Anna N

SEAN: The end of May brings a lot of Yen, so let’s dive right into that.

Yen On only has one title, which is the 3rd volume of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Short Story Collection.

Yen Press has many, many debuts. We’ll start with The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori (Umidori Tougetsu no “Detarame” na Jijou), the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen is already releasing. It runs in Comic Alive+.

Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour (Kui Ryouko Rakugakihon Daydream Hour) is an artbook/sketchbook from the creator of Delicious in Dungeon, and mostly featuring that series.

ASH: I’m definitely looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Kindergarten Wars (Youchien Wars) is a Shonen Jump + series about an assassin whose job is to protect the children of world leaders, most of whom are 5-6 years old. There’s just one problem… our assassin just can’t resist hot guys! This has a LOT of buzz.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: I mean, that does sound like a problem.

SEAN: Phantom Invasion (Gensou Shinkou) is a shonen series from Comic Walker. Our “hero” wakes up one day to find he’s in another world, and can seduce monster girls, an ability he decides to use for revenge.

ASH: An obvious decision, really.

SEAN: Stardust Family (Hoshikuzu Kazoku) is a complete 2-in-1 omnibus that ran in Comic Beam. In a future that is not ours, children interview adults to determine if they will be good parents, and the children have the final say. This feels “prestige”.

ASH: I am vaguely intrigued.

ANNA: Me too.

SEAN: Speaking of prestige, A Witch’s Life in Mongol (Tenmaku no Jaadugar) is a josei series from Souffle (I love it when a magazine I’ve never heard of gets an English title released). A Persian woman wants to use her medical knowledge, and ends up in Mongolia, where she meets one of the Mongol’s wives. This has been nominated for awards, and has an anime coming soon.

ASH: Another one I’m looking forward to reading! (And potentially watching.)

ANNA: Oh, this does sound interesting!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Ako and Bambi 5, Bungo Stray Dogs 25, A Certain Magical Index 30, Cheerful Amnesia 6 (the final volume), CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon 7 (the final volume), Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret 2, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 3, Liar, Liar 2, Miss Savage Fang 3 (the final volume), [Oshi No Ko] 10, Pink & Habanero 3, The Shiunji Family Children 4, Shy 10, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 8, Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale 2, Takahashi from the Bike Shop 2, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 4, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 10, and When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement! 5.

MICHELLE: Some shoujo treats in there!

ASH: It’s true!

SEAN: Viz Media has a Ghibli artbook, The Art of the Boy and the Heron.

ASH: It should be lovely.

SEAN: They also debut the new JoJo. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run is an alternate universe JoJo! As for the plot, did you ever see It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World?

ASH: I hear this part makes its way to Michigan and the Great Lakes, so I’m pretty sure I’m obligated to pick it up. (Granted, I was already planning to.)

SEAN: Tokyopop has a one-shot BL title, I Can’t Get Through the Night Alone (Hitori de Yoru wa Koerarenai). A Japanese soldier who is still recovering mentally from the stress of World War II runs into a cute American guy. Can they actually have a future?

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

SEAN: They also have a third volume of The Prince Is Standing in the Villainess’ Way!.

Steamship has a 2nd volume of The Missing “O”.

Seven Seas debuts Fairy Cat (Tenohira Neko), a seinen title from Comic Bunch. A young man spots a tiny, tiny cat one day. Can he make friends with it?

ASH: This looks really cute.

SEAN: I’ll Forget You Starting Today, Senpai! (Kyou kara Senpai wo Wasuremasu) is a josei series from Vanilove. A woman is startled to find the matchmaking service matched her with her old high school boyfriend. Worse, he seems to have forgotten who she is!

MICHELLE: Sounds like wacky fun.

ASH: Gotta love josei!

ANNA: I’m sure I will be checking this out.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 10, Cutie and the Beast 4 (the final volume), Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 10, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 3, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 6, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 8, Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 4, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 8, and Time Stop Hero 12.

They also have a new danmei volume, Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu 4.

One Peace Books debuts I Want Your Mother to be With Me! (Kimi no Okaa-san o Boku ni Kudasai!), a seinen series from Manga up! about an office worker who falls for his coworker, a widowed mom with a child.

Kodansha Books has an 8th volume of My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1.

The debut from Kodansha Manga is Spacewalking With You (Kimi to Uchuu wo Aruku Tame ni), an award-winning seinen title from &Sofa (two new magazine titles in one week!). A boy whose inability to focus makes him in danger of flunking out meets a new student, a hyperactive boy who’s a bit naive. Will these two weirdos help each other? This is another “not BL but has two male leads” series.

ASH: Those can be fun.

SEAN: Also in print: The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 2, A Condition Called Love 13, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 3, Magus of the Library 8, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 8, Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 4, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 26, Vampire Dormitory 13, and Vinland Saga 14.

ASH: Always glad to see a new volume of Vinland Saga!

ANNA: Yes!!!!!

SEAN: For digital we have As the Gods Will 5 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 23, How to Grill Our Love 14, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 5, Wind Breaker 20, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 9.

J-Novel Club has two print titles. We get the 5th Black Summoner manga and My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 8.

One debut for J-Novel Club digitally: Revenge of the Soul Eater: Cast Out as a Weakling by My Sword Saint Father (Hangyaku no Soul Eater: Jakusha wa Fuyou to Iwarete Kensei (Chichi) ni Tsuihousaremashita) is one of those “everyone treats our hero like shit, so he suddenly gets fantastic new powers and he’ll show them, oh yes, HE’LL SHOW THEM ALL!!!” series.

Also from J-Novel Club in light novels: The Apothecary Diaries 14, Cooking with Wild Game 28, The Ideal Sponger Life 15, Management of a Novice Alchemist 5, No One Gets Past This Gatekeeper 4, The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After 3, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 26.

And one manga, Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 4.

Ghost Ship has Ayakashi Triangle 15 and The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night 2.

Retailers list March Comes in Like a Lion 4 and Under Ninja 6 coming out from Denpa Books.

ASH: We shall see!

