Ash Brown

SEAN: The end of March is nearing, and will it be a lion or a lamb?

ASH: Seems pretty lion-ish of late.

SEAN: Yen On has two spinoff debuts. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End -Prelude- (Shusetsu Sousou no Frieren ‑Zensou‑) is a short story collection that, despite the word prelude, does cover folks from the present day. The author is best known for The Mimosa Confessions, though I’ve no doubt the Frieren author supervised.

So I’m a Spider, So What? Ex (Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? Ex) is the long-delayed companion volume to the light novel series that ended here in 2023. It has short stories, character profiles, some artwork, etc.

ASH: That’ll be nice for fans to finally have.

SEAN: Yen Press has the bulk of its March titles out this week. Bad Girl is a Manga Time Kirara Carat series, so you know there’s a limit to how bad she can be. Our bad girl heroine is only being bad as she has a crush on the public morals club president, and this way she can see her all the time! The trouble is her attempts at being bad are… cute. This got an anime recently.

ASH: I am actually delighted by this premise.

SEAN: Battlefront of the Great Powers (Rekkyo Sensen) is a sci-fi action series from Comic Zenon. It’s a battle royale-style manga, where if you lose a tournament arc not only do you die, but so does everyone you care about! Needless to say, not a comedy.

ASH: I have been known to enjoy tournament arcs from time to time.

SEAN: How to Love a Loser (Dame Ningen no Aishikata) is a Web Comic Apanda title that was originally a doujinshi. Our hero is a complete loser, but he has a wonderful girlfriend who loves him. Why does she love someone like him? He resolves to find out. I think this will go badly for him, but hey. I was told this is “for masochists”.

ANNA: No thank you!!!!

SEAN: A Pen, Handcuffs, and a Common-Law Marriage (Pen to Wappa to Jijitsu-kon) is a seinen manga from Young Animal. A detective finds that his witness on a case can’t speak, but she can draw, which is good enough for him. Wait, she wants to marry him?

MICHELLE: I was intrigued by the pen and the detective, but now I think I’ll pass.

SEAN: Soulless: The Complete Omnibus is an OEL steampunk manga with vampires and werewolves, which should come as no surprise once you saw the “OEL”.

ASH: Nice to see this staying in print for a bit longer.

ANNA: I enjoyed the books!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring 4, The Anemone Feels the Heat 3, Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra 5, Be My Worst Nightmare! 4, Blend-S 4, Common-Sense Monster 2, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 18, The Demons Are Planning Something Good! 2, Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 8, Excellent Property, Rejects for Residents 5 (the final volume), The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring 7, Gals Can’t Be Kind to Otaku?! 2, Game of Familia 8, Hollow Regalia 2, If It’s You, I Might Try Falling in Love 3, In the Heavenly Prison, the Devil Enchants Me 3, It’s All Your Fault 3, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History 4, Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 2, Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Reload 2, Me and My Beast Boss 4, mono 4, My Dear, Curse-Casting Vampiress 7, My Mate Is a Feline Gentleman 4, No Game No Life Chapter 2: Eastern Union Arc 3, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 10, Reincarnation Coliseum 3, Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty 2, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir 3, Secrets of the Silent Witch 5, Spy Classroom 3rd Period: Forgetter 2, Stray Cat & Wolf 4, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 17, The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 5, and With You, Our Love Will Make It Through 4.

MICHELLE: Somehow, I missed that a sequel (?) to Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts was coming out.

SEAN: Viz Media would like to remind you that only one author has ever written horror manga in Japan ever. Or at least make it seem that way. Statues: Junji Ito Story Collection is stuff from the early 90s, and ran in Monthly Halloween, a shoujo magazine.

ASH: I mean, I do like Junji Ito’s work, but it’s good to mix it up sometimes, too.

SEAN: Viz also has JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 6.

ASH: I’ve got some catching up to do!

SEAN: Tokyopop gives us The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince 7 and Wild Beast Forest House 3.

Steamship has the 4th volume of Sweet Heat Before Falling in Love: The CEO and His Fated Omega.

Square Enix Manga has Always a Catch! 6, Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick 3, Just Like Mona Lisa 8, and On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance 3.

Seven Seas has, in danmei, the 11th and final volume of The Husky and His White Cat Shizun, which also has a Special Edition filled with postcards and such.

ASH: Nice.

SEAN: And there’s a 4th deluxe hardcover of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi.

ASH: Also nice.

SEAN: The first manga debut is Fluffy Café in Another World (Isekai Mofumofu Cafe), a josei series from B’s-Comic Log which has a light novel also coming out soon from SS. A man dies saving a cat, who turns out to be a god. The god gives him the powerful tamer skill in his next life, which he uses to… open an animal cafe?

ASH: It pays to be nice to cats.

ANNA: I strive for this daily.

SEAN: And we get His Little Amber, a BL manga from the magazine Nuude. What if a yakuza found a leopard cub that turned into a hot young man?

ASH: What if, indeed!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Barbarian’s Bride 6, HOOL!GAN’S 2 (the final volume), I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl 10, It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love 5, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 11, Skeleton Knight in Another World 14, and Time Stop Hero 14.

Prestel, an imprint of Penguin Random House, publishes The Manga Bible, which is a history of the genre by the legendary Helen McCarthy. If you wanted a new coffee table manga book, this is for you.

ASH: This should be excellent! Helen McCarthy’s work is great.

ANNA: Nice, this sounds great.

SEAN: No debuts for Kodansha Manga. For print we have Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 10, Blue Lock 28, A Condition Called Love 17, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 11, Nezumi’s First Love 3, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 6, and Versus 5.

MICHELLE: Someday, I will read more Blue Lock.

SEAN: And digitally we get Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 16 (the final volume) and Shangri-La Frontier 24.

No debuts for J-Novel Club. On the light novel end, we get From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob 5, The Goddess Says, “Kill the Tsundere Witch!” 3, Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother 7, Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 15, The Poison King 7, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! 3.

And on the manga end they have The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 5, The Eternal Fool’s Words of Wisdom 8, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even 7, and The Water Magician 6.

Inklore has a 6th volume of My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999.

