Anna N

SEAN: Is it September? Or October? Who can say?

ASH: There’s what I believe to be true and what I know to be true. Unfortunately, they’re not always in agreement.

SEAN: Yen Press has a 12th volume of Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger and the 2nd volume of Kindergarten Wars.

Viz Media gives us The Art of Rumiko Takahashi: Colors 1978–2024, a 400-page hardcover artbook devoted to her entire career, from UY and MI through R1/2 and IY, and other series not so easily abbreviated!

ASH: Oh, dang! I didn’t know this was coming out until now. That should be a fantastic volume.

ANNA: Oh cool!!!!

SEAN: Titan Manga debut Gran Familia, a Weekly Shonen Champion series that combines vampires and gangsters.

ASH: I feel like I’ve seen that combination before, but can’t quite place where.

ANNA: Potentially a good combo!

SEAN: Steamship has a third volume of I’ll Never Be Your Crown Princess! – Betrothed.

Somehow we’ve hit a week with no debuts for Seven Seas. We do see The Dangerous Convenience Store 6 (the final volume), Dinosaur Sanctuary 7, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (manhua version) 11, HIKARI-MAN 5-6, Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess 2, I’ll Forget You Starting Today, Senpai! 2 (the final volume), Karate Survivor in Another World 8, The Kingdoms of Ruin 11, Night of the Living Cat 6, Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General 12, Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 8, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 10, Succubus and Hitman 9, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 7, and Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games 8.

And danmei gives us Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 6.

Retailers say KUMA is releasing Director Akasaka’s Princely Training Course (Akasaka Buchou no Prince Boy Ikusei Keikaku), a one-shot from Qpa. A successful handsome guy can’t find a good partner, so decides to build one from among his workforce. They’d better be ready…

ASH: Uh, oh.

SEAN: Kodama debut (what IS it with Raijin titles returning from the dead lately?) Baki the Grappler (Grappler Baki), coming out from the beginning, the 1991 Weekly Shonen Champion series, in 2-volume omnibuses. He will be the strongest fighter. That’s the plot. Fighting and fighting. It’s pretty great if you love that, mind you.

MICHELLE: Hm. I normally like sports manga but I don’t know if I like fighting and fighting. :)

ASH: Oh, did Raijin have this one, too? Yet another reason I should probably pick this one up. Martial arts manga is an interest of mine and the artwork in Baki is also striking. (See what I did there?)

ANNA: Glad to see more classic titles coming out!

SEAN: No debuts for Kodansha either, but we see The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 4, A Condition Called Love 15, EDENS ZERO 33 (the final volume), GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis 3, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 5, Snow & Ink 4, The Spellbook Library 3, and Tsugumi Project 7.

J-Novel Club has one light novel debut, the latest title from the author of Reincarnated As a Sword and A Late Start Tamer’s Laid Back Life. The Accursed Chef and His Pair of Furry Foodies (Noroware Ryourinin wa Meikyuu de Mofumimi Shoujo-tachi wo Sodatemasu) has a lot of popular tropes. Guy who dies saving a child gets reincarnated with cool powers – in this case, he can cook monsters. Sadly, his new life is awful. On the bright side, he seems to like beast people like most other isekai’d folks do.

ASH: I’ll admit, I was not expecting “eating monsters” to become its own subgenre.

SEAN: Other light novels: Demon Lord, Retry! 10, Pens Down, Swords Up 3, and To Another World… with Land Mines! 11.

And for manga: Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 6, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power 5, and Record of Wortenia War 11.

Hanashi Media has Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 8.5.

Ghost Ship gives us Ero Ninja Scrolls 9.

Dark Horse Comics has an omnibus of all 3 volumes of Gantz G, the spinoff from Gantz.

ASH: I don’t think I got that far reading Gantz.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has a new one-shot, Ayakashi Moving Service (Kochira, Ayakashi Ijuu Tenshoku Service desu: Fukuoka Tenjin 400-nen Okitsune Shachou to Watashi no Koi), which is another Makino Maebaru title. A woman who just wants to be normal is searching for a job… but the job she finds is anything but!

ASH: This could be fun.

ANNA: I’m intrigued.

SEAN: Also from CIW: The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor: Operation Records (a short story volume) and Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights 7 (the final volume).

Airship has print for Reborn as a Space Mercenary 13.

Airship has an early digital debut. The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat (Kiwamete Gouman Taru Akuyaku Kizoku no Shogyou) is 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.

Also for early digital: The Devil Princess 2 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 13.

And finally, ABLAZE has the 5th volume of Gannibal.

What a tiny week! Anything appealing?

SEAN: Come on over, baby, whole lotta manga goin’ on.

ASH: My word!

SEAN: Airship has print volumes of The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen 9 and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 14.

And for early digital we see Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 4 and the 5th and final volume of The Mimosa Confessions.

Dark Horse Comics debut Dur-an-ki, a title “supervised” by Berserk’s Kentaro Miura and written and drawn by his staff. Unfortunately, it got cancelled when he died, so this is the only volume. It ran in Young Animal ZERO. The story of a savior who is neither male nor female born of the gods, this volume also comes with notes about where the series was supposed to go.

ASH: I’m very curious about this one and will definitely be picking up a copy.

SEAN: Retailers say that Denpa has Baby Bear’s Bakery 4 out next month.

Ghost Ship has a 4th and final volume of Monster Marriage Shop.

Inklore have a 2nd volume of Wet Sand.

Ize Press debut Marriage of Convenience. An arrogant woman who ignored her husband and spent money like water dies cold and hungry. Now she’s back in time, and 19 again. Time to try to fix things!

ASH: If only it was that easy!

ANNA: I would like to die rich and not hungry.

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Finding Camellia 5, I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog 4, Men of the Harem 4, My Secretly Hot Husband 4, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 8, Radio Storm 2, and Tomb Raider King 12.

J-Novel Club have one print title next week, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 9.

Four new JNC digital titles next week. Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint! St. Evelyn’s Weird and Wonderful Friends (Tsuihousareta Seijo desu ga, Jitsu wa Kunijuu kara Aisare Sugitete Kowain desu kedo!?) is a manga based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. It runs in Comic Earth Star Online. You can guess everything that happens in this from the title.

ASH: Are the weird friends the same friends as the wonderful ones?

SEAN: The first light novel debut is The Goddess Says, “Kill the Tsundere Witch!” (Tsundere Majo wo Korose, to Megami wa Itta). A man dies and is reincarnated as a magic staff discovered by Stella, a tsundere. He adores tsunderes! Unfortunately, if he wants to become human again, he’ll have to kill her, as the Goddess of this world says she’s evil.

This Gyaru’s Got a Thing for…Vampire Hunters?! (Vampire Hunter ni Yasashii Gal) stars a girl who used to be a vampire hunter, but is trying to be a normal college student. She befriends a gyaru, so she’s on her way, but her old life is slowly creeping back towards her.