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has two debuts, new series with almost identical titles but apparently not the same series. Welcome to Monstrous Miss Sophie’s Enchanted Salon of Healing (Bakemono Jou Sophie no Salon: Gokigenyou. Kawa Ichimai nara Naosemasu wa) stars a cursed girl whose skin is rough like bark and who only has small healing magic. Then she remembers… she was once a single mother in modern Japan! I won’t expect mayonnaise, but something along those lines, probably.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Welcome to Olivia’s Magic Jewelers (Olivia Maseki Houshokuten e Youkoso: Ka to Mise wo Oida Sareta no de, Outou ni Mise wo Kamaetara, Naze ka Moto Konyakusha to Gimai no Kekkonshiki ni Dero to Iwaremashita) is a standard “my engagement is called off, my sister has claimed everything I own, and my family throws me out” book. Can she start a new store in a new city?

Airship has one print volume, Too Many Losing Heroines! 4.

And in early digital, they have The Mimosa Confessions 4 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 12.

Why, that’s not much manga at all! I’m sure you can afford every title on this list!

SEAN: Hello, children. Are you ready for Manga the Week of 5/21/25? Then we’ll begin.

MICHELLE: Good morning, Mr. Gaffney~!

SEAN: Airship has four print volumes out next week, as we see Modern Villainess 6, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 13, The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 11, and Sword of the Demon Hunter 9.

And digitally, Airship has The Villainess and the Demon Knight 3 and Witch and Mercenary 3.

Ghost Ship has She’s the Strongest Bride, But I’m Stronger in Night Battles 3.

Ize Press has two debuts. Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner features a series of murders happening in our main character’s neighborhood. He doesn’t really care, though, till he meets his new neighbor.

ASH: Hmmm. Sounds suspicious.

SEAN: The Villainess Is a Marionette may be Korean, but the plot sure sounds familiar to readers of Japanese villainess books. Our heroine wakes up in the body of a novel’s villainess… only she’s already done this once before. This is her THIRD life, and she’s determined to fight fate this time.

ASH: I wish her luck!

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: A Business Proposal 9, Kill the Villainess 2, The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 4, Solo Leveling 12, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass 7, Unholy Blood 6, and The World After the Fall 10.

J-Novel Club has two light novel debuts. Well, one is a spinoff. Ascendance of a Bookworm: Hannelore’s Fifth Year at the Royal Academy (Honzuki no Gekokujou: Hannelore no Kizokuin Gonensei) is a continuation of the main series after the final volume, but Rozemyne is now a supporting player and the main character is Hannelore!… oh god, poor Hannelore. She is not ready to be a main character.

ASH: Hee! This should be fun.

SEAN: The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods (Mori no Hashikko no Chibi Majo-san) is about a teenage girl who learns about medicine from her mother while living in a remote forest. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, as it often does to teenage girls in these sorts of books, and she has to set out to learn more far from the forest.

ANNA: I was hoping she could remain in the woods and devote herself to making jam and/or medicines.

ASH: That would have been nice.

SEAN: Other light novels from J-Novel Club: The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 6, From Villainess to Healer 3, Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother 4, The Great Cleric 11, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 7, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even 6, and You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story 7.

And for manga we see An Archdemon’s Dilemma 12, Cooking with Wild Game 11, Jeanette the Genius 2, and Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It! 8.

Kaiten Books has a digital manga debut. Two Months Left to Live in Another World (Yomei Nikagetsu no Isekai Kenkouhou) runs in Isekai Comic, and has In Another World in its title, so you know what it is. A martial-arts master is now 82 and needs skilled nursing care to get by. Then one day, while being taken to the ER, he and his nurse end up… in another world! (See, you did know what it was.)

ASH: I am shocked by this turn of events.

SEAN: No debuts for Kodansha Manga. In print, we see Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro 19, Dra-Q 3, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 13, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 15, Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan 5, and ORIGIN 10 (the final volume).

And digitally we get The Great Cleric 14, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 26, My Wife is a Little Intimidating 11, and Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad 10.

One Peace Books gives us Tales of the Tendo Family 6.

ASH: I should check in with this series again.

SEAN: No debuts for Seven Seas, but we do see Blood Night Market 2, A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch 5 (the final volume), Choking on Love 2, Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 12, Home Sweet Home 2, I’m in Love with the Villainess 8, It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love 2, and My Wife Has No Emotion 8.

MICHELLE: I should check out Choking on Love and Home Sweet Home before I get too far behind.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts Love in the Palm of His Hand (Chameleon wa Tenohira ni Koi wo Suru), a BL series from Gangan Bliss. A wannabe actor who keeps failing auditions meets a young man who has hearing loss, and discovers the wonders of sign language.

MICHELLE: This looks potentially great.

ASH: I am intrigued!

SEAN: Steamship debuts Adored By an Elite Officer: Could This Be Love? (Elite Jieikan ni Dekiaisareteru… Rashii desu?), a josei series from Eternity. A young woman loses her job and is dumped on the same day. Then she runs into her old childhood friend, now a member of the JSDF… and he proposes?

ANNA: Josei, do you say?????

SEAN: Steamship also has Loving Moon Dog 2.

Tokyopop has new volumes. I Was Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, and I’m Determined to Fall in Love! 4, A Tail’s Tale 3, and Trapped By His Love: The Duke’s Unexpected Bride 2.

Viz Media debuts Cosmos, a seinen title from Sunday GX. A high school boy discovers his classmate is an alien wearing a human skin! This leads him to get caught up with an insurance investigator who wants him to help her track down more aliens.

ANNA: I have to admit I wasn’t super compelled by the alien angle but I’m intrigued by insurance investigations!

ASH: I will admit to being curious.

SEAN: Viz also has After God 4, Hirayasumi 5, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 2, Jujutsu Kaisen 26, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 23, Mujina into the Deep 2, and Trillion Game 5.

No debuts for Yen On, but we do see The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 8.5, Classroom for Heroes 4, High School DxD 16, Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods 2, Monsterholic 2, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 14, Secrets of the Silent Witch 6, and Sentenced to Be a Hero 4.

And… yeah, that’s it. All the Yen Press stuff got bumped. Now, write down in your notebook what manga you want to buy at the Scholastic Book Fair.

ANNA: I also want to buy one of those sticks with a pointing hand and maybe a holographic ruler.

ASH: Book fairs are the best.

SEAN: Everything is getting released at once lately, it seems.

ASH: Here we goooooo!