Ghost Ship has Becoming a Princess Knight and Working at a Yuri Brothel 5 (the final volume).

Dark Horse Manga has Lone Wolf and Cub Deluxe Edition 2.

ASH: I am so tempted.

SEAN: Airship’s print debut is My Girlfriend Cheated on Me, and Now My Flirty Underclassman Won’t Leave Me Alone (Kanojo ni Uwakisareteita Ore ga, Koakuma na Kouhai ni Natsukareteimasu), whose title is the plot.

ASH: At least you know what you’re getting?

SEAN: Also in print: Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 13.

And in early digital we get Loner Life in Another World 14 and Witch and Mercenary 6 (part 1).

That seems like a lot, but I think that’s mostly Yen Press’s fault. What interests you?

SEAN: Ask your doctor whether manga is right for you. Do not read manga while operating heavy machinery.

ASH: This is good advice. Don’t ask me how I know.

MICHELLE: Oh, dear.

SEAN: ABLAZE has Neo Faust, Tezuka’s third attempt at the Faust story, which ran in Asahi Shimbun and which he was working on when he died.

ASH: I’m glad that Tezuka has found a new home in English.

ANNA: Indeed!

SEAN: Airship has a print debut. Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World (Magic Maker: Isekai Mahou no Tsukurikata) is an ongoing light novel in the genre of “I am reincarnated into a fantasy world and proceed to revolutionize it as a young child because I am so amazing”.

There’s also The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 7 and I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 2.

Digitally we see Though I Am an Inept Villainess 10, Too Many Losing Heroines! 7, and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 12.

Ghost Ship gives us The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 17 and Parallel Paradise 25.

ASH: I still really, really, really, really, REALLY need to get around to reading Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love. I’m such a delinquent. And have no time. Which is only a construct, but still feels very real.

SEAN: Ize Press has Marriage of Convenience 3 and Solo Leveling 15 (Side Stories 2).

One debut for J-Novel Club. The Villainess Speaks Not (Akuyaku Reijou wa Shaberimasen) has a woman wake up in the body of the villainess again. This time, not only is she threatened by assassins and political rivals (she’s six, by the way), but a sickness has led her unable to speak, so she can’t use magic or even call for help. As it turns out, though, when you’re reincarnated and also know that you don’t have to speak to use magic, you can accomplish a lot.

ASH: That’s good, because that’s a lot to deal with.

SEAN: Also out next week in light novels: The Accursed Chef and His Pair of Furry Foodies 3 (the final volume), Black Summoner 22, Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- 8, Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint! 2, Reforming an Icy Final Boss 2, The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods 3, and The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman 4 (part 1).

On the manga end, we get The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom 7 and This Alluring Dark Elf Has the Heart of a Middle-Aged Man! 2.

Kodansha Manga debuts Omori, an Afternoon series that stars a) a young shut-in whose sister died, now starting to leave house again, and b) The same shut-in’s dream world self, who joins up with friends to try to find the missing member of their group. This is one of those “please ignore my bad description and just read it” titles.

ASH: Omocat has been on my radar for quite some time, so I’m definitely interested in this one, no matter how it’s described.

MICHELLE: Hm. I do like the ‘find the missing member’ angle.

ANNA: Sounds interesting!

SEAN: There’s also The Drops of God 3, The Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm 8, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 12, Parasyte Paperback Collection 4, Re:Anima 4 (the final volume), Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 14, and Witch Hat Atelier 14.

ASH: Oh! Always good to see a new volume of Witch Hat Atelier. Although I am now faced with a dilemma considering the gorgeous deluxe grimoire edition of the series will be debuting in May.

ANNA: Oh, man why do there have to be fancy deluxe editions too?????

SEAN: For digital we get Blue Lock 36, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 32, I Have a Crush at Work 13, and Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 20.

One Peace Books has a 7th volume of Tales of the Tendo Family.

Seven Seas has one danmei, After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine 2.

Their manhwa debut is Our Sunny Days, a webtoon BL series about a man whose ex left their child with him and scampered, Now he’s moved to a village to start over. Can the village head be of help? Can the village head remind us this is BL? Both are likely.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Tonight, I Have a Date with a Serial Killer (Konya no Serial Killer to Machiawase) is a good! Afternoon series about a psychic woman who is brought in to try to stop the titular killer. Well, OK, I suspect it’s about the guy, a cop whose fiancée was a victim of the killer.

ASH: Seems like a good guess.

MICHELLE: Hm, again. Another potentially intriguing seinen offering.

SEAN: We also see A Certain Scientific Railgun 12, Chainsmoker Cat 2, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 14, Dysfunctional Family Theory 2 (the final volume), I’m in Love with the Older Girl Next Door 4 (the final volume), Kemono Jihen 20, Lazy Dungeon Master 12, My Cute Cousin Always Gets Her Way 2, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof 2, and Succubus and Hitman 10.

Square Enix has the 15th volume of The Apothecary Diaries manga. (You know, the Square Enix one, as opposed to the one Viz just announced. That’s going to be a pain.)

ASH: I’m not going to complain about more of The Apothecary Diaries, but it’s going to be interesting to see how this goes.

SEAN: Steamship has a 4th and final volume of Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth.

Tokyopop debuts Stan By Me (Kowamote-kun to Oshikatsu), a BL oneshot from Chara Selection. Two fans of an idol group agree to meet in real life… but one has a scary yakuza-type face!

ANNA: Will they overcome this??????

SEAN: And there’s also a 3rd volume of Eternal Covenant.

Viz Media debuts Sakamoto Holidays, a one-shot comedy spinoff of the popular Jump manga.

Also from Viz: After God 9, Dogsred 5, Fool Night 8, Haikyu!! 3-in-1 8, Kaiju No. 8 15, Kingdom 5, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 12, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 25, Sakamoto Days 21, Trillion Game 10, and Undead Unluck 24.

Yen On just has Magical Explorer 11.

What are you getting next week, assuming that you can read manga without a prescription?

SEAN: Please help us, manga. You’re our only hope.

ASH: It does seem like that sometimes.

ANNA: Some form of hope is needed!