Zero Damage Sword Saint: I Enrolled in a Magic School and Wound Up in a Contract with the Demon Queen (Kougekiryoku Zero kara Hajimeru Kenseitan: Osananajimi no Oujo ni Suterare Mahou Gakuen ni Nyuugakushitara, Maou to Keiyakusuru Koto ni Natta) is for those who read I Want to Be a Saint, But I Can Only Use Attack Magic! and wished it was the opposite and starred a guy. It’s also apparently in the same universe as Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers.

Light novels coming from JNC: The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters 4, Dahlia in Bloom 10, I Shall Survive Using Potions 11, I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! 7, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 3, Take These Talents Elsewhere 2, and The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman 3-1.

Manga coming from JNC: The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 4, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Sui’s Great Adventure 8, Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 11, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 4, My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings! 2, and The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 7.

Kana have two huge debuts, from the 1980s. The first is Cat’s Eye, the first big hit from Tsukasa Hojo! This Weekly Shonen Jump title stars three sisters who run a cafe… but at night they’re art thieves! This is a 3-in-1 omnibus, so should be 6 volumes total.

MICHELLE: This sounds fun!

The other debut is even more exciting: City Hunter, Hojo’s 2nd and even bigger hit. A killer/bodyguard who can’t stop going after women ends up with his dead partner’s sister, and together the two of them take on any assignment… when Kaori isn’t hitting Ryo with a giant mallet, that is. Also from Weekly Shonen Jump, this came out years ago but was never completed due to reasons that are still discussed today. It’s also a 3-in-1, expect about 12.

MICHELLE: And so does this!

ASH: I’m looking forward to both of these releases, but especially City Hunter. (I actually had a few volumes of the original translation.)

ANNA: Yeah, glad to see some old school manga releases!

SEAN: Kodansha Books has a 9th volume of My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1.

Kodansha Manga debut Sheeta’s Little Big World (Kobito no Shiita to Karigurashi no Mori), one of those “this runs on how adorable the main character is” titles. Our hero may only be 2 inches high, but he’s ready to go on an adventure to find his friend. This is a Comic Days title.

Also in print: AKIRA Hardcover Collection 2, The Darwin Incident 8, Last Samurai Standing 2, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 27.

Digital only has Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 10, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 12 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 25, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 14, Fungus and Iron 7, Manchuria Opium Squad 8, and My Wife is a Little Intimidating 12.

One Peace Books debut The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible (Shinmai Ossan Boukensha, Saikyou Party ni Shinu Hodo Kitaerarete Muteki ni Naru), a Comic Fire title based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. The title is the plot, provided you know what Ossan means.

ASH: I do!

SEAN: Four debuts from Seven Seas, though technically it’s three. Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! (Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!!) is getting a re-release before the anime coming soon with a new cover – which, um, you guys do realize the old cover was one of the biggest memes around, right? That it’s iconic? You know, the one you’re NOT using here? I sense the hand of Japanese licensors telling people what to do behind this.

MICHELLE: Aw, that’s kinda sad!

ASH: I love this title so I’m glad to seeing it getting more attention, but those original covers were the best.

SEAN: Kaiju Kamui is a seinen title from Young Magazine. Giant monsters are destroying the world. The only thing that might work… is using giant monsters to fight them! With a pilot, in case you wondered about the dude on the cover.

Painter of the Night is a BL webtoon about a painter who used to create wonderful gay erotica, but now refuses to. Can a nobleman persuade him? Somehow?

ASH: There must be a way!

ANNA: I don’t know, this sounds like an impossible task.

SEAN: Wakaba Won’t Give Up! (Wakaba-chan wa Wakarasetai) is a seinen romcom from Monthly Action. Our heroine is a tomboy who is in love with her childhood friend. Will a feminine makeover help? Can she even change herself really?

ANNA: I don’t think she should have to!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 11, I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince 4, I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl 9, Killer Shark in Another World 5, Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 4, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today 10, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 9, My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today 5, The Valiant Must Fall 5, and What It Means to Be You 2.

Two new titles from Square Enix. Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick (Dragon Quest Retsuden – Roto no Monshou) is the original manga adaptation of Dragon Quest, which ran in Shonen Gangan back in 1991! It’s coming out in 2-volume omnibuses. Do I need to explain Dragon Quest?

ASH: Probably not? (Does 1991 count as classic manga at this point?)

SEAN: Mechanical Buddy Universe is a one-shot (though there’s a sequel/reboot) about the interaction between machines and humans. It was serialized on Twitter.

ASH: Sounds like something I would read.

SEAN: Steamship has a 2nd volume of Sweet Heat Before Falling in Love: The CEO and His Fated Omega.

Titan Manga has Atom: The Beginning 12.

Viz Manga has Fist of the North Star 18 (the final volume), How Do We Relationship? 13, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 3.

ASH: Oh, this is an excellent Viz week for me (but not my wallet). I’m still beyond thrilled that we’ll finally see the entirety of Fist of the North Star in print.

SEAN: Yen On has the 11th and final volume of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss.

Yen Press have quite a bit. I Don’t Know How to Love (Koi no Shikata ga Wakaranai) is a one-shot from B’s-Lovey (and is BL, in case that did not clue you in). Everyone loves dating the hot guy… till they realize he’s kind of a jerk. But what happens when the hot guy gets jealous?

My Beloved Supper (Yoru-san no Itoshi no Bansan) is a one-shot from Aokishi. A vampire loves human food… but unless he drinks blood first, he can’t stomach it. He thus goes after bad guys, and then goes out for a meal right after.

ASH: That’s taste for you.

ANNA: I guess fine dining requires sacrifice.

SEAN: Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty (Rock wa Lady no Tashinami Deshite) is a seinen title from Young Animal, and had a recent anime. Lilisa used to love rocking out as a kid, but then her mother remarried into money, and she has to give it all up. Now pretending to be a high-class student, what happens when she runs into an even MORE high-class student who secretly rocks out on the drums? Can’t wait for this.

ASH: Oh, that does sound promising!

ANNA: The rocking out part sounds fun.

SEAN: What Do You Call This Trash? (Kono Gomi o Nanto Yobu) is a seinen one-shot omnibus from Comic Beam. A young man is in love with a girl… who’s dating his big brother. Then big bro dumps her, so he’s free to pick her up. Unfortunately for him, she’s obsessed with his brother and will do anything… including dating the little brother… to get back with him.

ASH: Oh, my.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 2, Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 11, Bocchi the Rock! Side Story: Kikuri Hiroi’s Heavy-Drinking Diary 2, Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen 4 (the final volume), The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 13, Daughter of the Emperor 12, Days with My Stepsister 4, The Eminence in Shadow 13, Gahi-chan! 4 (the final volume), Hell Is Dark with No Flowers 3, Honey Lemon Soda 10, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 4, Imitation 7, Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Repeat, Mieruko-chan 11, Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord 5 (the final volume), My Oh My, Atami-kun 3, Nights with a Cat 6, No Longer Heroine 10 (the final volume), The Reformation of the World as Overseen by a Realist Demon King 7, A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special 5, Spy Classroom 2nd Period: Daughter Dearest 2 (the final volume), Stomp, Kick, Love 3, The Teen Exorcist 3, The Tiger Won’t Eat the Dragon Yet 4, To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You 2, and Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times 7.