SEAN: We have some Yen On stuff, the only three Yen titles that did not get bumped. Accel World 27, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 7, and Hell Is Dark with No Flowers 3.

Viz has three debuts, only one of which is a manga proper. Dr. Mashirito’s Ultimate Manga Techniques is one of those “how to be a famous manga artist” books, written by the first editor for Akira Toriyama. It’s apparently excellent.

ASH: Oh, that does sound intriguing!

SEAN: Not-So-Shoujo Love Story is an OEL yuri manga that ran as a webtoon and which Viz has picked up. I don’t normally discuss OEL, but this has a lot of buzz. A girl is ready to confess to the guy she likes, only to be shocked when her rival confesses… to her!

ASH: I do like that twist.

SEAN: Snow Angel (Kono Setsugen de Kimi ga Zutto Waratte Irareru you ni) is a shoujo series from Cheese!. A young girl’s childhood ends when her father dies and she has to care for her grandfather with dementia. She’s stressed, verbally abused by her grandmother, and at the end of her rope. Then her old childhood friend shows up…

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: I’m a maybe on this one. I don’t know if I’m up for heavy themes.

ASH: It does sound like she got a rough start to things.

SEAN: Viz also has Fly Me to the Moon 28, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 13, I Want to End This Love Game 6, Mao 20, Persona 5 13, Sakura, Saku 7, Spider-Man: Octo-Girl 2, and Spy x Family: The Official Anime Guide—Mission Report: 221001-1224 (i.e. the 2nd half of Season 1).

Udon Entertainment has three books coming out next week according to retailers: Atelier Ryza 3: Official Visual Collection, Rival Schools: Official Complete Works, and Street Fighter V: Climax Arts + Alpha to 6. They are all artbooks.

ASH: Udon has previously released some pretty nice artbooks.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Merry Witches’ Life, a josei series from Comic PASH!. Three recently widowed women join forces to try to bring back their late partners, by any means necessary. This is apparently a heartwarming slice of life, despite the dark premise.

ANNA: I am intrigued by this.

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: SuBLime debuts Pink Heart Jam Beat, the sequel to, well, Pink Heart Jam. It runs in mellow kiss. It’s less a sequel and more of a continuation – they’ve moved in together now, here’s more.

SuBLime also has the 2nd and final volume of Palace of the Omega.

Steamship gives us Fire in His Fingertips 8 and A Suitable Fetish 3.

ANNA: I don’t want to know what an unsuitable fetish would be.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has Dragon and Chameleon 3, Just Like Mona Lisa 5, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 24.

Zero debuts for Seven Seas. But they have Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 3, Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 3, I Ship My Rival x Me 3, The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child 3, Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 3, My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today 4, My Lovey-Dovey Wife is a Stone Cold Killer 7, Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 2, Though I Am an Inept Villainess 7, and The Too-Perfect Saint 2.

ASH: My brain is having trouble parsing how many titles are actually in that list.

SEAN: There’s also some danmei, as we see Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu 4 (the deluxe hardcover edition) and Remnants of Filth: Yuwu 7 (the final volume, and there’s a special edition variant).

One Peace Books gives us Hero Without a Class 3.

Zero debuts for Kodansha Manga. But they have, in print, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 6, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 11, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 7, The Seven Deadly Sins Manga Box Set 6 (the final box set), Versus 3, and Wandance 12.

MICHELLE: I should get caught up on Wandance.

ANNA: I should start reading it in the first place!

ASH: I probably should, too.

SEAN: And for digital they have Gang King 29, Manchuria Opium Squad 6, and My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1 15.

I forgot about Kana Manga last week (and, well, every other week since I began this list). They have Eden of Witches 3 out this week.

ASH: I finally just picked up the first volume.

SEAN: J-Novel Club have three print titles out next week. We see Ascendance of a Bookworm 30, In Another World With My Smartphone 29, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Omnibus 12.

Three debuts for J-Novel Club, all light novels. Bullet Hellion: The Gunslinging Demon Prince Crushes Another World with Modern Arms (Juudan Maouko no Isekai Kouryaku: Maougun na no ni Gendai Heiki wo Shoukan Shite Attouteki ni Tata Katte mo Ii desu ka) has our isekai’d hero killed by bullet-kun instead of truck-kun during a paintball war gone wrong. Now he’s a noble, and can summon modern guns!

Long Story Short, I’m Living in the Mountains (Zenryaku, Yama Kurashi wo Hajimemashita) stars a man who is totally burned out, especially after his fiancee left him. So he buys a mountain and retreats from society. Except he’s lonely. Fortunately, he… no, he does not meet goddesses or cute elf girls. He ends up with three giant intelligent chickens. Who I have been assured do not turn into hot women.

ANNA: It is important to double check these things.

ASH: Have I mentioned that I’m planning to move to the mountains and raise chickens after completely burning out? I didn’t realize that was such a universal theme!

SEAN: My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings! (Konyakusha no Uwaki Genba wo Michatta no de Hajimari no Kane ga Narimashita) had its manga version come out two weeks ago. Fans of this genre will know the basics. Noble girl, doing her best as a future queen, catches the crown prince cheating on her with her younger sister. So she runs away, with the help of a guy who’s always loved her.

Also from J-Novel Club in light novels: Dungeon Dive 10, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 9, VTuber Legend 9, and The Water Magician Arc 1 4.

And for manga: Doll-Kara 10, Fushi no Kami 7, and Now I’m a Demon Lord! 10.

Ghost Ship has a third volume of Monster Marriage Shop.

ASH: At first I read that title as Monster Marriage Slop which would be an entirely different manga.

SEAN: Expanse (another publisher I should remember to look at) has Genshin Impact: Official Art Book 2.

Airship, in print, has Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 10 and Reincarnated as a Sword 16.

And digitally they have I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince 3 (the final volume).

Reading manga is good for you! Read some today! What are you reading?

ASH: Not as much as I would like!

SEAN: As April becomes May, we have a week equally divided into both.

Yen has some stragglers. From Yen On we get Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 11 and Wolf & Parchment 10.

Yen Press debut To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You (Haikei Mishiranu Danna-sama, Rikonshite Itadakimasu), a manga based on a light novel that will be coming out from Yen in the summer. It runs in Flos Comic. A woman who wants a husband-free life is delighted when, immediately after her marriage, her husband goes to war. Now, eight years later, he’s coming home, and she wants a divorce. He seems less inclined.

