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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Anna N

Pick of the Week: Two Strong Titles

May 10, 2021 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Katherine Dacey, Anna N, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: I’m pleased about quite a few things this week. I need to get caught up on Ace of the Diamond and Those Snow White Notes, The Springtime of My Life Began with You looks potentially cute, and I’m intrigued by Ride Your Wave. Still, it’s gotta be the debut of I Think Our Son Is Gay for me this week.

SEAN: I am assuming that I Think Our Son Is Gay will deservedly get a lot of love this week from others, so allow me to highly recommend My Alcoholic Escape from Reality, the latest of Nagata Kabi’s compelling, if painful, memoirs. Also, go watch her panel at Virtual TCAF this Wednesday night!

KATE: I Think Our Son Is Gay tops my list for this week’s must-read manga!

ANNA: I Think Our Son Is Gay has my attention too!

ASH: Perhaps unsurprisingly, I Think Our Son Is Gayis my top pick this week, too. But I’d also like to join Sean in highlighting My Alcoholic Escape from Reality. I expect both of them to be potent, albeit in entirely different ways.

MJ: I’m with the majority of the group here, in that my top pick for the week is I Think Our Son Is Gay. It looks sweet and adorable, and that’s what I’m in the mood for right now!

Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK

Manga the Week of 5/12/21

May 6, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: Happy Mother’s Day! Let’s look for some manga that you can safely show to Mom.

Airship has two early digital releases, Adachi & Shimamura 5 and Failure Frame 2.

Debuting in print is Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist. And we get the 2nd Muscles Are Better Than Magic as well.

ASH: I didn’t pick it up digitally, but am still vaguely intrigued by Drugstore in Another World.

MJ: I’m intrigued by the title alone.

SEAN: Dark Horse has a 6th omnibus volume for Gantz.

J-Novel Club has a few digital manga titles that I missed last time that are out this week. Apologies to An Archdemon’s Dilemma 5, Bibliophile Princess 2, and Record of Wortenia War 2. This is the danger of not adding “LLC” to your searches.

ASH: It can make a difference.

SEAN: As for this week, in terms of manga we have Ascendance of a Bookworm 7 and Mapping 2.

In terms of digital light novels, we get The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 9 and In Another World with My Smartphone 22.

Kodansha has a few print volumes next week. We get Don’t Toy with me, Miss Nagatoro 7, Sachi’s Monstrous Appetite 2, and Yuzu the Pet Vet 5.

MICHELLE: I still need to check out Yuzu.

ASH: I’ll have to admit the same.

MJ: And I.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is The Springtime of My Life Began with You (Kimi to Aoi Haru no Hajimari), a shoujo title from Dessert. The author’s had a lot of titles out over here, some from Kodansha (The Dorm of Love and Secrets, The Prince’s Romance Gambit) and some via Media Do’s many and varied company names (Heart Break Club). A popular guy is forced, as a punishment game, to ask out the quiet, shy girl in front of the whole class. The trouble is… he insists he really likes her!

ANNA: Those popular guys and their shenanigans!

MICHELLE: I know this concept is not the greatest, but I think the cover is pretty and enjoyed The Dorm of Love and Secrets, so I’ll be giving this a shot.

SEAN: We also get Ace of the Diamond 32, My Roomie Is a Dino 5, Nina the Starry Bride 2, Peach Boy Riverside 7, Saint Young Men 12, and Those Snow White Notes 4, voted “series most likely to get behind on” by Manga Bookshelf.

ANNA: I haven’t read the first volume so I’m sure I’m behind.

MICHELLE: Gah, so behind. It’s coming out especially quickly for some reason! I’m also in need of a mini-marathon on Ace of the Diamond.

SEAN: One Peace has the 2nd volume of isekai harem title Farming Life in Another World.

Seven Seas has FOUR debuts next week. We’ll start with My Alcoholic Escape from Reality (Genjitsu Touhi Shitetara Boroboro ni Natta Hanashi), the latest biographical manga from the creator of My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, which promises to be as riveting as the previous book’s she’s given us. It ran in Matogrosso, put out by small publisher East Press.

ANNA: Oh wow.

ASH: They’re good but hard-hitting manga.

SEAN: Ride Your Wave (Kimi to, Nami ni Noretara) is a one-volume manga adaptation of the movie of the same name, and ran in Shogakukan’s Deluxe Betsucomi.

MICHELLE: Hm. It’s sports-adjacent, seems like.

SEAN: School Zone Girls is a title from Mag Garden’s MagComi about two troublemaking girls who’ve been together forever, but are they more than just friends? This seems to emphasize the comedy over the yuri.

Lastly, we get Thigh High: Reiwa Hanamaru Academy (Reiwa Hanamaru Gakuen), a Kodansha title from good! Afternoon, and is about an all-girls school… populated entirely by gorgeous crossdressing men. This one also seems to emphasize the comedy.