SEAN: Yen On has another huge clump of books. Casebook of Kurumi Tokisaki, Magic Detective (Majutsu Tantei Tokisaki Kurumi no Jikenbo) is a spinoff of Date a Live, showing one of its most popular characters solving crimes.

Legend of the Far East’s Savior (Kyokutou Kyuuseishu Densetsu) is a sci-fi mecha anime except that it’s actually a light novel. Demons were summoned during World War II, and they now rule the world. A hundred years later, a boy with memories of a different Japan fights back using giant robots.

ASH: Mecha novels can actually be pretty good, in my experience.

ANNA: I’m a little curious!

SEAN: Lycoris Recoil: Recovery Days is another short story collection based on the hit anime.

To the Monster I Love (Bakemono no Kimi ni Tsugu) stars a man who is charged with stopping four supernatural women who are running amuck outside a city that bans anything magical. Betcha they fall for him.

ASH: They just might! (I’ll admit to being a little wary of the premise that the women’s supernatural abilities are gained from unstable emotions, but that could legitimately be interesting if handled well.)

ANNA: I thought he was charged with shopping for supernatural women and I was imagining an entirely different manga.

SEAN: Also out from Yen On: 86–EIGHTY-SIX Alter.2, Bungo Stray Dogs 9, How to Eat Life 2, Liar Liar 7, My Happy Marriage 9, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Ex 6, Spy Classroom 10, Sword of the Stallion 2, and To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You 2.

Yen Press has just one title. Demi-Human Sharehouse (Ajin Sharehouse) is a horny fantasy series about a shy office worker who wants to be able to make friends, so moves into a boarding house… which turns out to be filled with supernatural women! Will he make friends? Or “make” friends?

ASH: Only one? And I feel like there was at least one other manga about this already?

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Akira Failing in Love (Momose Akira no Hatsukoi Hatanchuu), a Shonen Sunday series about two childhood friends who had crushes on each other, and now that she’s moved back to their country hometown she’s ready to confess! If only they weren’t both in a comedy manga that revolves around misunderstandings. But what are the odds of that?

MICHELLE: Shonen Sunday romance is usually pretty appealing, though!

ASH: As a country kid, I can appreciate the setting.

SEAN: Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Scarabia is the latest arc in that ongoing series.

It also has the 37th and final volume of Komi Can’t Communicate, which I mention here as they also put out a hardcover self-help book, Komi Can’t Communicate: Making Friends and Not Scaring People. It’s written by a health and human services writer who uses the world of Komi to give advice on dealing with social anxiety.

ASH: The self-help book looks delightful, by the way.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 15, Fly Me to the Moon 31, Minecraft: The Manga 5, One Piece 111, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 29, and Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 5.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read of Akane-banashi and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle; I should read more.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Deep 3, which is in their “Noir Caesar” imprint, an imprint I was unaware of. It’s a Big Comic title about a young basketball player who freezes up when he gets close to the basket. The solution… shoot from far away!

MICHELLE: Welp. I have instantly pre-ordered this.

ASH: Sports manga!

SEAN: On-the-Job Training (Shinonome-kun to wa Dekinai Kankei), a josei title from Comic Qurie. A woman who avoids love after a bad experience is tasked by her company to assist their top salesman after he gets off-his-ass drunk at a party. Then she finds this popular guy may also have love issues…

ASH: Josei manga!

ANNA: Yay!!!!!

SEAN: Tokyopop also has a 2nd volume of We’re Not Cut Out to Be Lovers.

SuBLime has Engage 4 and Trickster’s Tale: Hu Yan Zhuan 2.

Steamship debuts The Tea Ceremony Master’s Rich and Steamy Service: Spoiled by His Skillful Hands (Sadou-ka Danshi no Noukou Ecchi na Otemae: Gokujou na Yubizukai de Dekiaisarechau), a one-shot that ran in Love Parfait. A man saves a woman from some harassment, and they get along well. Very well, they go to a hotel and she has a magical first time. Then she sees him again… and he’s a tea ceremony master? An amazing surprise for people who don’t read titles.

ASH: Completely unexpected.

SEAN: They also have Fire in His Fingertips: A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze 11.

Square Enix manga debuts A Howl of the Heart (Sennenki Sue ni Hoeru Koi), a BL series from Gangan BLiss. (It must be really gay if Gangan can’t even put it in GFantasy.) Two soldiers are also lovers, but one day one of them is killed. The other vows to murder the enemy general responsible… but two years later, finds the enemy general looks like his old lover!

MICHELLE: Is he the Dread Pirate Roberts?

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: And they have The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 29.

Seven Seas’ danmei is just one title, The Wife Comes First: Qi Wei Shang 2.

All Seven Seas’ debuts are in its other imprints this week. But we see Asumi-chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels! 6, The Big Apple 5, D-Frag! 19, Dungeon Friends Forever 6, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 5, I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 4, and I’m in Love with the Villainess 10.

One Peace Books has a 10th volume of My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending.

Kodansha Manga debuts Marrying the Dark Knight (For Her Money) (Gakeppuchi Reijou wa Kurokishi-sama wo Horesasetai!), a Comic Yuri Hime title about a woman whose sister needs medical care, so she agrees to marry the mysterious Dark Knight. Then she finds out why the dark knight is so mysterious. Hint: This is a Yuri Hime title.

ASH: Oh-ho!

ANNA: Things like this happen!

SEAN: Also in print: Initial D Omnibus 9, Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits 2, The Magnificent Bastard 2, Tank Chair 7, and Welcome to the Ballroom 12 (the first new volume since 2022).

MICHELLE: Oh! That’s the second dance-centric title in as many weeks to have a new volume after a long break!

ASH: Very nice!

SEAN: And digitally we get The Café Terrace and its Goddesses 20, Otherworldly Munchkin: Let’s Speedrun the Dungeon with Only 1 HP! 12 and Yozakura Quartet 34 (the final volume).

One print debut for J-Novel Club. 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: I did not realize there was another series!

SEAN: Also in print: An Archdemon’s Dilemma 19, the 5th light novel volume of The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows, the 3rd manga volume of The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows, the 4th manga volume of Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill, Gushing over Magical Girls 9, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World Omnibus 4, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 4, and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 4.

