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Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Mid-October Picks

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MICHELLE: I really liked what I read of Wave, Listen to Me, admittedly years ago, so I am going with the new volume of that for my pick this week!

SEAN: I found the description of Fan/Girl X Call/Boy pretty cute, and it runs in Morning Two, which always has my attention. I’ll go with that this week.

ASH: It’s not exactly manga, but I am immensely curious about the new Horror Picture Book series from Viz. The creators involved in the various installments are anything but unknown; it should be interesting to see the different context for their work.

ANNA: Since the last volume of the Red River reprint is coming out this week, I want to pick that to highlight a great series. I hope some other early translated manga gets back in print again!

Reign of the Seven Spellblades, Vol. 15

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By Bokuto Uno and Miyuki Ruria. Released in Japan as “Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades is one of those rare light novel series that has, if not a huge fan wiki, at least a relatively up to date wiki, which is very useful when you have dramatic tragic deaths and you cannot actually remember who these people are. At one point I paused, looked up a name, went “ah, right, from Book 8!”, and moved on. That said, this is the final volume of the big Kimberly invasion arc, and we’re fifteen books is, so the author is finally killing off, permanently, actual people who have been around a long while and who we care about. I’ll get into the details of that a bit below, so spoiler warning. But I also need to emphasize that, even though this is a book filled with war, death and grieving, it never quite hits despair, and the overall theme is triumph, even if it’s at a painful cost. This book is optimistic. Well, as optimistic that a book about a boy killing off all the faculty can be.

Summarizing this is hard, as it’s mostly 250 pages of fight goes one way, then the other way. Bad guys die tragically. A few good guys die tragically. A lot of people we’ve never heard of die tragically. We also do find out why the bad guys are doing this, or at least why they’re saying they are. And we get some flashbacks that remind me that, much as I’m enjoying our main cast working their way through magic college, all their parents did the same thing a generation before, and they were all equally eccentric/bonkers. (The book is mostly serious, but the funniest bit has the students asking Katie if she’s all right and then having to clarify they mean “not possessed or consumed, we know you’re completely bananas”). In the end, the school is saved… just barely.

So, first of all, none of the six main characters die. (I have to be careful not to say “main six” because I know one day I’ll mistype it and this will become My Little Pony.) Katie, aside from the comedy bit I mention above, is entirely absent. Chela is mostly there to be support, the author clearly didn’t have anything for her to do. Nanao too is mostly absent aside from the very end. But if you like Oliver, Pete, and Guy you’re gonna be happy. Certainly happier than they are. Rita Appleton has been around since the 4th book and her crush on Guy has been around almost as long, and she gets to do what a lot of teenage girls with a crush would fantasize about, die to save her beloved. Richard Andrews has been around since the very start, the definition of the “arrogant rival guy turned reluctant ally turned reliable ally”, and it’s that reliability, as well as compassion, that leads to him saving Oliver, Nanao and Chela. Now a few characters I was sure would die somehow did not (there is more than one teacher given a backstory that is literally “I want to die”, and yet…), but this victory came at a cost. Still, it was damn cool as a fictional story.

Next time I assume we will be back to Oliver’s vengeance… whenever next time is. The 15th book came out in Japan over a year ago, and the series is now caught up. We wait for the author, and remember the fallen.

Agents of the Four Seasons, Vol. 7

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By Kana Akatsuki and Suoh. Released in Japan as “Shunka Shūtō Daikōsha” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sergio Avila.

My friend Erica Friedman has talked before about an annoying characteristic of many light novels, manga and anime, which is the “emotional torment of children for plot purposes”. It’s relatively easy to win over the reader by doing this, and lets the main characters being abused be sympathetic – you really want them to have a nice blanket and a hot cup of cocoa. But as the author said in the afterword to Book 6, that is just not happening in Agents of the Four Seasons. These kids (and we’re introduced to more kids in this new book, all of whom are in some way, shape, or form broken by the adults they trust and by their peers) are broken down, beaten, and occasionally killed and resurrected – and this includes their guardians, who are either also children or in their late teens at most. The narrative says that while sometimes the abusers will be brought to justice, there will always be new ones ready to manipulate you, and the only thing you can do is get mentally stronger to withstand it all and grasp what happiness you can. Kinda depressing.

We pick up where we left off last time, with Jude seemingly betraying his agent and forcing Nadeshiko to make an impossible decision on who gets to live and who gets to die. The way Nadeshiko handles this will surprise no one, but it does lead to her and Liam ending up kidnapped – this makes how many times Nadeshiko has been kidnapped? – and everyone else having to try to track them down. After she wakes up, Jude explains what’s going on – turns out that not-America is using the Agents as a cash cow in order to line the pockets of the rich and powerful, which is technically a spoiler but is so thuddingly obvious that I am happy just mentioning it here. Jude wants to expose the man in charge of it all, and this kidnapping attempt was the best way to do it. Unfortunately for Jude, he doesn’t bother to explain this to Liam.

On the bright side, this is very well written. The thriller and action aspects are impeccably done, and you want to keep turning the pages as fast as you can. Nadeshiko’s powers, when they are inevitably explained as being different from what everyone thought, make a lot of the book lighter than expected… but look, that’s only a matter of degree. It is astonishing how literally EVERYONE in this series hates themselves with a passion. Even the arrogant, obnoxious Agent of Winter that not-America has proves to be an insecure child who is deeply upset that her mentor turns out to be a bad guy, and whose attempts at “making friends” with their agent of Spring have traumatized the other girl. Rindo and Nadeshiko are the highlight of this, and past, present and future collide to let us see a confession that we don’t really want but is inevitable anyway. I’ve joked before about how this book is Codependency: The Light Novel, but it’s no joke here – everyone knows the relationships between Agents and their Guards are totally fucked up, and yet they can’t do anything about it except say “that’s the way it is, I guess”.

