Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Sean Gaffney

The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons, Vol. 5

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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.

While there are still bouts of humor in this series, it has not escaped my attention that each volume seems to be darker than the last, and this one was particularly dark. Dead adventurers, dead women and children, bandits everywhere, lots of justified hatred of nobles, and the realization that the city that our heroes live in really does have a lot of issues, and they’re desperately trying to force it to become a place that people might actually want to go. Which, frankly, it isn’t at the moment. The cast is also pretty static – we’ve met potential new characters, and one of them even returns in this book, but for the most part once we get to know them they leave the city. Hell, even Claudia threatens to take Lutz and go somewhere more welcoming. Though I suspect a lot of that is that she’s tired of Lutz throwing himself into deadly situations.

We open on a party of adventurers running from a zombie, and when one of them trips, the others… run away. She’s saved by Lutz, who happened to be in the dungeon and is also the main character, but she can’t rejoin that party. Fortunately, she finds another party… and then the exact same thing happens, only she is the one who runs while her new party are killed by a flame demon. She’s a mess. This flame demon has also massacred a village of carpenters Lutz worked with, and their village leader, Kevin, wants revenge. He’s a mess. And then there’s Djoser, head of the knights, such as they are, who is dealing with a bout of self-hatred, not at all helped by coming across bandits butchering everyone except an old merchant. He’s a mess. As for Lutz? He’s fine.

Well, OK, he’s not ALL fine. His beloved axe gets destroyed, but this allows him to make an even better katana with the remains. His main worry is that he keeps worrying Claudia, who loves Lutz a lot and very much does not want to keep being the good wifey who waits for her man to come home and worries he never will. She gets only one really good scene here, but it’s a pip, as she points out exactly how valuable she and Lutz are to the city and how much they’re starting to rely on him magically solving all their problems. We’re starting to see the Count trying to do something about it – creating a knight unit that not made of of noble rapists will help, though notably, even then they have to create a SECOND knight unit and leave the dissolute first one, as they all have connections. Better roads would help, but the bandit problem is not going away, and since the bandits just seems to be “those damn nobles”, it may take a more complicated fix than any of our leads can do. There’s good worldbuilding here, but the world is hard.

This remains one of my favorite new light novel titles, but it can be very grim. There are no easy solutions.

Manga the Week of 8/5/26

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SEAN: August comes, as it must to all men and manga.

ASH: Must it, really?

SEAN: Ablaze Manga has a 6th and final volume of Centaurs.

Airship has a print debut. Space Orc: Barbarian Raider of the Stars, Aiming for the Queen! (Space Orc: Banzoku no Senshi wa Yoake no Ten wo Kake Joou wo Nerau) is pretty much what it sounds like. Can a guy make a name for himself enough to marry the Queen, even though he’s an orc?

ASH: At the very least, he’s going to give it a go.

SEAN: Also in print: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Short Story Collection, Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 14, and Reincarnated As a Sword 19.

ASH: So much reincarnation these days!

SEAN: And for early digital we see Classroom of the Elite: Year 3 2 and Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 7.

Drawn & Quarterly has the 4th The Legend of Kamui omnibus.

ASH: Absolutely here for this one! I’m loving the series.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us The Cuckolding Wizard’s Adventure 3 and Virgin Ventures: The Hilarious Hijinks of Erotic Amateurs 3.

Graphix debuts Crescent Moon Marching (Mikazuki March), a seinen manga from Manga Action. This is hardcover and in full color. Do you like band manga but wish they were more dramatic and serious? This is for you.

MICHELLE: It might be for me!

ASH: Same! I’ve been looking forward to this one.

ANNA: Sounds interesting!

SEAN: J-Novel Club’s new light novels include Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 8, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 20, Hell Mode 12, The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World 4, and Return of the Corpse King: Reining in My Cringe Secret Society 2.

For manga they give us All Eyes on Nekoyashiki-kun! Notice Me, Not My Characters 2 and Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat 5.

Kodansha Manga has, in print, Love Out on a Limb 3, MF Ghost 4, Marrying the Dark Knight (For Her Money) 2, My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes with Monsters and a Hottie 5, Secondhand Sisters 2, Stella Must Die 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 11, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 21, and Wind Breaker 22.

And digitally we get Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 14 (the final volume), Otherworldly Munchkin: Let’s Speedrun the Dungeon with Only 1 HP! 14, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 22 (the final volume).

Nakama Press gives us Infini-T Force 9.

One Peace Books has the 2nd volume of My New Devil Wife.

Seven Seas opens with some danmei. Little Mushroom is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series about a mushroom posing as a man and his tortured relationship with an assassin. It says new translation and illustrations, so someone put this out before, but Seven Seas now has it.

MICHELLE: Oh, another Peach Flower House rescue. (They also had Golden Terrace, originally.) I’ve heard very good things about this.

ASH: Likewise! I’m intensely curious.

SEAN: There’s also the third and final volume of The Villain’s White Halo.

In “Chinese novel but not BL”, we get Hidden Love. A 13-year-old falls for her brother’s college roommate, but nothing happens, presumably as she’s 13. Years later, she’s in college and he’s a teacher. Can a different taboo romance work better?

ASH: Oh, my.

SEAN: The first manga debut is Girl Meets Rock! (Futsuu no Keion-bu). A Shonen Jump + series, this appears to be the K-On! of the 2020s.

ASH: I do enjoy a good music manga.

Magic Repo Man: Dumped by My Party, I’ll Cash In With a Cute Support Fairy to Become the Strongest! (Kashita Maryoku wa “Revolving Barai” de Kyousei Choushuu: Youzumi to Party Tsuihousareta Ore wa, Kawaii Support Yousei to Issho ni Toritateta Maryoku wo Unyoushite Saikyou wo Mezasu) is, well, look at the title. It runs in Comic Meteor. No, the LN isn’t licensed.

