Anna N

SEAN: Traditionally, February is the most depressing month of the year. Let’s find some manga to cheer you up.

ASH: Sounds good to me!

SEAN: Yen Press has Interspecies Reviewers 6.

Viz has a stack of Jump and Beat for you. We get Black Clover 28, Chainsaw Man 9, Dr. STONE 20, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 5–Golden Wind 3, Jujutsu Kaisen 14, Seraph of the End 23, The King’s Beast 5, We Never Learn 20 and Yona of the Dawn 34. (Psst. Read Yona.)

MICHELLE: I need to get caught back up on Yona!

ASH: It’s such a great series! I’m happy to get my hands on more of JoJo’s, too.

ANNA: Always love to see Yona on the release list.
‘
SEAN: Tokyopop gives us the 6th and final volume of Laughing Under the Clouds, though there are prequels and sequels as yet unlicensed.

MICHELLE: Hey, they finished something!

MELINDA: lol

SEAN: Two debuts from Seven Seas. 5 Seconds Before a Witch Falls in Love (Majo ga Koi suru 5 Byou Mae) is a one-shot from Comic Yuri Hime. Witch vs. Witch-Hunter. Will sparks fly?

Also in a yuri vein is Hello, Melancholic!, also from Ichijinsha. Tall but shy trombone players. It’s already won me over just with that.

MICHELLE: The cover for this is super cute!

ASH: I am so here for this one.

MELINDA: Oh my god, yes.

SEAN: And we get Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 5, I’m in Love with the Villainess 2, Muscles are Better Than Magic! 4 (a final volume), Reborn as a Barrier Master 2, and THIGH HIGH: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy 3 (also a final volume).

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Thigh High a try.

SEAN: One Peace has the 7th The Reprise of the Spear Hero manga.

Kodansha has the, um, 9th volume of Knight of the Ice a week after the 8th. Huh. It also debuts The Seven Deadly Sins in omnibus format, with Vol. 1-3. And we get Orient 7, Peach Boy Riverside 5, and Vampire Dormitory 3.

ASH: Supply chain issues do funny things to release dates.

ANNA: Looking forward to binging on Knight of the Ice.

SEAN: Digitally we get a huge re-release of an old favorite, especially with Kodansha’s Japanese arm, which keep hoping it will get popular again. GTO, aka Great Teacher Onizuka, is back. All 25 volumes of the original series, and the 9 volumes of semi-sequel 14 Days in Shonan are available digitally. Yes, only digitally, come on, I know Attack on Titan sells well, but not well enough to justify so much print. I loved Onizuka back in the day, though I suspect he may be a bit less fun these days. Also, looking at the preview, this looks to just be a straight-up scan of the old Tokyopop version.

ASH: I largely enjoyed it back in the day, too. Glad to see it available again in some fashion!

ANNA: Yes, always great to see older series have better availability.

MELINDA: Oh, this is great!

SEAN: The new digital debut is Lightning and Romance (Inazuma to Romance), a Betsufure series from the creator of Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight. Girl wants a high school romance, but her new seatmate is… 20 years old?

Also debuting digitally is Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister (Amagami-san Chi no Enmusubi). It is a Weekly Shonen Magazine title from one of the assistants of The Quintessential Quintuplets… and sounding a lot like it. A guy trying to get into medical school is allowed to stay at a shrine… provided he marries one of the beautiful daughters that live there.

Also out digitally: the 4th and final volume of Ashidaka: The Iron Hero, Chihayafuru 30, A Condition Called Love 9, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 20, My Darling, the Company President 3, My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! 2, and My Master Has No Tail 3.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to a nice Chihayafuru binge.

ANNA: I’m so far behind on Chihayafuru, but vow that one day I will catch up.

SEAN: In print, J-Novel Club has My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In For Me! 2, Tearmoon Empire 3, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 2.

A rare manga-only week for J-Novel Club’s digital side. Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 6, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 8, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Reckless Journey 5, and Villainess: Reloaded! Blowing Away Bad Ends with Modern Weapons 3.

Airship has print releases for Disciple of the Lich: Or How I Was Cursed by the Gods and Dropped Into the Abyss! 2, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 17, and The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real! 2.

