SEAN: The end of May and time for summer to be icumen in. Seems like it’s a bit early this year.
MICHELLE: I understood that reference!
SEAN: Airship has print volumes for Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 7, Reborn as a Space Mercenary 15, and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 13.
And for early digital there is The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat 3 and Roll Over and Die 6.
Cross Infinite World has The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up 6 and Welcome to Olivia’s Magic Jewelers 3 (the final volume).
Crossed Hearts (which I admit has been releasing print-only manhwa I have been missing) has a manga debut, You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! (Namaiki Sugiru yo, Chigaya-kun). This runs in Ganma!. Why is this hot guy only in a teasing mood around her? Also, archery.
MICHELLE: Probably this is the sort of thing I’d read and think “needs more archery.”
ASH: Always more archery. Always.
ANNA: I’m not opposed to more archery!
SEAN: Dark Horse Manga has a 2nd omnibus volume of Innocent Rouge.
ASH: I haven’t read any of Innocent Rouge yet, but I have been reading Innocent. If nothing else, the artwork is incredibly striking.
SEAN: And retailers say Denpa Books has the 4th volume of Nana & Kaoru: Black Label.
ASH: Maybe, maybe not. Hard to tell with Denpa.
SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us Rebel Hero: I Will Use My Skills to Control the Scheming Princess’s Heart and Body 3 and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 9.
A debut from Hanashi Media: The Disfavored Prince is a Genius Alchemist: All I Want is to Spoil My Little Siblings (Fuguu Ouji wa Tensai Renkinjutsushi: Koutei Nante Gara ja Nai node Teimai wo Kawaigaritai) stars a guy reincarnated as the first prince, but politics force him to step aside. Now he’s going to be an amazing alchemist… who ends up influencing the politics far more than he would have if he’d stayed prince.
ASH: I like alchemists.
SEAN: They also have Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 16.
J-Novel Club has their last debut for a while (they’re saving their new licenses for AX). The Reincarnated Mastermind: Sundering Fate with Magic Swords (Monogatari no Kuromaku ni Tensei Shite ~Shinka Suru Maken to Game Chishiki de Subete o Nejifuseru~) stars a guy who is delighted to clear the game he’s playing before anyone else… then finds himself reincarnated in the game as the villain. Dammit, he’s just going to live a slow life and avoid the cast, then. (cough) Good luck with that, dude.
ASH: He’ll need it.
SEAN: Other light novels from JNC: The Apothecary Diaries 16, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 13, Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden 9, and Repeated Vice: I Refuse to Be Important Enough to Die 3.
ASH: Yay, Apothecary Diaries!
SEAN: Other manga from JNC: My Tiny Senpai 5, Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! 7, and Zero Damage Sword Saint 3.
Kodansha Manga has… three print debuts? Maybe? Omega of the Divine (Aijitsu to Hanayome) is an omegaverse manga from Gateau that was announced for print and digital, but the print seems to be AWOL at the moment, so here’s the digital. A sick boy is chosen as the sacrifice to the local god, but the god may be nicer than suspected.
That’s Not Love (Koi ja Nee kara) is a seinen manga from Morning Two. A middle-aged woman goes to see a sculpture exhibit by her old teacher, and finds one sculpture looks a lot like her old middle-school friend… right down to the scarring. Was something happening in school she didn’t know about?
MICHELLE: Intriguing!
ASH: Oh, ho!
ANNA: Hmmmm.
SEAN: Wicked Spot is a yuri manga from CandleA, from the creator of Ayaka Is in Love with Hiroko. A witch discovers the powerful world of social media, and ends up crossing paths with a young woman who’s not a fan of witches.
Also in print: GALAXIAS 2, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 17, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 9, Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits 3, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 12, Omega Megaera 4, and Shangri-La Frontier 22.
And for digital we have I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 7, Saint Young Men 21, and Shangri-La Frontier 25.
MICHELLE: I had entirely forgotten that Saint Young Men exists.
ASH: I had not! (But am still behind in my reading…)
ANNA: I am glad it does exist!
SEAN: Crybaby Mermaid : Illustrated Memoir of Yumi Uotani is a new series from Mahjong Pros, assuming it doesn’t get bumped like Koizumi did. It’s a biography of the emotional ups and downs of a woman who plays professional mahjong.
MICHELLE: Neat!
ASH: I’ll happily read it.
ANNA: Sounds cool!
SEAN: Getter Robo High is Getter Robo, mahjong style.
ASH: Honestly, I’d read that, too.
SEAN: And yes, they also have Reform with No Wasted Draws: The Legend of Koizumi, which I discussed last month. It got bumped.
ASH: This is the one I’m really here for.
SEAN: One Peace Books gives us I Was Sold Dirt Cheap, but My Power Level Is off the Charts 5, Nukozuke! 6, and the 26th The Rising of the Shield Hero manga.
There’s a Korean novel from Seven Seas not in the Airship line. Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea stars a dentist hired to work at an undersea research facility… but when he arrives he finds everything starting to get creepy.
And for danmei, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi finishes its deluxe hardcover release with Vol. 5.
Two manga debuts. My Cat’s Aura is Strong Today (Kyou mo Neko-sama no Atsu ga Tsuyoi) is a cat manga, which means technically, like all cat manga, it’s josei. Have you ever wondered if cats are really sarcastic to you in their heads? Wonder no more.