ASH: Uh-oh.

ANNA: That doesn’t seem great for her!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Blend-S 2, Brunhild the Dragonslayer 2, mono 2, Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! Brush Up 2 (the final volume), and The War of Greedy Witches 2.

Viz Media gives us Dragon Ball Super 23, Firefly Wedding 2, and – for digital fans – The Legend of Zelda manga will finally be available digitally. This is Vol. 1-10, which includes Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, Four Swords, The Minish Cap, A Link to the Past, and The Phantom Hourglass.

ASH: Oh, nice!

SEAN: Steamship has Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy 3.

Square Enix Books has a big ol’ artbook, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail — The Art of Succession -Relics of Heritage-. Recommended for those who know what that title means.

ASH: I don’t, but I bet it’s pretty.

SEAN: Seven Seas has some debuts. Cat Man (Neko Ningen) is a shoujo title from Kurofune Pixiv. A humanoid cat struggles with everyone just seeing them as cute, and they don’t really want to be affectionate. This is apparently more serious than you’d expect, examining preconceptions and prejudice.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: I am potentially intrigued.

SEAN: IDOL x IDOL STORY! is a new series from the creator of New Game!, and it runs in Comic Fuz. A convenience store worker was once a hopeful idol, but fell short. Then she meets an up-and-comer inspired by her story. Can she try again? Either way, there’s probably yuri subtext.

ASH: Naturally.

SEAN: Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary (Kaya-chan wa Kowakunai) is a seinen horror manga from Kurage Bunch, and has an anime coming soon. A kindergarten teacher discovers that one of her class has a secret and disturbing ability… she can punch out evil spirits!

ASH: That seems like it would be a good ability to have.

ANNA: These are perilous times.

SEAN: My New Boss is Goofy (Atarashii Joushi wa Dotennen) already had its anime air, and it runs in Manga Cross. A man changes jobs, and his previous boss was sadistic and cruel. His new boss… isn’t. This looks BL but isn’t, apparently.

MICHELLE: That cover absolutely looks BL.

ASH: It really does.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Checkmate 3, The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 4, Dai Dark 8, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 14, The Dangerous Convenience Store 5, Dungeon People 5, and ENNEAD 5 (in paperback and unedited hardcover).

One Peace Books debuts Detectives These Days Are Crazy! (Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara), a Dengeki Maoh series about a middle-aged detective who suddenly has a high school girl show up wanting to be his assistant.

ASH: I’d give that a try.

SEAN: Two debuts in print for Kodansha. GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis (Daikai Gaea-Tima) is a seinen title from Monthly Young Magazine, from the creator of COLOR/LESS. A monster devastates a community, with one survivor of its attack. However, a decade later it’s a tourist destination, and the survivor is selling monster souvenirs! But what happens when there’s another monster attack?

A Vampire in the Bathhouse (Sentou to Vampire) is a one-shot josei title from Zero-Sum Online. An overworked bathhouse attendant suddenly finds that an overworked vampire has started showing up! Comedy ensues.

ASH: Hooray, josei!

ANNA: Josei AND vampires? Sounds good!

SEAN: Also in print: Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Omnibus 2, Blue Lock 18, EDENS ZERO 31, and Nina the Starry Bride 9.

MICHELLE: I was thinking it was about time for another Ashita no Joe installment!

ASH: Excellent.

ANNA: What will he be able to punch this time????

SEAN: And digitally we get Parasyte Reversi 4, The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch 4, and Ya Boy Kongming! 19.

J-Novel Club has two debuts, both manga. My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings! (Konyakusha no Uwaki Genba wo Michatta no de Hajimari no Kane ga narimashita) is a manga based on a light novel out in two weeks or so, also from J-Novel Club. The manga runs in MAGCOMI. Fans of this genre will know the basics. Noble girl, doing her best as a future queen, catches the crown prince cheating on her with her younger sister. So she runs away, with the help of a guy who’s always loved her.

My Tiny Senpai (Uchi no Kaisha no Chiisai Senpai no Hanashi) is not based on a light novel, and runs in Manga Life Storia Dash. It was also made into an anime. Big shy guy. Office manga about a tiny teasing girl. Clearly they both like each other. Why aren’t they together? A question the entire office is asking. This is from the author of She’s My Knight.

For light novels, J-Novel Club has EXP Is Golden 2, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 8, Magic Stone Gourmet 9, The Poison King 4, and Tearmoon Empire 15.

For manga, they have The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases 6, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power 3, Rebuild World 11, A Royal Rebound 2, and Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 6.

No debuts for Cross Infinite World, but they do have Dinners with My Darling 2, How I Became King by Eating Monsters 3, and The Invisible Wallflower Marries an Upstart Aristocrat After Getting Dumped for Her Sister! 3 (the final volume).

And no print titles for Airship, but we do see Adachi and Shimamura 99.9 (a second short story volume) and Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 12 digitally.

Has spring sprung for you yet? What titles interest you?

SEAN: It’s still April, and there’s still manga. A lot of it.

ASH: Time is really weird these days; I could have sworn April was almost over.

ANNA: Is it the longest month? I feel like April is a full year.

SEAN: Airship has three print releases: The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 10, Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 4, and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 9.

And for early digital there is She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 13 and Too Many Losing Heroines! 4.

Dark Horse has the 10th volume of their Hellsing re-release.

Retailers say the legendary They Were 11! (11-nin Iru!) is out next week from Denpa Books… and Ed says it’s shipping from their warehouse, so this may be close to accurate!. A shoujo story from 1975 by Moto Hagio that ran in Betsucomi, and honestly if you did not order this when you heard the name Moto Hagio, then you should probably be reading some other weekly manga releases post. Ed also says this will be the only printing.

MICHELLE: Woo!

ASH: I’ll be watching out for my copy like a hawk.

ANNA: Yay! I’m super stoked!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Creature Girls: A Hands-On Field Journal in Another World 12 and a 3rd omnibus of Do You Like Big Girls?.

Inori Books, which is to say the author Inori, is releasing Homunculus Tears: Alchemy for the Brokenhearted simultaneously in Japanese, English, Spanish and German. It’s a yuri light novel from the creator of I’m in Love with the Villainess, and is about an alchemist who finds meaning in life in fighting on the front lines of the army suddenly being told that just-created homunculi can now do all that.

