Ash Brown

SEAN: March is going out like a lamb, but is the manga we’ve been waiting for actually coming out? Sorry, it got bumped to May. Meanwhile…

Yen Press has one title which is Visions 2022__Illustrators Book. This is, as you might guess, a sequel to Visions 2021__Illustrators Book, and is basically the finest pixiv artbook that you can reproduce without asking copyright holders’ permission.

Viz Media has Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection (Bohyou no Machi), which is, well, another Junji Ito story collection. These are from the mid-90s, and mostly ran in Monthly Halloween, a shoujo horror magazine, and then its sister publication, Nemuki, after Monthly Halloween folded.

ASH: So much Junji Ito manga these days! But that won’t stop me from reading it.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Fist of the North Star 8 and Naruto’s Story—Uzumaki Naruto and the Spiral Destiny, a light novel.

ASH: Any week with Fist of the North Star is a good week.

SEAN: Udon debuts Persona 4 Arena, a Dengeki Maoh series for all you folks who wished Persona 4 were a fighting game. This is, in fact, an adaptation of a video game. (It got bumped.)

ASH: So many things do.

SEAN: From Tokyopop we have a one-shot, Welcome Back, Aureole (Okaeri Aureole), another Canna title (Tokyopop clearly has found another publisher who will speak to them and is milking it for all it’s worth) about two boys falling in love in high school.

They also have Konohana Kitan 12 and On or Off 3.

A new title from Steamship, The Villainess and the Demon Knight (Akuyaku Reijou to Kichiku Kishi). This Zero-Sum Online title has the heroine remember she’s a villainess in an otome game… a little too late. She’s disgraced, disowned, and is now a sex worker. Then her first customer is her childhood friend, who is a knight… who takes her as his fiancee.

ASH: That’s quite the character arc!

SEAN: From Square Enix Manga we see Beauty and the Feast 7, Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 10, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 11.

Seven Seas debuts The Valiant Must Fall (Yuukiarumono Yori Chire). This runs in Young Animal, and is from the creator of Gunslinger Girl. A suicidal samurai ends up being saved by a young woman with healing powers, and he wants to see what her deal is.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Dai Dark 5, and LES MISÉRABLES Omnibus 2.

ASH: I really need to catch up with Dai Dark.

SEAN: For those watching the anime and wishing there was more sex, One Peace Books has Farming Life in Another World 8.

Kodansha, in print, has Fire Force Omnibus 3, No. 6 Manga Omnibus 2, Sayonara, Football 16 (the final volume), The Seven Deadly Sins Manga Box Set 4, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 21, When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 10, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 3.

Digitally, we get Bootsleg 3, Boss Bride Days 3, Cells at Work! White Brigade 4 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 10, DAYS 34, Gamaran: Shura 6, My Home Hero 2, and That’s My Atypical Girl 8.

Kaiten Books has The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting 6.

One debut from J-Novel Club, and it’s a manga version of a light novel that came out last month. I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! (Ore wa Subete o “Parry” Suru: Gyaku Kanchigai no Sekai Saikyou wa Boukensha ni Naritai) runs in Comic Earth Star Online.

And they’ve also got Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Sui’s Great Adventure 3, Full Metal Panic Short Stories 5, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 22, and VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream 4.

TECHNICALLY Ghost Ship has no new releases. In reality, I’m putting two titles here as being a bit too mature for Seven Seas’ list. Why Don’t You Eat Me, My Dear Wolf? (Tabenai no? Ookami-san) is a done-in-one volume from Rutile, and is a BL take on the Red Riding Hood story.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: There’s also a 2nd volume of Asumi-chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels!.

Cross Infinite World has two new debuts. The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor (Yarinaoshi Reijou wa Ryuutei Heika wo Kouryakuchuu) is another series from the creator of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, and is in the increasingly popular villainess subgenre of “time rewind”. Sentenced to death by her fiance, our heroine suddenly finds herself six years in the past, right when she’s about to get engaged. She thus proposes to “random guy next to her”. Bad idea.

ASH: That does seem to be a questionable tactic.

SEAN: There’s also Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess (Aobarahime no Yarinaoshi Kakumeiki). “Yarinaoshi” is the Japanese for the Time Rewind genre, in case you’re interested. After getting stabbed to death, our heroine goes back ten years to try again.

We also get Return from Death: I Kicked the Bucket and Now I’m Back at Square One With a Girlfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me, the 2nd novel in the series, but note the subtitle has changed.

In print, Airship has Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 12.