ASH: I’m assuming they are, but I guess I’ll find out!
ANNA: I assume that they may be sarcastic, but are also all perfect angels.
SEAN: The Scum Laugh is a full-color seinen series (I can’t find magazine info on either of these, they’re both Kadokawa). Have you ever wondered about the thoughts of beastmen as they’re about to rip you to shreds? Wonder no more.
ASH: Full-color we don’t see very often.
Also from Seven Seas: Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat 4, Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 7, Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds 6, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 13, Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home 6, Ichi the Killer Omnibus 4, Kitayama and Minamiya 2, Soara and the House of Monsters 6, and You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! 6.
Tokyopop debuts I Picked Up a No-Good, Useless Prince (Danzaisareta Dame Ouji, Hiroimashita), a Comic Gardo title based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. A spoiled young prince finally pisses off too many people, and is reduced to being a commoner. Now he’s met a young woman who adores royal drama and fangirls him.
It also gives us Boyfriend, Sometimes Girlfriend 3 and In So Deep, It’s Love Already 2.
Viz Media has Cosmos 5 and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 7.
ASH: Excellent.
SEAN: And we’re done!… no, we’re not. Here’s Yen Press and its 11 billion titles.
ASH: It feels like it’s been a while.
The Adventure of Black Cat Nyango (Kuroneko Nyango no Bouken) is a shonen title from Dragon Age. A young boy (kitten?) is trying to join a famous adventuring party… but they’re away, so instead he goes into research. This looks cute.
ASH: It does.
SEAN: Every Adventure Needs a Weapon!: The Blacksmith Life of Rudy the Obsessed (Bouken ni wa, Buki ga Hitsuyou da! Kodawari Rudy no Kajiya Gurashi) stars a young woman (Rudy) who is obsessed with weapons, and testing weapons. It runs in Monthly Action.
ASH: That seems like something I would read.
SEAN: Four in Love is a Taiwanese comic anthology, in full color, showing the agonies of love.
Kuro: The Complete Edition collects all three volumes of this monster/horror title from Tonari no Young Jump. A cute girl loves playing with her adorable cat Kuro. To everyone else, the cat is a nightmarish beast.
ASH: I love the cat/monster design of Kuro.
SEAN: Love from the Tip of the Tongue (Shitasaki kara Koi) is a … sigh… Cakeverse title about a young man who is hiding his forkness until he meets an irresistible cake… I’m sorry, I can deal with Omegaverse, but I draw a line here. It’s BL, OK? It runs in Comic Marginal &h.
MICHELLE: Today I learned Cakeverse exists.
ASH: I was likewise unaware.
ANNA: I wish to go back in time when I was unaware.
SEAN: Monster Eater: A Delicious in Dungeon Board Game is what it sounds like.
ASH: I want this to be good!
On the Boundary’s Road: The Works of Suzuka Morino is also what it sounds like, a one-shot from Harta featuring an author known for beast and human manga.
Redeem: Only One Forever (Redeem: Tatta Hitotsu no Eien, Redeem) is a BL manhwa. A man who sees his older lover die in an accident finds himself ten years in the past… but getting his lover to fall for him again may be difficult.
ASH: I’m intrigued.
SEAN: Sailor Zombie: Complete Omnibus is a massive 900-page volume collecting this series from Monthly Hero’s. High school girls try to survive in a world overrun by zombies and also by assholes. Guess who’s the greater danger.
ASH: A giant omnibus can pose a legitimate threat.
SEAN: Shino & Ren (Shino to Ren) is a yuri series – again, can’t find the magazine, but it’s Kadokawa. Loud brash tomboy. Quiet, reserved girly girl. They’re in love. And very attracted to each other.
ASH: Awww.
SEAN: Toxy Noxy Foresty Forest (Doku Doku Mori Mori) is another Monthly Hero’s series. It’s a violent gory horror manga… only they’re all mushrooms.
ASH: I will admit to being curious.
Void: No. Nine (Void: No. Nine – 9-banme no Utsuro) is a seinen manga from Comic Beam. Scavengers search the post-apocalyptic underground depths, hoping to find treasure, but more likely to get killed.
ASH: That is a thing that happens sometimes.
SEAN: In addition to those… TWELVE debuts, we also have Assorted Entanglements 9, Bocchi the Rock! Comic Anthology 3, Bride of the Barrier Master 6, The Girl Past the Filters 2, Handyman Saitou in Another World 9, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 8, I Cannot Reach You 9, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 16, Immortality and Punishment 2, Isekai Samurai 3, Kowloon Generic Romance 11, Magical Midlifer 2, Monster-Colored Island 2, Nights with a Cat 7, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 28, Scenes from Awajima 2, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 10, Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale 4, Takahashi from the Bike Shop 4, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 6, Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood 5, The World’s Strongest Rearguard 9, and Yotsuba&! 16 (the first volume since 2021).
MICHELLE: Some good stuff here! (But mostly Scenes from Awajima.)
ASH: Indeed!
SEAN: So clearly I saved the big surprise for the very end. Are you getting Yotsuba&…?
MICHELLE: I guess I should. I haven’t read any since volume 14 in 2018!
ANNA: Wow, what a big surprise!