Arifureta: I Heart Isekai, Vol. 1 | By Misaki Mori, based on the novel by Ryo Shirakome | Seven Seas – This pretty much delivery exactly what it promises, going through the first three Arifureta light novels in the style of a gag comic. There’s lots of Hajime and Yui being sickeningly in love, Shea getting beaten up, Tio being a pervert, etc. We even get golem-Miledi advertising Arifureta Zero, on sale in all good stores. It’s actually pretty fun, and keeps a good balance, not being too perverse while still staying true to the original, which is pretty perverse, and not hitting the same one-note gags—or if it does, pointing that out. Fans of the original should have a lot of fun with this spinoff. – Sean Gaffney
Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 15 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – The flashbacks continue here, but some of them are actually engineered, which is an excellent conceit. Haruna and Kirishima are shown the memories of how Kyouhei and Iori are invited to join the crew… and in the case of Iori, expand her backstory a great deal, as she’s a rich daughter who’s rebelling not just against her father, but everyone who sees the Fog as forbidden tech. After coming out of it (and Kirishima being sad she’s back to being a bear), they’re able to tell the others about what they experienced but can’t have them access the memories like a ship would. It’s just like being human! The second half of the book is not as interesting, but this remains the top of the line for girls-as-objects manga. – Sean Gaffney
Black Clover, Vol. 18 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – We continue this long arc of humans vs. humans-possessed-by-elves, and there’s a lot of “I know you’re in there somewhere now fight dammit” to this book. Luck gets the brunt of the front end, and honestly, it reminds me of Black Clover‘s greatest strength AND biggest flaw: it’s so straightforward it verges on predictable. One bit I really liked was seeing Asta confront a somewhat dazed Sally (who’s lost her glasses) and convince her, perhaps, to be a mad scientist for GOOD instead of evil. Given that Sally is very much amoral rather than immoral, she can be swayed by this pitch. Oh yes, and the battle against Charlotte was probably the most interesting of the giant fight scenes we see. This probably worked better animated. – Sean Gaffney
The Ideal Sponger Life, Vol. 4 | By Tsunehiko Watanabe and Neko Hinotsuki | Seven Seas – A great deal of this fourth volume is dedicated to making it a bit more isekai-ish than it has been, as the forest is under attack by monsters, and the Kingdom has to figure out the best way to stop them. Fortunately, they don’t seem to have adventurers or dungeons here, so it’s back to good old-fashioned politics, as we need to see whose reputation would be helped or hindered by being the one to save the day or fail miserably. In other news, they’re getting better at making glass, Zenjiro is getting more proficient with magic, and we’re about to get two new characters… one of whom definitely seems like a new romantic rival. One of the better isekais out there. – Sean Gaffney
Murcielago, Vol. 12 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – The solution to the person going around killing master swordsmen turns out to be very family-oriented, and also has a lot of possession involved. That said, the most entertaining part of this book may have been seeing Kuroko really struggling to win here—she admits several times that she’s having difficulties, whereas in past books you never really got a sense she was in danger. The final fight of the volume, leading to the cliffhanger, is especially good. That said, it looks like it will wrap up quick next time, if the preview is anything to judge by. In the meantime, you can also enjoy Reiko shamelessly showing off outfits for the reader and then having Kuroko pay for them because, well, she’s a cute girl. – Sean Gaffney
Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World, Vol. 1 | By Asaya Miyanaga | Seven Seas – There are now several manga translated into English with a similar underlying premise—a young woman or girl who is under the care of a non-human guardian. The execution in each can differ dramatically, however. (Apparently this is a sub-genre that I particularly enjoy, as I’ve loved all variations.) In the case of Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World, Miyanaga has created an exceedingly charming, delightful, and even joyful series. The title mostly sums up the work. Nicola is a young witch who has entered the demons’ world hoping to improve her magic. She’s not really supposed to be there, though, so a kind-hearted traveling salesman (and devil) named Simon has taken it upon himself to watch out for her. With each chapter being fairly episodic there’s not much of an overarching plot, but the magic and wonder of Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World builds and is consistently heartwarming. – Ash Brown