Also from Seven Seas: BOSS, BXTCH, BABY 3, Checkmate 4, Everything for Demon King Evelogia 2, Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess 5, His Little Amber 2 (the final volume), I Won’t Let Mistress Suck My Blood 3, Idol x Idol Story 6, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 10, Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 6, Rozen Maiden Collector’s Edition 6, Sacrifice of My Manly Soul 4 (the final volume), and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 9.

Square Enix Books has a 10th print volume of The Apothecary Diaries light novel.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts The Princess Groom (Belle Poupée no Super Darling Konyaku: “Konomi ja Nai” to Iwareta Ningyohime, Gaman wo Yametara Ouji ga Deredere ni Natta. Jitsu ni Ui!). As you can tell by the Japanese title, it’s based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. A meek, waifish young woman regularly uses a magic ring to transform into a hot, confident guy. Alas, her fiancé isn’t into her… till he finds out she does this. Then he is. (No, it’s not BL, he’s more into her domming him.) This runs in Manga Up!.

ASH: I’ll admit to being intrigued.

ANNA: I mean I guess it is a little different!

SEAN: Steamship has the 5th volume of The Trapped Former Villainess Wants to Escape from the Sadistic Prince.

Two Tokyopop debuts. Spicy Milk Candy is, try to contain your surprise, a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. Two guys in high school have a sweet, loving relationship… till it turns out they’re really into S&M.

Walking in Your Tracks (Boku ga Aruku Kimi no Kiseki) is a new BL series that runs in Freyja Comics. A wheelchair-using writer pushes everyone who tries to help him away, but his new caregiver knows just what to do.

MICHELLE: Hm.

SEAN: Also from Tokyopop: My New Wife’s Fake Smile 4 and On-the-Job Training 2.

Two Viz debuts. Daydream Darling (Yume ka Utsutsu ka) is the latest from Io Sakisaka, and it runs in Betsuma. A shy girl avoids her classmates and prefers to talk to the handsome upperclassman she knows from the library. Then her secret is revealed…

MICHELLE: Not that I’ve ever managed to finish an Io Sakisaka series, but this does sound appealing.

ANNA: I have finished an Io Sakisaka series! Curious about this!

SEAN: The Marshal King is the latest from Boichi, and it runs in Shonen Jump +. It’s a steampunk Western drawn by Boichi, that should tell you everything you need to know.

ASH: It does say a lot.

ANNA: Is steampunk back????

SEAN: Also from Viz: Black Clover 37, Blue Box 21, The Bugle Call: Song of War 8, Colette Decides to Die 8, D.Gray-man 29 (first volume since 2023), Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai 7, The Elusive Samurai 21, Ichi the Witch 4, Kagurabachi 8, Kaiju No. 8: Relax 3, Kaze Hikaru 34, and Shinobi Undercover 2.

MICHELLE: Annual Kaze Hikaru celebration!

ASH: Huzzah!

ANNA: Yay!!!

SEAN: Always nice to see the annual Kaze Hikaru, on schedule to end in North America in 2037. What else are you getting?

The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place, Vol. 5

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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.

Last time I mentioned that even if we saw the occasional good noble, we always had tons of evil nobles to go around. That also applies to mercenaries and military. John does meet the occasional good person, and gets along with them. But his power of being the main character means that assholes tend to flock to him, because this series has an agenda and that agenda is “stop saying you’re going to tell your mom”. Every terrible noble in this book seems to have one go-to out, which is “I am the child of an important person and if you don’t do everything I say, I will tell on you and your life will be ruined”. The sad thing is this usually works, as it’s very easy to punch down in the world John lives in. Fortunately, in this volume we also see a few who see how well that works and try to do it WITHOUT the actual family connections. They just lie. It doesn’t go well.

Despite taking up so much of the cover that she starts to obscure the title, the Empress only gets a side story at the ed of the book, possibly to justify the art. For the most part, though, this book functions like the other one does. John takes a job, does the job, sometimes has to have a cool space battle, dumb arrogant assholes hate him, smart people who don’t judge by appearances are impressed with him, then he goes home and buys up otaku stuff. Two things stand out in this book: first, after a near miss where his dad almost ends up in debt again, John goes to visit his family, who are mostly what you’d expect. The other is that starting from the 6th book, things may take a different turn. The anti-imperialist pushback has been getting louder every book, it’s being helped along by enemy agents, and now we’re finally arriving at war.

There was an amusing yet also educational part of the book, reminding me a bit of the “People’s Front of Judea” part of Life of Brian, where John and Gonzales discuss the different anti-imperial factions and how they all have slightly different aims but also all have the same “the Empress must go” endgame. The book also does “having your cake and eating it too” better than most – as with other entries in the series, the art is very much showing you how many women orbit John’s life, how many of them have huge breasts, and how often they like to shower or bathe. The art is here to draw in readers. Then they get there, though, they find a world where any woman who tries to do her job ends up harassed by endless guys asking for sex wherever they go. Even teaming up with other women may not help, as this means having to deal with women who also fall under the ‘asshole’ umbrella. The Empire may be a poor way of running a world, but I have no confidence any of the other factions would run it any better, and they’d likely be worse. It’s tough to be a woman in this series.

All this plus a SURPRISE REVELATION, which I will leave unspoiled. Will John be drawn into war? Will he be forced to have an emotion? Will he realize how much Fialka wants to jump his bones? We’ll see. In the meantime, enjoy your not-safe-for-public-transit volume.

Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex, Vol. 3

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By Tobirano and Mai Murasaki. Released in Japan as “Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai Sareru” by M Novels f. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Rymane Tsouria. Adapted by Zubonjin.

Generally speaking, it can be hard to do a happily ever after for a series unless you end it. If the series is a success, you’ll need to continue it, and the best way to do this is conflict. For the first two volumes the conflict basically wrote itself. Marie hated herself so much that she had almost no will of her own, and Anastasia was faking her own death and wracked with guilt about it. There was a lot going on, but by the end of the second volume things seemed to be wrapping up… except there are, um, eight more volumes in Japan. As such, don’t be surprised when this volume does not in fact have a wedding, and that the man who we thought was a comedy royal turns out to be the one in the family with the least number of issues.

Things are going pretty well. Marie has come to accept her place enough that she starts imagining actually decorating her room… after literally being told to do so. Anastasia is still irritated every time the third prince shows up, but it’s far more of a tsundere romance anger than it was in the second book. And we also get Mio’s backstory, which is heartwarming (her relationship with Kyros’ mother), suspenseful (her battle with the queen), and hilarious (the identity of her real parents). Unfortunately, they are still only engaged, because for some reason their wedding has not been approved. While Mio investigates what’s going on here, Luifon is forced to attend a royal ball, and we discover the reason why the marriage isn’t approved yet – and it’s not a good one.

As it turns out, the drama and suspense I thought would be at the end of the book is completely steamrollered. This is because the princess, who’s introduced to us as not only casually racist but also willing to get rid of Marie by any means necessary, is instead an immature brat who folds like a card table when presented with the awesomeness that is Marie. It also shows that she’s not really a terrible person at heart, just sheltered and learning bad habits and ideas. It also means we get to see Marie dressed as a man, which justifies its color page completely. That said, my favorite scene was a rather serious one, where Marie is shown the marriage bed in their castle. Kyros has avoided showing it to her. It only has a lock on the outside, and is clearly designed more as a prison for the wife/mother to pop out babies than anything else. But the reason he avoided showing her (it can easily be altered) is that the Marie of Book 1 and 2 would have accepted that fate without arguing. This is a Marie who has learned she can be happy. Which is great.

That said… still no wedding, as we have more royal annoyances to deal with. And that’s not even getting into the fact that the third prince is in love with a former baron’s daughter, now a commoner, who is disguised as a man. So yeah, there’s room for at least a couple more volumes. Great stuff.

Too Many Losing Heroines!, Vol. 8

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By Takibi Amamori and Imigimuru. Released in Japan as “Make Heroine ga Ōsugiru!” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Hayame.

So yeah, Seven Seas has decided to put off the short story collection till the end of the year, so we are in fact getting the 8th book. Which feels like a pivotal one in many ways, ways which I should not talk about till after the picture to avoid too many spoilers. So what can I talk about? Well, Basori is on the cover, so as you may have guessed this is her focus book. She’s painfully earnest, somewhat painfully naive, and wears her heart on her sleeve so much it can be seen from space. This makes her a good match not only with Nukumizu, who despite his veneer of ‘loser guy’ will help any girl who reaches out to him, but also Shikiya, who wants to support Basori as much as she can but, well, also wants to tease and grope her, so it doesn’t go as well. Naturally, there’s one place that Basori seems almost destined to be, and she’s already there: student council.

It’s time to elect a new student council president, and Basori wants Nukumizu’s help. Nukumizu, who has read light novels and knows this will end with him being vice president, which he doesn’t want, tries to refuse at first, but Basori is a cute girl, and also has a bribe he can’t resist, so he’ll try to help as much as he can without committing to anything. Elsewhere, it’s sports festival time coming up. Lemon is running, of course, and we also get to see if she will quality for Nationals. (Since this isn’t a Lemon-focused book and therefore has no drama around her, you can guess the answer.) Chika shows off what a good sister she is while also getting really angry at Nukumizu’s continued obliviousness. Riko is still far too crafty. Kaju is still far too into her brother. And Anna’s eating. Situation normal.

This is a very good book. Basori is a likeable girl, so of course we have to dress her up in sexy cosplay for her big speech. The speeches themselves are well done in a romcom sort of way, though I was surprised at the result of the election. The title “Losing Heroines” refers only to their romantic life, for the most part, and doesn’t necessarily apply to everything in their life. (Likewise, winning heroines may not be all sunshine and roses – the more we see of Chihaya the more like a horror movie villain she becomes.) But the highlight is absolutely the end of the book, where Basori works up the courage to confess to Nukumizu in a way that he cannot misunderstand or brush off. And naturally he has a complete nervous breakdown, and has to resort to “give me time to think about it” and “can’t we just be friends for now?”. When you see him screaming at himself for not saying yes and getting a girlfriend, it’s like he’s starting to get why all the girls call him “enemy of women” and say “that right there, Nukumizu”, with the “is why you’ll never get a girlfriend” implied.

I will be very interested to see if this goes anywhere or if we just reset to default. Houkobaru is the cover girl for Book 9… but first, for real this time, short story volume. And a .5 volume. Which aren’t the same thing? Ah well, gonna be a while, then.

Pick of the Week: Maverick Picks

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SEAN: I mean, FISHGOD. Because my god, look at that summary.

MICHELLE: Hm. It really is hard to beat that summary. If I’m honest, I’m most excited by a new volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride, though, as it presents a good opportunity to get caught up again.

ASH: Manga Mavericks has been licensing some really interesting things; I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve read so far. While FISHGOD definitely has me curious, it’s Horon of the Closed Country that I’ll be reading first.

ANNA: FISHGOD does sound amazing, but I’m going to select Liste Rouge because I’m always curious about shoujo fantasy.