Digitally, Airship has early digital for I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 2 and Reincarnated as a Sword 10.

That’s actually pretty thin? Well, that’s February for you…

The last week of January brings us no manga whatsoever!… OK, I lie, there’s a lot.

ASH: You almost had me there!

SEAN: Airship, in print, has the 8th volume of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear.

And in early digital we see Berserk of Gluttony 5 and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 3.

Dark Horse has the 3rd volume of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!.

ASH: Which reminds me that I still need to read the first two, but I suspect that it’s a series that I’ll enjoy.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has two debuts. The light novel debut is Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! (Tensei Reijou wa Boukensha wo Kokorozasu). You can likely guess how this one goes.

ASH: I do find it fascinating to see how these trends evolve over time.

SEAN: The manga debut is Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers (Shinja Zero no Megami-sama to Hajimeru Isekai Kouryaku), based on the light novel J-Novel Club also puts out. This runs in Comic Gardo.

We also see the 7th An Archdemon’s Dilemma manga, the 5th Black Summoner manga, By the Grace of the Gods 10, The Ideal Sponger Life 6, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! 11, the 2nd Reborn to Master the Blade manga, the 6th Record of Wortenia War manga, and Sweet Reincarnation 6.

Kaiten Books has a digital 3rd volume of The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting.

Kodansha debuts in print a new boxset holding the first 7 volumes of The Quintessential Quintuplets. Go read the part of the manga that everyone loved because they were sure their girl would win.

ASH: Haha!

SEAN: Also debuting in print is The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse (Mokushiroku no Yonkishi), a prequel to The Seven Deadly Sins that runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

There’s also the 13th and final CITY, If I Could Reach You 6, the 12th and final Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, Knight of the Ice 8, Saint Young Men omnibus 7, To Your Eternity 16, Wave, Listen to Me! 8, and Yuzu the Pet Vet 7, the last volume before the timeskip.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on Knight of the Ice and Wave, Listen to Me!.

ANNA: Knight of the Ice is one of the rare series that I’m actually caught up on because it is just that good!

ASH: This is a good Kodansha week for me! In addition to those two series, I’m particularly interested in Saint Young Men and To Your Eternity.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Zatsuki: Make Me a Star (Zatsuki ~Watashi o Sutaa Nishi Nasai~), a shoujo title from Palcy. Two teenage stars whose careers are going in opposite directions meet at high school.

MICHELLE: I’m at least moderately interested in this.

ANNA: Me too.

MELINDA: This sounds very enjoyable!

SEAN: Also digital: Back When You Called Us Devils 9, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 3, Harem Marriage 13, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 12, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 3, ONIMAI: I’m Now Your Sister! 4, Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 8, Tesla Note 2, Those Not-So-Sweet Boys 5, and What I Love About You 8.

Seven Seas debuts The Girl I Want is So Handsome! (Ikemen Sugidesu Shiki-senpai!), a done-in-one omnibus from Comic Yuri Hime. Shiki falls for an older girl at her school. She’s so handsome, and so cool… and so oblivious!

ASH: Count me as curious.

MELINDA: Same.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: the 10th and final Gal Gohan, Happy Kanako’s Killer Life 3, Harukana Receive 9. Tamamo-chan’s a Fox! 4, Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 3, and Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan 4.

Square Enix has A Man and His Cat 5.

MICHELLE: Yay!

MELINDA: I, too, say “yay!”

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Double, a manga from a magazine called Flat Heroes. Two friends are actors in the same theater troupe. One is asked to “double” the other, even as his career takes him in a new direction. Somehow this turns into a seinen thriller? Gonna be honest, this sounds fascinating.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: You still won’t trick me, Tokyopop!

ASH: Exactly so.

MELINDA: Ugh, the nerve of them releasing something that sounds interesting. I mean that with complete sincerity.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I’m certainly trepidatious. Speaking of hurts I shall never forgive, I have taken to requesting Silver Diamond on all of Seven Seas’ monthly license-request surveys. It’s BL and isekai-adjacent, so maybe? I figure it’s at least worth a shot!

SEAN: They’ve also got The Fox & Little Tanuki 4.

Viz has another massive One Piece box set that has Vol. 71-90 of the series.

