The Graphic Library
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Us
  • Other Resources
    • Research

I Picked Up This World’s Strategy Guide Vol 1 by atchi ai

2/7/2025

0 Comments

 
Cover of I Piked Up this World's Strategy Guide volume 1. A young girl is clutching a red leatherbound book. She's wearing a red wrap around her shounders and her red hair is falling around her. She has brown gloves that come up her arms to her biceps. Her white blouse shows underneath, and her green skirt billows around her. She has an innocent, vacant expression.
School Library Journal review

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Publisher: Yen Press
Publication Date: January 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781975397838 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, Fantasy, Video Games, Isekai, Humor, Yen Press

0 Comments

Shangri-la frontier vol 1 by Katarina

1/2/2025

0 Comments

 
Cover of Shangri-La Frontier volume 1. Rakuro is in a blue bird mask with two swords crossed in front of him.
Illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji
 
High school student Rakuro Hizutome spends most of his free time playing kusogi, terrible immersive video games that have horrible flaws and plot holes. One day, his favorite video game clerk suggests he try out a well-made game, so he jumps into Shangri-La Frontier, a huge open-world game with tons of players. Rakuro initially sacrifices gear in his character creation in order to get better weapons, so he opts for a ridiculous bird mask and no armor. As he grinds through the first few new player areas, he takes a chance on a night time encounter, and his decision fundamentally impacts the future of his gameplay in SLF.


Read More
0 Comments

My love story with yamada-kun at lv999 vol 1 by mashiro

11/11/2024

0 Comments

 
Cover of My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Lv999 vol 1
Akane is a young college student who just got dumped by her boyfriend. He fell in love with another girl he met online on a game they all play — Forest of Saviors. Akane only started playing the game as a way to do something with her boyfriend, but she kind of likes the game now. FOS is hosting an in-person event, so Akane decides to show up looking extra cute in an attempt to make her ex jealous. Instead, she runs into an annoying member of her guild who has been rude to her online! In an effort to not look desperate, Akane gets the flippant Yamada to pose as her boyfriend, and ends up tangled with him even after the meet up despite his terrible attitude!


Read More
0 Comments

Turns out my online friend is my real-life boss! Vol 1 by nmura

8/3/2024

0 Comments

 
Cover of Turns Out my Online Friend is my Rea-Life Boss! volume 1. Hashimoto and Shirase are standing back to back. Shirase is on the phone in a business suit while Hashimoto is in a white shirt with a tie holding his phone.
Hashimoto is an innocent, rather oblivious office worker who doesn’t particularly get alone with his boss. Every proposal he turns in is ripped to shreds and has to be redone. Hashimoto’s only reprieve is an online game where his best partner, U.M.A., helps him take down tons of beasts and tackle tough quests. The two befriend another play, Salted Salmon. U.M.A. suggests they all meet in person and try to be friends in real life since they get along so well online. At first, Hashimoto is hesitant and concerned the transition won’t be smooth. But meeting his online friend reveals it’s actually his boss! Cue many misconceptions and misunderstandings, and Salted Salmon even gets tangled into the comedy of errors as they try to work everything out, including their feelings for one another.


Read More
0 Comments

In the land of leadale vol 1 by dashio tsukimi

11/13/2023

0 Comments

 
Cover of In the land of Leadale volume 1. Cayna is sitting on a green hill with a few flowers around her. She's in a green tunic with a belt around her waste. She has a white cape flowing behind her and short blond hair with a headband in her hair. Her tan boots come up to her knees and her hands are on her knees. She's smiling and looking off into the distance. Puffy clouds are in the blue sky behind her.
One morning, Keina wakes up in the world of Leadale in the body of her high elf Cayna. In the physical world, Keina knows she is hooked up to life support, and she vaguely remembers a power outage that might have caused her to be thrown into her VRMMORPG. Now that her medically fragile body has probably died, she now has to make the most of her second life as a very powerful elf in a fantasy world that has moved on from the time she was playing the game. How much has the events of the game changed the society, and what can she do to survive and not be found out as a powerful magic user! 


Read More
0 Comments

Cat + Gamer vol 2 By Wataru Nadatani

7/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Cover of Cat + Gamer volume 2
Booklist review

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1*

Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Publication Date: August 23, 2022​
ISBN: 9781506727424 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Animals, Slice Of Life, Video Games, ​Dark Horse

0 Comments

Cat + Gamer vol 1 by Wataru Nadatani

7/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Cover of Cat + Gamer volume 1
Booklist review

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12

Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Publication Date: May 24, 2022
ISBN: 9781506727417 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Animals, Slice Of Life, Video Games, ​Dark Horse

0 Comments

Oldies but goodies - CLASSIC MANGA YOU CAN ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION TODAY - PART 5

4/15/2019

0 Comments

 

Scott pilgrim by bryan lee o'malley

Picture
O'Malley's 2004-2010 classic is still a tale that resonates with today's teens.  This is one of those rare non-Japanese manga that actually has staying power.  The manga version is close to the movie adaptation (one of the books-to-movies that turned out alright) in that Scott is dating a high schooler, he dreams about a mysterious girl, and he has to fight off the evil exes of his dream girl, Ramona.  Scott has other adventures and battles, and yes, the baddies do disappear into a pile of coins just like most video games.  


