June 2024: What I’ve been reading

Unsurprisingly, I’m still reading the same titles that I listed in my previous post:

Goze Hotaru by Kou Tosaya
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Kaiju No. 8 by Naoya Matsumoto
Undead Unluck by Yoshifumi Tozuka
Berserk by Kentaro Miura
Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

But I’ve also started reading a couple of other things that caught my eye recently.

Ragna Crimson by Daiki Kobayashi

Ragna Crimson is set in a fantastical world where humanity is at war with monsters and dragons—overly powerful humanoids that can only be killed by weapons that are made with ‘silverine.’ The main character, Ragna, must team up with a mysterious figure named Crimson to rid the world of the dragons.

I only recently started reading Kobayashi’s series, so I can’t say much about the manga itself. However, I’ve watched the anime first and my impression of the story is positive. I will say that the way the anime developed the story is a bit odd just because a lot of things seemed rushed. I hope that the manga’s pacing and character development are shown differently.

I Love Yoo by Quimchee

I Love Yoo is a drama Webtoon series about a teenage girl named Yoo who has unresolved childhood trauma and a group of friends with their own issues.

I’ve talked about this Webtoon series on my blog before, though it’s been a while. As the artist Quimchee kept going on hiatus, I decided to pause my reading of the series until there were enough chapters for me to binge the story. Well, I’ll admit that I completely forgot about I Love Yoo. It’s been months since I read it, let alone open the Webtoons app. Thirty-six new chapters later I found myself reading it again this week.

From what I’ve read so far: the romantic tensions keep tightening around the female lead. Is this a romantic drama or is it just teenage angst? I don’t know yet. I’m on chapter 225 with a bit more ahead before I reach Quimchee’s latest chapter (254).

Cry, or Better Yet, Beg by Van.J and Solche

Cry, or Better Yet, Beg is another Webtoon drama series about a young girl named Layla Llewellyn, who is passed from relative to relative after her parents’ deaths. Layla yearns for a home, but things take a drastic turn after encountering Duke Matthias von Herhardt.

I’ve heard a lot of things about this Webtoon series (more bad than good) and got curious. The art is beautiful, but the way the story progresses reminds me of a play with a lot exposition. I’ve only read the first couple of chapters, so I can’t say much about the story yet. There are 24 chapters that have been published so far. My goal is to read them and then come back to share my thoughts on this blog.

I’ve been fighting a cold all week, so I took a short break from posting. Could you believe it, though? A cold in the summer! I’ve also been fighting the heatwave that’s been hitting California (U.S.A.) since the beginning of the month. I’m sure other states have it worse but living in a house with no air-conditioning in around 90°F weather (or 32°C) is just too much to bear sometimes. A fan helps a little, though.

Anyway, I hope that your summer has been going well! I hope to resume my regular posting schedule next week when I’m (hopefully) feeling better.

Until my next post,
Cassandra D. 🌙