And in early digital: Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 4.5 and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 8.

Any manga lamb chops for you?

SEAN: March marches on!

We start with Viz, who give us new volumes! Animal Crossing: New Horizons 4, Call of the Night 11, Fly Me to the Moon 16, Helck 2, Mao 10, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 11, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions 3, and Yakuza Lover 8.

MICHELLE: How did Mao get up to volume ten already?! Sheesh.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a one-shot, Be My Love, My Lord (Ban ni Natte, Goshujin-sama), which runs in Overlaps’s BL magazine LiQulle. A nobleman has always had a beastman servant… but now those feelings turn to love. And lust.

Titan Comics has Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia 2.

ASH: I haven’t really been following the manga very closely, but I did like previous Sherlock volumes.

SEAN: Tentai Books has a 2nd digital volume of How to Melt the Ice Queen’s Heart, which came out last week, but hey.

SuBLime debuts The Dragon’s Betrothed (Kamisama no Uroko), a new title from the creator of Therapy Game. Ever see those shoujo titles where a young girl goes to a shrine and meets a hot god? Here it’s a young man who does that.

MICHELLE: This premise doesn’t thrill me, but I really, really like Therapy Game, so I’ll give it a shot.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed the creator’s past work, too.

SEAN: They also have Golden Sparkle, a one-shot from Homesha’s Mellow Kiss. A sheltered young man has never been told about sex and is having puberty issues. Fortunately (?), he has a caring new friend from school to teach him. If you like this author, good news, it’s not their only appearance on this week’s list.

ASH: I don’t know if I do yet, but I suspect I might!

SEAN: From Square Enix we get Ragna Crimson 8 and YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record – A NieR:Automata Story 2.

Seven Seas debuts a BL oneshot, I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love (Koi wo Suru Tsumori wa Nakatta). It runs in Homesha’s Mellow Kiss, and is from the same author as Golden Sparkle. It stars a 30-year-old salaryman with no romantic experience who runs into a young college student at a bar. They hit it off well. VERY well.

MICHELLE: Oh! I read and reviewed this back when it was on Futekiya. It’s very good!

ASH: Oh! I really should check this one out, then!

SEAN: Also debuting is a new danmei novel, Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu. A very talented jerk takes a paragon of virtue under his wing, hoping to teach him about how much life sucks.

ANNA: That sounds like a promising dynamic.

MICHELLE: I’m a sucker for jerks and paragons of virtue.

ASH: You are certainly not the only one.

SEAN: Seven Seas also brings us Dinosaur Sanctuary 2, Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten 2, I Get the Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me 2, Kageki Shojo!! 8, and Kiruru Kill Me 4.

MICHELLE: *insert obligatory text about getting caught up on Kageki Shojo!! one of these days*

ASH: Indeed. I’ve been collecting the volumes, but I haven’t had the chance to actually read all of them.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a second volume of The Death Mage.

Two light novels from Kodansha Books. We get a debut, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World (Tensei Kizoku Kantei Sukiru de Nariagaru – Jakushou Ryouchi o Uketsuidanode, Yuushuuna Jinzai o Fuyashite Itara, Saikyou Ryouchi ni Natteta). Its title is its plot.

And we get The Dawn of the Witch 2.

Kodansha Manga has The Great Cleric 2 in print.

Digitally, one week after Life, they debut Life 2: Giver/Taker. This spinoff ran in the seinen magazine Afternoon, and features a cop whose little sister’s death years ago led her to become someone devoted to preventing tragedies.

ASH: No time wasted there!

SEAN: There’s also Ace of the Diamond 42, The Fable 12, Gang King 3, JOY 2, Matcha Made in Heaven 5, Quality Assurance in Another World 7, Shaman King: The Super Star 6, WIND BREAKER 9, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 10.

ANNA: I’m very excited for more Matcha Made in Heaven.

ASH: I still love that title.

MICHELLE: I am actively getting caught up with Ace of the Diamond. It’s only got five volumes left, so I hope we see an announcement soon about Kodansha putting out the sequel.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print titles. We see Ascendance of a Bookworm 17, Marginal Operation 13, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 2nd manga volume, and Tearmoon Empire 8.

Most of J-Novels’ digital titles this week are manga. With two debuts. Karate Master Isekai (Karate Baka Isekai) comes from Dujimi Shobo’s Comic Hu, and features our hero refusing any cheat skills, as he has karate.

ANNA: I also have karate (no I don’t).

