Ash Brown

SEAN: April is lurching towards its conclusion. What can we find?

ASH: Hopefully my mind; try as I might, it’s convinced that March comes next.

SEAN: There’s a lot of print Airship titles, as we see Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 6, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 6, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 10, and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 6.

In early digital we see The Mimosa Confessions (Mimosa no Kokuhaku), an LGBT novel from the creator of The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes. A young man gradually drifts away from his more popular guy friend. In high school, he meets a cute girl, and falls for her. However, when he walks home one night, he sees his old friend… in a girls’ uniform and crying?

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ASH: Curiosity piqued!

ANNA: Hmm!

SEAN: And there is also the third volume of Yes, No, or Maybe?.

Ghost Ship has Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon 8 and World’s End Harem 17.

And in mature non-GS titles, we get The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun 5 and Killing Stalking: Deluxe Edition 6.

ASH: I really do need to give Killing Stalking a try before I get too much further behind.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has two debuts. A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires (Buchigire Reijō wa Hōfuku wo Chikaimashita. Madōsho no Chikara de Sokoku wo Tataki Tsubushimasu) is another “our heroine is publicly shamed and dumped” books. Oh, and she’s thrown in prison. This causes her to snap and get revenge. That said, I wonder how revengey this will be – I’ve seen this sort of thing before.

ASH: Bonus points for the use of “grimoires” in the title.

ANNA: I appreciate grimoires as well!

SEAN: Zilbagias the Demon Prince: How the Seventh Prince Brought Down the Kingdom (Dainana Maōji Zilbagias no Maō Keikokuki) has a hero and his party get ready for the final battle against the demon king… and they’re all killed. Oops. Then he’s reincarnated… as the demon king’s son!

ASH: Awkward!

ANNA: What if he was reincarnated as the demon king’s son’s cat??

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: the 15th Black Summoner manga volume, the 4th Dragon Daddy Diaries: A Girl Grows to Greatness manga volume, The Exiled Noble Rises as the Holy King: Befriending Fluffy Beasts and a Holy Maiden with My Ultimate Cheat Skill! 2, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 6, Infinite Dendrogram 21, Jeanette the Genius: Defying My Evil Stepmother by Starting a Business with My Ride-or-Die Fiancé! 2, the 3rd The Magician Who Rose From Failure manga volume, Tearmoon Empire 12, and This Art Club Has a Problem! 3.

Kodansha Books has the 4th (really the 5th) volume of Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement.

Kodansha Manga debuts in print A Brief Moment of Ichika, a shoujo title from Palcy. A 16-year-old girl who was given two years left to live three years ago has made her peace with it… till she meets her teacher who vanished a while ago. Expect tears with this one.

ASH: Hmmm.

ANNA: I don’t know about this.

SEAN: Also in print: Blood on the Tracks 16, Ogami-san Can’t Keep It In 4, Phantom of the Idol 7, Vinland Saga Deluxe 2, Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen 3, and Yuri is My Job! 12.

MICHELLE: Shamefully, I had forgotten Phantom of the Idol existed.

ANNA: I forgot Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen existed.

SEAN: Digitally we see And Yet, You Are So Sweet 9, The Café Terrace and its Goddesses 12, Drops of God: Mariage 6, EDENS ZERO 28, Gamaran: Shura 19, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 9, My Home Hero 15, and That’s My Atypical Girl 12 (the final volume).

One Peace Books has a print version of Parallel World Pharmacy 4.

No debuts for Seven Seas, but we see The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue 8, The Dangers in My Heart 8, Don’t Call it Mystery 7-8, Made in Abyss 12, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! 9, and Reincarnated as a Sword 12.

MICHELLE: Yumi Tamura FTW!

ASH: Always!

ANNA: AIEE, I am already far behind!

SEAN: Square Enix has Otherside Picnic 9 and Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 14.

Viz gives us Jujutsu Kaisen: The Official Character Guide, a guidebook to the popular Jump manga.

They’ve also got Pokémon: The Complete Pokémon Pocket Guide, the first of a two-parter. And given this volume is 560 pages, that’s a lot of Pokedexing.

ASH: Gonna need a big pocket for that!

SEAN: And for more sinister Jump manga, there is Boy’s Abyss 5.

Yen On has some runoff from last week, including a debut. Riviere and the Land of Prayer (Inori no Kuni no Riviere) is a title from the creator of Wandering Witch. On an island where magic is sealed into items, Riverie is there to ensure those items don’t cause trouble. I hear the Wandering Witch shows up in this one herself, which means I will not be reading it.

Yen On also has Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 6, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World: Secret File 2, and (sigh) Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 13.

And from Yen Press we see The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor 3.

Still a lot of April. Does anything interest you?

SEAN: Yen Press is here to bury us in titles once more.

Yen has slid some releases at the last minute, so their calendar hasn’t quite caught up yet. I believe the only debut for Yen On this week is You Can’t See the Snow (Kimi wa Yuki o Miru Koto ga Dekinai), a one-shot about a college couple who meet in the summer, but she breaks up with him in the autumn – as she has an illness that causes her to sleep half the year. This has “tearjerker” written all over it.