ASH: This could be hilariously good or hilariously bad – I’m not sure that I can resist finding out which.

MJ: I really don’t know what to expect from this.

SEAN: Also out: Dungeon Builder 4 and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 5.

Square Enix debuts I Think Our Son Is Gay (Uchi no Musuko wa Tabun Gay), a Gangan Pixiv title about a mom who has realized that her son is keeping a secret. This is supposed to be very good.

ANNA: I’m curious.

MICHELLE: Same.

ASH: Really looking forward to this one.

MJ: I’m excited to read this one!

SEAN: They also have By the Grace of the Gods’ 2nd manga volume.

SuBLime wins the title of the week competition with the debut of Dick Fight Island (8nin no Senshi), a long-running title from Libre Shuppan’s Be x Boy Gold. The synopsis… is pretty much not work safe, but can probably be guessed from the title.

ANNA: I don’t think anyone could buy that manga and be confused about what they’re getting.

MICHELLE: Snerk.

ASH: I likewise suspect that it is unlikely.

MJ: I mean. Well.

SEAN: They also have Vol. 2 of Don’t Be Cruel: plus+.

Speaking of BL, Tokyopop has a one-shot title, The Treasure of the King and the Cat (Ou to Neko no Himitsu), about a king investigating a series of disappearances who gets caught up in magic.

They also have Ossan Idol 3.

No debuts for Viz, but we get Fly Me to the Moon 5, Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition 13, Pokemon Sun & Moon 10, Rin-Ne 39, Splatoon 12, A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow 7, and Yo-Kai Watch 17.

ASH: Some great ongoing series in that list!

SEAN: That’s it. See anything maternal? I Think Our Son Is Gay looks like the best choice. I’d avoid Dick Fight Island. Unless your mom loves BL.

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

Pick of the Week: It Must Have Been the Roses

May 3, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown, Katherine Dacey and MJ 2 Comments

SEAN: Come on. We all know what it is. This is the last time we can pick it, so it HAS to be the 5th and final volume of The Rose of Versailles. It’s just that good.

MICHELLE: Forsooth. And we’re all so grateful the whole thing actually got released!

ANNA: Me too, it is amazing!

ASH: I agree, the pick really can’t be anything other than The Rose of Versailles. The series is absolutely one of the gems of my bookshelf. I’m so, so glad we got such a nice release.

KATE: C’mon… what did you think I would pick: Skeleton Knight in Another World?!!! I’m also on Team Oscar this week. I gotta see how it all ends!

MJ: I mean, obviously. It’s The Rose of Versailles.

Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK

Manga the Week of 5/5/21

April 29, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: May Comes In Like a Tiger! What manga do we have next week?

Airship has an early digital release of Hello World, a one-shot SF novel about a boy whose future self returns to help him save his future girlfriend… or so he says. This sounds like it’s for fans of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and others in that genre.

MICHELLE: Sounds interesting!

ASH: I’m intrigued!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: They’ve also got Monster Girl Doctor Zero (a prequel), an early digital volume of Mushoku Tensei 11, and print volumes for The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent 3 and PENGUINDRUM 3 (the final volume).

ASH: One of these days I’ll actually read PENGUINDRUM.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has a 2nd volume of Reincarnated As the Last of My Kind.

In print, J-Novel Club has Ascendance of a Bookworm 5 (manga), I Shall Survive Using Potions 5, Infinite Dendrogram 12, and My Next Life As a Villainess 7.

Digitally, they debut a new light novel in their Heart series, Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower (Ikka Koukyuu Ryourichou). It sounds, honestly, a lot like The Apothecary Diaries only with food replacing medicine.

ASH: That sounds like a good combination to me!

SEAN: Also digitally is Altina the Sword Princess: Loose Threads (aka Vol. 7.5) and Altina the Sword Princess 8, Ascendance of a Bookworm 12, and Cooking with Wild Game 12.

Kaiten Books has a 4th volume of the Loner Life in Another World manga.

No print debuts for Kodansha Manga, but we do get Attack on Titan 33, Boarding School Juliet 14, Eden’s Zero 11, and Weathering With You 3, a final volume.

Digitally the debut is With the Sheikh in His Harem (Sheik-sama to Harem de), a Nakayoshi title. That cover, featuring the palest sheikh ever. That synopsis (girl is proposed to by rich man, who won’t take no for an answer). Remember when Nakayoshi was far younger in focus than it seems to be now? Recommended for Harlequin fans.

We also get the 2nd and final volume of Araki Won’t Be Tamed (whose cover I just have to link to, because YIKES), The 2nd Girlfriend, Girlfriend, My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought 4, and My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1 5.

ASH: That cover, my goodness!

