SEAN: Another final week of the month with far more than we’d come to expect for a final week of the month. Mainly thanks to our friends at Kodansha (yeah, sorry Ash, it’s all digital again).
ASH: They may be digital, but at least there’s some really great manga being released!
ANNA: It is true, but it also makes me a little wary, having seen plenty of digital manga efforts go under in the past.
SEAN: Starting with their weekly Del Rey rescue, Princess Resurrection 18.
The first digital debut this week is All-Out!, which is a rugby manga. I’ll repeat that: a rugby manga has been licensed for North America. It runs in Kodansha’s experimental seinen magazine Morning Two, and is, I’ll repeat once more, a RUGBY MANGA. Must buy.
MICHELLE: Ooooooh. I have really appreciated the seinen difference in Giant Killing, so I’m obviously all over this one.
ASH: Yup. This one has caught my eye, too.
ANNA: This sounds interesting.
SEAN: Altair: A Record of Battles has a 4th volume digitally.
And there’s a 2nd Black Panther and Sweet 16, for shoujo fans. Also digital.
DAYS 5 reminds you that it’s not just rugby manga out there this week.
MICHELLE: Woot.
SEAN: DEATHTOPIA has a 4th volume as well.
Elegant Yokai Apartment Life has a 2nd volume of, my guess is, yokai living in apartments. Elegantly. (Though not as elegantly as Michiru Kaioh.)
MICHELLE: No one could ever be as elegant.
MJ: I am intrigued by the title alone.
SEAN: Print at last, and the debut of Frau Faust, a josei (ish) title that runs in Itan, from the creator of The Ancient Magus’ Bride. It’s a genderbent take on the classic tale, and I greatly enjoyed the first volume.
MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one!
ASH: I’m very excited for this release, too! I’m really enjoying The Ancient Magus’ Bride and, well, Faust is another tale I’m quite familiar with.
MJ: This sounds great!
ANNA: I didn’t totally connect with The Ancient Magus’ Bride but I am intrigued.
SEAN: Genshiken 2nd Season has its 11th volume – we’re almost near the end, but not quite there yet. Expect more Madarame stuff.
ASH: I happen to like Madarame, but I wasn’t expecting the series to end up focusing on him as much as it does.
SEAN: Giant Killing says that it too is a digital sports manga with its 6th volume.
MICHELLE: And this!
SEAN: In/Spectre comes to an end with its 6th volume. I will miss its heroine especially. and hope things end well.
Princess Jellyfish has a 6th omnibus, and it too is apparently nearing its climax. Will the apartments be saved?
MICHELLE: I love this series so much. I love the realism as they come to appreciate the enormity of what they’re attempting, but gosh darnit, I want them to succeed!
ASH: I’m so happy this series is being released! The anime adaptation was delightful, but I’m glad to finally be able to get the entire story.
ANNA: Me too! I need to go on a Jellyfish binge.
SEAN: Real Girl has a 3rd volume, and I keep meaning to catch up with it but haven’t yet.
Shojo Fight is the other big digital debut that I can’t quite believe is out over here. Women’s volleyball! It runs in Evening magazine, and is filled with kickass women. Buy this AND the rugby manga. Splurge.
MICHELLE: I literally have geekbumps right now.
ANNA: Sounds good! Crimson Hero was not enough volleyball manga!
MICHELLE: And those final six volumes will probably never be released here. :(
SEAN: Lastly for Kodansha, we have a 3rd Tsuredure Children, whose anime just wrapped up.
SEAN: One Peace has an 11th volume of Maria Holic, which I still dislike but its fans are happy.
Seven Seas has several titles, starting with a 5th 12 Beast.
Otome Mania!! has its 2nd and final volume, as we see if this game can get released.
Re: Monster has a 3rd volume of male power fantasy.
And Species Domain has a 3rd volume of quirky fantasy slice-of-life school manga.
Lastly, just when you thought the fanservice was gone, it’s back bigger than ever: The Testament of Sister New Devil STORM! debuts.
ASH: Hmmm, usually there’s at least one Seven Seas release I’m reading, but haven’t been following any of these.
SEAN: Udon has a debut as well with Infini-T Force, a Shogakukan title from Hero’s magazine (yes, that’s how they spell it) that’s essentially a giant superhero crossover.
Vertical has a 3rd Flying Witch, which continued to be cute and weird, in that order.
MICHELLE: It’s a low-key charmer.
SEAN: And we have some Yen runoff, starting with their digital titles, new 12th volumes for Aphorism, Crimson Prince and Sekirei.
In print, we have the 7th How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend.
And the 8th Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, which will no doubt entertain and confuse me, not in that order.
ASH: I need to catch up on this series, but I’ve been liking it!
SEAN: It’s a digital world, folks. Sorry again, Ash. What are you getting this week?
ASH: It’s okay, at least there’s some great print releases, too!
There’s also Shojo Fight, which is another digital-only manga from Kodansha next week. It’s about a girls’ volleyball team.
And Udon, once again, releases a manga that isn’t my precious Rose of Versailles! As for Infinit-T Force itself, I actually am interested, if only because Hero’s Magazine also runs Ultraman, which I am very much enjoying.
Infini-T Force wasn’t on my radar until I saw the cover with freakin’ Ken Washio on it! And this let me to discover that Gatchaman II and Gatchaman F are out on DVD now! I never thought that would happen.