Ash Brown

SEAN: As September crawls along, let’s see what manga and light novels offer us.

Yen On moved half its releases back two weeks, so we don’t have quite as much as usual. We get Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 25, The Irregular at Magic High School 27, Legend of the Far East’s Savior 2, Lord of Mysteries 4, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 6, Spy Classroom 11, To Sir Without Love, I’m Divorcing You 2 Part 1, and The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 11.

ASH: I imagine sharing the wealth with the other weeks of the month will make some things easier for some people somewhere.

SEAN: Viz debuts The Amazing Digital Circus, a manga adaptation of the popular web series. It runs in CoroCoro Comic. A young woman puts on a weird headset and finds herself trapped in a strange cartoon world… and she’s a cartoon as well!

ASH: I’m not sure I realized there was a manga adaptation.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Akira Falling in Love 4, Animal Crossing: New Horizons 11, Fly Me to the Moon 33, Hayate the Combat Butler 49, Minecraft: the Manga 7, Spider-Man: Kizuna 4, and the 10th and final volume of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon.

Titan Manga have Working for God in a Godless World 6.

SuBLime debuts Sunshine in Hades (Cerberus wa Shisai ni Kuraitsuku), A gladiator has been told to breed powerful warriors… but he’s a virgin. Fortunately, a priest is here to give him intimate lessons.

ASH: That is fortunate.

ANNA: Education is important!

SEAN: They also have Bride of the Shark Clam: Married Life (basically Volume 2, and the final volume), and Candy Color Paradox 7.

ASH: I vaguely remember enjoying earlier volumes of this series; I should probably read more.

SEAN: Steamship has the 4th volume of I’ll Never Be Your Crown Princess! – Betrothed and the 5th and final volume of Sweet Heat Before Falling in Love: The CEO and His Fated Omega.

No debuts for Seven Seas next week. We do get Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 13, Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 13, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 6, I’m Running for Crown Princess, but All I Want is a Steady Paycheck! 4, Lost in the Cloud 4, A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof 4, and Re:Monster 13.

One Peace Books has the 27th manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Kodansha Manga’s print debut is Say Hello to Mr. Wallaby! (Kyou mo Ashita mo Wallaby-sensei), a josei series from Kiss. A professor on a tour of Australia meets a wallaby who’s also an otaku, and takes him back to Japan with him.

MICHELLE: I was into the josei part, but am kind of dubious about the otaku wallaby.

ASH: That definitely went a direction I wasn’t expecting.

ANNA: Yeah, I am not sure about this one too.

SEAN: Also in print: A-DO 10, Blue Summer Haze 2, FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 21, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 18, The Heroic Legend of Arslan 23, Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow 4, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 16, Medalist 13, Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 6 (the final volume), and Wind Breaker 23.

MICHELLE: I’m literally reading the first volume of Blue Summer Haze today!

SEAN: Digital next week: Giant Killing 58, Manchuria Opium Squad 14, Parasyte Reversi 8 (the final volume), and Wind Breaker 26.

MICHELLE: Hooray for Giant Killing, as per uzsh.

ASH: For sure.

SEAN: Print for J-Novel Club is Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill 7 (the manga).

After a long hot summer, J-Novel Club finally has debuts again. Two light novels. Father, Have You Sinned? An Assassin in Priest’s Robes (Moto Saikyou Ansatsusha wa Inaka de Hissori Shinpu ni Naru ~Daishusse Shita Oshiego-tachi ni Shitawareru Ossan ga An’yaku Suru Hanashi~) stars a former assassin now having a humble life, teaching orphans life lessons and combat skills. Then one of his former students returns, and she wants to drag him into the light.

ASH: I’ll admit, my first thought was of Sister from Arakawa Under the Bridge, but that’s decidedly a different series.

ANNA: Continuing the theme of education being important this week!

SEAN: A Young Maiden’s Growing Pains: I Reincarnated and All I Got Was This 100X Stat Buff! (Seichouritsu 100 Bai Cheat no Tensei Youjo ~Heion ni Kurashitai no ni, Mawari ga Sou Sasete Kuremasen~) stars a tiny girl who gets truck-kun’d and ends up isekai’d. She wishes for a powerful body. She means tall and alluring. The gods keep her tiny, but now she can beat up most men. Worse, unless she finds love, she’s cursed to be a child forever!

Also, in not-quite-debuts, there’s the first volume of Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 0, which is – at long last – the prequel we’ve been begging for showing us how Allen met Lydia.

Other J-Novel Club light novels: Blade & Bastard 6, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 11, DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 13, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 5, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 11, The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman 5 Part 1, and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 6.

And for manga they have The Eternal Fool’s Words of Wisdom: A Pawsitively Fantastic Adventure 10, Looks like a Job for a Maid! The Tales of a Dismissed Supermaid 5, Make It Stop! I’m Not Strong… It’s Just My Sword! 3, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 12.

Ghost Ship has a 4th volume of Makina-san’s a Love Bot?!.

Denpa, according to retailers, have Nana & Kaoru: Last Year (Nana to Kaoru: Last Year), the final series in the erotic comedy-drama showing them about to graduate high school. It ran in Harem (yes, that’s the magazine name).

Dark Horse Manga has a giant, 800-page hardcover omnibus of Appleseed, and boy it looks amazing. It ran in Comic Gaia. If you don’t know what it is, please buy this. The translation by Dana Lewis and Toren Smith is still the same, as you don’t mess with perfection.

MICHELLE: This looks fabulous.

ASH: That it does!

ANNA: Oh man, I think I collected this back in the day when it was the fashion to release 32 and 48 page comic book size manga chapters in translation.

SEAN: Airship, in print, has Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex 3, Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 7, and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 17.

There’s a digital-only debut. Predator Witches (Hoshokusha-kei Mahou Shoujo) is another one of those “what if magical girls but it’s grim and depressing?” series.

And in early digital they have Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 3 and A Tale of the Secret Saint 11.

And Ablaze have Gannibal 7… one week after Gannibal 6. I feel the need to add “retailers say”, in that case.

Still crawling? If so, what are you buying?

SEAN: As August drifts into September, new college freshmen get their very first internet account… wait, it’s not the early 1990s, nevermind.

MICHELLE: I didn’t get mine ’til grad school in the mid-’90s!

ASH: What’s the Internet?

ANNA: In retrospect, a huge mistake!

SEAN: Ablaze has the 6th volume of Gannibal.

Airship has the 2nd volume of Classroom of the Elite: Year 3 and the 20th and final (barring any short story collections) volume of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom in print.

In early digital they have Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 7 and The Neverending Winter, the Land of Broken Dreams (the 4th in the The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes collection).

And in only digital, there is Reborn as an Assassin’s Apprentice 2.

