With more people reading manga and Webtoons (aka vertical scroll comics) than ever before, Beat’s Bizarre Adventure gives three writers an opportunity each week to recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. This week we have Norse gods, otherworldly receptionists, and, of course, romance!
Gunhild
Writer/Artist: Fred Tornager
Platform: WEBTOON, Saturday AM
“ESCAPE WILL MAKE ME GOD!!” That’s a line of dialogue from an old series of games, Marathon, that is now being revived by Bungie. I know, an odd way to start a column piece, but there is a reason. My pick this week is about somebody who wishes to become…A GOD. Not king of the pirates, or Hokage, or the Heart of Lorkhan (real ones will know), but God.
This is Gunhild! Drawn by Fred Tornager and originally published by Saturday AM, the series stars the titular Gunhild, an orphan girl who is a fire jötunn from Norse mythology. She foresees the coming Ragnarok, but no one believes her. In order to better understand herself and her powers, Gunhild summons the gods so that they might take her to Valhalla, where she might become a god herself. But even the mighty Thor demeans her, saying how a “little jötunn will never become a god.” So Gunhild goes on an adventure to prove everyone wrong. Even if by doing so, she might inadvertently bring about Ragnarok rather than preventing it.
Gunhild combines Shen’s style with the anime series Dead Leaves and a dash of Red’s art from School Bus Graveyard. It’s full of poppy color palettes, energetic lineart, and the feel of childhood illustrations. Since Gunhild is a 12-year-old orphan, Tornager’s reliance on flat colors with barely any shadows or cell shading pairs well with her characters and story. I also admire how, even though the story is inspired by Norse mythology, its setting and its characters aren’t constrained by that aesthetic. Thor, for example, is depicted as a burly, tatted-up thunder biker. Gunhild is designed like a rebellious delinquent with her open jacket, rolled-up sleeves, pulled-back hair, and sharp teeth. She reminds me of Nurugai from Hell’s Paradise.
If you’re looking for a cool new webtoon featuring a hot-blooded protagonist aiming to become a god amongst the Nordic pantheon, you should definitely give Gunhild a try. Happy reading, Moon-and-Star. To this place where escape will make me god! — Justin Guerrero
I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World
Writer: Mako
Artist: Yone
Character Design: Maro
Translation: Jan Cash
Lettering: Rachel Pierce
Publisher: Yen Press
Nunnally Hel dreams of becoming a receptionist at the adventurer’s guild Harre—a job that demands both exceptional grades and strong magical talent. To achieve this, she enrolls in the kingdom’s magic academy, where she immediately feels out of place among nobles and even a prince. Her determination to excel clashes with the one rival she can never quite surpass: the smug and ever-irritating noble prince Alweiss Rockmann.
The first volume of I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World introduces us to Nunnally as she begins her journey at the highly prestigious Kingdom of Doran Magic Academy. Her education isn’t just about flashy spells; it’s tied to quests, investigations, and assignments, which clarifies why such rigorous training is necessary for something that sounds as simple as a “receptionist” role. The overall vibe of the series blends wizard-school charm and classic fantasy RPG elements. Yone’s art is delicate and polished, fitting the tone of the series perfectly.
Despite superficial similarities to other magic academy stories, I didn’t find I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World to be derivative. Unlike the usual “destined-to-be-the-greatest-mage” narrative, the series frames Nunnally’s ambition to become a guild receptionist is a slightly refreshing angle on the usual “destined-to-be-the-greatest-mage” narrative. That said, watching as she discovers her rare “Ice Magic Blood Type” and grows into her abilities is also a highlight of the volume. (Spoiler alert for later in the series: Demons appear that are weak against ice magic!).
One aspect that didn’t quite work for me was the character names. Many feel hastily fabricated from classic European names (I hate the heroine’s name Nunnally in particular, eww!) I also thought that Nunnally and Alewiss’s dynamic leaned too heavily into bickering and rivalry without developing into something more compelling. The romance felt more like background flavor than a driving force.
I don’t mind that, because I read this series not for the romance but for the fun magical stuff. I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World is therefore worth reading if you like fantasy adventure games as manga with cute shojo aesthetics. For anybody else, maybe not. — Ilgın Side Soysal
Train Man: A Shojo Manga
Adaptation & Art: Machiko Ocha
Original Story: Hitori Nakano
Translation & English Adaptation: Matoko Yukon
Lettering: North Market Street Graphics
Publisher: Del Rey
“Because I adore you. I love you.”
I’m not certain what Train Man’s reputation is these days. When I looked into its original novel publication and many adaptations afterwards, it seemed that its heyday was back in the mid-00s. But I do remember it as a sweet story worth checking out. This version is one of several manga adaptations, and I won the copy I read in a competition many years ago.
Train Man is based on the supposedly true story of “Densha Otoko,” an anonymous forum poster from Japanese message and image board 2chan (yes, it predates 4chan.) He’s an otaku and a shut-in with no real prospects. But when he meets a woman after an altercation on a train, he seeks advice from other board members to change his life for the better.
This story is all about finding encouragement and camaraderie from both online and in person friendships. There’s a strong emphasis on how real engagements can change somebody, especially when everyone online is anonymous. But as someone who built wonderful relationships with people online that shaped me as a person, I do like that these experiences in the book are portrayed as positive. The use of internet slang and ASCII art in this book (since it was published 20 years ago) also brought me back to that time period.
The relationship between “Densha Otoko” and “Hermes” (pronounced ‘air-mez’ like the French brand) is aspirational for how they refine each other into better people. The ending also makes me cry for how I relate to the characters and their feelings. It reminds me what it was like falling in love when I was younger.
Sure, this version of Train Man is probably more fantastical than whatever happened in reality. It barely explores the protagonist’s otaku side. You could also read the original forum as an incel hub with a positive outcome (not just for the main character, but for the side characters as well.) As a hopeful story with relatable characters and themes of love and connection, though, Train Man works wonderfully. — Derrick Crow
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