Anna N

SEAN: This is when you should start buying manga for Christmas.

ASH: Honestly, I started last December.

SEAN: Airship debuts Bowing to Love: The Noble and the Gladiator (Ai ni Hizamazuku Toki), which stars two men who are torn between duty, pure pleasure, and actual love amidst a vaguely Ancient Roman fantasy world.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed some of Saki Aida’s other works and have heard good things about this one.

MICHELLE: Hm. Potentially interesting.

SEAN: There’s also a deluxe hardcover edition of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, with the first three volumes.

And we also have The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 13.

Early digital features The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 11, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 15, and Too Many Losing Heroines! 6.

Dark Horse Comics debuts Omega 6, a manga by the creator of the video game of the same name. Bounty-hunting androids are on a race against time!

ASH: This looks like it could be fun.

SEAN: Dark Horse also has Blood Blockade Battlefront Omnibus 2.

Denpa is listed by retailers as having Nana & Kaoru: Black Label 2 and Vampeerz 6.

Fantagraphics has the third and final volume of Search and Destroy.

ASH: Here for it! (And then I’m going to read them all.)

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night 3 and Inside the Tentacle Cave 6.

Lots of J-Novel Club debuts. The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World (Tenseishitara Saikyou Shu-tachi ga Sumau Shima deshita. Kono Shima de Slow Life wo Tanoshimimasu) stars a guy accidentally killed by God, who gets reincarnated on a remote island with immunity to illness and a copy ability. Then he finds the island is not that remote after all…

ASH: I initially read that as starring a guy who accidentally killed God, but I’m pretty sure that’s a different manga.

SEAN: Looks like a Job for a Maid! The Tales of a Dismissed Supermaid (Maid Nara Touzen desu. Nureginu wo Kiserareta Bannou Maid-san wa Tabi ni Deru Koto ni Shimashita) has a maid fired by her employer after being falsely accused. Now she has to find new work. Fortunately, as others who run into her find, she can do literally anything.

ASH: That is fortunate!

ANNA: Happy for her!

SEAN: Miss Blossom’s Backward Beauty Standards: Give Me the Ugly Crown Prince! (Bishuu Abekobe Isekai de Busaiku Outaishi to Kekkonshitai!) has an otaku woman reborn in a world where ugly is beautiful and beautiful is ugly, and thus sets her eyes on the Crown Prince, who is not only “hideous” but has terrible self-worth issues.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: The manga debut is This Alluring Dark Elf Has the Heart of a Middle-Aged Man! (Watashi no Kokoro wa Oji-san de Aru). A (male) office worker wakes in the body of a (female) dark-haired elf in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, this elf is still an introvert who avoids others. Cross Infinite World did the light novel for this. The manga runs in Comic PASH!

Other light novels from JNC next week: The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 11, The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 7, and Revenge of the Soul Eater 2.

Other JNC manga include The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 11, I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 5, Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It! 10, The Retired Demon of the Maxed-Out Village 3, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! 2.

Kodansha Manga debuts A Curtain Call for You (Kimi no Tame no Curtain Call), a yuri series from Comic HOWL. An introverted writer hates dealing with people, but when outgoing transfer student Tsubame finds her writing, suddenly she’s being asked to help start a drama club!

ASH: Count me as intrigued!

SEAN: Omega Megaera is an omegaverse series from Itan. Omegas are discriminated against depending on whether they can bear alpha children, and so our lead, who is considered a creature that brings bad luck, has to come up with a scheme. This feels dark and political.

They also have a big old guidebook, Studio Ghibli: The Complete Works. It looks at each Ghibli film in detail.

ASH: Oh, that should be good! (Although I am used to most of the fancy Ghibli-related works coming from Viz.)

SEAN: Also in print: AKIRA Hardcover Collection 4, GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis 4, Magic Knight Rayearth 2 3 (the final volume), Sheeta’s Little Big World 2, Spacewalking With You 2, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 10.

ASH: I really ought to give Spacewalking With You a try at some point.

SEAN: Digitally we see Killing Line 4, Manchuria Opium Squad 9, WIND BREAKER 21, and Ya Boy Kongming! 21.

Retailers say KUMA gives us YataMomo 2 next week.

MICHELLE: I’ve been meaning to read this!

SEAN: One Peace Books has an 11th volume of Farming Life in Another World.

As we’ve done I think every week this month, we start Seven Seas with a new danmei novel. Mistakenly Saving the Villain is whatever the danmei word for isekai is. Our hero dies and is reborn in a fantasy novel, where he has to rescue the hero. But he gets the wrong guy! There’s also a special edition with a double-sided bookmark, a sticker sheet, a poster, and four postcards.

ASH: Danmei has really taken off, it seems! And I’m not sad about that.

MICHELLE: Me, neither!

SEAN: Also danmei, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi Deluxe Edition 2.

In non-danmei Seven Seas news, Grand Metal Organs is a seinen series from Comic Days. A weak guy in a world where only the strong survive, tries hard anyway, and is rewarded with death. But now… he’s come back wrong. For horror fans.

ASH: That’s probably me, then! I also like what I’ve seen of the artwork.

SEAN: Tales of the Hundred Monsters Next Door (Tonari no Hyakkai Kenbunroku) is also horror, about a guy suffering from demons and a yokai expert telling stories.

ASH: A yokai expert, you say? Sounds like this is another series one for me, too.

ANNA: Always happy to see some more yokai series.

SEAN: Wimpy Demon King and Tsundere Hero (Hetare Maou to Tsundere Yuusha) is a BL one-shot from equal. (Capitalization and Japanese manga magazines are enemies). The title is the plot.

Also from Seven Seas: The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue 9, Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 6, Gravitation 7: Gravitation EX (the final volume), Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 16, Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown 5, A Tale of the Secret Saint 10.

MICHELLE: I hadn’t realized Wizard’s Blue went on for so long!

SEAN: Tokyopop has one debut, Dear Demon King (Shinai naru Waga Maou e) a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. A king must choose between duty and love… also, I think, griffins are hot guys in this?

ASH: That does seem to be the case.

ANNA: Sometimes this happens, I suppose.

SEAN: It also has a 2nd light novel volume for Her Royal Highness Seems to Be Angry.

Retailers say Udon has 2nd volumes for Little Mega Man and Mr. Mega Man.

Viz Media has a big artbook, The Art of Manga, which apparently highlights ten manga artists (they don’t say who) and shows why manga is so beloved. This ties into to an exhibit in San Francisco.