ASH: The list just keeps going!

SEAN: Fist of the North Star is ending the same week City Hunter starts? Raijin Comics must be spinning in its grave! What are you reading?

SEAN: It’s Earth Wind & Fire Week, sort of. Let’s see what manga we have coming.

Yen On has three light novels: The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 12, Hollow Regalia 6, and Spy Classroom Short Story Collection 4.

While Yen Press just has Excellent Property, Rejects for Residents 4.

No debuts for Viz, but we do get Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Heartslabyul Complete Box Set, which is just what it says, and comes with a mini-poster.

Also from Viz: #DRCL midnight children 5, After God 6, Dogsred 3, Fool Night 6, Haikyu! 3-in-1 6, Heart Gear 6, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 24, Trillion Game 7, and Undead Unluck 21.

ASH: I really need to get around to reading #DRCL midnight children before I get too far behind. I can confirm that Dogsred has been a lot of fun, though!

ANNA: I enjoyed the first volume of Dogsred!

SEAN: Tokyopop has two titles. I Was Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, and I’m Determined to Fall in Love! 5, and The Unwanted Bride Loves the Crown Prince With All Her Heart 2.

Titan Manga debut Saint Seiya: Dark Wing (Saint Seiya: Meiou Iden – Dark Wing), a Champion RED title that’s a sequel to the classic manga.

Steamship has a fourth volume of A Suitable Fetish.

Square Enix has Always a Catch!: How I Punched My Way into Marrying a Prince 4 and On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance 2.

Two debuts for Seven Seas. The Handsome Catboy Wants to be His Pet (Ikemen Oneko wa Haruta ni Kawaretai) is a one-shot shoujo title from Zero-Zum Online. A sad sack with bad luck ends up attracting a cat… who is also a handsome man! This is apparently “non-BL with two male leads”.

ASH: And also somehow a cat manga?

ANNA: I’m confused by both the genre and the plot summary!

SEAN: Roses and Champagne is a BL webtoon based on a Korean novel. A lawyer, who is half-Korean and half-Russian, runs afoul of the Russian mob! Can the handsome stranger he’s been avoiding help? Or is the stranger the problem?

ASH: Objection! One does not necessarily preclude the other.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Home Sweet Home 3 (the final volume), I Get the Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me 7 (the final volume), Last Game 10, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 5, Reincarnated as a Sword 15, Servamp 22, and vs. LOVE 2 (the final volume).

And for danmei, we get Joyful Reunion 2.

One Peace Books has a release that is not manga, but is of interest: Retrograde is a collection of three short stories by Osamu Dazai, featuring the title story, Das Gemeine, and Blossom-Leaves and the Spirit Whistle. Expect tortured but gorgeous writing.

ASH: Oh, very nice! I’ve enjoyed One Peace Books’ other Japanese literature offerings and Osamu Dazai’s work always catches my attention.

SEAN: New York Review Comics have Miss Ruki, a 1980s josei one-shot title that ran in a weekly women’s magazine called Hanako. A young woman decides to spurn the fast-paced, consumer-centric life of 80s Japan for a stress-free laid-back life! Fortunately she has a pragmatic friend for balance. Read about this landmark title here.

ASH: I am very much looking forward to this release.

ANNA: I was utterly unaware of this but now I too am very much looking forward to it!

SEAN: Nakama Press has Infini-T Force 4.

Kodansha has one debut, In Love’s Key, Reprised (Kurikaeshi Ai no Oto), a BL one-shot from ihr HertZ. A grumpy conductor known for being cold and remote meets a cheerful grocer.

ASH: Vaguely music-related BL? I’m in.

ANNA: Sounds cute!

SEAN: Also in print: Am I Actually the Strongest? 11, Blue Lock 22, The Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm 6, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 8, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 9, Tower Dungeon 2, and Whisper Me a Love Song 9.

And digitally we see My Home Hero 22 and You’re My Cutie! 10.

J-Novel Club has three debuts, all light novels. Blade Skill Online: Crushing the Competition with My Abysmal Stats, Useless Class, and Garbage Weapon! (Blade Skill Online: Gomi Shokugyou de Saijaku Buki de Kuso Status no Ore, Itsunomanika “Last Boss” ni Nariagarimasu!) features a guy who’s ready to play the hot new game… only he’s tricked into picking the worst classes, and his avatar is a girl! Ah well, time to show everyone who’s boss anyway, as this is a light novel.

Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! (Isekai ni Otosareta… Jouka wa Kihon!) is the light novel that JNC’s already licensed manga is based on. Normal dude gets truck-kun’d, ends up in a fantasy forest where he befriends vicious wolves and tries to lift a curse of “black mist of evil”.

Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World (Ie de Munou to Iwaretsuzuketa Ore desu ga, Sekai Teki ni wa Chou Yuunou Datta You desu) stars a young boy who sets out to prove to his family he’s not worthless after all! Then we discover his family are the strongest people in the world… and he’s right up there with them, even though they think he’s a newbie.

Also out from JNC in light novels: From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob 4, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 10, In Another World with Household Spells 2, Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain 5, Management of a Novice Alchemist 6, and The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 12.

And for manga we get Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc Four 5, The Banished Former Hero Lives As He Pleases 8, Demon Lord Retry R 8, Flung into a New World 3, and A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 7.

Ghost Ship debuts Rebel Hero: I Will Use My Skills to Control the Scheming Princess’s Heart and Body (Hangyaku no Yuusha – Skill wo Tsukatte Haraguro Oujo no Kokoro to Karada wo Shouakuseyo) runs in Comic Ride Advance. Based on an unlikely to ever be licensed light novel, it stars a summoned hero who discovers that the princess hides evil cunning and uses heroes like pawns! How will he manage to best her? (It’s a Ghost Ship title, we know how.)

ASH: Yeah, it probably won’t be too surprising, that.

SEAN: Their other debut is a digital-first light novel, so maybe I was wrong about unlikely licenses. This is a different title, though. Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women (Teisou Gyakuten Sekai no Doutei Henkyou Ryoushu Kishi) 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! I deeply hope this is less misogynist than it sounds.

Also from Ghost Ship: Creature Girls 13 and The Cursed Sword Master’s Harem Life 4.

Aloha Comics has an artbook for us. The Art of Heaven Official’s Blessing is what it sounds like. 450-page hardcover.

ASH: It looks so pretty!

SEAN: Airship has, in print, Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 5.

And for early digital we see Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 11 and The Villainess and the Demon Knight 4.

And to think, this is a slow week! What are you getting?

SEAN: We’re really getting into the thick of September now. Stay close, it might be dangerous.

ASH: It’s just now barely September, don’t scare me like that!

SEAN: No print light novels for Airship next week, but we do see Adachi and Shimamura 12 and A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 3 in early digital.

Denpa Books has the 4th volume of March Comes in Like a Lion, according to retailers.

ASH: It will be good to see!

MICHELLE: Woot!

ANNA: Nice!!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a 3rd and final volume of Isekai Affair as well as Parallel Paradise 23.

J-Novel Club has three print debuts. Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill (Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi) is a manga from Comic Gardo based on the light novel also published by JNC.

