Ash Brown

SEAN: You there! Boy! What week is this?

(…)

Then I haven’t missed it! Let’s get going.

MICHELLE: Heh.

SEAN: We have print titles for Airship, as we get There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 7 and Too Many Losing Heroines! 6.

And for digital we get the 4th volume of I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire!.

Dark Horse has H. P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Out of Time (Toki wo Koeru Kage), another of their Lovecraft adaptations from Comic Beam. A man collapses one day and wakes up not as he once was.

ASH: These adaptations have been fantastic. Glad to see more being released!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one digital debut, from their Knight label. Buying You on the Day You Were to Die (Kimi ga Shinitakatta Hi ni, Boku wa Kimi wo Kau Koto ni Shita) is a one-shot BL novel. A man is dealing with death and abandonment for his family, and gets offered a tantalizing proposition: become this guy’s best friend… for cash. I did promise if there was a JNK title that wasn’t fantasy I’d read it, so I’ll give this a try.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Other light novels: The Accursed Chef and His Pair of Furry Foodies 2, Hell Mode 11, and The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 13 (the final volume).

For manga, they have Demon Lord, Retry! R 9, Hell Mode 9, Infinite Dendrogram 14, The Invincible Little Lady 11, Jeanette the Genius 3, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 8, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power 6, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 12.

Kodansha Manga has one debut, a BL title. You’re All Mine Tonight (Konya Kimi to Nemuritai) is a one-shot from Gateau. A man who fell in love with a sex worker five years earlier and then ran away now finds that the same man is now a newcomer at his company.

ASH: Funny how that happens.

ANNA: Ooops!

SEAN: They also have one artbook, The Art of Witch Hat Atelier. This is a stunning hardcover-only title originally published in France.

ASH: This should be phenomenal.

ANNA: I don’t usually go for art books, but seriously considering this one.

SEAN: Also in print: AKIRA Hardcover Collection 5, Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow 4, Bless 6, A Condition Called Love 16, The Moon on a Rainy Night 8, Senpai is an Otokonoko 4, Snow & Ink 5, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 28.

Digital titles are Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 15, The Great Cleric 15, and You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 2.

KUMA has, according to retailers, Haberdashery Ginmokusei 2.

Seven Seas. Let’s start with danmei. Silent Reading: Mo Du is the new series by the author of Guardian. It’s another police procedural, but seems to be slightly less supernatural?

MICHELLE: Oooooh.

SEAN: The White Cat’s Divine Scratching Post is from the author of The Wife Comes First, so clearly that author is December’s author of the month. I’d tell you the plot, but I saw the word cultivator and my mind just wandered away.

And there’s also Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu 4.

The one manga debut is a BL title, God of Seduction in the Bedroom (Erogami-sama no Ero Musubi) ran in the magazine Hanaoto, and is done in one. A man who keeps getting dumped for being a terrible lover turns to a matchmaker.

ASH: That’s an entertaining premise.

SEAN: Other Seven Seas titles: Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 10, The Barbarian’s Bride 5, The Dungeon of Black Company 13, Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess 2, His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper 11, The Ideal Sponger Life 20, Kageki Shojo!! 15, The Lady and Her Butler 5, My Girlfriend’s Child 9, My Younger Knight Takes Care of Me in Another World 2 (the final volume), Painter of the Night 2, Sheeply Horned Witch Romi 3 (the final volume, and Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell 4.

MICHELLE: I should really read Kageki Shojo!! at some point. I’ve been collecting it this whole time!

ASH: I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read of it.

ANNA: I have a few volumes stockpiled too.

SEAN: Square Enix has Dragon Quest: The Mark of Erdrick 2.

Steamship has a 3rd and final volume of Adored By an Elite Officer: Could This Be Love?.

Titan Manga has Somali and the Forest Spirit 4.

Tokyopop debuts Touched by Twilight (Hakumei ni Michiru), a BL series that runs in from RED. Two lovers are separated when their families go to war. Fifty years later, can they patch things up? Those two do not look 70 years old, so I fear I may have to deal with cultivation here as well.

We also get Lullaby of the Dawn 6.

Viz has a 4th volume of Beast Complex and the 6th and final volume of My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to start My Name Is Shingo, so I guess it’s time for a marathon read.

SEAN: And lastly, Yen Press has The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All 3 and Super Ball Girls 2.

MICHELLE: I definitely really want to read The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All.

ASH: You really do!

SEAN: The publishers have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can. What are you buying to celebrate not being a Scrooge?

SEAN: As we get closer to Christmas, publishers try to step up their game. Let’s start with Yen.

ASH: Buckle up!

SEAN: No debuts for Yen On, but we do see Classroom for Heroes 5, Date a Live 15, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 4, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 28, Sentenced to Be a Hero 5, and The Unimplemented Overlords Have Joined the Party! 5.

Yen Press has debuts. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian: Momoco’s Art Book is an artbook of the popular romcom, and includes an exclusive short story.

Animan (Doubutsu Ningen) is a horror title from Young Animal. A father and daughter come across a group of humanoid animals that like to eat humans. This is a morality play, and is apparently dark as pitch.

ASH: It really looks to be!

SEAN: Demon Lord 2099: The Complete Omnibus (Maou 2099) is a manga adaptation of the light novel already released by Yen. It ran in Shonen Ace Plus.

Even a Replica Can Fall in Love (Replica Datte, Koi wo suru) is a manga adaptation of the light novel already released by Yen. It runs in Dengeki Maoh.

Out of the Cocoon (yes, that’s the Japanese title as well) is half-short story collection, half-sequel to Cocoon Entwined, as the author has a few BL and yuri stories to tell, then gives us a story about the stars of her earlier series. Expect less hair but just as much angst. These ran in Comic Beam.

MICHELLE: Interesting!

ASH: I thought that name looked familiar.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: The 31st Consort 3, Black Butler 34, The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters 2, A Bride’s Story 15, A Certain Magical Index 31, Chained Soldier 13, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 9, Goblin Slayer: A Day in the Life 3 (the final volume), Guillotine Bride 2 (the final volume), The Heroic Tale of the Villainous Prince 2, I Don’t Know Which Is Love 4, I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time 5, Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler – 19, A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans 2, Monster Tribe 2, [Oshi No Ko] 12, Overlord: The Undead King Oh! 13, Phantom Invasion 2, A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom 7, Super String: Marco Polo’s Travel to the Multiverse 2, and Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life 2.

ASH: That’s quite a list.

SEAN: Viz Media has a debut. If Love Bullet wasn’t the biggest meme of the last year, this may have been. Maid to Skate started as a Twitter comic and gradually became a real manga running in EastPress’s Matogrosso. They’re maids. They’re on skateboards. I don’t think I need to elaborate.

ASH: This sounds absolutely delightful.

ANNA: Amazing.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Dogsred 4, Fool Night 7, Haikyu!! 3-in-1 7, Heart Gear 7 (the final volume), Insomniacs After School 12, Kingdom 2, Mission: Yozakura Family 20, Mujina into the Deep 3, One-Punch Man 32, Show-ha Shoten! 9, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 18.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying Dogsred quite a bit so far.

SEAN: Tokyopop has two titles. I’ll Never Fall In Love With Amano! 2 and The Prince Is in the Villainess’ Way! 5.

Titan Manga gives us Saint Seiya: Dark Wing 2.

Steamship has a 2nd volume of Werewolves Going Crazy Over Me.

