The Library Vault

I hope you all are reading more manga! I thought I would update the blog with some things I’ve recently read and upcoming titles coming to our collection soon. If you’re looking for a different pace from Shōnen manga but still want the high fantasy action/adventure setting, try reading Solo Leveling. 

This story follows Korean hunter Sung Jinwoo as he experiences a traumatic reawakening in a dungeon, leading him to newfound power. Jinwoo’s power quickly snowballs leading to more mysteries about hunters, dungeons, and the Monarchs that rule behind the scenes. Solo Leveling is a Manhwa (South Korea’s version of Japanese manga) that was adapted from a webcomic and reads from left to right with full-color pictures like an American graphic novel so it might be a good first step for new manga readers. You can watch its first season as an anime adaptation on Crunchyroll and look forward to more as it has been confirmed for a season 2 coming this Fall. 

Delicious in Dungeon also known as “Dungeon Meshi” is a high-fantasy/dungeon crawl/mystery disguised as a cooking manga. The story begins light-hearted and fun with lots of cooking and food panels accompanied by humorous situations and ditsy characters. As you delve deeper into the story and deeper into the dungeon the mystery begins to unfold and a darker more serious tone overtakes the story. This series doesn’t take itself too seriously while also providing rich world-building and a compelling plot. LCI has access to a few copies of this manga and we have more on order. This series also has an excellent anime adaptation available on Netflix. 

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is an adult slice-of-life rom-com manga that takes place in an office setting. Otaku is a typically derogatory term that refers to someone who is a nerd in Japan. The hyperbole of an otaku is a basement-dwelling geek who never showers, plays video games, and collects memorabilia from their favorite manga, cartoons, or games. The main characters Narumi Momose and Hirotaka Nifuji are childhood friends and office workers at the same firm. Both are otaku and agree, since it is hard to find a romantic partner who is supportive of their hobbies, to date each other. This becomes the love story of two shy introverts who slowly fall for each other. This manga surprised me with how much I enjoyed it and how relatable some of the characters are. It is a little on the mature side so I recommend it for older teens and young adults as it deals with adult characters and some more adult themes. This series has an anime adaptation available on Prime Video and is available to read online with Libby. 

Skip and Loafer is a teen rom-com manga about a country bumkin moving to the big city to attend high school in Tokyo. Mitsumi Iwakura is an awkward country girl who wants to get into a good college. She has good grades and a lot of ambition, whereas her love interest, former child actor and pretty boy Sōsuke Shima, is a bit of a slacker. Shima is used to girls fawning all over him, so when Iwakura treats him like any other guy, he finds her incredibly interesting and they become fast friends. Skip and Loafer also had a first season adapted into an anime on Crunchyroll (a online anime streaming service) and has volumes still coming out, so be on the lookout for more coming to our shelves here at Russell. 

Quick sneak peek at new series we have coming soon: Whisper Me A Love Song is a high school yuri romance about a freshman accidentally confessing to an upperclassman in the school band; Witch Hat Atelier is a seinen fantasy manga about an aspiring witch who struggles to control her powers; Akene-banashi is a coming-of-age comedy-drama about a high schooler trying to achieve her father’s dream of being a rakugoka; and A Sign of Affection is a slice of life romance about a deaf college student’s first love. I hope you look forward to reading these new titles as soon as they hit our shelves as much as I will, and in the meantime feel free to share what you’ve been reading! 

– Dillon Willhelm, Librarian I in the Digital and Emerging Technologies department, and Russell’s own Anime and Manga connoisseur.