Reading Log 2024 Wrapped

What did That Manga Hunter read in 2024?

Not a late April Fool's Day joke though it probably should be. It's about time I got this post out the door. (Hey, better late than never right?) Overall, I read 35 volumes of manga, 9 chapters of streaming manga, and 1 light novel. I purchased 13 physical volumes of manga (includes the soon-to-be released Star Clock Liddell), and I purchased 145 digital volumes of manga (the bulk going to Kodansha's Humble Bundle). Shout out to my library for filling in the reading gaps. Here's the breakdown.

Manga I Read in 2024

The List

Here's the list of manga I read in alphabetical order:

• Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy v. 1 by Natsuha Kasazaki

• Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture v. 1 by Mikage Sawamura and Toji Aio

• Coffee Moon v. 1 by Mochito Bota

• #DCRL Midnight Children v. 1 by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, Based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula

• Guilty v. 1-13 by Ai Okaue

• I Want You to Make Me Beautiful! By Cocoa

• In/Spectre v. 17-19 by Chashiba Katase and Kyo Shirodaira

• Kagurabachi ch. 1-2 by Takeru Hokazono

• King in Limbo v. 1 by Ai Tanaka

• A Kiss with a Cat v. 1 by Miko Senri

• Last Gender v. 1-3 by Rei Taki

• Loyal Soldier, Lustful Beast (light novel) by Sumire Saiga and Saya Shirosaki

• Magical Girl Dandelion ch. 1-2 by Kaeru Mizuho

• Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts v. 5 by Tohko Tsukinaga

• Spy x Family ch. 91-95 by Tatsuya Endo

• Steel of Celestial Shadows v. 1 by Daruma Matsuura

• To Your Eternity v. 17-20 by Yoshitoki Oima

• With You, Our Love Will Make It Through v. 1 by Chihiro Yuzuki

• Wolf Girl and Black Prince v. 1 by Ayuko Hatta

• Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell v. 1 by Hina Sakurada

You can read my full thoughts on the manga (and light novel) I highlighted above. I haven't been active on Tumblr this past year so there are no monthly mini reviews this year. Instead, enjoy the highlights.

Highlights

To Your Eternity v. 17-20 by Yoshitoki Oima

I might be the only weeb who has yet to read (or watch) the award-winning, tear-jerker A Silent Voice. So, my first (and only) Yoshitoki Oima manga is To Your Eternity. I started reading it under quarantine when Kodansha offered damn near the first arc as part of a Humble Bundle. I didn't expect to enjoy To Your Eternity, but I did. Since then, I have kept up with the series, and it was with great joy that I finally got through the Present Day Arc. I really disliked it. The entire thing was a slog to get through. It's just lackluster compared to the imaginative primitive worlds and adventures Fushi and friends went on. Present Day Arc was school and fighting at school and that girl with the gross loser brother. (Cool paneling for that yeeted off the roof scene tho.)

The Future Arc definitely feels final, like we're wrapping up here, and I think it's for the best. There's some cool things, but nothing super original. The world is a dystopian techno nightmare (think Akira) complete with a caste system. Everyone starts at 3 stars. If you earn 5 stars, you become immortal and wealthy. You live in abundance. If you earn 0 stars, you become a human and live in poverty. You can and will die. Questions are raised.

If you're immortal, then what do you live for?

If you are a toy, can you become a real boy?

Clones exist in this world. Designer babies exist in this world. Do Nokkers still exist in this world? I'm hopeful that the Future Arc will be way better than the Present Day Arc. I'm enjoying the Future Arc so far, and I'm still enjoying the story, even when it's extended beyond the highest of highs by this point. I'm ready for the ending.

