and together the three start planning a way to escape.

I first heard about this story through praise of its anime adaptation. One of my favorite Ani-Tubers, Geoff Thew (aka Mother's Basement) has been gushing about its story, characters, and tension for years. And then they made a second season and absolutely slaughtered any good will they'd built up from the first. So, I decided to take him up on his suggestion and dive into the manga to see just what I'd been missing out on.

I decided to stop at the same place Season 1 of the anime stopped, just at the end of the Jailbreak arc (the second arc of the manga), which took me through the better part of 5 volumes, or 37 chapters. I figured that was the best way to get a good taste of the story and characters (ha), without leaving off on too big of a cliffhanger (like each volume tended to do).

Some Bizarre Hopes for This Mask of JoJo's

~Phantom Blood~
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Part 1
By Hirohiko Araki
Translated By Evan Galloway
Amazon ~ Powell's

Young Jonathan Joestar’s life is forever changed when he meets his new adopted brother, Dio. For some reason, Dio has a smoldering grudge against him and derives pleasure from seeing him suffer. But every man has his limits, as Dio finds out. This is the beginning of a long and hateful relationship!

This month's pick in Maven of the Eventide's (aka Elisa Hansen's) Vampire Book Club was a first for me: my very first official (not fan-translated) Manga ever, and also my first foray into the world of JoJo. Sure, I've seen enough of JoJo here and there to know of him—his style, the references, and what have you—but I'd never actually gone and experienced it for myself. Not even an episode of the anime. So, with an open mind and bated breath, I took the plunge into the bizarre world of JoJo and DIO!

There Is No Plan, Plus 5 More Career Secrets

~The Adventures of Johnny Bunko~
The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need
By Daniel H. Pink & Rob Ten Pas
Amazon ~ Powell's

The 6 career secrets no one ever told you.

Meet Johnny Bunko. He's probably a lot like you. He did what everybody—parents, teachers, counselors—told him to do. But now, stuck at a dead-end job, he's begun to suspect that what he thought he knew is just plain wrong. One bizarre night, Johnny meets Diana, the unlikeliest career advisor he's ever seen. Part Cameron Diaz, part Barbara Eden, she reveals to Johnny the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work.

The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is America's first business book in the Japanese comic format known as manga. Packed with smart, life-changing advice you won't find anywhere else, it's the last career guide you'll ever need.


My dad picked this up as he was perusing the bookshelves at Goodwill. I was pretty surprised when I saw it since he primarily reads only non-fiction, and definitely not picture books. But he said he'd heard good things about it, and had read the author before. So I shrugged and didn't think any more of it.