Ash Brown

SEAN: The end of May and time for summer to be icumen in. Seems like it’s a bit early this year.

MICHELLE: I understood that reference!

SEAN: Airship has print volumes for Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 7, Reborn as a Space Mercenary 15, and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 13.

And for early digital there is The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat 3 and Roll Over and Die 6.

Cross Infinite World has The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up 6 and Welcome to Olivia’s Magic Jewelers 3 (the final volume).

Crossed Hearts (which I admit has been releasing print-only manhwa I have been missing) has a manga debut, You’re Way Too Cheeky, Chigaya-kun! (Namaiki Sugiru yo, Chigaya-kun). This runs in Ganma!. Why is this hot guy only in a teasing mood around her? Also, archery.

MICHELLE: Probably this is the sort of thing I’d read and think “needs more archery.”

ASH: Always more archery. Always.

ANNA: I’m not opposed to more archery!

SEAN: Dark Horse Manga has a 2nd omnibus volume of Innocent Rouge.

ASH: I haven’t read any of Innocent Rouge yet, but I have been reading Innocent. If nothing else, the artwork is incredibly striking.

SEAN: And retailers say Denpa Books has the 4th volume of Nana & Kaoru: Black Label.

ASH: Maybe, maybe not. Hard to tell with Denpa.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us Rebel Hero: I Will Use My Skills to Control the Scheming Princess’s Heart and Body 3 and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 9.

A debut from Hanashi Media: The Disfavored Prince is a Genius Alchemist: All I Want is to Spoil My Little Siblings (Fuguu Ouji wa Tensai Renkinjutsushi: Koutei Nante Gara ja Nai node Teimai wo Kawaigaritai) stars a guy reincarnated as the first prince, but politics force him to step aside. Now he’s going to be an amazing alchemist… who ends up influencing the politics far more than he would have if he’d stayed prince.

ASH: I like alchemists.

SEAN: They also have Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 16.

J-Novel Club has their last debut for a while (they’re saving their new licenses for AX). The Reincarnated Mastermind: Sundering Fate with Magic Swords (Monogatari no Kuromaku ni Tensei Shite ~Shinka Suru Maken to Game Chishiki de Subete o Nejifuseru~) stars a guy who is delighted to clear the game he’s playing before anyone else… then finds himself reincarnated in the game as the villain. Dammit, he’s just going to live a slow life and avoid the cast, then. (cough) Good luck with that, dude.

ASH: He’ll need it.

SEAN: Other light novels from JNC: The Apothecary Diaries 16, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 13, Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden 9, and Repeated Vice: I Refuse to Be Important Enough to Die 3.

ASH: Yay, Apothecary Diaries!

SEAN: Other manga from JNC: My Tiny Senpai 5, Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! 7, and Zero Damage Sword Saint 3.

Kodansha Manga has… three print debuts? Maybe? Omega of the Divine (Aijitsu to Hanayome) is an omegaverse manga from Gateau that was announced for print and digital, but the print seems to be AWOL at the moment, so here’s the digital. A sick boy is chosen as the sacrifice to the local god, but the god may be nicer than suspected.

That’s Not Love (Koi ja Nee kara) is a seinen manga from Morning Two. A middle-aged woman goes to see a sculpture exhibit by her old teacher, and finds one sculpture looks a lot like her old middle-school friend… right down to the scarring. Was something happening in school she didn’t know about?

MICHELLE: Intriguing!

ASH: Oh, ho!

ANNA: Hmmmm.

SEAN: Wicked Spot is a yuri manga from CandleA, from the creator of Ayaka Is in Love with Hiroko. A witch discovers the powerful world of social media, and ends up crossing paths with a young woman who’s not a fan of witches.

Also in print: GALAXIAS 2, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 17, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 9, Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits 3, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 12, Omega Megaera 4, and Shangri-La Frontier 22.

And for digital we have I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 7, Saint Young Men 21, and Shangri-La Frontier 25.

MICHELLE: I had entirely forgotten that Saint Young Men exists.

ASH: I had not! (But am still behind in my reading…)

ANNA: I am glad it does exist!

SEAN: Crybaby Mermaid : Illustrated Memoir of Yumi Uotani is a new series from Mahjong Pros, assuming it doesn’t get bumped like Koizumi did. It’s a biography of the emotional ups and downs of a woman who plays professional mahjong.

MICHELLE: Neat!

ASH: I’ll happily read it.

ANNA: Sounds cool!

SEAN: Getter Robo High is Getter Robo, mahjong style.

ASH: Honestly, I’d read that, too.

SEAN: And yes, they also have Reform with No Wasted Draws: The Legend of Koizumi, which I discussed last month. It got bumped.

ASH: This is the one I’m really here for.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us I Was Sold Dirt Cheap, but My Power Level Is off the Charts 5, Nukozuke! 6, and the 26th The Rising of the Shield Hero manga.

There’s a Korean novel from Seven Seas not in the Airship line. Beacon of Light in the Dark Sea stars a dentist hired to work at an undersea research facility… but when he arrives he finds everything starting to get creepy.

And for danmei, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi finishes its deluxe hardcover release with Vol. 5.

Two manga debuts. My Cat’s Aura is Strong Today (Kyou mo Neko-sama no Atsu ga Tsuyoi) is a cat manga, which means technically, like all cat manga, it’s josei. Have you ever wondered if cats are really sarcastic to you in their heads? Wonder no more.

ASH: I’m assuming they are, but I guess I’ll find out!

ANNA: I assume that they may be sarcastic, but are also all perfect angels.

SEAN: The Scum Laugh is a full-color seinen series (I can’t find magazine info on either of these, they’re both Kadokawa). Have you ever wondered about the thoughts of beastmen as they’re about to rip you to shreds? Wonder no more.

ASH: Full-color we don’t see very often.

Also from Seven Seas: Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat 4, Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 7, Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds 6, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 13, Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home 6, Ichi the Killer Omnibus 4, Kitayama and Minamiya 2, Soara and the House of Monsters 6, and You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! 6.

Tokyopop debuts I Picked Up a No-Good, Useless Prince (Danzaisareta Dame Ouji, Hiroimashita), a Comic Gardo title based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. A spoiled young prince finally pisses off too many people, and is reduced to being a commoner. Now he’s met a young woman who adores royal drama and fangirls him.

It also gives us Boyfriend, Sometimes Girlfriend 3 and In So Deep, It’s Love Already 2.

Viz Media has Cosmos 5 and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 7.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: And we’re done!… no, we’re not. Here’s Yen Press and its 11 billion titles.

ASH: It feels like it’s been a while.

The Adventure of Black Cat Nyango (Kuroneko Nyango no Bouken) is a shonen title from Dragon Age. A young boy (kitten?) is trying to join a famous adventuring party… but they’re away, so instead he goes into research. This looks cute.

ASH: It does.

SEAN: Every Adventure Needs a Weapon!: The Blacksmith Life of Rudy the Obsessed (Bouken ni wa, Buki ga Hitsuyou da! Kodawari Rudy no Kajiya Gurashi) stars a young woman (Rudy) who is obsessed with weapons, and testing weapons. It runs in Monthly Action.

ASH: That seems like something I would read.

SEAN: Four in Love is a Taiwanese comic anthology, in full color, showing the agonies of love.

Kuro: The Complete Edition collects all three volumes of this monster/horror title from Tonari no Young Jump. A cute girl loves playing with her adorable cat Kuro. To everyone else, the cat is a nightmarish beast.