ASH: I have been known to enjoy Inori’s previously translated work.

SEAN: Ize Press have two debuts. Lady Devil stars a woman who is imprisoned after supposedly ripping out her husband’s heart on their wedding night. Terrified of being married off to some schlub, she makes a deal… which transforms her twin brother into a devil!

ASH: Well now, that took some unexpected turns!

SEAN: Lover Boy is about an obsessed boy who has loved the man next door since he was three, only to be constantly rebuffed. Now he’s in college, can he finally get his ludicrously obsessive feelings across?

ASH: Is this romance or horror? Or both?

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: 7FATES: CHAKHO 7 (the final volume), Beware the Villainess! 3, The Boxer 10, Itaewon Class 5, Overgeared 7, See You in My 19th Life 6, and SSS-Class Revival Hunter 3.

It’s a quiet week for J-Novel Club, but they do have a debut. Three Cheats from Three Goddesses: The Broke Baron’s Youngest Wants a Relaxing Life (Dōyara Binbō Danshaku-ke no Suekko ni Tensei Shitarashii Desu: San Megami ni Moratta Mittsu no Cheat de, Saikō no Slow Life o Mezashimasu!) is a must-have for anyone who loves the word “cheats” in a light novel title. An overworked office worker dies and is reborn as a noble… but his family is broke and there are monsters in this world! Fortunately, see title.

For light novels, they have Dimension Wave 3, The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged 4, and I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 8. And for manga there is The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 5.

Kaiten Books has the 4th manga volume of Welcome to the Outcast’s Restaurant!.

Kodansha debuts, in print, Toxic Daughter: Chi-chan (Chii-chan), which is by Shuzo Oshimi and ran in Young Magazine. It’s complete at one volume. A girl who was always obsessed with insects but had been absent recently shows up at school causing a commotion. The class “good guy” decides he’s going to save her. This is by Oshimi, so I bet that will go SWELL.

MICHELLE: Snerk.

ASH: I’m sure you’re right.

SEAN: Also in print: Ajin: Demi-Human Complete 3, Gachiakuta 6, Rent-A-Girlfriend 30, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 10, Shangri-La Frontier 16, To Your Eternity 22, and Your Lie in April Omnibus 4.

ASH: I really need to catch up with To Your Eternity! I have the books, I just need the time to read them.

SEAN: And digitally we see Drops of God: Mariage 12, Gamaran: Shura 31, and ONIMAI: I’m Now Your Sister! 9.

One Peace Books has an 8th volume of The Death Mage manga.

No debuts for Seven Seas. But we get Black Night Parade 6, Drugstore in Another World 10, Gravitation: Collector’s Edition 5, Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! 8, The Ideal Sponger Life 18, The Kingdoms of Ruin 10, Modern Dungeon Capture Starting with Broken Skills 4, My New Life as a Cat 9, Reincarnated as a Sword 14, Someone’s Girlfriend 3, Tiger and Dragon 3, The World’s Fastest Level Up 5, and Yes, No, or Maybe? 2.

And for Thai novels, we see KinnPorsche 3.

ASH: I still love that we’re getting Thai novels in translation.

SEAN: Square Enix has one title, a debut. Wash It All Away (Kirei ni Shite Moraemasu ka) is a seinen series from Young Gangan, by the creator of Sankarea: Undying Love. A young woman with amnesia runs a laundry service and has heartwarming moments with those around her.

ASH: Sankarea did have its moments; I might give the first volume a try.

SEAN: Steamship debuts Virgin Marriage: A Maiden Voyage into Passion’s Embrace (Shojo Kon – Kohinata Fuufu wa Shite Mitai) is a josei manga from Choco Love. A young couple in an arranged marriage are not only virgins, but completely ignorant of sex. On their first anniversary, she wants to try changing that… This is from the creator of Loved by Two Fiancés and The Yakuza and His Omega.

ASH: Depending on how it’s handled, I could actually see this being a really sweet manga.

SEAN: Two debuts for Tokyopop. Fated NOT to Meet (Unmeidakedo Ai Irenai) is a BL title that runs in from RED. A young man is extremely angry that his top salesman title has been stolen from him by the new guy. Then he meets his new online date… and guess who?

ASH: I couldn’t possibly!

SEAN: We’re Not Cut Out to Be Lovers (Oretachi wa Koibito ni Muitenai) is also BL, and also in from RED. An auto mechanic lives next to a streamer who claims to be a romance expert, and whose streams are too loud! What will shut that guy up? A kiss?

ASH: I wonder about that.

SEAN: They also have The Person I Loved Asked Me to Die in My Sister’s Stead 3.

Viz Media has a light novel debut. One Piece: Heroines is a short story collection that originally ran as part of One Piece Magazine, each dealing with a different woman from the series. The first volume has two stories with Nami, as well as Robin, Vivi, and Perona. Who is… technically not a heroine? Well, I guess she’s no longer evil, so it’s fine.

There’s also Boy’s Abyss 9, My Neighbor Totoro: The Official Cookbook, and Star Wars: The High Republic: The Edge of Balance 4 (the final volume).

Hey, remember when Yen Press delayed everything last week? Let’s start with Yen On, who only has one title, Before the Tutorial Starts 2.

Fear not, Yen Press has more than one title. They debut The 31st Consort (31-banme no Okisaki-sama), a shoujo manga from Flos Comic… or B’s-Log. Not sure, it changed magazines. A woman is the 31st consort of a king, which means that she only sees him once a month… if there’s a 31st in it. Shame she’s fallen in love with him.

ASH: Whoops.

ANNA: That sounds like a predicament.

SEAN: Bocchi the Rock! Side Story: Kikuri Hiroi’s Heavy-Drinking Diary (Bocchi the Rock! Gaiden – Hiroi Kikuri no Fukazake Nikki) runs in Comic Fuz. If you read Bocchi and wished it was all about the terrible drunk, good news.

Reincarnation Coliseum,: The Weakest Skill Conquers the Strongest Women and Creates a Harem (Tensei Colosseum – Saijaku Skill de Saikyou no Onna-tachi o Kouryaku shite Dorei Harem Tsukurimasu) is from the creator of Kingdom of Z, and runs in (of course) Dragon Age. It’s about… Christ, I can’t. I just can’t.