Yen On has a 2nd volume of Spy Classroom.

Two debuts for Yen Press. The Abandoned Empress is a Korean webcomic that is one of those “spurned noble ends up going back in time to try to fix things” stories.

ASH: I like that Korean comics haven’t been forgotten by publishers these days!

MELINDA: Ah! Agreed!

SEAN: Spy Classroom is an adaptation of the light novel – see two lines up. It runs in my nemesis, Comic Alive.

Also from Yen Press: Breasts Are My Favorite Things in the World! 4, Cocoon Entwined 4, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 4, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World! 11, I Cannot Reach You 3, I’m the Hero, but the Demon Lord’s Also Me 3, Kaiju Girl Caramelise 5, The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious 2, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 17, Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online 4, The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker 4, and Yowamushi Pedal 19.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on I Cannot Reach You and Cocoon Entwined and, most especially, Yowamushi Pedal! I reckon the Inter High has gotta be finished by now!

ANNA: One of these days I need to read Yowamushi Pedal. My kids read it though so I just need to figure out where it is in my house.

ASH: I’m slowly catching up, myself. Hime Hime!

SEAN: See what I mean? Barely any manga at all. What are you getting?

SEAN: The third week of January brings many and varied things to help warm us up in these cold nights.

Yen On has three debuts. Dragon and Ceremony (Ryu to Sairei) stars a wandmaker who has to repair a wand within a time limit. The trouble is, it needs the heart of a dragon… which haven’t been seen for centuries!

ASH: Wait, is that a non-isekai fantasy novel?

SEAN: The second debut is My Happy Marriage (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon). A noble who has endured abuse from her family most of her life is married off to a cold, uncaring soldier. But will this turn out to be a wonderful pairing after all? I’ve heard good things about this.

MICHELLE: I might check this one out.

ANNA: It sounds intriguing!

MELINDA: Hmmm, maybe?

SEAN: The third title is Sabikui Bisco, which was briefly Rust-Eater Bisco until it was decided to keep the Japanese. Our heroes try to find a miracle cure in the middle of a post-apocalyptic desert. This sounds very, very Shonen Jump, and was very popular in Japan when it first came out.

ASH: And another!

SEAN: We also see Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 4, Bungo Stray Dogs 7, The The Irregular at Magic High School 18 (I will die on this running gag hill), I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 11, Magical Girl Raising Project 12, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 9, So I’m a Spider, So What? 13, Sword Art Online Progressive 7, and You Call That Service? 5.

Yen Press has new volumes! Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 3, Carole and Tuesday 3 (the final volume), Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance 4, Murcielago 18, Overlord 14, Slasher Maidens 4, Teasing Master Takagi-san 13, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 12, and Val x Love 11.

ASH: It’s a good week for Yen readers!

SEAN: Viz debuts Record of Ragnarok (Shuumatsu no Walküre), which runs in Comic Zenon. Do you like muscles? Do you like martial arts? Do you like tournament arcs? This is the manga for you.

ASH: I will admit to being curious.

ANNA: OK!

MELINDA: Another maybe for me!

SEAN: We also see Assassin’s Creed: Blade of Shao Jun 3, BEASTARS 16, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku 12, No. 5 3, The Way of the Househusband 7, and Ultraman 16.

MICHELLE: I need to get caught up on The Way of the Househusband.

ASH: Same. I’ve loved what I’ve read so far, though!

ANNA: It is so great.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has the 3rd and final omnibus of Steins;Gate 0.

Tokyopop has Her Royal Highness Seems to be Angry 3.

Square Enix Manga gives us Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 5.

Seven Seas has a spinoff debuting: Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish (Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita Another Wish). I’m… not sure how it differs from the main series, but hey.

They also have a rare Mature title that isn’t Ghost Ship: Succubus and Hitman. It runs in… oh dear. It runs in Champion Red, and is about a succubus who forces a college student to murder the wicked. The lack of sex keeps this on the main label, I think.

Also from Seven Seas: Bloom Into You Anthology 2, The Ideal Sponger Life 10, Love Me for Who I Am 5 (the final volume), Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 9, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 2, No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary! 2, The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real! 2, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 2, and Species Domain 12 (also a final volume).