ASH: Assuming that the cover art is reflective of the contents, we should at least see Rumiko Takahashi, Jiro Taniguchi, Kazumi Yamashita, Mari Yamazki, and Fumi Yoshinaga included. I suspect Tetsuya Chiba, Fujio Akatsuka, Hirohiko Araki, Gengoroh Tagame, and Eiichiro Oda will be featured, too. This should be phenomenal.

ANNA: Oh, this does sound cool!

SEAN: Viz also has JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 4.

ASH: I have so much catching up to do, but I’m still incredibly happy to see more of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure being released in English.

ANNA: Yes!

SEAN: No debuts for Yen On, but we do see Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 24, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 17, Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods 3, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 15, Victoria of Many Faces 3, and Who Killed the Hero? 2.

Yen Press pushed all its still to the last week of the month, so here it is. CLAMP Official Artbook: COLOR KURO is one of two artbooks, the other being SHIRO (also out this week) to highlight CLAMP’s career. They’re very expensive-looking, which is good, as they’re very expensive.

ASH: Truth!

SEAN: Corpse Knight Gunther is a webtoon series about a world where vampires have defeated humanity. Now the humans are striking back with… well, take a guess, he’s in the title.

Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set is what it says. It has new covers and some postcards.

ASH: I’m still delighted Fruits Basket is still in print.

SEAN: The Girl Past the Filters (Filter-Goshi no Kanojo) is an ecchi manga from Comic Zenon. A stoic boy who enjoys interacting with an online persona who posts lewd pics of herself is startled to find that she’s his studious classmate.

The Maid Is a Vampire (Maid-san wa Kyuuketsuki) is a 3-volume omnibus of a series that ran in Manga Cross. If you liked Mechanical Marie but wished instead of a strong girl pretending to be a robot, she was a vampire, this is for you.

The Terrifying Students at Ghoul School! (Youkai Gakkou no Seito Hajimemashita!) is a prequel to, well, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School!. It runs in PFantasy.

Also from Yen Press: Adachi and Shimamura 6, Ako and Bambi 6, The Beginning After the End 9, Blade & Bastard 3, The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori 2, Convenient Semi-Friend 2, Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie 7, Dara-san of Reiwa 2, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 23, Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret 3, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 6, I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class 2, I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World 7, Is the Order a Rabbit? 4, Kowloon Generic Romance 10, The Skeleton Enchanted by the Cursed Blade 2, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 9, Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale 3, The Three-Body Problem (comic version) 4, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 5, Trinity Seven 31, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 11, and A Witch’s Life in Mongol 2.

ASH: A good reminder that I need to read my copy of the first volume of A Witch’s Life in Mongol . And that I need to start reading Kowloon Generic Romance, too.

MICHELLE: I routinely forget about Kowloon Generic Romance, but I also want to read it, at some point.

ANNA: Yeah! So much manga!

SEAN: Lots of good gifts there! Anything catch your eye?

SEAN: It’s Almost Thanksgiving! Happy Almost Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. And Canadians, who already had it.

Yen Press shifted most of its releases to the week after next, but there’s a couple things. They have Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 7 and Tales of Wedding Rings 15 (the final volume).

ASH: It’s a Ring sort of week, apparently.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple, a manhwa that’s part of the Assassin’s Creed universe.

ASH: I’m not familiar with this one, but I have enjoyed some of the other Assassin’s Creed comics. (Shockingly, I’ve never actually played any of the games, though.)

SEAN: Also from Viz: After God 7, Choujin X 10, Cosmos 3, Hirayasumi 7, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 4, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 10, Snowball Earth 7, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 8, Terra Formars 23, Trillion Game 8, and Undead Unluck 22.

ASH: Whoa! It’s been so long (six years, I think?) that I’d forgotten Terra Formars was still ongoing.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Call Me Master (Yaou no Inu), another BL title that ran in from RED. Another host club title, this one features a rookie who manages to top the top host.

They also have a 6th volume of Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?.

Titan Manga has Cosmic Censorship 2, Kamen Rider Kuuga 11, Sanda 2, and Working for God in a Godless World 4.

ASH: I’ve actually heard some pretty good things about Sanda.

SEAN: Steamship has a 4th volume of Loving Moon Dog.

Square Enix Manga gives us Dragon and Chameleon 5 and Otherside Picnic 13.

Lots of Seven Seas debuts again, so let’s start with the danmei. Three Hundred Years of Longing: Bu Jian Shang Xian San Bai Nian stars a nobleman who wakes up one day to find himself chained in prison and branded as an archfiend. We’ve all had parties like that.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ANNA: I hate when that happens!

SEAN: Afterglow is a BL oneshot that ran in Gateau. A troubled doctor who practices in the middle of nowhere after an incident in his past finds his depression being healed by a yakuza.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ASH: I’m game!

ANNA: It does sound amusing.

SEAN: Dysfunctional Family Theory (Daraku Kazoku-ron) is a BL title from Cheri +. Two guys are told that they’re potential fathers to a 6-year-old who needs a papa, and now they have to live together until she picks one.

MICHELLE: My Two Dads: The Next Generation.

ASH: Oh, goodness!

ANNA: Sounds cute.

SEAN: The Greatest Wolf of My Life is a webtoon series from the creator of Reborn Rich. A girl with a terrible life suddenly finds that it can get even worse after she’s accused by an idol of stalking him.

ASH: Uh-oh.

SEAN: HOOL!GAN’S (horrible apostrophe not mine) is a shonen title from Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. 19th century London, mafia, alchemy… this has most of the popular trends of the last decade.

ASH: Hooligan’s what? Who is Hooligan? I must know!

SEAN: Tease Me Harder: A Sweet and Kinky Romance (Ijimete Gokko) is a josei title from Kuromitsu. Two sweet shy folks have been dating for six months, but not much has happened. Then he finds her secret – she’s a masochist. But he loves her so much! So he’s going to learn to be the best dom ever for her! This is apparently adorable. And also smutty. Please be OK with kinks and cuteness before reading.

ASH: Oh my gosh, this looks delightful. And hooray for josei!

ANNA: Alright!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas (danmei): The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun 10.

Also from Seven Seas: Black Night Parade 8, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 9 (the final volume), My Senpai is Annoying 13 (the final volume), Noss and Zakuro 2, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 13 (the final volume).

One Peace Manga has Higehiro 12.

Kodansha Books has As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 7.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut that’s actually a “back in print” debut: The Drops of God omnibuses are getting a re-release.

ASH: Whaaaaat? How did I miss that?! These are excellent; glad to see them back in print.

ANNA: Nice!

SEAN: Also, 13 years after the first volume came out here, they give us Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel, as the author decided to revisit Totto-chan in contemporary times.