The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged, Vol. 7

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By Washiro Fujiki and Heiro. Released in Japan as “Eiyū to Kenja no Tensei Kon: Katsute no Kōtekishu to Konyaku Shite Saikyō Fūfu ni Narimashita” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Joey Antonio.

I will admit, I was a little irritated by the end of this volume. The whole series has been building to an obvious climax, and we get it here. I’ve talked before about how absolutely nothing challenges our main couple in any fight… except, of course, when they are fighting each other. As such, it makes perfect sense who the final boss is going to be, and it also makes sense that for once Raid does almost die. I wish Eluria also got to do cool fight stuff, but the nature of the battle means that she has to take care of the “journey to the center of the mind” stuff, which is also well handled, with a discussion of magic that genuinely says “murder is OK”, like the meme… provided, of course, you are the murderer and the people being killed are proven to be bad. It’s a really good ending to the series. BUT. Grr.

Raid and Eluria are finally ready to take care of fixing the First World’s polluted mana problem, mostly as we’ve finally figured out how to teach Raid to use magic. It will come as a surprise to no one that the way Raid uses magic is basically just “punch and sword things, but with magic”. They then go to the Divine Realm, which is basically Heaven, to meet up with elderly Raid, who is a Sage, and the one who set the stage for Raid the Hero. Sadly, Raid the Sage spent much of his life either stealing other people’s ideas using his future sight so he got the credit, or watching a young girl invent magic, despair as people used it for war, and destroy the world. He’s tried to find the timeline where he can change her fate, but was unable to. Now he needs Raid and Eluria to do it, which should be easier than expected, as the young girl is Eluria herself.

Again, most of this is great. The love gossip part was very amusing, featuring a ton of women who are very bad at realizing they’re in love, and Eluria, who also used to be that but got better. Raid’s mom is a stitch, and I like how her reaction to “I’m going to near-certain death and may not come back” is basically “OK, but come back anyway”. The engagement party would be a wedding, were this a final volume, and Eluria’s letter is adorable, as well as Raid’s proposal. The way the conflict is resolved works thematically, and we get to see Raid actually struggle for once, as well as fall into a month-long coma. Unfortunately… the series isn’t over. Now there’s a demon lord. For Chrissakes. You had a great ending! Why keep going?

So yeah, we’ll be back with Book 8, though it’s not out in Japan yet, so get ready to wait. Or pretend the book ended here with a wedding instead.

Reluctant Space Commander: From Death Wish to Galactic Hero!, Vol. 1

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By Norasiro and John Dee. Released in Japan as “”Koko wa Makasete Saki ni Ike!” o Shitai Shinitagari no Nozomanu Uchuu Gekokujou” by TO Books. Released in North America digitally by Airship. Translated by Kim Davis. Adapted by Mark Brezinski.

This book has so many flaws I don’t even know where to begin, so I might as well start with what I did like. The core plot and concept is a good one. Making Legend of the Galactic Heroes only staffing it with petty Japanese office workers is something that could be amusing. The series relies on “nobles good and get the good assignments, poor orphans bad and should know their place”, and knows that it’s something bad and needs to change. And… hrm, I’ve now come to the end of the things I like. That’s a problem, as I have a ways to go for this review. I can’t even say this book was bad and do a rant, because the book doesn’t even deserve a rant. The author simply doesn’t know how to write characters. Even the “eccentric girls” in this story are faceless and you forget which one is which. And the hero is a potato-kun… at least after the first part.

Nao is an orphan who’s all set to take the exams to get into an elite college… but he fails. And then is dumped by his girlfriend. Who reveals that even before he failed she was getting into polyamorous orgies with the most attractive guy in their orphanage. Orgies which they show Nao a video of. (Honestly, the first scene made me wonder if this was a parody of “incel” fantasies, but no.) Despondent, Nao tries to jump off a cliff but hasn’t got the nerve. So he decides to join the military, so he can die in battle. He somehow ends up in the elite Military School for Officers… he’s not sure why… but since his grades are intellect 100%, soldier ability 0%, he’s sent off to the Coast Guard, the least important part of the military, and from there assigned to the losers unit in the Coast Guard. How can he possibly have a glorious death now? Especially since it turns out he’s really good at commanding.

Nao is whiny, useless, and constantly talking about killing himself at select times during this book. When he’s not doing that, he’s a void where a person should be. He commands a group of thirty young woman, who are all supposedly there as they’re difficult to command and eccentrics… except, for the most part, they act like elite soldiers. Yes, one is an engineer who likes to take stuff apart, but she’s far too reserved for the role. Another accidentally chokes her commander out… and it’s the one thing she does. On reflection, there is one other thing I liked about the book. Despite being surrounded by hot women under his command, and also meeting up with an elder-sister childhood friend from the orphanage *and* a royal princess, both the characters and the author are not interested in romance at all, and there’s zero fanservice – except at the start, in the NTR bit. Which honestly reads like a different series.

I may actually read a second volume of this for the plot. But I don’t recommend it. Try Dorky NPC Mercenary instead, which does much the same thing but at least has better character writing. Also, if you cut out the naval protocol part of this book, it would be 55 pages long.

Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother, Vol. 8

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By Chidori Hama and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō, Brocon ni Job Change Shimasu” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Rymane Tsouria.

We’ve now caught up with the series in Japan, for the most part (I think the new volume comes out there this month), so it’s worth checking to see if this series is anywhere near a conclusion. The trouble is, if I’m being honest, the series could end anytime, but can also be stretched to 45 books. The conflict is “these two are so brocon/siscon that they will never allow anyone else to be a romantic partner”, with a side order of obliviousness on Ekaterina’s part. Once someone sits them down and says that they need to actually make a decision, and no, they can’t just marry each other, then the series will resolve itself. The only other real romantic conflict is the fact that Flora is also in love with Ekaterina, and, like most series with a Maria Campbell in them that’s a bit less yuri than Bakarina, it’s not really that much of a conflict. That said, none of that happens here, so we move on.