ASH: That’s fair.

SEAN: Spy Classroom 2nd Period: Daughter Dearest (Spy Kyoushitsu Part 2: Mana Musume) is the continuation of the manga based on the light novel, and runs in my nemesis, Comic Alive.

Tamaki & Amane is a one-shot josei title from Cocohana, and it’s by Fumi Yoshinaga. That should be enough, really. This award-winning manga starts when a mother sees her daughter kissing another girl one day. She talks to her husband about it… and he admits he had a crush on a boy back in school.

MICHELLE: I gasped. I didn’t know we had new Yoshinaga coming out!

ASH: I just found out about it recently! I’ll definitely be picking this up.

ANNA: Woah!!!!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring 2, Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra 3, Be My Worst Nightmare! 2, Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology 3, The Case Study of Vanitas 11 (there’s also a special edition with a 128-page booklet), Chained Soldier 11, Days with My Stepsister 3, The Eminence in Shadow 12, Game of Familia 6, I Picked Up This World’s Strategy Guide 2, I Want a Gal Gamer to Praise Me 4, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 3, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Episode Freya 5 (the final volume), Minato’s Laundromat 5, My Oh My, Atami-kun 2, Nights with a Cat 5, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 9, Stomp, Kick, Love 2, Sword Art Online Re:Aincrad 3, The Teen Exorcist 2, The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions 6, Übel Blatt Deluxe Edition 2, and With You, Our Love Will Make It Through 2.

Woof. Tired now. What are you buying?

SEAN: Yen’s April has already started to slip into May, but fear not, there’s plenty here for your Easter week.

Yen On has three debuts. Bye Bye Earth is an old light novel series from 2000. A young woman is very powerful and has a huge sword. Unfortunately, she’s the only human in a world of anthropomorphic animals. So she sets out on a journey to find people like her.

maboroshi is a light novel based on a movie that came out two years ago, but it’s also by Mari Okada, so I may actually read this one. An explosion traps a town in what seems to be a groundhog Day loop, but the day can apparently be saved by Japanese high school students, as always. Despite my sarcasm, this is apparently excellent.

ASH: I mean, it is Mari Okada; I may have to read it, too.

ANNA: Oh yeah, Okada is always worth a look.

SEAN: The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) is a light novel adaptation of the manga series, which is a nice reversal from the usual.

ASH: Oh, how interesting! I might need to check this one out, too.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Banished from the Hero’s Party 13, The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori 2, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 11, The Detective Is Already Dead 10, I’m the Strongest in This Zombie World 2, and Sword Art Online Alternative Clover’s Regret 3 (the final volume). (Two of these got bumped.)

Most of Yen Press’s pile got delayed to next week, but there are a few books, including one debut. The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters: Before I Knew It, the Ultimate Specialized Support Skill Led to the World’s Ultimate Party! (Kaibutsu-tachi o Suberu Mono – Saikyou no Shien Tokka Nouryoku de, Kizukeba Sekai Saikyou Party ni!) is a “banished from the party” story, though at least this time two of the party join him. This is because (try to contain your shock) his ability is great after all! Now he’s going to make his own party of monsters. (Taking a wild guess that the monsters look like hot girls.) J-Novel Club has the novels, this is the manga adaptation, which runs in Isekai Comic.

And we also see April Showers Bring May Flowers 2, Rejected by the Hero’s Party, a Princess Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 2, and A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 16. (ALL of these got bumped.)

Viz Media debuts The Climber (Kokou no Hito), which has art by the creator of #drcl Midnight Children and Innocent. A young man is dared to climb to the top of the school building, and, after not falling, discovers a new passion. That’s right, this is technically a sports manga. It runs in Weekly Young Jump.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: I am very interested in this one.

ANNA: A genre we haven’t seen before? I’m always interested in sports manga.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 7, Mission: Yozakura Family 16, Rainbows After Storms 3, Record of Ragnarok 14, Red River 3-in-1 3, Snowball Earth 5, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 6, Tokyo Alien Bros. 2, Undead Unluck 19, and Vagabond Definitive Edition 2.

ASH: For those who haven’t seen it yet, the deluxe edition of Vagabond looks really great.

ANNA: I really don’t need to buy it again, but I sort of want to? But maybe not in this economy!

SEAN: So last week I screwed up and put the Tokyopop titles that should have been on this list. Last week we actually had The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess 2 and Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!? 4.

And *this* is the week with The Little Bird Sleeps by the Sea (Hinadori wa Shiokaze ni Madoromu), a BL one-shot from Chara. A young man whose family have all recently died adopts his niece and moves to a seaside town, where he meets another young man who also has a tragic past. This is from the creator of Love Nest, Sayonara Game, etc.

MICHELLE: Still intrigued!

SEAN: And there’s a 2nd volume of The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince.

Steamship gives us a 2nd volume of The Yakuza and His Omega: Raw Desire. (Note it’s from Steamship, BL fans. This is a rare M/F A/B/O.)

ASH: I’ll admit, I didn’t realize that those even existed.

SEAN: From Square Enix Manga we get Tokyo Aliens 8 and My Dress-Up Darling 13.

Seven Seas starts with the ominous title Gene Bride, a josei manga from Feel Young. A woman dealing with the horrible misogyny of her workplace is startled when a man shows up and declares that they were genetically matched as a perfect couple in middle school. The fact that this is in Feel Young means I won’t ignore it on sight, but that premise makes me go eeeeergh. (checks) Oh, it’s also from the creator of My Boy, no wonder I feel uncomfortable.

MICHELLE: Hm, again.

ASH: I could see this being very disconcerting but potentially intriguing.

ANNA: Yeah, I don’t know about this one.

SEAN: Mii-chan Wants to Be Kept (Mi-chan wa Kawaretai) is a seinen title from Ultra Jump. A stressed-out young man has recently lost his beloved pet cat, so is even more stressed. Then a hot girl shows up in his bed… and she seems a lot like his pet cat.

MICHELLE: Barf.

ASH: Huh.

ANNA: I’m not sure how much more uninterested in this I could possibly be.