No digital debuts for JNC. On the light novel end, we see The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 9, Notorious No More 3, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 6, Pens Down, Swords Up 4, Repeated Vice 2, and The Water Magician Arc 1 6

On the manga end, we get Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 4 6, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 11, My Tiny Senpai 4, and The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 8.

Ghost Ship debuts Girls Zombie Party, a Web Comic Gamma Plus title about a zombie apocalypse, except only the boys become zombies! Can the girls find the strength to survive? The fact that this is a Ghost Ship title makes me think I know the answer, but maybe things will go well.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship: The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night 4 and Imaizumi Brings All the Gals to His House 5.

Drawn and Quarterly has a 3rd omnibus volume of The Legend of Kamui.

ASH: Yes! I am still so incredibly excited this series is being released.

SEAN: Dark Horse Manga has Blood Blockade Battlefront Omnibus 3.

Airship’s print debut is I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms (Ano Hana ga Saku Oka de Kimi to Mata Deaetara), a one-shot light novel in the genre of “tragic yet heartwarming book about teenagers and time travel that gets made into a movie”. A genre Airship has so many of.

Also in print: Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 10, The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat 2, and Reincarnated as a Sword 18.

Airship has a digital-only debut: Reborn as an Assassin’s Apprentice (Assassin no Tamago ni Tensei Shita), which advertises itself as the darkest of fantasies without a shred of morality. For you 13-year-olds who are getting beaten up and hung in the locker every day, then, I guess.

ASH: For every book, its reader.

ANNA: Sometimes I wonder!

SEAN: In early digital, there is The Devil Princess 3 and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 9.

Any manga in there to make you happier?

SEAN: I’d make a March Comes in Like a Lion joke, but there’s no new volume of that series, and frankly February is Lioning pretty hard right now. Anyway, manga.

ASH: It’s dependable even when the weather isn’t.

SEAN: Airship has new print volumes for Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 12, A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 4, The Too-Perfect Saint 5, and True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 3.

And in early digital they have The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 14 and The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 2.

Ghost Ship has the fourth volume of Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party With His Mom! and the second volume of Virgin Ventures.

Inklore has a 2nd volume of King’s Maker.

ASH: BL manhwa with a good dose of court intrigue is probably something I should be reading.

SEAN: J-Novel Club is taking the week off – the only release next week is Looks like a Job for a Maid! 2.

Kana debuts Blades of the Guardians, a historical manhua described as “True Grit meets The Last Samurai”. I think this will appeal to fans of Vagabond and Lone Wolf & Cub.

ASH: Oh, yes. Yes, it does.

ANNA: Indeed!

SEAN: Kodama debuts MAGICA, a series I know nothing about except that everyone who sees it can’t stop talking about how gorgeous it looks. It does look gorgeous.

ASH: I had to look it up, too, but now I’m intrigued. The full-color artwork is very striking.

SEAN: Kodama also has the 11th and 12th omnibuses of Baki the Grappler and Smile! 2.

Three print debuts for Kodansha Manga. Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow (Furitsumore Kodoku na Shi yo) is a mystery series from Magazine Pocket. A detective called to the scene of a burglary finds the corpses of 13 children. Now he has to track down the house’s owner.

ASH: That cover is beautiful even if the premise is distressing.

SEAN: Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind (Ohitori-sama ni wa Naremashita node. Konyakusha Houchichuu!) runs in Comic Lake. It’s a broken engagement series, as you can see (I’m officially separating those out from villainess books), about a young woman whose fiancé pays no attention to her at all. So she decides to pay no attention to him, and stop caring about love. Suddenly, guess what?

ASH: I can only imagine!

ANNA: I have no idea!

SEAN: A double dose of debuts is next. We get Shugo Chara! 20th Anniversary Edition, an omnibus of the original shoujo manga from Nakayoshi. She’s a magical girl! And we also get Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker, the new sequel running (also in Nakayoshi) about Amu as a middle schooler.

ASH: Oh, wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve thought about Shugo Chara!.

ANNA: Alright!!!!

SEAN: Also in print: 10 Dance 8, The Heroic Legend of Arslan 22, How to Deal When Your Intimidating Neighbor is Actually an Omega 2, and Wind Breaker 20.

ASH: Great to see a new volume of 10 Dance!

ANNA: Note to self about reading this!

SEAN: Digitally there is How to Grill Our Love 19, Manchuria Opium Squad 11, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 20.

One Peace Books has Tetsu’s Coffee: A Beginner’s Guide to Coffee for Manga Lovers, which uses the power of manga to tell you how to make a really good cup of joe.

ASH: This book probably belongs in my house.

ANNA: Ooh I do enjoy a didactic manga from time to time.

SEAN: No danmei for Seven Seas this week, though we do get Lout of Count’s Family 7, which is Korean danmei, and The Twelve Kingdoms 4, which is far too fancy and good to be in the Airship imprint.

ASH: I am still so incredibly happy that The Twelve Kingdoms was rescued.

ANNA: I need to pick up a few volumes!

SEAN: For debuting manga, we have A Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits (Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu), the manga version of the LN Seven Seas also puts out. It runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus.

ASH: I like alchemists.

SEAN: They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning (Kesa mo Yuraretemas) is a romcom from Shonen Champion. This is from the creator of My Monster Secret. Every morning, two shy yet adorable teens get on the train and don’t confess to each other. This manga is from the perspective of the rest of the train car, who all are desperately rooting for them.

ASH: That actually sounds really cute.

ANNA: This does sound cute.

SEAN: We Are Not Beasts (Ore-tachi wa Kemono Janai) is an omegaverse series from LiQulle, and is from the creator of Stay by My Side After the Rain. It’s a one-shot about an omega who’s sought after by two strong alphas, but wants to be self-reliant. Can that wish stay intact when he inevitably goes into heat?

Also from Seven Seas: Black Night Parade 9, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (manhua version) 13 (the final volume), I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 5, The Kingdoms of Ruin 12, Mocha the Cat and His Forever Family 2, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 10, My Goddess is Precious Today, Too 2 (the final volume) and Tales of the Hundred Monsters Next Door 2.