The next book in the series is not scheduled in North America yet, and that’s probably for the best, because I’m exhausted. If you love the emotional torment of children for plot purposes, this will be like catnip for you. For everyone else, just endure, like the cast has to.

Even a Replica Can Fall in Love, Vol. 5

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By Harunadon and raemz. Released in Japan as “Replica Datte, Koi o Suru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

While I’ve very much enjoyed this series, each of the previous four volumes has explored topics related to replicas in some way. What are replicas, why do people have replicas, can replicas fall in love (title drop), and what happens when a human with a replica dies. This led us to the climax of the fourth book, which was about what happens if a replica dies… except no, it did not work out that way, because in the interim Sunao decided to get her life together, move beyond the need for having a replica, and finally grant Nao autonomy so that she could be with the one she loved. The problem, of course, is that the books were mostly written from Nao’s perspective, and so there was a gap of “what actually happened here?” left to be filled. It was fine for the climax of the “main” series, because really all that was waiting for was a dramatic run and love confession, but I’m glad we get to see what happened before: Sunao’s path to loving herself.

The subtitle of this volume is “Side: Original”, and that’s exactly what we get here. We start with Nao’s declaration to Sunao that she’s going back inside her, and just like the reader, Sunao knew that’s exactly what would happen. Fortunately, Sunao decides to simply make Nao vanish rather than fully integrate her into herself. Unfortunately, that means Sunao has to negotiate the rest of her time in high school without a safety valve or a way out, and it’s hard, given that Sunao regards herself as a bad person and thinks no one else could like her. Despite this, over the course of the book, she learns to stand up for herself over her former friends turned bullies, learns to stand up for others, and learns to give support when it’s needed but only the support that’s needed. And she even gets her own love story, with a somewhat unexpected person.

This volume was a lot simpler to read in many ways – replicas barely come up – but that doesn’t mean it was less affecting. Sunao’s POV is suffocating a great deal of the time, especially in the middle of the book when everything seems to be going wrong, and watching her deflect and avoid those problems was not only painful to read but honestly felt a bit TOO familiar. I wondered if she would avoid Ricchan entirely the whole book, regarding it as “she’s Nao’s friend now”, but honestly it ended up being that most of the entire incident in childhood that led to their falling out turned out to be something that Sunao just wasn’t emotionally mature enough to connect the dots on. She gains that emotional maturity here, in a number of really good scenes, and it all leads to a confession that she’s very reluctant to hear, and instinctively wants to reject, simply as she cannot come to terms with why anyone would feel like that about HER. (It’s very important, by the way, that her love interest has, without knowing about replicas, definitely fallen for Sunao and not Nao.)

There’s one last volume, apparently short stories. This feels like the big finale, though. A must read for fans of the series, especially those who watched the anime try to speedrun events as anime often does.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian: Insider Stories

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By Sunsunsun and Momoco. Released in Japan as “Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Matthew Rutsohn.

Oh god, store exclusive stories. Let’s try to break it down here: 1) Alya gets hit on and stalks Masachika; 2) Yuki buys otaku merch and stalks Masachika; 3) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 1; 4) Test of courage; 5) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy cat costume; 6) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 2; 7) Alya and Masachika go to a fancy dessert place; 8) Yuki briefly feels guilty for manipulating Alya; 9) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy maid costume; 10) Masachika goes on amusement park rides with Nonoa and deals with her personality; 11) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 3; 12) Watermelon splitting; 13) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy Chinese dress; 14) Alya and Ayano recover from the spicy food debacle; 15) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 4; 16) Maria eats a lot; 17) Alya, under hypnosis, is tricked into wearing a sexy bunny girl costume; 18) Masachika buys priceless antiques but doesn’t realize it; 19) Yuki and Ayano have a water fight; 20) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, part 5; 21) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy gothic lolita costume; 22) Alya, Masachika and Yuki get a fortune reading; 23) Touya and Chisaki are super in love, Part 6; 24) Alya is tricked into wearing a sexy Arabian dancer outfit; 25) Ayano discovers josei maid porn; 26) Chisaki destroys everyone in the athletics competition; 27) Maria is tricked into wearing a sexy bunny girl costume; 27) An anime store employee rants at the cast in his thoughts; 28) The cast play a word game; 29) Masachika dreams about Alya in a sexy succubus costume.

As you may have gathered from the brief descriptions of all of those, a large part of this collection is dedicated to getting Alya into sexy outfits; The art inside the book… and outside the book… is almost entirely devoted to each of the sexy outfits I mentioned above. This series knows its audience, and it’s folks who like big-breasted Russian girls. Though, to be fair, their magnificent asses are also mentioned quite a bit. Yes, I know it feels a bit crass to bring it up in a review, but this is a short story collection, so we can’t develop the characters or have much drama at all. What we’re left with is Alya being a bit tsundere, Yuki and Masachika being otaku-brained, and… well, there are the student council president and vice-president. Who are indeed cute and in love, but the bulk of the gimmicks in the stories are “Chisaki is very, very, very strong”.

That said, there are two original short stories for this collection at the end. In the shorter one, Elena, having a breakdown because people want to live their own lives rather than dedicate them to music, demands they all go to a cat cafe. We get to see how the cats treat the bulk of the cast (they all have trouble, especially Chisaki and Maria) and we get to see the cat version of Alya, who promptly gets into a… erm, catfight… with the real Alya. The second story has the cast, trying to prepare for the athletics festival, going to a hotel pool rented out by the rich Sumire, to see if practicing in a pool might be less exhausting. As you might guess, this is an excuse for some of the most blatant fanservice in the book, including Masachika almost drowning because every time he comes up for air he slams his face into Alya’s crotch by accident. It ends with a heartwarming moment, but again, we’re here for the service.

