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CHRISTMAS TIME! Reviews, Giveaways, and More!
It's that time again.It's the holiday season, which means it's time for another round of the Manga Test Drive's annual Holiday Reviews, where I review one new title from December 1 all the way to...
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Holiday Review #1: EDEN OF WITCHES
This year might feature the most diverse line-up we've had since I started doing these holiday reviews. A big part of that is that we've seen a lot of new manga publishers start up, including this...
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Holiday Review #2: MY LOVE STORY WITH YAMADA-KUN AT LV999
Among all those new publishers are a number of digital-only apps or subscription sites making their first ventures into print. This is just one of a handful of examples that came out this year.MY LOVE...
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Holiday Review #3: HER FRANKENSTEIN
Many of these newer, smaller publishers are taking advantage of the current horror manga boom to pick up older, lesser-known titles like this one.HER FRANKENSTEIN (Frankenstein no Otoko), by Norikazu...
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Holiday Review #4: GANNIBAL
For those who wanted horror manga that was a little more recent and gruesome, there were also releases like this one.GANNIBAL (Gannibaru), by Masaaki Ninomiya. First published in 2018 and first...
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Holiday Review #5: GOKURAKUGAI
Even shonen manga is not immune to the horror vibes, even if it mostly takes the form of demon fighters like this one.GOKURAKUGAI, by Yuto Sano. First published in 2022 and first published in North...
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Holiday Review #6: THE GUY SHE WAS INTERESTED IN WASN'T A GUY AT ALL
With all the yuri manga we're getting these days, it's hard for any title to make much of an impression. That's why I was surprised by all the hype around this particular one, the sort I haven't seen...
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Holiday Review #7: AFTER SCHOOL ETUDE
There was also plenty of BL to choose from this year, but when I saw the cover for this one I knew I had to talk about it.AFTER SCHOOL ETUDE (Hokago no Etude), by Hirune Cyan. First published in 2020...
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Holiday Review #8: I GOT REINCARNATED IN A (BL) WORLD OF BIG (MAN) BOOBS
From the moment I saw the announcement for this one, I knew I had to talk about it. I haven't been this compelled by a BL title since the days of Dick Fight Island.I GOT REINCARNATED IN A (BL) WORLD...
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Holiday Review #9: THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR SPOILS ME ROTTEN
As far as straight romance manga goes, there was unfortunately plenty of light novel-based wish-fulfillment fodder like this one.THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR SPOILS ME ROTTEN (Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsu no...
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Holiday Review #10: I WANT A GAL GAMER TO PRAISE ME
The success of My Dress-Up Darling has led to a wave of shonen romances where a flirty gyaru gal with a otaku-friendly interest gets together with an ordinary teen boy all while missing what made that...
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Holiday Review #11: BUTAREBA: THE STORY OF A MAN TURNED INTO A PIG
It's true that a lot of isekai protagonists could be described as pigs, but usually it's not THIS literal.BUTAREBA: THE STORY OF A MAN TURNED INTO A PIG (Buta no Reba wa Kanetsu Shiro), based on the...
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Holiday Review #12: IN THE NAME OF THE MERMAID PRINCESS
Ok, after all that we need something cute, frothy, and feminine. Surely a cute shojo manga from Shojo Beat can deliver that!...right?IN THE NAME OF THE MERMAID PRINCESS (Mio no Na no Moto ni),...
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Holiday Review #13: A SINNER OF THE DEEP SEA
If I had a nickel for every mermaid manga I read this year, I would have two nickels. That isn't a lot but it's more that I would have expected for a concept this niche.A SINNER OF THE DEEP SEA (Abyss...
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Holiday Reviews #14: HOME OFFICE ROMANCE
My favorite romance of the year wasn't shojo, though. It was this simple little one volume seinen romance from the creator of Manga Test Drive favorite Sweat and Soap.HOME OFFICE ROMANCE (Telework...
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Holiday Review #15: SECOND HAND LOVE
Two years ago I reviewed Talk to My Back, a quietly powerful work from one of the few women to ever gain prominence in the gekiga movement. Naturally, when another release of hers came out this year I...
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Holiday Review #16: FRIDAY AT THE ATELIER
Seinen magazines seems to be the place to go these days if you want quirky romance manga starring adults, much like this one.FRIDAYS AT THE ATELIER (Kinyoubi wa Atelier de), by Sakura Hamada. First...
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Holiday Review #17: ROYAL TAILOR: CLOTHIER TO THE CROWN
Of course there were plenty of lady-led fantasy titles, and this is one of the rare ones that didn't involve reincarnation or villainesses or anything like that.ROYAL TAILOR: CLOTHIER TO THE CROWN...
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Holiday Review #18: DUCHESS IN THE ATTIC
Of course, there was plenty of lady-led light novel adaptations to go around. This is probably one of the few that didn't involve reincarnations or villainesses, although that doesn't make any better...
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Holiday Review #19: TALES OF THE TENDO FAMILY
There was good shojo manga to be found this year, ones that relied not on webnovel buzzwords but on good old-fashioned drama and trauma.TALES OF THE TENDO FAMILY (Tendo-ke Monogatari), by Ken Saito....
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