Square Enix Books has an 8th print volume of The Apothecary Diaries.

ASH: I really need to start reading the novels!

SEAN: And Square Enix Manga has the 3rd volume of Assassin & Cinderella.

Steamship has a 3rd volume of SEX DRIVE – My Pitiful Makeup Artist.

Udon Entertainment has, according to retailers, Elden Ring: Official Art Book Volume III: Shadow of the Erdtree. It looks expensive and fancy.

ASH: Udon does a pretty good job of fancy.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Magical Girl Dandelion (Mahou Shoujo Dandelion), a Sho-Comi series (Christ, when was the last time we got ANYTHING from Sho-Comi?) about a girl who is offered the chance to be a magical girl, but unfortunately her best friend is a villain!

ASH: Uh-oh!

ANNA: This sounds cute.

SEAN: They also have Chainsaw Man 20, Dragon Ball Super 24, Let’s Do It Already! 8, Nana 25th Anniversary Edition 3, Nue’s Exorcist 5, RuriDragon 3, Snow Angel 4 (the final volume), A Star Brighter than the Sun 5, Super Psychic Policeman Chojo 2, and World Trigger 28.

ASH: Nana remains excellent.

ANNA: Yes!

SEAN: And that’s it! Relatively short for a first week of the month. What interests you, my good fellow?

SEAN: As February draws to a close, what manga does it bring us?

ASH: Let’s find out!

SEAN: Yen Press debuts Dungeons That Surely Slaughter Adventurers (Boukensha Zettai Korosu Dungeon), a Web Comic Apanda title from the creator of Voynich Hotel. Two people reincarnated as dungeon staff are annoyed that everyone else got to be reincarnated as adventurers… so they make the dungeons even harder, to kill them all!

ASH: I remember enjoying Voynich Hotel and as far as reincarnation premises go, I am amused by this one.

SEAN: The Fake Alchemist (Nisemono no Renkinjutsushi) is a Kadocomi title about a guy trying to get by after being isekai’d by being an alchemist… but he’s cheating!

ASH: That usually leads to trouble.

SEAN: The Idol’s Escape (Idol Escape) is a 2-in-1 omnibus with the entire series, which ran in Comic Beam. A gay man who wishes he could be as put together as his favorite idol winds up helping her escape from an abusive producer.

ASH: I wish them both the best!

SEAN: Keyaki Shopping District’s Sakura Bathhouse (Keyaki Shoutengai Sakura no Yu) is a BL title from Gene Pixiv. An outgoing high schooler accidentally injures a tough guy, and says he’ll do anything to make up for it. Now he’s… working at a bathhouse?

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Mad Miniscape is Dengeki Maoh title. A girl lives in an apartment with her childhood friend… who is dead. And evil. And wants to take her life. But as long as he’s THERE, that’s fine.

ASH: We all have our issues to deal with.

SEAN: Once Upon a Witch’s Death: The Tale of the One Thousand Tears of Joy (Aru Majo ga Shinu made: Owari no Kotoba to Hajimari no Namida) is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also puts out, which also has a recent anime. Meg Raspberry may be cursed to have a year to live, but she won’t let that stop her living a full life! This runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus.

[OSHI NO KO] TV Anime 1st Season Official Guidebook: First Report is exactly what it sounds like.

Also out next week from Yen Press: Almark 2, April Showers Bring May Flowers 4, The Beginning After the End 10, Brunhild the Dragonslayer 4 (the final volume), Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology 5, Cheeky Brat 16, D.N.Angel New Edition 2, Daughter of the Emperor 13 (the final volume?), The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 2, The Failure at God School 3, Futari Switch 2, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 12, Imitation 8, In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name 4, In the Land of Leadale 7, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 27, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 20, Laid-Back Camp 17, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 7, Mechanical Marie 2, Murciélago 26, Nomi x Shiba 3, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 10, The Shiunji Family Children 5, Shy 12, Slasher Maidens 13, Spring Storm and Monster 5, The War of Greedy Witches 4, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 8, and Übel Blatt Deluxe Edition 5.

ANNA: Could that be….too much manga????

ASH: I had to scroll much longer than I was anticipating.

SEAN: Viz Media has Cosmos 4 and Insomniacs After School 13.

Udon Entertainment supposedly has Vol. 3 and 4 of Veil. Take that with a grain of salt.

ANNA: I want to believe!!!!

ASH: It would be great to see!

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 4th volume of We Can’t Do Just Plain Love.

Steamship has His Sensual Whisper: The Voice That Sets Me On Fire 2 and Winter Wolf 2.

Square Enix Manga debuts My Favorite VTuber Is Scary IRL (Haitatsusaki no Onee-san ga Kowasugiru), a classic “shy boy meets the girl of his dreams” manga. It’s on Gangan Online.

Seven Seas has one danmei, Mistakenly Saving the Villain 3.

They also debut Kitayama and Minamiya (Kitayama-kun to Minamiya-kun), a spicy BL comedy about a guy who can always picture what someone looks like when they’re aroused… except this one guy. It runs, appropriately, in Splush.

MICHELLE: Snerk. Wow.

ANNA: What a terrible problem to have!

ASH: It does seem like that could lead to trouble.

SEAN: A Prince of a Friend (Ouji-sama no Tomodachi) is a shonen title from Dra Dra Sharp #. Rui is tired of every girl he likes confessing to his best friend… who is gorgeous, and the school prince. So she offers to teach him the ways of love.

Wait, I Love You (Matte, Suki), which runs in Byou de Wakaru BL, is about an actor and his stylist boyfriend trying to make things work despite their busy careers.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ANNA: Yeah!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Cupid is Struck by Lightning 2 (the final volume), The Dangers in My Heart 12, How Do I Turn My Best Friend Into My Girlfriend? 5 (the final volume), Ichi the Killer Omnibus 3, Karate Survivor in Another World 9, Monster Musume: Deluxe Edition 2, My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today 6, Mysterious Disappearances 8, Now That We Draw 4, and Yes, No, or Maybe? 3.

