SEAN: Another week before Christmas, another 15-odd titles due out. Let’s break it down.
Dark Horse has an 11th New Lone Wolf and Cub. Will it one day pass its predecessor? Actually no, as this is the final volume.
For the most part, Amazon dates on DMP have been so inaccurate lately I haven’t bothered to mention them, which is likely how I missed that the 4th Border volume came out.
MICHELLE: I have the first couple of volumes of this, but never got around to actually reading them.
SEAN: J-Novel Club has two new releases. The first is actually highly anticipated, as I assumed that Yen would be picking it up (they got the manga instead). Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is one of those “transported to another world” books, but is quite popular and has an anime already, so I’ll give it a shot.
The other new series is My Little Sister Can Read Kanji, apparently a broad comedic take on the moe-ing of Japan, which is a surprising license simply due to the fact that the premise revolves around kanji. Interested in how this is adapted more than anything else.
ASH: Kanji, huh? That could be interesting.
SEAN: Kodansha has a 9th volume of what is easily the most popular of its Attack on Titan spinoffs, Before the Fall.
ASH: Currently my personal favorite is Lost Girls, but Before the Fall has its moments.
SEAN: Complex Age continues to balance fun cosplay and anime references with a more serious take on “being an adult”, and I can’t wait for its third volume.
MICHELLE: Ooh, yay!
ASH: Complex Age is a great series.
ANNA: I need to get caught up with Volume 2!
SEAN: And Fairy Tail gets a 3rd giant Master’s Edition mega-omnibus.
Spoof on Titan – famous for being the less insane of the two parody spinoffs – comes to an end with its 2nd volume, which feels about right.
ASH: I found it to be a surprisingly fun series, but I agree that two volumes seems about the right length.
SEAN: Seven Seas has some new stuff as well, starting with a 4th volume of 12 Beast.
NTR – Netsuzou Trap has enough of an audience that it’s getting an anime. I suspect it is 99% male, though, and I’d put quote marks around “yuri” for its 2nd volume.
And there’s an 8th volume of Servamp. (Please insert vampire joke here – The Management)
SuBLime has a 6th volume of Love Stage!!.
ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Love Stage!! a try. Guess I have some catching up to do!
SEAN: Vertical’s re-release of BLAME! is not only handsome but also HUGE. Leave space on the shelf for it.
MICHELLE: I should probably get these.
ANNA: I am pondering this.
SEAN: Viz gives us a 19th Itsuwaribito, which I wish I had anything to say about give it’s run so long.
And a 21st Magi, which I will always have things to say about, as it’s fantastic.
MICHELLE: Also, yay!
ASH: I’ve finally picked up a few volumes of Magi! (I still need to actually read them, though…)
ANNA: Me too. My winter vacation reading goals revolve around Magi and some other languishing series.
MICHELLE: Same here. You might be happy to hear, Anna, that this includes One-Punch Man!
ANNA: I have a mini stack of One-Punch Man too! Looking forward to all the punching!
SEAN: There’s also a 5th Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter.
ASH: I actually completely forgot about the Monster Hunter manga, but I did enjoy some of the original games.
SEAN: Lastly, an old release now available for the first time digitally, as Yen On is putting out Spice & Wolf’s light novels, starting with Vol. 1 this week.
Is this enough? Do you need more? (Don’t worry, the week after next has you covered.)