ASH: I love the cat/monster design of Kuro.

SEAN: Love from the Tip of the Tongue (Shitasaki kara Koi) is a … sigh… Cakeverse title about a young man who is hiding his forkness until he meets an irresistible cake… I’m sorry, I can deal with Omegaverse, but I draw a line here. It’s BL, OK? It runs in Comic Marginal &h.

MICHELLE: Today I learned Cakeverse exists.

ASH: I was likewise unaware.

ANNA: I wish to go back in time when I was unaware.

SEAN: Monster Eater: A Delicious in Dungeon Board Game is what it sounds like.

ASH: I want this to be good!

On the Boundary’s Road: The Works of Suzuka Morino is also what it sounds like, a one-shot from Harta featuring an author known for beast and human manga.

Redeem: Only One Forever (Redeem: Tatta Hitotsu no Eien, Redeem) is a BL manhwa. A man who sees his older lover die in an accident finds himself ten years in the past… but getting his lover to fall for him again may be difficult.

ASH: I’m intrigued.

SEAN: Sailor Zombie: Complete Omnibus is a massive 900-page volume collecting this series from Monthly Hero’s. High school girls try to survive in a world overrun by zombies and also by assholes. Guess who’s the greater danger.

ASH: A giant omnibus can pose a legitimate threat.

SEAN: Shino & Ren (Shino to Ren) is a yuri series – again, can’t find the magazine, but it’s Kadokawa. Loud brash tomboy. Quiet, reserved girly girl. They’re in love. And very attracted to each other.

ASH: Awww.

SEAN: Toxy Noxy Foresty Forest (Doku Doku Mori Mori) is another Monthly Hero’s series. It’s a violent gory horror manga… only they’re all mushrooms.

ASH: I will admit to being curious.

Void: No. Nine (Void: No. Nine – 9-banme no Utsuro) is a seinen manga from Comic Beam. Scavengers search the post-apocalyptic underground depths, hoping to find treasure, but more likely to get killed.

ASH: That is a thing that happens sometimes.

SEAN: In addition to those… TWELVE debuts, we also have Assorted Entanglements 9, Bocchi the Rock! Comic Anthology 3, Bride of the Barrier Master 6, The Girl Past the Filters 2, Handyman Saitou in Another World 9, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 8, I Cannot Reach You 9, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 16, Immortality and Punishment 2, Isekai Samurai 3, Kowloon Generic Romance 11, Magical Midlifer 2, Monster-Colored Island 2, Nights with a Cat 7, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 28, Scenes from Awajima 2, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 10, Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale 4, Takahashi from the Bike Shop 4, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 6, Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood 5, The World’s Strongest Rearguard 9, and Yotsuba&! 16 (the first volume since 2021).

MICHELLE: Some good stuff here! (But mostly Scenes from Awajima.)

ASH: Indeed!

SEAN: So clearly I saved the big surprise for the very end. Are you getting Yotsuba&…?

MICHELLE: I guess I should. I haven’t read any since volume 14 in 2018!

ANNA: Wow, what a big surprise!

SEAN: School is almost done for the year! But not yet. What manga do you buy sad kids who should be studying?

ASH: Minecraft and Kirby are the ones currently in demand at my house.

SEAN: Viz Media starts us off with Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple 3, Battle Royale: Enforcers 5, Centuria 2, Choujin X 12, Hirayasumi 9, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 6, Kingdom 7, Mujina into the Deep 4, and One-Punch Man 33.

ASH: I really do need to start reading Kingdom.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Nagi & Hayasaki (Nagi-kun to Hayasaki-kun), a one-shot BL title that ran in from RED. I really don’t want to break down the summary of this one, so let’s just say rivals who hate each other find spicy common ground!

MICHELLE: Yeesh. Good call on skipping the summary.

SEAN: Shinjuku 69 Heaven is also a from RED BL title. A reporter shares a night with a sex worker, then when they become roommates is upset to discover the sex worker is only nice and open when he’s on the job and being paid!

MICHELLE: Okay, when one of the characters is described as “snarky” and “sneering,” I’m in. I choose not to examine what this might say about me, personally.

ANNA: I feel like people don’t have to be self-reflective all the time!

SEAN: Also from Tokyopop: Eternal Covenant 4, Monster and Ghost 2, and The Tale of Luvelia Kingdom 2.

Titan Manga has Farewell, My Odin 2 and Sanda 3.

ASH: I’ve not read the first volume yet, but I have been eyeing Farewell, My Odin as it does seem to be up my alley.

SEAN: Steamship has Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts 9.

Square Enix Books gives us Final Fantasy IX Picture Book: Vivi and Grandpa’s Memories for the Sky, which is self-explanatory. For the kids!

Square Enix Manga has a 2-in-1 one-shot, A Cat Is a Cat in Any Life (Tenseishitemo Neko wa Neko). This Gangan Online title has a cat reincarnated into a fantasy isekai-style world… that has no cats!

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: They also have Just Like Mona Lisa 9 and 10 (the final volumes) and The Otaku Love Connection 4.

Seven Seas starts us off with danmei, as they have Joyful Reunion 4.

There is a giant pile of Seven Seas, but no debuts. They have Choking on Love 5, The Demon King is Way Too Overprotective! 3 (the final volume), Dinghai Fusheng Records 3, Hope You’re Happy, Lemon 3, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 11 (the final volume), Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 6, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 8, No Longer Allowed In Another World 11, Otaku Elf 11, Our Dining Table: Seconds, Please! 2, The Princess I Loved in My Past Life is Now a Middle-Aged Dad 3 (the final volume), She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 14, The Too-Perfect Saint 6, What It Means to Be You 4, and A Yuri Love Story That Begins with Getting Dumped in a Dream 2.

MICHELLE: I look forward to more of Our Dining Table: Seconds, Please!.

ASH: I almost missed seeing that in there!

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 9th volume of The Death Mage manga.

Noir Caesar has the 2nd volume of Deep 3.

KUMA has a one-shot, Only My Psycho, a BL title from iHertz. A guy who is recruited to be an assassin makes fast friends with another guy… but is there more going on?

ASH: Signs point to yes.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga debuts Dragon Circus, which runs in Hero’s. This is actually “Volume 0”, but it does seem to be the first released here. Dragons appear in the skies, and a motley crew has to be sent to battle them!

Magical Karina is another dark take on the magical girl drama, with a girl being called upon to save the world when she’s barely able to cope with the death of her grandmother. It runs in Comic Days.

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

SEAN: Also in print: Am I Actually the Strongest? 10, Blue Lock 30, How I Met My Soulmate 7, Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up 6, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 13, Parasyte Paperback Collection 6, Senpai Is an Otokonoko 6, Tank Chair 8, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition 4, and Whisper Me a Love Song 11.

The digital “debut” is Pink, the legendary Kyoko Okazaki manga that came out in print 13 years ago. It’s a one-shot, and ran in NEW Punch Zaurus. A young woman moonlights as a sex worker in order to be able to afford her pet crocodile. But it’s so much more than that. Go read it.

MICHELLE: Somehow I never read this one!

ANNA: I think I did read it back in the day? But I’m not sure. More Okazaki in print is a good thing!

ASH: Pink specifically and Okazaki’s work more generally are excellent.