One Peace Books has Detectives These Days Are Crazy 3 and Hero Without a Class 5.

Kodansha Manga has Blue Lock Omnibus 1, which has the first three volumes of this popular soccer series.

ASH: It’s probably time I get around to reading this.

SEAN: GALAXIAS is a Weekly Shonen Magazine title about a girl who finds she knows nothing about this world that her father has kept from her, so sets out on a journey of discovery.

Hitting Rewind With You (Okuremashite Seishun) is a shoujo manga from Dessert. A girl who’s been too busy grinding grades to date decides to go out on Halloween in her old high school uniform… and runs into a handsome high schooler! Only… he’s in college too?!

MICHELLE: I might go for this one!

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Also in print: A Curtain Call for You 2, The Darwin Incident 9, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 7, Nina the Starry Bride 14, Rent-a-Girlfriend 35, and You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 3.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Nina the Starry Bride, I do enjoy it.

ASH: I still need to start it. I’m so far behind on so many things.

SEAN: In digital: Am I Actually the Strongest? 16, Fungus and Iron 8, Love, That’s an Understatement 7, Saving Sweets for After-Hours 5 (the final volume), WIND BREAKER 22, and Ya Boy Kongming! 22.

J-Novel Club has one print debut, the manga version of My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World. It runs in Kadocomi.

No digital debuts for J-Novel Club. For light novels, they have Cooking with Wild Game 32, Guild Handyman? More like Mastermind! 2, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 9, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups 12, Knock Yourself Out! The Goddess Beat the Final Boss in the Tutorial, So Now I’m Free to Do Whatever 3, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 11, One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future 2, and Revenge of the Soul Eater 4.

For manga, there is I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 6, Imperial Reincarnation 3, The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1 6, Looks Like a Job for a Maid! 3, My Death-Defying Dog 2, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 9.

Hanashi Media has I’m Just a Villager, So What? 3 and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 13.

Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women.

Dark Horse Manga debuts Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS, a spinoff title featuring Pilar and Rebecca that runs in Comic Alive +.

Cross Infinite World has two debuts. Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! (Konyakusha wo Sutetara, Tanoshii Mahou Gakkou no Seikatsu ga Matteimashita) is the first, where after a broken engagement a noblewoman tries enrolling in the obligatory magic academy.

Strawberry Princess: The Time Loop Defying Villainess (Shiitagerareta Maihime wa Seijo no Loop ni Ichigo de Aragau) is a one-shot light novel about an abused princess who’s time-looping… but it’s not her doing it, it’s her evil half-sister trying to get the perfect man! And now she’s set her sights on our heroine’s fiancé! Wait, what do strawberries have to do with this?

ANNA: This sounds very complex.

SEAN: We also see If the Heroine Wants My Fiancé, I’ll Marry a Yandere Villain Instead! 2.

Airship debuts in print I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One (Akuyaku Suki no Ore, Oshi Character ni Tensei: Game Joban ni Shujinkou ni Korosareru Oshi ni Tenseishita node, Ore dake Shitteru Game Chishiki de Hametsu Flag wo Tsubushitara Akuyaku-tachi no Teiou ni Natteta Ken). It’s another “guy reincarnated into his favorite game as the pathetic villain who dies” story, and you know he’s not going to take that lying down.

ANNA: Maybe they should make one where he does take it lying down, for variety!

SEAN: Also in print: Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation 3.

The digital debut is My Girlfriend Cheated on Me, and Now My Flirty Underclassman Won’t Leave Me Alone (Kanojo ni Uwakisareteita Ore ga, Koakuma na Kouhai ni Natsukareteimasu), whose title is the plot.

There’s also The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 7.

Is there something here that will entertain you?

SEAN: It’s February, read manga. It will get you through February.

ASH: Thank you, manga, for your unwavering support.

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! (Zatsuyou Fuyojutsushi ga Jibun no Saikyou ni Kidzuku Made), which starts as a “thrown out of the party for having support magic” title, but at least this guy has a childhood friend to help him realize he’s actually awesome.

ASH: It’s always good to have a childhood friend who has your back.

SEAN: Also in print: Witch and Mercenary 5.

Digitally, we get two debuts. I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms (Ano Hana ga Saku Oka de Kimi to Mata Deaetara) is a one-shot light novel in the genre of “tragic yet heartwarming movie about teenagers and time travel that gets made into a movie”. A genre Airship has so many of.

ANNA: It sounds wistful, I wonder if it is wistful.

ASH: It does though, doesn’t it? And I do tend to enjoy this particular genre.

SEAN: Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World (Magic Maker: Isekai Mahou no Tsukurikata) is an ongoing light novel in the genre of “I am reincarnated into a fantasy world and proceed to revolutionize it as a young child because I am so amazing”. A genre ALL publishers have so many of.

Dark Horse Manga has the first omnibus of Gunsmith Cats Burst, the sequel to the classic manga that assumes that what fans really want is more Bean Bandit.

ASH: Aww, beans.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 17 and Creature Girls: A Hands-On Field Journal in Another World 14.

Hanashi Media has stopped putting everything in the last week of the month, so we got I Got Reincarnated as a Cultist Mob in an Eroge Full of Maniacs with Death Wishes 3 this week, and next week we get The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage 3.

Ize Press debuts The Merman Trapped in My Lake. A girl finds her ancestor trapped the titular merman in the titular lake. The girl is named after this ancestor, and looks just like her, but surely that won’t lead to trouble.

ASH: When has it ever? (This does sound like something I would read…)

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Kill the Villainess 5, Lady Devil 4, Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner 4, See You in My 19th Life 9, and Semantic Error 5.

J-Novel Club’s one debut is in their Knight imprint. Finding My Way to (You) in This MMO World (Game no Sekai ni Tenseishita Ore ga ** ni Naru made) has a boy setting out to make his fortune – then getting conscripted – suddenly remember his past life from another world! What’s more, he’s got to guard the princess… who’s a prince in disguise! If you like the same old light novel plots but wished they were gayer, this is for you.

ASH: I mean, it surely can’t hurt.