ASH: I could use half a year’s worth of sleep.

ANNA: I would also look forward to sleeping.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World 4, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 12, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 3, High School DxD 13, Hollow Regalia 4, I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 7, I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss 8, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 3 (the print version of the JNC light novel), Sabikui Bisco 7, Secrets of the Silent Witch 4.5, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 18.

Debuting for Yen Press is Fox-Colored Jealousy (Yakimochi wa Kitsuneiro), a one-shot BL title from Bloom. A cute boy who sometimes sprouts fox ears and a tail is saved from a groper on the train by a guy who loves to cuddle.

ASH: Awww.

ANNA: That sounds cute.

SEAN: If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love (Akuyaku Reijou to Akuyaku Reisoku ga, Deatte Koi ni Ochitanara) is the manga version of the novel Yen put out several months ago. It runs in GA Comic.

My Gemini (Boku no Gemini) is a one-shot shoujo title that ran in Asuka. Twins at a school are inseparable, and frequently swap identities. When one twin is killed, it’s up to our protagonist to figure out which one.

MICHELLE: Possibly interesting!

ASH: Indeed!

SEAN: Trinity Seven Revision is – surprise – a spinoff of the Trinity Seven manga. It ran in Dragon Age.

Also from Yen Press: 15 Minutes Before We Really Date 2, Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 3, Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 7, Call the Name of the Night 4, Chained Soldier 7, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 5, Goblin Slayer 14, I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 5, I’m Quitting Heroing 5, The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls 3, Kiss the Scars of the Girls 2, Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage 2, Mieruko-chan 9, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! ―AO― 4 (the print version of the JNC manga), My Mate Is a Feline Gentleman 3, My Poison Princess Is Still Cute 2, No Longer Heroine 6, The Reformation of the World as Overseen by a Realist Demon King 3, Saint? No! I’m Just a Passing Beast Tamer! 3, SHY 6, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 5, Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included 5, The Summer Hikaru Died 3, Touge Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times 3, and When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement! 2.

ASH: I need to read more of The Summer Hikaru Died.

SEAN: Two debuts for Viz Media. Gokurakugai is a Jump Square series that is a “two cool guys kill terrible things” sort of series.

Snowball Earth is from Gekkan! Spirits, and stars a boy who went off to fight galactic monsters. When he returns to Earth… it’s frozen! When did an ice age happen? And can he find his friend?

Also from Viz: Jujutsu Kaisen 22, Mission: Yozakura Family 10, Record of Ragnarok 10, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 2, and Undead Unluck 15.

ASH: I picked up the first volume of Steel of the Celestial Shadows. I, uh, haven’t actually read it yet, though.

SEAN: Debuting from Tokyopop is A Beast’s Descent Into Love (Kuroki Kemono wa ai ni Otsu) is a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. Cat boys, slaves, going into heat… all the latest BL fetishes are yours to enjoy here.

MICHELLE: Pass!

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: Scarlet Secret (Hime Muko) is (contain your shock) a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. A childhood friend who is supposedly killed is actually inheriting a dangerous power. Can our hero save him?

Tokyopop also has Lullaby of the Dawn 3 and the 8th and final volume of Ossan Idol!.

Steamship debuts a done-in-one omnibus, I Want You To Make Me Beautiful! (Kimi no Te de Kawaiku Naritai! ~Genderless Danshi to no H na Gisou Renai~), which ran in a magazine called Lovebites. A woman has just found out her boyfriend is cheating on her, and he also insults her looks. At a low ebb, she runs into a hot androgynous ex-classmate. He’ll give her a makeover if she pretends to date him.

ASH: Hmmm.

ANNA: OK!

SEAN: Steamship also has Revenge: Mrs. Wrong 2.

From Square Enix we see The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 9, and My Dress-Up Darling 11.

No debuts for Seven Seas, but we see Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Party Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to an Infinite Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge 5, Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home 4, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 18, Kase-san and Yamada 3, My Cat is Such a Weirdo 3, My New Life as a Cat 5, and Obey Me! The Comic 2.

One Peace Books has Captain Corinth: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer 6.

Kodansha Manga also has no debuts. But in print, we get BAKEMONOGATARI 21, FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 15, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 11, King in Limbo Omnibus 2, Orient 19, Parasyte Full Color Collection 6, Rent-A-Girlfriend 24, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 6, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 15.

And in early digital we see Don’t Tempt Me, VP! 5 (the final volume), Gamaran 20, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 12, How to Treat a Lady Knight Right 4, Undead Girl Murder Farce 5, and the 16th and final volume of Watari-kun’s ****** Is about to Collapse.

It’s another quiet week for J-Novel Club. We see the 6th Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte manga volume, The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 7, the 5th Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon manga volume, Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 3 (the final volume), and the 2nd The Water Magician manga volume.

