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Bookshelf Briefs 4/9/20

The Dorm of Love and Secrets, Vol. 2 | By Nikki Asada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Five years ago, an elite and a laidback high school combined, resulting in a new school where relations between “high-class students” and “no-class students” are horrendous. Asahi Suzumori is a member of the normal class, and when her dorm catches on fire, she accepts an offer from Tsukigase, the capricious student council president, to masquerade as a high-class student and live in their dorm, where she meets and falls in love with Yokaze Takagi, a kind boy with a sad past. Volume two mostly consists of them growing closer, but with Yokaze holding back because of a deal he made with Tsukigase that will enable him to regain something precious if he…

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Manga the Week of 4/15/20

SEAN: Mid-April, and manga shipments are still, mostly, normal. ASH: I appreciate some normalcy, these days. MELINDA: God, same. SEAN: J-Novel Club has a debut, and it’s an odd one. This was a doujinshi published by 6 light novel authors, including the creators of Tanya the Evil and Re: Zero. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Isekai is as silly as it sounds, I hear, and is complete in one volume. ASH: That sounds like it could be fun. SEAN: Also out next week is By the Grace of the Gods 2, In Another World with My Smartphone 19, Otherside Picnic 3, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 9. Kodansha, in print, has Attack on Titan 30 and Hitorijime My Hero 7. ASH: It’s been a while since I’ve thought about Attack…

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The Engagement of Marielle Clarac

By Haruka Momo and Maro. Released in Japan as “Marielle Clarac no Konyaku” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Philip Reuben. As we’re getting a bunch of new ‘light novels for young women’ in a row lately, it makes sense that some of them tend to fall along the same lines, particularly given they’re mostly in the ‘romance novel’ template. So I expect those who are keeping up with J-Novel Club’s releases of these series will feel a certain familiarity when they see a book-loving eccentric noble whose intelligence is vastly underrated dealing with her engagement with a noble from a much more prestigious family. Fortunately, this book and Bibliophile Princess don’t share much more similarity than that. Marielle feels more like…

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Primitive Boyfriend, Vol. 1

By Yoshineko Kitafuku. Released in Japan as “Genshijin Kareshi” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazine LaLa. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Amanda Haley. Adapted by David Lumsdon. The beauty of manga debuting in a magazine is that sometimes you can hide the gimmick in a way that you can’t necessarily when you’re coming out in volume format. When this debuted in LaLa (or more likely it debuted in LaLa DX and then shifted later) the opening color page had the heroine surrounded by all the hot high school boys we see at the start of the chapter, with the actual “boyfriend” a mere shadow in the background. As the plot goes on and you see Mito travel back in time via the blessings of a rather…

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I Shall Survive Using Potions!, Vol. 4

By FUNA and Sukima. Released in Japan as “Potion-danomi de Ikinobimasu!” by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hiroya Watanabe. To a degree this volume of Potion Girl is not as interesting as the other three, mostly because the author has settled down and found Kaoru’s voice. There’s absolutely no danger of her going to the extremes we’ve seen before, starting from the beginning of the book when she goes to a new town and starts up a perfectly ordinary convenience store. Of course, there’s still the one-two problem that most isekai people have: she’s not well-versed in the products of this world, and she’d ludicrously overpowered. As a result, suddenly it comes out that she has access to incredibly rare medicine (that she…

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Full Metal Panic!: Dancing Very Merry Christmas

By Shouji Gatou and Shikidouji. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Elizabeth Ellis. Well, this is, to a certain extent, somewhat lighter in tome than the previous book. But only just, and the author apologizes afterwards for having far fewer wacky hijinks than he promised last time. That said, we also get a funeral in this book, as Tessa’s chances in the romance sweepstakes finally die as Sousuke says to her face that he loves Kaname and likes her more than Tessa. Note he does not actually say this to Kaname – they’re edging closer to being a couple, and have what may be the sweetest ending in the series to date, but this is not really about Kaname (birthday:…

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Owarimonogatari: End Tale, Part 01

By NISIOISIN and VOFAN. Released in Japan by Kodansha BOX. Released in North America by Vertical, Inc. Translated by Ko Ransom. Yes, I know. This came out in mid-December, and here it is the following April. Part of it is that it’s still print-only (Kodansha is doing e-books for the series, but not right away), part of it is that it’s a long book even in a series with many other long books. But mostly it’s the subject matter. Monogatari in general has been a series that tends to be overdramatic and over the top, be it Araragi’s narration or the events involving a bunch of vampires, ghosts, cat demons, snake demons, devils, corpses and Senjogaharas. And, let’s face it, Ogi Oshino, who is all over this book, is not…

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Outbreak Company, Vol. 13

By Ichiro Sakaki and Yuugen. Released in Japan by Kodansha Light Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Steinbach. Harem comedies can be immensely frustrating for the reader, especially if they’ve picked the girl they like and would like the author to end the series with their choice please, OK, thanks. But harem comedies are also popular because everyone reads it to see who will be picked, and so that is drawn out forever. You think you’ve reached an end point… and then it backs away again. There are very good reasons for this – much to the frustration of North American companies, harem comedies that have a resolution in Japan see sales in the West drop off precipitously once they know who wins (not their…

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Manga the Week of 4/8/20

SEAN: April is here, and the shipping list is still fine, mostly. ASH: That’s good to know! SEAN: The mostly is due to Dark Horse, who had two items on next week’s list, a 5th Gantz omnibus and the 2nd Star Blazers 2199 omnibus. Looking at their site now shows that the items came out on March 25th but are also on pre-order. Given DH tends to work with Diamond, who aren’t shipping books, this may be the best we can get. ASH: I realize now that I haven’t actually read the first Star Blazers 2199 omnibus yet. SEAN: Denpa has a 6th volume of Inside Mari. Ghost Ship has To-Love-Ru Darkness 15, aka To-Love Ruuuu innn… SPAAAAAAACE! J-Novel Club has a giant pile. In print we have Animeta! 3…

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