Square Enix Books has Final Fantasy XIV: Chronicles of Light, Volume II, a hardcover short story collection.

Square Enix Manga has Wash It All Away 5.

Seven Seas time! Starting with the danmei, there’s a debut. The Wife Comes First: Qi Wei Shang is a timeloop fantasy, as a philandering prince dies, and finds the only one who bothered to be at his side till death was the consort he didn’t care about. Now that he gets a do-over, he’s fixing that. That said, um, political intrigue is hard.

ASH: Under a different imprint that title would have an entirely different plot.

SEAN: There’s also Copper Coins: Tong Qian Kan Shi 2 and Dinghai Fusheng Records 3.

Three other debuts for Seven Seas. Lovers on the Last Train (Saishuu Densha no Koibitotachi) is a BL oneshot from Magazine Be x Boy. A nervous guy who’s over 40 and has never dated tries an app, and gets a guy who seems to be too good to be true.

ASH: Awww, I hope it all works out for them!

SEAN: My Bias is Showing?! is a webtoon manhwa about a high school teacher who is absolutely obsessed with an idol singer. What’s he going to do when the idol singer shows up at his school to film?!?! Also BL, in case it wasn’t clear.

A Ninja and an Assassin Under One Roof (Ninja to Koroshiya no Futarigurashi) is a shonen series from Dengeki Daioh “g”, which also has an anime. It’s “yuri-ish”. A girl trying to escape her ninja clan ends up at the apartment of a girl who’s secretly an assassin. This is a comedy, but expect corpses galore.

ASH: Could be fun!

ANNA: I enjoy assassins and comedy!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi 5, The Demon King is Way Too Overprotective! 2, The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 12, The Fed-Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess 2, Kemono Jihen 19, Long Period 2 (the final volume), Monster Musume 20, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 10, My Cat is Such a Weirdo 8, My Girlfriend is 8 Meters Tall 2, Sacrifice of My Manly Soul 2, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess 8.

Nakama Press have a 5th volume of Infini-T Force.

And Last Gasp have the 2nd volume of Ultra Heaven.

ASH: This was delayed, so I’m glad to see this coming out!

SEAN: Kodansha has Magnolia: Fairy Tail Illustrations in print, apparently the first Fairy Tail artbook out over here.

It’s also got an omnibus edition of classic manga Dragon Head, which they had rescued and put out digitally in 2018. This is a 3-in-1.

ASH: Great to see this back in print!

SEAN: And it has Parasyte Paperback Collection, another edition of the classic horror title.

ASH: This is still one of my favorite series.

SEAN: It even has an actual new manga, as we get Flip Flip Slowly, a BL one-shot from Gateau. A librarian notices a new guy who keeps coming to the library every week. What’s his deal?

MICHELLE: Library romance!

ASH: Whaaaaaaat. I’m here for it!

ANNA: Maybe he just likes books???

SEAN: Also in print: Attack on Titan Coloring Book 2, Blue Lock 25, Fall in Love, You False Angels 4, The Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm 7, How I Met My Soulmate 5, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 13.

And for digital, we see My Home Hero 23 and TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 13.

J-Novel Club has some print titles. We get Black Summoner 6 (the light novel) Black Summoner 7 (the manga), and Hell Mode 9 (the light novel).

Two debuts for J-Novel Club. Cogs of Time is another of the JNC Original Light Novel Contest winners. A young woman who can move into the very recent past is dealing with an oppressive upbringing, but after witnessing a murder she finds that maybe it’s time to stop trusting dear old dad and start trusting Mr. Cop.

ASH: Hmmm.

Fluffy-Eared Realm Restoration: Taking It Slow with My Cool Big Brother (Tensei Mofumofu Reijou no Mattari Ryouchi Kaikaku-ki: Cool na Ogikei-sama to Amama Slow Life wo Tanoshin de Imasu) is the manga adaptation of the light novel also released by J-Novel Club. It runs in Dre Comics.

Other J-Novel Club light novels: Cooking with Wild Game 31, Imperial Reincarnation 4, Infinite Dendrogram SP 2, Isekai Tensei 12, Nia Liston 8, Peddler in Another World 11, Rebuild World 7, and The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman 3-2.

HarperAlley has Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love! 2.

From Ghost Ship we see Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon 12 and Tamamori’s Fantasies Never Stop! 3.

Airship has one print light novel, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 11.

And for early digital we see Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation 3 and Reborn as a Space Mercenary 14.

Not as bad as I feared, but we still have one more Manga the Week of before Christmas. What are you buying?

SEAN: December II: The December Strikes Back.

We start off with Ablaze, which has a 6th volume of Gannibal.

Airship has print releases of The Devil Princess 2 and A Tale of the Secret Saint 9.

The digital debut is Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex (Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai Sareru), which has already had an anime. A girl who grows up with her sister being given all the nice things suddenly finds herself engaged after her sister is killed in an accident. But then it turns out the engagement is a misunderstanding. What’s really going on here? From what I hear, this is another “it turns out being raised as an abused child is bad, actually” Cinderella story.

ASH: Who would have thought!

SEAN: Also digital: I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 10.

Dark Horse Comics is releasing Lone Wolf and Cub again. They promise that THIS deluxe hardcover will be the last, honest. OK, no, they don’t. But we can hope. This is what, the 6th, 7th time?

ASH: I’ll admit to being tempted to triple-dip as this edition looks like it should be excellent.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Parallel Paradise 24.

J-Novel Club has a pile of print. The debut is My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World (Kajiya de Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life), a classic slow life title. Guy dies, is reincarnated as a quiet, normal profession… but things keep happening to him.

ASH: Probably because he has skills.

SEAN: There’s also Ascendance of a Bookworm: Short Story Collection 2, the first volume of the 4th arc of the Ascendance of a Bookworm manga, By the Grace of the Gods 15, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 5, Gushing Over Magical Girls 6, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Collector’s Edition 13, the 3rd Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World manga, and the 12th The Unwanted Undead Adventurer manga.

ASH: I appreciate your clarification regarding exactly which Bookworm volume is being talked about here.

SEAN: Digitally, J-Novel Club has light novels for The Banished Former Hero Lives As He Pleases 6, D-Genesis Side Stories, From Villainess to Healer 6, Pens Down Swords Up 4, and The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 10.

For manga, they have The Faraway Paladin 14, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 4, and I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! 8.

ASH: For a moment there, my brain crossed How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? with lifting 200-year curses, which honestly are probably pretty heavy.

ANNA: I am guessing this already exists as a light novel. Something like “Maxing out my Gains Weight Training with 200-year old Curses in Another World, Despite the Fact that I’m Just a Middle Manager With No Skills, Although my Personal Trainer May Be a Bi-Curious Vampire Assassin.”

SEAN: Kodansha Manga debuts The Magnificent Bastard (Hana no Keiji: Kumo no Kanata ni), a historical drama from the writer of Fist of the North Star that ran in the early 1990s in Weekly Shonen Jump (yes, I know, it’s now owned by Kodansha). Gutsoon tried to put this out before dying, now we’re trying again. This tells the story of historical samurai Maeda Keiji, but I bet heads explode somewhere. This will be in 2-volume omnibuses.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: Surprising no one, I can be counted as interested.

ANNA: Manly manga! I like the title.

SEAN: Technically also a debut, Girlfriend, Girlfriend is getting an omnibus re-release.

