Author: Asato Asato
Artist: Suzume Somemiya
Genres: Romance, Slice of Life
TV Rating: PG
This is a fun alternate take on the 86 characters, placing them in a typical Japanese high school setting. It doesn’t connect to the main series canon, but all the character quirks and charm are still present. It’s a standalone volume, self-contained with 16 chapters and a character list at the end. The pace is light and easy, with a comfortable slice-of-life flow.
This manga takes place in a fantasy, sci-fi world where magic exists. The protagonist, Iska, is a soldier from the Empire, which has been at war with the Sovereignty, a nation ruled by mages, for over a century. Iska dreams of a future where humans and mages can coexist in peace instead of being enemies.
Iska is imprisoned after freeing a mage (who later returns in the story). Upon his release, he is given a new mission: defeat the Ice Calamity Witch, a powerful mage from the opposing side. Along the way, he reunites with his old squad and faces numerous challenges.
The manga came out from October 22, 2016, to September 27, 2018, and there are 3 volumes to the manga series.
Velvet, the main protagonist, was in a village with her sick younger brother and one day her friend took her brother to make a sacrifice, and in the process of strength. She became a demon to get her revenge on her brother’s killer. The manga takes you through her journey to get strength so she can kill her brother’s murderer. On her journey, she finds fellow demons and people who will help her on her crusade. This story has a sad ending to it.**
Belle is an anime film released in 2021. It feels like a modern Studio Ghibli-style movie, though it was directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The story blends classic fairy-tale themes with modern technology and virtual reality.
The main character is Sophie. When she was young, her mother tragically died in a raging river while saving another girl. Although the girl was rescued, Sophie was left with the trauma of losing her mother. After the accident, she closed herself off from her family and lost the will to sing in front of people.