If you enjoy the Alya series, you’ll enjoy this. If you’re trying to save money, though, there’s nothing here that I think will come up again in later books, unlike Vol. 4.5.

Manga the Week of 10/21/26

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SEAN: Still not Halloween, but this list says otherwise.

ASH: I won’t complain too much.

SEAN: Debuting from Viz in a 2-in-1 omnibus is The Apothecary Diaries: Maomao’s Notes on the Inner Palace (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto: Maomao no Koukyuu Nazotoki Techou). Apothecary Diaries has two manga series, one in Big Gangan (the one Square Enix is putting out), and this one from Sunday GX. This one has been called “too straightforward”, the Gangan one supposedly omits some stuff. Why not get both? Also, does this count as a cat manga?

ASH: You know, it just might.

SEAN: Viz Media also debuts two Horror Picture Books, 32-page books starring children but not for them, this is more teen. Is It There Or Not? is from the creator of The Summer of the Ubume, and Looking at Me has art by Junji Ito.

ASH: Well, this both seem to be for me to read.

SEAN: Speaking of horror, Viz has Witching Hour (Ushimitsu Gao), from Champion Cross. A wife finds her husband unimpressive in bed, but fortunately a ghost can give her just what she’s looking for. This one has an explicit content warning, and not for the horror.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: Lastly, have you not been reading Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona)? Christ, why not? Get the new 3-in-1 out this week.

MICHELLE: I am so far behind!

ANNA: I’m behind too, contemplating starting over again from the first volume.

ASH: Always worth a re-read.

SEAN: Also from Viz: The Climber 7, Kingdom 12, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 15, Record of Ragnarök 20, Red River 4-in-1 9 (the final volume), Ultraman 22, and Undead Unluck 27 (the final volume).

ASH: I really need to get around to reading The Climber.

Tokyopop has another deluxe hardcover. Touch Within the Abyss Deluxe Edition (Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru) is another from RED title. An assassin’s failure to kill his target leads to tragedy. Years later, can he recover?

Tokyopop also has a 5th volume of Eternal Covenant and a 2nd omnibus of A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation, with Vol. 4-6.

Steamship debuts Flirting with my Bear-like Boyfriend (Ichaicha Shiyou yo, Kumakei Kareshi-kun). It’s a josei manga from TL Screamo, the het version of BL Screamo. A small girl and a big guy. Big in every sense of the word, as she makes sure to tell us. This has 2 volumes in 1.

ASH: It’s bigger that way.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga gives us My Dress-Up Darling XOXO!, a comedy oneshot that is basically “what if we took this manga but made it WACKIER?”.

ASH: I really enjoyed what I read of the original series.

SEAN: They’ve also got Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick 5, Otherside Picnic 15, and Wash It All Away 10.

Seven Seas danmei, we get Three Hundred Years of Longing: Bu Jian Shang Xian San Bai Nian 4 (the final volume) and Thrice Married to a Salted Fish 4 (also the final volume).

One debut from Seven Seas. Crow Hill: Don’t Be Shy!! – The Complete BL Manga Collection (Karasugaoka Don’t be shy!!) is a 2-in-1 omnibus about two gang leaders who theoretically are arch-enemies, but note the BL. It ran In Kachi Comi.

ASH: This sounds like one I would enjoy.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 100 Ghost Stories That Will Lead to My Own Death 6, Ghost and Witch 3, Gladiator Battle Life 2 (the final volume), How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 25, No Longer Allowed In Another World 12, and Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 9.

One Peace Books has a third volume of The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut, Fan/Girl X Call/Boy (Deriwo no Oshigoto), a seinen manga from Morning Two. A shut-in otaku woman hires a male sex worker, but when she accidentally shows the erotic game she was playing when he’s there, she finds he’s a fan of the same game! Maybe instead of a sexual encounter she’s not ready for anyway, they could bond?

ASH: And that sounds like it could be potentially endearing?

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 35, The Darwin Incident 10, Drifting Dragons 18, How to Grill Our Love 2, MF Ghost 9, Senpai Is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate 8, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 12, and Wave, Listen to Me! 12.

MICHELLE: Ooh, a new Wave!

ANNA: One day I will read Wave!, I have a few volumes stockpiled.

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Digitally we have A Couple of Cuckoos 31 and Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 24.

A quiet week for J-Novel Club. For light novels they have The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons 6 and Disowned but Not Disheartened! Life Is Good with Overpowered Magic 4.

And for manga there is The Accursed Chef and His Pair of Furry Foodies 2, Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 2 12, and Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 7.

Ize Press debut Reunion. Seven years ago a young man impersonated a dead girl to fool a man on his deathbed. Another man attempted to expose him. Seven years later, they reunite. This is the Korean version of BL whose word I don’t know.

ASH: That is quite the premise!

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Finding Camellia 9. I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog 8, Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom 10, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 12, The Remarried Empress 11, Semantic Error (the novel) 3, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok 2, Tomb Raider King 16, and The World After the Fall 15. Some of those are probably final volumes, but it’s almost impossible to tell with webtoon releases.

Inklore has a 4th volume of Wet Sand.

Hanashi Media has one debut. I Was Reborn as a Refugee Girl, So I’m Working Toward Citizenship from Scratch (Tensei Nanmin Shoujo wa Shiminken wo 0 kara Mezashite Hatarakimasu!) is another “reincarnated into a terrible, terrible life” sort of book, but I’m sure it gets better.