Two debuts from Cross Infinite World. Assassin Empress Bellreuge (Ansatsu Jotei Bellreuge ~Shiitagerareshi Koujo wa Ai o Ete Nariagaru~) is a one-shot about a girl who gets a proposal from a margrave with a nasty reputation. This makes her half-sister… the princess… simply furious. Fortunately, Bellreuge is good at avoiding assassins.

ASH: That is a good skill to have!

ANNA: Better than the alternative!

SEAN: From Corporate Drone to Mincemaster! One Order of Dragon Coming Right Up! (Makikomarete Shoukan Sareta Genkai OL, Guild Shozoku no [Mamono Kaitai Jou] toshite Funtouchuu ~Dragon desu ka? Mochiron Sabakemasu!~) is a story about a girl summoned to another world!… or rather, the girl next to her is. Out goes the useless girl they accidentally summoned onto the street. Fortunately, someone finds a use for her weird skill.

ASH: Another series for the monster menu subgenre!

SEAN: They also have a 5th volume of Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes.

Ghost Ship have Tamamori’s Fantasies Never Stop! 5.

Glacier Bay Books have Akari, a oneshot that ran in Flat Hero’s. After his wife dies, a man loses interest in anything. Then his granddaughter shows up.

And they have Baku-chan, a manga about a tapir coming to Japan and facing prejudice.

And they have Box Garden Beetle (Hakoniwa Mushi), which ran in AX (not the convention). This is a collection of stories by a famous alternative manga artist.

ASH: Releases from Glacier Bay Books are always worth checking out!

ANNA: Just cool to have more publishers in the mix!

SEAN: Hanashi Media gives us The Disfavored Prince is a Genius Alchemist 2 and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 19.

A quiet week for J-Novel Club. On the light novel side, they have Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 48, Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden 10, Revenge of the Soul Eater: Cast Out as a Weakling by My Sword Saint Father 6, and Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! Give Me a Regular Romance 4.

And for manga they have The Banished Former Hero Does As He Pleases 9 and Hell Mode 11.

Kana has Billy Bat 2.

MICHELLE: I still need to read the first one!

ASH: Same! I’ve got quite the backlog.

ANNA: Me too! I did buy it.

SEAN: Kodama have a giant Baki the Grappler box set, with the first 8 omnibuses. They also have Omnibuses 23 and 24 of Baki the Grappler as well.

ASH: The release schedule of this series is truly impressive.

SEAN: And there’s a 5th volume of Smile!.

ASH: I feel like I blinked and missed three volumes.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga has one print debut, How to Grill Our Love (Yaiteru Futari), a Weekly Morning series about a newlywed couple who love barbecue! We’ve had the digital of this for some time.

Also in print: Initial D Omnibus 11, MF Ghost 6, Nina the Starry Bride 17, Shugo Chara! 20th Anniversary Edition 3, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 9, and The World Is Dancing 4.

ANNA: Obligatory yay on my part for Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: Seven Seas, for danmei, has a 5th Dinghai Fusheng Records.

Seven Seas, for non-Airship Japanese novels, has a 6th The Twelve Kingdoms.

ASH: I still love this series so much.

SEAN: As for manga debuts, there are three. Cheeky Devil Cop! (Akuma de Fukei!) is a Weekly Young Magazine series about a cute demon who wants an evil minion, and the evil-looking human cop she meets seems perfect. But he wants to send her back to hell!

Luna Knight runs in Monthly Young Magazine. A girl runs a flower shop and waits for her missing sister to return. Then when the shop burns down, she regains lost memories.

Printernia Nippon: My Squishy Bio-Printed Pet runs in Matogrosso. In the future, you can 3D print your pets! But our lead guy screws up, and doesn’t get a dog, he gets… what is that anyway?

There’s also a deluxe hardcover version of Dai Dark coming out, covering the first three books.

ASH: It even glows in the dark!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 2, BASTARD 5, Dungeon Elf: What’s a Dungeon without Treasure Chests? 2, I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 7, The Ideal Sponger Life 22, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 17, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 11, Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General 13 (the final volume), Seaside Stranger 7, The Strange House 6, The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 2, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 8, and The World’s Fastest Level Up 8.

MICHELLE: Oh, I had forgotten about Seaside Stranger!

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has Always a Catch! 8.

Steamship debuts The Obsessed Mage and His Beloved Statue Bride: She Cannot Resist His Seductive Voice (Yandere Mahoutsukai wa Sekizou no Otome shika Aisenai: Majo wa Manadeshi no Atsui Kuchizuke de Tokeru), the manga version of the light novel, already published by Seven Seas. Our heroine, to save the country, turns herself to stone for twenty years. Now her cute teenage assistant is an older, sexier man, and still totally in love with her.

ASH: Cue drama.

ANNA: Whoops!

SEAN: Takumigraphics (Fantagraphics’ new manga imprint) debut On Their Frontlines: The Lives of Japanese War Brides (Senba no Hito). This 350-page book details the lives of four people shortly after the war. I’ve heard REALLY good things about this, and it’s also a bit LGBTQ?

ASH: I have likewise heard very encouraging things about this release.

ANNA: Wow, sounds interesting for sure.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has – take this with a grain of salt – three titles out next week. In the Manga Biographies series we get Amelia Earhart and Momofuku Ando (the guy who invented cup noodles). There’s also Blue Archive: Comic Anthology 3.

Viz have a debut. Shiba Inu Rooms (Shiba-tsuki Bukken) stars a young woman who gets an apartment dirt cheap… because it’s haunted by the ghost of a Shiba Inu! Think wacky comedy.

ASH: I’m not sure I can resist a Shiba Inu manga! Even without being a ghost, they can be delightfully extra.

ANNA: This sounds cute!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Hima-Ten! 2, I’m No Angel 2, Kaiju No. 8 16 (the final volume), Magical Girl Dandelion 3, Nana 25th Anniversary Edition 5, Nue’s Exorcist 8, RuriDragon 4, Spy x Family 16, A Star Brighter than the Sun 7, Super Psychic Policeman Chojo 5, and Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 3.

MICHELLE: I really do need to read A Star Brighter than the Sun.

ASH: Reading Nana again is a great option, too!

SEAN: What are you reading in this perpetual September?

SEAN: It’s time for the end of Aug-AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! (is buried in manga)

ASH: Can you still breathe in there?

SEAN: Yen Press start with The Blood-Crawling Princess of a Ruined Country (Chi wo Hau Boukoku no Oujo), a dark fantasy manga from Gangan Online. A princess finds her country invaded, her family killed, and herself sold into sex work. Now, years later, she’s after revenge.

ANNA: Those sound like good reasons for revenge.

ASH: That they do.

SEAN: Clevatess: The King of Dark Beasts, the Baby, and the Undead Hero (Clevatess: Majuu no Ou to Akago to Kabane no Yuusha) is a webtoon that also runs in Comic Alive +. A dark beast finds his life complicated by, well, a baby and an undead hero. The anime of this is currently running.

