Ready for another list of manga recommendations from Hoi’s Manga Corner? As a monthly segment for Don’t Feed the Gamers, we share a small list of suggestions to read. Each month varies so, while one list may not click with you another one might! This time around, we’re taking a look at Curse Blood by Kajiyama Hiroshi, Super Secret by eon, Unriped Expression by Aga, and Zessyaka by Sekihan. At the very bottom is a list of past recommendations, so be sure to check that out. Without further ado, here is Hoi’s September 2017 Manga Corner:

Title: Curse Blood
Author: Kajiyama Hiroshi
Genre: Fantasy, Action, Adventure

Get ready to be transported back to the ‘90s era of manga style with a more refined line art, coloring, and illustrated movements. An art style that is a quick reminder of series like Lodoss Wars, Curse Blood is about a young, female protagonist who is transported to a world she believes is just a dream. Unbeknownst to her, she holds within her the reincarnation of the Goddess York, blood of Fuuka, which has a significant tie-in to the very first character she meets in the first chapter. As

Though the art and action look promising, one of the cautionary character tropes is definitively apparent. That is, the main character seems very lax and, for lack of better vernacular, rather useless. Though only a single chapter has been released with English translation, there’s certainly more to look forward to. Hopefully, the young, soon-to-be-fully-realized goddess will gain some sense of agency and courage. Rather than having multiple Kagome (Inuyasha) moments and narrating the shit that’s going down, I would like to see the female protagonist help the main character with significance rather than a flit of an arrow and falling over woefully. Can you tell that I don’t like damsels in a perpetual state of distress and shock? Fight, woman! If you can’t, learn!

Even so, I’m looking forward to what Curse Blood will bring to the table. Hopefully it isn’t another drawn out story with a mind-boggling strong male “guardian” with a somewhat useful female protagonist with holy blood. However, I’m really digging the art style and everything else about it so far. Come join me for the ride in discovering what this series is all about! Translated by LHTranslation.

Title: Super Secret
Author: eon
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama, Supernatural

Super Secret is an adorable 4-panel (or 4koma) illustrated story about childhood friends Ryan (Gunwoo) and Emma (Eunho) as the latter character goes off to experience college. Unfortunately, Emma is a little on the clumsy side due to one to many accidents with her gifted neighbors because they just so happen to be a family of mythological beings – a witch (Hailey), fox spirit (Kat), werewolf (Ryan), Frankenstein’s monster (the Father), and a Korean goddess (the Mother). Super Secret is also a story of Ryan and Emma’s awkward and blossoming affection toward one another.

Developing their lives side-by-side, their friendship takes the forefront of any interaction and is akin to a familial dynamic than a romantic one. Emma explores what it means to be an adult as she struggles to reconcile her the strained relationship with her own family, as Ryan gradually goes along for the ride all while trying to keep his real identity a secret. As you progress through the story, there are multiple incidents and hardships as the family tries to keep their identities a secret. There are complications of pureblood family lines, the dating lives of college students, and love rivals.

Super Secret is a comic that was originally in Korean, but it has been officially translated on Naver LINE Webtoon with more Americanized details (i.e. character names). That isn’t to mistake the cultural differences seen between characters in regards to social interactions and dating expectations. The art style is very cute and cherubic even though all characters depicted are within the young adult to adult age range. To read the latest translated version of Super Secret, check out the official host site here! Personally, I am in love with the story. At times, it can be a bit cheesy and the heroine can be really pitiful and beyond clueless. However, author eon executes her actions in a way that seem very natural and not at all like the “Oh, woe is me. I’m so clumsy” trope. Rather, her ditzy idiosyncrasies are remedied by her thoughtful gestures and kindness.

Title: Unripened Expression
Author: Aga
Genre: BL, Slice of Life, Comedy

His first crush was in grade school. Eighteen-year-old high school student, Lee Jae Won, has known he liked other guys at a young age and, since then, he’s never felt the same about anyone else. One day, he witnessed a classmate defend children from being victims of extortion and that was when, for the first time in years, he experienced the same feelings he had for the unrequited love years ago. Up until now, he’s managed to keep his sexuality a secret from his friends and family, since same sex attraction isn’t widely accepted in Korean society. In the end, the young man vowed to keep it as such to prevent himself from being called “weird” ever again. Unfortunately for his inexperienced self, the heart wants what the heart wants.

In pursuit of understanding his conflicted heart and these newfound feelings for a classmate, Jae Won seeks guidance online. In Unriped Expression, he reminisces his broken heart from the past, this new love, and the delicate bonds of young friendships. Finally placing value in his own feelings, Jae Won gradually discovers new facets of himself and solace in the unlikeliest of person.

It’s a series about the love life of an isolated young man and nowhere to turn. He faces the challenges of societal expectations and norms as he traverses the hardships of sexuality. It’s a sweet and comedic story that may make your heart simultaneously swell and break with emotion. Unriped Expression is an original webcomic hosted on Foxtoon, but it is currently being translated by Webcomics&Scans.

Title: Zesshaka / Zessyaka
Author: Sekihan
Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy

You like cars? You like a cute art style filled with adorable girls? Zessyaka could be the next “slice of life” manga series for you. Following a motley crew of first year girls, readers get to primarily experience the journey of Rico Momose as she attends the Yotsuwa Private Girl’s Academy – a prestigious private high school located on an island 12 miles away from the shore of Honshu, Japan. There, she joins the “Rare Car” program with the aim to learn about and restore old, beat-up cars and that isn’t done without doing the same for the memories of the owner along with it. The first project car? The impressionable Subaru Sambar van of Rico’s late grandfather.

The manga series is very informational, providing key information on the highlighted car for that chapter. A few showcased include the aforementioned Subaru Sambar, Suzuki Fronte coupe, and the Nissan Skyline model C10. Follow the playful chapters of Rico and friends as she attends the Yotsuwa Academy.

Zessyaka is definitely a more light-hearted series, one of which is borderline educational. Most of the information dabbles in “old school” vehicles including bikes, vans, and several other types of transportation. Don’t let the cherubic art style fool you, however, because it can cross into mature themes. This series is currently being translated by Team Moe.

There you have it, folks! Another round of recommendations from Hoi’s Manga Corner right at ya! What are your thoughts on the series this time around? Are you particularly curious about any of them? I hope you liked Hoi’s September 2017 Manga Corner. Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or start a conversation on Don’t Feed the Gamers official Facebook page. For suggestions from past months, make sure to check below:

• February: Adu of Hades, Darwin’s Game, Moritat, and What Does the Fox Say?
• March: Ayanashi, Black Torch, Myth Front and Ryle & Louis
• April: The Rule Breaker, Killer Killer, Murciélago, Danganronpa Gaiden: Killer Killer, and Back in Time to You!
• May: Cambria, Gantz, The Jinx’s Lover, and To You The Immortal
• June: The God of High School, Their Story, Miao Shou Xian Dan, and Somali and the Forest Spirit
• July: Full Drum, Mashira, Ake no Tobari, and Nanohana Boys
• August: Acaria, Coyote, Hell’s Kitchen, and Ore to Kawazu-san no Isekai Hourouki