ASH: One would hope! That sounds rough.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has an 11th volume of Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu!.

Dark Horse Manga give us Lone Wolf and Cub Deluxe Edition 3.

ASH: An excellent edition of an excellent manga.

SEAN: Airship has new print volumes. Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City 8 and Loner Life in Another World 15.

And digitally we see History of the Kingdom of Orcsen: How the Barbarian Orcish Nation Came to Burn Down the Peaceful Elfland 2, I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One 3, and Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World 3 (the final volume).

The calm before the storm. What manga are you getting?

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 18

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By Yuumikan and KOIN. Released in Japan as “Itai no wa Iya nano de Bōgyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

I’ve enjoyed Bofuri over the years, but as I hit the end of this volume, and realized that the next book would be the final one in the main series (yes, of course there are after stories), I could not help but think “thank God”. This is a classic example of a series that just went on far too long. In this penultimate volume, the author is not about to introduce any fun new characters, or give Maple a weird new skill. The series has also shifted away from its “look at what Maple’s doing now” sense of humor, and while I do like seeing Maple using strategy and not just relying on vibes, it also means it’s not really funny any more. As a result, what we’re mostly left with is what this series has been about from the start: reading someone else’s game logs, and watching them fight. Even worse, the fights are all pretty anticlimactic. No one’s really giving Maple trouble any more.

Sally is on the cover, looking like she’s auditioning for Made in Abyss. The book is more about her than Maple, as she tries and fails to work up the nerve to ask Maple to marry her… er, sorry, to ask Maple for a 1-on-1 fight. They’re all going through the 10th floor, which has aspects of the other floors, in order to be able to fight the demon lord. They’re fun dungeon battles with tough bosses, there’s fun dungeon battles with tricky puzzles, there’s teaming up with other groups to help them clear tough areas with the power of Maple and Sally simply being really, really good, and there’s the dreaded 6th floor battles, where Sally must try to overcome her fears. By the end, everyone’s now ready to take on the Demon Lord, with the help of Mii and her friends and Frederica and her friends. The developers are sure the Demon Lord is not something anyone can take out on their first try. I suspect Book 19 will prove them wrong.

In terms of things I can actually review, there are two. The first is the series’ longest running gag that isn’t Maple acquiring new powers, namely Sally’s fear of ghosts. Give the nature of this floor, it was inevitable that they’d need Sally to get past this. She doesn’t, but she’s actually pretty clever in how she manages to battle enemies while at the same time remaining utterly terrified. And then there’s Sally’s request of Maple, which she STILL isn’t able to spit out. Maple clearly knows Sally wants to say something but is never going to push, so it lies there, and you just get more irritated with her. (Maple has the patience of a saint.) Maple, meanwhile, when asked by Sally what she wants to do for some downtime activities, takes Sally to a secret cafe where they have a repeat of the food dates they’ve had in the past. This is never going to be explicitly yuri, but the best part of it has actually become the implicit yuri. It’s why I read the series now.

The demon lord is set up as the focus of the final volume, but come on, we know Sally will eventually ask for that PvP match with Maple, and that’s gonna be the big end. Who will win? Will it have a kiss? (No.) One thing’s for sure, next volume will sound like a game log most of the time.

Your Castle’s Little Helper: Please Feed Me, I’ll Work!, Vol. 1

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By Kazuhito Minagi and PenekoR. Released in Japan as “Anata no Oshiro no Kobito-san ~Gohan Kudasai, Hatarakimasu~” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

I really enjoyed reading this book, but if it has one big flaw it’s that it cannot settle down with one genre. And unlike, say, Sasaki and Peeps, I’m not sure how deliberate it is – it just feels unfocused. Judging by the cover and blurb, I was expecting the story of a plucky and adorable orphan winning the hearts of everyone she encounters. And it definitely is that. But it’s also the story of a reincarnated Japanese woman who wakes up in a middle-ages sort of monarchy and gradually introduces new foods while also winning over the monsters of this world with her powerful magic. And it’s also the story of a child left for dead who has tremendous PTSD about the whole thing and keeps getting triggered over and over again, either accidentally or on purpose. It’s about how sometimes abuse through neglect cannot simply be waved away or fixed. Still, if you can handle the ping-ponging, it’s a compelling read.

A Japanese woman, who passed away due to a car accident, wakes up in a deserted storeroom as a two-year-old dying of starvation and thirst. Not great. She manages to stagger to a kitchen and is found by the cooks, and it turns out that she’s in the royal castle. In fact, it turns out that her connection to royalty is a lot more intricate and filled with secret plans than anyone realizes. For Chihiro, though, all she wants to do is quietly live her life, eat nice food, and maybe try to find sweets, as this world lacks sugar or honey. Well, it has honey, but in the forest, and there are bees. Pshaw! Who’s afraid of some bees? Well, when she manages to get a mysterious stranger to take her to the forest, it turns out you’re afraid of bees if they’re the size of a human and feed on magic. Good thing that, as it turns out, Chihiro has TONS of magic…

Chihiro is absolutely the best reason to read this. A lot of these “I’m two years old but have my adult memories” series feature the main character trying their best to act like a kid and failing. Chihiro doesn’t even try, she’s like one of the kids in Full House. A scene early on just made me throw up my hands and realize the author was writing this on vibe, where she not only figures out how the commoners are getting their sums wrong, but asks the nobles to forgive them as it’s not the expected “we’re corrupt” but just “we suck at math”. There is an occasional hand wave towards people realizing that a girl as young as her cannot POSSIBLY be doing everything she is (she’s doing perfect embroidery, coming up with new recipes, etc. At two years old), but every time that happens the person ends up thinking “well, whatever, she’s so cute I don’t actually care to investigate this”. As for the conspiracy that led to all this happening in the first place, it never really gets resolved beyond “yeah, those evil maids did this and then vanished”.