Despite all her best efforts, Ekaterina has been amazing again and attracted the attention of the entire school and empire. That said, the festival must go on. With a little bit of politics, as we meet Vladimir’s little sister, who is adorable and also has a brother complex… as well as a very different description of what Vladimir is like than the one Ekaterina has been fed. Interesting. In other festival news, Mikhail’s cooking is so popular that it’s impossible to get through the line without claiming noble privilege, which Ekaterina would rather not do. And then there’s the closing ceremonies, where the voting determines who was the best class and also the best person at the festival. Take a wild guess. With all this going on, with Ekaterina still have time to go to the ball with her big brother, rather than making an actual decision to affect her future?

If I sound like I’m getting a bit bored with the premise, it’s because I am. I appreciate the author not giving this any incest subtext, but I also would like the two siblings to actually marry other people, and I’m not confident the author wants to pull 6that trigger yet, so we wait. Certainly the narrative is aware of it. Ekaterina’s narrative voice occasionally slips into future tense, where she points out how she could never have knows what the consequences would be, or castigating herself for being oblivious. I did like the final chapter, where they go to visit Flora’s adopted parents and we get some backstory again. What’s seen by our heroine as “my grandmother was bullying people again!” turns out to have been far darker and more twisted, as I think when you are arranging a marriage for the girl you don’t like to a man known for beating his wife to death, it has passed bullying and moved to psychopathy.

In any case, this gives everyone who enjoys this series what they want, but not more than what they want.

Zero Damage Sword Saint: I Enrolled in a Magic School and Wound Up in a Contract with the Demon Queen, Vol. 4

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By Isle Osaki and kodamazon. Released in Japan as “Kougekiryoku Zero kara Hajimeru Kenseitan: Osananajimi no Oujo ni Suterare Mahou Gakuen ni Nyuugakushitara, Maou to Keiyakusuru Koto ni Natta ” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Stephanie Liu.

I do appreciate that this series knows the lane that it’s chosen to drive in, and it’s not going to move out of it, even when circumstances indicate that it really, really should. Towards the end of this book there is a threatened apocalypse, hideously overpowered monsters, and a chapter with “despair” in the title, so you would assume that things are going to take a darker turn. And then you remember what series you’re reading, and realize that the closest we get to suspense in this book is wondering whether he gets to bang his childhood friend or not. This is not a series that is going to revel in the emotional distress of its cast, to the point where, even when they’re facing certain death, everyone in love with Eugene is more concerned with who gets to hang off his arm at any given time than they are with disasters. This is a harem.

It’s culture festival time, and that means that Eugene could, theoretically, walk around the festival with up to two of his three lovers. Unfortunately, Erinyes is still trapped in the deepest dungeons for being evil, Sara is having to Student Council it up, and Sumire is helping with the theme park attraction. This gives an opportunity for Airi, who has decided to show up at the festival now that she has made it clear back home that she is a) next in line for the throne, and b) has dumped her fiance. There are even love hotels at this festival (?!?!), but fortunately for Eugene his childhood friend still seems to be a child at heart. Unfortunately for everyone, Eugene has also met the standard “I look ten years old but I’m really in the hundreds”. She’s the Dungeon Master, and she’s not happy with how things have been going lately. What’s going to happen when she lifts the lids off ALL the cans of worms?

I remember reading that Airi was *very* unpopular with Japanese readers when they were polled, so it does not surprise me that when she and Eugene head into a love hotel she doesn’t realize what it actually is and then falls asleep. It’s OK, kid, the others are bonking Eugene a *lot* to make up for your flaws. I also appreciate the strongest swordsman in the school, who is introduced in this book and we get sixty pages of everyone waiting for him to fight Eugene. His fate is hilarious and obvious, frankly. Come back when you were introduced in Book One, guy. Other than that, the bulk of this book is dedicated to showing us how awesome Eugene is and that he is the next savior of the world. It does try to end the world sort of half-heartedly, but sadly the one big flaw is the dungeon master, who’s great when she gets to be evil but when she’s shown her evil has ruined everything she just pathetically whines. I expected better from a token loli.

Next we appear to go on the road again, so expect less Erinyes and more Sumire and Sara. This is fun trash.

Manga the Week of 7/29/26

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SEAN: As July ends, we know what that means. It’s time to climb over the Yen Press Mountain.

ASH: I had a feeling.

SEAN: Beneath the Fur (Kegawa to Nakami) is a new seinen series from Kurage Bunch. As a fox is about to kill a rabbit… the rabbit delivers a love confession! Can predators and prey live together without mass hysteria?

MICHELLE: I saw what you did there.

ASH: Haha!

SEAN: The Bubble Love of the Mermaid (Ningyo no Awakoi) is a manga adaptation of the light novel that Yen will be releasing in a couple of months. It runs in Seasons. A girl shunned by her family for a cursed birthmark goes to an exclusive academy… and meets her hot new teacher. This is from the creator of My Happy Marriage, so expect a more dramatic turn than I made it sound.

ANNA: Ok, I’m a little curious about this!

ASH: Are mermaid stories making another comeback? It seems like there have been a few of those lately.

SEAN: Clumsy Kiss (Chiguhagu na Kiss) is a BL oneshot from Bloom. A guy has been trying all his school life for a girlfriend, and finally gets a response to his text! It’s a date!… wait, why is his date a hot guy?