SEAN: Also digital: The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses 21, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 33 (the final volume), Killing Line 5 (the final volume), Matcha Made in Heaven 14, and Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 21.

MICHELLE: Somehow, I was expecting Elegant Yokai Apartment Life to never end.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Matcha Made in Heaven!

ASH: I still really appreciate the title.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has more debuts, as their May is filled with Volume 1s! Miss Medic’s Diary at War (TS Eiseihei-san no Senjou Nikki) is a dark reincarnation series, as a young woman with recovery magic who loved playing FPS in a previous life finds it’s not as fun when the battlefield is real.

ASH: I’m assuming that became pretty clear pretty quickly.

SEAN: The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: From Deadweight to Weapon Master (S-kyuu Boukensha ga Ayumu Michi: Party wo Tsuihou Sareta Shounen wa Shin no Nouryoku “Buki Master” ni Kakusei Shi, Yagate Sekai Saikyou e Itaru) is another “thrown out of the hero’s party” book. You know how those go. This is on the “revenge” end of the spectrum.

ASH: I tend to enjoy a good revenge tale, but the the “thrown out of the party” stories aren’t usually a draw for me.

SEAN: Sister Mafioso (Gisou Shishita Moto Mafia Reijou, Nidome no Jinsei wa Zettai ni Ikinobimasu) stars a woman who fakes her death and starts over, but sadly her previous life is not going to leave her alone.

ANNA: I hate it when that happens!

ASH: Right?!

SEAN: Tearmoon Empire Short Story Collection 1 is what it sounds like. Mia antics in short form.

ASH: Marvelous.

SEAN: Unsung Epics of the Hero’s Journey (Yuusha no Tabi no Uragawa de) doesn’t star the hero, who has an unfortunate prophecy that she’ll die, but rather two people who have to change fate and stop the prophecy. I have heard this is yuri?

ASH: I could be convinced to find out.

Other light novels out next week from JNC: The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 3, The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 19, In Another World with Household Spells 5, Isekai Walking 6, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 12 Part 1, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 12, Revenge of the Soul Eater 5, Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! 3, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 27.

For manga they have The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1 7 and Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! 7.

Ize Press has no debuts, but they do have Beware the Villainess! 7, The Boxer 13 (the final volume), I Love Amy 2, Kill the Villainess 6, Lady Devil 5, Overgeared 10, Revenge of the Baskerville Bloodhound 2, and See You in My 19th Life 10.

Hanashi Media has a 4th and final volume of The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage.

ASH: There are so many publishers to keep track of these days! (I keep forgetting about Hanashi Media …)

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 18, Let’s Make a Harem in a Zombie World! 2, and A Reincarnated Carrier’s Strategy for Another World 2.

Alien Books has Kinryo Rock – Code Amrita 2.

Airship has print books! The debut is Venus Mission: I Was an Assassin-for-Hire Who Died, Now I’m Hunting Heroes in Another World (Venus Mission: Moto Koroshiya de Youhei no Chuunen, Yuusha no Ansatsu wo Iraisare Isekai Tensei!), about an assassin who can kill anything except the cancer that he has. When he dies, he wakes in another world… where he has to hunt down heroes!

Also in print: She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 16 and A Tale of the Secret Saint 10.

Early digital has My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s 5 and The Too-Perfect Saint 6.

And ONLY digital has When a Clueless First-Person Shooter Player Falls into Another World 2.

There’s something for everyone here, I think. Am I wrong?

SEAN: It’s Mother’s Day week, and Manga Bookshelf has some totally mother-appropriate manga… as well as a lot of other titles.

ASH: Seems about right.

SEAN: Airship has print volumes for Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 2 and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 21.

And we get early digital for I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 11 and Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World 2.

Hanashi Media has a 4th volume of I Got Reincarnated as a Cultist Mob in an Eroge Full of Maniacs with Death Wishes.

Ize Press has a 3rd novel of Villains Are Destined to Die.

There is a giant pile of print for J-Novel Club, including debut volumes of three of their contest winners. We see Cogs of Time, The Dragon and the Blade Saint: This Isn’t Where We End, and Promised to a Dragon.

ASH: I’m curious to see how these will be received.

SEAN: Also out in print: Blade & Bastard 5, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 6, the 5th Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill manga, Gushing Over Magical Girls 10, Hell Mode 10, Infinite Dendrogram 22, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 5, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 11, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 6, My Next Life As a Villainess 14, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Omnibus 13, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 8.

J-Novel Club has five new light novel series dropping next week digitally. Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! (E, Shanai System Subete One Operator Shiteiru Watashi wo Kaiko desu ka?) already had its manga picked up by JNC, and now we’re getting the light novel. A programmer gets fired for cosplaying in the office. Sure, without her the company is doomed, but hey. Now she’s joining a new startup where she can give advice to other coders. For fans of… this series, I can’t think of any other licensed title like it.

ASH: It does certainly stand out from a lot else being released these days.

SEAN: Proud to Be the Villainess (Akuyaku Reijou no Kyouji) stars Wellmy, who has spent most of her life tormenting her stepsister. However, there’s a method to her abuse. For those who wanted Observation Records of My Fiancee to be serious.

Reborn to Reign: Imposing My Rules with My Mastery of Magic (Mujihi na Akuyaku Kizoku ni Tenseishita Ore wa Shuuaku Mahou wo Kushishite Mahou Sekai no Chouten ni Tatsu: Heroine nante Inai to Akirameteitara Mukou kara Katte ni Yottekimashita) stars a guy who wakes up in the body of a villain and starts to try to fix that. Now all his enslaved women are falling for him! For fans of …I got nothing, this sounds dire.

ASH: I’m sure there will be fans, but I’ll be passing.

SEAN: Return of the Corpse King: Reining in My Cringe Secret Society (Shiou no Kikan: Moto Yuusha no Ore, Jibun ga Soshikishita Chuuni Himitsukessha wo Tomeru Tame ni Futatabi Isekai ni Shoukansareteshimau) stars a young man who has already been summoned as a hero, defeated the demon king, and was sent back to Japan. Three years later, he’s summoned back to deal with the evil secret society… that he secretly founded when he was being chuuni. For fans of The Eminence in Shadow.

ASH: I won’t be going out of my way to read it, but I am amused be the premise.

SEAN: Starting on Hard Mode: God Levels, Got Problems (Level Count Stop kara Hajimaru, Kamisama-teki Isekai Life: Saikyou Status ni Tenseishita node Suki ni Ikimasu) stars a reincarnated young man who finds he’s amazingly handsome and devastatingly powerful… so powerful he has trouble touching anyone. Can he live a slow life, in this world where there’s discrimination? Like hell. For fans of heroes who try to sort out the world with their OP powers.

ASH: Poor guy.

SEAN: Other light novels from JNC: The Isle of Paramounts 3, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even 7, and My Next Life As a Villainess 15.

Other manga from JNC: Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 6, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 13, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! 4.

Kodansha Manga’s print debut is Cat-Life Balance (Kurone-san wa Nyaa to Nakanai), a seinen manga from Morning Two. A guy who happily overworks himself and takes on all his colleagues’ requests starts to rethink that when he discovers his co-worker playing with cats in the park.

ASH: Woo, cat manga!

SEAN: Also in print: The Drops of God Omnibus 4, Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow 2, Love at First Memory 2, Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind 2, and Roar: A Star in the Abyss 4.

