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Rise of the Lowborn: Ascending the Ranks by Crushing Incompetent Nobles, Vol. 1

By Kosaka Hanane and Kurogiri. Released in Japan as “Heimin Shushhun no Shōkan, Munō na Kizoku Jōkan o Jūrin Shite Nariagaru” by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jennifer Ward. Yes, it’s time for another episode of “Sean reads a title way outside of his wheelhouse”. Much to my surprise, there isn’t a specific event here that necessitates our protagonist spending the rest of the series getting revenge. Instead, it’s merely the crushing weight of disappointment and betrayal from his previous life that has led him to regard this one with disdain. But make no mistake about it, this book is basically “you know your boss who lords his status over you? Or those rich kids at high school who mock you when you…

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Manga the Week of 11/18/26

SEAN: We here at Manga Bookshelf would like to remind you that it’s time to take the manga out of your freezer. ASH: I actually have put manga in a freezer before. SEAN: Viz Media has a new Inio Asano one-shot. Heroes (Yuusha-tachi) ran in Ura Sunday, and stars a group of heroes out to defeat evil… but the evil in all creature’s hearts is always lurking. I’ve heard this called a satire? ANNA: Does it also make you feel sort of depressed??? ASH: Asano’s work does occasionally have that tendency. SEAN: We also see After God 10, Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Tales of Iga 2, Bug Ego 3, Centuria 4, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 8, Kingdom 13, Maid to Skate 2, Taika’s Reason 3, Vagabond Definitive Edition 7, and The…

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High School DxD: Durandal of the Student Council Election

By Ichiei Ishibumi and Miyama-Zero. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Haydn Trowell. As we are nearing the end of the series, it’s nice to see that it has actual character development for multiple people and is not just “they got stronger, so that is their character development”. We see that Kiba is still filled with righteous fury over his past. We see that Asia still struggles with self-confidence issues, even though she’s now the president of the Occult Research Club. And then there’s the cover girl for this volume, Xenovia. When she arrived, she was the sort to just go all Leeroy Jenkins on whatever problems she had. But over the course of the last several books, we’ve seen…

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Fleet-Footed Dungeon Delver: Tune in for Magical Girls and Motion Blur!, Vol. 1

By Ameko Kaeruda and U35. Released in Japan as “Shinsoku no Dungeon Seeker ~Speed Kyokufuri Haishinsha wa Subete o Buchinuku~” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Faye Duxovni. (Spoilers within for the back half of this book.) I did wonder, you know. Despite the fact that this is written by Ameko Kaeruda, the author of Sexiled. And illustrated by U35, the artist for Buying a Classmate Once a Week and that Voice Actor Radio series. I wondered if this would just be slice-of-life. Or worse, if it might have a male lead. It wasn’t tagged by the publisher, either. Fear not, this is yuri. Of *course* it’s yuri. That said, as with other Kaeruda series, the yuri is the spice, but the point of…

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Fired? But I Maintain All the Software!, Vol. 3

By Yuki Kashirome and icchi. Released in Japan as “E, Shanai System Subete One Operation Shite Iru Watashi o Kaiko desu ka?” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Minna Lin. Content warning: This review will be discussing a book that deals with multiple companies that use AI, and it discusses AI throughout the book, usually in a positive way (though it does emphasize AI without humans making decisions is a disaster). Reader discretion is advised. This is still good, but we are starting to reach the point where I tell the author “you know this is not a sustainable idea for a long-run series, right?”. This book introduces a new person who feels their dream can never be achieved, and then marvels at Ai…

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I’m Running for Crown Princess, but All I Want is a Steady Paycheck!, Vol. 1

By Yuuri Seo and Okaya. Released in Japan as “Taikouhi Kouho dakedo, Kenjitsu ni Ikou to Omoimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America digitally by Airship. Translated by Natasha Fujii. Adapted by Vida Cruz-Borja. Seven Seas has started to do these digital-only light novels, ones that presumably are good enough to be licensed but not good enough to justify a print release. (And by “good enough” I mean potentially making money, not quality of the prose.) Most of them tend to cater towards the guy side of the line, but this one is a shoujo light novel. Possibly it doesn’t get a print release as it’s not an isekai, and magic and monster hunting barely feature in it. Possibly also because it’s a 7-year-old series and only has two…

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Déjà Vute: Betrayal Begets New Beginnings, Vol. 1

By Minami Kashiwa and Suzunosuke. Released in Japan as “Imouto ni Subete o Ubawareta Reijou wa Kon’yakusha no Uragiri o Shiri Kaiki Suru” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Jessica Speed. This is the second debut in a row that features a “Cinderella” story that focuses heavily on the abuse of the main character by her evil stepmother and stepsister, and this one leans more heavily into the romance part of the equation. (For details on the first, which focuses on the abuse itself and the recovery, see my review of Keep Me Close). This one also features that ever popular plotline, getting killed off and then waking up years in the past to fix everything. That said, Déjà Vute struggled throughout its first…

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Keep Me Close: Finding My Home in You, Vol. 1

By Morrinmomo and whimhalooo. Released in Japan as “Watashi ga Kaeritai Basho wa ~Ibasho o Nakushita Reijou ga “Tokenai Hyouzou” to Uwasa Sareru Ryoushu-sama no Moto de Shiawase ni Naru made~” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Amy Osteraas. Generally speaking my reviews don’t have continuity, and you should not have to read them day by day to get the gist of what I think. Sometimes, though, timing plays a major role. This week saw the release of two shoujo LNs with, if not similar plots, at least similar framing devices – the evil stepmother and stepsister, and years of horrible abuse. And they came out within two days of each other, so I am reading them one right after the other. Theoretically I…

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Manga the Week of 11/11/26

SEAN: Election Day has passed! That’s good! Or bad! Delete where applicable! ASH: Stressful, is what that was. SEAN: Airship has a print debut. When It Rains, It Pours (Futtara Doshaburi) is a BL light novel from the creator of Yes, No or Maybe?. A guy and his girl are growing apart. Another guy has an unrequited crush on his male roommate. Can these two become friends by venting to each other? ASH: There’s a good chance, I would suspect. SEAN: They also have Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 3. And for early digital, we get The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 9, A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 6, Too Many Losing Heroines! SS, and…

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