And apparently we get Witch Hat Atelier Coloring Book?

ASH: Ooooooh.

ANNA: Oh wow, I might get that!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 24, Gazing at the Star Next Door 7, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 15, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 9, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 10, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 13, Sue & Tai-chan 6, and Whisper Me a Love Song 10.

Digitally we see A Couple of Cuckoos 26, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 31, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 28, and MF Ghost 23.

J-Novel Club has four debuts, all light novels. The Amazing Village Creator: Slow Living with the Village Building Cheat Skill (Bannou “Murazukuri” Cheat de Otegaru Slow Life: Mura desu ga Nani ka?) is another series where a kid has a bad blessing so his family hates, disowns, and banishes him. As one does. Guess what, his blessing is actually amazing! I know, you’re surprised. This seems to be one of those “he wants a slow life, but doesn’t get it” series.

ASH: That’s too bad, the slow life can be good.

SEAN: The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: Pay Attention in Class! (Isekai Teni Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerarete Iru Ken) is a light novel whose manga came out only a few weeks ago from JNC. A woman is reborn in another world with terrible regrets. But now she knows sorcery, and is headed to the magic academy. Can she do things better in this reborn life?

ASH: Probably?

ANNA: I hope so!

SEAN: Heir to a Monstermancer (Mamono Tsukai no Musume) stars an adventurer who runs across a girl who can tame any monster. Together… they bicker! And possibly fight crime!

One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future (Jiji Baba Yuusha Party Saigo no Tabi: Oita Saikyou wa Iroasenu Mama Mirai e Susumu you desu) stars a party of heroes who saved the world… decades ago. Now retired, the former hero and his wife, the former saint, go on a journey to visit his great-grandchild… but find adventure hitting on them once more.

ASH: You don’t see too many great-grandpa’s as a protagonist!

SEAN: Other light novels: Blade Skill Online 2, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 19, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 0 (a short story volume), In Another World With My Smartphone 31, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 18, Record of Wortenia War 30, This Gyaru’s Got a Thing for…Vampire Hunters?! 2 (the final volume?), and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 2.

Manga titles next week are Imperial Reincarnation 2, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 10 (the final volume), and Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! 6.

Ize Press continues to have a busy month. We see Kill the Villainess 4, Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner 3, the 2nd Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint novel, The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 6, Semantic Error 4, Unholy Blood 8, The Villainess Is a Marionette 3, and Villains Are Destined to Die 8.

Ghost Ship has 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 16.

Dark Horse Comics has a 3rd and final volume of Danganronpa 2: Chiaki Nanami’s Goodbye Despair Quest.

Airship has print volumes of The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 6 and Loner Life in Another World 13.

And for early digital they have Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 12.5 and Drugstore in Another World 8 (the final volume).

SEAN: It’s getting dark in the evenings again, folks. Beware.

ASH: I’m still trying to process the time change.

SEAN: We start with Airship, which, like all of Seven Seas’ imprints, has a huge week. We debut The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat (Kiwamete Gouman Taru Akuyaku Kizoku no Shogyou), a male version of the villainess plot, as our hero tries to change his fate by being the most handsome, charismatic and strongest person around. I suspect fate will try to off him anyway, it’s that kind of series.

ASH: Fate does seem to have that tendency.

SEAN: We also have a debut from the creator of Who Killed the Hero?. The Wicked Princess and Her Twelve Eyes: The Legendary Villainess and Her Elite Assassins (Aku no Reijou to Juuni no Hitomi: Saikyou Juusha-tachi to Densetsu no Akujo, Jinsei Nidome no Kareinaru Musouroku) is a one-shot. This is a “rewind to do it over” villainess book, so you know how it starts. That said, this villainess genuinely seems to be a bad person, and she realizes what she did wrong was not having evil minions. Time to fix that.

ASH: When you said she had twelve eyes, I initially assumed she was a spider. (Granted, they usually have eight.)

ANNA: That would be an interesting twist!

SEAN: Also in print: Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! 20, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 21, The Mimosa Confessions 5 (the final volume), Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 12, Sword of the Demon Hunter 11, and The Too-Perfect Saint 4.

And in early digital we see Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 6, Restaurant to Another World 6 (the first volume in 5 years), and A Tale of the Secret Saint 9.

Drawn & Quarterly have a sequel to their Shigeru Mizuki artbook, Yokai: Shigeru Mizuki’s Supernatural Parade. It is, of course, essential.

ASH: I’m so excited for this! The first artbook was fantastic.

SEAN: Ghost Ship debuts Virgin Ventures: The Hilarious Hijinks of Erotic Amateurs (Negai Ai – Hajimete Doushi no Hajirai Yuugi), a title that runs in Grand Jump Mecha. A guy who writes erotic novels despite having no experience and a girl who loves women’s underwear and also has no experience collaborate. Will things turn steamy? The fact that this is Ghost Ship says yes.

ASH: I feel like I’ve come across a similar premise somewhere before but can’t quite place it.

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship: Imaizumi Brings All the Gals to His House 4.

Inklore has a 3rd volume of Cherry Blossoms After Winter.

So I missed some Ize Press last week (Yen’s calendar is appreciated but its filtering can get wonky). So out this week we have Beware the Villainess! 5, Itaewon Class 7, and See You in My 19th Life 8.

ASH: Better late than never! I’m still impressed by how much you are able to track.

SEAN: As for what’s actually out next week, they debut THE STAR SEEKERS, which is the 2nd novel this month about a boy band that has to save the world, this one Tomorrow X Together.

ASH: Huh! Didn’t realize that was an established genre.

SEAN: And we see Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom 7 and Overgeared 8.

J-Novel Club has its print titles out next week. We get Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 5, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 3, the 2nd Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill manga, Gushing Over Magical Girls 5, Isekai Tensei 3, Making Magic 2, My Next Life As a Villainess 13, and Tearmoon Empire 14.

ASH: At some point I blinked and missed thay the print edition of Tearmoon Empire had made it to the double digits.

SEAN: As for digital, JNC has three debuts. My Death-Defying Dog: Man’s Best Friend, World’s Best Savior (Uchi no Inu ga Tsuyosugirun desu ga? – Tensei Shitara Megami-sama no Shukufuku de Sekai wo Sukuu Koto ni narimashita) is a Comic Pash! manga about a guy who’s reincarnated in another world with his beloved dog, who he lost years ago. Now it’s time to save the world. No, not him. The dog has to save the world.

ASH: Isn’t that generally in the job description for dogs?