MICHELLE: I am interested in Lonely Deaths Lie Thick as Snow, but haven’t managed to check it out yet.

ANNA: Oh same, good reminder to check it out.

ASH: Ditto.

SEAN: Digitally, we get Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 11, Blue Lock 37, Gazing at the Star Next Door 8, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 18 (the final volume), Medalist 14, and Nina the Starry Bride 18.

MICHELLE: Woo, Medalist.

ANNA: Also, woo, Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: Living the Line has a one-shot manga, Hide and Seek (Keito no Pants), which ran in Nakayoshi and Shoujo Friend in the early 1970s. This short story collection is about the darker side of childhood, and definitely falls into the horror end of the shoujo spectrum.

MICHELLE: Interesting!

ANNA: I am likewise intrigued.

ASH: I’ve really been enjoying the releases from Living the Line, and shoujo horror is often the best horror.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 3rd volume of You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already!.

Seven Seas has three danmei novels out next week. We get Case File Compendium 8, There’s Something Wrong with the Chief 3, and Three Hundred Years of Longing 3.

They also have three manga debuts. Exotic Animal Doctor (Chinjuu no Oisha-san) is a seinen series from Harta. These vets are here for your weird critters (mostly lizards, judging from the cover).

ASH: And I’m here for the series.

SEAN: I Have a Secret (Kakushigoto) is based on the novel already released by Seven Seas. It’s coming out in two big omnibuses. It’s from the I Want to Eat Your Pancreas creator, so we know we’re going to be crying by the end of this.

MICHELLE: Wow, the manga cover has an entirely different energy than the light novel!

SEAN: Laughter in the Sunshine (Taiyou wa Hidamari to Warau) is a BL one-shot from Lynx. A man smuggling a cat into his apartment is caught by his building manager. Can this lead… to love?

MICHELLE: Hm. Possibly cute!

ANNA: Cats are always a good starting point for cuteness.

ASH: Agreed.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 100 Ghost Stories That Will Lead to My Own Death 5, Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex 2, DEAR. DOOR 3, Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 6, I’m Running for Crown Princess, but All I Want is a Steady Paycheck! 3, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 8, Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary 5, The Long Summer of August 31 5, Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World 3 (the final volume), Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 5, Roses and Champagne 3, and Someone’s Girlfriend 6.

Square Enix debut A Starlit Darkness (Naraku no Hoshi), a BL title from Gangan Pixiv. A suicidal writer runs into a frenetic literary group, and gets drawn into the world of literary early 20th century Japan.

MICHELLE: This is by the author of Cherry Magic, so I am looking forward to it!

ASH: Oh, good catch! And I enjoy a manga with a good literary theme.

SEAN: They also have Bride of the Death God 3, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! 11, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 30.

SuBLime has A Man Who Defies the World of BL 4 and Scattering His Virgin Bloom: Love Frenzy 2.

Titan Manga debut Eko Eko Azarak Reborn, a Champion Red title rebooting the classic 1970s manga. A young witch has to battle the forces of Hell.

ASH: Interesting! I like that more publishers seem to be releasing horror manga these days.

SEAN: Tokyopop has an 8th volume of The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince.

Udon Entertainment has Blue Archive: Comic Anthology, a collection of short manga based on the popular franchise.

No debuts for Viz, but we get Akane-banashi 16, Akira Falling in Love 2, Devil’s Candy 5, Hayate the Combat Butler 48 (the series is speeding up as the end is near, Excel Saga was the same), Jujutsu Kaisen 30 (the final volume, assuming Viz doesn’t use Domain Expansion), Mao 24, Persona 5 15, Rai Rai Rai 4, Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 6, and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon 9.

Yen On has one debut. The Alchemist’s Fluffy Island Getaway (Renkinjutsushi no Yurufuwa Ritou Kaitakuki) stars a genius alchemist assigned to the middle of nowhere, which is becoming a standard plotline. Can she help the local god?

Also from Yen On: The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori 4 (the final volume), Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 8, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 13, Divine Incursions 2, The Executioner and Her Way of Life 10, Lord of Mysteries 3, The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices 7, The Summer Hikaru Died 2 (light novel version), and Sword Art Online Progressive 9.

ASH: I should give The Summer Hikaru Died novels a try; the manga series has been great.

SEAN: Yen Press debut A Long & Short Love Story (Nagaku mo Mijikaki Koi no Hanashi), a BL one-shot from Ciel. Two neighbors have always been besties as they grow up. Then one of them kisses the other…

MICHELLE: Also possibly cute!

SEAN: Yen Press also has Bocchi the Rock! Side Story: Kikuri Hiroi’s Heavy-Drinking Diary 3 and The Teen Exorcist 4.

That was more than I expected! Anything for mom?

SEAN: May is here, and the weather is turning into spring! Which is good, depending on where you live!

ASH: I’ve been appreciating it!

SEAN: Viz Media has one debut. Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi (Exorcist no Kiyoshi-kun) runs in Weekly Shonen Jump. Kiyoshi is a fantastic exorcist. If only he wasn’t scared of demons. And girls. And making friends. He’s actually pretty useless… but boy, can he exorcise.

ASH: At least he’s got something going for himself.

ANNA: It is good to have some sort of direction in life.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Blue Box 20, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex 5, Colette Decides to Die 7, Kagurabachi 7, My Special One 11 (the final volume), Natsume’s Book of Friends 32, Nue’s Exorcist 6, Prince Freya 13, Queen’s Quality 25 (the final volume), Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga 4 (the final volume), and Super Psychic Policeman Chojo 3.

MICHELLE: Natsume! I look forward to a catch-up binge.

ASH: Oh, yes, that is an excellent plan.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a 2nd volume of Monster and Ghost.

Titan Manga gives us Gran Familia 3.

Square Enix Books has a new artbook tome. The Art of Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Rising Tide is exactly what it sounds like.

ASH: Hooray for artbooks!

SEAN: They also have the 9th Apothecary Diaries light novel. Miss Chue, Miss Chue!

ASH: And hooray for Apothecary Diaries!

SEAN: And Square Enix Manga has Otherside Picnic 14.

No debuts for Seven Seas (they’re having a quiet week), but we get Dai Dark 9, Lost in the Cloud 3, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 6, Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me 6, and A Tale of the Secret Saint 11.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to catch up with Dai Dark, but I might just hold out for the deluxe edition now that that will be releasing soon.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga has a couple of new print books. Stella Must Die (Zettai Shinanai Stella-hime) is a Suiyoubi no Sirius series about a princess whose father passes away… and now her stepsister is trying to kill her! Fortunately, she has someone protecting her from the shadows.

ASH: That does help.

ANNA: I can see how that might be handy!

SEAN: Voices in the Sea Foam (Utakata no Koe wo Kiite) is a one-shot BL manga from Magazine Be x Boy. Our protagonist falls in love with a boy at school… then remembers he’s the reincarnation of a mermaid who died for her love!

MICHELLE: Hm. Potentially interesting.

ASH: I am likewise curious.

SEAN: Witch Hat Atelier: Grimoire Edition is a handsome hardcover omnibus of the first 3 volumes, with color pages and unspecified bonus content.

ASH: It’s such a gorgeous edition of such a gorgeous series.

ANNA: I don’t often buy more than one edition of something but I’m tempted!

SEAN: Also in print: In/Spectre 21, Pupposites Attract 4, Tower Dungeon 5, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 7, and WIND BREAKER 21.