In print, Kodansha has 10 Dance 6, APOSIMZ 8, Sachi’s Monstrous Appetite 6 (the final volume), Toppu GP 6, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 3.

MICHELLE: At last, more 10 Dance!

ASH: Yes!

MELINDA: I am depressed to be so far behind in 10 Dance, but I guess I need to fix that!

SEAN: Kodansha did one of their “let’s announce the day before release to screw Sean up” announcements. Out already is MF Ghost, which focuses on the MFG racing circuit, and is from the creator of Initial D. No, the MF is not what you’re thinking. It runs in Young Magazine, and 10 volumes are now available.

MELINDA: I wish more things with “ghost” in the title were actually about ghosts. I like ghosts.

SEAN: The digital debut for next week is The Lines that Define Me (Sen wa, Boku wo Egaku), a Weekly Shonen Magazine title about the joys of India-ink painting. The mere fact that a title like this can get licensed these days is a joy.

ASH: It really is.

ANNA: Wow.

SEAN: Also digital: And Yet, You Are So Sweet 5, Blue Lock 11, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 6, My Darling Next Door 4, Saint Young Men 15, and Yozakura Quartet 28, which Kodansha says is the final volume, though I can’t verify that. Remember when Yozakura Quartet 1 came out? From Del Rey?

MICHELLE: I sure do.

ANNA: Me too.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has Altina the Sword Princess 12, Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! 8, Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte 2 (the final volume), The Great Cleric 6, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 15, Maddrax 2, Slayers 12, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 6 (which is a surprise to me, as I was sure 5 was the last).

Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of Desire Pandora.

And Airship has 4 new light novel volumes in print. Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 4, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 14, Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 3, and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 3.

While digitally we get Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 4 and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 5.

Don’t burn manga for warmth! Read them!

SEAN: 2022 is only just beginning and already the manga feels like it’s getting away from me.

ASH: While I delight in the amount of manga being released, you are not alone in that feeling.

SEAN: Airship has some print light novels. The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 2, My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s 3, and The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 5.

Digitally, we get early releases for Adachi and Shimamura 8 and I’m in Love with the Villainess 4.

ASH: I’m in line for the print personally, but still, hooray!

SEAN: Cross Infinite World debuts a new light novel series, I’d Rather Have a Cat than a Harem! Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game as a Cat-loving Villainess (Sonna Koto yori, Neko ga Kaitai ~ Otome Game no Sekai ni Tensei Shimashita ~). On the plus side, our reincarnated villainess has her old family as her reincarnated family in this world as well. On the down side, she’s still a villainess. How to solve this? …who cares? KITTY!

ASH: That was not a isekai variation I was expecting!

SEAN: Ghost Ship debuts Might as Well Cheat: I Got Transported to Another World Where I Can Live My Wildest Dreams! (Sekkaku Cheat wo Moratte Isekai ni Teni shita n dakara, Suki na you ni Ikitemitai), a Comic Ride title that adapts an unlicensed light novel. Our reincarnated hero may be able to make fantastic healing potions, but he’s not here to adventure – he’s here to check out the local sex workers!

J-Novel Club has some print stuff. We get Ascendance of a Bookworm manga 8 (aka Part 2 Volume 1), How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom manga omnibus 3, In Another World With My Smartphone 19, Marginal Operation 8, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 3.

ASH: Yay, Bookworm!

SEAN: Digitally we have Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 3, In Another World with My Smartphone 24, The Magician Who Rose from Failure 4, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! 5, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 8, and Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! 4.

Kodansha has the 4th and final volume of Boys Run the Riot in print, as well as the 11th and final Sweat and Soap. They’ve also got Living-Room Matsunaga-san 9, the print debut of Lovesick Ellie (which has been released previously digitally), Rent-A-(Really Shy!)-Girlfriend 2, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 8, and A Sign of Affection 4.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize Boys Run the Riot was so short. Hooray for Lovesick Ellie in print!