SEAN: Promised to a Dragon is another of the chosen titles from J-Novel Club’s Original Light Novel contest. A woman is promised to a dragon at birth, but her parents regret it and engage her to a dragon slayer instead. Sadly, the dragon slayer is so horrible she decides to run away and take her chances with the dragon!

ASH: Good for her!

ANNA: I hope she lives her best life with the dragon.

SEAN: Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! Give Me a Regular Romance (Tensei Reijou wa Seirei ni Aisarete Saikyou desu… Dakedo Futsuu ni Koi Shitai!) stars an office lady and otaku who is reincarnated as a margrave’s daughter. She died young and without ever having love in her first life, so now she wants to make that her goal! Unfortunately, this world has bigger plans for her… plans she wants no part of!

ASH: Does she inherit a distillery?

SEAN: For novels, they also have DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 11, Engaging with the Plot 2, Holmes of Kyoto 20, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 10-2, and Notorious No More 2.

And for manga, they have Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 2 10, From Villainess to Healer 4, The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! 12, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 4, My Tiny Senpai 2, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 5, and Rebuild World 13.

No debuts for Kodansha, but in print they have The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 5, Blue Period 16, Last Samurai Standing 3, Medalist 11, Senpai is an Otokonoko 3, Tower Dungeon 3, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition 2.

MICHELLE: Print Medalist is catching up!

ASH: It is!

SEAN: Digitally they have Blue Lock 34 and Gang King 35.

One Peace Books has the 3rd volume of The Revenge of My Youth: Re Life with an Angelic Girl.

Seven Seas… hoo boy. Let’s start with non-manga debuts. We get a danmei… no, wait! It’s a baihe novel! The Beauty’s Blade: Mei Ren Jian is, I believe, the first baihe book to be released in English. Two female rivals from warring sects make a wager, and a duel is in the offing. Or perhaps… more than that? The Crunchyroll Edition features a variant cover.

MICHELLE: Oh, neat!

ASH: Baihe! That’s great!

SEAN: Thrice Married to a Salted Fish is a danmei debut. A doctor is upset to find his medical dreams dashed when he’s ordered to marry a sickly noble. But the noble might have something that can help him succeed. This also comes with a special edition that has a double-sided bookmark, a poster, a set of five postcards, and a sticker sheet.

ASH: I feel like I’ve heard good things about this one.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has several manga/manhwa debuts. It’s Just a Dream… Right?! is a BL webtoon manhwa. A guy answering an ad for a part-time shaman finds that there’s a lot more supernatural here than he expected.

Mocha the Cat and His Forever Family (Hiroi Neko no Mocha) is a josei series from Kitora. An abandoned cat is adopted by a family and gets into all sorts of mischief.

ASH: I have not gotten tired of cat manga yet, but there are so many options these days!

ANNA: This sounds cute.

SEAN: My Cute Cousin Always Gets Her Way (Itoko no Ko) is a shonen title from Dra-Dra-Sharp#. A boy staying at his uncle’s house in the sticks has to deal with his rambunctious cousin, who also seems to like him a lot and has no concept of personal space. I’ve been told this will fall into the “they’re not really related” romance category.

My Goddess is Precious Today, Too (Watashi no Megami ga Kyou mo Oseru) is a yuri title from Comic GAGA. This seems to be a short story collection about “goddesses” (women who have it all together) paired with “troublesome” women.

ASH: That can be a fun combo.

SEAN: Our Family, Now and Forever (Kyou mo Ashita mo, Kazoku desu) is a BL title from Gateau. A gang leader doesn’t know what to do with his life… till he meets the man he’ll marry. Now they’re raising a son together! This looks sweet as hell.

MICHELLE: It truly, truly does.

ASH: Awww.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 13, Daily Report About My Witch Senpai 5, Failure Frame 11, I’m in Love with the Older Girl Next Door 3, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 6, Nakamura-san, the Uninvited Gyaru 4, No God in Eden 2, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 4, Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me 5, Too Many Losing Heroines! 4, The Too-Perfect Saint 4, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 13, Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale 2, and Yakuza Reincarnation 14.

ASH: Still need to pick up Wolf’s Daughter.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has Exquisite Blood: The Heretic Onmyoji 2 and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 27.

Steamship gives us Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth 3, SEX DRIVE – My Sneaky Underling 2, and Virgin Marriage: A Maiden Voyage into Passion’s Embrace 3.

SuBLime has A Man Who Defies the World of BL 2.

Titan Manga debuts Do Women Need Sex Entertainment? (Josei ni Fuuzokutte Hitsuyou desu ka?). This Kurage Bunch manga follows a young woman trying to juggle a career and a love life.

The Raven Dark Hero: From White Knight to Villain (Shikkoku no Dark Hero ~Hero ni Akogareta Ore ga, Areyo Areyo to Last Boss ni!?~) is a seinen manga based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. In a world of superpowers, our protagonists wants to be a hero… but he has powers that are too dangerous!

ASH: Uh-oh.

SEAN: Titan Manga also has a 3rd and final volume of Dopeman.

Tokyopop debuts In the Twilight of Our Adolescence (Hensei), a one-shot BL title from Flat Heros. It’s a high school romance, but feels more evocative with that title.

MICHELLE: It has piqued my interest, certainly.

SEAN: Tokyopop also has the second and final volume of Do You Really Want Only a Meal?, the third and final volume of Never Let Go, and the third and final volume of You Can’t Live All on Your Own!.

Viz debuts a title I never thought we’d see licensed over here. Kingdom has been running for 20 years in Weekly Young Jump, and is 77 volumes long and counting. It’s the most well-known Warring States manga adaptation, so get ready for some amazing Li Xin action.

ASH: This series has been asked for by so many for so long! And it’s absolutely the type of series I would read.

ANNA: Alright!!!!! Here for any license that we thought we’d never see licensed over here.

SEAN: They also have Mao 22, One Piece 110, Rai Rai Rai 2, Sakamoto Days 19, Sakura, Saku 9 (the final volume), Spider-Man: Octo-Girl 3, and Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 3.

Yen On has some ongoing light novels. We see Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 8, Days with My Stepsister 6, High School DxD 17, and Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online 14.

Yen Press debuts D.N.Angel New Edition, which is exactly what it sounds like. The classic 90s shoujo series, culled as part of the Tokyopop implosion, Yen Press is now releasing it in 2-for-1 omnibuses. As for whether it’s good? Perhaps the other Manga Bookshelf folks can step in here, I could never stand it.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize this had ever been finished! I think I liked the anime. It’s been a long time.

ASH: It has been a long time, but I remember it being a favorite of one of my siblings.

