SEAN: There is, it has to be said, a bit of manga out next week. Just a wee bit. A dram.
MICHELLE: A smidge.
ASH: A skosh, perhaps.
SEAN: And also some light novels, starting with Cross Infinite World, who have The Champions of Justice and the Supreme Ruler of Evil, which seems to be on the humorous side. It’s also got some steamy scenes, be warned!
Fantagraphics gives us the one-volume Dementia 21 by famous (infamous) manga artist Shintaro Kago. Best described as ‘surreal horror’, I’ve wanted to see Kago’s works over here for some time. This volume is a great start.
ASH: I’m always glad to see more manga released by Fantagraphics! Kago’s work can be pretty intense.
ANNA: Me too! I feel that they target manga no other publisher would take on.
SEAN: J-Novel Club have two debuts. The first is Amagi Brilliant Park, from the creator of Full Metal Panic. It’s about an amusement park and also involves magic, I think?
The other new title is Der Werewolf: The Annals of Veight. Seems to be another reincarnation isekai. But werewolves!
And there’s also Infinite Dendrogram 7 and The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind! 6.
Kodansha’s debut is actually a new edition of a title that’s now been debuted 3 times. Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition. Larger trim! Different translation! More bells and whistles! Buy it again for the first time.
ANNA: Sailor Moon!!
MICHELLE: Oh, I didn’t know there was a different translation! Maybe I do need to buy it again.
MJ: Well, damn.
SEAN: There’s also Golosseum 3, Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai 4, and Waiting for Spring 8.
Digitally there’s no new debuts, but we do get Peach Girl 9-18, as well as Tokyo Alice 3.
Seven Seas has a lot of interesting stuff. We get Dragon Goes House Hunting (Dragon, Ie wo Kau), whose title alone makes me want to read it. It’s from Mag Garden’s Comic Blade.
MICHELLE: I’ve been eagerly anticipating this one!
ASH: I’m looking forward to it, too!
SEAN: Tomo-chan is a Girl! (Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko!) is the other manga debut next week. About a tomboy girl who can’t convince her childhood friend she likes him romantically, it’s a 4-koma from what I believe is an online site, but Kodansha collects the volumes.
ASH: Oh, I didn’t realize it was a four-panel manga! I’ve heard good things about it, though.
SEAN: There’s also the debut of J-Novel Club’s biggest breakout hit in print, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom.
But there’s also a 9th volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride, a 12th D-Frag! (the first in 17 months), Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average! Novel 3 (in print) and 4 (digitally), The Testament of Sister New Devil STORM! 4, and Toradora! manga 8 (the first since June 2015).
MICHELLE: Yay for The Ancient Magus’ Bride!
ASH: Yes, indeed!
SEAN: SuBLime debuts Escape Journey, a BL series from Libre Shuppan’s Be x Boy filled with dubious consent and drama.
MJ: Why always dubious consent, whyyyyy?
SEAN: And a 7th Don’t Be Cruel is out next week too.
Tokyopop has the 2nd Konohana Kitan.
And Udon has a 7th volume of the Persona 4 manga.
Vertical debuts The Delinquent Housewife (Futsutsuka na Yome Desu ga!), a slapstick comedy from Shogakukan’s Big Comic Spirits about a man who discovers his new sister-in-law is, shall we say, not the perfect Japanese wife.
Viz has Radiant. It’s actually a French manga, but Akaneshinsha releases it in Japan. It’s got wizards, monsters, and the Inquisition. Sounds pretty manga to me.
ANNA: OK!
MJ: Interesting!
ASH: It really is!
SEAN: There’s also a 32nd Hayate the Combat Butler, a 4th Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and a 4th Splatoon.
See? Barely anything. A doddle. What are you getting?