ANNA: Could it be because they exist in a BL oneshot?????

ASH: Maybe!

SEAN: The Crow’s Ballad at Dawn (Akegarasu Yume Koiuta) is a BL oneshot from Comic Marginal. An office worker ends up in a brothel exclusively for yokai… and the top prostitute wants him!

ANNA: I guess that can liven up one’s office worker lifestyle.

ASH: Uh, oh. Yokai BL? That does seem like something I would read.

SEAN: Liste Rouge is a shoujo fantasy from Mystery Bonita. Chimeras rule the world, humans are an endangered species in breeding captivity. What happens when a chimera and human fall in love?

ANNA: What does happen????????

ASH: That seems like a rather personal question.

SEAN: Magic Doctor Rex’s Perverted Medical Record (Mahoui Lex no Hentai Karte) is also a seinen series from Kurage Bunch. In a post-Demon Lord defeat world, a young man runs a clinic. Sadly, all his patients are there for sex problems. And not in a sweet loving way.

ASH: Speaking of personal questions…

SEAN: Seeds of Anxiety* (Fuan no Tane*) is a horror manga from Champion Red. A collection of scary stories from the creator of PTSD Radio.

ASH: You have my attention.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: The 13th Footprint 3, Adachi and Shimamura 7, Almark 3, Bungo Stray Dogs 27, Chained Soldier 14, D.N.Angel New Edition 3, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 10 (the final volume), The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 24 (the final volume), Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 9, Futari Switch 3, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 11 (the final volume), The Heroic Tale of the Villainous Prince 3 (the final volume), I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 8, In Another World with My Smartphone 16, Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right 3, Liar, Liar 4, Once Upon a Witch’s Death 2, The Shiunji Family Children 6, The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince 5, Spice and Wolf Collector’s Edition 3, Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included 8 (the final volume), Super Ball Girls 4, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 24, Uncle from Another World 13, A Witch’s Life in Mongol 3, and Wonder Boy 2.

MICHELLE: I still want to read The 13th Footprint.

ASH: By the time I finished reading through the entire list, I’d already forgotten that series was included in it.

SEAN: Viz Media has another Ghibli release, with Castle in the Sky Film Comic: All-in-One Edition. 650 pages!

Sakamoto Days: Assassin’s Method is a collection of short stories that probably skew less towards assassination and more towards goofy.

ANNA: I would be surprised if this wasn’t the case!

SEAN: And they also have JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 8.

ASH: I need to catch up with JoJo.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a one-shot BL title, Hit Me Hard With Desire (Sonna Gekijo de Naguraretai), which ran in from Red. It’s a dark tale of how to break out of cycles of abuse.

Titan Manga has Three Exorcism Siblings 4.

From Steamship we see Loving Moon Dog 6.

Seven Seas debuts The Oblivious Girl and the Maidenly Man (Mujikaku-chan to Otome na Otoko), a romcom from Comic Boost. A girl who’s afraid of men asked the owner of the cafe she goes to to help her get over it… except he has a crush on her!

ASH: This actually looks like it could be cute.

SEAN: Did you like Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan? Wonder Cats is more 4-koma by the same author. Cats!

ASH: Cats galore!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Ancient Magus’ Bride 22, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 18, Dinosaur Sanctuary 8, The Evil Secret Society of Cats 4, The Great Snake’s Bride 7, Happy Kanako’s Killer Life 8, I Ship My Rival x Me 4, It’s Just a Dream… Right?! 3, My New Life as a Cat 14, Now That We Draw 5, and They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning 2.

MICHELLE: It really is time for an Ancient Magus’ Brirde marathon.

ASH: Agreed!

SEAN: Noir Caesar has the 3rd volume of Deep 3.

Manga Mavericks have some debuts. FISHGOD is a bizarre revenge series where a young man tries to get revenge on the walking killer fish that ate his parents.

MICHELLE: Now, there is a sentence I didn’t expect to read today. Or ever.

ANNA: I mean, that is certainly a surprise!

ASH: This won’t be the only bizarre fish manga that I’ve read.

SEAN: Horon of the Closed Country (Tojita Kuni no Horon) has a trio journey to try to appease a forest deity.

ASH: I’ve heard great things about this series; looking forward to giving it a try!

Kodansha Comics debuts Luca the Dragon Vet (Ryuui no Luca), a seinen manga from Morning Two. Luca, the daughter of a famous vet that treated dragons, wants to follow in her father’s footsteps, but the road is harsh.

ASH: Yup, I’d read that.

Also in print: Fruit of the Underworld 2, I Have a Crush at Work 5, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 19, Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits 4, Omega Megaera 5, Saint Young Men Omnibus 11, Shangri-La Frontier 23, That’s Not Love 2, and Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 5.

MICHELLE: I will never not ‘woo!’ for Tokyo Tarareba Girls.

ANNA: Woo!!!!

ASH: Woo and hoo!

SEAN: Digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 18, I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 9, and Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 6.

From Kodama we see Baki the Grappler Perfect Edition 21 and 22, Me and the Alien Mumu 4, and Sun-Ken-Rock Perfect Edition 4.

ASH: I really hope Baki does well; that’s an impressive release schedule.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has the print debut of one of its contest winners, An Unruly Summon. A kingdom has had bad luck with summoning otherworlders, who tend to be socially progressive – the horror! The kingdom needs help, though, so he summons a guy and gives him a harem free of charge. Sadly, Thomas is not going to let any random king tell HIS what to do.

ASH: I’ve seen it described as an isekai deconstruction, which does have me curious.

SEAN: Also in print, the 8th Black Summoner manga.