Deep-Sea Aquarium Magmell (MagMell Shinkai Suizokukan) is a seinen title from Kurage Bunch. A shy kid who loves the sea gets his dream job working part-time at an aquarium.

ASH: I’ve been curious about this one. And that cover is so pretty.

SEAN: The Demon Consort: “I Love You” Are Frightening Words (Kihi: “Aishiteru” wa, Kowai Koto) is also from Kurage Bunch. A young woman returns home for the first time in years for her friend’s funeral only to find everyone accusing her of killing her friend by revealing a curse.

ASH: That sounds like it could be a problem.

SEAN: Don’t Confuse Me, Yamori-kun (Madowasenaide Yamori-kun) runs in Young Champion. A guy decides to have an image change, and his friend agrees and says he’ll do that too. Um… why is his friend now in a girl’s uniform? And being a tease? Huh? Also, is this BL or LGBTQ?

ANNA: I guess it does sound confusing!

ASH: Guess someone will have to read it to find out.

SEAN: Elden Ring: Distant Tales Between is a spinoff of the main Elden Ring manga Yen Press has, and seems to be a “what if this happened instead” AU sort of book.

Girls’ Last Tour Collector’s Edition: 1st Ration Pack is the Girls’ Last Tour manga in a big hardcover deluxe omnibus.

ASH: Fancy!

Golden Man is a superhero manga from Weekly Young Magazine. One day Golden Man, the protector of New York, disappears! In his place is a young man with amnesia! This is from the writer of Interviews with Monster Girls and the artist behind Bloody Monday.

Hand in Hand with Mu-chan: Lessons from My Autistic Daughter (Muu-chan to Te wo Tsunaide: Jiheishou no Musume ga Oshietekureta koto) is based on a real-life story of the author’s experience discovering their child is autistic. It runs in Elegance Eve.

ANNA: This sounds interesting.

ASH: Agreed!

SEAN: Mobile Suit Gundam the Witch from Mercury―Vanadis Heart (Kidou Senshi Gundam: Suisei no Majo – Vanadis Heart) is a spinoff of the popular Gundam anime, and runs in Gundam Ace. Taking place 5 years after the anime, it stars two women dealing with forbidden cargo. This came out digitally in July, here’s the print.

ASH: Someone was just telling me about this iteration of Gundam the other day.

SEAN: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table (Shibou Yuugi de Meshi wo Kuu) is, well, a death game manga, running in Comp Ace. It’s based on the light novel, also published by Yen.

Then Shall I Kill in Your Stead? (Jaa, Kimi no Kawari ni Korosou ka?) is a mystery manga from Bessatsu Young Champion. A bullied high schooler finds a welcome ally. But this ally may be a bit too scary.

MICHELLE: This one’s kinda intriguing.

SEAN: What Does the Fox Say? is a yuri manhwa, it ran as a webtoon. A woman with a bad love history starts at a game company. She falls for her new boss… but the company president falls for her!

ASH: That song will be stuck in my head forever.

SEAN: Also from Yen: Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra 6, Bad Girl 2, Battle Royale Deluxe Edition 2, The Beginning After the End 11, Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology 6, A Certain Magical Index 32, The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse 4, Common-Sense Monster 3 (the final volume), Demi-Human Sharehouse 2 (the final volume), Dungeons That Surely Slaughter Adventurers 2, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger 13, I Don’t Know Which Is Love 5, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 28, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 21, Mechanical Marie 3, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun 17, My Dear, Curse-Casting Vampiress 8, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 27, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 11, Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty 3, Shy 13, Sister and Giant 6, Stray Cat & Wolf 5, Sword Art Online Unital Ring 3, and The War of Greedy Witches 5.

MICHELLE: I spy some Nozaki-kun in there.

ASH: I did, too! (Also, dang, that really is a ton coming out from Yen next week!)

SEAN: Viz Media time (no, we’re nowhere near done). The JoJo author has a sequel to his how to manga book. Manga in Theory and Practice: How to Create Villains tells you how to create characters as memetic as DIO!

ANNA: Is that even possible????

ASH: Maybe not, but people can try!

SEAN: And there’s a 6th volume of Cosmos.

Tokyopop debuts The Arrival of Spring and Love (Kimi ga Tomoshite Kureta nara), a BL oneshot from LiQulle. A shy young man meets an outgoing young man at university, and romance blossoms.

Tokyopop also has a 2nd volume of Honkai Impact 3rd: Second Eruption and The Tale of Luvelia Kingdom 3.

Titan Manga debuts Colori Colore Creare, the latest from Kozue Amano, the creator of Aria. It runs in MAGCOMI, and is basically “what if the bits of Aria that were Akari running into that cat and ending up in a fantasy world were the main plot?”.

ASH: I enjoyedAria and appreciate cats.

SEAN: Titan also gives us Kamen Rider Kuuga 12 and Toxic Super Beasts 4 (the final volume).

Seven Seas has a danmei debut. The Lucky Egg Game: Cai Dan You Xi has two college students trapped in a death game… wait, is this really danmei? Where’s the cultivation? Where’s the demons?

ANNA: Are they handsome at least? I’m assuming that they are handsome.

MICHELLE: Presumably, it’ll have supernatural elements (a la Guardian) that qualify for it being danmei.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Also in danmei: Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 9.

Seven Seas also has a manga debut. Raul and His Vampire Prince (Raul to Kyuuketsuki) is a BL title from Sunday Web Every. Rescued by a rare male vampire who’s 800 years old but looks 8, a guy has grown up buff and strong to protect his savior… but his savior still sees him as a kid.

ASH: Understandably so.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Dangers in My Heart 13, The Last Elf 3, The Long Summer of August 31 6, Nakamura-san, the Uninvited Gyaru 6, and Painter of the Night 4.

Manga Mavericks debut The Pipe Machine, the story of a boy who ends up in weird adventures due to a time-traveling pipe.

ASH: I’m at least curious. Manga Mavericks has been releasing some great stuff.

SEAN: Retailers say Mahjong Pros has Crybaby Mermaid : Illustrated Memoir of Yuumi Uotani, Getter Robo High, and Vermilion Stella: Illustrated Memoir of Arisa Date. I’ve mentioned them here before, but they got bumped.

ASH: Still excited for mahjong manga!

SEAN: Kodansha Manga’s debut is Comeback After Fate (Comeback After Fate), an omegaverse one-shot from Honey Milk. A guy’s boy band has just made its big debut. And he’s an alpha, gotta be good. Then he meets a famous all-alpha band… and one of their members has a secret you’ll never guess unless you’ve read anything in this genre ever.

ANNA: He’s really into crochet?

ASH: How did you guess?!