ASH: I somehow hadn’t realized that, either! Also, I finally got around to starting Sweat and Soap and it’s great. Really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

SEAN: Digitally we have two debuts. I Was Reincarnated with OP Invincibility, so I’ll Beat ’em Up My Way as an Action-Adventurer (Zettai ni Damage wo Ukenai Skill wo Moratta node, Boukensha to shite Musou shite miru) is a Suiyoubi no Sirius title that sounds like it will melt the skin off anyone who reads it.

It’s That Reincarnated-as-a-Virus Story (Virus Tensei kara Isekai Kansen Monogatari) is… well, a villainess story, sort of? It is also from Suiyoubi no Sirius, and yes, the protagonist is a virus that can cause a pandemic. Timely!

ASH: Quite.

ANNA: Maybe too timely for me.

SEAN: Also digital: Cells at Work! White Brigade 2, The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon! 7, My Roomie Is a Dino 6, Police in a Pod 8, SHAMAN KING & a garden 2, and Shangri-La Frontier 5.

One Peace has Farming Life in Another World 4, Multi-Mind Mayhem 2, and The New Gate 8.

Seven Seas has two debuts. Daily Report About My Witch Senpai (Majo-senpai Nichijou) is a shoujo Akita Shoten title from Manga Cross. An office worker’s senpai is a witch, as the title might suggest – and she’s overworking herself! Can he help?

The Dragon Knight’s Beloved (Ryukishi no Okiniiri) is a josei series from Comic ZERO-SUM, based on a webcomic. A young maid, who loves caring for the dragons at the castle, gets a startling request from a knight when she comes of age – pretend to be his lover!

ASH: You had me at dragons and josei.

ANNA: Woooo!

MELINDA: Oh!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear manga 6, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 3, and Reincarnated as a Sword 8.

Square Enix has the 4th manga volume for By the Grace of the Gods.

SuBLime has the 3rd and final volume of Bad Boys, Happy Home and The World’s Greatest First Love 15.

ASH: I liked the first volume of Bad Boys, Happy Home, so I should probably give the last two a read, too.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Assassin’s Creed Dynasty, which seems to be based on, besides the AC franchise, a Chinese webcomic.

As one series begins, another must end. So it is with Viz, which sees the debut of Pokémon Adventures: X•Y and the final volume of Pokémon: Sun & Moon. What are they about? Come on. They’re Pokémon manga.

Viz also has Star Wars: Tribute to Star Wars, an artbook with works from lots of Japanese creators, such as the creators of the Zelda manga, Witch Hat Atelier, and Tekkonkinkreet!

ASH: Oh! That should be pretty good, then!

SEAN: We also get Case Closed 81, Fly Me to the Moon 9, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 2, Mao 3, and Persona 5 8.

MICHELLE: I still need to check out Frieren and Mao.

ASH: Same, I’ll have to admit.

ANNA: Me too, although I think the first volume of Frieren is at least somewhere in my house.

SEAN: Lastly, Yen On has Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 7, Date A Live 4, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 8, and Torture Princess 7.5.

What manga are you being reincarnated as?

SEAN: Welcome to 2022, a year unlike any other (and hopefully nothing like 2020 or 2021). What manga do we have?

Well, we start with light novels, as Yen On debuts Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie (Akuyaku Reijou, Cecilia Sylvie wa Shinitakunai no de Dansou Suru Koto ni Shita). It’s an otome game villainess story, but this time our heroine, instead of changing the way she lives her life, decides to completely disguise herself… as a boy!

We also see Unnamed Memory 4.

Yen Press has just one title, and it’s an artbook. Visions 2021__Illustrators Book covers 170 artists from Pixiv, showing off their stunning artwork.

ASH: Other artbooks from Yen have been nicely done, so this definitely has potential.

SEAN: No debuts for Viz Media, but we do see the final volume of Love Me, Love Me Not.

MICHELLE: Man, already?!

ANNA: I’ve been collecting this series, but am several volumes behind. Looking forward to binge reading the rest of it.

SEAN: We do get a new side story, but as it’s one volume it’s more of a one-shot. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba–Stories of Water and Flame is a short story manga volume based on the super popular manga.

ASH: I’m far behind on Demon Slayer, but am still curious about this one.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 13, Dragon Ball Super 15, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 7, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 4, Moriarty the Patriot 6, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions 2, My Love Mix-Up! 2, Snow White with the Red Hair 17, Twin Star Exorcists 24, and Undead Unluck 5.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to more of My Love Mix-Up!.