ASH: I’ve forgotten what the absurd skill is this time.

SEAN: Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World (Isekai Tensei no Boukensha) is coming out in 2-volume omnibus format, so this is the first two books. The plot is every single reincarnated in another world cliche you can possibly imagine. It sells pretty well.

Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole (Maryoku na Majo ni Narimashita: Souzou Mahou de Kimama na Isekai Seikatsu)is light novel that is not coming out as an omnibus. This is sort of the distaff “riddled with cliches” series, as it’s a young woman who has the overpowered stuff.

Also in print: An Archdemon’s Dilemma 18, Ascendance of a Bookworm 33 (the final volume of the main series, though more side stories and spinoffs are coming), The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 2 (manga version), Gushing Over Magical Girls 3, The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! 10, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 10 (manga version).

ASH: Hooray, Bookworm! (Though, surprising no one at this point, I have some catching up to do.)

SEAN: J-Novel Club has four digital debuts. The Crown of Rutile Quartz (Rutile Quartz no Taikan – Slaine to Ou to Eiyuutan) is a manga version of a light novel already released by JNC. It runs in Drecomics.

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.~)is manga version of a light novel just announced by JNC. The manga runs in Comic Earth Star Online. Nina may be a maid, but that does not stop her falling into a “noble lady accused and thrown out” plotline.

ASH: I’m not sure anyone should be dismissing a supermaid.

SEAN: We’re starting a new imprint, J-Novel Knight, devoted to BL light novels. The first of these is Romance Revived: An NPC Was the Final Boss’s Love (Shi ni Modotta Mob wa Last Boss no Saiai deshita), which seems to be a one-shot. A man is reincarnated into his own fantasy story… but doesn’t remember till he’s framed, killed, and sent back in time. Now that he knows what’s going to happen, he has to protect the king! The really hot king!

ASH: As one does! (I’m happy to see this imprint emerge.)

ANNA: This does sound like a (hot) problem!

SEAN: Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! This White Mage Is One Heck of a Healer (Yuusha Party wo Tsuihousareta Hakuma Doushi, S Rank Boukensha ni Hirowareru – Kono Hakuma Doushi ga Kikakugai sugiru) is a manga version of a light novel as yet unlicensed, but an anime is currently running. If you’ve read a “thrown out of the hero’s party” book, you know what you’re getting here.

Also coming digitally for light novels: The Apothecary Diaries 15, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 7, Earl and Fairy 11, The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged 5, and Infinite Dendrogram SP 1 (a side story).

And digital manga includes A Cave King’s Road to Paradise 7, The Eternal Fool’s Words of Wisdom 6, Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 9, Goodbye Overtime 3, The Invincible Little Lady 10, The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1 4, Isekai Tensei 11, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even 5, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 9, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 7.

No debuts for Kodansha, but we get print for A Kingdom of Quartz 3, Magic Knight Rayearth 2 2, Medalist 10, Re:Anima 2, Tank Chair 5, Thunder 3 6, WIND BREAKER 14, and With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun 8.

ASH: I’m behind on them all, but there’s some good stuff here.

SEAN: For digital we get Blue Lock 33, A Condition Called Love 17, Gang King 33, I Have a Crush at Work 11, and That Beauty is a Tramp 6.

Living the Line debut My Gorilla Family (Gorilla to no Kekkon), a horror short story manga from the early 1970s. It’s the 5th in the Smudge series that is collecting gekiga oddities.

ASH: I love gekiga oddities, so I’ve been thoroughly enjoying what Smudge has been releasing.

ANNA: Not likely to pick this up but I’m glad it is out there!!!

SEAN: One Peace have a debut, The B-Rank Adventurer with a Scary Face Becomes a Father for the Hero and His Friends (Akuninzura shita B-kyuu Boukensha – Shujinkou to Sono Osananajimi-tachi no Papa ni naru). Based on an as yet unlicensed light novel, this Dengeki Comic Regulus title stars a trash mob guy who one day finds a kid at the side of the road and decides to raise them. The trouble is this kid is the future hero!

ASH: That does have the potential to be troublesome.

SEAN: Seven Seas has some “novel/danmei/etc” debuts this week. Copper Coins: Tong Qian Kan Shi is a historical fantasy about an amnesiac monk, a dragon and a ghost going on a road trip. There’s also a special edition with a double-sided bookmark, a paper folding screen, a set of three postcards, and a sticker sheet.

ASH: That absolutely sounds like something I would read.

MICHELLE: Definitely sounds like the setup for some hijinks.

SEAN: Breathless Time Traveler (Anata wa Koko de, Iki ga dekiru no?) is a one-shot from the author of Toradora!. A college girl is killed in a traffic accident, but now finds herself time looping up to the moment of her death! Can she fix things?

ASH: Interested in this one, too!

The manga debut is Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World (Magic Maker – Isekai Mahou no Tsukurikata), a MAGCOMI manga based on a light novel Seven Seas will release next year. A reincarnated boy is sad to find he’s in a world without any magic. But… can he make some?

ASH: Signs point to “yes.”

ANNA: What if he couldn’t, just as an interesting twist??

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 10, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 15, Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 4, The Dragon Knight’s Beloved 9, Dungeon Friends Forever 5, The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 11, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 10, Rozen Maiden Collector’s Edition 3, and Someone’s Girlfriend 4.

ASH: The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru is another series I’ve been meaning to read more of.

MICHELLE: I still need to check out Diary of a Female Lead.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts Bride of the Death God (Shinigami no Hanayome – Yomei 7-nichi kara no Koufuku), a supernatural shoujo from Gangan Pixiv. A grim reaper tells a girl she’ll die in one week. He is puzzled at how grateful she is – as she’s known she has a terminal illness. Love ensues.

ASH: Awww.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: Curious about this one.

SEAN: They also have The Emperor’s Caretaker 4.

Steamship debut His Sensual Whisper: The Voice That Sets Me On Fire (Tonari no Joushi wa Zetsurin Ikebo), a josei series from LoveParfait. A woman has a fetish for deep sexy voices, but is the guy she just met actually the one for her?

ANNA: It takes all kinds!

SEAN: SuBLime brings us Engage 3 and Megumi and Tsugumi 6.

Titan Manga debut Sanda, a shonen title from Weekly Shonen Champion. From the creator of BEASTARS, it stars a boy who is attacked by a girl as she thinks that he is cursed, and this led to her friend disappearing. They then go on a trip to find this friend.

ASH: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus in this manga.

SEAN: Titan Manga also have a 2nd volume of Yan.

Tokyopop has You Can’t Live All on Your Own! 2.

MICHELLE: Still need to read the first one!

SEAN: From Viz Media we get Animal Crossing: New Horizons 9, Deadpool: Samurai 3, Komi Can’t Communicate 35, Minecraft: The Manga 3, Seraph of the End 33, Splatoon 3: Splatlands 5, Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 2, and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon 7.

Yen Press debut Land, a seinen title from Weekly Morning. This is coming out as a 3-in-1 hardcover. A young girl lives happily with her father. Unfortunately, her older twin is very unhappy, and goes to the mountains swearing vengeance. What’s the story behind these twins?