SEAN: Also in print: Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 11, Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow 6, The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 7, Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 4, Blue Lock Omnibus 4, GALAXIAS 3, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 18, I Have a Crush at Work 6, Senpai Is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate 7, Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 6 (the final volume), Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition 5, and Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition 2.

ASH: Some great series in that list.

SEAN: And digitally we see Fate/Grand Order -Epic of Remnant- Pseudo-Singularity III: The Stage of Carnage, Shimousa – Seven Duels of Swordmasters 6 and I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 10.

Kaze has the 4th volume of Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love!.

J-Novel Club has a print debut for the light novel The Water Magician (Mizu Zokusei no Mahoutsukai). It features an isekai’d boy who’s just trying to learn how to use his newfound water magic, but sadly finds this world is not Slow Life.

Also in print is the 2nd manga volume of The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?!.

Digitally, J-Novel Club has some light novels. The Canon Fodder’s Ascension from Pawn to World Unifier 3, In Another World with Household Spells 6, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 14, Isekai Walking 7, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! This White Mage Is One Heck of a Healer 4.

And there is a digital manga debut, in the Knight line. Last Summer Sparkle is a BL one-shot from Chara Selection. It stars two guys. One has no idea what to do after he finishes high school. The other one has no idea what would happen if he confesses to the first guy.

ASH: I’m guessing we get to find out!

SEAN: And for other manga there is Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 4 Volume 7, The Crown of Rutile Quartz 3 (the final volume), The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 10, Sweet Reincarnation 13, Tearmoon Empire 10, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 11.

Inklore debuts Daughter of a Thousand Faces, a webtoon. Daughter has many suitors reject her, her mother is executed, and her life is awful. Then she frees a demon guy and becomes his disciple.

Hanashi Media, who surely must be annoyed with me always forgetting about them, has new titles. The debut already out is The Vampire and the Chocolatier, a BL fantasy light novel about the supernatural, servitude, and sweets.

ASH: I enjoy chocolate. And BL. Could be a delectable combination.

SEAN: Out this week is the 5th and final (?) volume of The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage.

And out next week is the 4th volume of The New Gate.

Airship, in print, has the 14th and final volume of Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō, as well as The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 13.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Sword of the Demon Hunter a try.

They also have a digital-only debut, no print here. Liar’s Journey: Reborn as a False Hero – I’ll Save the Tragic Heroine from Every Death Route! (Usotsuki wa Yuusha no Hajimari: Nisemono Yuusha ni Tensei Shita kedo Daisuki na Game no Shibou Route shika Nai Higeki no Heroine o Sukuidasu), another in what is becoming a genre of “guy reincarnated into game tries to save his favorite, the girl who dies in every route”.

And for early digital there is Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City 8 and Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women 4.

I died by being buried in manga, so cannot say anything here.

MICHELLE: Let’s all pour one out for Sean.

ASH: His efforts were not in vain.

SEAN: This is the week of Anime NYC, will any of you be buying manga there?

ASH: Alas, not I.

SEAN: Airship’s print debut is Saving a Weapon Shop from Bankruptcy after the Demon King’s Defeat (Maou Botsugo no Genkai Bukiya). After the defeat of the demon king, no monsters and no need for weapons means blacksmiths and adventurers are headed for poverty and slavery. Can our hero change that?

ASH: One does hold out hope.

ANNA: The economy is rough!

SEAN: Also in print: There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 8 and Too Many Losing Heroines! 8.

In early digital we have Loner Life in Another World 15, Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 16, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 11.

Alien Books has the 3rd and final volume of Kinryo Rock – Code Amrita.

ASH: I’d forgotten about Alien Books! So many small manga publishers these days; I love it.

SEAN: Dark Horse Manga has Cat + Crazy 4 and The Art of Star Wars: A New Hope–The Manga 2.

Ghost Ship gives us 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 19 and Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon 14.

Inklore has My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999 7.

Ize Press has Beware the Villainess! 8, I Love Amy 3, Kill the Villainess 7, Lady Devil 6, My Secretly Hot Husband 6, Overgeared 11, Revenge of the Baskerville Bloodhound 3, See You in My 19th Life 11, and Villains Are Destined to Die 9.

J-Novel Club is still in a debut desert. For ongoing light novels, we see The Misfit of Demon King Academy 12 Part 2, Miss Medic’s Diary at War 2, The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: From Deadweight to Weapon Master 2, Repeated Vice: I Refuse to Be Important Enough to Die 4, Sister Mafioso 2, and Tearmoon Empire 17.

ASH: With as many titles as J-Novel releases, it’s probably not a bad idea to pace the debuts.

SEAN: And for ongoing manga, there is The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: Ms. Aoi’s Lesson Plans 4, Jeanette the Genius: Defying My Evil Stepmother by Starting a Business with My Ride-or-Die Fiancé! 4, My Tiny Senpai 6, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 13.

Kodansha has no debuts, but in print we see Blue Lock 33, Cat-Life Balance 2, Grand Blue Dreaming 24, Hitting Rewind with You 4, Kirio Fan Club 3, Love, That’s an Understatement 6, MF Ghost 5, and Rent-A-Girlfriend 38.

MICHELLE: I should really read more of Love, That’s an Understatement.

SEAN: And digitally we get My Home Hero 26 (the final volume) and Quality Assurance in Another World 17.

Seven Seas has two debuts. The Death Defying Princess Creates a Yuri Harem to Survive (Shi ni Modori Oujo wa Ikinobiru Tame ni Yuri Harem wo Tsukuru Koto ni Shita) is a yuri manga from Wild Hero’s. A bratty princess dies, then goes back in time… and dies again. And again. She keeps trying different things, including being a better person, but… death. Is seducing every woman in the series the answer?

ASH: It’s worth a try, I guess!

ANNA: I guess one does what one must!

SEAN: The other debut is a 2-volume omnibus, Puniru is a Kawaii Slime (Puniru wa Kawaii Slime), a kids’ manga from Weekly Corocoro Comic. It has an anime. A boy has a slime transform into a girl. Boy, she gets into wacky misadventures!

ASH: It’s good to see more kids’ manga being released.

ANNA: Indeed!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 12, Dear Sister, I’ve Become a Blessed Maiden 2, DOGGO 2, The Fed-Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess 4, Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! 11, Let’s Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World 10, My Bias is Showing?! 3 (the final volume), Our Sunny Days 2, Tonight, I Have a Date with a Serial Killer 2, The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom 7, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 14, The Valiant Must Fall 7, and Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell 6.

Square Enix Manga has Tokyo Aliens 11 and Wash It All Away 9.

Steamship gives us Don’t Hold Back, Lord Hades 4 (the final volume) and A Suitable Fetish 7.

Udon Entertainment has, according to retailers, My Stepmom’s Daughter is My Ex (manga) 3.

