Happy holidays, VIZ fans! 2024 may be coming to a close, but I will probably continue to do this pubwatch until the heat death of the universe or I run out of spare time. Whichever comes first! This month we’re getting warm and cozy with some fluffy romance manga, as well as volume 3 of the less-than-cozy dystopian science fiction Fool Night. But first, the news!
Win an Ultraman Shikishi from Tomohiro Shimoguchi
To promote volume 20 of Ultraman, VIZ media is giving away a free shikishi board illustrated by the mangaka himself. The sweepstakes will close on January 8, so get your entry in now by reposting the announcement on Twitter or Bluesky. Complete rules can be found here. I haven’t read Ultraman, but the drawing does look nice!
New VIZ Shop now open
More merch! And only some of it is Naruto themed! Imagine! The official blog post highlights the newest and most exciting additions to the anime merchandising ecosystem, including an exclusive RWBY collection, board games, mugs, a bucket hat with the core cast of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End on it … The possibilities are truly endless, and just in time for the holidays!
BLEACH: Thousand Year Blood War is still going and you can watch it
I feel like I have been writing News blurbs about this specific anime since I started doing Pubwatches. Maybe even since the dawn of time. At any rate, part 3 is streaming on Hulu in the US, and the finale will air as a two-parter on December 28. Exciting news for BLEACH fans! For more information on when exactly this show will be available in which part of the world, please refer to this very specific guide. Enjoy!
Enough news, time for reviews! Let’s take a look at…
What I’m Reading
Fool Night, Volume 3
Kasumi Yasuda
December 17, 2024
After reading and enjoying volume 1 a few months ago, I kept reading the serialized chapters on the VIZ app. Something fans following along on the app should keep in mind regarding these volume editions is that they’ve actually been completely retranslated. The biggest change is the “soulflora” in the app version has been changed to “spiriflora” for the volume editions, but most of the dialogue I looked at seemed to differ slightly as well. Both versions seemed pretty competent to me. Anyway, in this volume, the spiriflor serial killer known as “Ivy” is still at large, and Kamiya is hot on its heels after his best friend Yomiko is severely injured in the line of duty. But being a loose cannon has consequences, both for Kamiya’s health and his job. Kamiya’s quest for vengeance is intercut with scenes from the lives of ordinary people struggling to pay exorbitant oxygen taxes in this world of endless night, and how that affects them. It’s a very thoughtful and at times horrific portrayal of life under late capitalism. With botanical body horror as a fun bonus!
Let’s Do It Already! Volume 3
Aki Kusaka
December 3, 2024
I also read the first volume of this one a few months ago and quite enjoyed it. Yuri is a relatable, silly shojo heroine, and Keiichi is devoted to her in his own wacky, ultra-rich way. I skipped volume 2, but volume 3 starts with a quick recap that made me feel like I hadn’t missed a beat. It reminds me a bit of Ouran High School Host Club if Tamaki and Kyoya were fused into one male lead, and Haruhi was a little sillier and more dramatic. In this volume, Keiichi manipulates both of their single-gender schools to do an overnight trip to the mountains at the same time so they could spend more time together, and then, when his summer schedule allowed him no time to hang out with Yuri, helped her get a part-time job at his family residence. It’s interesting how his rich kid powers allow him to do some wildly dramatic acts of romance, but his family’s strict rules prevent him from actually being able to go on a date with his girlfriend during summer vacation. I like how weird and deeply devoted both of them are. This is one established relationship manga that never gets boring.
Rainbows After Storms, Volume 1
Luka Kobachi
December 10, 2024
Speaking of established relationship manga… I didn’t particularly care for this one. Rainbows After Storms consists of a lot of short, highly episodic chapters with very little forward narrative progression from chapter-to-chapter. Each chapter mostly just says: “This is my best friend… and my girlfriend. But it’s a secret.” Over and over again. Not a lot happens, and Nanoha and Chidori aren’t very interesting. I finished reading this volume very quickly, but about halfway through I found myself wishing I was reading Girlfriends by Milk Morinaga instead. I also don’t understand why they’re keeping their relationship a secret when it seems everyone around them would be fully supportive if they admitted it? Their friends all seem really nice, and later in the volume, they’re excited about a different female classmate getting a girlfriend so they’re clearly not homophobic. I dunno, it didn’t work for me. Fans of this series claim it is cute and sweet and nice. I don’t disagree, but to me, it is also extremely boring. I’ve read a lot of high school yuri in my life, and this one was far from my favorites.
And that’s my last pubwatch of 2024! See you next year with more news and reviews!