SEAN: Seven Seas has The Dungeon of Black Company 6, Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu 2, Skeleton Knight in Another World 6 (manga), and SUPER HxEROS 2.

ASH: I’m really looking forward to reading more of Manly Appetites; the first volume was delightful.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has the 5th and final volume of The Rose of Versailles, including extra manga short stories Ikeda wrote in the 80s. Thank you so much for finally giving us this title in English.

ANNA: Yes. I’m still pinching myself about this.

MICHELLE: Me, too!

ASH: I continue to be absolutely thrilled we finally have this in translation.

MJ: Again, same here!

SEAN: Viz has a Shonen Jump debut, with Undead Unluck. A girl whose luck is so bad it kills people tries to kill herself, only to run into an undead man who can’t die. Together they discover they’re being hunted by a secret organization. Despite the worst possible 2-page opening spread I’ve seen in the history of Jump, I have heard this is quite good.

ASH: I have likewise heard good things.

MJ: I have heard nothing, because apparently I live under a rock, but this sounds kind of great.

SEAN: There are also three long-runners coming to a close next week. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has the 9th book of Arc 4, so we finish off Diamond Is Unbreakable. Worry not, Golden Wind is coming. Daytime Shooting Star and Shortcake Cake, meanwhile, both end with a 12th volume.

ANNA: I like Shortcake Cake and Daytime Shooting Star for entirely different reasons.

MICHELLE: Me too. I look forward to finishing both.

SEAN: We also get Black Cover 25, Boruto 11, Haikyu!! 44, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 19, The King’s Beast 2, Love Me, Love Me Not 8, The Promised Neverland 19, Snow White with the Red Hair 13, and World Trigger 22.

ANNA: Looking forward to The King’s Beast and Snow White.

MICHELLE: I’m following (or attempting to follow) most of these! Penultimate volumes for Haikyu!! and The Promised Neverland, also.

ASH: Ditto all of the above!

SEAN: Yen On has a light novel debut with The King of the Dead at the Dark Palace (Kuraki Kyuuden no Shisha no Ou), a dark fantasy about a sickly boy who dies and reincarnates… as a sickly undead who must obey his master.

They’ve also got Reign of the Seven Spellblades 2, which has a lot to live up to to top its excellent first volume.

On the Yen Press tip, we get manga debuts for the two light novels that came out in April, as we see Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 1, which runs in Comp Ace, and Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 1, which runs in, believe it or not, Dengeki Playstation.

Lastly, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria’s 15th manga volume.

Mayday! Mayday! Throw me a manga!

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

Pick of the Week: Many Choices

April 26, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Katherine Dacey, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: I don’t think I have ever chosen a light novel as a pick before, but I Have a Secret seems like exactly the sort of light novel I would love, by which I mean its cover is shoujo-tastic and no one has apparently been reincarnated or summoned into another world. I look forward to checking it out!

KATE: I’m always interested in Shuzo Oshimi’s work, so Shino Can’t Say Her Name vaults to the top of my list. My inner musicologist, however, is intrigued by Those Snow White Notes, so I’m going to add that to my pick and hope I can start reading it sooner rather than later. (Those digital releases really sneak up on you!)

SEAN: I was a big fan of Dorohedoro, so it’s not a big surprise that my pick is the new manga by its author, Dai Dark, I’m sure it will be far too violent for my tastes, but I will read it anyway, because some authors you read just because they’re COOL.

ASH: I’m interested in everything mentioned so far, but I’m joining Sean this week in picking Dai Dark. I’ll admit, I don’t even know what it’s about, but I loved Dorohedoro and am looking forward to reading more of Q Hayashida’s work a great deal.

ANNA: I’m going to pick I’m the Catlords’ Manservant because it sounds ridiculous and that’s what I’m in the mood for right now.

MJ: Okay, I’ve been out of the loop lately for multiple reasons, but apparently there’s a manga called I’m the Catlords’ Manservant and it originated in GFantasy. Based on those two things alone, I must read it. I simply must. So there you have it.

Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK

Manga the Week of 4/28/21

April 22, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: The end of April and there’s still so much going on.

Airship has two digital-early debuts. I Have a Secret (Kakushigoto) is the latest one-shot by the author of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, and is not related to the manga and anime series Kakushigoto. It’s all about unspoken feelings in high school.

MICHELLE: Ooh. This sounds my speed.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed the manga adaptations of this author’s works; I really need to make a point to read some of the originals.

SEAN: The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary (Kuitsume Youhei no Gensou Kitan) is a fantasy series about a man, the sole survivor of a battle that killed off all those important to him, who hires himself out as a merc. Sadly, most people just want to use him. Can he find an ally? This is a long-running LN series in Japan, with 15 volumes to date.

We also get the last of the deluge of Alice in the Country of digital editions, the light novel Alice in the Country of Diamonds: Bet On My Heart. Lastly, there’s a 3rd volume of Roll Over and Die out early digitally.