ASH: I am immensely curious about this one.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Chained Soldier 12, It’s All Your Fault 2, Murciélago 25,and Triage X 28.

ASH: I’d somehow missed (or had forgotten) that Murciélago was still ongoing!

SEAN: Did you survive the manga trek? What did you end up with?

SEAN: It’s the start of September, so I must still be asleep. Probably for the best, I’m tired.

ASH: Agreed. A rest sounds really good right now.

SEAN: Yen Press have two runoff titles from August, Blend-S 3 and mono 3.

No debuts for Viz, but we get new volumes! Blue Box 17, Dark Gathering 15, Gokurakugai 4, Kaiju No. 8 14, Kaiju No. 8: B-Side 2, Kaze Hikaru 33 (just 12 years to go till it’s finished!), The King’s Beast 16, Let’s Do It Already 6, Nue’s Exorcist 2, A Star Brighter Than the Sun 3, and Wolf Girl and Black Prince 15.

MICHELLE: Insert annual Kaze Hikaru squee.

ANNA: I am joining in on this squee.

ASH: As will I!

SEAN: Two debuts for Tokyopop. Do You Really Want Only a Meal? (Mitasu no wa Kuufuku Dake desuka?) is a BL series from Comic Qurie. A tired office worker hires a housekeeping service, and gets a quiet young college student… who immediately admits to love at first sight!

Eternal Covenant is a BL series that’s Korean, so the Korean BL equivalent? A man who has grown up thinking he’s a monster is told that no, he actually just can use magic.

Tokyopop also has the 2nd volume of Reincarnated in a Mafia Dating Sim.

ASH: I actually just got my hands on the first volume of this.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has Assassin & Cinderella 2, Just Like Mona Lisa 7, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 26.

Seven Seas has some new stuff. I’m Running for Crown Princess, but All I Want is a Steady Paycheck! (Taikouhi Kouho Dakedo, Kenjitsu ni Ikou to Omoimasu) is a shoujo title from B’s-LOG Comic. A poor minor noble is encouraged to run for Betrothed to the Crown Prince, as even the losers could get steady work as ladies in waiting. But the competition is fierce. Fortunately, our heroine is blunt and has common sense.

ANNA: I enjoy a practical shoujo heroine.

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: Let Me See the Real You, Senpai! (Senpai, Naka Misete) is a BL series from the creator of Punks Triangle. Our main character is an introverted recluse, but on Youtube he’s a popular VTuber! Then he meets another VTuber, and they agree to meet up… and the other guy is so handsome! It’s in Magazine Be x Boy.

The Princess I Loved in My Past Life is Now a Middle-Aged Dad (Zense de Aishita Hime ga Tensei Shitara Oji-san deshita) is a seinen series from Web Action. The title is the plot.

MICHELLE: This may be the most “the title is the plot” I’ve ever seen!

SEAN: There’s also a novel debut that’s not part of Airship. Godzilla Minus One is the novelization of the hit movie.

ASH: Oh, nice!

SEAN: And there’s danmei, as we get Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu 6 (deluxe hardcover) and You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post – Fei Ge Jiao You Xu Jin Shen 4 (the final volume). And Lout of Count’s Family 5, which is Korean danmei.

Also from Seven Seas: Choking on Love 3, Drugstore in Another World 11, Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 4, I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 3, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 12, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 9, Skip and Loafer 11, The Strange House 4, and The World’s Fastest Level Up 6.

MICHELLE: I think I would probably like Skip and Loafer.

ASH: I’m pretty sure I would, too.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 5th and final volume of Kurokiya-san Wants to Lead Him Around by the Nose.

KUMA has the 3rd and final volume of Happy of the End.

No debuts for Kodansha, but we see Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 8, Initial D Omnibus 7, Roar: A Star in the Abyss 2, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 3, and Vinland Saga Deluxe 8.

ASH: I’m still eyeing those deluxe volumes.

SEAN: And in digital we get How to Grill Our Love 16 and Shangri-La Frontier 22.

J-Novel Club has one debut, and it’s a manga. Old Knight, New Post: From Retiree to Her Majesty’s Blade (Inkyogurashi no Ossan, Joou Heika no Ken to naru) is a Drecomics series about a retired knight who has to go back into service to protect his daughter.

ASH: I’m potentially intrigued.

SEAN: Light novels from J-Novel Club next week: Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- 7, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 16, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 7, Hell Mode 10, Imperial Reincarnation 3, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 17, The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods 2, and You Were Experienced, I Was Not 8.

New manga includes Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- 7 (yes, the LN and the manga), From Villainess to Healer 3, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 10, Infinite Dendrogram 13, and Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It! 9.

Whoops, I forgot about Hanashi again. They have three light novel debuts! Technically out this week, but let’s ignore that. The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage: Building a Mighty Empire of Monsters Within the Monsters’ Forest (Suterareta Tensei Kenja: Mamono no Mori de Saikyou no Daima Teikoku wo Tsukuriageru) A wise man casts a spell to let him maintain his memories into his next life… then gets abandoned as a baby. Whoops. Fortunately, he’s raised by demons.

I Got Reincarnated as a Cultist Mob in an Eroge Full of Maniacs with Death Wishes (Zenin Kakugo Gangimari na Eroge no Jakyouto Mob ni Tenseishiteshimatta Ken) is, I hope, a comedy. Guy reincarnated in a game as a background male, but the background males tend to get sacrificed. He tries to run away, but every woman around him suddenly notices him, and they’re all yanderes. I’m sure fans of this sort of thing are delighted.

I’m Just a Villager, So What? (Murabito desu ga Nani ka?) stars a guy in a village whose “class” is villager. Despite this, he’s friends with two OP kids his own age. Then, when he turns 15, one of them kills him. That’s when he finds that, like Subaru he can return by death. Now he’s going to do things differently.

Ghost Ship has the 15th volume of The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You.

I usually skip FAKKU, for obvious reasons, but they are starting the sequel to Nana & Kaoru, subtitled Black Label. For over 18s.

Dark Horse Comics debuts Adabana, from the creator of Harem Marriage. Two brutal murders occur, and someone confesses to the crime. But there’s a much darker story going on here. This ran in Grand Jump, and is apparently excellent but tragic.

MICHELLE: Intriguing!

ANNA: Hmmmm….

ASH: I have heard good things.

SEAN: Dark Horse also has a new re-release, as we see Blood Blockade Battlefront Omnibus 1. More from the creator of Trigun, playing in the world of superheroes.

Cross Infinite World has How I Became King by Eating Monsters 3, Welcome to Monstrous Miss Sophie’s Enchanted Salon of Healing 2 (the final volume) and Welcome to Olivia’s Magic Jewelers 2.

Airship has Drugstore in Another World 7, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 19, and Too Many Losing Heroines! 5 in print.

Any back-to-school manga? Honestly, most schools opened before Labor Day.

SEAN: August is coming to an end, but if you think summer’s over I have some bad news for you.

ASH: Give it time.