Also in print: The Fable Omnibus 11 (the final volume), The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 10, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 6, Issak Omnibus 4, Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN Deluxe 3, A Kingdom of Quartz 4, Sailor Moon Manga Box Set Vol. 7-10 (Naoko Takeuchi Collection), Teppu 3, and WIND BREAKER 17.

ASH: Still need to get around to reading Issak.

ANNA: Oh my, me too!

SEAN: Digitally we get Fall in Love You False Angels 4, Gang King 36, Giant Killing 52, How I Met My Soulmate 5, I Have a Crush at Work 12, and With You and the Rain 8.

MICHELLE: Someday, Giant Killing. Someday.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending 2.

Seven Seas somehow has no danmei next week, but they have a Korean BL light novel with KinnPorsche 5.

ASH: So close, and yet!

SEAN: In manga/manhua/manhwa, Seven Seas debuts BOSS, BXTCH, BABY, a BL webtoon. A man deep into debt gets rescued by a rich eccentric who says he’ll cover the debt if the man becomes his plaything for a year.

Chainsmoker Cat (Yani Neko) is a seinen title from Young Magazine. A catgirl is not only addicted to smoking, but a complete mess in every way. Can her friends make her better? (No.)

MICHELLE: I lol’d.

SEAN: And they also have an omnibus version of Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!.

Also from Seven Seas: 100 Ghost Stories That Will Lead to My Own Death 4, Gene Bride 3, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 23, Mii-chan Wants to Be Kept 3, No Longer Allowed In Another World 10, Otaku Elf 10, Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 21, World End Solte 4, and You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! 7.

Square Enix Manga gives us Always a Catch! 5, Daemons of the Shadow Realm 9, and My Isekai Life 22.

Steamship has Don’t Hold Back, Lord Hades 2.

SuBLime debuts Trickster’s Tale: Hu Yan Zhuan, a BL title from KiR Comics. Half-demon. Sage. Theirs is a forbidden love.

ASH: That’s a thing that happens sometimes.

SEAN: They also give us Black or White 11 and Finder Deluxe Edition 14.

ASH: It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about Finder!

ANNA: Wow, yeah!

SEAN: Titan Manga debuts a horror title, The Ghostly Darkness of Kanata (Yuuyami no Kanata). This runs in Comic Boost. A young woman, after a certain encounter, loses her ability to feel fear. To solve this problem, she starts going to haunted sites.

MICHELLE: This has reminded me of Ghost Hunt, which is a good thing!

ASH: Not a bad premise at all.

ANNA: Indeed!

SEAN: Three debuts for Tokyopop. Are they all BL titles that run in from RED? About a Love Song is. A musician struggling to write songs has a one-night stand with his co-worker… who turns out to be in high school! Now he’s trying to wait until graduation, but his lover is quite forward.

ASH: Music and BL tends to be a good combo for me.

SEAN: Fox and Puppy, a sequel to Star and Hedgehog, is also from from RED. A free (and bisexual) editor has a good work relationship with his author, but what happens when he’s caught with another man?

Yes! It’s a trifecta, and I swear I didn’t check in advance. My Noons and Midnights Are for You (Mayonaka no Ore o Mite) is a BL title that runs in from RED. A Vtuber is confident onscreen, but an introvert in real life. His manager is now sleeping with him… but surely he loves the outgoing onscreen guy. Right?

And they have My New Wife’s Fake Smile 2, which is not BL.

ASH: Or is it?

ANNA: I think we need more information about this new wife.

SEAN: Udon usually gets out a huge artbook before the holidays, and that seems to be Marvel VS Capcom: Ultimate Complete Works. It’s an updated artbook with 140 new pages. As for the content… come on, you know what this is.

No debuts from Viz, but we get Dandadan 16, Fly Me to the Moon 30, Girl Crush 4, Kill Blue 4, Komi Can’t Communicate 36, Minecraft: The Manga 4, Persona 5 14, Pokémon: Sword & Shield 14, Rainbows After Storms 7, and Spider-Man: Kizuna 2.

ASH: Oh good, the oldest kiddo at home has been asking for more Minecraft manga.

SEAN: Yen Press has one debut, but it’s had the biggest buzz of the year. Love Bullet is a yuri title from Comic Flapper. A girl who is good at giving out love advice but has never had a relationship is confessed to by her best friend… and then immediately killed when she saves her friend from getting hit by falling construction debris. Now dead, she’s a cupid whose job it is to get good partners together… but this will mean she’ll be forever tortured by her own unfulfilled life and love. This was an internet sensation, saved from cancellation by fans, and has a TON of folks talking about it.

ASH: The buzz has been huge! I’ve seen this series popping up in all sorts of places. (And I’m not nearly as online as I once was.)

ANNA: Sounds cool!

SEAN: There’s also a limited hardcover of The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All, [OSHI NO KO] “Coloring x Idol” Color Activity Book, and the Rascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Home Alone manga omnibus.

ASH: Ooooh, hardcover!

SEAN: And we still haven’t even gotten to mid-December yet. What are you getting?

SEAN: It’s the last month of 2025, but there’s still plenty to go.

ASH: How did this even happen???

SEAN: Yen On has two one-shot debuts. Bone Ash is a novel from the creator of Psycho-Pass and Mardock Scramble. A manager of a building site that’s going up investigates rumors of fires at the site, and ends up in a horror novel, basically.

ASH: Okay, that seems like one I should probably read.

SEAN: Lila and the Winds of War is a novel from a different famous Japanese sci-fi author, and it’s about an orphaned girl living with an immortal being who tries to protect her homeland.

ASH: This one, too! (Uh-oh, seems to have found my number…)

SEAN: Yen On also has I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 7 and Secrets of the Silent Witch 7.

No debuts for Yen Press, but we see The 13th Footprint 2, The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life II 3, Cheeky Brat 15, The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse 3, I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 7, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 27, Spice and Wolf Collector’s Edition 2, To Save the World, Can You Wake Up the Morning After with a Demi-Human? 8, and Yowamushi Pedal 28.

MICHELLE: Man, I haven’t read Yowamushi Pedal in ages.

ASH: It’s been a while since I have, too, but I still thoroughly enjoy it when I do.

ANNA: My kids were really into it at one time!

SEAN: Viz Manga debuts Kaiju No. 8: Relax, the obligatory gag manga spinoff that really popular Jump titles always seem to get.

Also from Viz: Astro Royale 3, The Bugle Call: Song of War 4, Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki 3, Let’s Do It Already! 7, Marriage Toxin 10, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions 7, Nana 25th Anniversary Edition 2, Queen’s Quality 24, Spy x Family 15, A Star Brighter Than the Sun 4, Wolf Girl and Black Prince 16 (the final volume), and Yona of the Dawn 45.

MICHELLE: Oh, a new Byakko Senki! And other good shoujo, too.

ASH: Indeed! Some really great releases.

ANNA: Yay for more Byakko Senki!

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 2nd volume of Boyfriend, Sometimes Girlfriend.

Titan Manga debuts Stray (Haguremono), a one-shot seinen manga from Manga Goraku. A man who served time for a crime he was innocent of gets out of prison and meets Hana, a daughter he didn’t know about. Together, they uncover a conspiracy. This is getting rave reviews.

ASH: I wasn’t previously aware of this one, but I am intrigued!

ANNA: Huh, interesting.

SEAN: Steamship has a 10th volume of Fire in His Fingertips: A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze.

Square Enix Manga gives us Holoearth Chronicles Side:E Yamato Phantasia 2 and A Man and His Cat 14.