Digitally there are light novels for The Amazing Village Creator 4, Finding Avalon: The Quest of a Chaosbringer 6, Infinite Dendrogram 23, Starting on Hard Mode 2, and Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time 10 (the final volume).

And for manga there is Cooking with Wild Game 13, Full Clearing Another World Under a Goddess with Zero Believers 10, I Parry Everything 5, My Death-Defying Dog: Man’s Best Friend, World’s Best Savior 3, Old Knight, New Post: From Retiree to Her Majesty’s Blade 3, and A Royal Rebound: Forget My Ex-Fiancé, I’m Being Pampered by the Prince! 4.

Hanashi Media has a pile of light novels. I Saved Myself with a Potion! 2, A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring 2, The New Gate 4, An Observation Log of My Wife Who Calls Herself a Villainess 4, Re:Monster 4, and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 18.

ASH: I initially read that as I Saved Myself with Python, which goes to show where my mind is these days.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has the 7th volume of Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His S-Rank Cat Girl.

Cross Infinite World have Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound 7 (the final volume), Fluffy Paradise 9, and Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! 2.

Alphapolis are listed as having some print debuts, though as with all first print releases by a digital-only company, YMMV.

ASH: Previously being digital-only would explain why I’m not at all familiar with this publisher.

SEAN: A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai (Sozai Saishuka no Isekai Ryokouki) is a manga that’s had an anime, though Alphapolis doesn’t like to license its light novels, possibly as they’d have to credit a translator. A guy is summoned to another world, gets lots of cool skills, and life is really good!

May I Ask for One Final Thing? (Saigo ni Hitotsu dake Onegaishite mo Yoroshii desu ka?) is the only one of these I would buy if I could verify they didn’t use AI. This also has an anime, you all know it. Scarlet likes to PUNCH! It’s great.

ANNA: I enjoyed the bits of the anime I watched, I need to finish it!

SEAN: Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time (Izure Saikyou no Renkinjutsushi?) features an accidentally summoned dude asks for a crafting skill, and gets the STRONGEST crafting skill!

ASH: Knitting??!?

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of History of the Kingdom of Orcsen: How the Barbarian Orcish Nation Came to Burn Down the Peaceful Elfland (Orcsen Oukokushi: Yaban na Orc no Kuni wa, Ikanishite Heiwa na Elf no Kuni wo Yakiharau ni Itatta ka). The orcs and the elves are at war, and you’d expect the elves to be the good guys, but they’re doing ethnic cleansing of the dark elves. So one dark elf decides to join the orcs and get her revenge.

Also in print: The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 12, Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 7 Part 1, and A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 5.

The early digital debut is Saving a Weapon Shop from Bankruptcy after the Demon King’s Defeat (Maou Botsugo no Genkai Bukiya). After the defeat of the demon king, no monsters and no need for weapons means blacksmiths and adventurers are headed for poverty and slavery. Can our hero change that?

ASH: I’ll admit to being curious.

SEAN: Also early digital: The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 15, Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 14 (the final volume), and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 13.

If nothing else, this is a LOT. Anything for you?

Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain, Vol. 8

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By Ageha Sakura and Kurodeko. Released in Japan as “Imokusa Reijou desu ga Akuyaku Reisoku wo Tasuketara Kiniiraremashita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

When I reviewed the 7th book in this series, I had not realized that this 8th book would be the final one. It does its absolute best to cram everything in so that we’re not disappointed, though. There’s lots of Nazelbart spoiling Agnes, being overprotective of Agnes, and trying to seduce Agnes. (There is a joke made here that if Agnes dies, Nazelbart will destroy the entire world, only to everyone but Agnes, it’s not a joke.) There’s Agnes saying that she’ll be careful and wait right there, and then heading into battle anyway. There’s another guy who’s so evil it’s almost comical, and of course he ends up getting caught and being put to manual labor. We see Robin again, he’s a schmuck. We see Mia again, she’s so hung up on her past actions that she fails to realize how much she’s changed. And there’s the next generation, who are very shippable. A bit earlier than I would like, admittedly.

About two years after the last volume, there’s a fresh new disaster: giant hoppers are attacking their domain, and no one is quite sure how they got there. Fortunately, everyone is able to work together to take them out, but there’s some crop damage. They then head to the capital, where the King is getting ready to marry his younger brother off to a foreign princess. She’s arriving with her older brother. He seems… like he’s trying to hide his evil. She seems like she’s desperately trying to be normal. Both are true. When Nero (the brother) offers then a horribly mercenary plan to help them after their lands have been mysteriously ravaged by hoppers, everyone smells a giant rat. Are these new characters really responsible for all the natural disasters of the last few books?

Starting off with a bit that made me uncomfortable, they’re both so young it shouldn’t matter, but the 3-year-old falling in love with the 1-year-old at first sight, and remembering this even when he’s an adult, smacked too much to me of gender reveal parties and parents whose friends talk about their babies marrying right after said babies have been born. Other than that, this is a fun “victory lap” sort of book, where Agnes gets to show off, be sweet, and finally has to give in and become the next Saint (we all saw it coming). I also really liked Beatrice, the bug-loving princess who gets to turn traitor against her homeland and have it all work out, because (the funniest part of the book) all her brothers, sisters, parents, and evil nobles killed each other in a throne war while she was away. That sure was lucky! We also get several flash-forwards, where we see Agnes’ daughter Luna and her insecurities about her power, which is the opposite of her mother’s.

As Agnes and Nazelbart re4mark, we’ve come a long way from the pancake makeup and 200-pound dresses of Book 1. Agnes is living her best life now. Good for her! Fun series, glad I read it.

The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits, Vol. 3

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By yocco and Junsui. Released in Japan as “Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Andria McKnight. Adapted by Lex Reno.