Viz Media debuts what I am calling now will definitely be Manga Bookshelf’s Pick of the Week. Half Is More (Hanbun Kyoudai) runs in Torch. Our heroine and her brother were born and raised in Japan, and their mother is Japanese, but their father is Black French, so there’s a loooooot of prejudice. This comes highly recommended by folks I know.

MICHELLE: I suspect you are right about the pick of the week.

ASH: You know us so well!

ANNA: I mean it does sound good!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple 4, Centuria 3, Dogsred 4, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 7, Kingdom 10, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 14, Mission: Yozakura Family 24, Sakamoto Holidays 2, Show-ha Shoten! 11 (the final volume), Skip Beat! 3-in-1 17, Snowball Earth 9, Undead Unluck 26, and Vagabond Definitive Edition 6.

ASH: That’s an excellent week from Viz, right there!

Lotsa stuff there! What are you picking up?

SEAN: Hot. Then wet. Then hot. Then wet. Worst summer ever. At least there’s manga.

MICHELLE: I’m waiting on the outcome of hurricane season before I can make any declarations.

ASH: That seems fair.

SEAN: Yen On has one debut, which is My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again (Dungeon ni Hisomu Yandere na Kanojo ni Ore wa Nando mo Korosareru). Do you want Re: Zero but with more yanderes? Good news!

Also from Yen On: The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 10, Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 15 (the final volume), The Detective Is Already Dead 12, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 5, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? 20, The Kept Man of the Princess Knight 6, Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 6, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Beach Queen + (the 16th book in the 15-book series), Sasaki & Peeps 10, To the Monster I Love 2, Wandering Witch 17, Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf 12, and You Are My Regret 4.

ASH: Wait… 16th out 15?

SEAN: Viz’s debut is Ask Iwata, a self-help guide for gamers written by the CEO of Nintendo.

ASH: It’s outside of my usual reading, but I’ve heard good things about this one.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 17, Dandadan 20, Girl Crush 8, Kill Blue 8, Mao 25, Marriagetoxin 14, Rai Rai Rai 5, Rainbows After Storms 11, and Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 7.

MICHELLE: Wow, Mao is already up to volume 25.

SEAN: I missed a Tokyopop release last week: the 4th light novel of My Beautiful Man, namely My Uncontrollable Man.

This week they have My Noons and Midnights Are for You 2.

Titan Manga debut High Elf with a Long Life (Tensei Shite High Elf ni Narimashita ga, Slow Life wa 120-nen de Akimashita), the manga version of a light novel released by J-Novel Club under a slightly different title. A reincarnated as an elf guy wants a normal isekai, not sitting in the elf village doing nothing! This runs in Comic Earth Star.

ASH: You know, I could use some sitting around doing nothing.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: SuBLime has A Man Who Defies the World of BL 5 and Scattering His Virgin Bloom: Love Frenzy 3.

From Square Enix Manga we see Daemons of the Shadow Realm 11, My Clueless First Friend 9, and My Isekai Life 26.

Seven Seas, on the danmei side, has the 8th and final volume of Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu. This comes with an exclusive extra chapter, and a special edition with stickers, postcards, etc.

ASH: Ooh, fancy!

ANNA: For the fans!!!

SEAN: There’s also Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu 6.

Seven Seas debuts a manga anime watchers have already started: Draw This, Then Die! (Kore Kaite Shine). This shonen series from Gessan, and stars a girl who lives on a remote island who LOVES manga – but can she draw her own manga?

ASH: Signs point to yes, maybe?

ANNA: Hoping for the best for her!

SEAN: Hotel Inhumans is a Sunday Web Every series, and also inspired an anime. A hotel has to provide for its customer needs… but the customers are all hitmen!

ASH: I’m sure that won’t cause any problems whatsoever!

ANNA: Sounds a little John Wicky!

SEAN: PUNKS TRIANGLE stitch is a sequel to PUNKS TRIANGLE, and runs in Bloom. BL fashion designer x model.

Also from Seven Seas: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 16, Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 7, Hate Me, but Let Me Stay 7, Karate Survivor in Another World 10, Koharu and Minato: Happy Life with My Girlfriend 2, My Girlfriend is 8 Meters Tall 4, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 9, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 7 (the final volume), Romelia War Chronicle: The Count’s Daughter Rallies an Army in the Wake of Mankind’s Victory 3, and Succubus and Hitman 11.

One Peace Books has the 4th and final volume of The Revenge of My Youth: My Re Life With an Angelic Girl.

Last Gasp has a 3rd volume of Ultra Heaven.

ASH: Which is a good r minder for me to read the first two…

SEAN: Kodansha Manga debuts You Might As Well Be the One (Isso Anata ga Todome wo Sashite), a shoujo manga from Dessert. A flashy girl meets a kind boy. But he has… a secret!

MICHELLE: Hm. Intentional Billy Joel reference, or no, one wonders.

SEAN: Kodansha also has The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 14, Issak Omnibus 7, Love at First Memory 3, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 10, Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind 3, and Tank Chair 9.

Digitally we have Cat-Life Balance 2, Giant Killing 57, Issak 14, and TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 15.

MICHELLE: Obligatory Giant Killing squee.

ASH: It is a good one.

SEAN: Kana debuts Chiisakobee, a seinen manga based on a novel. It runs in Big Comic Spirits. A man who lost his parents and his parents’ family business in a fire resolves to rebuild, with the help of others.

J-Novel Club has print manga! Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 4 Vol. 5, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 7, and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 4.

J-Novel Club has print light novels! In Another World With My Smartphone 33, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 9, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 14.

J-Novel Club has digital manga! The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?! 6, Duchess in the Attic 7, Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint! St. Evelyn’s Weird and Wonderful Friends 4, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 8, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power: Disgraced No Longer, I’m Finding Happiness with the Prince! 7, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 7, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! This White Mage Is One Heck of a Healer 5.

J-Novel Club has digital light novels! Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 17, DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 13, The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 4, Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! 2, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone 10, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 13, Proud to Be the Villainess 2, Unsung Epics of the Hero’s Journey 2, and The Villainess Speaks Not 2.

ASH: I remember back in the day when J-Novel Club was just starting out; they grow up so fast!

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party With His Mom! 5 and Girls Zombie Party 2.

Two weeks after Alphapolis debuted the paperback Vol. 1s of A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai, May I Ask for One Final Thing?, and Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time, we get the Vol. 2s.

ASH: That was fast.

SEAN: Airship has print volumes for The Devil Princess 4 and The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 3.

For early digital we get Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 3 and Venus Mission: I Was an Assassin-for-Hire Who Died, Now I’m Hunting Heroes in Another World 2.

Can manga make things cooler? Or drier? Try it out!

SEAN: August comes, as it must to all men and manga.

ASH: Must it, really?