Basically, this book is a mess. But it’s a fun mess, and I had a great time reading it. I want more.

Pick of the Week: Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire

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SEAN: My only question about Fire!, the legendary award-winning 900-page omnibus 1969-1971 shoujo manga about a young man’s rise and fall (apparently one of the very first shoujo manga starring a man), is when it will arrive in my mailbox. I rarely get print these days, but am making an exception for this.

MICHELLE: Same, across the board!

KATE: To that I say light my Fire!!

ANNA: I absolutely agree, Fire! looks like the most exciting release this week.

ASH: I’m certainly not one to be contrary when it comes to quality classic shoujo like this! Fire! is absolutely my pick.

Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools, Vol. 13

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By Hisaya Amagishi and Hachi Komada. Released in Japan as “Madougushi Dahlia wa Utsumukanai” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by A.M. Cola.

It feels like every review I whine about this slow burn romance being too slow, but, I mean, look at it. Indeed, the author is now anticipating us whining, as we not only get to see Volf once again having people ask if he’s in love and essentially saying “what’s that? Food? Can you eat it?”, but we also see Dahlia realize that she might actually be in love with Volf and practically have a trauma response to the idea. Which makes sense, given what happened with Tobias, who I’m amazed has not been quietly murdered by now by the rest of the cast. But that’s OK, as we also have a lot of other things going on to make sure that we stop paying attention to the lack of romance… or indeed, the lack of barony, as we’re still ALMOST there but not quite, and having looked at the synopsis of the Japanese Vol. 14, I suspect I will be saying the exact same thing next time. Anyway, what DOES happen in this book?

After an amusing start where Dahlia and company try to figure out how to stop killer pigeons nibbling on their vital green slimes, we get down to what has now become a running theme of this series: Dahlia trying to create a cool magic sword for Volf. Volf clearly wants a sword that shoots lasers or somesuch, but instead he gets something that increases speed and is very durable. Indeed, perhaps a bit TOO durable, as after seeing the sword in action Dahlia is asked to visit the Magical Toolmaking Department to explain why this sword has slaughtered twenty huge monsters and still doesn’t need to be sharpened? While there, she meets a duke with a comically evil face, and also discovers that her accident as a child where she dissolved her own hands by touching black slime may have more consequences than just mental trauma. Finally, she and Volf go to meet Guido’s wife Rosaria, who has wanted to see Dahlia… and that also goes off the rails, thanks to Volf wearing his special disguise glasses.

It’s been apparent for a while, but one thing I really like about this series is that Dahlia is not simply doing things like inventing mayonnaise or soy sauce like the usual isekai potatoes, but is essentially creating aides for people who are disabled. We get that really clearly here with Rosaria, who it turns out has facial blindness – she can see, say, a portrait of her husband, but can’t see his face as more than a blur. This is why Volf wearing the glasses that mask his appearance was such a shock – to her, this means she now CAN see Volf’s face. I also enjoyed seeing the magical tool creator who assumes that Dahlia is this smug powerful woman who comes up with amazing ideas every breakfast, and as he watches her struggle to create another pair of fairy glasses – which requires her to hallucinate a terrible nightmare – the creator realizes the reason Dahlia’s stuff is so great is because she’s not got a political bone in her body, and is not thinking of gain at all – she’s just there to help. This is also, of course, why she’s in danger, and I worry that she may run into the equivalent of a stranger offering candy from a van before long.

Next time we’ll get the investiture, right? Surely there’s nothing that can possibly put that off even longer… wait, I forgot what series I’m reading. In any case, still great.

Manga the Week of 10/14/26

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SEAN: No, it’s not Halloween yet.

MICHELLE: It’s Halloween in my heart.

ANNA: It is also Halloween in my heart!

ASH: One does not just limit Halloween to the end of October.

SEAN: There are no print releases for Airship next week. There is an Only Digital debut. Reborn as an Aristocratic Scoundrel, I Broke the Game and Mastered Magic Beyond Limits! (Taida na Akujoku Kizoku ni Tensei Shita Ore, Scenario o Bukkowashitara Kikakugai no Maryoku de Saikyou ni Natta) is a story we’ve seen a lot recently. He’s a villain mook. He wants to stop being a villain mook. He gets OP.

Also only digital, we see Fluffy Café in Another World 2.

And in early digital, we get The Devil Princess 5.

Alien Books debuts Badducks, a manga from Web Action about a cyborg, a desperate lady, and a baby, on the run.

ASH: Now that’s an interesting and somewhat unexpected combo!

SEAN: AlphaPolis has a print release for A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai 3, May I Ask for One Final Thing? 3, and Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time 3.

Ghost Ship gives us Lilia’s Pregnancy Spells the World’s End 3.

There’s a light novel debut from Hanashi Media. The Capital’s One-Man Golem Master Got Kicked Out!? Now Free, I’m Traveling the World with My Beautiful Heroine Disciples to Build the Ultimate Golem! Don’t Ask Me to Come Back. I’m Done! (Outo Wan’ope Golem Master. Masaka no Tsuihou!? ~Jiyuu no Mi ni Natta node Deshi no Bijin Yuusha-tachi to Issho ni Saikyou Golem Tsukurimasu. Modotte Koi to Iwarete mo Mou Shiran!~). The title is the plot.

ASH: Considering the length of the title, I would think so!