Digitally we see The Food Diary of Miss Maid 5, How to Grill Our Love 20, Manchuria Opium Squad 12, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 21.

Kana has the 3rd omnibus volume of Cat’s Eye.

No debuts for J-Novel Club. For digital light novels, there is The Amazing Village Creator 3, Cooking with Wild Game 33, and VTuber Legend 10 (the final volume).

For manga they have An Archdemon’s Dilemma 11, Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 2 11, Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint! 3, and I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 7.

Inklore has a 3rd volume of Wet Sand.

Ghost Ship gives us The Cursed Sword Master’s Harem Life 6, Desire Pandora 5, and Makina-san’s a Love Bot?! 3.

Dark Horse Manga has the 16th and final volume of Mob Psycho 100.

ASH: Another series I should probably catch up on at some point.

SEAN: Airship, in print, has the debut of Classroom of the Elite: Year 3. Or, to be more accurate, Classroom of the Elite 30.

There’s also Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex 2 and Though I Am an Inept Villainess 10.

And there are early digital volumes of Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 6, I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One 2, and Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women 3.

What manga title Springs out at you?

SEAN: Buckle up, kids, the end of the month is stacked.

ASH: Are we there yet?

SEAN: Airship has four print volumes. We get Loner Life in Another World 14, Too Many Losing Heroines! 7, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 12, and Witch and Mercenary 6 Part 1.

And for early digital we get Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 2 and Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 15.

No debuts for Cross Infinite World, but they do have Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra 8, Fluffy Paradise 8, and How I Became King by Eating Monsters 5.

Dark Horse Manga has the 2nd and final omnibus volume of Gunsmith Cats: Burst.

ASH: I feel like this is a series that I should be reading, for some reason.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon 13 and Tamamori’s Fantasies Never Stop! 4.

Hanashi Media has a debut. A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring (Isekai Yururi Kikou: Kosodateshinagara Boukensha Shimasu) has a guy accidentally killed by a god isekai’d into a deadly monster forest, where he meets adorable twins who know kung fu. As one does.

ASH: While I’m a little worn out by the sheer amount of isekai titles being released these days, I do appreciate the parenting angle.

SEAN: Also from Hanashi Media: The New Gate 3, An Observation Log of My Wife Who Calls Herself a Villainess 3, Re:Monster 3, and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 15.

J-Novel Club has print debuts for two of its contest winners. ATLAS: Her, the Combatant, and Him, the Hero is a futuristic dystopia that lives and dies on its main characters.

ASH: I will admit to being intrigued by the JNC Original Light Novel Contest.

SEAN: The Adorable Dungeon Master is exactly what it sounds like. She’s reincarnated and she wants cute.

They also have My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! ―AO― 10 in print.

J-Novel Club has one debut, a manga in their J-Novel Knight line. All Eyes on Nekoyashiki-kun! Notice Me, Not My Characters (Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Nekoyashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru) is a BL manga from Comic Ryu. An indie artist who draws gay manga is startled to find that his childhood friend, an idol, is back in his orbit.

ASH: Lucky him!

SEAN: Digital light novels from JNC: The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons 4, The Canon Fodder’s Ascension from Pawn to World Unifier 2, Earl and Fairy 12, Holmes of Kyoto 0 (a prequel short-story volume), Rebuild World 8 Part 1, and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 4.

Other digital manga from JNC: Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! 3, Hell Mode 10, Rebuild World 14, and The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 6.

Kodama have the 15th and 16th Baki the Grappler volumes, as well as MAGICA 2 and Smile! 3.

ASH: Pretty sure I should be reading all of these, too.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga debuts Kirio Fan Club, a comedy manga from Comic Ruelle. This just got an anime. Two girls are obsessed with the boy they like in class. Let’s put it this way, the first bit is about the smell of his farts. We’re talking COM, not Romcom.

MICHELLE: Yeesh.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: In print they have Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow 5, Blue Lock Omnibus 2, Cells at Work! Lady 2, The Great Cleric 13, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 8, Killing Line 2, Nina the Starry Bride 15, Pupposites Attract 4, Rent-A-Girlfriend 36, Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 2, Toppu GP 14, and You Must Be This Tall to Propose! 2.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more Tokyo Tarareba Girls in print!

ASH: Indeed! And Ashita no Joe, too!

SEAN: Digitally we get Am I Actually the Strongest? 17, And Yet, You Are So Sweet 13, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 12, Drops of God: Mariage 15, and I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 6.

One Peace Books has a 16th manga volume of The New Gate.

Seven Seas time, which means we start with danmei. There’s Dinghai Fusheng Records 4, Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu 5, and The White Cat’s Divine Scratching Post 2.

ASH: That it does. I’m delighted.

SEAN: There’s only one manga debut, and it is DOGGO (INNU). This Young Magazine title stars a down-on-his-luck pug who gets picked up by a cute high school girl. Little does she know… he can talk. And fight! And is hiding from the yakuza. Little does he know… she’s the daughter of a yakuza boss. This looks very silly.

Also from Seven Seas: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 11, Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi 6, Failure Frame 12, The Fed-Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess 3, The Ideal Sponger Life 21, Mii-chan Wants to Be Kept 4 (the final volume), Monster Musume: I Heart Monster Girls 6, My Girlfriend is 8 Meters Tall 3, My Girlfriend’s Child 10 (the final volume), My Lovey-Dovey Wife is a Stone Cold Killer 8, My New Life as a Cat 13, Painter of the Night 3, Romelia War Chronicle 2, Servamp 23, There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 8, Yakuza Reincarnation 15, Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell 5, and Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games 9.

Steamship has a 6th volume of A Suitable Fetish.

Titan Manga debuts Grendizer U: The Inception, based off the giant robot manga. It runs in Hero’s.

Tokyopop debuts Bride of Ignat (Ignat no Hanayome). It’s in from RED, so no worries, this is BL despite the title. A survivor of an epidemic is seen as cursed, so is “volunteered” to be the sacrifice to the dragon. We know how that will go.

ASH: I must say, it does have a very pretty cover.

SEAN: Also from Tokyopop: I’ll Never Fall In Love With Amano! 3 (the final volume), If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die 11, The Prince Is in the Villainess’ Way! 6, and Wandervogel 2.

MICHELLE: I need to read Wandervogel!

SEAN: Viz Media has one spinoff debut. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Purple Smoke Distortion (Hajishirazu no Purple Haze: JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken yori), a one-volume light novel about what happened to Pannacotta Fugo.

ASH: Unsurprisingly, I’m interested.

SEAN: Make that two spinoff debuts, as we also get Splatoon: Squid Kids Comedy Show. You know what this will be like. It’s for your 8-year-old.

Also from Viz: Boy’s Abyss 13.

Yen On has only one title, and it’s a debut. Our Party Nearly Wiped and Then Everything Went Downhill (Zenmetsu End wo Shi ni Monogurui de Kaihishita. Party ga Yanda) stars a man who wakes up in his favorite grimdark manga, in the body of the schmuck who dies to set the series’ tone. He somehow manages to not die, though he’s gravely wounded. Only now… why are all these women so obsessed with him?

ASH: Why, indeed.

SEAN: And here comes Yen Press. Debuts first. Merit and the Egyptian God (Merit Aikyuu God) is a shoujo title from Hana to Yume. (When I was much younger, I typed those words multiple times a month.) A girl winds up trapped in the underworld, and has to talk a grump God into bringing her home.