SEAN: Ablaze Manga has a 6th and final volume of Centaurs.

Airship has a print debut. Space Orc: Barbarian Raider of the Stars, Aiming for the Queen! (Space Orc: Banzoku no Senshi wa Yoake no Ten wo Kake Joou wo Nerau) is pretty much what it sounds like. Can a guy make a name for himself enough to marry the Queen, even though he’s an orc?

ASH: At the very least, he’s going to give it a go.

SEAN: Also in print: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Short Story Collection, Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 14, and Reincarnated As a Sword 19.

ASH: So much reincarnation these days!

SEAN: And for early digital we see Classroom of the Elite: Year 3 2 and Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 7.

Drawn & Quarterly has the 4th The Legend of Kamui omnibus.

ASH: Absolutely here for this one! I’m loving the series.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us The Cuckolding Wizard’s Adventure 3 and Virgin Ventures: The Hilarious Hijinks of Erotic Amateurs 3.

Graphix debuts Crescent Moon Marching (Mikazuki March), a seinen manga from Manga Action. This is hardcover and in full color. Do you like band manga but wish they were more dramatic and serious? This is for you.

MICHELLE: It might be for me!

ASH: Same! I’ve been looking forward to this one.

ANNA: Sounds interesting!

SEAN: J-Novel Club’s new light novels include Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 8, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 20, Hell Mode 12, The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World 4, and Return of the Corpse King: Reining in My Cringe Secret Society 2.

For manga they give us All Eyes on Nekoyashiki-kun! Notice Me, Not My Characters 2 and Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat 5.

Kodansha Manga has, in print, Love Out on a Limb 3, MF Ghost 4, Marrying the Dark Knight (For Her Money) 2, My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes with Monsters and a Hottie 5, Secondhand Sisters 2, Stella Must Die 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 11, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 21, and Wind Breaker 22.

And digitally we get Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 14 (the final volume), Otherworldly Munchkin: Let’s Speedrun the Dungeon with Only 1 HP! 14, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 22 (the final volume).

Nakama Press gives us Infini-T Force 9.

One Peace Books has the 2nd volume of My New Devil Wife.

Seven Seas opens with some danmei. Little Mushroom is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series about a mushroom posing as a man and his tortured relationship with an assassin. It says new translation and illustrations, so someone put this out before, but Seven Seas now has it.

MICHELLE: Oh, another Peach Flower House rescue. (They also had Golden Terrace, originally.) I’ve heard very good things about this.

ASH: Likewise! I’m intensely curious.

SEAN: There’s also the third and final volume of The Villain’s White Halo.

In “Chinese novel but not BL”, we get Hidden Love. A 13-year-old falls for her brother’s college roommate, but nothing happens, presumably as she’s 13. Years later, she’s in college and he’s a teacher. Can a different taboo romance work better?

ASH: Oh, my.

SEAN: The first manga debut is Girl Meets Rock! (Futsuu no Keion-bu). A Shonen Jump + series, this appears to be the K-On! of the 2020s.

ASH: I do enjoy a good music manga.

Magic Repo Man: Dumped by My Party, I’ll Cash In With a Cute Support Fairy to Become the Strongest! (Kashita Maryoku wa “Revolving Barai” de Kyousei Choushuu: Youzumi to Party Tsuihousareta Ore wa, Kawaii Support Yousei to Issho ni Toritateta Maryoku wo Unyoushite Saikyou wo Mezasu) is, well, look at the title. It runs in Comic Meteor. No, the LN isn’t licensed.

Also from Seven Seas: BOSS, BXTCH, BABY 3, Checkmate 4, Everything for Demon King Evelogia 2, Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess 5, His Little Amber 2 (the final volume), I Won’t Let Mistress Suck My Blood 3, Idol x Idol Story 6, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 10, Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 6, Rozen Maiden Collector’s Edition 6, Sacrifice of My Manly Soul 4 (the final volume), and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 9.

Square Enix Books has a 10th print volume of The Apothecary Diaries light novel.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts The Princess Groom (Belle Poupée no Super Darling Konyaku: “Konomi ja Nai” to Iwareta Ningyohime, Gaman wo Yametara Ouji ga Deredere ni Natta. Jitsu ni Ui!). As you can tell by the Japanese title, it’s based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. A meek, waifish young woman regularly uses a magic ring to transform into a hot, confident guy. Alas, her fiancé isn’t into her… till he finds out she does this. Then he is. (No, it’s not BL, he’s more into her domming him.) This runs in Manga Up!.

ASH: I’ll admit to being intrigued.

ANNA: I mean I guess it is a little different!

SEAN: Steamship has the 5th volume of The Trapped Former Villainess Wants to Escape from the Sadistic Prince.

Two Tokyopop debuts. Spicy Milk Candy is, try to contain your surprise, a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. Two guys in high school have a sweet, loving relationship… till it turns out they’re really into S&M.

Walking in Your Tracks (Boku ga Aruku Kimi no Kiseki) is a new BL series that runs in Freyja Comics. A wheelchair-using writer pushes everyone who tries to help him away, but his new caregiver knows just what to do.

MICHELLE: Hm.

SEAN: Also from Tokyopop: My New Wife’s Fake Smile 4 and On-the-Job Training 2.

Two Viz debuts. Daydream Darling (Yume ka Utsutsu ka) is the latest from Io Sakisaka, and it runs in Betsuma. A shy girl avoids her classmates and prefers to talk to the handsome upperclassman she knows from the library. Then her secret is revealed…

MICHELLE: Not that I’ve ever managed to finish an Io Sakisaka series, but this does sound appealing.

ANNA: I have finished an Io Sakisaka series! Curious about this!

SEAN: The Marshal King is the latest from Boichi, and it runs in Shonen Jump +. It’s a steampunk Western drawn by Boichi, that should tell you everything you need to know.

ASH: It does say a lot.

ANNA: Is steampunk back????

SEAN: Also from Viz: Black Clover 37, Blue Box 21, The Bugle Call: Song of War 8, Colette Decides to Die 8, D.Gray-man 29 (first volume since 2023), Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai 7, The Elusive Samurai 21, Ichi the Witch 4, Kagurabachi 8, Kaiju No. 8: Relax 3, Kaze Hikaru 34, and Shinobi Undercover 2.

MICHELLE: Annual Kaze Hikaru celebration!

ASH: Huzzah!

ANNA: Yay!!!

SEAN: Always nice to see the annual Kaze Hikaru, on schedule to end in North America in 2037. What else are you getting?

SEAN: As July ends, we know what that means. It’s time to climb over the Yen Press Mountain.

ASH: I had a feeling.

SEAN: Beneath the Fur (Kegawa to Nakami) is a new seinen series from Kurage Bunch. As a fox is about to kill a rabbit… the rabbit delivers a love confession! Can predators and prey live together without mass hysteria?