SEAN: PUNKS TRIANGLE is a one-shot BL manga (though there’s a sequel) from the magazine Bloom. A fashion designer is town between a hot, sexy model and a dorky but adorable classmate.

And there’s a new danmei series from the creator of Legend of Exorcism and Dinghai Fusheng Records called Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory. A movie director struggles to write believable characters, so rents out his house to a bunch of gay men to see if he can learn from their love lives.

MICHELLE: I’ve been looking forward to this one.

ANNA: Interesting research methods!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 365 Days to the Wedding 7, Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 8, Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi 3, Does it Count if You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? 5, Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent 2, I Get the Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me 6, Kase-san and Yamada 4, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 10, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Elma’s Office Lady Diary 9, My Cat is Such a Weirdo 6, and Mysterious Disappearances 5.

One Peace Books has I Was Sold Dirt Cheap, but My Power Level Is off the Charts 3.

No debuts for Kodansha, but in print they have Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest 7, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 2, Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up 4, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 9.

ASH: I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve seen a new volume of Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest.

ANNA: Oh, I need to read this series in the first place and also pick this up for one of my kids who is collecting it.

And for digital we get Koigakubo-kun Stole My First Time 8 and Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 16.

J-Novel Club has some print titles: An Archdemon’s Dilemma 17, By the Grace of the Gods 14, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 5, Tearmoon Empire 12, and the 11th manga volume of The Unwanted Undead Adventurer.

And no debuts for J-Novel Club this week, but we see, in light novels, The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?! 3, From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob 3, Isekai Walking 2, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 12, and The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 4.

While for manga we get Ascendance of a Bookworm 4-2, Hell Mode 6, Isekai Tensei 10, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 2, and A Pale Moon Reverie 2.

Ghost Ship has Ero Ninja Scrolls 8.

Dark Horse has a 2nd omnibus of Drifters, with Vol. 4-6.

ASH: That seems fast for Dark Horse!

SEAN: And Airship gives us a print version for The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 4.

And digital for Reincarnated As a Sword 16 and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho 9.

What Easter manga are you getting?

ANNA: I see that Veil has been pushed back to June, so not that!

SEAN: The Easter Rabbit is busy hiding manga all around the area for children to find. Let’s see what they might be…

Seven Seas is having a quiet week, and Airship has no print titles out. They do have early digital for Modern Villainess 6 and The Too-Perfect Saint 2.

Ghost Ship has World’s End Harem: Fantasia 14.

J-Novel Club also has a quiet week, with no debuts. But for light novels we see Chivalry of a Failed Knight 5, Disowned But Not Disheartened 2, and The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life As a Noblewoman 2, Part 1.

While for manga, we get Black Summoner 19, Housekeeping Mage from Another World 7, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 10, The Water Magician 4, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 10.

Kodansha, try to contain your shock, has a quiet week with no debuts. In print, we see Blue Lock: Episode Nagi 3, Fall In Love, You False Angels 2, I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 8, and Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 20 (the final volume).

ASH: A quiet week with no debuts… when does the other shoe drop?

SEAN: And in digital we have A Condition Called Love 16, Gang King 28, Giant Killing 48, and I Have a Crush at Work 9.

MICHELLE: Insert obligatory Giant Killing appreciation noises.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Tokyo Revengers Series Guide: REMEMBER YOU!, a reference guide to the series with character profiles, designs, etc.

Also from Seven Seas: 100 Ghost Stories That Will Lead to My Own Death 2, The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 6, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 21, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 8, No Love Zone 3, The Strange House 3, and Tomo-chan is a Girl! Omnibus 4 (the final volume).

A debut at last! From Square Enix we get The God-Slaying Demon King (Kamigoroshi no Maou Saijyaku Shuzoku ni Tensei shi Shijyou Saikyou ni naru), a Manga Up! series about a man who reincarnated after almost defeating the demon king. Now it’s 500 years later, his adopted daughter is missing, and he has to do it all over again.

ASH: A dad’s gotta do what a dad’s gotta do.

ANNA: Those demon kings can be tricky.

SEAN: Also from Square Enix: A Man and His Cat 13 and My Isekai Life 18.

MICHELLE: I should read more A Man and His Cat.

ASH: I haven’t read much of the series, but I enjoyed what I did.

SEAN: Steamship debuts Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth (Tensei Shitara Maou-sama ni Dekiai Saremashita), a josei title from Otomitsu Mangosteen. A woman has been having a bad few weeks. Her real estate job is going badly, the guy she had a crush on at work got married… sigh. Then one day a demon lord smashes into her window and says she used to be the saint and they’re enemies. Except… he vows to make her the happiest woman in the world BEFORE he destroys her, to make the destruction sweeter. Honestly, reverse isekai smut is really rare, so I’ll take a look.

ASH: I’ve certainly encountered worse premises!

ANNA: It could be so much worse.

SEAN: SuBLime debuts Ask and You Will Receive (Sonna ni Iu Nara Daiteyaru), which runs in moment. (Too many BL magazines have ee cummings capitalization, it gets confusing.) A playboy who has a normal “daytime” life as a dull office worker is annoyed that his straight narcissist co-worker is now showing up at his favorite gay bar! Time to get out the hot seduction skills.

ASH: I can’t imagine anything going wrong with that scenario.

SEAN: Worst Soulmate Ever: Proposal (Unmei no Tsugai ni Kyuukon (Propose) da Nante) is the one-shot sequel to the one-shot we saw last December. Marriage comes up.

Tokyopop has The Little Bird Sleeps by the Sea (Hinadori wa Shiokaze ni Madoromu), a BL one-shot from Chara. A young man whose family have all recently died adopts his niece and moves to a seaside town, where he meets another young man who also has a tragic past. This is from the creator of Love Nest, Sayonara Game, etc.

MICHELLE: Hm, this looks pretty cute!

SEAN: And there’s a 2nd volume of The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince.

Udon Entertainment has, according to retailers (sorry, Udon, you’re going in the same box as Denpa/KUMA), Veil, a josei manga from Comic Ruelle. A policeman meets a runaway heiress, and he gets her a job. This will be in full color!

ASH: I am really looking forward to this one, whenever it releases.

ANNA: I WANT TO BELIEVE!!!!!