MICHELLE: Possibly fun!

SEAN: My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle (Koibito ga Ubusugite Komaru) is a BL title which ran as a web manga. A gloomy, introverted guy is confessed to by a hot, outgoing guy. How to get to know each other? Exchange diaries!

MICHELLE: Also possibly fun!

ASH: Sounds cute, for sure.

SEAN: My Super-Cute Black Mage! (Uchi no Kuro Madoushi ga Kawaisugiru!) is (gasp!) another shoujo title from Hana to Yume. At a magic school, our heroine avoids the scary-looking black mage. Then when she accidentally gets close to him, she can hear his thoughts… and they’re kinda cute?

MICHELLE: Hm. Less sold on this, but Hana to Yume!

ASH: But cute is even in the title, this time!

SEAN: You Can’t Escape from Mizudako-chan! (Mizudako-chan kara wa Nigerarenai!) is a romantic comedy from Comic Fuz. An average high school guy finds a very strange girl transferred into his class… who is half-octopus!

MICHELLE: That sounds handy. (Smirk.)

ASH: Lol.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Ako and Bambi 7, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 3, Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 12, Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 8 (the final volume), The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 14, Days with My Stepsister 5, The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor 7, The Eminence in Shadow 14, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 5, Hell Is Dark with No Flowers 4, Hirano and Kagiura 5, Honey Lemon Soda 11, I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World 8, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 5, Interspecies Reviewers 11, Kindergarten Wars 4, Land 2, Lycoris Recoil Official Comic Anthology: Repeat 2, Mieruko-chan 12, Oshi no Ko 13, The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices 6, The Reformation of the World as Overseen by a Realist Demon King 8, A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special 6, So I’m a Spider, So What? 15, Stomp, Kick, Love 4, The Summer Hikaru Died 7, To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You 3, and Touring After the Apocalypse 7.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely intrigued by The Summer Hikaru Died.

ASH: As you should be!

SEAN: That’s a lot! Anything jump out at you?

SEAN: Spring continues to try to become early Summer. In April. Sigh.

ASH: Spring is going to spring.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Bug Ego, the latest title written by ONE, the author of One-Punch Man, and it runs in Weekly Young Jump. A popular kid tries to help a loner kid get better at socializing. The loner kid… can turn back time? And break reality?

ASH: I am curious about this one, mainly due to ONE’s involvement.

ANNA: OK, might be interesting.

SEAN: Also from Viz: The Climber 5, Kingdom 6, Mission: Yozakura Family 22, Rainbows After Storms 9, Record of Ragnarök 18, Red River 3-in-1 7, Show-ha Shoten! 10, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 19.

ASH: I really need to start reading The Climber.

ANNA: I think I have the first volume stashed around my house somewhere.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Waiting for You at the End of the Runway (Crush on Teen Edge), a BL oneshot that ran in from RED. An actor retires, and now finds himself trying to manage his former childhood friend… and former lover.

Also from Tokyopop: the 2nd manga volume of Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko! and the 3rd light novel volume of Her Royal Highness Seems to Be Angry.

Titan Manga debuts Unemployed Killers Support Group, a Taiwanese manga about a former assassin who joins… well, please see the title.

MICHELLE: Huh. I looked this up and the blurb says, ” For fans of Reservoir Dogs-style dark comedy and chaotic criminal camaraderie,” which is kind of appealing!

ASH: I’d give it a chance.

ANNA: Ooh, this sounds fun.

SEAN: Titan Manga also gives us Cosmic Censorship 3 and The Elegant Courtly Life of the Tea Witch 3.

Square Enix has the 15th and final volume of My Dress-Up Darling, Tokyo Aliens 10, and Wash It All Away 7.

ASH: I’ve definitely fallen behind, but I’ve really enjoyed what I have read of My Dress-Up Darling.

SEAN: Seven Seas has no danmei debuts, but we do get Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu 7 and Copper Coins: Tong Qian Kan Shi 3 (the final volume).

Seven Seas does have manga debuts. Everything for Demon King Evelogia (Maou Evelogia ni Mi wo Sasage yo) is another title from BL Screamo, a magazine name I am still sniggering at. (I imagine the title as declaimed by Count Floyd.) A man dies and is reincarnated in a game, where he can be with the Demon King, his favorite character! OK, so he’s a young boy, but life isn’t perfect.

MICHELLE: “Ooh, scaaary!”

SEAN: KILLING ME / KILLING YOU (ah haaaaaaaaa) (sorry) is from Dragon Age Extra. A meteorite caused the apocalypse. Most turned into monsters, a few turned immortal. This follows two immortals trying to die.

MICHELLE: I had the literal same reaction to that title.

ASH: Haha, great minds! Also, immortals, you say?

SEAN: My Darling Devilish Daughter (Boku no Manamusume) is a seinen title from Big Comic Spirits. It’s by the creator of Himouto! Umaru-chan. A human man tries to raise his half-demon daughter, and needs to keep her happy… or else her demon mom will kill him.

ASH: It can be tough being a dad, sometimes.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue 10 (the final volume), The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 6, Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent 6, and It’s Just a Dream… Right?! 2.

Nakama Press has a 7th volume of Infini-T Force.

Mahjong Pros has the debut of a title I never thought would be released here. Reform with No Wasted Draws: The Legend of Koizumi (Mudazumo Naki Kaikaku) is a mahjong manga from Kindai Mahjong, and reimagines world diplomacy as if everyone is a mahjong player. Features a cast that will seem very… familiar to anyone who follows world politics.

MICHELLE: Interesting.

ASH: I have been wanting to read this series ever since I learned it existed. I was explicitly told it could never happen. I am absolutely delighted.

ANNA: Oh wow!

SEAN: Kodansha has redone their webpage, how delightful. It’s not in alphabetical order anymore, FANTASTIC. OK, never mind, I can do this. The print debut… sort of… is Chi’s Sweet France, a spinoff of the adorable cat manga. You’ll never guess where Chi is. This is complete in one volume, and ran in Comic Days.

ASH: I adore Chi, wherever she may be.

SEAN: Also from Kodansha Manga in print: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 14, Blue Lock 29, The Blue Wolves of Mibu 9, The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé 5, Drifting Dragons 17, Gachiakuta 10, Hitting Rewind with You 2, Shoot Juliet Down 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 10, and Wave, Listen to Me! 11.

MICHELLE: Ooh, a new Wave, Listen to Me!.

ASH: Definitely something to look forward to!

SEAN: In digital we get A Couple of Cuckoos 28, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 30, Sayabito: Swords of Destiny 8 (the final volume), and Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad 12.

One J-Novel Club debut, and it’s a manga. The Accursed Chef and His Pair of Furry Foodies (Noroware Ryourinin wa Meikyuu de Mofumimi Shoujo-tachi wo Sodatemasu) is based on the LN also licensed by JNC. Guy who dies saving a child gets reincarnated with cool powers – in this case, he can cook monsters. Sadly, his new life is awful. On the bright side, he seems to like beast people like most other isekai’d folks do.

ASH: I may have mentioned it before, but I really didn’t expect cooking monsters to become its own sub-genre.

ANNA: The world can be surprising!