SEAN: They also have a 7th volume of Bocchi the Rock!.

What manga would you buy to light your way at night?

SEAN: Let’s November it up! US folks, please vote in your local elections.

ASH: I don’t think I’m ready for November.

SEAN: Yen Press has a debut next week. Magical Midlifer (Mahou Chuunen) is a seinen title from Young Animal. When things get too difficult for the average magical girl, only middle-aged middle-managers can save them.

MICHELLE: I am suddenly reminded of the Middle-Aged Man sketch on Saturday Night Live.

ASH: Hahaha!

ANNA: I’m a middle aged middle manager, I never pictured this type of representation.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Dead Mount Death Play 14, Isekai Samurai 2, Takahashi from the Bike Shop 3, Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood 4 and Uncle from Another World 12.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to read Takahashi from the Bike Shop. (And also to take my bike into the shop…)

SEAN: Viz Media has no debuts, unless you count the Naruto cookbook. They do have Akane-banashi 14, Blue Box 18, Colette Decides to Die 5, Dark Gathering 16, The Elusive Samurai 17, Jujutsu Kaisen 28, Kagurabachi 5, Naruto Shippuden: The Official Cookbook, Nue’s Exorcist 3, Prince Freya 12, Skip Beat! 51, and You and I Are Polar Opposites 7.

MICHELLE: Life has been lifing so hard for me that I was completely unaware that a new volume of Skip Beat! was upon us!

ASH: A new volume of Skip Beat! always makes for a good week.

ANNA: Yay for more Skip Beat!.

SEAN: Two Tokyopop debuts. My New Wife’s Fake Smile (Totsuidekita Yome ga Aisouwarai bakari Shiteru) is a Twitter manga that made its way to the shonen title Suiyoubi no Sirius. An arranged marriage has the new husband worried that his wife’s smile means she’s unsatisfied with him. In reality, she’s trying to control herself from jumping his bones.

ASH: I wonder how long it takes him to figure that out.

SEAN: Real-Time Fever (Uraaka Danshi wa Real-Time no Netsu o Shiru) is the obligatory BL one-shot that ran in from RED. A shy guy in college broadcasts naughty content online… and then finds that the popular guy at school is his biggest fan.

ASH: Uh-oh!

ANNA: What’s going to happen next?????

SEAN: Steamship has a webtoon debut, Winter Wolf. A woman trying to escape a coup that killed the rest of her family ends up trapped in a mansion that’s getting colder and colder with the guy she hired to save her (but who she can’t stand).

ASH: I’ll admit to being intrigued.

ANNA: This does sound interesting.

SEAN: Square Enix Books has the 7th volume of The Apothecary Diaries light novel.

ASH: I really need to start reading the light novels! I’ve been enjoying the manga and anime.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga, meanwhile, has By the Grace of the Gods 13 and The Emperor’s Caretaker 5.

Lots of Seven Seas debuts, very few of them Japanese. Let’s start with the danmei, as we see a new novel, There’s Something Wrong with the Chief: Du Zhu You Bing. An assassin infiltrates a noble household and finds himself getting closer with his target.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi is getting a deluxe hardcover, and the first is out next week.

ASH: Fancy!

SEAN: Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu has its 7th deluxe hardcover.

Cupid is Struck by Lightning (Cupid ni Rakurai) is a BL title that ran in a magazine called Cab. A popular matchmaker finds himself falling for his gloomy (yet also popular) senpai.

MICHELLE: Gloomy, you say? Sounds potentially fun.

ANNA: I enjoy some gloom.

SEAN: DEAR. DOOR is a webtoon series coming out here in omnibus-sized volumes. A cop trying to get over a tragedy finds himself dealing with the demon king.

MICHELLE: Hm.

SEAN: Demon Under the Waxing Moon (Matsuyoi no Oni) is a BL title from Daria. It’s a one-shot. A young man who can see demons picks up a stray dog one day. Guess what it is. I hear this is spicy, though I assume it’s after the dog becomes a hot guy.

ASH: Most likely.

ANNA: One would hope.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: At 25:00 in Akasaka 5, The Big Apple 4, The Long Summer of August 31 3, Monster Cats 3, and Punch Drunk Love 4.

One debut from One Peace Books. Tamer: Trash-Tier to Top-Tier (Ore no Zense no Chishiki de Teihenshoku Tamer ga Joukyuushoku ni Natte Shimaisou na Ken) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. A powerful tamer, one of the best professions out there, is killed, and reborn in a world where tamers are regarded as trash. Time for the standard isekai tropes…

Kodansha has one debut and two re-releases. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Complete Manga Omnibus is a collection of the three previously-released volumes.

Mushishi Collector’s Edition is a deluxe omnibus version of the beloved, yet strangely poorly-selling fantasy manga that ran in Afternoon about 25 years ago. If you have not read it, do so, it’s brilliant.

MICHELLE: I think I have most, if not all, of the volumes published by Del Rey, but I have never read it.

ASH: Whaaaaaaat?? But you must! Mushishi is one of my absolute favorites. I’m thrilled to see it back in print and in a deluxe edition to boot; I will be double-dipping.

ANNA: I enjoyed the bits of it that I read!

SEAN: Shoot Juliet Down (Juliet wo Ute) is a BL title from Honey Milk. The Number Two host at a popular club asks the Number One for advice on how to get better… but was not expected to get seduced!

ASH: Whoops!

SEAN: Also in print: Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro 20 (the final volume), FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 19, Land of the Lustrous 13 (the final volume), Thunder 3 7, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 4 and WIND BREAKER 16.

ASH: I’m a few volumes behind with Land of the Lustrous, but it’s such an intriguing series.

SEAN: And digitally we see How to Grill Our Love 17.

Kodama has Baki the Grappler 3 and 4.

ASH: That was fast!

ANNA: Woah!

SEAN: Kana has a 5th volume of Eden of Witches.

ASH: Another series I’ve been meaning to try.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one debut, a manga based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! (E, Shanai System Subete Wanope shiteiru Watashi wo Kaiko desu ka?) stars a programmer who gets fired for cosplaying in the office. Sure, without her the company is doomed, but hey. Now she’s joining a new startup where she can give advice to other coders.

ASH: Good for her.

ANNA: I hope for the best for this software maintenance queen.

SEAN: For light novels, JNC has Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 7, Duchess in the Attic 4, Goodbye Overtime 6, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 7, My Magical Career at Court 6, Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance 4, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 14.

And for manga they have An Archdemon’s Dilemma 13, Black Summoner 21, Karate Master Isekai 5, Make It Stop! I’m Not Strong… It’s Just My Sword! 2, and Zero Damage Sword Saint 2.