MICHELLE: *snerk*

SEAN: The other debut is the manga version of Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My World Whenever I Want (Itsudemo Jitaku ni Kaerareru Ore wa, Isekai de Gyoushounin o Hajimemashita), whose novel is also published by J-Novel Club. It runs in Hobby Japan’s Comic Fire.

Also from J-Novel Club: the 9th manga volume of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 6, Perry Rhodan NEO 12, the 9th manga volume of Record of Wortenia War, and the 2nd manga volume of Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster.

Digital Manga Publishing has the 3rd and final volume of Only the Flower Knows.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give that series a try; better get on it.

SEAN: Denpa Books has a 4th volume of The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes.

In print, Airship gives us Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest ZERO 6 (the final volume), The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 3, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 8.

WHOOPS! Airship dropped an early digital edition of Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average in My Next Life 15 on me this week, and I therefore missed it for last week’s list.

And early digital this week gives us Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut 4 and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 3.

Manga manga manga!

SEAN: It’s March, and to celebrate New England is finally getting a bit of snow. But what manga are we getting?

Airship has no print releases, but they do have an early digital one: Reincarnated as a Sword 12.

Dark Horse gives us a 13th volume of Berserk Deluxe Edition.

ASH: I’ll be picking this one up, surprising no one at this point.

SEAN: Denpa Books has a second omnibus volume of Nana & Kaoru.

There’s a debut from Ghost Ship. Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His Wild S-Rank Cat Girl (Dappou Tamer no Nariagari Boukentan ~S Rank Bishoujo Boukensha ga Ore no Juuma ni Natteimasu~) is a Comic Ride series. A low-ranked tamer is asked by a high-ranking catgirl to “tame” her in hopes she’ll evolve. In reality, it’ll probably just lead to horniness.

ASH: Sounds about right.

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship: World’s End Harem: Fantasia Academy 2.

J-Novel Club has a debut, but it’s one of the Sol Press rescues: Let This Grieving Soul Retire (Nageki no Bourei wa Intai Shitai – Saijaku Hunter ni Yoru Saikyou Party Ikuseijutsu). Our hero’s friends have cool powers. He does not. But for some reason they keep expecting things from him.

Also from J-Novel Club: Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower 9, D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared 3, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 2, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 41, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 8, the 4th manga volume of Tearmoon Empire, and the 7th manga volume of Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!.

Kodansha, in print, gives us Am I Actually the Strongest?, which has been out in digital since 2020, but I think is either getting or just got an anime.

Also in print: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 4, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 4, Magus of the Library 6 (!!!), and SHAMAN KING Omnibus 12 (the final volume).

ASH: Ooh! Magus of the Library!

SEAN: The digital debut will be familiar to old school Tokyopop fans. Life is a shoujo manga from Betsufure, and TP published 9 volumes of it before cancelling it. Now Kodansha is doing a digital version, which hopefully will go the distance. This is an award-winning manga, but be warned, it’s a tough one: our heroine starts cutting herself in the first book.

MICHELLE: Amazon shows I purchased the first volume back in 2006, but I don’t think I ever actually read it, so now’s my chance!

ANNA: Maybe this is an indication (Silver Diamond) of other (Demon Sacred) Tokyopop (Immortal Rain) series getting picked up.

ASH: I live in perpetual hope!

MELINDA: My well of hope runs dry, but… maybe?

SEAN: Digitally we see Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! 10, Doing His Best to Confess 4, I Guess I Became the Mother of the Great Demon King’s 10 Children in Another World 7, MF Ghost 11, Raised by the Demon Kings! 6, Shangri-La Frontier 10, The Shape-Shifting Witch’s Kiss 4 (the final volume), and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 7.

MICHELLE: Doing His Best to Confess looks cute. I’ve been meaning to try it out.

SEAN: From Seven Seas, we see Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi The Comic, the webtoon adaptation of the popular danmei series, in full color.

ASH: Looking forward to giving this one a try!

SEAN: We also see orange -to you, dear one-, the final epilogue to the orange series, which tells the story of the rest of the main cast in this new future.

MICHELLE: So excite.

ANNA: I still have the first volume of orange lurking around my house, unread!

MICHELLE: It’s so good!

ASH: It really is. Very glad to see the epilogues being released.

MELINDA: !!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has The Ancient Magus’ Bride 17, The Girl in the Arcade 3, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 5, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 16, and Yokai Cats 3.

MICHELLE: It’s been 84 years since I read any of The Ancient Magus’ Bride. I’ve really been missing it.