And Airship, in print, debuts The Evil Queen’s Beautiful Principles (Akutoku Joō no Kokoroe), from the creative team behind Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter. A crown princess has been locked up for years, docile as a doll. Now she’s free… and suddenly her parents are murdered. This seems on the “serious” side of the genre.

Also in print: Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 8.

And there are early digital volumes of Modern Dungeon Capture Starting with Broken Skills 2 and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 5.

(air raid siren) Warning: manga approaching! What are you picking?

SEAN: Spring is here, tra-la, tra-la. It’s raining every day. Just like winter, actually.

ASH: Life is skittles!

SEAN: We start with Airship’s print releases, as they have the 2nd volume of I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner.

And for early digital it’s Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 18.

Dark Horse Comics has the 6th volume of their Hellsing re-release.

J-Novel Club has some print. We get the first volume of the third arc of Ascendance of a Bookworm: The Manga, where Myne is dead but Rozemyne lives on. As with all the manga adaptations, this runs in Comic Corona.

ASH: I should maybe give the adaptation a try at some point.

SEAN: There’s also An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride 16 and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 11.

In digital, things are very quiet on the JN-C front, but we do get two debuts, both manga. Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade (Shinigami ni Sodaterareta Shoujo wa Shikkoku no Tsurugi wo Mune ni Idaku) is the manga adaptation of the light novels also released, and it runs in Dengeki Daioh.

The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases (Dekisokonai to Yobareta Moto Eiyuu wa, Jikka kara Tsuihou sareta no de Suki Katte ni Ikiru koto ni shita) is also a manga adaptations of the light novels also released, and the anime debuted this week. The manga runs in Comic Corona.

There’s also Monster and Parent 4 (the final volume) and Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance 2.

Kodansha Manga has some print titles. Debuting is The Fable Omnibus 1, a collection of the first two volumes of this yakuza series that will soon have an anime. It ran in Young Magazine.

ASH: Okay, I’m intrigued; the pet parrot seals the deal.

SEAN: Also debuting is Sketchy, the story of a woman who works in a movie rental store and is pretty burned out… till she sees girls skateboarding. It reignites the fire in her life! This ran in Young Magazine the 3rd. I am here for a womens’ skateboarding manga, even if it’s not the one that became a meme.

MICHELLE: Interesting!

ANNA: Indeed!

ASH: Oh!

SEAN: Also in print: Immortal Hounds 7 (the final volume), Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 6, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 3, Quality Assurance in Another World 7, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 16, and WIND BREAKER 5.

The digital debut is You Must Be This Tall to Propose! (Ookiku Nattara Kekkon suru!), which ran in Young Magazine. A boy has a crush on his neighbor, who’s two years older than he is. She says propose to her once he gets taller than her. Unfortunately, he had no idea how tall she was going to get!

Also in digital: Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 2, Gang King 16, Giant Killing 42, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 11, and WIND BREAKER 14.

A shoujo debut from One Peace Books is Tales of the Tendo Family (Tendou-ke Monogatari), which is by Ken Saito, the creator of The Name of the Flower and Oh My Brother! from the old CMX label. This is a long-running LaLa title about a woman who is supposed to marry into the Tendo family… which has a reputation for people dying! So she runs, and replaces herself with a fake, who is determined to do her best! This gets an Anna and Michelle alert.

MICHELLE: I never managed to finish either of those CMX series (well, they didn’t finish Oh! My Brother, either) but am still somewhat intrigued.

ANNA: I liked both these series, so I’m definitely interested.

ASH: I just wrote a little about the first volume! So far, I’m liking it.

SEAN: We’ll start Seven Seas with a new danmei debut. The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish: Canji Baojun De Zhangxin Yu Chong. This comedy series is about a man who falls asleep reading a webnovel about a ruthless tyrant who falls for his male concubine. Then our hero wakes up… as the tyrant’s pet carp. Now he has to somehow stop the tyrant becoming a tyrant in order to become human again.

MICHELLE: Could be fun, I suppose!

ASH: Sometimes these sorts of ridiculous premises actually work.

SEAN: The manga debut is The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain (Danzaisareta Akuyaku Reijou wa, Gyakkou shite Kanpeki na Akujo wo Mezasu @COMIC), the manga adaptation of the light novel also released by Seven Seas. It runs in Comic Corona.

Also from Seven Seas: Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 9, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 8, Dinosaur Sanctuary 4, The Dungeon of Black Company 10, I Married My Female Friend 2, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 3, Magika Swordsman and Summoner 17, Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition 5 (the final volume), My Girlfriend’s Child 4, Time Stop Hero 9, and We Started a Threesome!! 2.

MICHELLE: Yay Marmalade Boy.

ANNA: Woo!

SEAN: From Square Enix we see Daemons of the Shadow Realm 4, The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl 4, and My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! 12.

ANNA: I do enjoy some Ice Guy and Cool Girl.

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: From SuBLime, we see the debut of Engage, the latest title from Yuu Minaduki, and the latest in the connected series that includes Sayonara Game, Change World, and Love Nest. A chef who only sees a customer once a year is determined to confess.