SEAN: Airship has a number of print light novels. Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 8, Though I Am an Inept Villainess 9, Trapped in a Dating Sim: Otome Games Are Tough For Us, Too! 4, and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 10.

For early digital we see She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 14 and Witch and Mercenary 4.

Dark Horse Comics has an 8th volume of Cat + Gamer.

Ghost Ship gives us 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 15, How to Build a Dungeon 10, Might As Well Cheat 10, and Yandere Dark Elf 3.

Inklore are debuting King’s Maker, a BL Korean webtoon. A rebellious prince is looking for an underling he can trust. And also more, I assume, given the genre.

ASH: Oh, probably. (I really should pick up something from Inklore at some point.)

SEAN: Ize Press debuts the novel version of Villains Are Destined to Die, about a woman who wakes up in the body of her favorite villainess, tries to change her fate, and discovers that she can only make “dialogue-tree” conversation choices.

And they also have The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 5 and The Villainess Turns the Hourglass 8 (the final volume).

A large amount of print from J-Novel Club. The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows (Isshun de Chiryou shiteita no ni Yakudatazu to Tsuihousareta Tensai Chiyushi, Yami Healer to shite Tanoshiku Ikiru) has a young man who has (sigh) been kicked out of his adventuring party starts an underground healing clinic, and suddenly he’s the bee’s knees.

ASH: Is the clinic literally underground, illicit, or both?

SEAN: Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill (Tondemo Skill de Isekai Hourou Meshi) is getting a 3-volumes-in-1 omnibus. Its plot is its title.

Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World (Isekai Tensei no Boukensha) is the manga version of the light novel JNC has had for a while, and it runs in MAGCOMI.

Also in print: Ascendance of a Bookworm 32, the 6th Black Summoner manga, Gushing Over Magical Girls 2, Reborn to Master the Blade 7, and Tearmoon Empire 13.

ASH: Tearmoon Empire is another series I feel it need to catch up with sooner rather than later. (Also, yay, Bookworm!)

SEAN: J-Novel Club has three digital debuts. ATLAS: Her, the Combatant, and Him, the Hero was the grand prize winner of J-Novel Club’s first light novel contest. A man who can see the future and a woman who is fighting the system meet and fall in love in a cyberpunk dystopia.

ASH: Dystopia is a genre I read (in print, though).

SEAN: The Despicable Duke Settles His Affairs (Akugyaku Kizoku no Shinpenseiri) is the first in J-Novel Knight’s books, a new imprint focused on BL light novels. A man dies and wakes up as the villain in his favorite novel, a sadistic duke. Horrified by the Duke’s misdeeds now being reality, he vows to atone. Boy, this sounds an awful lot like a serious version of The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System.

MICHELLE: It really does.

ASH: I missed the part where there’s a new BL imprint!

SEAN: An Unruly Summon is another J-Novel Club contest winner, of First Prize. A kingdom has had bad luck with summoning otherworlders, who tend to be socially progressive – the horror! The kingdom needs help, though, so he summons a guy and gives him a harem free of charge. Sadly, Thomas is not going to let any random king tell HIS what to do.

Also from J-Novel Club: The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 7, the 6th Duchess in the Attic manga, the 4th I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons manga, Isekai Tensei 11, Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World 10, Revenge of the Soul Eater 2, and Three Cheats from Three Goddesses 2.

Kana has the third and final volume of Manhole.

Kodansha’s debut is an old one: AKIRA (Hardcover Collection), a reprint of the classic manga in the right-to-left format and with the original SFX. Made more Japanese for YOU, the picky reader. As for the story, does anyone need me to explain Akira?

MICHELLE: This is kind of tempting! Although I do have a fond memory of a panel in which a rat goes “Squee” from the previous editions.

ASH: That is delightful!

ANNA: New editions of Akira make me feel old, since I was around back when Marvel was releasing it colorized!

SEAN: Also in print: Ashita no Joe 3, Blue Lock 21, Nina the Starry Bride 11, Pupposites Attract 3, Senpai is an Otokonoko 2, and The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 18.

ANNA: Always glad to see Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: And for digital we get And Yet, You Are So Sweet 11 and Gamaran: Shura 33.

MICHELLE: I should probably read And Yet.

SEAN: KUMA has a 4th volume of Happy Crappy Life.

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

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 2nd volume of Detectives These Days Are Crazy!.

Three Seven Seas debuts. The Fed-Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess (Genkai OL-san wa Akuyaku Reijou-sama ni Tsukaetai) is a yuri series from Dokodemo Young Champion. After being laid off, a young officer worker is playing her favorite visual novel when she finds herself in the game! To avoid getting executed, she pretends her knowledge of the game is a psychic power, so now she serves the Villainess… who is hot!

ASH: But of course!

ANNA: Sometimes things work out that way.

SEAN: My Girlfriend is 8 Meters Tall (Chieri no Koi wa 8 Meter) is a Shonen Jump + series. A guy is startled when his childhood friend transfers into his class. He’s startled as she’s now 26 feet tall, which was not the case before. From what I hear this is a standard romcom except, well, that.

ASH: That would be rather startling.

ANNA: Seems like the logistics would be challenging.

SEAN: Natsume Wants to be Trained (Natsume-san wa Hirakaretai) is a BL series from Cheri +. A man who is bad in bed hires a male escort to teach him the ways of love… and finds the escort is his housekeeper!

ASH: Uh-oh!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: BASTARD 2, Black Night Parade 7, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi The Comic 10, Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 11, How Do I Turn My Best Friend Into My Girlfriend? 4, and My Next Life as a Villainess 11.

And for danmei they have Dinghai Fusheng Records 2.

Steamship has a third volume of The Yakuza and His Omega.

One debut from Tokyopop: The Stranger in the Hoarding House (Gomi Yashiki no Kamakura-san). This from RED title is about a man who has shut himself off from the world, and thus let his apartment go to hell. Someone arrives to help him clean… but why are they there?

Yen On has two debuts. Witches Can’t Be Collared (Majo ni Kubiwa wa Tsukerarenai) stars a detective desperate for a desk job who now has to team up with an evil witch to catch an even eviller killer.

The World’s Strongest Witch: I’m Starting My Free Life in a World Where Only I Can See the Online Strategy Guide (Sekai Saikyou no Majo, Hajimemashita: Watashi dake “Kouryaku Site” wo Mireru Sekai de Jiyuu ni Ikimasu) is another of those “your magic skill is weak so we’re disowning you” series. Her magic skill turns out to be “I can see this world’s wiki page”. That can be really strong!

ASH: It’s apparently witch week for Yen On!

ANNA: As a librarian I do enjoy it when information is a super power.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Agents of the Four Seasons 5, Babel 4 (the final volume), Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 14, and Magical Explorer 10.

Lots and lots of Yen Press. Common-Sense Monster (Futsuu to Bakemono) is a yuri title from Comic Marche. A socially awkward girl is bad at making friends. If only she could be more like her classmate who gets along with everyone… oh, and seems to eat people?

ASH: I was not expecting that particular turn.

ANNA: Does she get along with the people she eats?????