ASH: I’m somehow behind in my reading, but I enjoy this series so much.

SEAN: Square Enix debuts My Clueless First Friend (Jijou o Shiranai Tenkousei ga Guigui Kuru), a Gangan Joker series which is getting an anime. A bullied elementary school girl is startled when a new transfer student arrives and finds that all the things people bully her for are, to him, cool!

From Steamship, we get Ladies on Top 2.

ASH: Which reminds me I still need to read the first volume.

Udon debuts Persona 4 Arena, a Dengeki Maoh series for all you folks who wished Persona 4 were a fighting game. This is, in fact, an adaptation of a video game.

Viz Media debuts Ayashimon, a Shonen Jump series from the creator of Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. A guy who wanted to grow up to be strong like a manga hero does his job a bit TOO well.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Black Clover 32, Blue Box 3, The Elusive Samurai 5, Ghost Reaper Girl 4, Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love 5, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 8, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 6, and Yona of the Dawn 38.

MICHELLE: Must have a Yona binge soon!

ANNA: Need to get caught up on Ima Koi and always excited for new Yona!

SEAN: That’s it! What will you read if you’re snowed in?

SEAN: Technically March, but it’s still February for most of our list.

Yen On’s sole release next week is Tezcatlipoca, a crime novel featuring a Mexican drug lord and his Japanese boy protege getting involved in organ donation. It is award-winning, and also not for the squeamish.

ASH: I am very curious about this one (but probably not in the mood to read it right this moment).

SEAN: And from Yen Press we see The Beginning After the End 2, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 5, and The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious 5.

Viz Media has a 2nd Demon Slayer light novel, One-Winged Butterfly. There’s also JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 5–Golden Wind 7, the 17th and final omnibus of Urusei Yatsura, and WITCH WATCH 5 digitally. Thank you, Viz, for finally releasing all of UY for its fans.

ASH: It really is great to see these longer classic series being released.

SEAN: Square Enix has By the Grace of the Gods 7 and The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 2.

Seven Seas had been quiet the last couple of weeks. That ends now. There’s so much. That said, there’s only one debut, The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife (Toumei Otoko to Ningen Onna: Sonouchi Fuufu ni Naru Futari), a Futabasha series about an invisible man and a blind woman who find love while running a detective agency. Gotta say, this sounds fantastic. The author also wrote The Country Without Humans.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this very much!

ANNA: OK, this sounds cool.

ASH: It does seem worth a look!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: A Chinese Fantasy: Law of the Fox (the 2nd in this series), The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 4, Karate Survivor in Another World 4, Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More 4, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 4, My Deer Friend Nokotan 3, My Wife Has No Emotion 4, Otaku Elf 5, Pompo: The Cinéphile 3, Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger 2, ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! 3, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 7, SPRIGGAN: Deluxe Edition 3, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 5, and Versailles of the Dead 3.

ASH: You weren’t kidding! That is quite a bit. It’s been literal years since the last volume of Versailles of the Dead was released, but I do vaguely recollect getting a kick out of it.

SEAN: KUMA debuts A Home Far Away (Haruka Tooki Ie), a one-shot from Canna about a directionless young man looking for a purpose, and his encounter with a young cook.

MICHELLE: Judging purely by the cover, this looks good!

ANNA: Sounds interesting.

SEAN: Kodansha Books has another digital release of an old Vertical crime drama from the 00s, this one Kenzo Kitakata’s Winter Sleep.

ASH: Another one I haven’t managed to read yet, but am glad is being made more broadly available.

SEAN: In print, Kodansha Manga gives us BAKEMONOGATARI 17, Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Manga Box Set 1 (the first six volumes), EDENS ZERO 21, Hitorijime My Hero 13, Peach Boy Riverside 10, Rent-A-Girlfriend 17, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 7, Shonen Note: Boy Soprano 2, Something’s Wrong with Us 13, and The Witch and the Beast 10.

MICHELLE: I need to get started on Shonen Note.

ASH: As do I, I’ll have to admit.

SEAN: The digital debut is My Home Hero, a drama about a salaryman who finds himself embroiled in crime syndicates and murder. It runs in Young Magazine.

Also digital: Am I Actually the Strongest? 7, Boss Bride Days 2, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 25, The Food Diary of Miss Maid 4, Gamaran: Shura 5, Heaven’s Design Team 8, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 12, My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! 6, The Prince’s Romance Gambit 12 (the final volume), The Slime Diaries: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 6, We’re New at This 12, and With You and the Rain 4.

Kaiten Books has a print volume of My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?! 3.