Denpa Books’ website says they have the debut of Shino Can’t Say Her Name (Shino-chan wa Jibun no Namae ga Ienai), a one-shot from the creator of Flowers of Evil, Happiness, etc. that promises to be a bit lighter in tone than those titles. It ran in Ohta Shuppan’s Pocopoco, and is about a girl with severe social anxiety. This seems to take a less comedic take than Komi Can’t Communicate.

MICHELLE: I will likely check this one out.

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Destiny Lovers 6, Parallel Paradise 5, World’s End Harem 10, and Yokai Girls 13.

J-Novel Club has a quartet of titles, as we get Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 36, Record of Wortenia War 10, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 14, and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Reckless Journey 3 (manga).

Debuting in print for Kodansha is Chasing After Aoi Koshiba (Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara), a yuri manga from Ichijinsha’s Comic REX. It’s got the writer of Masamune-kun’s Revenge (ehh…) and the artist of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (yay!). A girl hopes to meet up with her first love at a reunion. (Yes. Yes, I know. It got bumped at the last minute.)

ASH: I thought that sounded familiar!

SEAN: They’ve also got the 8th Bakemonogatari manga and the 8th Kino’s Journey manga, which is also the final volume in the adaptation.

The digital debut is And Yet, You Are So Sweet (Na no ni, Chigira-kun ga Amasugiru), a Dessert title about a girl who just got rejected and the popular guy who hears about this and offers to help with her problem. But will she fall for him?

MICHELLE: Sounds a bit like Say I Love You., but I’m totally down for it.

ANNA: Me too, if only it wasn’t a digital only title because I will likely forget that it exists.

SEAN: We also get The Dawn of the Witch 2, DAYS 23, Harem Marriage 4, Those Snow White Notes 3, What I Love About You 5, and When We’re in Love 7.

MICHELLE: Yay for more DAYS! Also, how am I this far behind on Those Snow White Notes already?!

ASH: It does seem to be on a quick release schedule!

SEAN: One Peace Books has The Rising of the Shield Hero 19.

Seven Seas’ debut is Dai Dark, the latest series from the creator of Dorohedoro. It runs in Shogakukan’s Monthly Shonen Sunday, and should appeal to all fans of her previous work, and likely will be just as violent as her previous work.

ASH: I am so looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Also out: Alice & Zoroku 8, The Ancient Magus’ Bride 14, The Demon Girl Next Door 2, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 3, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 8, My Room Is a Dungeon Rest Stop 4, and Syrup: A Yuri Anthology 3.

MICHELLE: I look forward to getting caught up on The Ancient Magus’ Bride!

ASH: I’ve some catching up to do, too, but I really do enjoy the series.

SEAN: Square Enix has the 6th Hi Score Girl.

Yen On’s debut next week is a two-fer light novel adaptation of a Makoto Shinkai work: 5 Centimeters per Second + Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Now you can be depressed but also moved in prose!

ASH: I somehow missed that there were two 5 Centimeters per Second novels – Vertical released another one a couple years ago, too.

SEAN: Also out: Accel World 24, The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life 6, Baccano! 16, The Eminence in Shadow 3, The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) 6, High School DxD 3, The Irregular at Magic High School 16, King of the Labyrinth 2, Torture Princess 7, Wolf and Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf 5, Woof Woof Story 6, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 2, and You Call That Service? 3. Some long awaited titles there: Irregular at Magic High School and You Call That Service haven’t had a volume out in over a year.


Four Yen Press debuts. After School Hanako-kun (Houkago Shounen Hanako-kun) is a comedy spinoff of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. It runs in PFantasy, which I can only assume is like a spinoff of Shonen Panpan? No, that just sounds like a dirty Japanese schoolboy. Anyway, it’s probably an online spinoff of the main magazine.

ASH: I like the main series, so will likely give this one a try, too.

SEAN: I Was a Bottom-Tier Bureaucrat for 1,500 Years, and the Demon King Made Me a Minister (Hira Yakunin Yatte 1500-nen, Maou no Chikara de Daijin ni Sare Chaimashita) is the manga adaptation of the light novel we saw last month. It ran in Gangan Online.

I’m the Catlords’ Manservant (Boku wa Oneko-sama no Geboku desu) is about, as many manga are, a child having to pay off their parents’ massive debt. This one does so by serving shapeshifting cats. This runs in GFantasy, which means it’ll interest MJ, probably.

ANNA: I am just amused by the description of this manga.

ASH: New cat manga!

MJ: I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED. Also, yes. Yes. BRING IT TO ME.

SEAN: Your Turn to Die: Majority Vote Death Game (Kimi ga Shine -Tasuuketsu Death Game-) reminds us that death game manga are still apparently a thing. It’s based on a game, runs in Shonen Ace, and… well, it’s a death game manga. Come on.