Everyone has their own pet things they don’t like in fantasy light novels. Well, pretty sure almost every right thinking person hates “welp, guess I gotta have slaves”, but leaving that as a given, there are others that grate on me, and one of them is front and center at the start of this third book. I’m sure it’s from some JRPG or other, but the whole “you are given a god-given talent at Age 5 and if the common wisdom is that it sucks you are abused, disowned, abandoned, or even straight up attempted murdered”. HATE this. Hate the “lol evil parents/family” that comes from it. Hate that it’s part of the tired “your weak power is actually STRONG it’s just that everyone is an idiot!” subgenre. Hate the idea of your life being defined by your job that you don’t get to pick at all. Banished from the Hero’s Party deals with consequences of this better, here we just get the trope straight up. Kinda sucks.

Daisy is living her best life, along with her family. Sure, her brother and sister have now been chosen as the new Sage and Saint, respectively. Sure, that means that bratty nobles are challenging them to duels. But come on, they’re in this series and related to Daisy, they’ve got it made. Unfortunately, one day Daisy comes across a young girl who’s just gotten her Alchemist job being screamed at and abandoned by her father. (Who is a royal knight, by the way, in case you wondered if he was dumb as well as evil.) Daisy sees a lot of herself in this little girl, who looks, frankly, exactly like her only five years younger (see cover). And so Daisy talks to her family and they end up adopting the girl, Lily. Which is a good thing, as she also has a special God blessing, special alchemy powers, and is also the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I kid because I love, trust me. This series remains ridiculous, and has the characterization of an underweight. Actually, Lily got so good so fast I wondered if there would be an arc where Daisy felt jealous of her younger adopted sister, but no fear, Daisy is still too awesome for words, and also gets ennobled here, at ten years old. Elsewhere, she starts to create all the things she and her party will need to take on the tower she couldn’t take on last book; she invents moisturizer, lip balm, and Montessori schools, and she picks up an apprentice, who I thought might become a second potential toy ship love interest, but the author makes sure to give the 7-year-old kid a 7-year-old sweetheart, so no worries there. Even the King finds everything about Daisy and her family delightful.

There are a few ominous hints at drama in future books (the other elves are not very proactive), but for the most part, again, here is Daisy. Ain’t she grand?

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning into a High-Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck, Vol. 4

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By Izumi Okido and Jyun Hayase. Released in Japan as “Rekishi ni Nokoru Akujo ni Naru zo: Akuyaku Reijō ni Naru hodo Ōji no Dekiai wa Kasoku suru yō desu!” by B’s-LOG Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Moon.

Last time I was worried about what the series was going to do with Liz, but I ended up reading into the setting too much. Just like Alicia, I am far too aware of the otome game origins of this world, so I naturally assumed that Liz’s stubborn hyper-idealism and unconscious charm power were going to be near impossible to get rid of without sterner methods. As it turns out, though, Liz lives in reality like the rest of the cast do, and therefore all it takes is just talking to her and trying to convince her that she’s doing this mostly because she’s jealous of Duke loving Alicia. Which is really easy to do, as if Liz is aware of anything it’s that. While there is a bit of tough love involved, it’s rather startling how easily everything falls into place. Which is good, as we may be seeing a plague soon.

The book alternates POV between Gill, dealing with things back in Durkis, and Alicia, who is still “in disguise” as part of her exile to Laval. As it turns out, the fact that she’s a woman gets revealed pretty fast. She’s now being monitored by second prince Victor, who is intrigued by her and also kind of a massive jerk. And then there’s the first prince, who Alicia tries to get to meet… and when she does discovers a secret that really surprised me. She also meets two young criminals, one of whom seems to have “spot sickness”, a deadly disease which can only be cured by the usual “impossible to get to flower” that you usually see in fantasy books. Hopefully she can get it soon, as Durkis also has someone down with Spot Sickness…

There’s lots of interesting stuff going on, some of which I broke down earlier in my review, i.e. the stuff with Liz. But the big surprise was Vian, the first prince… who it turns out loves makeup and dresses, and wants Alicia to use the name Vivian. I’m not sure how much of a trans narrative I’m supposed to read into this, but the fact that it treats Vian’s desires completely seriously, and forces us to think about the issues that a first prince who will someday take over the kingdom would have with wanting to dress as a woman and use a woman’s name… I really hope that we’re not done with this plot now that Vian has found a confidante in Alicia, and that it may go places. Elsewhere, she’s slowly learning about the kingdom she’s been exiled to, bonding with her grandfather, and also starting to get pain and reactions in her missing eye, which she is 100% in denial about. I am fairly certain the next book is going to kill off one of the cast.

Still good, and it’s surprising me by going places I didn’t expect. This may be the best volume yet.

Pick of the Week: Manga Nirvana

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ASH: There are a few ongoing series being released this week that I’ll be making a point to read, but as far as debuts go, Smells Like Green Spirit is what has my attention. Growing up in a rural area myself, I suspect this manga will resonate. (And I appreciate that it’ll be available in a single volume!)

SEAN: I was pretty charmed by the simple plot of The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen, so the second volume is my pick this week.

KATE: I freely admit that this week’s new arrivals didn’t set my heart (or wallet) aflame, so I’m going off list to recommend Akari, which was nominated in the Best One-Short category for this year’s American Manga Awards. It’s beautifully illustrated and genuinely moving—keep a box of Kleenex handy! You can order copies directly from Glacier Bay Books.

MICHELLE: I’m also down for Smells Like Green Spirit this week.

ANNA: There’s honestly not a lot that appeals to me this week, so I’m just going to highlight the Red River rerelease as my pick. It is such a treat when series that came out some time ago get new editions!