SEAN: Digital light novels from JNC next week: The Banished Former Hero Lives As He Pleases 7, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 9, Dimension Wave 7, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 22, Imperial Reincarnation 5, Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain 7, and Reborn to Master the Blade 13.

And for manga we have My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings! 4 and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 10.

No debuts for Ize Press, but we do get Finding Camellia 7, I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog 6, Lover Boy 5 (the final volume?), Men of the Harem 6, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 10, The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 7, Tomb Raider King 14, and The World After the Fall 13.

HarperAlley gives us Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love! 3.

ASH: I had somehow already forgotten about HarperAlley!

SEAN: Dark Horse Manga has a 3rd volume of Cat + Crazy.

No print volumes for Airship, but we do see early digital of Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 7 and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 13.

And ABLAZE has the 2nd and final volume of HAPPYLAND.

Assuming you have not lost everything in a mahjong game, what manga are you buying?

SEAN: April continues. Is it going to be… THE CRUELEST MONTH?

ASH: It just might.

ANNA: I’m not going to argue with April.

SEAN: Airship has no print debuts, but they do have The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen 10, Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 9, and The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 2.

They do have an early digital debut. Venus Mission: I Was an Assassin-for-Hire Who Died, Now I’m Hunting Heroes in Another World (Venus Mission: Moto Koroshiya de Youhei no Chuunen, Yuusha no Ansatsu wo Iraisare Isekai Tensei!) is about an assassin who can kill anything except the cancer that he has. When he dies, he wakes in another world… where he has to hunt down heroes!

ASH: He should know what he’s doing, at least?

SEAN: Also early digital: A Tale of the Secret Saint 10.

Drawn and Quarterly have The Definitive Yokai Field Guide, Shigeru Mizuki’s own guide to Japanese yokai folklore.

MICHELLE: I feel like this has Ash written all over it.

ASH: It absolutely does! I’m very excited for this release.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a 7th volume of Inside the Tentacle Cave.

Hanashi Media debuts I Saved Myself with a Potion! (Potion, Wagami wo Tasukeru), which is not the same as the other potion isekai fantasy. An isekai’d girl tries to return to Japan, and all she can do is make potions.

Inklore has a 4th volume of Cherry Blossoms After Winter.

J-Novel Club has a few print titles out this week. For light novels, we have By the Grace of the Gods 16, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 5, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 5, and Tearmoon Empire 15.

And for manga there’s Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 4 3, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 2, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 5, and Tearmoon Empire 8.

No digital debuts for J-Novel Club. The light novels are Ascendance of a Bookworm: Hannelore’s Fifth Year at the Royal Academy 2, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 4, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 14, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 9, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 13, So Dearly Reckless 2, Zero Damage Sword Saint 3, and Zilbagias the Demon Prince 6.

And the manga are Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 8, The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 3, and My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 9.

Kodansha Manga debuts Drawing From Your Memory (Sekai de Ichiban Hayai Haru), a josei title from Kiss. A best-selling manga artist is worried. She plagiarized the ideas from her dead high school friend, and she can’t come up with any on her own! What to do? If your answer is “time travel to the past”, congrats.

MICHELLE: I am kind of a sucker for these stories. And josei, to boot…

ASH: Oh, yeah, I’m here for it, too.

ANNA: Yes! Sounds interesting!

SEAN: Also in print: In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 9, Medaka Kuroiwa Is Impervious to My Charms 15, Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN Deluxe 5, Mushishi Collector’s Edition 2, Orient 20, Parasyte Paperback Collection 5, Quality Assurance in Another World 12, Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate 6, and To Your Eternity 24.

ASH: Mushishi is still one of my all-time favorites and, yes, I am buying it again.

SEAN: In digital, we get Giant Killing 54 and My Home Hero 24.

One Peace Books has the 10th manga volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

Seven Seas has two debuts. Dear Sister, I’ve Become a Blessed Maiden (Zenryaku, Onii-chan wa Seijo ni Narimashita) is a BL series from the amazingly named magazine BL Screamo. A brother takes the place of his younger sister as a Blessed Maiden when they’re isekai’d, not realizing that the blessings are more intimate than expected.

ASH: Whoops. You really do have to watch out for those “other duties as assigned” in a job description.

ANNA: Words to live by for everyone.

SEAN: Koharu and Minato: Happy Life with My Girlfriend (Koharu to Minato: Watashi no Partner wa Onnanoko) is a Yuri Hime series about two women who met online and got together, based on the actual authors’ relationship.

ASH: D’awwwww.

ANNA: That does sound adorable.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 365 Days to the Wedding 11 (the final volume), Bastard 4, Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 6, Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 12 (the final volume), How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 20, IDOL x IDOL STORY! 5, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 13, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 14, Sacrifice of My Manly Soul 3, True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 3, and Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale 3.

Two debuts for Square Enix. Betrothed to a Fox Demon (Kyougane-ke no Hanayome) is a Gangan Joker series about a passionate and stern exorcist who one day gets himself a bride… with secrets. Now he has to protect her.

ASH: I am intrigued.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: The Prince’s Keeper (Ouji-sama no Kainushigatari: Norowareta Denka ga Mofumofu Body de Sasottekimasu) is a Manga UP! series based on an as-yet unlicensed LN about an apprentice witch who is invited to a royal tea party one day… and finds the prince is a cat?!

ASH: That was unexpected!

ANNA: Aren’t all cats royalty, really?

SEAN: They also have A Man and His Cat 15 and My Isekai Life 24.

Steamship have Don’t Hold Back, Lord Hades 3 and Virgin Marriage: A Maiden Voyage into Passion’s Embrace 4.

SuBLime debuts May I Have a Taste? (Yabun ni Kyuuketsu Shitsureishimasu), a Web Comic Zenyon about a new vampire who’s scrupulous and honest, and his human co-worker, who… isn’t.

MICHELLE: Hm. I kinda like the dynamic, there.

ANNA: Yeah, sounds a little different.

SEAN: They also have Black or White 12 and His Favorite 14 (first new volume in 2 1/2 years).

ASH: Oh! I didn’t realize that was still ongoing! I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read, but it’s obviously been a while.

SEAN: Titan Manga has a 5th volume of Working for God in a Godless World.

Tokyopop debuts Apprentice Nail Artist in a Foreign Land (Ikyou no Tsume Nuri Minarai), about a nail artist who gets isekai’d to a fantasy world where magic power depends on nail art. This runs in Comic PASH!.

I Want to See Me in Your Eyes (Furimuite Tsukamaete) is a BL oneshot that ran in from RED. A young man is crushing on someone else, but their younger brother is crushing on him!

A Nightingale Awaits the Blooming Love of Spring (Harukakete, Uguisu) is a BL oneshot that ran in Nuude. After becoming the school’s top delinquent, a young man is asked to take on the legendary former top dog… who is now their teacher?

ASH: I do have a soft spot for delinquents in manga.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: They also have an omnibus release of the first three volumes of A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation.

Viz Media debuts The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen (Tonari no Seki no Yatsu ga Souiu Me de Mitekuru), a romantic comedy from Sunday Web Every. Two horny teens who like each other try to one-up the other in terms of showing skin!

ASH: That can only really go so far.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Animal Crossing: New Horizons 10, Case Closed 98, Destroy All Humans 7, Girl Crush 6, How Do We Relationship? 14 (the final volume), Kaiju No. 8: Relax 2, Spider-Man: Kizuna 3, Splatoon 3: Splatlands 6, and Yaiba: Samurai Legend 4.