Also coming out next week: Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance 2.

MICHELLE: Yay!

ANNA: I was slightly underwhelmed by the first volume but maybe the second volume will sell me on the series.

SEAN: That ended up being quite a bit. Anything you’re picking up?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

Pick of the Week: Hana-chan and the Picks of the Week

April 19, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: There are a lot of debuts, any one of which I should be picking here. That said, the title I’m likely most interested in is the third and final volume of Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World, where the author of Baccano! and Durarara!! attempts to take Bleach’s ludicrously large supporting cast and do something interesting with them, and while he may not quite succeed, the attempt is certainly better than Tite Kubo’s was.

MICHELLE: I’m intrigued by Superwomen in Love! and am quite sure I will like Blue Giant, but I will pick Blue Flag this time. I really, really loved the first two volumes and it’s high time I got caught up!

ASH: There are so many great manga being released this week! In addition to the ones already mentioned, I’m also looking forward to getting my hands on the latest Junji Ito title, Lovesickness, as well as Shotaro Ishinomori’s SUPER SENTAI: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger. My official pick this week goes to Hana-chan and the Shape of the World, though.

ANNA: There’s a lot that’s intriguing this week, but I’m with Michelle, I’m most enthusiastic about more Blue Flag.

MJ: There are a number of things I’m interested in this week, including all the aforementioned manga plus Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide, but I’m with Ash this week. My pick has to be Hana-chan and the Shape of the World. It sounds just lovely.

Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol 7

April 15, 2021 by Anna N

An Incurable Case of Love Volume 7 by Maki Enjoji

Especially in these pandemic times, sometimes I just want to read something light and fairly predictable. I don’t want surprise plot twists or social commentary, but seeing a couple work through and resolve all the impediments to their romance and end up with a happy ending is often just the diversion that I’m looking for. The Shojo Beat “stealth josei” titles like An Incurable Case of Love tend to be limited, with only one or two coming out at a time but I really enjoy them.

An Incurable Case of Love Volume 7

This is the final volume of An Incurable Case of Love! I’ve been feeling like the past couple volumes have been stretching out the story a little too much, this would probably have been a very tight 5 volume series as opposed to a slightly meandering 7 volume series, but I very much enjoyed it overall. I’m a sucker for repeated plot tropes and anything in shoujo manga that reminds me of a k-drama, so I was delighted when there was a time skip involved when Dr. Tendo had to study abroad for a number of years only to finally reunite with Nanase at the end. I do not feel like I’m even revealing any major spoilers as all of this has been telegraphed to the reader all along. Still, by the end of the manga the Dark Lord and the Valiant One have become an adorable couple and it is nice to see Nanase win in her steadfast goal of bagging the one doctor that she feel in love with at first sight so many years ago. For fans of predictable workplace romance, An Incurable Case of Love absolutely delivers. I’m hoping to get some more josei titles that are set in places beyond offices, because this series was amusing and the medical setting gave the author plenty of opportunities to explore extra drama.

Filed Under: Manga Reviews, REVIEWS Tagged With: An Incurable Case of Love, Josei, shojo beat, viz media

Manga the Week of 4/21/21

April 15, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: The end of April, and the daffodils are blooming. What manga do we have?

Airship gives us a print version of the 10th Mushoku Tensei novel and digital versions of The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter 4 and PENGUINDRUM 3 (the final volume).

ASH: I still need to read PENGUINDRUM.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has new digital volumes, as we get Full Metal Panic! 11, The Great Cleric 2, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 15, and My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me 2.

In print… theoretically… Kodansha Manga has the 7th volume of My Boy, a former Vertical title. It’s nowhere on their website, but all the major outlets list it.

The digital debut is The Honey-blood Beauty & Her Vampire (Mitsugetsuhime to Vampire), a shoujo title from Palcy about a vampire and his charge, a girl whose blood tastes amazing. This comes with the usual “lead guy is pervert and sadist” warning that a lot of these shoujo titles do. I’m sure he will get better, it’s only 4 volumes.

MICHELLE: I’ll be passing on this one.

ANNA: Me too.

MJ: Ugh.

SEAN: There’s also Blue Lock 2, Dr. Ramune -Mysterious Disease Specialist- 4, A Girl & Her Guard Dog 3, Orient 11, We’re New at This 5, and Will It Be the World or Her? 4.

The big debut for Seven Seas is SUPER SENTAI: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger. This manga ran in Weekly Shonen Sunday in the mid-1970s, and almost every sentai series since owes a debt to it. You may recognize the author from Cyborg 009 or Kamen Rider. It’s in one big deluxe hardcover, containing the whole manga.

ANNA: Sounds cool, I’m glad that we’re getting more retro manga!

