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Bookshelf Briefs 10/25/26

The Apothecary Diaries: Xiaolan’s Story, Vol. 1 | By Natsu Hyuuga, Itsuki Nanao, and Touco Shino | Square Enix Manga – A spinoff that focuses on one of the least focused-on characters in the main series, Xiaolan is there to be Maomao’s friend and gossip the plot at her until such time as Maomao has other folks to do that, whereupon she is shuffled off screen. But that hasn’t happened yet here! So we see how Xiaolan ended up at the Inner Palace, and how despite her good cheer things are not always great for her and her fellow laundry girls who are not also apothecaries and detectives. It’s also nice to see a lot of the bonkers things that happen in the main plot from the perspective of those…

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The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons, Vol. 6

By Kazuma Ogiwara and CARIMARICA. Released in Japan as “Isekai Toushou no Maken Seisaku Gurashi” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ryan Burris. I mentioned online that this is one of the most testosterone-laden series I’ve ever read, and that remains true in this book. A lot of everything driving the plot here can be summed up as “a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do”. Lutz and Claudia are still very in love and very sexually active, and Claudia, while she is also brilliant and gets other things to do, remains very defined by her voluptuous body. We get more katanas given out here, and one of the men who receives them is basically “MANLY: THE KNIGHT”. Unfortunately, another man who received…

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I Was Reborn as a Refugee Girl, So I’m Working Toward Citizenship from Scratch, Vol. 1

By Torisuke and nyanya. Released in Japan as “Tensei Nanmin Shoujo wa Shiminken o 0 kara Mezashite Hatarakimasu!” by TO Books Novel. Released in North America by Hanashi Media. Translated by Bianca Darcy. It’s always amusing when you spend most of a book thinking that the plot and characters are going in a direction you very much did not expect, only to get to the author’s afterword and have them lay out exactly why this is the case. When I was reading this book, I could not help but think that it was a lot… fluffier than I was expecting from the premise. The main character spent most of the book worried about how she’ll be treated, but she ended up almost entirely fine. Then I read the afterword, and…

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The Devil Princess, Vol. 5

By Harunohi Biyori and Geso Umiu. Released in Japan as “Akuma Koujo” by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Julie Goniwich. Adapted by Emlyn Dornemann. I had some worries when I began this 5th book that it would be difficult. After all, we’ve basically abandoned the world of the first four books to go back to Japan (albeit a Japan with a lot more magical-powered shamen and spiritualists than I suspect are really around). And this does start a bit slowly as we get used to the new background. That said, not THAT much has changed. Yulucia may be Yuzu now, but she’s a spoiled rich kid here just like she was back home, she’s beloved by all despite being pretty creepy just like she…

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Genius in the Library: This Bookish Rookie Will Save the Day!, Vol. 1

By Misa Aoi and Yoh Hihara. Released in Japan as “Toshokan no Tensai Shoujo ~Honzuki no Shinjin Kanri wa Boudai na Chishiki de Kuni o Sukuimasu!~” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Dawson Chen. I’ve written several times about “sometimes you want McDonald’s”. This is not quite that. This is going to a place that you heard was pretty high-end, that served elite, expensive food. The sort of restaurant you’d dress up for. And it does look just like that. Nice ambiance, fancy waiters, impeccable service. And then you get your meal, and it’s… chicken fingers and fries. Now, don’t get me wrong. These are some of the best chicken fingers you’ve ever had, just the right amount of crispiness. And the fries are…

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Manga the Week of 10/28/26

SEAN: Happy Halloween. Have a deluge of manga. ASH: Tricks and treats! SEAN: Airship’s print titles next week are Adachi and Shimamura 13, Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 7, and Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women 4. And in early digital we see Space Orc: Barbarian Raider of the Stars, Aiming for the Queen! 2 and The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 4. And in ONLY digital, we see Al the Adventurer: That Magic Shouldn’t Work! 2. ASH: I’ll admit, I initially read that as A.I. the Adventurer, which would be a different type of story, I think. SEAN: Cross Infinite World debuts The Villainess’ Journal: Newlywed Life of an Obsessive Researcher (Akujo…

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The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place, Vol. 6

By Toryuu and hamm. Released in Japan as “Kimo Ota Mob Yōhei wa, Mi no Hodo o Wakimaeru” by Overlap Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Josh DM. The highlight of each volume of this series continues to be John vs. the plot. The plot has John involved in major battles, John being highly desired by everyone around him, both professionally and personally, John being colleagues with most of the movers and shakers in the galaxy, John is the star of this book. John, meanwhile, considers himself “just a guy”, makes sure to be one of the nameless mercs involved in battles, avoids interaction with other women as much as he possibly can, with the exception of his friend Gonzalez, who is a man in a…

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Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? On The Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 15

By Fujino Omori and Kiyotaka Haimura. Released in Japan as “Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka? Gaiden – Sword Oratoria” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Dale DeLucia. This series, as well as the main one it’s spun off from, really requires the reader to remember who everyone is, which is tricky as there are eleventy billion characters in it. So you either get a spreadsheet going or you hope that the series comes out every three months like it used to. Well, bad news and good news on that front. The bad news is that it’s been a year since the last Sword Oratoria, and even worse, that was a prequel. The good news is that Japan had…

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Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End ~Prelude~, Vol. 2

By Mei Hachimoku and Tsukasa Abe, based on the manga by Kanehito Yamada. Released in Japan as “Sousou no Frieren: Zensou” by Shogakukan. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jenny McKeon. I wasn’t expecting a second volume of these short stories, and it’s interesting to see what we get. Frieren is the obvious one who gets a story devoted to her in both books – it’s her series, after all – but Fern and Stark only appear briefly at the end of that story, and are not otherwise in this book. And while I’d love to get more of Methode, she too only has a small supporting role here. Still, there are a few things the author can do. The stories involving Ubel and Serie are clearly…

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