SEAN: The Demons Are Planning Something Good! (Ma no Monotachi wa Kuwadateru) is a shonen manga from Dra-Dra-Sharp#. It’s a comedy about the underlings of the demon lord trying to find ways to terrify adventurers.

Farewell, Daisy: Jun Mayuzuki Short Story Collection (Sayonara Daisy) is a collection of stories from the author of Kowloon Generic Romance.

MICHELLE: The gorgeous cover on this has utterly sold me.

ASH: Oh, this should be good!

ANNA: Curious about this!

SEAN: Futari Switch is a Monthly Shonen Magazine title about two childhood friends with hopeless crushes on other people. One day they swap bodies. Can they now go after their crushes? Or is dealing with being the opposite sex trouble enough? From the Prison School author.

ASH: I will admit to being intrigued. This could be really good or really bad.

SEAN: Hollow Regalia is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also releases. It runs in Dengeki Maoh.

Killed Again, Mr. Detective? (Mata Korosarete Shimatta no desu ne, Tantei-sama) is based on a light novel, and runs in Dra-Dra-Flat b. A boy detective wants to be like his father, but avoids serious cases… mostly as he has the ability to come back after he dies, and he’s been dying a LOT.

ASH: Ha! That’s fair.

SEAN: Kunon the Sorcerer Can See is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also releases. It runs in my nemesis, Monthly Comic Alive.

Mechanical Marie (Kikaiji Kake no Marie) is a shoujo title from LaLa. A boy is the heir to a giant conglomerate, so needs protection. Unfortunately, he HATES humans. Clearly the solution is a robot maid. Unfortunately for the maid, he loves robots. A bit too much.

MICHELLE: Oh dear. Well, if it’s shoujo perhaps it won’t be too skeevy.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: The 31st Consort 2, Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring 3, The Anemone Feels the Heat 2, Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra 4, Assorted Entanglements 8, Be My Worst Nightmare! 3, Brunhild the Dragonslayer 3, Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology 4, Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 7, Combatants Will Be Dispatched! 12 (the final volume), Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 17, Game of Familia 7, Helena and Mr. Big Bad Wolf 2 (the final volume?), I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 15, If It’s You, I Might Try Falling in Love 2, In the Heavenly Prison, the Devil Enchants Me 2, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 26, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History 3, Kakegurui Twin 15 (the final volume), Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Reload, My Dear, Curse-Casting Vampiress 6, [Oshi no Ko] 11, Reincarnation Coliseum 2, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts 2, Slasher Maidens 12, Spy Classroom 3rd Period 1 (the third arc), The War of Greedy Witches 3, Witch Life in a Micro Room 5 (the final volume), and With You, Our Love Will Make It Through 3.

MICHELLE: Dang! You weren’t kidding.

ASH: That was a lot of text.

ANNA: Indeed!

SEAN: Surprise Yen deluge! What are you buying?

SEAN: It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights, it’s time to meet some manga.

ASH: I reflexively sang that to myself.

SEAN: Just one release from Yen Press, the 9th volume of The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend.

No debuts from Viz, but we do see Battle Royale: Enforcers 4, Cosmos 2, Hirayasumi 6, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 3, Jujutsu Kaisen 27, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 9, Mission: Yozakura Family 18, Rooster Fighter 8, Show-ha Shoten! 8, Snowball Earth 6, and The Way of the Househusband 14.

ASH: I really should get caught up with The Way of the Househusband.

SEAN: Tokyopop, shockingly, has a one-shot BL title debuting. The magazine is from RED as well, can you believe it? The Desert Butterfly Yearns to Be Caught (Sajou no Chou wa Torawaretai) stars the young prince of a desert country and his ex-slave/bodyguard. They like each other, but can’t be honest with each other.

ASH: That is shocking!

SEAN: We also get Confessions of a Shy Baker 5 and World’s End Blue Bird 4 (the final volume).

Titan Manga has Somali and the Forest Spirit 3.

SuBLime debuts A Man Who Defies the World of BL (Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko), which runs in Kurage Bunch. Our theoretically straight protagonist has just realized that he’s in a BL manga! And he has to comment on all the tropes he sees around him. This is a comedy, obviously, and much anticipated.

MICHELLE: Huh. I don’t usually love fourth-wall-breaking, but this could be potentially fun.

ANNA: It does sound amusing.

ASH: That it does.

SEAN: Steamship has a second volume of Adored By an Elite Officer and a third volume of Loving Moon Dog.

From Square Enix Manga we get Wandering Witch 6 and Wash It All Away 3.

Seven Seas time. Let’s begin with the danmei debut, My Husband and I Sleep in a Coffin. A “reclusive gay virgin” wakes up one day to find he’s in the body of a thousand-year-old corpse. What’s more, sleeping next to him is an immortal warrior obsessed with his dead lover… who is that same corpse.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: It might be too many corpses for me.

ASH: Granted, I think I prefer that they are both corpses…

SEAN: Also danmei: Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu 5.

Lost in the Cloud is a manwha/webtoon about a guy who’s been snapping pictures of his crush… till he’s caught by his crush’s best friend! Blackmail ensues.

ASH: As it so often does in these cases.

SEAN: Sacrifice of My Manly Soul (Ore no Dankon ♡ Sacrifice) is a seinen title from Young Magazine Web. A boy who has to avoid debt by dressing as a girl and attending an all-girls’ school finds the entire student council are all doing the same thing.

ASH: Well, then!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 3, The Ideal Sponger Life 19, It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love 3, My Girlfriend’s Child 8, My New Boss Is Goofy 2, No Love Zone 4, Tiger and Dragon 4 (the final volume), The Too-Perfect Saint 3, and Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell 3.

One Peace Books has The New Gate 15.

Kodansha time. My Instructor Won’t Yield (Chiba Kyoukan wa Nabikanai) is a new BL title. A kind driving instructor has all the girls after him, but he rebuffs them all. Then he has to teach the “school prince”, who is also secretly a manga artist.

MICHELLE: This looks kinda cute!

SEAN: Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition (Mairimashita! Iruma-kun if – Episode of Mafia) is an AU spinoff asking what would happen if Iruma was a mafia member?

MICHELLE: Oh, dear.

SEAN: Also, out *this* week, as they updated their website after I went to press, is Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN Deluxe 1. Which is a 900-page oversized behemoth.

ASH: Dang! The original release could do some legitimate physical damage, I can only image what this edition can do. (By the way, this series is excellent, in case anyone missed it the first time around.)

SEAN: We also see Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 14, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 27, I See Your Face, Turned Away 4, Issak Omnibus 2, Noragami Omnibus 9 (the final volume), Rent-A-Girlfriend 32, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 12, and Shangri-La Frontier 18.

ASH: Right! I meant to read the first Issak omnibus!

SEAN: And the digital title is Matcha Made in Heaven 12.

Kana has Eden of Witches 4.

J-Novel Club has one print title, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 6.

A quiet week for JNC digitally. We get Black Summoner 21, Goodbye Overtime! 5, the 3rd manga volume of I Only Have Six Months to Live, So I’m Gonna Break the Curse with Light Magic or Die Trying, Knock Yourself Out! The Goddess Beat the Final Boss in the Tutorial, So Now I’m Free to Do Whatever 2, and A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 13.