ASH: I really enjoyed what we got of Cyborg 009, and I’m likewise excited to see older titles being licensed!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: The other debut also involves heroics, but in a more yuri way. Superwomen in Love! Honey Trap and Rapid Rabbit (Hero-san to Moto Onna Kanbu-san) is a Yuri Hime title about a villainess who can’t defeat her arch-nemesis… as she finally sees her face and is in love! Cast out of her villain society, she ends up moving in with the hero. I’ve heard very good things about this.

ASH: I’m not particularly interested in superheroics, but my curiosity is piqued.

MJ: I’m intrigued!

SEAN: Digitally we get Alice in the Country of Joker: The Nightmare Trilogy, which as you might guess is three volumes.

There’s also the 4th Arifureta Zero manga, Blue Giant Omnibus 3-4, Magika Swordsman and Summoner 14, PENGUINDRUM 4 (the manga this time), and Tamamo-chan’s a Fox! 2.

ANNA: I still have the fist volume of Blue Giant sitting on my bookshelf unread but I’m looking forward to reading it!

ASH: I actually have read the first omnibus and am definitely looking forward to reading more of Blue Giant.

SEAN: Tokyopop has three debuts. I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway! (Akuyaku Reijou Desu ga, Kouyaku Taishou no Yousu ga Ijou Sugiru) is from TO Books’ Corona Comics, is based on a light novel, and the plot you can probably guess. That said, it’s surprisingly serious-minded.

Laughing Under the Clouds (Donten ni Warau) is a new shoujo series from Mag Garden’s Comic Avarus. This historical tragedy has spawned many sequels, and deals with three brothers hired to bring criminals to a prison.

The last debut is Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide (Bokura no Chikyuu no Arukikata), another Mag Garden title about two men taking a vacation around the world before they marry each other. The vacation is the point of the manga.

MICHELLE: Huh. That might be interesting.

MJ: This does sound interesting.

SEAN: The debut for Viz is a new Junji Ito story collection, this one called Lovesickness. it’s a 400-page hardcover of more of the author’s scariest works.

ASH: I’m always here for Junji Ito manga.

MJ: Count me in!

SEAN: Also coming out: Asadora 2, the 3rd and final novel for Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World, Blue Flag 7, Golden Kamuy 21, and Ultraman 15.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Blue Flag.

ASH: I just recently caught up on it myself; it’s good!

SEAN: Yen On has reprints of Haruhi Suzumiya 7 & 8, the third and final volume of A Mysterious Job Called Oda Nobunaga, and Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 6.

Yen Press debuts Hana and the Shape of the World (Hana-chan to, Sekai no Katachi), a one-shot collection revolving around a young girl exploring her town. This ran in Comic Beam.

ASH: I’m expecting this one to be good – it was one of the jury selections from last year’s Japan Media Arts Festival.

MJ: This sounds lovely.

SEAN: There’s also a 2nd Cirque du Freak omnibus, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 2, Mint Chocolate 2, Plunderer 7, RaW Hero 4, Sasaki and Miyano 2, So I’m a Spider, So What? 9, and Yowamushi Pedal 17.

Vampires? Sentai? Villainesses? Vacationing gay men? What holds your interest the most?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

Pick of the Week: Brides, Princesses, and Vampires

April 12, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N and Ash Brown Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: There are new volumes of several series I enjoy coming out, and I’ll definitely be picking those up, but what grabs my attention the most is a josei debut. Nina the Starry Bride doesn’t have the most original-sounding plot, it seems, but a) it’s josei and b) I can’t help it—that cover is just really neat! I look forward to checking it out.

SEAN: I love josei manga, and will certainly check out Nina. But my pick(s) are the one-two punch of Shonen Sunday titles, as Komi Can’t Communicate and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle are two of my top favorites right now.

ANNA: I’m interested in Nina the Starry Bride but I’m also curious about Call of the Night because I generally like Shonen Sunday titles and vampires!

ASH: Since it’ll be the last time that I can choose it, I Hear the Sunspot: Limit gets my official pick this week. I’ve been greatly enjoying the series and its predecessors from the beginning, so I don’t expect that to change with the ending.

Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK

Call of the Night Vol 1

April 11, 2021 by Anna N

Call of the Night Volume 1 by Kotoyama

I’m always a little curious about Shonen Sunday titles, as they tend to be a little more sophisticated than Shonen Jump manga so I was intrigued by the idea of a shonen vampire romance like Call of the Night. Ko Yamori starts out by being the typical hapless shonen protagonist but he’s isolated and has just started having terrible insomnia. He’s not attending school regularly and one night he slips out of his house and starts wandering around in the middle of the night while searching up ideas for insomnia cures on his phone. Seeing many people posting about the benefits of alcohol he stands in front of a vending machine contemplating buying a beer when he’s suddenly accosted by a mysterious blond girl in a cloak who says she can help him if he’s having trouble sleeping. She brings Ko back to her place to crash, and he quickly discovers that his new acquaintance is a vampire named Nazuna.