SEAN: Other JNC light novels: The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 2, Holmes of Kyoto 21, In Another World with Household Spells 4, The Invincible Little Lady 7, Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain 6, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 14, and Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 19.

Other JNC manga: Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 5, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 12, Housekeeping Mage from Another World 9, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! 3.

Kodansha’s print debut is Love at First Memory (Ore to Mou Ichido, Hatsukoi), a Nakayoshi manga about an heiress who finally decides which of her suitors she loves… then she gets amnesia in an car accident, and they all insist they were the one she picked! This is from the author of Boss Bride Days and Springtime with Ninjas.

MICHELLE: I can only assume that wacky hijinks ensue.

ANNA: Sometimes I’m in the mood for wacky hijinks.

ASH: Wacky hijinks can be healing.

SEAN: There’s also The Ghost in the Shell Legacy Edition Manga Box Set, a big box of all the GITS titles uncensored (yes, they have THOSE pages).

ASH: Goodness!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 27, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 16, Parasyte Paperback Collection 3, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 14, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition 3, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 23.

MICHELLE: Oh! I didn’t realize there was a new volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday?!

ANNA: Woah!!!!

ASH: Oh! I was somehow unaware.

SEAN: And digitally, we see A Couple of Cuckoos 27, Forest of Piano 11 through 18 (the final volume, and these are the first new translated volumes since 2019), Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 29, My Boyfriend in Orange 15, Sayabito: Swords of Destiny 7, and That Beauty is a Tramp 7.

One Peace Books has a 5th volume of Hero Without a Class.

Seven Seas time. For danmei, the big release (literally) is The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong Box Set, a deluxe hardcover version of Bakarina: danmei edition. There’s also a mini-artbook and mini-posters.

ASH: That is a sizeable release!

SEAN: For other titles, we see Get Married So I Can Curse Your Firstborn and Finally Be Free! (7-dai Tatarimasu node Hayaku Kekkonshite Kudasai!), a Monthly! Spirits series about a vengeful god trying to unvengeful herself by cursing seven generations of a family. Unfortunately for her, the 6th one is so unpopular there may not BE a 7th!

ASH: Whoops.

SEAN: Grim Night Tales (Endan Yobanashi) is a Sunday Web Every series that is basically an anthology of horror short manga.

ASH: A horror manga anthology, you say?

SEAN: Hibana is a BL manga from the creator of Classmates. A girl finds that her boyfriend is falling for another guy… and getting far too obsessed with him. This comes from Magazine Be x Boy, and is done in one.

MICHELLE: Oooooh. I have heard great things about Classmates.

ASH: Classmates is excellent. Granted, I generally tend to enjoy Asumiko Nakamura’s work.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Greatest Wolf of My Life 2, The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child 5, My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files 5, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 7, Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 4, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 18, The Too-Perfect Saint 5, The Valiant Must Fall 6, and The World’s Fastest Level-Up 7.

Square Enix Manga gives us Dragon and Chameleon 6, Mr. Villain’s Day Off 7, and Wash It All Away 6.

Steamship has a 5th volume of Loving Moon Dog and a 5th volume of The Villainess and the Demon Knight light novel.

Titan debuts Gizmo Riser, a MAGCOMI series about a slave who inherits some amazing gloves from his uncle so he can destroy the state.

ASH: I wish him well.

SEAN: Lots from Tokyopop. Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko! (Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru) is a Web Action yuri manga about two women who are completely in love with each other, but absolutely think the other one is straight.

Destiny Paradise Night is a one-shot BL manga from Honey Milk. A guy dumped by his girlfriend saves someone from jumping off a bridge… only he wasn’t really. Also, he’s a sexy idol.

EX-Rank Lover: My Doting Ex-Boyfriend Wants to Make Love to Me Again and Again! (Dekiai Moto Kare wa Saikai H de Torotoro ni Aishi Tsukushitai – Amayakashi Jouzu na Nikushoku Gokujou Teku ni Oborete) is a josei one-shot from LoveParfait. A receptionist finds that the new employee at her office is her ex from high school… and he’s really hot now and wants to get back together!

Tokyopop also has Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 7 and Reincarnated in a Mafia Dating Sim 3.

Viz Manga debuts Centuria, a dark fantasy from Shonen Jump +. A stowaway on a slave ship gets powers from the gods of the sea, and that’s where his troubles begin.

ANNA: I’m a little curious!

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple 2, Choujin X 11, Hirayasumi 8, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 5, Jujutsu Kaisen 29, Kingdom 4, Mission: Yozakura Family 21, Snowball Earth 8, Steel of the Celestial Shadow 9, and Ultraman 21.

Yen Press debuts Hinatsugimura, a one-shot horror manga from Nemuki +. A group of travelers wait out a storm in a mansion. That ALWAYS goes well.

MICHELLE: It might be a trope, but sounds kind fun nonetheless.

ASH: Yup. I’d read that.

SEAN: Also from Yen, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 26.

ASH: I’m out of touch and didn’t realize that was still running!

SEAN: Don’t use manga for firewood! Read it!

SEAN: Manga the Week of appears despite it being too cold to actually type.

There’s a deluge from Yen On, with several titles that were delayed a few weeks. Moscow 2160 is a light novel from the author of Goblin Slayer. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future Moscow, this stars a mercenary trying to make a good life for his younger siblings.

ASH: A promising premise.

SEAN: New Game Plus After Defeating the Last Boss: All These Beautiful, Problematic Girls in the First Town Have Gotten Really Attached to Me… (Last Boss Toubatsugo ni Hajimeru Nishuume Boukensha Life – Hajimari no Machi de Wakeari Bishoujo-tachi ga Mechakucha Natsuite kimasu) stars a man who gives his life saving the world. Now he’s resurrected, and back at Level 1, though… he’s just as strong as he was when he died. And also, well, women are flocking to him. And possibly something else rhyming with flocking, but I suspect this one won’t quite go that far.