MICHELLE: I saw what you did there.

ASH: Haha!

SEAN: The Bubble Love of the Mermaid (Ningyo no Awakoi) is a manga adaptation of the light novel that Yen will be releasing in a couple of months. It runs in Seasons. A girl shunned by her family for a cursed birthmark goes to an exclusive academy… and meets her hot new teacher. This is from the creator of My Happy Marriage, so expect a more dramatic turn than I made it sound.

ANNA: Ok, I’m a little curious about this!

ASH: Are mermaid stories making another comeback? It seems like there have been a few of those lately.

SEAN: Clumsy Kiss (Chiguhagu na Kiss) is a BL oneshot from Bloom. A guy has been trying all his school life for a girlfriend, and finally gets a response to his text! It’s a date!… wait, why is his date a hot guy?

ANNA: Could it be because they exist in a BL oneshot?????

ASH: Maybe!

SEAN: The Crow’s Ballad at Dawn (Akegarasu Yume Koiuta) is a BL oneshot from Comic Marginal. An office worker ends up in a brothel exclusively for yokai… and the top prostitute wants him!

ANNA: I guess that can liven up one’s office worker lifestyle.

ASH: Uh, oh. Yokai BL? That does seem like something I would read.

SEAN: Liste Rouge is a shoujo fantasy from Mystery Bonita. Chimeras rule the world, humans are an endangered species in breeding captivity. What happens when a chimera and human fall in love?

ANNA: What does happen????????

ASH: That seems like a rather personal question.

SEAN: Magic Doctor Rex’s Perverted Medical Record (Mahoui Lex no Hentai Karte) is also a seinen series from Kurage Bunch. In a post-Demon Lord defeat world, a young man runs a clinic. Sadly, all his patients are there for sex problems. And not in a sweet loving way.

ASH: Speaking of personal questions…

SEAN: Seeds of Anxiety* (Fuan no Tane*) is a horror manga from Champion Red. A collection of scary stories from the creator of PTSD Radio.

ASH: You have my attention.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: The 13th Footprint 3, Adachi and Shimamura 7, Almark 3, Bungo Stray Dogs 27, Chained Soldier 14, D.N.Angel New Edition 3, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 10 (the final volume), The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 24 (the final volume), Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 9, Futari Switch 3, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 11 (the final volume), The Heroic Tale of the Villainous Prince 3 (the final volume), I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 8, In Another World with My Smartphone 16, Li’l Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right 3, Liar, Liar 4, Once Upon a Witch’s Death 2, The Shiunji Family Children 6, The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince 5, Spice and Wolf Collector’s Edition 3, Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included 8 (the final volume), Super Ball Girls 4, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 24, Uncle from Another World 13, A Witch’s Life in Mongol 3, and Wonder Boy 2.

MICHELLE: I still want to read The 13th Footprint.

ASH: By the time I finished reading through the entire list, I’d already forgotten that series was included in it.

SEAN: Viz Media has another Ghibli release, with Castle in the Sky Film Comic: All-in-One Edition. 650 pages!

Sakamoto Days: Assassin’s Method is a collection of short stories that probably skew less towards assassination and more towards goofy.

ANNA: I would be surprised if this wasn’t the case!

SEAN: And they also have JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 8.

ASH: I need to catch up with JoJo.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a one-shot BL title, Hit Me Hard With Desire (Sonna Gekijo de Naguraretai), which ran in from Red. It’s a dark tale of how to break out of cycles of abuse.

Titan Manga has Three Exorcism Siblings 4.

From Steamship we see Loving Moon Dog 6.

Seven Seas debuts The Oblivious Girl and the Maidenly Man (Mujikaku-chan to Otome na Otoko), a romcom from Comic Boost. A girl who’s afraid of men asked the owner of the cafe she goes to to help her get over it… except he has a crush on her!

ASH: This actually looks like it could be cute.

SEAN: Did you like Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan? Wonder Cats is more 4-koma by the same author. Cats!

ASH: Cats galore!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Ancient Magus’ Bride 22, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 18, Dinosaur Sanctuary 8, The Evil Secret Society of Cats 4, The Great Snake’s Bride 7, Happy Kanako’s Killer Life 8, I Ship My Rival x Me 4, It’s Just a Dream… Right?! 3, My New Life as a Cat 14, Now That We Draw 5, and They Are Still Being Shaken This Morning 2.

MICHELLE: It really is time for an Ancient Magus’ Brirde marathon.

ASH: Agreed!

SEAN: Noir Caesar has the 3rd volume of Deep 3.

Manga Mavericks have some debuts. FISHGOD is a bizarre revenge series where a young man tries to get revenge on the walking killer fish that ate his parents.

MICHELLE: Now, there is a sentence I didn’t expect to read today. Or ever.

ANNA: I mean, that is certainly a surprise!

ASH: This won’t be the only bizarre fish manga that I’ve read.

SEAN: Horon of the Closed Country (Tojita Kuni no Horon) has a trio journey to try to appease a forest deity.

ASH: I’ve heard great things about this series; looking forward to giving it a try!

Kodansha Comics debuts Luca the Dragon Vet (Ryuui no Luca), a seinen manga from Morning Two. Luca, the daughter of a famous vet that treated dragons, wants to follow in her father’s footsteps, but the road is harsh.

ASH: Yup, I’d read that.

Also in print: Fruit of the Underworld 2, I Have a Crush at Work 5, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 19, Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits 4, Omega Megaera 5, Saint Young Men Omnibus 11, Shangri-La Frontier 23, That’s Not Love 2, and Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 5.

MICHELLE: I will never not ‘woo!’ for Tokyo Tarareba Girls.

ANNA: Woo!!!!

ASH: Woo and hoo!

SEAN: Digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 18, I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 9, and Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 6.

From Kodama we see Baki the Grappler Perfect Edition 21 and 22, Me and the Alien Mumu 4, and Sun-Ken-Rock Perfect Edition 4.

ASH: I really hope Baki does well; that’s an impressive release schedule.

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

ASH: I’ve seen it described as an isekai deconstruction, which does have me curious.

SEAN: Also in print, the 8th Black Summoner manga.

Digitally there are light novels for The Amazing Village Creator 4, Finding Avalon: The Quest of a Chaosbringer 6, Infinite Dendrogram 23, Starting on Hard Mode 2, and Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time 10 (the final volume).

And for manga there is Cooking with Wild Game 13, Full Clearing Another World Under a Goddess with Zero Believers 10, I Parry Everything 5, My Death-Defying Dog: Man’s Best Friend, World’s Best Savior 3, Old Knight, New Post: From Retiree to Her Majesty’s Blade 3, and A Royal Rebound: Forget My Ex-Fiancé, I’m Being Pampered by the Prince! 4.