Inklore has a 2nd volume of I Wanna Be Your Girl.

From Ghost Ship, we see Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His S-Rank Cat Girl 6, She’s the Strongest Bride, But I’m Stronger in Night Battles 4, and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 8.

Drawn & Quarterly is re-releasing A Drifting Life, in case you did not buy it when it first came out.

ASH: It’s an excellent read; nice to see it back.

SEAN: Dark Horse has a 2nd volume of Cat + Crazy.

No print volumes for Airship, but they have an early digital debut. I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class (Class no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkonsuru Koto ni Natta) is a romcom title, as you might have guessed. Two high school rivals are forced to marry due to family politics. Now they have to live together, share meals, and share a bed! But they hate each other! Right?

ASH: Of course!

SEAN: Also in early digital: There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 7.

Good start to November. What manga are you reading?

SEAN: You may now Halloween the week away however you want, including manga, spooky and otherwise.

ASH: Sounds like a plan!

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women (Teisou Gyakuten Sekai no Doutei Henkyou Ryoushu Kishi), which features a world where sexual norms between men and women are reversed, and women are dominant! Into this comes our reincarnated hero, and he’s not standing for that!

ASH: Hmmm. This is something that could be done really well, or really not.

SEAN: Two ongoing print books from Airship. We see Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 4 and Witch and Mercenary 4.

For early digital we have a BL light novel. Bowing to Love: The Noble and the Gladiator (Ai ni Hizamazuku Toki) stars two men who are torn between duty, pure pleasure, and actual love amidst a vaguely Ancient Roman fantasy world.

ASH: I enjoy a good historical fantasy.

ANNA: Yeah!

SEAN: Also in early digital: The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 11.

Cross Infinite World has 2nd volumes for I Want to Be a Saint, But I Can Only Use Attack Magic! and Love & Magic Academy.

Ghost Ship has the 15th and final volume of Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time.

Hanashi Media debuts two new light novels, both of which you likely know from the manga that have been coming out here for a while. The New Gate stars Shin, who is essentially Kirito, fighting with others to escape from a VRMMO turned death game. But when he finally succeeds, he passes out… and wakes up 500 years later, in the “real” world of the game.

Re:Monster has our hero killed and reincarnated in another world as a lowly goblin. But he can gain power from eating, and also has his past memories. With these he will rise up to become someone greater.

They also have a 9th volume of Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy.

Inklore has a 5th volume of Father, I Don’t Want This Marriage.

J-Novel Club debuts another contest winner! The Dragon and the Blade Saint: This Isn’t Where We End stars a dragon who is furious that the revered “Blade Saint” killed all her people. She goes back in time to fix things… but now she’s a human?

The other debut is a manga, The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: Ms. Aoi’s Lesson Plans (Isekai Tenishite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerareteiru Ken: Aoi-sensei no Gakuen Funtou Nisshi), based on a light novel J-Novel Club will be releasing soon. It runs in Comic Earth Star Online. A woman is reborn in another world with terrible regrets. But now she knows sorcery, and is headed to the magic academy. Can she do things better in this reborn life?

ASH: One would hope!

SEAN: Other light novels out next week from JNC: Isekai Walking 4.

And for manga we see 8th Loop for the Win! 6, The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom 6, and I Only Have Six Months to Live, So I’m Gonna Break the Curse with Light Magic or Die Trying 4.

Kodansha debuts Light of My Life, a BL title from Gateau. Two best friends have grand dreams. Years later, neither of them is where they expected to be. Can they repair their friendship… and perhaps more?

MICHELLE: Well, I’m sucker for bittersweet BL, so count me in!

SEAN: Nezumi’s First Love (Nezumi no Hatsukoi) looks cute and adorable, but be warned it runs in the seinen Young Magazine. A young assassin falls in love for the first time, and now has to figure out how to chase her love and not have her bosses get in the way.

Also in print: AKIRA Hardcover Collection 3, Blue Lock 23, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 16, Nina the Starry Bride 12, Phantom of the Idol 8, and The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 19.

ANNA: Shouting out Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: In digital they have Am I Actually the Strongest? 15 and Gamaran: Shura 34.

Retailers say that KUMA has a one-shot debut. Director Akasaka’s Princely Training Course (Akasaka Buchou no Prince Boy Ikusei Keikaku) stars a guy with bad luck in love. But then he meets a handsome young man… that he’s supposed to train at his office! And the man is the future company president!

And we also see Happy Crappy Life 4.

ASH: This is a series I should probably catch up on at some point.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 2nd volume of You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already!.

ASH: I rather enjoyed the first volume.

Ponent Mon has a re-release of The Solitary Gourmet in a nice hardcover.

ASH: Very glad to see this release!

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Hope You’re Happy, Lemon (Kuso Onna ni Sachiare), a Shonen Jump + series about a guy who broke up with his middle-school girlfriend after she admitted to cheating on him with multiple guys. Now he’s in college, and has a crush on another girl. But then Lemon shows up again… and now he’s bodyswapped into her body?!

MICHELLE: That took an unexpected turn!

ASH: It really did!

ANNA: Whoops!

SEAN: And we have My Twisted Eating Disorder (Meisou Senshi Nagata Kabi: Gourmet de Go!), the latest biographical manga from Nagata Kabi. It ran in Web Action.

ASH: Nagata Kabi’s works are heavy, but well done.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has The Ancient Magus’ Bride 21, The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 5, Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! 9, Ichi the Killer Omnibus 2, Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary 3, Magika Swordsman and Summoner 19, Mysterious Disappearances 7, Time Stop Hero 13, and Tokyo Revengers: Brilliant Full Color Edition 3-4.

MICHELLE: I really need to catch up on The Ancient Magus’ Bride.

ASH: Saaaaame. It’s a series I really enjoy, too.

Square Enix Books has Soul Eater: Soul Art Encore!, an artbook done after the Perfect Edition finished.

Tokyopop has Assassin’s Creed Dynasty Box Set, with 5 volumes now handy in one box.

They also debut I’ll Never Fall in Love With Amano! (Amano-kun to Koi Nanka Shinai!), a shoujo title from Dessert. Takahide is angry that she always comes second to Amano in academics. But when he mistakenly thinks she has a crush on him, she’s quick to take advantage…

MICHELLE: Why is it always the guy who’s “effortlessly brilliant” and the girl who can never quite manage to measure up?

ANNA: Sigh.