Seven Seas has a couple of debuts. I Won’t Let Mistress Suck My Blood (Goshujin-sama ni wa Suwasemasen!) is a yuri series from Manga Life STORIA Dash. A woman looking for work finds a job as a maid in a spooky mansion. But is her mistress all that she seems?

ANNA: I don’t know, this all sounds perfectly normal to me.

SEAN: Far From Romance (Romance ni wa Hodo Tooi) is a BL one-shot from Dear +. A quiet IT guy in a small remote town finds his world upended when an extroverted Brit arrives – and seems to know him?

ASH: Those could both have some potential.

SEAN: In danmei, Seven Seas has Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu 6 and Lout of Count’s Family 6.

In non-Airship novels, we see The Twelve Kingdoms 3.

ASH: Yes!!!

ANNA: Woo!!!

SEAN: For manga, we see How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 19, I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 4, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 7, It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love 4, Last Game 11 (the final volume), Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 8, and Rozen Maiden Collector’s Edition 4.

No debuts for Kodansha Manga, but they have Grand Blue Dreaming 23, The Heroic Legend of Arslan 21, Hitorijime My Hero 16, Initial D Omnibus 8, Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up 5, Roar: A Star in the Abyss 3, A Sign of Affection 12, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 17.

MICHELLE: Some good stuff.

SEAN: And in digital volumes we get SHAMAN KING: THE SUPER STAR 10 and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 19.

Kodama, determined to drown everyone in this title, have the 5th and 6th Baki the Grappler omnibus.

ASH: I hope it works out for Kodama!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one print volume, a manga. We get My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! ―AO― 9.

No debuts for J-Novel Club. For digital light novels, we see The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 8, The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 8, The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged 6, In Another World with Household Spells 3, and My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! 11.

And digital manga includes Cooking With Wild Game 12, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 5, The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1 5, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 12, Sweet Reincarnation 12, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 8.

Inklore debuts Heaven Official’s Blessing (The Comic), the webtoon version of the bestselling danmei.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Hanashi Media has a pile of light novels, as we get The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage 2, I Got Reincarnated as a Cultist Mob in an Eroge Full of Maniacs with Death Wishes 2, I’m Just a Villager, So What? 2, and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 10.

Ghost Ship debuts The Cuckolding Wizard’s Adventure (Netori Mahoutsukai no Bouken) is a seinen manga from Manga Cross. A wizard is recruited into the hero’s party… and begins screwing all the women in the party… and their enemies who are women as well!

Also from Ghost Ship: The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 16.

Dark Horse Comics has Gunsmith Cats Omnibus 3 and Planetes Deluxe Edition 2.

ASH: The first Planetes volume was really something special even among all the various deluxe editions that are being published these days.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has a spin-off: The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor: The Official History of the Continent of Platy. This is a Bad End short story volume telling us what would happen if Jill had not gone back in time and become the Dragon Consort.

Cross Infinite World also has Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes 4.

Airship’s print debut is I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class (Class no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkonsuru Koto ni Natta), a romcom title, as you might have guessed. Two high school rivals are forced to marry due to family politics. Now they have to live together, share meals, and share a bed! But they hate each other! Right?

Also in print: Restaurant to Another World 6.

Airship’s digital debut is Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World (Tensei Kizoku no Isekai Boukenroku – Jichou o Shiranai Kamigami no Shito). Seven Seas has released the manga for years, and we’ve also had the anime. Now we get the light novel. The title is the plot.

They’ve also got ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! 5.

December only gets busier from now on. What are you buying?

SEAN: This is when you should start buying manga for Christmas.

ASH: Honestly, I started last December.

SEAN: Airship debuts Bowing to Love: The Noble and the Gladiator (Ai ni Hizamazuku Toki), which stars two men who are torn between duty, pure pleasure, and actual love amidst a vaguely Ancient Roman fantasy world.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed some of Saki Aida’s other works and have heard good things about this one.

MICHELLE: Hm. Potentially interesting.

SEAN: There’s also a deluxe hardcover edition of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, with the first three volumes.

And we also have The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 13.

Early digital features The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 11, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 15, and Too Many Losing Heroines! 6.

Dark Horse Comics debuts Omega 6, a manga by the creator of the video game of the same name. Bounty-hunting androids are on a race against time!

ASH: This looks like it could be fun.

SEAN: Dark Horse also has Blood Blockade Battlefront Omnibus 2.

Denpa is listed by retailers as having Nana & Kaoru: Black Label 2 and Vampeerz 6.

Fantagraphics has the third and final volume of Search and Destroy.

ASH: Here for it! (And then I’m going to read them all.)

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night 3 and Inside the Tentacle Cave 6.

Lots of J-Novel Club debuts. The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World (Tenseishitara Saikyou Shu-tachi ga Sumau Shima deshita. Kono Shima de Slow Life wo Tanoshimimasu) stars a guy accidentally killed by God, who gets reincarnated on a remote island with immunity to illness and a copy ability. Then he finds the island is not that remote after all…

ASH: I initially read that as starring a guy who accidentally killed God, but I’m pretty sure that’s a different manga.

SEAN: Looks like a Job for a Maid! The Tales of a Dismissed Supermaid (Maid Nara Touzen desu. Nureginu wo Kiserareta Bannou Maid-san wa Tabi ni Deru Koto ni Shimashita) has a maid fired by her employer after being falsely accused. Now she has to find new work. Fortunately, as others who run into her find, she can do literally anything.

ASH: That is fortunate!

ANNA: Happy for her!

SEAN: Miss Blossom’s Backward Beauty Standards: Give Me the Ugly Crown Prince! (Bishuu Abekobe Isekai de Busaiku Outaishi to Kekkonshitai!) has an otaku woman reborn in a world where ugly is beautiful and beautiful is ugly, and thus sets her eyes on the Crown Prince, who is not only “hideous” but has terrible self-worth issues.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: The manga debut is This Alluring Dark Elf Has the Heart of a Middle-Aged Man! (Watashi no Kokoro wa Oji-san de Aru). A (male) office worker wakes in the body of a (female) dark-haired elf in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, this elf is still an introvert who avoids others. Cross Infinite World did the light novel for this. The manga runs in Comic PASH!

Other light novels from JNC next week: The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 11, The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 7, and Revenge of the Soul Eater 2.

Other JNC manga include The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 11, I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 5, Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It! 10, The Retired Demon of the Maxed-Out Village 3, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! 2.

Kodansha Manga debuts A Curtain Call for You (Kimi no Tame no Curtain Call), a yuri series from Comic HOWL. An introverted writer hates dealing with people, but when outgoing transfer student Tsubame finds her writing, suddenly she’s being asked to help start a drama club!

ASH: Count me as intrigued!

SEAN: Omega Megaera is an omegaverse series from Itan. Omegas are discriminated against depending on whether they can bear alpha children, and so our lead, who is considered a creature that brings bad luck, has to come up with a scheme. This feels dark and political.

They also have a big old guidebook, Studio Ghibli: The Complete Works. It looks at each Ghibli film in detail.

ASH: Oh, that should be good! (Although I am used to most of the fancy Ghibli-related works coming from Viz.)

SEAN: Also in print: AKIRA Hardcover Collection 4, GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis 4, Magic Knight Rayearth 2 3 (the final volume), Sheeta’s Little Big World 2, Spacewalking With You 2, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 10.

ASH: I really ought to give Spacewalking With You a try at some point.