SEAN: Ink Pop debuts I Shall Master This Family, a webtoon about a noble girl who dies after her family comes to ruin, then wakes up as a child and tries to avoid that fate. I’ve heard this sort of story before somewhere…

ASH: It does seem familiar, doesn’t it.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a pile of print. We see Ascendance of a Bookworm: Fanbook 7, Black Summoner 8, Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill Omnibus 7, Infinite Dendrogram (manga) Omnibus 7, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World (manga) 8, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It in For Me! 11, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 12, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles (manga) 12, and Tearmoon Empire (manga) 9.

ASH: I need to catch up with the various Bookworm and Tearmoon iterations.

SEAN: Two debuts for JNC digitally, both light novels. Genius in the Library: This Bookish Rookie Will Save the Day! (Toshokan no Tensai Shoujo ~Honzuki no Shinjin Kanri wa Boudai na Chishiki de Kuni o Sukuimasu!~) stars a girl who wants nothing more than to sit in a dark library reading books all day. Sadly, she lives in a world with monster attacks! And bureaucracy! Can she defeat both those things?

ANNA: I would also like to sit in a dark library reading books all day, yet my job involves a lot of bureaucracy. Maybe I need to work in the monster attacks somehow.

ASH: Saaaaaame.

SEAN: God Sleeps in Seafoam (Utakata ni Kami wa Madoromu) stars a guy who (try to contain your shock) is born without the cool power everyone in his world has, is thrown out of his family, but discovers a really AWESOME power and finds a new life. It is apparently a bit more serious than I made it sound.

Other light novels: The Amazing Village Creator: Slow Living with the Village Building Cheat Skill 5, The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place 6, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 10, Infinite Dendrogram SP 3, and Zero Damage Sword Saint: I Enrolled in a Magic School and Wound Up in a Contract with the Demon Queen 5.

And one manga: A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 11.

Kana debuts Hideout, a one-volume horror manga from Big Comic Spirits. A man and his wife, grieving the loss of their son, go on a journey to find a fabled waterfall. Unfortunately, well, horror manga.

ASH: I should probably read it, then.

SEAN: Kana also has a 4th City Hunter omnibus.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ANNA: Nice.

ASH: Always.

SEAN: No debuts for Kodansha Manga, but they do have Gachiakuta Dumpster Season 1 Manga Box Set, which has the first 10 volumes and a tote bag.

ASH: Love a good tote bag.

SEAN: Other print volumes: Drawing From Your Memory 3, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 15, Honey Bee & Lemon Balm sweet moment (the third in the series), How to Treat a Lady Knight Right 6, Kirio Fan Club 4, Last Samurai 6, Love, That’s an Understatement 8, Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 10, To Your Eternity 25 (the final volume), and Vinland Saga 15 (also the final volume, it got bumped, though digital is out this week).

ASH: I will take Vinland Saga whenever I can get it. And To Your Eternity, too, for that matter.

SEAN: And digitally we have Am I Actually the Strongest? 20, Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 12, and Koigakubo-kun Stole My First Time 10.

Last Gasp has a new edition of Barefoot Gen, 572 pages, with new lettering and some new color pages. You don’t need me to tell you to read Barefoot Gen.

ASH: I’m not sure how many editions this makes now, but I’m glad to see this series remain available.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a manga debut. The Delinquent Girl Beside Me Suddenly Dyed Her Hair Black (Tonari no Seki no Yankee Shimizu-san ga Kami wo Kuroku Somete Kita) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, and ran in Shonen Ace. A guy mentions he likes refined black-haired girls. The next day, the blonde delinquent who sits next to him shows up with black hair, and acting refined. What could it be? He’s a high school guy, so he’ll never figure it out, trust me.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Seven Seas has one danmei release, the 2nd and final volume of Golden Terrace.

They have two manga debuts. Are You a Landmine, Chihara-san? (Jirai Nan desu ka? Chihara-san) runs in Ganma!, and has an anime coming soon. A guy finds his new seatmate is a girl with long black hair, goth loli fashion, and a tendency to stare. Is she one of those obsessive weirdos? As it turns out, she’s one of those sweet weirdos.

Living with My Old Cat (Jiji Neko Kurashi) is a cat manga about life with an older cat. (Sometimes I got nothin’.)

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: But you’ve got cat manga!

SEAN: They also have The Babe at My Back Has Her Eye on Me. I’m Done For. 2, The Dragon Knight’s Beloved 10, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 14, It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love 7, The Kingdoms of Ruin 13, Nagahama to Be, or Not to Be: The Second Voyage (or, as normal people would say, 2), and This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 20.

Square Enix Manga has Assassin & Cinderella 4, The Emperor’s Caretaker 7, My Favorite VTuber Is Scary IRL 3, and My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! 27.

SuBLime gives us Black or White 13, Forest of the Rabbits 2 (the final volume), and May I Have a Taste? 3.

Titan Manga debuts Resident Evil: Death Island, a manga adaptation of the CG film. It ran in Comic Hu.

Tokyopop debuts another yuri webtoon. She Is Still Cute Today stars a top student who is rumored to be in love with the #1 boy in class. To stop this, she says she’s in love with the bottom ranked student. Who’s a girl. And was listening to all this. And is now following her around…

Vassalord Deluxe Edition, meanwhile, is exactly what it sounds like, a deluxe hardcover version of the dark BL series.

ASH: Now that’s a blast from the past! This series is somewhat absurd, but I enjoyed what was previously released, so I am pleased by this. (Maybe it means we’ll see the rest of the series translated, too?)

SEAN: Uncivilized Books debut Fire!, a classic shoujo manga from the 1960s that ran in Weekly Seventeen. Aaron Browning is an Ohio teenager in juvie who meets a delinquent who has big music talent. This 900-page book collects all four volumes of his rise and fall. He’s apparently based on Scott Walker. Oh, there’s also an essay on Pink Floyd in here. The manga won an award. Everything about this screams “buy me now”.