SEAN: Monster and Ghost is a manga that ran on the online Renta service. It’s a BL title about a delinquent everyone sees as a monster and the ghost who knows what he’s really like.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

SEAN: Yotsuya Ghost Knight is a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. An exorcist turns to a porn star for help in… well, read the book.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: And Tokyopop also has I Was Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, and I’m Determined to Fall in Love! 6.

Udon Entertainment have Mega Man X DiVE: Official Complete Works, which is what it sounds like.

Viz Media have Castle in the Sky: The Official Cookbook, which is what it sounds like.

They also have Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Complete Box Set, which is what it sounds like.

One Piece: Law’s Story is a light novel giving us Law’s backstory.

Also from Viz: Boy’s Abyss 11 and Real 16 (the first new volume in four years).

MICHELLE: I legit gasped!

ASH: Real is one of my absolute favorites; incredibly excited for this.

ANNA: Wow!!!!

SEAN: Yen Press has its October titles at last, starting with Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku!? (Otaku ni Yasashii Gal wa Inai!?), the story of an otaku who likes shoujo stuff who meets two gals who also do. It runs in Comic Zenon.

ASH: I hope they can get along together.

SEAN: Monster-Colored Island (Kaijuu Iro no Shima) is a yuri series from Young Dragon Age. A longer girl with no friends finds a city girl at the top of a cliff… which they then fall off! After reviving her, the two find that strange things start to happen…

ASH: Gotta be careful around cliffs.

SEAN: Yankee & Carameliser is BL title that ran in B’s-LOVEY recottia. A supposed bad boy posts pictures of great desserts on social media. This is done in one, but has a sequel.

ASH: Delinquent food BL manga? I’m in!

ANNA: That’s a mix of genres I hsve not seen before.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 12, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 4, Goblin Slayer 16, Handyman Saitou in Another World 8, The Hitman Stans 2, Kaiju Girl Caramelise 8, Liar Liar 3, Lycoris Recoil 4, Mint Chocolate 13, Pink & Habanero 4, Shy 11, Spring Storm and Monster 4, The Summer Hikaru Died 6, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 23, Übel Blatt Deluxe Edition 4, and Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion 9 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: I should revisit Pink & Habanero and Spring Storm and Monster, at some point.

SEAN: Not as large as I expected! Scary! What appeals to you?

SEAN: Boo! No, wait, still not yet. Stand down.

ASH: That scared me.

SEAN: No print for Airship next week, but they do have early digital for The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 6 and Loner Life in Another World 13.

Dark Horse debuts Innocent Rouge, the sequel to Innocent, which was gorgeous but dark. This promises to be more gorgeous and even darker. It ran in Grand Jump.

ASH: Gorgeous and dark is an incredibly apt description.

SEAN: Ize Press have a big hardcover. 7FATES: CHAKHO imagines the K-Pop band BTS in a fantasy, and this book apparently comes with photos of the band.

ASH: Well, that’s fun!

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Lady Devil 3, Lover Boy 3, and The World After the Fall 11.

It’s a tiny week for J-Novel Club. No debuts. For light novels, we see The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons 2 and Knight’s & Magic 8. And for manga, they have The Engagement of Marielle Clarac 9.

One debut for Kodansha Manga: You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister (Seijo ni Uso wa Tsuujinai) is based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel, and runs in Monthly Shonen Magazine. An intelligent but greedy nun is asked to pretend to be a candidate for sainthood to solve a mystery.

ASH: I am intrigued.

MICHELLE: Yeah, from the title I was thinking it was a romcom or something. Mystery-solving intelligent nuns is a more intriguing concept!

ANNA: Ok, this does sound fun.

SEAN: Also in print: Ajin: Demi-Human Complete 5, The Blue Wolves of Mibu 7, Gachiakuta 8, The Moon on a Rainy Night 7, nichijou 12, Rent-A-Girlfriend 33, Shangri-La Frontier 19, and To Your Eternity 23.

ASH: I really need to catch up with To Your Eternity; what I’ve read so far has been great.

SEAN: One Peace Books debuts My New Devil Wife (Negai o Kanaete Moraou to Akuma o Shoukan Shita Kedo, Kawaikatta node Kekkon Shimashita – Akuma no Niidzuma), based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. It runs in Comic Earth Star. A struggling adventurer tries to make a deal with the devil. But the devil is so gorgeous that he proposes!

ASH: Whoops!

ANNA: These things happen.

SEAN: Three debuts for Seven Seas, though we’ve seen one before. Monster Musume: Deluxe Edition is a hardcover omnibus of the popular fantasy series, apparently with new extras, so you’ll have to buy it again.

Ripples in the River (Kawa ni Sazanami) is a BL series that runs in Hug Pixiv. Two young men have been together for a decade now, but still are head over heels for each other! From the creator of 5 Seconds Before a Witch Falls in Love.

ASH: Awww, this sounds really sweet.

MICHELLE: It does.

SEAN: SMELL is the latest BL title from Nagabe. If you liked Beastars but wished it was sweeter and gayer, this is for you. It ran in Ciel.

ASH: The range of Nagabe’s work is really interesting.

MICHELLE: Oooh.

ANNA: Interesting.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Blood Night Market 3 (the final volume), Fairy Cat 2, The Feisty Omega and His Twin Mates 2, Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent 4, IDOL x IDOL STORY! 3, I’m in Love with the Villainess 9, Kemono Jihen 18, Machimaho: I Messed Up and Made the Wrong Person Into a Magical Girl! 13, My New Life as a Cat 11, and Now That We Draw 3.

And for danmei we have the 5th and final volume of Peerless.

Square Enix Manga has My Dress-Up Darling 14 and The Otaku Love Connection 3.

From Steamship we see Shindou-kun’s Tight Squeeze 2 and The Villainess and the Demon Knight 4 (the light novel).

Tokyopop has four debuts. Boyfriend, Sometimes Girlfriend (Kareshi Tokidoki Kanojo) ran in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, and is from the creator of Love & Lies. A guy is so happy, he’s dating his dream girl, and she likes him too! But she has a secret…

ASH: Cautiously curious.

SEAN: My Fluffy Moody Crush (Hoeru Inu to Kubittake) is a from RED BL title. A half human half vampire tries to resist the delicious blood of his childhood friend.

The Love We Share (Ai wa Futari no Ai da kara) also ran in from RED. After a tragedy, a young man is raising his daughter on his own. But then a childhood friend shows up! This is also BL, as the magazine likely told you.

ASH: Bonus dad!

SEAN: Star and Hedgehog (Hoshi to Harinezumi)is so BL and also from RED. It’s an extrovert/introvert romance title. It’s also from the author of My Fluffy Moody Crush, see above.