SEAN: Digitally we see Killing Line 4, Manchuria Opium Squad 9, WIND BREAKER 21, and Ya Boy Kongming! 21.

Retailers say KUMA gives us YataMomo 2 next week.

MICHELLE: I’ve been meaning to read this!

SEAN: One Peace Books has an 11th volume of Farming Life in Another World.

As we’ve done I think every week this month, we start Seven Seas with a new danmei novel. Mistakenly Saving the Villain is whatever the danmei word for isekai is. Our hero dies and is reborn in a fantasy novel, where he has to rescue the hero. But he gets the wrong guy! There’s also a special edition with a double-sided bookmark, a sticker sheet, a poster, and four postcards.

ASH: Danmei has really taken off, it seems! And I’m not sad about that.

MICHELLE: Me, neither!

SEAN: Also danmei, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi Deluxe Edition 2.

In non-danmei Seven Seas news, Grand Metal Organs is a seinen series from Comic Days. A weak guy in a world where only the strong survive, tries hard anyway, and is rewarded with death. But now… he’s come back wrong. For horror fans.

ASH: That’s probably me, then! I also like what I’ve seen of the artwork.

SEAN: Tales of the Hundred Monsters Next Door (Tonari no Hyakkai Kenbunroku) is also horror, about a guy suffering from demons and a yokai expert telling stories.

ASH: A yokai expert, you say? Sounds like this is another series one for me, too.

ANNA: Always happy to see some more yokai series.

SEAN: Wimpy Demon King and Tsundere Hero (Hetare Maou to Tsundere Yuusha) is a BL one-shot from equal. (Capitalization and Japanese manga magazines are enemies). The title is the plot.

Also from Seven Seas: The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue 9, Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 6, Gravitation 7: Gravitation EX (the final volume), Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 16, Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown 5, A Tale of the Secret Saint 10.

MICHELLE: I hadn’t realized Wizard’s Blue went on for so long!

SEAN: Tokyopop has one debut, Dear Demon King (Shinai naru Waga Maou e) a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. A king must choose between duty and love… also, I think, griffins are hot guys in this?

ASH: That does seem to be the case.

ANNA: Sometimes this happens, I suppose.

SEAN: It also has a 2nd light novel volume for Her Royal Highness Seems to Be Angry.

Retailers say Udon has 2nd volumes for Little Mega Man and Mr. Mega Man.

Viz Media has a big artbook, The Art of Manga, which apparently highlights ten manga artists (they don’t say who) and shows why manga is so beloved. This ties into to an exhibit in San Francisco.

ASH: Assuming that the cover art is reflective of the contents, we should at least see Rumiko Takahashi, Jiro Taniguchi, Kazumi Yamashita, Mari Yamazki, and Fumi Yoshinaga included. I suspect Tetsuya Chiba, Fujio Akatsuka, Hirohiko Araki, Gengoroh Tagame, and Eiichiro Oda will be featured, too. This should be phenomenal.

ANNA: Oh, this does sound cool!

SEAN: Viz also has JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 4.

ASH: I have so much catching up to do, but I’m still incredibly happy to see more of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure being released in English.

ANNA: Yes!

SEAN: No debuts for Yen On, but we do see Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 24, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 17, Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods 3, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 15, Victoria of Many Faces 3, and Who Killed the Hero? 2.

Yen Press pushed all its still to the last week of the month, so here it is. CLAMP Official Artbook: COLOR KURO is one of two artbooks, the other being SHIRO (also out this week) to highlight CLAMP’s career. They’re very expensive-looking, which is good, as they’re very expensive.

ASH: Truth!

SEAN: Corpse Knight Gunther is a webtoon series about a world where vampires have defeated humanity. Now the humans are striking back with… well, take a guess, he’s in the title.

Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set is what it says. It has new covers and some postcards.

ASH: I’m still delighted Fruits Basket is still in print.

SEAN: The Girl Past the Filters (Filter-Goshi no Kanojo) is an ecchi manga from Comic Zenon. A stoic boy who enjoys interacting with an online persona who posts lewd pics of herself is startled to find that she’s his studious classmate.

The Maid Is a Vampire (Maid-san wa Kyuuketsuki) is a 3-volume omnibus of a series that ran in Manga Cross. If you liked Mechanical Marie but wished instead of a strong girl pretending to be a robot, she was a vampire, this is for you.

The Terrifying Students at Ghoul School! (Youkai Gakkou no Seito Hajimemashita!) is a prequel to, well, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School!. It runs in PFantasy.

Also from Yen Press: Adachi and Shimamura 6, Ako and Bambi 6, The Beginning After the End 9, Blade & Bastard 3, The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori 2, Convenient Semi-Friend 2, Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie 7, Dara-san of Reiwa 2, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 23, Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret 3, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 6, I Made Friends with the Second Prettiest Girl in My Class 2, I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World 7, Is the Order a Rabbit? 4, Kowloon Generic Romance 10, The Skeleton Enchanted by the Cursed Blade 2, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 9, Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale 3, The Three-Body Problem (comic version) 4, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 5, Trinity Seven 31, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 11, and A Witch’s Life in Mongol 2.

ASH: A good reminder that I need to read my copy of the first volume of A Witch’s Life in Mongol . And that I need to start reading Kowloon Generic Romance, too.

MICHELLE: I routinely forget about Kowloon Generic Romance, but I also want to read it, at some point.

ANNA: Yeah! So much manga!

SEAN: Lots of good gifts there! Anything catch your eye?

SEAN: It’s Almost Thanksgiving! Happy Almost Thanksgiving to those who celebrate. And Canadians, who already had it.

Yen Press shifted most of its releases to the week after next, but there’s a couple things. They have Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 7 and Tales of Wedding Rings 15 (the final volume).

ASH: It’s a Ring sort of week, apparently.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple, a manhwa that’s part of the Assassin’s Creed universe.

ASH: I’m not familiar with this one, but I have enjoyed some of the other Assassin’s Creed comics. (Shockingly, I’ve never actually played any of the games, though.)

SEAN: Also from Viz: After God 7, Choujin X 10, Cosmos 3, Hirayasumi 7, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 4, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 10, Snowball Earth 7, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 8, Terra Formars 23, Trillion Game 8, and Undead Unluck 22.

ASH: Whoa! It’s been so long (six years, I think?) that I’d forgotten Terra Formars was still ongoing.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Call Me Master (Yaou no Inu), another BL title that ran in from RED. Another host club title, this one features a rookie who manages to top the top host.

They also have a 6th volume of Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?.

Titan Manga has Cosmic Censorship 2, Kamen Rider Kuuga 11, Sanda 2, and Working for God in a Godless World 4.

ASH: I’ve actually heard some pretty good things about Sanda.

SEAN: Steamship has a 4th volume of Loving Moon Dog.

Square Enix Manga gives us Dragon and Chameleon 5 and Otherside Picnic 13.

Lots of Seven Seas debuts again, so let’s start with the danmei. Three Hundred Years of Longing: Bu Jian Shang Xian San Bai Nian stars a nobleman who wakes up one day to find himself chained in prison and branded as an archfiend. We’ve all had parties like that.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ANNA: I hate when that happens!

SEAN: Afterglow is a BL oneshot that ran in Gateau. A troubled doctor who practices in the middle of nowhere after an incident in his past finds his depression being healed by a yakuza.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ASH: I’m game!

ANNA: It does sound amusing.