ASH: Same!

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Tentai Books slipped out a release this week while I wasn’t looking. From Toxic Classmate to Girlfriend Goals (Yatarato Sasshi no Ii Ore wa, Dokuzetsu Kuudere Bishoujo no Chiisana Dere mo Minogasazu ni Guigui Iku) is another in what is almost becoming a genre, the “girl sitting next to me has a bad reputation but is really just covering up her embarrassment” genre.

ASH: I’ll admit to liking this particular subgenre.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts My Isekai Life 01: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! (Tensei Kenja no Isekai Life – Daini no Shokugyou o Ete, Sekai Saikyou ni Narimashita) has as its one thing different from all other books in the genre that our hero is not coming from Japan, but from a fantasy world where he already had a class. Just a weak one. Now he has two! And is strong!

We also see The Apothecary Diaries’ 4th manga and Ragna Crimson 4.

ASH: Looking forward to reading more of Apothecary Diaries.

MELINDA: I haven’t even started Apothecary Diaries but I admit to being very drawn to it for the title alone.

SEAN: Only one debut for Seven Seas, but it’s a biggie: Kamen Rider: the Classic Manga Collection. This 850-page omnibus has all 4 volumes of the original 1971 manga in hardcover format. This was the inspiration for most anything you’ve ever loved.

ASH: That’s a pretty easy sale for me.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor 13, Blue Giant 7-8, Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 3, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 13, Magaimono: Super Magic Action Entertainment 2 (the final volume), Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu 3 (also a final volume), The Tale of the Outcasts 4, and Time Stop Hero 3.

MICHELLE: I’ve been meaning to check out Blue Giant and Manly Appetites.

ASH: Manly Appetites has been a delight.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga has print books! Including the debut of The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon!, which came out digitally last year.

We also see Battle Angel Alita 4 and Eden’s Zero 14.

Debuting digitally is My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! (Oshi ga Tonari de Jugyou ni Shuuchuu Dekinai!), also in the ‘sweet romance with the girl sitting next to me’ genre, only this time our protagonist is also a girl.

ASH: I don’t mind that twist.

MELINDA: Here for it.

SEAN: ANN also reports that Kodansha has Hiraeth: The End of the Journey (Hiraeth wa Tabiji no Hate), a Morning Two title from the creator of Our Dreams at Dusk. It’s already an award winner, and starts off dark, as a woman who wants to see her friend who has died tries to kill herself. She’s stopped by two travelers who take her on a journey.

ASH: Oh!

MELINDA: This sounds potentially great.

SEAN: There’s also Girlfriend, Girlfriend 7, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 4, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 19, My Darling, the Company President 2, My Master Has No Tail 2, and Princess Resurrection Nightmare 7 (the final volume).

Kaiten Books has three new print titles for books they’ve previously released digitally. We get Loner Life in Another World 4 (manga), My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?! 2, and Welcome to the Outcast’s Restaurant! 1 (manga).

Quite a bit from J-Novel Club. The Apothecary Diaries 4, Black Summoner 7, Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend: Roomies and Romance 4, Hell Mode 2, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 7 (manga), I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! 3, Jessica Bannister and the Family Secrets (4th in the series), Marginal Operation 11, Monster Tamer 7, The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 2, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Wayward Journey 15, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 7.

ASH: That is quite a bit!

SEAN: There’s also more than usual for Ghost Ship. The debut is Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon (Fukafuka Dungeon Kouryakuki: Ore no Isekai Tensei Boukentan), which runs in Mag Garden’s Comic Blade. There’s a dungeon that has repelled even the strongest armies. But our recently dead and reincarnated from Japan hero knows how to take them on: with a group of hot and powerful women.

ASH: Obviously.

SEAN: Ghost Ship also has Ero Ninja Scrolls 2, JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World 2 (manga), Parallel Paradise 8, and Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 17.

Speaking of publishers sneaking out volumes without telling me, I’m TWO weeks late in noting that Inside Mari 8 is out from Denpa Books!

Dark Horse has the 8th Gantz omnibus.