Hanashi Media has a pile of light novels. I Saved Myself with a Potion! 2, A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring 2, The New Gate 4, An Observation Log of My Wife Who Calls Herself a Villainess 4, Re:Monster 4, and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 18.

ASH: I initially read that as I Saved Myself with Python, which goes to show where my mind is these days.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has the 7th volume of Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His S-Rank Cat Girl.

Cross Infinite World have Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound 7 (the final volume), Fluffy Paradise 9, and Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! 2.

Alphapolis are listed as having some print debuts, though as with all first print releases by a digital-only company, YMMV.

ASH: Previously being digital-only would explain why I’m not at all familiar with this publisher.

SEAN: A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai (Sozai Saishuka no Isekai Ryokouki) is a manga that’s had an anime, though Alphapolis doesn’t like to license its light novels, possibly as they’d have to credit a translator. A guy is summoned to another world, gets lots of cool skills, and life is really good!

May I Ask for One Final Thing? (Saigo ni Hitotsu dake Onegaishite mo Yoroshii desu ka?) is the only one of these I would buy if I could verify they didn’t use AI. This also has an anime, you all know it. Scarlet likes to PUNCH! It’s great.

ANNA: I enjoyed the bits of the anime I watched, I need to finish it!

SEAN: Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time (Izure Saikyou no Renkinjutsushi?) features an accidentally summoned dude asks for a crafting skill, and gets the STRONGEST crafting skill!

ASH: Knitting??!?

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of History of the Kingdom of Orcsen: How the Barbarian Orcish Nation Came to Burn Down the Peaceful Elfland (Orcsen Oukokushi: Yaban na Orc no Kuni wa, Ikanishite Heiwa na Elf no Kuni wo Yakiharau ni Itatta ka). The orcs and the elves are at war, and you’d expect the elves to be the good guys, but they’re doing ethnic cleansing of the dark elves. So one dark elf decides to join the orcs and get her revenge.

Also in print: The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 12, Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 7 Part 1, and A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 5.

The early digital debut is Saving a Weapon Shop from Bankruptcy after the Demon King’s Defeat (Maou Botsugo no Genkai Bukiya). After the defeat of the demon king, no monsters and no need for weapons means blacksmiths and adventurers are headed for poverty and slavery. Can our hero change that?

ASH: I’ll admit to being curious.

SEAN: Also early digital: The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 15, Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 14 (the final volume), and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 13.

If nothing else, this is a LOT. Anything for you?

SEAN: Still hot, and be on the lookout for poison ivy. And manga. Hopefully you don’t drop your manga in the poison ivy.

MICHELLE: And evil lettuce.

ANNA: Yes, I’m scared of evil lettuce now.

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of The Dangers in My Heart – The Novel (Boku no Kokoro no Yabai Yatsu), a light novel spinoff of the hot manga that looks at the main couple through the eyes of the other characters.

Also in print: My Girlfriend Cheated on Me, and Now My Flirty Underclassman Won’t Leave Me Alone 2.

They also have a digital-only debut. Reluctant Space Commander: From Death Wish to Galactic Hero! (“Koko wa Makasete Saki ni Ike!” o Shitai Shinitagari no Nozomanu Uchuu Gekokujou) stars a guy who wants to end it all after his girlfriend dumps him. He’ll join the Space Corps and have a noble death! The trouble is, he’s too good at Space Corps!

ANNA: I hate it when that happens!

ASH: Right?

SEAN: And in early digital we see Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex 3, There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 8, and Too Many Losing Heroines! 8.

Ghost Ship has The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night 5 and Ero Ninja Scrolls 10.

Ize Press have two debuts. Seven Sundays is a BL title about a guy, Taeyang, who sees his ex again, only to find he has a kid… named after Taeyang!

ASH: Not to be confused with the BL title Seven Days.

SEAN: Solo Leveling: Ragnarök is a sequel to Solo Leveling. Further, deponent sayeth not.

ASH: The original, at least, is a popular series.

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Finding Camellia 8, I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog 7, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 4 (the novel), Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 11 (the manhwa), The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 8, Tomb Raider King 15, and The World After the Fall 14.

Another light J-Novel Club week. For light novels they have The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons 5, The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place 5, and The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged 7.

And for manga there is Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- 8, Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 9, and What’s with the Bag, Kamiyama-san? 3.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut. Smells Like Green Spirit is a BL title from Comic Be, with both volumes being released as one big one-shot. In a rural town, a boy is bullied for being gay. Then he finds a secret love with the school’s soccer star. Can they explore their love in a town like this?

MICHELLE: Sounds potentially interesting.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 32, Cells at Work! Lady 4, Gachiakuta 11, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 13, Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow 3, and The Magnificent Bastard 3.

Digitally we have A Couple of Cuckoos 29, Fungus and Iron 9, and Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 22.

One Peace Books has The Ossan Newbie Adventurer, Trained to Death by the Most Powerful Party, Became Invincible 2.

Seven Seas has a danmei finale, the third and final volume of The Wife Comes First: Qi Wei Shang.

There are no debuts, but we do get Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex 3, Grand Metal Organs 3, Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! 5-6, KILLING ME / KILLING YOU 2, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 23, Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 22, Perfect Addiction 2, Perfect Buddy 6, Tales of the Hundred Monsters Next Door 3, and The Titan’s Bride 9.

Square Enix Manga has a 2nd volume of A Howl of the Heart.

Tokyopop has a one-shot, 300 New Days With You (Wasureru Kimi to no 300 Nichi). This BL title that ran in Chara. A meteor leaves thousands with memory loss… including one half of the main couple here! Is it worth staying together if your other half suddenly has no interest as he doesn’t remember?

MICHELLE: Sweet and potentially sad BL is appealing.

SEAN: Retailers say Udon Entertainment has More than a Married Couple, but Not Lovers 3.

Viz Media debut Alice in Borderland Retry, a spinoff of the manga where Arisu finds himself back at the ol’ death game again. This ran in Weekly Shonen Sunday, and is complete in one omnibus.

The other debut is Taika’s Reason (Taika no Risei), the latest from the author of BEASTARS. It runs in Weekly Shonen Champion. Pets have been turning into anthros, and our heroine finds her pet dog has murdered her dad… so her mom decides to humanize him! Honestly, the BEASTARS author has gotten a bit too weird for me.

MICHELLE: Yeah…

ANNA: OK, not really into this.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Also from Viz: #DRCL midnight children 6, Boy’s Abyss 14, Bug Ego 2, The Climber 6, Kingdom 9, Moriarty the Patriot 20, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen 2, Record of Ragnarök 19, Red River 3-in-1 8, Rooster Fighter 10, and Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi 2.

ANNA: Still glad Red River is being re-released!

ASH: Ditto! And I really need to get around to starting The Climber.

SEAN: And that’s it? What manga are you rolling around with in the middle of a field?