SEAN: Dysfunctional Family Theory (Daraku Kazoku-ron) is a BL title from Cheri +. Two guys are told that they’re potential fathers to a 6-year-old who needs a papa, and now they have to live together until she picks one.

MICHELLE: My Two Dads: The Next Generation.

ASH: Oh, goodness!

ANNA: Sounds cute.

SEAN: The Greatest Wolf of My Life is a webtoon series from the creator of Reborn Rich. A girl with a terrible life suddenly finds that it can get even worse after she’s accused by an idol of stalking him.

ASH: Uh-oh.

SEAN: HOOL!GAN’S (horrible apostrophe not mine) is a shonen title from Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. 19th century London, mafia, alchemy… this has most of the popular trends of the last decade.

ASH: Hooligan’s what? Who is Hooligan? I must know!

SEAN: Tease Me Harder: A Sweet and Kinky Romance (Ijimete Gokko) is a josei title from Kuromitsu. Two sweet shy folks have been dating for six months, but not much has happened. Then he finds her secret – she’s a masochist. But he loves her so much! So he’s going to learn to be the best dom ever for her! This is apparently adorable. And also smutty. Please be OK with kinks and cuteness before reading.

ASH: Oh my gosh, this looks delightful. And hooray for josei!

ANNA: Alright!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas (danmei): The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun 10.

Also from Seven Seas: Black Night Parade 8, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 9 (the final volume), My Senpai is Annoying 13 (the final volume), Noss and Zakuro 2, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 13 (the final volume).

One Peace Manga has Higehiro 12.

Kodansha Books has As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 7.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut that’s actually a “back in print” debut: The Drops of God omnibuses are getting a re-release.

ASH: Whaaaaat? How did I miss that?! These are excellent; glad to see them back in print.

ANNA: Nice!

SEAN: Also, 13 years after the first volume came out here, they give us Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window: The Sequel, as the author decided to revisit Totto-chan in contemporary times.

And apparently we get Witch Hat Atelier Coloring Book?

ASH: Ooooooh.

ANNA: Oh wow, I might get that!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 24, Gazing at the Star Next Door 7, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 15, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 9, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 10, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 13, Sue & Tai-chan 6, and Whisper Me a Love Song 10.

Digitally we see A Couple of Cuckoos 26, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 31, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 28, and MF Ghost 23.

J-Novel Club has four debuts, all light novels. The Amazing Village Creator: Slow Living with the Village Building Cheat Skill (Bannou “Murazukuri” Cheat de Otegaru Slow Life: Mura desu ga Nani ka?) is another series where a kid has a bad blessing so his family hates, disowns, and banishes him. As one does. Guess what, his blessing is actually amazing! I know, you’re surprised. This seems to be one of those “he wants a slow life, but doesn’t get it” series.

ASH: That’s too bad, the slow life can be good.

SEAN: The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World: Pay Attention in Class! (Isekai Teni Shite Kyoushi ni Natta ga, Majo to Osorerarete Iru Ken) is a light novel whose manga came out only a few weeks ago from JNC. A woman is reborn in another world with terrible regrets. But now she knows sorcery, and is headed to the magic academy. Can she do things better in this reborn life?

ASH: Probably?

ANNA: I hope so!

SEAN: Heir to a Monstermancer (Mamono Tsukai no Musume) stars an adventurer who runs across a girl who can tame any monster. Together… they bicker! And possibly fight crime!

One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future (Jiji Baba Yuusha Party Saigo no Tabi: Oita Saikyou wa Iroasenu Mama Mirai e Susumu you desu) stars a party of heroes who saved the world… decades ago. Now retired, the former hero and his wife, the former saint, go on a journey to visit his great-grandchild… but find adventure hitting on them once more.

ASH: You don’t see too many great-grandpa’s as a protagonist!

SEAN: Other light novels: Blade Skill Online 2, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 19, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 0 (a short story volume), In Another World With My Smartphone 31, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 18, Record of Wortenia War 30, This Gyaru’s Got a Thing for…Vampire Hunters?! 2 (the final volume?), and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 2.

Manga titles next week are Imperial Reincarnation 2, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 10 (the final volume), and Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! 6.

Ize Press continues to have a busy month. We see Kill the Villainess 4, Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner 3, the 2nd Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint novel, The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 6, Semantic Error 4, Unholy Blood 8, The Villainess Is a Marionette 3, and Villains Are Destined to Die 8.

Ghost Ship has 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 16.

Dark Horse Comics has a 3rd and final volume of Danganronpa 2: Chiaki Nanami’s Goodbye Despair Quest.

Airship has print volumes of The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 6 and Loner Life in Another World 13.

And for early digital they have Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 12.5 and Drugstore in Another World 8 (the final volume).

SEAN: It’s getting dark in the evenings again, folks. Beware.

ASH: I’m still trying to process the time change.

SEAN: We start with Airship, which, like all of Seven Seas’ imprints, has a huge week. We debut The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat (Kiwamete Gouman Taru Akuyaku Kizoku no Shogyou), a male version of the villainess plot, as our hero tries to change his fate by being the most handsome, charismatic and strongest person around. I suspect fate will try to off him anyway, it’s that kind of series.

ASH: Fate does seem to have that tendency.

SEAN: We also have a debut from the creator of Who Killed the Hero?. The Wicked Princess and Her Twelve Eyes: The Legendary Villainess and Her Elite Assassins (Aku no Reijou to Juuni no Hitomi: Saikyou Juusha-tachi to Densetsu no Akujo, Jinsei Nidome no Kareinaru Musouroku) is a one-shot. This is a “rewind to do it over” villainess book, so you know how it starts. That said, this villainess genuinely seems to be a bad person, and she realizes what she did wrong was not having evil minions. Time to fix that.

ASH: When you said she had twelve eyes, I initially assumed she was a spider. (Granted, they usually have eight.)

ANNA: That would be an interesting twist!

SEAN: Also in print: Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! 20, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 21, The Mimosa Confessions 5 (the final volume), Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 12, Sword of the Demon Hunter 11, and The Too-Perfect Saint 4.

And in early digital we see Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 6, Restaurant to Another World 6 (the first volume in 5 years), and A Tale of the Secret Saint 9.

Drawn & Quarterly have a sequel to their Shigeru Mizuki artbook, Yokai: Shigeru Mizuki’s Supernatural Parade. It is, of course, essential.

ASH: I’m so excited for this! The first artbook was fantastic.

SEAN: Ghost Ship debuts Virgin Ventures: The Hilarious Hijinks of Erotic Amateurs (Negai Ai – Hajimete Doushi no Hajirai Yuugi), a title that runs in Grand Jump Mecha. A guy who writes erotic novels despite having no experience and a girl who loves women’s underwear and also has no experience collaborate. Will things turn steamy? The fact that this is Ghost Ship says yes.

ASH: I feel like I’ve come across a similar premise somewhere before but can’t quite place it.

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship: Imaizumi Brings All the Gals to His House 4.

Inklore has a 3rd volume of Cherry Blossoms After Winter.

So I missed some Ize Press last week (Yen’s calendar is appreciated but its filtering can get wonky). So out this week we have Beware the Villainess! 5, Itaewon Class 7, and See You in My 19th Life 8.

ASH: Better late than never! I’m still impressed by how much you are able to track.

SEAN: As for what’s actually out next week, they debut THE STAR SEEKERS, which is the 2nd novel this month about a boy band that has to save the world, this one Tomorrow X Together.

ASH: Huh! Didn’t realize that was an established genre.

SEAN: And we see Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom 7 and Overgeared 8.

