A review by katharine_opal
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World, Vol. 1 by Nana Mikoshiba, Norihito Sasaki, Riko Korie

5.0

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was delighted when I finished the first volume of "The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World". It is a standard shonen action adventure, with a little bit of comedy. I'd say Ranma 1/2 or FullMetal Alchemist level of comedy. But the tropes that it has are some of my favorites. I always love an underdog, and I love the "super-powered person acts like they're an average Joe" trope. The "bright and sunny optimist character is also super powerful" is one of my absolute favorite tropes as well. (Think Tanjiro from Demon Slayer or Atsushi from Bungou Stray Dogs) The characters are all pretty normal for a shonen manga, but they're still super fun to read. The mystery elements of the manga are subtle and not in your face. At first glance, it seems like a run-of-the-mill shonen manga, but the mystery elements clearly show that there is more to the story than it seems. The art style is lovely as well. Again, it's very obviously a style expected in a shonen manga, but it's so dynamic! The action scenes are very well done, and the page flow is great. The volume ends on a cliffhanger, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the second volume when it comes out!