ASH: Ooooh, BL that seems to be at least tangentially related to food? That’s a subgenre I usually enjoy.

SEAN: And there is also Black or White 8.

The debut for Viz is Splatoon 3: Splatlands (Splatoon Bankara!), for fans of the game franchise. It runs in Monthly Corocoro Comic.

Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 5, Case Closed 90, Dandadan 7, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy 2, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 9, Komi Can’t Communicate 29, and Pokémon: Sword & Shield 9.

MICHELLE: I should probably read Akane-banashi.

ASH: Ack! I need to catch up, too!

SEAN: And nothing from Yen Press, but wait till the week after next. What entices you?

SEAN: It’s time for April manga! The best month!

MICHELLE: All the cool people were born in it!

SEAN: We start off with Viz Media, who have a spinoff to debut. Sequel? One of those. Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate (Kimi ni Todoke Bangai-hen – Unmei no hito) takes place after the main series, and focuses on Kurumi. It apparently also ties into Crazy for You by the same author. It ran in Betsuma.

ANNA: I should actually finish Kimi ni Todoke before I read a sequel.

MICHELLE: Ooooh.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 19, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 28 (the final volume), Marriage Toxin 2, Moriarty the Patriot 15, Neighborhood Story 2, Rainbow Days 9, Sakamoto Days 11, Skip Beat! 49, and Tamon’s B-Side 3.

ANNA: Skip Beat!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!

MICHELLE: And more Neighborhood Story! This is a good week!

ASH: It really is!

SEAN: Tokyopop has Acid Town 5, Is This the Kind of Love I Want? 2 (the final volume), and Since I Could Die Tomorrow 2.

Square Enix debuts Victoria’s Electric Coffin, a Shonen-ish title from GFantasy (hence the -ish). A prisoner on Death Row meets Victoria Frankenstein, a 13-year-old genius, who wants him to become her new experiment.

ANNA: OK, the concept for this sounds amusing to me.

SEAN: They also have By the Grace of the Gods 10.

Debuting from Seven Seas is Nagahama to Be, or Not to Be, a BL title from Cheri + (and yes, it uses the English in the Japanese title). Complete in one volume, it’s from the creator of Jackass!, Two boys bond over fish and possibly being gay.

ANNA: It sounds like that’s a strong possibility.

MICHELLE: The cover is cute!

ASH: I really enjoyed Jackass!, if I recall correctly, so I have hopes for this one, too.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Cinderella Closet 5, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 14, The Kingdoms of Ruin 8, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 6, MoMo -the blood taker- 8, Tokyo Revengers 19-20, and Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii 2.

One Peace Books gives us It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too 3.

ASH: Did we skip over, It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too Two? I feel like I would have remembered that. Regardless, the first volume was enjoyable.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga has a print debut. Bless is a fairly new series from Shonen Magazine Edge, and features a hot model who really wants to be a makeup artist, and the girl he discovers, who tends to hunch and has freckles, but with his help can be a fantastic model. This sounds great, to be honest.

ANNA: Hmmmmm.

MICHELLE: I like the synopsis!

ASH: It does sound like it could be intriguing.

SEAN: And more series getting omnibuses, this time it’s That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Omnibus. The first 3 books are out in one volume.

Also in print: Fairy Tail Omnibus 3, How I Met My Soulmate 2, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 4, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 7.

SEAN: Digitally, we see Chihayafuru 43, Those Snow White Notes 16, and The World is Dancing 5.

MICHELLE: So, let me get this straight. April 2nd has a Kimi ni Todoke sequel, Neighborhood Story, Skip Beat!, Iruma, *and* Chihayfuru?!?! It’s like a birthday present to meeeeee.

ASH: A happy birthday, indeed!

SEAN: Two debuts for J-Novel Club. I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic (Botsuraku Yotei no Kizoku dakedo, Hima datta kara Mahō wo Kiwamete Mita) is the light novel, and has a middle-aged commoner suddenly waking up in the body of a child noble. Sadly, his family is filled with pathetic people, and his house is about to fall.

The manga debut is The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival (Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival @COMIC), an adaptation of the light novel JNC already put out. It runs in Comic Corona.

They’ve also got Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Sui’s Great Adventure 6, the 2nd D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared manga, Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner! 6 (the final volume), Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 10, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace 10, and You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! 5.

Ghost Ship has Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu! 5, Sundome!! Milky Way 9, and World’s End Harem: Fantasia 11.

And Airship, in print, has the debut of Trapped in a Dating Sim: Otome Games Are Tough For Us, Too! (Ano Otome Game wa Ore-tachi ni Kibishii Sekai Desu) is an “alternate route” story featuring Marie.

And they also have Raven of the Inner Palace 5.

ASH: Still need to get around to reading that!

SEAN: In early digital Airship has Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City 2 and There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 4.

Some tasty manga there!

SEAN: As March ends, we should all sit back and take stock. Did we March enough this year?

ASH: How is it that it seems like March went by faster than February?

SEAN: Airship has no print releases next week, but they do have early digital releases for 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! 5 and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 6.