Ize Press gives us A Business Proposal 10 (the final volume), Kill the Villainess 3, Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner 2, Solo Leveling 13, The Villainess Is a Marionette 2, and Unholy Blood 7.

Ghost Ship has Do You Like Big Girls? 7-8 and Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu! 9.

Airship gives us print books for Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 5, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 9, and Sword of the Demon Hunter 10.

The early digital debut is Breathless Time Traveler (Anata wa Koko de, Iki ga dekiru no?), a one-shot from the author of Toradora!. A college girl is killed in a traffic accident, but now finds herself time looping up to the moment of her death! Can she fix things?

ANNA: I’m curious about this!

ASH: I could be pretty easily be convinced to read it.

SEAN: Also in early digital: Drugstore in Another World 7.

Why do we always come here? To read manga. What are you buying?

SEAN: Are these the dog days? Or are the dogs days later in the month?

ASH: It’s cat days more often than not with manga. (And Japanese fiction, in general, for that matter.)

SEAN: Airship has The Devil Princess (Akuma Koujo) in print. A demon who longs to have family and friends and a brighter life ends up being forcibly reborn into the body of a human princess. She’s revered as a saint, but her demonic impulses – and other demons – haunt her.

There’s also print for Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 11.

For early digital we see Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 12 and Reborn as a Space Mercenary 13.

Ghost Ship has Inside the Tentacle Cave 5.

ASH: I wonder what’s going on outside the cave.

SEAN: Two debuts for J-Novel Club. The light novel is Engaging with the Plot: A Former Cat’s Attempt to Save Her Now Temporary Fiancé (Konyakusha-sama ni wa Unmei no Heroine ga Arawaremasu ga, Zantei Konyaku Life wo Mankitsushimasu!) You know how this starts. Framed for crimes she didn’t commit, broken engagement. And she’s engaged to a man who is “cursed”. Then she recalls her past life… as a cat!

ASH: See? Cat days!

SEAN: We also get Make It Stop! I’m Not Strong… It’s Just My Sword! (Yametekure, Tsuyoi no wa Ore Janakute Ken Nanda……!), an adaptation of the LN already released by J-Novel Club. It runs in Drecomics.

Also from J-Novel Club: An Archdemon’s (Friend’s) Dilemma 3, D-Genesis 6 (the manga version), and Lacey Longs for Freedom 3.

Kodansha Manga has a nice box set of Witch Hat Atelier coming out, with the first six volumes and some cards.

ANNA: Nice! Glad to see this getting the special treatment.

ASH: This does look lovely.

SEAN: Also in print: Blood Blade 5 (the final volume), Dead Rock 3, The Fable Omnibus 9, Fed Up With Being the Spoiled Queen’s Genius Butler, I Ran Away and Built the World’s Strongest Army 2, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 4, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 11, and Wandance 13.

And in digital we get Gang King 32 and Giant Killing 50.

MICHELLE: Insert my standard comments about how I should really catch up on Wandance and Giant Killing.

ANNA: Insert my standard comment about how I should have started reading these in the first place.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 7th volume of Parallel World Pharmacy.

Seven Seas time. The Demon King is Way Too Overprotective! (Yo ni mo Kahogo na Maou-sama) is a Betsufure title about a girl who’s struggling to make ends meet, and now she’s dealing with a demon king who says he’s crossed universes to be with her. For fans of “possessive and irritating boyfriend is so hot that the heroine gradually falls for them”.

Fake Fact Lips BREAK is a done-in-one omnibus, and a sequel to Fake Fact Lips. As for the plot, well, sometimes fings… break, don’t they, Dino?

ASH: Whoops!

SEAN: Long Period is a BL series from the creator of The Two Lions. Our hero is angry at his best friend, who if he applied himself cold get into a great university and really go places! So why does he just want to hang out all the time?

MICHELLE: I’m in!

ASH: Yeah, I’d read it.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 100 Ghost Stories That Will Lead to My Own Death 3, Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 9, The Barbarian’s Bride 4, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 18, The Last Elf 2, Let’s Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World 8, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 13, Mushoku Tensei 21, My Cat is Such a Weirdo 7, Perfect Buddy 4, The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 5,

And they’ve got a 4th volume of the KinnPorsche novel.

ASH: Haven’t read any of this series yet, but it’s still pretty cool it’s being translated.

SEAN: Square Enix debuts Exquisite Blood: The Heretic Onmyoji (Miyabichi no Onmyouji), which runs in GFantasy. Demons have stolen ten important treasures, and it’s up to the Onmyoji to get them back! For readers who don’t need the word onmyoji translated.

ASH: LOL! That might be me then.

SEAN: Also from Square Enix: Dragon and Chameleon 4, The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl 10, My Isekai Life 20, and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You 5.

Steamship has Fire in His Fingertips: A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze 9.

Two debuts for Tokyopop. Cute but Not Cute (Kawaiikedo Kawaikunai) is a BL oneshot that ran in from RED. A CEO who has it all is feeling lonely. Luckily his assistant, who’s loved him for years, is here to help.

Reincarnated in a Mafia Dating Sim: A Yakuza Heiress Becomes the Top-Ranked Villain’s Romantic Target! (Akutou Ikka no Mana Musume, Tensei Saki mo Otome Game no Gokudou Reijou deshita. – Saijoukyuu Rank no Akuyaku-sama, Sono Dekiai wa Fuyou desu!) is a Comic Corona manga based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. This is from the author of 7th Time Loop.

Tokyopop also has Merry Witches’ Life 2 and My Beautiful Man: Interlude.

Viz Media debuts Rai Rai Rai, a shonen manga from Ura Sunday. A girl is trying to make ends meet by killing “space vermin”. Then she’s abducted by aliens, given a weird arm, and told to kill all humans. This is a comedy, I suspect.

ASH: Potentially interesting?

Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 13, Fly Me to the Moon 29, Girl Crush 2, I Wanna Do Bad Things with You 7 (the final volume), Mao 21, Not-So-Shoujo Love Story 2, Pokémon: Sword & Shield 13 (the final volume?), Rainbows After Storms 5, Sakura, Saku 8, and Snow Angel 2.

Yen On has two debuts. Remember that “as yet unlicensed” light novel I mentioned 3 weeks ago? Yeah, I’d forgotten, here it is. Almark. A city in the north is home to powerful mercenaries, but one boy just isn’t as strong as the rest. His father sends him south to a magic academy to try to be a sorcerer instead.

Nagisa Natsunagi Still Wants to Be a High School Girl (Natsunagi Nagisa wa Mada, Joshi Kousei de Itai) is a spinoff from The Detective Is Already Dead. Nagisa can now finally be healthy enough to live a normal school life, thanks to a heart transplant. But who is the donor?

Also from Yen On: Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 6, Bofuri 16, The Executioner and Her Way of Life 9, Pitch-Black Infatuation (the 2nd Sasaki Agency volume), and Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 4.

No dogs at all. Sad. What are you getting?