Read More
0 Comments

CAN'T PLAY THE VIDEO GAME? READ THE MANGA! PART 2 OF 3

10/8/2018

3 Comments

 
My second installment of Read the Manga focuses on Kingdom Hearts, a hugely popular and expansive series that spanned several generations of consoles, some that are extremely hard to find now.  Reading the manga is a great way to catch up on stories before playing the ones you do have.

KINGDOM HEARTS by Shiro Amano

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Kingdom Hearts is a mash-up between two favorite universes: Disney. and Final Fantasy.   Disney has repeatedly created worlds that captivate our imaginations, and there are an abundance of Final Fantasy video games with iconic characters.  Kingdom Hearts pulls these two franchises together by asking the main character to save each of the different Disney Worlds while teaming up with Disney characters and interacting with our favorite Final Fantasy characters.  Similarly to the Legend of Zelda and other Japanese manga for children, the main themes of this series include friendship, belief in oneself, and determination.  Some of these storylines can be complex, so these titles would most likely be enjoyed by ages 10+.

Read More
3 Comments

Can't play the video game? Read the Manga! Part 1 of 3

9/8/2018

0 Comments

 
Several popular video game franchises have adapted popular games into manga.  This can be a great addition to your library because of console availability: not all of your students have the ability to purchase all of the consoles to play their favorite games.  Reading the manga versions is a great way to keep up with a beloved series without spending hundreds of dollars on gaming systems.

The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Editions
​by Akira Himekawa

There are currently five volumes in this series, and with the wealth of Zelda games, there could be more to come.  All of these volumes reflect the adventurous, light-hearted universe of the games, and are suitable for ages 8+.  One major departure for all of these titles is that the dungeons and puzzle-solving that fans love about these games does not translate to manga storylines, and are thus mostly absent from the novelizations.

Like many stories from Japan that are targeted at children, these volumes center around motifs of friendship, trying your best, being courageous, and the classic good-versus-evil.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

    About Me

    I've been reading manga and comicbooks for years. Now, I write reviews and other helpful things for School Librarians, teachers, parents, and students.

    Read More

    Search this site


    Picture
    Ko-fi icon
    Picture
    Picture

    Subscribe to get all the latest delivered once a month.

    * indicates required

    Ratings, Audience, and Subject Tags

    All
    Ablaze
    Abrams ComicsArts
    Action Adventure
    Adaptations
    Animals
    Art
    Autobiography
    Biography
    BOOM! Studios
    Career
    Comicbooks
    Culinary
    Dark Horse
    DC Comics
    Dead Reckoning
    Del Rey
    Demons
    Disabilities
    Dungeon
    Dystopian
    Ecchi
    Educational
    Family
    Fantagraphics
    Fantasy
    Farming
    First Second
    Folklore
    Friendship
    Graphic Fiction
    Graphic Nonfiction
    Graphic Universe
    Greenwillow Books
    Grief
    HarperAlley
    Hill And Wang
    Historical Fiction
    History
    Horror
    Humanoids
    Humor
    IDW
    Image Comics
    Inklore
    Isekai
    Iyashikei
    IZE Press
    J-Novel Club
    Kana
    Katie's Reviews
    Kodansha
    LGBTQ+
    Mad Cave
    Magic
    Magical Girl
    Manfra
    Manga
    Manhua
    Manhwa
    Marvel
    Mecha
    Megascope
    Memoir
    Mental Health
    Moni's Reviews
    Music
    Mystery
    Mythology
    Native American
    Nonfiction
    OEL Manga
    One Peace Books
    Oni Press
    Otomoisekai
    Paranormal
    Penguin
    Race Relations
    Rating: 10/10
    Rating: 3/10
    Rating: 4/10
    Rating: 5/10
    Rating: 6/10
    Rating: 7/10
    Rating: 8/10
    Rating: 9/10
    Realistic Fiction
    Regressor
    RH Graphic
    Romance
    Saturday AM
    School Life
    Science
    Science Fiction
    SelfMadeHero
    Seven Seas
    Skybound
    Slice Of Life
    Sports
    Square Enix
    Steampunk
    Story Collection
    Suitability: Adult
    Suitability: Elementary School
    Suitability: High School
    Suitability: Middle School
    Superheroes
    Supernatural
    Surrealism
    Survival
    Suspense
    Ten Speed Press
    Titan
    TokyoPop
    Top Shelf
    UDON Entertainment
    Video Games
    VIZ Media
    War
    WEBTOON Unscrolled
    Western
    Yen Press

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018

Picture

​© 2025 Sara Smith

Picture
Picture
Picture
​
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Review List by Author
  • Terminology
  • Info Postings
  • About Us
  • Other Resources
    • Research