Airship, in print, has Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 4.

And digitally they give us Planet of the Orcs 2.

Which of these titles gives you a Rider Kick?

SEAN: It’s the last week of 2021, what are publishers squeezing out the door?

Airship gives us How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 13 in print and Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 8 in early digital.

J-Novel Club puts out Infinite Dendrogram 16, John Sinclair: Demon Hunter 5, The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! 8 (manga), Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party 3 (manga), Perry Rhodan NEO 5, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 4 (manga).

Kodansha has a print box set debut: Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 1. We also see L*DK 17-18, My Boy 8, Peach Boy Riverside 4, Perfect World 9, Pretty Boy Detective Club’s 2nd manga volume, Rent-a-Girlfriend 10, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 5, and Vampire Dormitory 2.

ASH: Perfect World got away from me! I’ve apparently fallen a bit behind.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Her Majesty’s Swarm (Joou Heika no Isekai Senryaku), which runs in Suiyoubi no Sirius. Based on the light novel released here by J-Novel Club, it’s about a college girl who loves strategy games who suddenly finds herself inside of one… as the leader of the spider monsters!

ASH: I mean, I do like strategy games… (but I also like print.)

SEAN: We also get Back When You Called Us Devils 8, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 5, DAYS 27, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 22, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 2, Harem Marriage 12, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 2, My Boyfriend in Orange 11, Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 7, That’s My Atypical Girl 3, and With You and the Rain 2.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on DAYS.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts a new spinoff: My Next Life as a Villainess Side Story: On the Verge of Doom!. Our heroine is reborn as Katarina Claes, the villain of her favorite otome game, as per usual. Only… she’s already in school and bullying the heroine! How can she avoid death when she doesn’t have years to fix everything? This runs in Zero Sum Online.

Seven Seas also has Otaku Elf 3 and The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 4.

ASH: It’s been interesting to see another creator’s take on Dororo (one of my favorite Tezuka tales).

SEAN: Udon has the 9th volume of Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu.

Yen On debuts a title whose manga came out here last week: The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time (Nidome no Yuusha wa Fukushuu no Michi wo Warai Ayumu). It seems to contain everything I hate about light novels. But I’m sure people who are not me will enjoy it.

ASH: It takes all kinds!

SEAN: Lastly, Yen Press gives us Fiancée of the Wizard 4 (the final volume), I Was a Bottom-Tier Bureaucrat for 1,500 Years, and the Demon King Made Me a Minister 2, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 16, Love and Heart 4, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 2, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts 14, and Val x Love 10.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Fiancée of the Wizard a try, so this might be the ideal time to finally get around to doing that.

SEAN: That’s a relatively light week! What are you buying?

MICHELLE: Honestly, not much!

ANNA: Nothing for me, going to catch up on all the unread manga piles in my house.

MELINDA: Same here, unfortunately.

SEAN: If you buy these books they probably WON’T get there by Christmas. Santa is sad.

Yen On has one title: Kingdom Hearts: The Complete Novel Collector’s Edition. This box set collects 12 novels, along with a box, prints, and a keychain. It’s a must for Kingdom Hearts fans! (I am guessing, not being a Kingdom Hearts fan.)

ASH: I haven’t read the series myself, but that does look like a pretty sweet set.

SEAN: Three debuts for Yen Press. The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time (Nidome no Yuusha wa Fukushuu no Michi wo Warai Ayumu) is a Comic Walker adaptation of the light novel due out from Yen On, erm, next week. If you love everything I hate about light novels, this is absolutely the title for you. It almost drips with ichor.

I’ve Become an Omega Today (Kyou Kara Omega ni Narimashita) is a BL title from Media Factory’s Comic Fleur, and is complete in one volume. Our hero’s in love with his best friend… but his best friend is an Alpha, and he’s a Beta!… OR IS HE?

ASH: Duhn, duhn, duhn!

Let This Grieving Soul Retire!: Woe Is the Weakling Who Leads the Strongest Party (Nageki no Bourei wa Intai Shitai – Saijaku Hunter ni Yoru Saikyou Party Ikuseijutsu) is a manga based on a light novel licensed by the late unlamented Sol Press. Our protagonist has vowed to become a hero along with his friends!… but they’re talented, he is not. What can he do? Well, he can beg and plead!