In/Spectre v. 17-19 by Chashiba Katase and Kyo Shirodaira

Volume 17-18 covers the "To Slay a Snow Woman" arc, and this arc is now one of my faves! The snow woman returns! This arc has everything. Samurai, yokai, action/adventure, love, and most important of all mystery. Kotoko and Kuro are notably absent from these volumes. The heavy lifting goes to some new characters. It's a "show, don't tell" type of arc. I still haven't watched season 2 of In/Spectre, but it's still on the to be watched list.

Speaking of samurai...

Kagurabachi ch. 1-2 by Takeru Hokazono

Kagurabachi made its debut in print last year. Prior to its release, I read two chapters on MangaPlus, and...I wasn't impressed. It feels like a Rurouni Kenshin wannabe with none of the build up. Time in story and time spent with characters, even the red shirt guys, is important, and everyone seems to want to skip that in new gen Shonen Jump. Granted, two chapters is not enough to judge manga, especially weekly released manga. So much can change going from chapter 1 to chapter 2. (See Earthchild by Hideo Shinkai as a prime example of wasted potential.) I have too much to read as it is so I'll take the Bachi Bros' word on this one and wait for the inevitable anime.

#DCRL Midnight Children v. 1 by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, Based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula

I have never read the original Dracula so I can't do an apples to apples comparison between it and hashtagDCRL Midnight Children, but I think it's safe to say that OG Dracula fans won't be disappointed in this re-imagining/adaptation. The first volume is just... wow. Viz rolled out the red carpet for this release with a hardcover, nice binding, and a few color pages. This book will look good in your hands and on the shelf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB2icQTVcWA

Shin'ichi Sakamoto's artwork is beautiful and photo-realistic. The story unfolds cinematically with little dialogue and text, lots of two page spreads, and panel by panel motion. The story follows Mina, the only girl at an elite boarding school. She has a hard time fitting in and gets picked on all the time. Enter Dracula to make her life and the lives of her friends, including Luke "Lucy" Westerna, a living nightmare. The manga tackles gender, sexuality, economic class, and more. I am looking forward to reading more soon!

Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy v. 1 by Natsuha Kasazaki

2024 was the year of PRINT omegaverse releases. From 2019 to now, we went from 0 to all of the releases with Seven Seas doing most of the heavy lifting. I love omegaverse stories for the tropes that comes with this genre and the smut. (I'm going to be real here.) I really enjoyed the first volume of the raunchy romcom Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy.

Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy is a m/f omegaverse story about two people with similar names and similar predicaments. Both people feel the need to lie about their second gender for easier living. Ako Oukami is an alpha, but she's pretending to be an omega. Ichiro Ohkami is an omega pretending to be an alpha. Ichiro and Ako work at a nice restaurant, and Ichiro trains Ako. Ichiro is driven and ambitious, and Ako is the opposite. She's lazy. However, after work, the glasses come off and the hair comes down. She shows her true colors.

If you made it this far, and you're like, "WTF is omegaverse?" In my own words, omegaverse is a romance subgenre that features a fantasy world with rules (and tropes) to justify living in a hierarchical society where people get horny and pregnant based on bad wolf science. If you're still confused, don't worry about it. A lot of omegaverse manga, including Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy, explains the rules and its universe in story and/or in an index.

Overall, omegaverse is not really that complicated or hard to understand. Just dive in. Maybe not with Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy if you are a sensitive reader. Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy has all of the ✨problematique✨ fare most people associate with omegaverse on top of being a very spicy, irreverent, and raunchy romcom in case you couldn't tell by the cover alone. Yeah, yeah. DoN't jUdGe A bOok bY iT's CovEr. Well, sometimes it's exactly what it looks like, and manga is a visual medium. I don't know what to tell you. There is futanari.

Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy is definitely not for everyone, but it's definitely my jam, and I'm going to keep reading. Keep the Seven Seas Steamship releases coming!

Wolf Girl and Black Prince v. 1 by Ayuko Hatta

Wolf Girl and Black Prince is a little infamous on the net. People talk about it like it's a guilty pleasure or a bad manga, and I'm confused. (Maybe it's just the anime that's bad???) Granted, I have only read volume 1 thus far, but it seems fine. It's funny. (Does it get bad further in or something?)