MICHELLE: Or else the sun ain’t gonna shine any more!

SEAN: Yes, make it easy on yourself!

ANNA: Well, this sounds amazing.

ASH: Yup. I preorderd this as soon as I learned it was licensed.

SEAN: Viz Media has My Hero Academia: Ultra Artworks, a hardcover artbook dedicated to the popular series.

We also see Beyblade X 7, Case Closed 100, Chainsaw Man 22, Firefly Wedding 8, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen 3, Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet 6, Rainbows After Storms 12, Splatoon 3: Splatlands 7, and Yaiba: Samurai Legend 6.

Three debuts for Yen On. Buying a Classmate Once a Week: Our Time Together and the Five-Thousand-Yen Excuse (Shuu ni Ichido Classmate o Kau Hanashi ~Futari no Jikan, Iiwake no Gosen En~) is a yuri light novel about a high school girl who pays her classmate to do things like go get juice, etc… then decides to make the requests more risque. If you liked Adachi and Shimamura but thought their personalities were too normal, this is for you. (BEEP sarcasm BEEP)

See You at That Site of Grace After Work (Shigoto ga Owareba, Ano Shukufuku de) is a one-shot video game tie-in… sort of. A guy who is non-communicative with his co-workers and would rather play games finds his life changing when a young woman asks him to help her get good in Elden Ring. Not a romance, apparently, but a “isn’t Elden Ring great!” sort of book. Note Yen Press releases the Elden Ring manga.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Your Castle’s Little Helper: Please Feed Me, I’ll Work! (Anata no Oshiro no Kobito-san ~Gohan Kudasai, Hatarakimasu ~) stars a starving young girl who suddenly finds she remembers her life as a Japanese woman. She tries to stay alive doing odd jobs, and lucky for her she’s in a “isn’t this lovable orphan adorable?” series.

Also from Yen On: Agents of the Four Seasons 7, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 9.5, Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 7, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 18, Even a Replica Can Fall in Love 5, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End -Prelude– 2, How to Eat Life 3, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 15, King’s Proposal 8, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 15, Witch’s Can’t Be Collared 3, and You Can Have My Back 5.

And Yen Press have one book, a debut. Isshiki-san Wants to Know About Love (Isshiki-san wa Koi wo Shiritai) is an ecchi manga from Shonen Ace. (If you don’t know what ecchi means, ask your father.) A cop finds herself very flustered around her colleague, and decides to date him to figure out what this whole love thing really is. This is getting an anime soon.

No, it’s still not Halloween yet. What are you buying?

Earl and Fairy: When You Wish Upon the Crimson Knight

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By Mizue Tani and Asako Takaboshi. Released in Japan as “Hakushaku to Yōsei” by Shueisha Cobalt Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

I always tend to have the same pattern when I read a new volume of Earl and Fairy. I start off a bit reluctant, remembering the slow pacing and the fact that Lydia always seems perpetually angry and Edgar has a tendency to always make things worse. I think to myself, “if it weren’t for the fact that I’m the only reader, I would drop this”. Then as the book goes along, it gets more exciting and the thriller aspects take over, and I am reminded once again why I do keep going and why I like it so much: the romance is meh, but the supernatural thriller is great. This book actually manages to improve on the romance a bit as well, as Lydia has admitted her feelings for Edgar, and he is deliberately trying not to mack on other women. Unfortunately, as we will see, both of those things combine to once again make everything terrible for our still not married couple.

Lydia is trying to figure out what to get Edgar as an engagement present, given that he can buy anything he wants. After shopping with Lotta (been a while since we’ve seen her), she goes home and is accosted by a young Scottish man who insists that they need to get married to save the clan. Turns out the short story regarding Lydia’s mom, from the previous volume, is more relevant than expected: the village she left is suffering, and they all think marrying Lydia will solve the problem. Unfortunately, there’s also someone else who wants to marry Lydia – no, not Edgar, although yes, him too. A trow kidnaps her, Lotta, Raven, Nico, and the Scottish guy and says that Lydia will, in fact, be marrying him. Meanwhile, Edgar is still dealing with having the Prince’s memories, and the fact that every problem lately has one obvious solution: access the Prince’s memories and turn more evil.

So I got my wish of Lydia and Edgar growing and changing, but I did not get my wish that this means the entire book won’t be about romantic conflict. Lydia still has huge piles of self-loathing, and while she trusts Edgar now she worries about the depth of his love – especially when, for the plot reasons above, she has to disguise herself as another woman and have Edgar intuitively realize it’s her. Unfortunately for her, reality is not quite as kind, and Edgar, for once trying to be a good fiancee, just finds her suspicious. Much as it makes me uncomfortable, I can’t deny its effectiveness. There’s even a dollop of humor in these otherwise mostly serious books, as Raven learns what it means to forgive someone, and applies it in very funny ways. Oh Raven, one day you will be a real live boy.

All this plus an Ermine cameo! This series is down to twice a year, so I expect we’ll get Book 14 in the spring. But I still really do love it.

Pick of the Week: Start of Autumn Picks

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KATE: This is one of those weeks when I’m having difficulty mustering enthusiasm for anything on the list; the thought of all those sequels, prequels, and new arcs is exhausting! If I had to pick a title, though, my vote goes to the second volume of The Credits Roll Into the Sea, which chronicles a middle-aged mom’s efforts to become a film maker.

MICHELLE: I am in a similar boat. However, I am genuinely interested in Byakko Senkei, however much I have failed to read any of it so far, so I will go with that, this week.

ANNA: I’m a volume or two behind with Byakko Senkei, but for sure that’s a highlight for me this week.