Yen On has three (well, three and a half) debuts. The Azure Sword, Slayer of Distortions (Aoken no Yugami Tachi), a supernatural fantasy whose description exhausts me, frankly. Weapons that make you awesome yet cursed. Young girls controlled by fate. Is the destined future set in stone?

The Bubble Love of the Mermaid (Ningyo no Awakoi) is a new series from the creator of My Happy Marriage. A girl whose family treats her like a monster thanks to a birthmark on her wrist gets a marriage proposal. This… sounds familiar?

ASH: So many manga do these days.

ANNA: Yeah, I liked My Happy Marriage though so will probably check it out.

SEAN: Saint’s Fallen Antlers is the 3rd in the Sasaki Agency series.

And Shanti is an urban fantasy about a young man who lives happily with his beloved sister until TRAGEDY STRIKES, and he is then picked up by a disreputable guy. It’s not clear what the tragedy is, but I sense a dead sister.

ASH: What would ever make you think that?

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Agents of the Four Seasons 6, Almark 2, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 9, Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture EX (a short story collection), Bofuri 17, Classroom for Heroes 6, The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 6, A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans 3, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 14, Witches Can’t Be Collared 2, The World’s Strongest Witch 2, and You Can Have My Back 4 (another short story collection).

ASH: Honestly, I was expecting that list to go on a bit longer.

SEAN: That’s it. Was anything cruel? Probably the dead sister.

SEAN: It’s April! The best month! Let’s see what manga treats we have post-Easter.

ASH: There must be some, right?

SEAN: Yen Press has a third volume of Super Ball Girls.

No debuts for Viz, but we get Astro Royale 5, Blue Exorcist 32, The Bugle Call: Song of War 6, Dandadan 18, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai 6, Firefly Wedding 6, Gokurakugai 5, Ichi the Witch 2, Kill Blue 6, Marriage Toxin 12, Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite 7, and Phantom Busters 3.

ASH: I’m definitely behind with most of these series, but there’s good reading in that list.

SEAN: I have no idea what Honkai Impact 3rd: Second Eruption is, but it’s coming from Tokyopop, and I suspect it’s related to a mobile game.

Tokyopop also has The Tale of Luvelia Kingdom (Rubelia Okoku Monogatari: Itoko no Shirinugui wo Saserareru Hame ni Natta), a Comic Gardo manga based on an as yet unlicensed light novel. A broken engagement story, this one seems interesting in that everyone sides with her and she’s immediately married to the NEW Crown Prince… who is a stranger to her.

ASH: Not a stranger for long, I would assume.

SEAN: Also from Tokyopop: My New Wife’s Fake Smile 3, Reincarnated in a Mafia Dating Sim 4, and The Unwanted Bride Loves the Crown Prince With All Her Heart 3. Yes, it’s an all-het romance week from Tokyopop, a rarity in these modern times.

ASH: Ha! That’s true.

ANNA: What is the world coming to?

SEAN: Titan Manga has the second and final volume of Do Women Need Sex Entertainment? as well as Tengen Hero Wars 3.

Steamship gives us The Trapped Former Villainess Wants to Escape from the Sadistic Prince 4.

Square Enix Manga has Daemons of the Shadow Realm 10 and Love in the Palm of His Hand 3.

Seven Seas has, in non-Japanese stuff, The Villain’s White Halo (danmei) and KinnPorsche 6 (Korean, the final volume).

Their manga debut is Dungeon Elf: What’s a Dungeon without Treasure Chests? (Dungeon Elf: Dungeon ni Takarabako ga Aru no wa Atarimae desu ka), a seinen series from good! Afternoon. This elf is here to place treasure chests in weird places in dungeons. Why?

ASH: I’ve enjoyed other series from good! Afternoon, so I should probably give this one a try.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: BOSS, BXTCH, BABY 2, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 17, Gene Bride 4 (the final volume), Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess 4, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 24, I Won’t Let Mistress Suck My Blood 2, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 9, My Bias is Showing?! 2, Plus-Sized Elf: Second Helping! 5, and Rozen Maiden Collector’s Edition 5.

Two debuts for Kodansha Manga. Honey Bee & Lemon Balm (Mitsubachi to Lemon Balm) is a BL series from Comic Pool. A lowlife who has no money or future is hired by a handsome young florist with a few secrets.

ASH: “Quirky and heartfelt.” I’m in.

ANNA: I’m curious!

SEAN: Love Out on a Limb (Bokura no Suki wa Warikirenai) is from Dessert, and features a girl coming back home after eight years when her parents remarry. But oh no, her brother is hot now! And so is her childhood friend! How can she avoid… INCEST? (The answer is obvious if you’re read any shoujo manga featuring “I have feelings for my supposed brother”.) (Or Citrus.)

MICHELLE: Oh, dear. Ordinarily, I’d give this a wide berth but I have liked Yoko Nogiri titles in the past.

ANNA: I feel like it has been awhile since we’ve had a crazy series like this.

SEAN: Also from Kodansha Manga: Blue Lock: Episode Nagi 7, FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 20, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 12, Issak Omnibus 6, Peach Boy Riverside 15, Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 8, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 19.

Digitally, they have The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé 5, TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 14, That Beauty is a Tramp 8 (the final volume), WIND BREAKER 23, and Ya Boy Kongming! 23.

Kana has Space Punch 5

Another quiet week for J-Novel Club. The only light novel they have is the 4th volume of Blade Skill Online.

They do have a manga debut, though. Starting on Hard Mode: God Levels, Got Problems (Level Count Stop kara Hajimaru, Kamisama-teki Isekai Life: Saikyou Status ni Tenseishita node Suki ni Ikimasu) is a DRE Comics manga based on the light novel coming soon from JNC. A guy is reincarnated and wants to live the slow life… but he’s simply too handsome, too powerful, and too unable to stop helping pretty girls!

Other manga from JNC: Black Summoner 22, Doll-Kara 11 (the final volume), and Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 6.

Guess who keeps forgetting about Hanashi Media? It’s me. Let’s catch up. Two weeks ago they had the debut of GATE: Thus the JSDF Fought There (Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri). When monsters incur into Japan from another world, the JSDF fights them back… and winds up in the fantasy world themselves! This got an anime, and is very popular.

ASH: That it is! And always glad for a license rescue.

SEAN: And last week they had The Fruit of Evolution 12 and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 14.

Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of The Cuckolding Wizard’s Adventure.

Dark Horse has the 2nd and final volume of Oldboy Deluxe Edition.

ASH: It’s good to see this series back in print.

SEAN: Alien Books releases Kinryo Rock – Code Amrita, a seinen title from Monthly Hero’s. Vampires are trying to make it so they can live among humans, but some vampires can’t help being bad. To solve this, humans and vampires must team up with the power of rock and roll. Honestly, this sounds amazing.

ASH: I’d read it.

ANNA: I like vampires and music manga!

SEAN: Airship has print volumes for The Devil Princess 3 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 14.

And their digital debut is digital only. Fluffy Café in Another World (Isekai Mofumofu Cafe) had its manga come out two weeks ago. 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: There are worse life choices.

ANNA: Maybe there should just be more cat cafes?

SEAN: And for early digital there is Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 2.

Lastly, Ablaze has Gannibal 4, Get Schooled 4, and Witch of Mine 4.

What glories await you in the list I have proffered?