Cross Infinite World has new volumes. We get Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: World Conquest Starts with the Civilization of Ruin 6, Reincarnated as the Last of my Kind 6, and A Young Lady Finds Her True Calling Living with the Enemy 2 (the final volume).

Dark Horse Comics has the 7th omnibus edition of Oh My Goddess!.

ASH: I had forgotten these were coming out.

SEAN: Denpa’s twitter account says March Comes In Like a Lion 2 should be out next week.

MICHELLE: Cautiously optimistic?

ASH: March goes out like a lion?

SEAN: Ghost Ship has an 8th volume of How to Build a Dungeon: Book of the Demon King.

Hanashi Media debuts Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy (Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Douchuu), a long-running isekai light novel that also has an anime out. A guy is thrown into another world by his parents, but he’s too ugly to get cheats, then he tries to form bonds but only finds two perverts. I know this is popular.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Three debuts from J-Novel Club. After-School Dungeon Diver: Level Grinding in Another World (Hōkago no Dungeon Diver: Nihon to Isekai o Ikiki Dekiru Yō ni Natta Boku wa Level Up ni Isoshimimasu) is from the creator of The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind!, which, to be honest, is the one reason I’m not ignoring it. A guy finds he can travel between worlds and back again, so goes isekai adventuring on the side when he’s free.

Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars (Sōsei no Tenken Tsukai) is from the creator of Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter, which, to be honest, is the one reason I’m not ignoring it. Our hero keeps trying to have a nice reincarnated slow life. Sadly, literally everything stops him from doing so. Guess he’s gotta save the world. Again.

ASH: Unfortunate job security is a thing.

SEAN: A Wild Last Boss Appeared! (Yasei no Last Boss ga Arawareta!) is a manga based on the light novel J-Novel Club has already released. It runs in Comic Earth Star Online.

Also from J-Novel Club: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 13, I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! 5, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 6, the 7th manga volume of Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World, My Magical Career at Court: Living the Dream After My Nightmare Boss Fired Me from the Mages’ Guild! 3, and Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 8.

Kodansha has a debut, with I Got Reincarnated in a (BL) World of Big (Man) Boobs (Kyonyuu Suki nanoni BL Kai ni Tensei Shimashita), which runs in Shonen Magazine Edge. A man obsessed with breasts is reincarnated in a BL world. He looks for boobs… but all he sees are huge pecs. This is a comedy, but it is by the author of Adekan, a popular BL manga that ran in Wings but was never licensed in English.

MICHELLE: What a premise (and title).

ASH: Right?? We don’t get a ton of BL-related comedy; I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also in print: Am I Actually the Strongest? 6, Blue Period 14, A Condition Called Love 7, Flying Witch 12, The Great Cleric 8, The Moon on a Rainy Night 4, Super Morning Star 3, and Whisper Me a Love Song 8.

No digital debuts, but we do see Boss Bride Days 15 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 16, DAYS 40, Gamaran: Shura 18, and My Home Hero 14.

One Peace Books has a 10th volume of the Higehiro manga.

Seven Seas has Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 12, I’m a Wolf, but My Boss is a Sheep! 4, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 14, Skeleton Knight in Another World 12, and Seaside Stranger: Harukaze no Étranger 6.

They also have the 2nd volume of Guardian: Zhen Hun.

ASH: I need to try to get around to reading the first volume sooner rather than later.

SEAN: From Square Enix we see A Man and His Cat 10.

MICHELLE: I really need to catch up on this.

SEAN: Two debuts for Steamship. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way With You (Douse Suterareru no nara, Saigo ni Suki ni Sasete Itadakimasu) is a josei title from Zero Sum Online, based on a web novel. As you might guess, we have a noblewoman whose engagement has been broken off so the prince can marry a sweet young thing. Our heroine decides to fight back… in bed!

Healer for the Shadow Hero (Kage no Eiyuu no Chiyugakari) is also a josei title from Zero Sum Online, based on a web novel. A servant girl has been hiding a big secret: she has amazing healing powers, but they only activate when her virginity is taken. Now that her secret is exposed, she’s sent to a war hero with an incurable disease.

ASH: Smutty josei for the win!

SEAN: Tokyopop has another one-shot BL title, All You Want, Whenever You Want (Hoshii Toki Dake, Suki na Dake), which ran in LiQuille. Two coworkers who share a dorm get off on the wrong foot. That changes quickly.

MICHELLE: And now they just get off.

ASH: LOL!

SEAN: Udon Entertainment debuts Atelier Ryza: The Manga: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout (Atelier Ryza: Tokoyami no Joō to Himitsu no Kakurega), a manga adaptation of the game that ran in Famitsu. I believe it’s complete in one volume.

Debuting from Viz is Stitches, a horror short-story collection which has internal illustrations by Junji Ito. The author is an ex-Ghibli writer, who worked on Castle in the Sky and Kiki’s Delivery Service. This, um, does not seem like those two titles.