SEAN: The new anime season of The Apothecary Diaries has made me want even more, so this week I’m going to go with the spinoff manga The Apothecary Diaries: Xiaolan’s Story, which will hopefully be fluffy and adorable like its title character.

ASH: My brain is too full of words these days, but still seems happy to look at pretty things, so my pick this week goes to Visions 2024__Illustrators Book (even if it’s a little like living in the past).

From Bumbling Prodigy to Villainess: Will the Duke’s Love Go Unnoticed?, Vol. 1

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By Saki Ichibu and Yukako Fujimura. Released in Japan as “Munou Saijo wa Akujo ni Naritai ~Gimai no Migawari de Totsuida Reijou, Koushaku-sama no Dekiai ni Kizukanai~” by Dengeki no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Joshua C Shupp.

It can sometimes be hard with these villainess books that are on the lighter end of the scale, such as this one, for me to wholeheartedly recommend a big, dumb, goofy heroine. Frequently when I ask “gosh, I wonder what in her life led her to being as fun to read as this”, the answer is inevitably “a lifetime of abuse from her family”, and that’s the case here as well. And yet I want to write about Avril anyway, as she’s simply a joy to read. The author’s other big series, Formerly the Fallen Daughter of the Duke, has certain similarities to this one, especially with the obnoxious younger sister who threatens to throw the book off its axis. But that heroine was nice but dull. Our heroine here has a perfect photographic memory and nothing else going for her, and is the sort of person who will speak her own thoughts out loud, then remind herself she should not be doing that.

Avril Allingham has had a rough life. Her mother died when she was young, and her father remarried. And her new stepsister looks really suspiciously just like her. Avril has a photographic memory, which you’d think would be praiseworthy but her family finds it creepy. They use her as a servant. She never goes out or really interacts with others. She *does* have servants who support her, but that’s about it. Meanwhile, Corina, her younger stepsister who looks a lot like Avril, is going out to parties and seducing young men. Using Avril’s name. As such, when an engagement is inevitably broken due to Corina’s actions, it’s Avril who has to pay the price, getting married off to the horrible old lech the Duke of Lanchester. Only, on arriving there, she finds he’s quite young and handsome. Oh well, no worries. She’s out of the house, and can now live her own life. Provided she maintains her cover as Avril, the hussy who seduces men, of course. But that should be easy!

Avril is a wonderful example of “dumbass (affectionate)”. She’ll happily eat stale bread and half-spoiled food because it’s what she ate back home. She’s kind to all the servants, and covers for them when they (very briefly) try to bully her. She’ll help her new husband with managing his territory, and a young noble child who doesn’t have his sheet music, thanks to her perfect recall. And yet every time she does this, she reminds herself she’s supposed to be evil and tries to act like a bad person. I cannot begin to tell you how cute this is. Everyone agrees with me as well, including the noblewoman whose fiancee Corina bonked to start this whole plot in the first place. (Alexandra is great too. She can crush apples with her bare hands.) They would all be perfectly happy if Avril simply admitted she’s covering for her evil sister and settle down with her fiancee, who falls for her almost instantly. But they don’t have the heart. She’s trying so hard to be a villainess.

For some reason (anime soon?), the second volume of this is out in less than a month’s time. I won’t complain. This was a lot of fun.

Sorry Darling, but You Won’t Kill Me Again!

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By Tsuta Sonehara and Lemon Natsume. Released in Japan as “Konse mo Todome o Sasareru no wa Gomen nanode, Saiai no Otto wa Mou Iranai” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Hunter Prigg.

I decided to go with the lack of a “Volume 1” in the title. The book seems very much finished, with no real sequel hook in sight, and the cover art does not have a 1 on it. On the other hand, the credits say Vol. 1, and Dre Novels are known for releasing 2-3 volume series, not standalones. If it does get more, and I decide to read it, I’ll edit the review. As for this volume, it was good! Definitely more on the serious end of the Disgraced Noble Lady genre, the bad guys are very bad, but they do at least get interiority, which is more than I can say for a lot of series of this kind. As for the main couple, their adorable and relatively innocent romance is meant to be the light relief (and the justification for the Heart imprint) – you want to see these two succeed, because frankly, the alternative is absolutely dreadful.

The first chapter is called “The Queen Is Run Through By Her Beloved”, and it’s not lying. Etoile has already dealt with the death of her father, a weak and conciliatory king, and an ongoing war against another country that they are losing. Now her fiance Isar, the Knight Commander, has announced they’re going to surrender, he’s been sleeping with and is marrying the saint Posenia, and what’s more, he’s going to kill Etoile. And then he does, running her through with a sword just like the title suggests. Another knight, Reigh, who has essentially been her only friend and ally, discovers this and uses forbidden magic to kill himself and throw Etoile back in time five years. Now she’s given an opportunity to avoid her fate… but Isar and Posenia have already been turning everyone against her for a while now. Can she change their opinions and win more allies? And what about Reigh?

The author also wrote The Villainess Is Dead! Long Live the Empress!, which I liked but wasn’t wild about. This is a step up, especially if it sticks to being a single book. Etoile is absolutely not interested in trying to hide the fact that she’s become a new person overnight, and she absolutely will take advantage of future memories and training to her her way in public. This is because she really does have a LONG way to go – no one trusts her or listens to her except for Reigh. This genre tends to have time-traveled noble ladies either be silly or serious, and while this doesn’t hit the heights of I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!, it’s definitely serious, and has a high body count. I did very much like the POV sections from Isar and Posenia. I know better than to expect sympathetic villains in this genre by now, but at least they gain a dimension by letting us see inside their nasty little heads. Great final art of their end as well.

For those who like their noble ladies with a bit of bite to them.