J-Novel Club have some digital debuts. Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored (Tensei Shite High Elf ni Narimashitaga, Slow Life wa 120-nen de Akimashita) is one of those reincarnation books. Sadly, the life of an elf involves staying put and being a vegetarian… and also living for a thousand years! After a century of this, our hero decides to go on a journey.

Grand Sumo Villainess (Ouzumou Reijou ~Seijo ni Hirateuchi wo Kuratta Shunkan Sumō Budatta Zense wo Omoidashita Akuyaku Reijō no Watashi wa sute Neko Ōji ni Chanko wo Furumaitai Haadosukoidosukoi~) is a “reincarnated as a villainess in an otome game” book, and our heroine is already at her doom. Fortunately, she knows sumo!

ASH: That’s a new twist to the genre I wasn’t expecting!

SEAN: I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! (Ore wa Subete o “Parry” Suru: Gyaku Kanchigai no Sekai Saikyou wa Boukensha ni Naritai) is one of those books about an OP hero who doesn’t realize he’s OP, in the style of Last Dungeon Kid.

And one manga digital debut, I’m Capped at Level 1?! Thus Begins My Journey to Become the World’s Strongest Badass! (Genkai Level 1 kara no Nariagari: Saijaku Level no Ore ga Isekai Saikyou ni Naru made) is a Comic Walker title. It begins with our hero being summoned, given powers, condemned for having weak powers, and sentenced to death. So, one of those series.

Also from J-Novel Club: The Apothecary Diaries 7, An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride 15, Cooking with Wild Game 20, Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools 6, Doll-Kara 4, John Sinclair: Demon Hunter 9, Maddrax 5, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 2, the 4th manga volume of Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It!, and Rebuild World 2 Part 1.

Ghost Ship gives us The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 5 and Manga Diary of a Male Porn Star 3.

Cross Infinite World debuts The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess (Kon’yaku Hakida, Hatsujou Seijou). A hardworking young woman is engaged to a prince and working as a priestess! Unfortunately, her powers have a bad side effect. As a result, you guessed it, broken engagement, ruined reputation, shunned, etc. Fortunately, the next country over needs her powers!

They also have Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes: Hide and Seek in the Wintry Mountains 2 and the 5th and final volume of Reincarnated as the Last of my Kind.

Airship has the print debut of I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner, the spinoff series giving us Claire’s POV.

Also in print: The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 3, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 13, and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 4.

And in early digital we see Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 7.

What interests you? What arouses you? What appalls you?

SEAN: February. I can’t believe I’m still in February.

ASH: It really seems like it should be over by now, doesn’t it?

SEAN: Airship starts us off. We see print volumes of Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 6 and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 18.

And for early digital there is Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 8 (the final volume) and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 21.

Dark Horse Comics has Psycho Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami 6 (the final volume).

ASH: I really ought to get around to giving this series a try at some point.

SEAN: DMP has the 8th Vampire Hunter D manga (it got bumped).

ASH: That doesn’t seem to be unusual for DMP these days…

SEAN: Drawn and Quarterly has a new reprint of the Kitaro anthology. This was fantastic, a wonderful representation of the series, and if you didn’t get it then, get it now. It doesn’t duplicate much content, if any, from the more recent collections.

ASH: I am so glad to see this one staying in print! I loved the first edition and am looking forward to reading the new essay included in this one.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a giant pile. The debut is The Disowned Queen’s Consulting Detective Agency (Kandō Sareta no de Tantei-ya Hajimemasu! Jitsu wa Bōkoku no Joōda Nante Naisho Desu), from the creator of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss. Octavia is found to be illegitimate, and swiftly disowned. Unfortunately, she has a bunch of heirlooms her old family really want. But she doesn’t care: she’s going to become a detective!

MICHELLE: I’m always tempted by anything that might have a mystery element.

ASH: They can be fun!

SEAN: Also out next week: Gushing over Magical Girls 5, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 2, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 8, Infinite Dendrogram 19, the third Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World light novel, the third Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World manga, My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 7, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 13, the 7th manga volume of My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ—, Outbreak Company Gaiden (the final volume), Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My World Whenever I Want! 2, Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! 9, and The World’s Least Interesting Master Swordsman 9.

ASH: That is quite the pile!

SEAN: Kodansha debuts, in print, The Great Cleric, a series it had been releasing digital-only. It’s Reincarnated In Another World As a Cleric, and is on the more serious end of the isekai spectrum.