MICHELLE: BL with characters that can be described as “a prickly hedgehog” is always my kind of BL.

SEAN: Tokyopop also has Confessions of a Shy Baker 5 (the final volume) and The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince 5.

Viz Media has Nana 25th Anniversary Edition, which is exactly what it sounds like. 2-volume omnibuses. If you haven’t read Nana, go read Nana in all its problematic glory.

ASH: I am so happy for this re-release. Nana is such a great series.

SEAN: Also from Viz: The Climber 3, Girl Crush 3, Insomniacs After School 11, Mission: Yozakura Family 19, My Hero Academia 42 (the final volume), Record of Ragnarok 16, Red River 3-in-1 5, Tokyo Fears Rhapsody 2, Twin Star Exorcists 35 (the final volume), and Vagabond Definitive Edition 4.

ASH: A good week for Viz!

MICHELLE: Welp. I guess it’s time for a My Hero Academia marathon!

ANNA: Still happy about Red River reprints.

SEAN: No debuts for Yen On, but they have some long-awaited titles for folks instead. We see Before the Tutorial Starts 3 (last April 2025), The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori 3 (April 2025), Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 7 (September 2024), Demon Lord 2099 4 (October 2024), Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 14 (December 2024), The Kept Man of the Princess Knight 5 (April 2025), The Saga of Tanya the Evil 14 (December 2024), and Sasaki and Peeps 9 (January 2025).

As for Yen Press, they bounced everything a week, so all we get is The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor 6.

Have you bought candy to give out yet? What manga are you getting to not give out?

SEAN: It’s now fully October, which means you should expect pictures of skeletons in place of manga.

ASH: There was a streak of skeleton manga there for a bit.

SEAN: Airship starts us off, with print volumes of Adachi and Shimamura 12, Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 12, and A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 3.

And digitally they have Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 21.

Dark Horse Comics have a 15th volume of Mob Psycho 100.

Ghost Ship gives us the third volume of Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party With His Mom!.

Two digital light novel debuts for J-Novel Club. Guild Handyman? More like Mastermind! Using My Hidden Skills in the Shadows (Guild no Zatsuyou-gakari ga Shin no Kuromaku deshita: Kakureta Sainou de Anyaku Musou) stars a mild-mannered paper pusher who is secretly out to destroy all the bullshit rules that make this world terrible to live in.

ASH: You know, I can get behind that.

ANNA: I could too!

SEAN: Old Knight, New Post: From Retiree to Her Majesty’s Blade (Inkyogurashi no Ossan, Joouheika no Ken to Naru: Intai Kishi wa Musume no Tame ni Oukoku Hittou Kishi ni Kaerizaku) is what happens if you take From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman and My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer and mash them together.

Other light novels out next week: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 11, BLADE & BASTARD 5, Cooking with Wild Game 30, Dagashi-ya Yahagi 4, Dimension Wave 5, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 8, From Villainess to Healer 5, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups 11, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 8, The Poison King 6, and The Tanaka Family Reincarnates 4.

And for manga they have Reborn to Master the Blade 6 and Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 5.

Kodansha’s debut is a one-shot, Before You Go Extinct (Kimi no Zetsumetsu suru Mae ni), a Comic Days title about two souls who learn, as various animals, how to go on in the face of utter annihilation.

ASH: I just recently learned about this one and am rather curious about it.

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock Season 1 Part 2 Manga Box Set, The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé 3, The Fable Omnibus 10, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 9, Issak Omnibus 3, Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN Deluxe 2, Versus 4, WIND BREAKER 15, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 16.

ASH: Yet another reminder to myself that I need to give Issak a try.

MICHELLE: Yet another reminder how far behind on Iruma-kun I am!

SEAN: For digital we see The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses 18, Nina the Starry Bride 16, and Otherworldly Munchkin: Let’s Speedrun the Dungeon with Only 1 HP! 11.

One Peace Books have Nukozuke! 5.

Three debuts for Seven Seas. I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! (Atashi wa Seikan Kokka no Eiyuu Kishi) is the manga version of the light novel Seven Seas already puts out. It runs in Comic Gardo.

The Lying Bride and the Same-Sex Marriage Debate (Usotsuki Hanayome to Dousei Kekkon-ron) is a Comic Yuri Hime title and the latest from Kodama Naoko. A young woman who once loved a co-worker who got married now finds life difficult when her co-worker asks if she can move in after a fight with her husband!

ASH: Uh, oh!

ANNA: What’s going to happen?????

SEAN: Our Dining Table: Seconds, Please! (Bokura no Shokutaku: Okawari) is a sequel to the BL title also licensed by Seven Seas. It runs in Rutile.

ASH: I really enjoyed the original, so I should probably read this one, too.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this! Our Dining Table was charming.

SEAN: Also coming out: 365 Days to the Wedding 9, BL Game Rebirth: My New Life as the Hero’s Younger Brother 2, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 11, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 13, The Great Snake’s Bride 6, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 4, The Missing “O” 3, Otonari Complex 5 (the final volume), Stay By My Side After the Rain 4, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 17, and Tokyo Revengers: A Letter from Keisuke Baji 5.

A bunch of stuff from Square Enix. We see The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 4, the 14th Apothecary Diaries manga, The God-Slaying Demon King 3, and Love in the Palm of His Hand 2.

Steamship gives us The Trapped Former Villainess Wants to Escape from the Sadistic Prince 3.

Tokyopop have a 5th volume of Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?.

Viz Media debut Kamudo, the new series from the creators of all those Zelda manga titles. It’s a shonen title from Sunday Web Every. In a society of half human, half beast people, will a fully human child be the start of something special? Oh wait, he has a dragon hand. But MOSTLY human.

ASH: I’m actually really excited about this one! I’ve been wanting to read some the team’s original work for ages.

SEAN: There’s also Moan: Junji Ito Story Collection. You know what this is. The stories all ran in Monthly Halloween.

ASH: So much Junji Ito!

ANNA: Tis the season!

SEAN: Viz also has Astro Royale 2, Boruto: Two-Blue Vortex 3, The Bugle Call: Song of War 3, Chainsaw Man 19, Dandadan 15, Marriage Toxin 9, Not Your Idol 3, Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite 5, Pink Candy Kiss 3, Tamon’s B-Side 9, and Vampire Knight Memories 10.

ANNA: I did like the first couple volumes of Otaku Vampire!

MICHELLE: Been a long time since a Not Your Idol volume!

SEAN: Lastly, Yen Press has the third and final volume of After We Gazed at the Starry Sky.

No skeletons, but we did see Junji Ito. What are you buying?