Call of the Night

Ko finds the idea of becoming a vampire immediately intriguing but Nazuna finds the topic incredibly embarrassing because the only way for a human to become a vampire is to fall in love with one and let that vampire drink from them. Ko is determined to make this happen, and while Nazuna likes to joke about sex, the idea of any type of emotional intimacy is something that she shies away from. Ko and Nazuna keep finding each other in the middle of the night and hanging out. There’s an undercurrent of loneliness to this manga that makes it a little more interesting and poignant than I was expecting, as Ko and Nazuna keep seeking each other out. Ko’s not done with the human world though, as he reconnects with an old friend of his who encourages him to go back to school. Kotoyama’s art is stylized and angular, making the world of the night seem more mysterious. I definitely felt intrigued by the end of the first volume and I’m curious to see how this relationship will develop over time.

Filed Under: Manga Reviews, REVIEWS Tagged With: call of the night, Shonen, viz media

Penguin Gentlemen

April 7, 2021 by Anna N

Penguin Gentlemen by Kishi Ueno

The premise of this manga – penguins who happen to run a cafe where they are all very buff men wearing tuxedos – seemed so ridiculous I couldn’t help wanting to check it out. This single volume manga certainly gets the deluxe treatment, with a hardcover edition and plenty of color pages. Now and then I really enjoy a didactic manga, and that’s what Ueno delivers. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of a storyline focusing on penguin cafe work, because I enjoy a good food manga as well, but for readers who want to dramatically up their knowledge of penguin behavior, species variants, and random facts about penguin habitats this is the book for you!

Penguin Gentlemen

The character designs are one of the most amusing aspects of the book, as Ueno showcases differences in penguin markings and size into the hair styles and tuxedo uniforms of all the waiters. The main boss of the cafe is the King penguin, who is dwarfed in size by the stoic Emperor penguin who looms over everyone. The penguin gentlemen discuss their characteristics in the setting of the cafe, with plenty of comedic bits. The characters switch back and forth often between their anthropomorphic human forms and their natural states as penguins, but Ueno is great at rendering the heightened emotions of the characters even when they are in bird form. I read this book in several sittings, simply because I was not able to absorb all the information about penguin egg hatching, body language, and markings without a break here and there. The last section of the book that focuses on penguin courtship rituals is particularly hilarious. If someone wants to learn many scientific facts about penguins and be entertained along the way, Penguin Gentlemen certainly delivers.

Filed Under: Manga Reviews, REVIEWS Tagged With: penguin gentlemen, yen press

Moriarty the Patriot Vols 1 and 2

April 7, 2021 by Anna N

Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi

I was intrigued by the concept of Moriarty the Patriot, because I was curious how the manga would flip Moriarty from being the antagonist into being the protagonist of his own story. It turns out that Moriarty has an intrinsically sympathetic goal – full scale class warfare! This first volume details how the evil mastermind Moriarty is adopted into a family of nobles, with a slightly sociopathic older brother named Albert who is determined to wage war against the nobility with the benefit of his younger brother’s genius.

The chapters in this first volume often involve an episodic approach to plot, with Moriarty intervening in the lives of people who’ve been taken advantage of by so-called nobility. His focus on revenge is certainly satisfying, and by the end of the volume, he’s surrounded himself with a core group of companions who are similarly bent on striking back against the British class system.

Moriarty the Patriot Volume 2 Ryosuke Takeuchi and Hikaru Miyoshi

I found this second volume a little less interesting because it had more of the expected story beats that I’d assume would show up in a Holmes adaptation. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more Moriarty in this volume. Here the reader sees Takeuchi’s version of Holmes meet Watson and figure out how to deal with his landlady Mrs Hudson. While it was enjoyable, there wasn’t as much dramatic tension because other than his lower class affectation, Holmes is pretty much what one would expect. As Holmes hurdles into his next case, I’m curious to see if he’s going to be at odds with Moriarty once more, and I’m looking forward to seeing what will happen when they start clashing over cases involving spectacularly murdered noblemen.

Filed Under: Manga Reviews, REVIEWS Tagged With: moriarty the patriot, Shonen Jump, viz media

Pick of the Week: Oscar, Oscar, Oscar…

April 5, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown, Katherine Dacey and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: There’s a veritable buffet of picks this week. I could go with Yona, or Natsume, or Versailles. But let’s face it, I want my Maple! This week’s pick for me is Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense.

MICHELLE: I’m also happy for more Yona and Natsume and hopeful the fourth volume of Versailles will come out, but the most intriguing title for me this week is A School Frozen in Time. Kids trapped within an “eerily empty” campus? Sign me up!

ANNA: I’m team Rose of Versailles all the way!