Wolfgirl and Black Prince is a school romcom about a girl named Erika. Erika lies about having a boyfriend to her stuck up "cool" friends, and when they demand proof, she snaps a random pic in public. Turns out the boy in the pic is the school "prince" Kyoya. Kyoya finds out about the pic and Erika's lie, but rather than ratting Erika out to her friends, he agrees to "date" her. Well, he agrees... for a price. Comedy and shennanigans ensue. The first three chapters of the manga establishes Erika's character, life, her situation, and her dream (find a boyfriend, duh). Additionally, there's a beach episode and a nurse-the-bad-boy-back-to-health episode in the first volume. What's not to love?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLFE0vHNFRQ

Now, Wolf Girl and Black Prince wasn't on my tbr list. This was a manga that I just randomly picked up from the library, just because it was there. (Shout out to libraries everywhere.) I wouldn't encourage you to rush out and read it right now, especially if you're a grown-ass woman like me, but if you happen to see it and you're caught up with all your other reads, why not? It's funny.

With You, Our Love Will Make It Through v. 1 by Chihiro Yuzuki Yes, I read the furry manga, and shout out to this diva for describing it as "average beastman yumejo." Nailed it.

Couldn't have described it better than this

The first volume was cute, and I love the art, which was the biggest reason as to why I wanted to read it. With You Our Love Will Make It Through is getting an anime adaptation, hence why we probably got it. The anime will debut this fall, and the trailer for it is out now. It looks good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYKAJvv9Uz0

Annnd that wraps up my 2024 reads. Now, I want to talk about the manga I bought in 2024.

Manga I Bought in 2024

2024 was the year I finally returned to pre-lockdown levels of spending. I spent $274.18 on 158 books for the entire year. I spent $53.85 on 145 digital manga and $220.33 on 13 physical books. All of the physical books was new. The bulk of the digital purchases was due to Kodansha's Humble Bundle sale. Shout out to Kodansha for DRM-free manga. I just wished they made it a permanent thing, and I just wish more publishers have DRM-free manga.

Here are the physical books I bought:

• Bite Maker: The King's Omega vol. 8 by Miwako Sugiyama

• With You, Our Love Will Make It Through v. 1 by Chihiro Yuzuki

• King in Limbo v. 1 by Ai Tanaka

• Something's Wrong With Us v. 17-18 by Natsumi Ando

• The Villainess and the Demon Knight v. 1 (light novel) by Nekota and Asahiko

• Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell v. 1 by Hina Sakurada

• Guilty Smile v. 1 by Kou Unazuki, Miri Hanaoka, and Clione

• Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts v. 5 by Tohko Tsukinaga

• I'll Never Be Your Crown Princess! v. 3 by Saki Tsukigami, Natsu Kuroki, and Enn Tsutamori

• Star Clock Liddell v. 1-3 slip cover edition by Yoshimi Uchida (pre-ordered from Glacier Bay Books)

The running theme, besides Seven Seas taking half of my money, is that I don't read what I purchase in a timely manner. 😭 There is no method to the madness. I usually buy what I am excited for most. Besides that, I make purchasing decisions on other factors such as sales, ongoing vs completed series, the publisher, available space, money, etc. I also give shoujo/josei, BL, and other niche manga (like mystery manga) higher priority. Most of my collection is in storage at the moment so I can't buy a lot, which is one of the drawbacks to having a physical collection. Not that I am any better at collecting digitally. It's just cheaper and convenient at times. With that said...