Also debuting is the one-shot Sweet Poolside, another Shuzo Oshimi title that ran in Young Magazine back in 2004. Two swimmers have similar but opposite problems. A boy is ashamed he has no body hair. A girl is ashamed she has too much. She then asks him to shave her. This is apparently less dark than other Oshimi titles.

ASH: It certainly still sounds a lot like an Oshimi title, though!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 5, Fire Force 31, Flying Witch 11, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 3, Grand Blue Dreaming 18 (it got bumped), Last Gender 2, Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You 3, Run Away With Me, Girl 2, and Shangri-La Frontier 4.

ANNA: My kids are Blue Lock fans, so I’ve pre-ordered this!

ASH: That’s a solid recommendation, then!

SEAN: Digitally we see Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 5, Beast #6 3 (the final volume), The Café Terrace and its Goddesses 5, Changes of Heart 9 (the final volume), The Full-Time Wife Escapist 11 (also a final volume, unless they license the guidebook, which I doubt), Gamaran 6, Golden Gold 9, HIRAETH -The End of the Journey- 3 (also a final volume), Medalist 6, This Vampire Won’t Give Up! 4, Ya Boy Kongming! 10, and You’re My Cutie 5.

MICHELLE: I’ll definitely be reading The Full-Time Wife Escapist and am working on catching up with Medalist, too.

ANNA: I need to read both!

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 2nd manga volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

From Seven Seas, we get CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 5, Classroom of the Elite 5, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 3, Futari Escape 2, I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl 2, Kemono Jihen 4, Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish 3, and Time Stop Hero 6.

Titan Books has a 3rd volume of ATOM: The Beginning.

New titles from Tokyopop. The Flower That Seems to Truly Dance (Makotoshiyaka ni Mau Hana wa) is a BL title from Canna, about a young man trying to find someone at the outbreak of World War II. It’s a one-shot.

MICHELLE: Gotta say, that setting really does appeal to me.

ANNA: I remain steadfast in my resolve to not read things from this publisher.

SEAN: SCRAMBLUES (Bokura no Scramblues) is a BL title from Canna, about the relationship between a popular musician and a graphics designer. It’s a one-shot.

The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow (Suzu Hebi Kyuuairon) is a BL title from Canna, and it’s, well, about the love between a snake and a sparrow. It’s also explicit. And a one-shot.

There is also a 6th volume of A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation, which is from Comic Corona, not Canna, and is also not BL, per the author, though I’d argue it’s for BL fans.

Viz has a big debut with Choujin X, the new title from the creator of Tokyo Ghoul. A young man, trying to fight against injustice, injects himself with a drug that turns him into a powerful creature. Can he keep this a secret?

Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand (Aoi Uroko to Suna no Machi) is a josei title from You, about a girl and her father moving to a rural town to start over, a town which reminds her of her childhood… when she was saved by a merman? This is complete in one omnibus.

ANNA: I was getting worried that there might not be much for me this week, but I’m intrigued by this.

SEAN: I have heard that Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand is REALLY good. Also, how often do we get anything from You? Maybe if this sells we can get Gokusen.

ASH: I am likewise intrigued and have heard good things!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Golden Kamuy 28, Hayate the Combat Butler 41, Mission: Yozakura Family 3, Rooster Fighter 3, Twin Star Exorcists 27, The Way of the Househusband 9, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 9.

ASH: I need to get caught up with Househusband; I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far immensely.

Yen On debuts Hirano and Kagiura, a light novel side story to Sasaki and Miyano. By the way, if you read the Hirano and Kagiura manga, this is a separate story taking place six months before that.

It also has Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 2, The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 5, Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World 2, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 8, The Bride of Demise 3 (the final volume), Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 3, Date a Live 8, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 18, Magical Girl Raising Project 15, A Sister’s All You Need 14 (the final volume), and You Call That Service? 7 (the final volume).

Yen Press debuts Assorted Entanglements (Fusoroi no Renri), a yuri series from Comic Newtype. It’s an anthology! Sometimes. It’s a series of interconnected stories! Sometimes.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices (Watashi wa Gotsugou Shugi na Kaiketsu Tantou no Oujo de aru) is a manga adaptation from Flos Comic of the light novel Yen also releases. It’s a good reincarnated villainess story, if only as, while our heroine tries to change her fate, she may accidentally be making things worse.

ASH: I haven’t read the original light novel, but I still like that title.

And they have, in digital-only form, Rose Guns Days Sorrowful Cross Knife (Rose Guns Days – Aishuu no Cross Knife), a side story to the main Rose Guns Days series focusing on Wayne.