J-Novel Club has its print titles out next week. We get Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 5, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 3, the 2nd Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill manga, Gushing Over Magical Girls 5, Isekai Tensei 3, Making Magic 2, My Next Life As a Villainess 13, and Tearmoon Empire 14.

ASH: At some point I blinked and missed thay the print edition of Tearmoon Empire had made it to the double digits.

SEAN: As for digital, JNC has three debuts. My Death-Defying Dog: Man’s Best Friend, World’s Best Savior (Uchi no Inu ga Tsuyosugirun desu ga? – Tensei Shitara Megami-sama no Shukufuku de Sekai wo Sukuu Koto ni narimashita) is a Comic Pash! manga about a guy who’s reincarnated in another world with his beloved dog, who he lost years ago. Now it’s time to save the world. No, not him. The dog has to save the world.

ASH: Isn’t that generally in the job description for dogs?

SEAN: Promised to a Dragon is another of the chosen titles from J-Novel Club’s Original Light Novel contest. A woman is promised to a dragon at birth, but her parents regret it and engage her to a dragon slayer instead. Sadly, the dragon slayer is so horrible she decides to run away and take her chances with the dragon!

ASH: Good for her!

ANNA: I hope she lives her best life with the dragon.

SEAN: Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! Give Me a Regular Romance (Tensei Reijou wa Seirei ni Aisarete Saikyou desu… Dakedo Futsuu ni Koi Shitai!) stars an office lady and otaku who is reincarnated as a margrave’s daughter. She died young and without ever having love in her first life, so now she wants to make that her goal! Unfortunately, this world has bigger plans for her… plans she wants no part of!

ASH: Does she inherit a distillery?

SEAN: For novels, they also have DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 11, Engaging with the Plot 2, Holmes of Kyoto 20, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 10-2, and Notorious No More 2.

And for manga, they have Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 2 10, From Villainess to Healer 4, The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! 12, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 4, My Tiny Senpai 2, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 5, and Rebuild World 13.

No debuts for Kodansha, but in print they have The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 5, Blue Period 16, Last Samurai Standing 3, Medalist 11, Senpai is an Otokonoko 3, Tower Dungeon 3, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition 2.

MICHELLE: Print Medalist is catching up!

ASH: It is!

SEAN: Digitally they have Blue Lock 34 and Gang King 35.

One Peace Books has the 3rd volume of The Revenge of My Youth: Re Life with an Angelic Girl.

Seven Seas… hoo boy. Let’s start with non-manga debuts. We get a danmei… no, wait! It’s a baihe novel! The Beauty’s Blade: Mei Ren Jian is, I believe, the first baihe book to be released in English. Two female rivals from warring sects make a wager, and a duel is in the offing. Or perhaps… more than that? The Crunchyroll Edition features a variant cover.

MICHELLE: Oh, neat!

ASH: Baihe! That’s great!

SEAN: Thrice Married to a Salted Fish is a danmei debut. A doctor is upset to find his medical dreams dashed when he’s ordered to marry a sickly noble. But the noble might have something that can help him succeed. This also comes with a special edition that has a double-sided bookmark, a poster, a set of five postcards, and a sticker sheet.

ASH: I feel like I’ve heard good things about this one.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has several manga/manhwa debuts. It’s Just a Dream… Right?! is a BL webtoon manhwa. A guy answering an ad for a part-time shaman finds that there’s a lot more supernatural here than he expected.

Mocha the Cat and His Forever Family (Hiroi Neko no Mocha) is a josei series from Kitora. An abandoned cat is adopted by a family and gets into all sorts of mischief.

ASH: I have not gotten tired of cat manga yet, but there are so many options these days!

ANNA: This sounds cute.

SEAN: My Cute Cousin Always Gets Her Way (Itoko no Ko) is a shonen title from Dra-Dra-Sharp#. A boy staying at his uncle’s house in the sticks has to deal with his rambunctious cousin, who also seems to like him a lot and has no concept of personal space. I’ve been told this will fall into the “they’re not really related” romance category.

My Goddess is Precious Today, Too (Watashi no Megami ga Kyou mo Oseru) is a yuri title from Comic GAGA. This seems to be a short story collection about “goddesses” (women who have it all together) paired with “troublesome” women.

ASH: That can be a fun combo.

SEAN: Our Family, Now and Forever (Kyou mo Ashita mo, Kazoku desu) is a BL title from Gateau. A gang leader doesn’t know what to do with his life… till he meets the man he’ll marry. Now they’re raising a son together! This looks sweet as hell.

MICHELLE: It truly, truly does.

ASH: Awww.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 13, Daily Report About My Witch Senpai 5, Failure Frame 11, I’m in Love with the Older Girl Next Door 3, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 6, Nakamura-san, the Uninvited Gyaru 4, No God in Eden 2, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 4, Re-Living My Life with a Boyfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me 5, Too Many Losing Heroines! 4, The Too-Perfect Saint 4, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 13, Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale 2, and Yakuza Reincarnation 14.

ASH: Still need to pick up Wolf’s Daughter.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has Exquisite Blood: The Heretic Onmyoji 2 and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 27.

Steamship gives us Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth 3, SEX DRIVE – My Sneaky Underling 2, and Virgin Marriage: A Maiden Voyage into Passion’s Embrace 3.

SuBLime has A Man Who Defies the World of BL 2.

Titan Manga debuts Do Women Need Sex Entertainment? (Josei ni Fuuzokutte Hitsuyou desu ka?). This Kurage Bunch manga follows a young woman trying to juggle a career and a love life.

The Raven Dark Hero: From White Knight to Villain (Shikkoku no Dark Hero ~Hero ni Akogareta Ore ga, Areyo Areyo to Last Boss ni!?~) is a seinen manga based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. In a world of superpowers, our protagonists wants to be a hero… but he has powers that are too dangerous!

ASH: Uh-oh.

SEAN: Titan Manga also has a 3rd and final volume of Dopeman.

Tokyopop debuts In the Twilight of Our Adolescence (Hensei), a one-shot BL title from Flat Heros. It’s a high school romance, but feels more evocative with that title.

MICHELLE: It has piqued my interest, certainly.

SEAN: Tokyopop also has the second and final volume of Do You Really Want Only a Meal?, the third and final volume of Never Let Go, and the third and final volume of You Can’t Live All on Your Own!.

Viz debuts a title I never thought we’d see licensed over here. Kingdom has been running for 20 years in Weekly Young Jump, and is 77 volumes long and counting. It’s the most well-known Warring States manga adaptation, so get ready for some amazing Li Xin action.

ASH: This series has been asked for by so many for so long! And it’s absolutely the type of series I would read.

ANNA: Alright!!!!! Here for any license that we thought we’d never see licensed over here.

SEAN: They also have Mao 22, One Piece 110, Rai Rai Rai 2, Sakamoto Days 19, Sakura, Saku 9 (the final volume), Spider-Man: Octo-Girl 3, and Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 3.

Yen On has some ongoing light novels. We see Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 8, Days with My Stepsister 6, High School DxD 17, and Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online 14.

Yen Press debuts D.N.Angel New Edition, which is exactly what it sounds like. The classic 90s shoujo series, culled as part of the Tokyopop implosion, Yen Press is now releasing it in 2-for-1 omnibuses. As for whether it’s good? Perhaps the other Manga Bookshelf folks can step in here, I could never stand it.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize this had ever been finished! I think I liked the anime. It’s been a long time.