ASH: I’m looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Viz Media also gives us Fist of the North Star 12 and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean 3.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Finally, Yen has some stragglers. Yen On has The Executioner and Her Way of Life 7, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World! 10 (the final volume), Ishura 6, and Orc Eroica 4.

And from Yen Press, one debut. The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life (Ikinokori Renkinjutsushi wa Machi de Shizuka ni Kurashitai) is the 2nd adaptation of the light novel we’ve seen here. This one runs in B’s-LOG Comic.

ASH: You don’t see that happening so often!

SEAN: Are your purchases a march? Or a slow foxtrot?

SEAN: ALERT! ALERT! YEN PRESS HAS BREACHED THE CONTAINMENT SHIELD! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH! ABANDON SHIP!

ASH: It’s happening!

ANNA: I’m going to run off and take cover!

SEAN: Yen On has several debuts, starting with Amalgam Hound: Criminal Investigation Bureau: Special Investigation Unit (Amalgam Hound Sōsakyoku Keijibu Tokusō Han), which possibly has one too many subtitles. Amalgams are war machines that can go rogue, and Theo is the one who has to take them out when they do. But now his new partner is an Amalgam! Can they get along?

ASH: I’m guessing yes, or at least well enough to last for more than a volume.

SEAN: Classroom For Heroes (Eiyū Kyōshitsu) had an anime come out in the summer of last year. An ex-hero who lost his powers defeating the Big Bad is now trying to fit in as a normal student at an academy. Aheh. Good luck.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant (Yōma to Geboku no Keiyaku Jōken) features a guy who keeps failing his exams, has lost his job, and has just been hit by a car, leaving him dying on the side of the road. Someone agrees to help him… because of the smell of his blood. Does he really WANT their help? This seems to be BL-ish?

MICHELLE: I wasn’t into this concept until I looked at the cover, which is really appealing. Now if only there were an adage about books and their covers…

ASH: That is a nice cover. I also love the plot twist that it isn’t isekai. (It was really close there!)

ANNA: Hmmmmm.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Agents of the Four Seasons 2, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 4.5, The Deer King 2, The Detective Is Already Dead 7, The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 3, King’s Proposal 4, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 6, A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans 2, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 24, and Sasaki and Peeps 6.

Yen Press also has a few debuts. Adults’ Picture Book: New Edition (Otona no Zukan Kaiteiban) has our protagonist, Kudo, find a note along with a 4-year-old. The note is from his late friend, who asks him to take care of his daughter. Feeling pressured, he proceeds to propose to a woman he met that very day, and now he’s going to try to raise a family. This ran in Big Comic Spirits.

ASH: That was a quick development.

SEAN: I Want a Gal Gamer to Praise Me (Gyaru Gamer Homeraretai) is a Shonen Ace title that stars one of the hot new romantic pairings, hot beautiful gyaru girl who’s a sweetie pie and J. Random Normal Dude.

ASH: We have seen quite a few of those pairings lately, haven’t we?

SEAN: Sword Art Online Progressive Canon of the Golden Rule (Sword Art Online: Progressive – Kogane Ritsu no Kanon) adapts the “puzzle floor” arc, and runs in Dengeki G’s.

The Tiger Won’t Eat the Dragon Yet (Tora wa Ryuu wo Mada Tabenai) is from Harta. A tiger knows that eating the meat of a dragon will grant a great number of magical properties. She just has to eat the dragon. But he’s far too young and scrawny for her to eat, so she decides to raise him instead. Please do not be as “yikes” as this premise sounds.

ASH: Hmmm. This definitely has the potential to go to some uncomfortable places.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Black Summoner 1 (a print version of the J-NC manga), Coffee Moon 5, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 15, Delicious in Dungeon 13, The Eminence in Shadow 9, The Essence of Being a Muse 3 (the final volume), Game of Familia 3, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 6, Honey Lemon Soda 5, I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World 3, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 22, Love and Heart 10 (the final volume), Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story 7, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 5, Minato’s Laundromat 2, Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord 2, Nights with a Cat 3, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 4, Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon 2, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 2 (print version of the J-NC manga), A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special 3, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 22, Shadows House 6, Slasher Maidens 10, and Val x Love 16 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: I routinely forget Honey Lemon Soda exists.

ASH: Oh! I think I saw Delicious in Dungeon somewhere in there, too!

ANNA: Need to get caught up on Honey Lemon Soda, it is cute.

SEAN: In other publisher news, Viz Media debuts Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. (Kabushiki Gaisha MagiLumiere), a Shonen Jump+ title based on a webcomic. A young woman trying to get a job finds her latest interview interrupted by a monster attack. When a magical girl shows up to defeat it, she finds herself… working for the magical girl organization?

Also from Viz, #DRCL midnight children 2, Alice in Borderland 9, Dark Gathering 6, Insomniacs After School 5, Love’s in Sight! 6, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 21, Seraph of the End 29, and Spy x Family 11.

ASH: I haven’t managed to actually read #DRCL yet, but I have looked at the impressive artwork.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment gives us Team Phoenix 3.