There is also SOTUS. From Kadokawa’s Ciel and based on a Thai webnovel. Have you ever wanted to have ritualized hazing and bullying be super sexy? This book’s for you.

MICHELLE: …

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: And Yen Press also has Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple 2, Chained Soldier 3, Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie 3, Daughter of the Emperor 3, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 13, The Detective Is Already Dead 4, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger 8, Hinowa Ga CRUSH! 7, The Holy Grail of Eris 3, Mint Chocolate 7, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 5, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 5, Sasaki and Miyano 7, School-Live! Letters (a one-shot sequel to the original manga), Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 17, Uncle from Another World 6, Unnamed Memory 2, The Wolf Never Sleeps 3, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 4, and The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker 5.

ASH: That’s quite the pile, too!

SEAN: I miss when Yen delayed everything so they had ten titles per week rather than 40 in the same week. What are you getting?

SEAN: It’s Valentine’s Day, or Galentine’s Day, or whatever you might celebrate. What manga do we have?

We’re still in a kinder, gentler time when Yen Press no longer has sliding release dates, so we start with Viz. Their debut is the one shot The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend (Kanojo ga Denai Onna), which ran online on various services like Tapas and pixiv, and which Viz is publishing as a collected volume. It’s an autobiographical story of love, and what to do when that love does not work out.

ASH: I’ve been curious about this one since I first heard about it.

MJ: I hadn’t heard about it, but it does sound interesting!

SEAN: Viz also has The Hunters Guild: Red Hood 2, Komi Can’t Communicate 23, Radiant 16, Sakamoto Days 6, and Splatoon 16.

Tokyopop debuts Confessions of a Shy Baker (Futari de Okashi na Kyuujitsu o) which runs in the amusingly named magazine Flat Heros. A real estate agency owner worries that advertising the agency as LGBT-friendly might out him. Fortunately, he bakes, so there are always sweets.

ASH: I generally avoid Tokyo these days, but I am seriously tempted by some of these titles.

MJ: Must… stay… strong..

SEAN: They’ve also got Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 3.

SuBLime has a debut. Megumi & Tsugumi (Megumi to Tsugumi) runs in Qpa. It’s an Omegaverse story, so the plot is basically all about that sort of thing.

Also from SuBLime, Candy Color Paradox 6.

ASH: Though I’m a little behind, I have been enjoying this series.

SEAN: Square Enix has My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! 5 and Tokyo Aliens 2.

Seven Seas gives us two debuts. Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home (Shokuba to Jitaku de Gap no Aru Papa) is a Kadokawa title based on a webcomic. It’s about a cool, distant work colleague who turns into a sweet and doting husband and father at home. The Gap is as in “gap moe”.

MICHELLE: Hm. Possibly cute!

ASH: Awkward title, but promising premise.

SEAN: The other debut is Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition. Originally running in Ribon in the early 1990s, getting a very popular TV anime, and then getting a Tokyopop release in 2002, it’s getting a deluxe reissue here, with color pages and a new translation. Miki is horrified to find her parents are swapping spouses with another couple! And they’re all living together! And her new stepbrother Yuu, is such a jerk! Voted “most likely to read badly in retrospect” by old-school manga fans. Don’t mention Namura.

MICHELLE: It’s been 20 years since I read Marmalade Boy so I’m really looking forward to revisiting it. I hope I won’t be too horrified.

ANNA: Ha, I still have my old edition of Marmalade Boy, maybe I’ll check out the new version.

ASH: I somehow haven’t actually read this series yet, although I definitely know about it!

MJ: I also still have my old editions of Marmalade Boy, and I’ll probably leave it at that.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: CANDY AND CIGARETTES 3, Correspondence from the End of the Universe 2, Monologue Woven For You 3 (the final volume), and The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 3 (the final manga volume).

One Peace Books has a 2nd volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

MICHELLE: Yay! I really liked the first volume.

ASH: As did I! Really looking forward to reading more.

SEAN: Kodansha has a print debut, a 528-page done-in-one collection. Break of Dawn (Bokura no Yoake) ran in Afternoon, and it’s by the author of Alice & Zoroku. A young boy watches everyone else in the country be obsessed with a comet, but he’s found something even more out of this world.

ASH: This seems like something I would be interested in (and as a single volume, might actually have a chance of reading in a timely fashion).

SEAN: Also in print: Drifting Dragons 12, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 4, Parasyte Full Color Collection 2, Phantom of the Idol 4, Real Account 18-20, and Wandance 4.