Here is what I bought digitally, starting with the Kodansha Humble Bundle:

• A Silent Voice v. 1-7 by Yoshitoki Oima

• A Sign of Affection v. 1-7 by Suu Morishita

• Blue Period v. 1-13 by Tsubasa Yamaguchi

• Medalist v. 1-10 by Tsurumaikada

• Nina the Starry Bride v. 1-10 by Rikachi

• Shangri-la Frontier v. 1-11 by Katarina and Ryosuke Fuji

• With Hat Atelier v. 1-11 by Kamome Shirahama

• The Drops of God v. 1-44 by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto

• Vinland Saga v. 1-13 by Makoto Yukimura

• What Did You Eat Yesterday v. 1-10 by Fumi Yoshinaga

Have I read all of the Humble Bundle manga? No. Will I ever read all of the Humble Bundle manga? Probably not. I have yet to 100% completely read any of the Humble Bundle deals I purchased in the past. When it comes to Kodansha's Humble Bundle deals, I buy base on a series or two. In this case, I bought the deal because of The Drops of God and Nina the Starry Bride. I've read The Drops of God a few years ago, and I reviewed it here. (It's one of the first reviews I posted to the site!)

I also have read a lot of Nina the Starry Bride, and I owned the first 10 volumes (via Kindle) before the sale, but you can't beat high-quality, DRM-free files. Plus, I have no plans to switch over to physically collecting the series. I was an early adopter of this series so I was too far into it when Kodansha announced the physical release. If Kodansha releases an omnibus, then I'll consider switching over, but for now, digital it shall be. Anyway, for the low, low price of $25, the bundle was more than worth it.

And here are the free digital Kodansha manga I "bought:"

• That Beauty is a Tramp v. 1 by Hal Osaka

• Apple Children of Aeon v. 1 by Ai Tanaka

• Love, That's an Understatement v. 1 by Fujimomo

• Pretty Boy Detective Club v. 1 by Nisioisin and Suzuka Oda

• A Kiss With a Cat v. 1 by Miko Senri

• In the Clear Moonlit Dusk v. 1 by Mika Yamamori

Kodansha has a lot of sales on their volume 1's throughout the year, and I happened to snag these for free during those times. The first four are stuck on Kodansha's "Reader Portal," and it's been out of sight, out of mind. I was about to purchase That Beauty is a Tramp v. 1 on Kindle because I forgot that I have "purchased" it already. 😂😭

I have read Pretty Boy Detective Club v. 1 pre-2024, and I did own the physical copy. Alas, I made the decision to cut it from my collection when I moved everything into storage. The first volume was okay. It was like the gang from Ouran High School Host Club became detectives. Just add some off-color banter, fantastical elements, and a few fun twists. Besides the Reader Portal stuff, I got free stuff via my poison of choice: Kindle.

A Kiss With a Cat v. 1 and In the Clear Moonlit Dusk v. 1 were free on Kindle one day so I snagged them. I have the Oasis, and it works for me. I don't like splitting my digital purchases between platforms because I might accidentally repurchase them or just forget about them. I make exceptions for DRM-free stores and platforms (ex SuBLime, Humble Bundle, Glacier Bay Books, etc.), and I make exceptions for free books.

The rest of the digital manga I actually bought:

• The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions v. 5 by Narise Konohara and Marimo Ragawa

• Lala's Married Life v. 2 by Tamekou

• Love of Kill v. 9 by Fe

• Hell is Dark with No Flowers v. 1 (light novel) by Yoro Michio

I'm behind on Lala's Married Life because I am holding out hope that someone will print it. 😭 Now that Love of Kill has been completely published in English, it's time for me to finish reading and collecting the series. Lastly I'm still in the middle of Hell is Dark with No Flowers. I'm not digging it thus far. So, I won't be continuing collecting the series, but I will at least polish off vol. 1. The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions is awesome. No notes. Go read.

Conclusion

And there you have it! That is all of the manga I read and purchased in 2024. Key takeaways: don't be like me and read your manga. 🙈 Also, the library is awesome. Now, it's your turn. What did you read? Let me know.

If you're looking for even more manga to read, check out what I read in 2023. I'll get 2025's roundup out much sooner. Here's to more reading in 2025. 🥂