Also out next week: I’m the Catlord’s Manservant 2, Murcielago 17, and So I’m a Spider, So What? 10.

Get your children the Christmas Gift all families enjoy: Deserter: Junji Ito Story Collection. Out from Viz, it has 100% more melting faces than Santa normally provides.

ASH: Happy! I’m still here for it.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Fist of the North Star 3, Golden Kamuy 24, Levius/est 9, Maison Ikkoku Collector’s Edition 6, and Real 15… wait, what? Real? As in the wheelchair basketball manga? As in Vol. 14 of Real came out in 2016? That Real? Holy guacamole!

MICHELLE: !!!! I had given up hope on seeing more Real!

ANNA: I think I only have the first five volumes, but I’ll order this on principle!

ASH: I’m excited for quite a few of these, but Real is one of my top series ever, so I’m absolutely thrilled to see a new volume being released.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment gives us Persona 5: Mementos Mission, which I think is also a Comic Walker title. As for the premise, well, it’s a Persona manga.

Square Enix Manga has Beauty and the Feast 2.

ASH: I didn’t enjoy the first volume as much as I expected I would, but I’m always glad for food-oriented manga.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a pile of debuts. Cat Massage Therapy (Neko no Massageya-san) is a josei manga from Comic Qurie. If you liked cat as a barista, you’ll love cat as a massage therapist!

MICHELLE: Oh, jeez. “As the professional “meowsseur” digs soft toe beans into Nekoyama’s aching muscles, his heart warms and his worries melt away.” I think this is too much even for me, lover of both cats and josei manga.

ANNA: LOL

SEAN: The Country Without Humans (Ningen no inai Kuni) runs in Futabasha’s Manga Action. The last human in the world tries to survive and make friends. This has ‘hauntingly beautiful tragedy’ written all over it.

ASH: That’s a subgenre I generally appreciate.

SEAN: Lupin III: Greatest Heists – The Classic Manga Collection is a curated collection of the best of Monkey Punch’s manga that inspired the incredibly popular franchise. It was specially [published in Japan after his death. Now we have it.

ASH: I somehow completely forgot about this license!

SEAN: The Savior’s Book Café Story in Another World (Isekai ni Kyuuseishu to shite Yobaremashita ga, Around 30 ni wa Muri na no de, hissori Book Café Hajimemashita) is a shoujo title from Ura Sunday Jyoshibu. A woman is summoned to another world to save it!… but hell, she’s over 30 and tired, so no thanks. Instead she’ll start a book cafe. No, the novel it’s based on isn’t licensed.

ANNA: This sounds amusing.

ASH: If I’m going to read isekai, a book-themed series is probably where I’ll turn. (Also, “over 30 and tired” hits home for me…)

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest ZERO 5, Berserk of Gluttony 4, Dragon Goes House Hunting 7, and The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 4.

And they also have an early digital version of I’m in Love with the Villainess 2 (manga).

One Peace has The Riding of the Shield Hero 22.

No print debuts for Kodansha, but we see Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost 3, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest 9, Fire Force 25, Hitorijime My Hero 11, and In/Spectre 14.

Digitally the debut is My Darling, the Company President (Darling wa Shachou-kun). This josei title from Ane Friend is about a “plain” office lady who finds the new company president is the boy she used to tutor! I hear this one is spicy.

Also digital: Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 2, Blue Lock 10, Boss Wife 3, Doing His Best to Confess 2, GTO Paradise Lost 16, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 5, I Want To Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die 8, and Our Bodies, Entwining, Entwined 2.

MICHELLE: I need to get on the Blue Lock train before it completely passes me by. Doing His Best to Confess also looks cute.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has Ascendance of a Bookworm 16, Der Werwolf 13, Holmes of Kyoto 7, Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party 8, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ 3, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 17, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 7. Rozemyne for Christmas!

ASH: Speaking of book-themed isekai, hooray for Bookworm!

SEAN: Lastly, Airship has, in print, Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 3. And in early digital form we get Disciple of the Lich: Or How I Was Cursed by the Gods and Dropped Into the Abyss! 2.

What’s in your stocking?