Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 11 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe | Viz Media – I suspect that the Frieren author’s attempts at explaining the worldview of demons in this series is never really going to 100% appeal to the core audience, who are simply uncomfortable with “there’s no chance of reconciling, kill them all.” Indeed, we find out here that the whole demon vs. human war ages ago was because the Demon Lord wanted to understand humans better. Fortunately, this volume is mostly a giant battle, and Frieren and Denken acquit themselves well, with help at the end from Fern. Which means it’s time to start a new arc at the end of the volume, as Frieren, traveling again, accidentally activates an artifact that sends her mind back to her old body—and Himmel. Essential. – Sean Gaffney
Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 14 | By Ukami | Yen Press – Given that there are literally no men in this series, it should not be too big a surprise to find out that Michael is—gasp!—a girl, and furthermore has a desire to be a cutesy idol, a desire that is somewhat hampered by crippling shyness. Fortunately, Gab can steamroller over any problem with the power of “well, whatever.” Elsewhere, Raphael takes a break from tormenting Satanya to torment Vigne, who is feeling all at sea without anyone to mother in her classroom. That said, she also suffers here, as we learn that she tends to gain weight, while the others don’t. And we meet Gabriel’s sister Haniel, who is small and cute and finds everything fascinating, even Satanya being tied-up bondage style. In any case, please enjoy more of “These Bitches Gay! Good for Them!” The Manga. – Sean Gaffney
I Was Sold Dirt Cheap But My Power Level Is Off the Charts, Vol. 1 | By Cambria Bakuhatsu Tarou | One Peace Books – I’m not really the target audience for most isekai manga being translated these days, but I was curious about I Was Sold Dirt Cheap But My Power Level Is Off the Charts, mostly because of the use of mecha within a fantasy context. After reading the debut of Tarou’s adaptation of Ryoma’s light novels, I definitely understand the genre’s general appeal. Like so many stories of its type, the premise is already outlined in the title. The basic plot isn’t particularly unique—the protagonist becomes a hero because he’s much more powerful than anyone assumed. The art isn’t particularly spectacular, although I do like the look of the mechs. To distinguish itself, the series has to rely on its specific combination of story elements. It’s fun and I appreciate its humor; the series doesn’t take itself too seriously. Nuanced literature it’s not, but sometimes simple fantasy is all that’s needed. – Ash Brown
In/Spectre, Vol. 20 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Manga – Last time I talked about the great humor of this series, and it’s still here, including the return of Robot Kotoko, now with added kittens. But I also want to highlight that the series is primarily a mystery series—well, more accurately, it’s a detective series. The detection is far more important than the mystery, and it’s always wonderful to see Kotoko propose solutions, then discard them, then come up with other solutions. Usually she arrives at what SOUNDS like the truth, but there’s usually a sting in the tail, and we see that here to a degree. We also see that no one but Kuro should be in love with Kotoko, because holy crap, she is still the most annoying person in the entire world. Kuro, please bed your weird yokai-adjacent girlfriend soon and calm her down. – Sean Gaffney
Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, Vol. 3 | By Yodokawa | Yen Press – The first half of this volume shows Miyako realizing that she really is in love with Ayako, and trying to get it across subtly, and then less subtly. The issue, unfortunately, is that Ayako has had a lot of bad relationships with women in the past, and what’s more, she was always the one who fell in love first. As such, Miyako confessing to her (which does happen here, and well done for not dragging that out) is a first for her, and she’s not sure how to take it, asking for more time to think about it. In the meantime, they may not be a couple romantically, but as landlord and tenant, the two of them are basically married at this point. We’ve got two volumes to go, I believe, which is hopefully just enough time for these two to make it work. – Sean Gaffney
Oba Electroplating Factory | By Tsuge Yoshiharu | Drawn & Quarterly – Considering the provocative impact of the manga included in Nejishiki, the third volume in Drawn & Quarterly’s collected works of Tsuge Yoshiharu, other volumes, no matter how masterful, will to some extent always be compared to that one. The fourth volume, Oba Electroplating Factory, collects seven of Tsuge’s manga from 1973 and 1974 in addition to an essay by the translator and comics scholar Ryan Holmberg examining their historical context. While the manga collected in the previous volumes of the series were predominantly drawn for avant-garde manga anthologies like Garo, the works in Oba Electroplating Factory were largely originally published in more commercial, mainstream venues. As a whole, they are less surreal and arguably more approachable than Tsuge’s previous works, often utilizing autobiographical elements akin to those found in I-novel literature. But while potentially more realistic, they can still carry a bite; Tsuge doesn’t shy away from shadier aspects of human nature. – Ash Brown
When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine, Vol. 1 | By Kasai Fujii | Yen Press – The first two-third of this is clearly showing its origin as a pixiv/Twitter sort of story, with most chapters being 2-3 pages. Our villainess, Akuya Kreijou, and the heroine, Sei Hi Roin, hook up after a two-page denouement of the prince, and spend much of the book either screwing each other or being embarrassingly lovey-dovey. The last third or so attempts to actually give depth to this: we see how Sei got to the point where she was at the start of the book, and also that she’s not afraid to use sex (which she loves) to get out of difficult jams like being kidnapped. We also see how she’s a genuinely good person, and so is Akuya, who spread her OWN rumors of her being evil just to get away from the prince. We get a second volume, but I expect that’s the last. Good, if horny. – Sean Gaffney