SEAN: Viz has a couple of kinda-sorta first volumes. Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Savanaclaw is another in the franchise, and runs in GFantasy. It’s a magical academy with a fighting tournament. Be still my heart.

Also from Viz, Kaiju No. 8: B-Side, the manga adaptation of the light novel spinoff.

And we see Akane-banashi 11, Beyblade X 2, Case Closed 94, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Official Coloring Book 3, Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga 3, I Wanna Do Bad Things with You 5, Pokémon: Sword & Shield 12, Splatoon 3: Splatlands 4, and Star Wars: The High Republic: The Edge of Balance—Premonition (the final volume).

And we still have some March runoff from Yen, and what’s worse, they haven’t updated their website calendar. This is based off their page. Yen On has Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World 6 (the final volume?), Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 13, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 11, The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 5, and Magical Explorer 9.

And for Yen Press, we get April Showers Bring May Flowers 2, Excellent Property, Rejects for Residents 3, Rejected by the Hero’s Party, a Princess Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 2, and A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 16.

That started slow but picked up about halfway through. What did you find?

ASH: A relatively small shoe.

SEAN: Ah, time to begin April, the best month.

MICHELLE: Indeed.

SEAN: Yen On has some leftover titles from March, as we see I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 16, The Kept Man of the Princess Knight 4, Victoria of Many Faces 2, and Wandering Witch 15.

ASH: I was hoping for an aquarium theme there, but flowers are also acceptable.

SEAN: Yen Press has one debut, The Anemone Feels the Heat (Anemone wa Netsu o Obiru), a yuri title from Manga Time Kirara Forward. A girl headed to her high school exams stops to help a sick girl, and thus fails by being late. Now in a lower-tiered high school, she finds… the very girl she stopped to help. Can she overcome her bitter feelings and get to know her?

Also from Yen Press: Blade & Bastard 2, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 12, and Hazure Skill 7.

Viz Media debuts Pink Candy Kiss (Tsumetakute Yawaraka), a josei yuri title from Cocohana. A woman has her boyfriend break up with her because “she never gets jealous”, and she admits that she’s not too broken up by the breakup. Then a former classmate from middle school joins her workplace, but is now a mysterious beauty!

MICHELLE: I’m here for josei yuri!

ASH: Same! Definitely curious about this one.

ANNA: Oh, this sounds good.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Dandadan 12, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy 5, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak 3 (the final volume), Marriage Toxin 6, Moriarty the Patriot 19 (the final volume), Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite 3, Rainbow Days 15, and Tamon’s B-Side 7.

MICHELLE: I need to read more Tamon.

ASH: I probably should, too. (Granted, I haven’t actually read any yet…)

SEAN: Steamship debuts The Trapped Former Villainess Wants to Escape from the Sadistic Prince (Tsunderu Moto-Akuyaku Reijo wa Do-S Ouji-sama kara Nigedashitai), a josei title from Comic Boost. An office worker wakes in the body of a former villainess in an otome game… and her husband is not happy that she now has memories of a life in Japan! Can she escape before he attempts to seduce her to regain the villainess’ memories? For dubcon fans.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has By the Grace of the Gods 12, My Happy Marriage 5, and Otherside Picnic 12.

Seven Seas has two debuts. The Long Summer of August 31 (8-gatsu 31-nichi no Long Summer) is a seinen title from Weekly Morning; KManga had it licensed digitally, and here’s the print version. A high school boy and girl are trapped in a Groundhog Day loop, all because he hasn’t gotten a girlfriend and lost his virginity as he vowed. This is apparently “funny but heartwarming”.

ASH: Time loops are interesting, but I feel like re-reading All You Need Is Kill might be the better option for me this time.

SEAN: vs. LOVE is a BL version of Romeo and Juliet with gangs, and it’s from the creator of Blood Night Market. It ran in Magazine Be x Boy.

MICHELLE: Hm. I like the cover art, at least!

ASH: Shakespeare-inspired delinquent BL? I’m in.

ANNA: It sounds interesting!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Great Snake’s Bride 5, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 17, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 11, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 6, My Girlfriend’s Child 7, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 3, Perfect Buddy 3, Re:Monster 10, Reborn Rich 3, Sweet Room Escape 2 (the final volume), and Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell 2.

ASH: The Great Snake’s Bride is another series I should catch up with; i vaguely recall enjoying the first volume.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Kurokiya-san Wants to Lead Him Around by the Nose 4.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut. The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé (Ikeoji Monster to Zettai Reido Danshi) is a BL series from Palcy. Yes, ‘zaddy’ has hit a mainstream manga title. This zaddy has a shameful secret, though. Perhaps… he needs a younger but equally hot colleague?

MICHELLE: I went to read the description of this one and it turns out this “zaddy” is all of 40. *cries in old person*

ASH: Manga years are like dog years, right? There has got to be some sort of time conversion going on.

ANNA: I’m so old.

SEAN: Also in print: The Fable Omnibus 7, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 6, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN MSD Cucuruz Doan’s Island 4, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 16, WIND BREAKER 10, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 13.

Digitally we see Chihayafuru 49, Matcha Made in Heaven 11, Shangri-La Frontier 20, That Beauty Is a Tramp 5, and Those Snow White Notes 27.

MICHELLE: I was just thinking it’s about time for a new Chihayafuru.

ANNA: I might never catch up on Chihayafuru, but I have faith in my ability to keep up on Matcha Made in Heaven.

SEAN: Just one debut from J-Novel Club, and it’s a manga. Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! (Isekai ni Otosareta… Jouka wa Kihon!) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, and runs in Comic Corona. 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”.

Light novels out from J-Novel Club next week: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 17, Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools 9, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 6, The Hero-Killing Bride 2, Housekeeping Mage from Another World 9, and When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace 13 (the final volume).

And for manga, they have A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 5, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 7, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 3, and The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 5.

Ghost Ship has a 6th and final volume of I’m Not a Succubus!.

Cross Infinite World debuts This Alluring Dark Elf Has the Heart of a Middle-aged Man! (Watashi no Kokoro wa Oji-san de Aru). A (male) office worker wakes in the body of a (female) dark-haired elf in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, this elf is still an introvert who avoids others.

They also have Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights 6 and Fluffy Paradise 7.

No print for Airship, but we do see Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 20.5 and A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 2.

A good start to the month! What are you buying?