ASH: I feel like I should give this series a try at some point.

SEAN: From Tokyopop, we get three debuts, all one-shot BL titles. Heat x Beat: I May Be an Omega, but I’m Going to Be an Idol! (Heat x Beat – Omega Dakedo Idol Hajimemashita) combines idols with A/B/O, and it ran in Comic Marginal.

My Love Will Last Until the End of Time (Raise no Kimi ni Kuchizuke o) ran in from RED. A prince fell in love with a commoner, but their tragic love was doomed. Now a modern-day college student, the prince has found his love… but he doesn’t remember his past life!

Rooming With My Two Lovers (3P Lovers Shared House) also ran in from RED. There’s a Japanese adage, “never date a bartender, band member, or beautician”. What if the three of them date each other?

Tokyopop also has Mitsuka 2 and Sengoku Youko 6.

Square Enix has the 3rd volume of YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record – A NieR:Automata Story.

Seven Seas debuts How Do I Turn My Best Friend Into My Girlfriend? (Doushitara Osananajimi no Kanojo ni Naremasu ka!?), a yuri title from Manga Life STORIA Dash. Two girls who have grown up together are best friends. But when a guy confesses to one of them, the other realizes it’s more than that. This is by the author of Monologue Woven For You.

ASH: Uh-oh, drama!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 7, The Dragon King’s Imperial Wrath: Falling in Love with the Bookish Princess of the Rat Clan 3 (the final volume), Homunculus 7-8, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 7, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth 3-4, and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 4.

ASH: Orb is another series I’ve been meaning to try; better get on that!

SEAN: And for danmei fans, we see Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu 4.

From One Peace Books, we get Multi-Mind Mayhem 9.

Two debuts from Kodansha Manga, sort of. I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl (Lonely Girl ni Sakaraenai) is a Comic Yuri Hime title. An honor student is bribed by the teacher: he’ll write her a recommendation letter if she gets the truant girl to come to school. But the truant girl is more interested in kissing…

The sort of is Initial D Omnibus 1-2. Kodansha completed this 48-volume Young Magazine title digitally. But now it’s time to get it back in print.

ASH: I know some folks who are very excited about this.

ANNA: This does sound very nostalgic.

SEAN: Also in print: Gleipnir 14 (the final volume), Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir 3, ORIGIN 3, Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection 7, Welcome Back, Alice 6.

And digitally we see Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 7, Don’t Tempt Me, VP! 4, Gamaran 19, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 19, Medalist 9, and Teppu 6.

Three debuts for J-Novel Club. The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases (Dekisokonai to Yobareta Moto Eiyū wa, Jikka Kara Tsuihōsareta node Suki Katte ni Ikiru Koto ni Shita) stars another of those protagonists born with low skills and levels so everyone despises them. But he’s actually a reincarnated hero, and is delighted that he can just bum around and do what he likes. OR CAN HE?

I Don’t Want to Be the Dragon Duke’s Maid! Serving My Ex-Fiancé from My Past Life (Ryū Taikō no Senzoku Jijo wa Goenryō Shitai! Tensei Saki no Okyūji Aite wa Zense no Moto Konyakusha Deshita) is, you guessed it, a reincarnated noble who was once married to a Dragon Duke – and also murdered. Now she’s happy she doesn’t have to have anything to do with him. OR DOES SHE?

And they have the first manga volume of A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life (Deokure Tamer no Sono Higurashi), which runs in Comic Walker and is based on the light novel, also released by J-NC. A salaryman has put aside two weeks of vacation to immerse himself in the new VR game just out. He’s determined he will have a fantastic gaming life with cute tamed monsters. OR WILL HE? (Yes. Yes, he will.)

Also from J-Novel Club: Ascendance of a Bookworm 30, The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 2, the 2nd Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! manga volume, Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 11, I Could Never Be a Succubus! 2, and Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 5.

Ghost Ship gives us Inside the Tentacle Cave 2 and Parallel Paradise 17.

Dark Horse has the 5th volume of the Hellsing re-release. (Dark Horse is releasing something at a fast pace. Are these the end times?)

ASH: I don’t know what to do in this sort of situation!

SEAN: In print from Airship, we see Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes (Maou to Yuusha no Tatakai no Ura de), about a normal guy who died in the battle by the Demon King’s Army. Now he’s a noble… and has memories of the fact that this is a game.

Also in print: Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 8.

And for early digital we see Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 8, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 5, and The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 6.

I’m afraid Yen Press has annihilated us all, helped along by every other publisher. What manga remains?

SEAN: Middlemarch, and no manga adapting George Eliot. Alas.

MICHELLE: That would be interesting!

ASH: Surely, this must exist somewhere already, right?

ANNA: I may be more curious about this hypothetical George Eliot manga than anything actually coming out this week.

SEAN: Airship has a print release of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 17, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 26 (the final volume, though sequels are coming), and Yes, No, or Maybe? 2.