ASH: Likewise! If Rose of Versailles is a choice, it will almost invariably be my pick. That being said, I’m looking forward to reading all of the titles that have been mentioned so far.

KATE: C’mon, you know what I’m going to pick… Rose of Versailles! I gotta stay on brand here; you’d be suspicious if I shilled for Fire Force or Please Put Them On, Takamine-san!

MJ: It’s gotta be Rose of Versailles!

Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK

Manga the Week of 4/7/21

April 2, 2021 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, MJ, Ash Brown and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: April! Maple! Let’s do the list backwards this time!

This means starting with Yen Press, who have precisely one manga out, but it is a debut. Please Put Them On, Takamine-san! (Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san) is a bizarre high school comedy with SF elements, about a girl who can redo her past actions to achieve the best result… but only by taking off her underwear. This runs in Gangan Joker, and is by the author of the delightfully titled Is a Zombie Bitch Considered a Bitch?, which thankfully is not licensed.

MICHELLE: Pass!

MJ: I. No. Yen Press, why is this your brand now? Seriously, why?

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: Yen On has two debuts. First off we have Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin (Hazure Skill “Kage ga Usui” o Motsu Guild Shokuin ga, Jitsuha Densetsu no Ansatsusha), which I’ve heard is better than it sounds, but I’m trying to avoid taking on any new “my skill everyone hates is actually the best” sort of books.

ASH: I feel that.

SEAN: The other debut… at long last… is Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense (Itai no wa Iya nano de Bougyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu), the light novel that inspired the popular anime. Kaede is ready to play the new game her friend recommends… but has no real gaming experience, and also it’s a VR game, meaning she could feel pain! As such, she sinks ALL her points into defense. Playing as “Maple” (a pun on her name), she rapidly gets ludicrously overpowered in the most adorable way possible. I suspect these books will be a bit more gamer-talk than I’d really like, but… Maple.

MJ: This actually sounds kind of fun.

ASH: It does!

SEAN: No debuts for Viz, just some heavy hitters. There’s Yona of the Dawn 29, We Never Learn 15, One Piece 96, Natsume’s Book of Friends 25, My Hero Academia 27, Moriarty the Patriot 4, Jujutsu Kaisen 9, the 7th and final volume of An Incurable Case of Love, Dr. STONE 16, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 21, and Chainsaw Man 4.

ASH: I’m reading quite a few of these series, but I’m especially glad to see Natsume’s Book of Friends in the list.

ANNA: Some good stuff here for sure.

SEAN: Udon should – for real this time – have The Rose of Versailles 4.

MJ: 🎉

ASH: Hooray!

ANNA: Yay!!!!

SEAN: Three titles for Seven Seas: Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary 12, Magical Girl Site 14, and The Kingdoms of Ruin 2. They also have the last 3 volumes of Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar’s Game.

Kodansha Manga debuts A School Frozen in Time (Tsumetai Kousha no Toki wa Todomaru), which seems to combine an eerie high school tragedy with a death game atmosphere. It ran in Monthly Shonen Magazine.

MICHELLE: I’m really looking forward to this one!

MJ: I think I am, too!

ASH: I wasn’t previously aware of this one, but now I’m looking forward to it, too!

SEAN: Also in print: Orient 2 and Fire Force 22.

Debuting digitally is Girlfriend, Girlfriend (Kanojo mo Kanojo), a comedy from Weekly Shonen Magazine and the creator of Aho Girl. It’s about a boy who is confessed to by two girls, so asks if he can date both of them. Expect a lot of hyperactive silliness.

There’s also Vampire Dormitory 5, Those Snow-White Notes 2, Our Fake Marriage 6, My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1 4, My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought 3, the 5th and final volume of The Invincible Reincarnated Ponkotsu, and Chihayafuru 25.

MICHELLE: I better get on Those Snow-White Notes before I fall too far behind.

ASH: It’s likely a futile wish, but I’d love to see Those Snow-White Notes released in print.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has no debuts, but oodles of titles. In print, there’s the 2nd Infinite Dendrogram manga omnibus, In Another World with My Smartphone 15, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 3 (manga version), By the Grace of the Gods 3, Ascendance of a Bookworm 8, Ascendance of a Bookworm 4 (manga version), and Animeta! 5.

ASH: I need to catch up on Ascendance of a Bookworm, but I’ve really been enjoying the series.

SEAN: Digital titles are A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 4, Outbreak Company 17, Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party 4, Infinite Dendrogram 7 (manga), I Love Yuri and Got Bodyswapped with a Fujoshi 2, and Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts With a Village 3.

Dark Horse has a 3rd volume of Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles.

Lastly, Airship has 3 print titles: Berserk of Gluttony 2, Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average 12, and How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 11. They’ve also got a digital-first version of Reincarnated As a Sword 8.

Are you maxing out your defense with manga?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

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