ASH: It has been a long time, but I remember it being a favorite of one of my siblings.

SEAN: They also have a 7th volume of Bocchi the Rock!.

What manga would you buy to light your way at night?

SEAN: Let’s November it up! US folks, please vote in your local elections.

ASH: I don’t think I’m ready for November.

SEAN: Yen Press has a debut next week. Magical Midlifer (Mahou Chuunen) is a seinen title from Young Animal. When things get too difficult for the average magical girl, only middle-aged middle-managers can save them.

MICHELLE: I am suddenly reminded of the Middle-Aged Man sketch on Saturday Night Live.

ASH: Hahaha!

ANNA: I’m a middle aged middle manager, I never pictured this type of representation.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Dead Mount Death Play 14, Isekai Samurai 2, Takahashi from the Bike Shop 3, Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood 4 and Uncle from Another World 12.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to read Takahashi from the Bike Shop. (And also to take my bike into the shop…)

SEAN: Viz Media has no debuts, unless you count the Naruto cookbook. They do have Akane-banashi 14, Blue Box 18, Colette Decides to Die 5, Dark Gathering 16, The Elusive Samurai 17, Jujutsu Kaisen 28, Kagurabachi 5, Naruto Shippuden: The Official Cookbook, Nue’s Exorcist 3, Prince Freya 12, Skip Beat! 51, and You and I Are Polar Opposites 7.

MICHELLE: Life has been lifing so hard for me that I was completely unaware that a new volume of Skip Beat! was upon us!

ASH: A new volume of Skip Beat! always makes for a good week.

ANNA: Yay for more Skip Beat!.

SEAN: Two Tokyopop debuts. My New Wife’s Fake Smile (Totsuidekita Yome ga Aisouwarai bakari Shiteru) is a Twitter manga that made its way to the shonen title Suiyoubi no Sirius. An arranged marriage has the new husband worried that his wife’s smile means she’s unsatisfied with him. In reality, she’s trying to control herself from jumping his bones.

ASH: I wonder how long it takes him to figure that out.

SEAN: Real-Time Fever (Uraaka Danshi wa Real-Time no Netsu o Shiru) is the obligatory BL one-shot that ran in from RED. A shy guy in college broadcasts naughty content online… and then finds that the popular guy at school is his biggest fan.

ASH: Uh-oh!

ANNA: What’s going to happen next?????

SEAN: Steamship has a webtoon debut, Winter Wolf. A woman trying to escape a coup that killed the rest of her family ends up trapped in a mansion that’s getting colder and colder with the guy she hired to save her (but who she can’t stand).

ASH: I’ll admit to being intrigued.

ANNA: This does sound interesting.

SEAN: Square Enix Books has the 7th volume of The Apothecary Diaries light novel.

ASH: I really need to start reading the light novels! I’ve been enjoying the manga and anime.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga, meanwhile, has By the Grace of the Gods 13 and The Emperor’s Caretaker 5.

Lots of Seven Seas debuts, very few of them Japanese. Let’s start with the danmei, as we see a new novel, There’s Something Wrong with the Chief: Du Zhu You Bing. An assassin infiltrates a noble household and finds himself getting closer with his target.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi is getting a deluxe hardcover, and the first is out next week.

ASH: Fancy!

SEAN: Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu has its 7th deluxe hardcover.

Cupid is Struck by Lightning (Cupid ni Rakurai) is a BL title that ran in a magazine called Cab. A popular matchmaker finds himself falling for his gloomy (yet also popular) senpai.

MICHELLE: Gloomy, you say? Sounds potentially fun.

ANNA: I enjoy some gloom.

SEAN: DEAR. DOOR is a webtoon series coming out here in omnibus-sized volumes. A cop trying to get over a tragedy finds himself dealing with the demon king.

MICHELLE: Hm.

SEAN: Demon Under the Waxing Moon (Matsuyoi no Oni) is a BL title from Daria. It’s a one-shot. A young man who can see demons picks up a stray dog one day. Guess what it is. I hear this is spicy, though I assume it’s after the dog becomes a hot guy.

ASH: Most likely.

ANNA: One would hope.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: At 25:00 in Akasaka 5, The Big Apple 4, The Long Summer of August 31 3, Monster Cats 3, and Punch Drunk Love 4.

One debut from One Peace Books. Tamer: Trash-Tier to Top-Tier (Ore no Zense no Chishiki de Teihenshoku Tamer ga Joukyuushoku ni Natte Shimaisou na Ken) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. A powerful tamer, one of the best professions out there, is killed, and reborn in a world where tamers are regarded as trash. Time for the standard isekai tropes…

Kodansha has one debut and two re-releases. Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir Complete Manga Omnibus is a collection of the three previously-released volumes.

Mushishi Collector’s Edition is a deluxe omnibus version of the beloved, yet strangely poorly-selling fantasy manga that ran in Afternoon about 25 years ago. If you have not read it, do so, it’s brilliant.

MICHELLE: I think I have most, if not all, of the volumes published by Del Rey, but I have never read it.

ASH: Whaaaaaaat?? But you must! Mushishi is one of my absolute favorites. I’m thrilled to see it back in print and in a deluxe edition to boot; I will be double-dipping.

ANNA: I enjoyed the bits of it that I read!

SEAN: Shoot Juliet Down (Juliet wo Ute) is a BL title from Honey Milk. The Number Two host at a popular club asks the Number One for advice on how to get better… but was not expected to get seduced!

ASH: Whoops!

SEAN: Also in print: Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro 20 (the final volume), FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 19, Land of the Lustrous 13 (the final volume), Thunder 3 7, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 4 and WIND BREAKER 16.

ASH: I’m a few volumes behind with Land of the Lustrous, but it’s such an intriguing series.

SEAN: And digitally we see How to Grill Our Love 17.

Kodama has Baki the Grappler 3 and 4.

ASH: That was fast!

ANNA: Woah!

SEAN: Kana has a 5th volume of Eden of Witches.

ASH: Another series I’ve been meaning to try.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one debut, a manga based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! (E, Shanai System Subete Wanope shiteiru Watashi wo Kaiko desu ka?) stars a programmer who 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.

ASH: Good for her.

ANNA: I hope for the best for this software maintenance queen.

SEAN: For light novels, JNC has Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 7, Duchess in the Attic 4, Goodbye Overtime 6, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 7, My Magical Career at Court 6, Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance 4, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 14.

And for manga they have An Archdemon’s Dilemma 13, Black Summoner 21, Karate Master Isekai 5, Make It Stop! I’m Not Strong… It’s Just My Sword! 2, and Zero Damage Sword Saint 2.

Inklore has a 2nd volume of I Wanna Be Your Girl.

From Ghost Ship, we see Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His S-Rank Cat Girl 6, She’s the Strongest Bride, But I’m Stronger in Night Battles 4, and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 8.

Drawn & Quarterly is re-releasing A Drifting Life, in case you did not buy it when it first came out.

ASH: It’s an excellent read; nice to see it back.

SEAN: Dark Horse has a 2nd volume of Cat + Crazy.

No print volumes for Airship, but they have an early digital debut. I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class (Class no Daikirai na Joshi to Kekkonsuru Koto ni Natta) is a romcom title, as you might have guessed. Two high school rivals are forced to marry due to family politics. Now they have to live together, share meals, and share a bed! But they hate each other! Right?

ASH: Of course!

SEAN: Also in early digital: There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 7.

Good start to November. What manga are you reading?