The early digital debut is The Evil Queen’s Beautiful Principles (Akutoku Joō no Kokoroe), from the creative team behind Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter. A crown princess has been locked up for years, docile as a doll. Now she’s free… and suddenly her parents are murdered. This seems on the “serious” side of the genre.

ASH: It does seem that way.

SEAN: Also out in early digital: I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner 2.

For Ghost Ship, we get The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 9, Ayakashi Triangle 8, Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! 11-12, and the 7th and final volume of Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire?.

It’s print week for J-Novel Club, as we see Ascendance of a Bookworm 23, By the Grace of the Gods 12, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 7.

ASH: Yeah, Bookworm!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has three debuts for digital release. Management of a Novice Alchemist (Shinmai Renkinjutsushi no Tenpo Keiei) is one of those series that’s coming out well after the anime aired. Also, I think I’m the only one who really loved this anime. As such, I may be the only one really happy to see this book. Sarasa is a newly-graduated alchemist who’s starting her Slow Life at a shop in the middle of nowhere… but as with a lot of Slow Life series, just how slow is it?

ASH: I haven’t seen the anime, but I have a soft spot for alchemists.

SEAN: The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival (Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyō Survival) combines two current trends, as we see “reincarnated into an otome game” matched up with “death game”. A young girl living a horrible life is suddenly shocked when a person tries to kill her, and she regains her memories of what this world is and who she is. Now she’s prepared to kick ass.

The Water Magician (Mizuzokusei no Mahōtsukai) has a very similar plot to the above, minus the otome game and death game parts. A young man is reincarnated into a world with water powers, and is delighted he can live a slow life learning to use them. Sure, he’s in danger all the time and everything’s trying to kill him, but that won’t stop his slow life.

ASH: Ha!

ANNA: I aspire to have a slow life that I could attempt to protect at any cost.

SEAN: We also get Black Summoner 16, the 5th A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills! manga, Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 10, Earl and Fairy 5, Finding Avalon: The Quest of a Chaosbringer 2, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 6, Monster Tamer 16, the 7th Rebuild World manga, and Record of Wortenia War 23.

Kodansha Books has a 5th volume of Am I Actually the Strongest?.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut, complete in one volume. Number Call is a BL manga from Gateau about a boy named Eito who hates his name meeting a boy named Hachi (the Japanese for “eight).

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: I’m game.

SEAN: Also in print: Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 9 and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 7.

The digital debut is Because I, the True Saint, Was Banished, That Country Is Done For! (Shin no Seijo de aru Watashi wa Tsuihou Saremashita. Dakara Kono Kuni wa Mou Owari desu) a shoujo manga from Palcy. You’ve read this one before, basically. Saint, engaged to the prince, broken engagement, exiled, trying to live a quiet life in the next kingdom over, suddenly buried in hot men.

Also digital: Cells at Work! Lady 5 (the final volume), A Galaxy Next Door 6 (the final volume), Gang King 15, How I Met My Soulmate 2, I Have a Crush at Work 2, I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 3, Matcha Made in Heaven 8, Quality Assurance in Another World 10, and Ya Boy Kongming 15.

MICHELLE: I really should read A Galaxy Next Door, huh?

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us a 6th volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

MICHELLE: Yay.

ASH: Indeed!

SEAN: No debuts for Seven Seas, but we get Cat on the Hero’s Lap 2, COLORLESS 6, Delinquent Daddy and Tender Teacher 3, The Duke of Death and His Maid 11, The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be 3, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 8, No Longer Allowed In Another World 5, the 4th and final volume of Polar Bear Café: Collector’s Edition, Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing 2, and Yakuza Reincarnation 9.

Square Enix debuts The Villainess’s Guide to (Not) Falling in Love (Akuyaku Reijou wa Dekiai Route ni Hairimashita!?), a manga based on an unlicensed light novel, and from the author of A Tale of the Secret Saint. An otome game isekai’d villainess is determined to stay alive by just avoiding all the men in the game. So why are they so fascinated with her? It runs in Manga Up!.

ASH: In theory, it’s a good strategy.

SEAN: Also from Square Enix: The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 17.

SuBLime has Candy Color Paradox Assorted Pack, a selection of bonus and side stories from the manga.

ASH: Sweet.

SEAN: And we get the 2nd and final volume of Pink Heart Jam, though there’s a sequel.

Tokyopop has the 5th volume of Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke and the 4th volume of Hanger.

Two debuts from Viz, both One Piece spinoffs. One Piece: Ace’s Story—The Manga (One Piece Episode A) is an adaptation of the light novel that came out a while back, focusing on Ace. It ran in Shonen Jump +.

One Piece: Shokugeki no Sanji ran in Weekly Shonen Jump, is complete in one volume, and is not quite a Food Wars! crossover, but it’s by the creators of Food Wars!.

Viz also has Animal Crossing: New Horizons 6, Call of the Night 15, Disney Twisted-Wonderland 3, Fly Me to the Moon 22, Helck 8, Mao 16, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 15, One Piece 105, and Yakuza Lover 12 (the final volume).

And that’s it! What manga is marching towards you?