ASH: Ah, got it, problematic.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant 5, The Detective Is Already Dead 11, Even a Replica Can Fall in Love 4, Gods’ Games We Play 6, The Irregular at Magic High School 26, Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 5, Nagisa Natsunagi Still Wants to Be a High School Girl 2, Once Upon a Witch’s Death 2, The Only Thing I’d Do in a No-Boys-Allowed Game World 3, Orc Eroica 6, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 5, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Short Story Collection 4, Sabikui Bisco 10 (the final volume), Secrets of the Silent Witch ~another~ 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime 22, The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 10, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 8, and This Is the Wizard’s Secret Weapon 2.

ASH: The list just keeps going!

SEAN: Significantly less from Yen Press, but there is some. The debut is Please Look After the Dragon (Dragon Yashinatte Kudasai), a Manga One series about a guy who comes across a dragon who is essentially on a trip to find herself, and asks that he take her in.

ASH: This could be cute.

SEAN: There’s also The Holy Grail of Eris 11, Let This Grieving Soul Retire! 10, Level Up with the Gods 2, The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince 4, and Victoria of Many Faces 3.

ASH: Okay, that is significantly less.

SEAN: Viz Media gives us Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Octavinelle 2, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 14, Girl Crush 5, Hayate the Combat Butler 47, Mao 23, Not So Shoujo Love Story 3, Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet 4, Rai Rai Rai 3, and Rainbows After Storms 8.

Two Tokyopop debuts. First Love Reunion: A Decade Later, My High School Crush Is Determined to Make Me His! (Tsugi ni Attara Dakutte Kimeteta node. Saikai Shita Hatsukoi no Kare ga Moujuuka Shitara…) is a Love Kiss! more oneshot (yes, that’s the magazine) about a girl who crushed on a guy from afar in high school, but is startled at their reunion when he walks up and kisses her!

Wandervogel is a BL manga from Chara, and stars a vagrant who takes refuge with a novelist during a storm, and then finds the novelist… can read minds?

MICHELLE: Hm…

SEAN: SuBLime has Scattering His Virgin Bloom: Love Frenzy, a sequel to a manga they put out in 2022, an omegaverse title about an omega whose heat comes in his mid-20s.

There’s also a 3rd volume of A Man Who Defies the World of BL.

ASH: I haven’t read the earlier volumes yet, but I am curious about this series.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts Otaku x Gal (Gal ni Yasashii Otaku-kun), whose plot sounds EXACTLY like My Dress-Up Darling but this apparently skews less romancey and more slice of life-y.

They also have Exquisite Blood: The Heretic Onmyoji 3 and My Isekai Life 23.

Seven Seas has some danmei, as we see Silent Reading: Mo Du 2 and Thrice Married to a Salted Fish 2.

Seven Seas manga debuts Aharen-san is Indecipherable (Aharen-san wa Hakarenai), a Shonen Jump + series with a recent anime. It’s coming out in 2-volume omnibuses. Aharen doesn’t get social cues, but that’s fine, as she now has a best friend who can understand her! Maybe?

ASH: Only maybe.

SEAN: The Beast King: Master of Medicines (Juuou to Yakusou) is a Manga One title about a novice adventurer who’s saved when near death by the Beast King. Now he wants her to help him heal other monsters!

ASH: This is definitely something I would read.

SEAN: He Craves to be Teased by His Favorite ASMR Streamer (Minami-kun wa Sono Koe ni Jirasaretai) is a BL manga from Equal. An ASMR artist is asked to do “private sessions” for another guy who can only be turned on by his voice.

Also from Seven Seas: I Can’t Stand Being Your Childhood Friend 2, Monster Musume: I Heart Monster Girls 5, Natsume Wants to Blossom (Vol. 2 in the series), No God in Eden 3, Ripples in the River 2, and Tease Me Harder: A Sweet and Kinky Romance 2.

Kodansha Manga, in print, has Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle 11 (the final volume), Bless 7, Issak Omnibus 5, Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN Deluxe 4, Thunder 3 8, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 11.

ASH: I really need to read Issak before I get too much further behind.

SEAN: Digitally we have A Condition Called Love 18 (the final volume), Giant Killing 53, and Nina the Starry Bride 17.

MICHELLE: Long ago, I read a bit of A Condition Called Love. I guess now that it’s ending, I should get back to it.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print titles. Ascendance of a Bookworm manga Part 4 Vol. 2, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 7, Gushing over Magical Girls 8, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Omnibus 6, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World manga 4, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 7, and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 3.

ASH: Obligatory “Yay, Bookworm!”.

SEAN: Two JNC digital debuts, both light novels. The Canon Fodder’s Ascension from Pawn to World Unifier (Kamaseinu kara Hajimeru Tenka Touitsu: Jinrui Saikouhou no Last Boss wo Enjite Gensaku Break) is another “villain” novel where a guy wakes up in the body of a loser villain and tries to make him awesome.

It’s Tough Being a Necromancer is a J-Novel Club contest winner, about an apprentice necromancer sent off on an adventure to get experience. He finds it with a bunch of monster girls.

ASH: How tough could it be?

SEAN: Other light novels out next week: Disowned but Not Disheartened! 3, Duchess in the Attic 5, Heir to a Monstermancer 2, The Isle of Paramounts 2, Knight’s & Magic 9, Let This Grieving Soul Retire! 9, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 4, The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 7, Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! 2, and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 3.

Other manga out next week: Bibliophile Princess 10, The Crown of Rutile Quartz 2, From Villainess to Healer 5, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 6, Peddler in Another World 6, and A Royal Rebound 3.

Ghost Ship debuts Lilia’s Pregnancy Spells the World’s End (Lilia Pregnant The World End), a Web Every Sunday series about the hero who has defeated the demon lord… only now the demon lord’s daughter wants his baby! And will try any seduction to get it.

Airship has the print debut of A Good Day Starts with Cats and Books (Shodana no Hon to Neko Biyori), a short story collection masquerading as a novel, about a bookstore and the many readers who contribute to its shelves.

ASH: The cozy cats and cozy bookstore subgenres have combined forces?!

SEAN: Also in print: Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 6 and Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women 2.

For early digital, we see Reincarnated as a Sword 18, The Too-Perfect Saint 5, and True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 3.

What manga are you reading as you shiver in the cold?

MICHELLE: I don’t know, man. There’s less and less that interests me, these days.