MICHELLE: I’ve already fallen behind on Wandance.

SEAN: While digitally we see The Fable 11, Fungus and Iron 2, Gang King 2, Giant Killing 35, The Girl, the Shovel, and the Evil Eye 4, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 12, Island in a Puddle 5 (the final volume), A Kiss with a Cat 5, Police in a Pod 21, Rent-A-Girlfriend 17, Tokyo Revengers 29, and The Witch and the Beast 10.

Kaiten Books has the 8th manga volume of Loner Life in Another World out digitally.

J-Novel Club has some print titles. We see the debut of Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, the manga version, which runs in Comic Fire. We also get I Shall Survive Using Potions! manga volume 9, Infinite Dendrogram 17, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 9.

Digitally they’ve got Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World 2, Black Summoner’s 10th manga volume, Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 3, The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 2, and Reincarnated as an Apple: This Forbidden Fruit Is Forever Unblemished! 2 (the final volume).

Lastly, Airship has the print debut of Raven of the Inner Palace, which was excellent.

ASH: I really ought to pick this one up now that it’s in print!

SEAN: And we get early digital for I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 4 and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 3.

What manga are you grateful for?

SEAN: It’s February now, everyone’s least favorite month. Let’s see what’s on tap.

ASH: At least it’s short? Which I guess could be both a good and a bad thing…

SEAN: We start with Airship, which has one print release, Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 4.

And there are early digital releases of Skeleton Knight in Another World 10 and Vivy Prototype 3.

Dark Horse Comics has Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition 8 and Mob Psycho 100 10.

ASH: Still happily double-dipping on that deluxe edition.

SEAN: DMP has the 8th Vampire Hunter D manga.

ASH: While DMP annoys me for a variety of reasons, I have been known to enjoy this manga series.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of “too spicy for Viz” Shonen Jump title Ayakashi Triangle.

No debuts for J-Novel Club, but we do see Ascendance of a Bookworm’s 14th manga volume, Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?!’s 3rd manga volume, The Faraway Paladin’s 9th manga volume, Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World 5, Monster Tamer 12, The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 6, and Yashiro-kun’s Guide to Going Solo: After Story.

Kodansha has a big print box set: Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku Complete Manga Box Set. This contains the entire series, which I found very enjoyable.

MICHELLE: I need to finish Wotakoi!

ASH: I really enjoyed it.

SEAN: Also in print: Attack on Titan Omnibus 9, Lovesick Ellie 8, Orient 13, Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Edition 6, The Seven Deadly Sins Omnibus 8, Vampire Dormitory 9, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 2.

Digitally we see Chihayafuru 36, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 6, Grand Blue Dreaming 18, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 8, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 32 (the final volume), Matcha Made in Heaven 4, Raised by the Demon Kings! 5, The Shape-Shifting Witch’s Kiss 3, and Shonen Note: Boy Soprano 2.

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

SEAN: Kodansha Books is starting to put out digital editions of the old Japanese fiction titles Vertical released 20 years ago. Next week we get Ashes, by Kenzo Kitakata. They already released the same author’s The Cage and City of Refuge digitally back in October.

ASH: Oh, that’s good news! Some of those titles were really great and becoming hard to find.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 20th manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas has Tokyo Revengers Omnibus 7-8.

Steamship has Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts 3.

There’s two debuts from Viz Media. My Special One (Kimi ga Tokubetsu) is a new Betsuma series from the author of No Longer Heroine, which is also being released over here by a different publisher. A high school girl hates pretty boy idols… but now one of them is trying to woo her?

ANNA: Oh no, not the pretty boy idols!

MJ: Why am I a sucker for this exact type of plot?

SEAN: Show-ha Shoten! is a Jump Square title that’s gotten a release on the Jump app but is now getting a physical book. It’s by the artist of Death Note/Bakuman/etc, but with a different writer, so I am hoping it is not a giant car crash like Platinum End was. A young man gets his friend to help him do a comedy act at their school… then begs him to help him with his dream of being part of a stand-up comedy duo!

MICHELLE: Different, at least!

ASH: In general, I do like the artist’s work.

ANNA: Me too. Here’s hoping the story is as good as the art.

MJ: OH HELLO

SEAN: Also out next week: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 16, The King’s Beast 9, My Hero Academia 33, Rainbow Days 2, and Snow White with the Red Hair 23.

ANNA: Nice to see some ongoing shoujo!

SEAN: And that’s it! What gets you through this month?