Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Ash Brown

Pick of the Week: Frieren vs. Ciguatera

by , , , and Leave a Comment

KATE: I’m intrigued by the cover of Cigureta, so that’s on my must-buy list, but I’ll also be adding the second volume of Mao. The first volume was uneven, but there were some weird and intriguing ideas that made me hopeful that this series is more like InuYasha than Rin-ne.

SEAN: Despite the presence of my beloved Tearmoon Empire, I am going to give the pick this week to Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. I’m always happy to see a new Shonen Sunday series, and this one has a lot of hype as being a sort of “after the world is saved, what next?” story.

MICHELLE: I am intimidated by the comparison to Inio Asano, but it’s definitely Ciguatera for me!

ANNA: I’m always curious about Shonen Sunday titles, so it is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End for me.

ASH: While I am likewise intrigued by Ciguatera, I think I may be even more curious to see how Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End plays out. That being said, I finally got around to reading the first volume of I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School and I’m looking forward to reading more of that series’ ridiculousness, too.

Manga the Week of 11/10/21

by , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s so hard to hold a manga in the cold November rain…

We start with Yen On, which has a new light novel debut: I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top (Ichiokunen Button o Rendashita Ore wa, Kidzuitara Saikyou ni Natteita ~Rakudai Kenshi no Gakuin Musou~). The story of a failure of a swordsman who gets one of the cheatiest cheats ever, though he comes to regret it.

There’s also new releases from many of Yen On’s biggest titles. We see Accel World 25, Re: ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 17, Sword Art Online 23, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online 10, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 12.

Yen Press’s debut is a spinoff: So I’m a Spider, So What? The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters, a gag manga spinoff that runs in Young Ace UP!, featuring the four parallel minds of our spider heroine.

Yen also has Cirque du Freak Omnibus 4, The Elder Sister-Like One 5, the 10th and final volume of Happy Sugar Life, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 2, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 3, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 12, Sasaki and Miyano 4, and Sex Ed 120% 2.

MICHELLE: Out of all of this, only Sasaki and Miyano is my sort of thing.

ASH: I think I’m likely of a similar mind, though I do vaguely remember Cirque du Freak being something I meant to check out way back when it was first being released.

SEAN: Viz has two new debuts. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Sousou no Frieren) is a Shonen Sunday title. Our hero’s party has defeated the demon king. Now what? This is something the near immortal elf of the party, who is going to watch the other members age and die, wants to find out. This one is award winning and everyone seems to love it. Can’t wait.

MICHELLE: Interesting!

ANNA: This sounds intriguing. I’m always curious about Shonen Sunday titles.

ASH: I am likewise intrigued! And I do like a good story about (near) immortals.

SEAN: The other debut is Pokémon Journeys, which is, well, a Pokemon manga. For fans of the genre.

And if you missed Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba when it came out, we have the Demon Slayer Complete Box Set for you.

ASH: That’ll be nice to see!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Fly Me to the Moon 8, Mao 2, and Splatoon: Squid Kids Comedy Show 5.

MICHELLE: I still need to check out Mao.

ASH: I have the first volume! But haven’t actually read it yet…

SEAN: SuBLime has Birds of Shangri-La 2.

ASH: The artwork in this series is appealing, but I’m not completely sold on the story, yet.

SEAN: No debuts for Seven Seas proper (but see later on). We do get: Classmates 4, The Dangers in My Heart 3, Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 3, Gal Gohan 9, The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter 4, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 8, I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! 2, The Invincible Shovel 2, and My Wife Has No Emotion 2.

MICHELLE: I really will get caught up on Classmates this time.

ASH: It’s good; I’m really glad we got to see this series in English.

SEAN: One Peace has I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School 2.

ASH: I finally got my hands on the first volume and am looking forward to giving it a read.

SEAN: Kodansha debuts Ciguatera, a manga by the legendary Minoru Furuya, author of Ping Pong Club. This ran in Young Magazine, and is about the pain and struggle (and tiny joys) of high school life. For fans of Inio Asano.

MICHELLE: Well, that last sentence is foreboding, but I’ll still probably check this out!

ANNA: I’m not sure how much I feel like being super depressed but I’m sure this is very good and critically acclaimed.

SEAN: And we get a spinoff debut, Rent-A-(Really Shy!)-Girlfriend (Kanojo, Hitomishirimasu), a Magazine Pocket title that focuses on Sumi.

There’s also the 2nd and final volume of Codename Sailor V: Eternal Edition, a rerelease of Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu in a Collector’s Edition, and the 5th Shaman King omnibus.

ASH: I greatly enjoyed (and enjoy) Cat Diary.

SEAN: Digitally, get ready for ANOTHER Cells at Work spinoff. Cells at Work! White Brigade (Hataraku Saibou White) is from Shonen Sirius, and, well, focuses on the White Blood Cells.

ASH: I’ve lost track of all of the spinoffs, but I do like franchise.

SEAN: There’s also Ace of the Diamond 35, Police in a Pod 6, Shangri-La Frontier 4, Tokyo Revengers 23, The Witch and the Beast 7, and Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad 4.

MICHELLE: I will never fail to be happy about sports manga!

ANNA: Wish there was more in print!

SEAN: J-Novel Club graces us with By the Grace of the Gods 9, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 2, The Ideal Sponger Life 5, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 38, Jessica Bannister 3, and Tearmoon Empire 6, the most important of these.

Ghost Ship debuts Cat in a Hot Girls’ Dorm (Joshi Ryou Neko no Tama-san) from Manga Goraku. A women’s dorm adopts a cat, and the cat has a cat’s eye view of all their sexy goings-on!

MICHELLE: …

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship: Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! Vol. 3-4, Parallel Paradise 7, and Welcome to Succubus High! 3.

Dark Horse has the 9th deluxe hardcover for Berserk.

ASH: That one’s for me!

Airship has a bunch of print titles. We get Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 3, Adachi and Shimamura 7, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 13, and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 2.

And in early digital we get Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 3.

What manga are you sobbing over in the rain?

Pick of the Week: Scary Classmates and King’s Beasts

by , , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: A lot of Viz, as usual for the first week of the month, and my eye is drawn to the My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis book, because I am a nerd. But I think I will go with No Matter What You Say, Furi-san Is Scary!, which is a genre (misunderstood girl everyone thinks is scary but isn’t) I really like.

MICHELLE: There’s not really one particular title screaming out to me this week. Moreso, it’s the prospect of catching up on some Shojo Beat series I’ve fallen woefully behind on. For the sake of choosing something, I’ll go with volume four of The King’s Beast. I really enjoyed Dawn of the Arcana and The Water Dragon’s Bride by this mangaka, and I have no doubt that trend will continue.

KATE: Not much caught my eye this week, so I’m going off-list to remind everyone that there’s a new installment of Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s awesome Beasts of Burden series arriving in stores this week. If you ever thought that Stranger Things would be more entertaining if its protagonists were house pets, this is the series for you! It’s funny, unnerving, and proof that talking animals aren’t just for kids.

ASH: This week I’m going to join Sean in picking No Matter What You Say, Furi-san Is Scary! since it’s the debut that I’m most interested in. But as for ongoing manga, the new edition of Blade of the Immortal is probably the best way to experience the series.

ANNA: I’m with Michelle this week, I think The King’s Beast is the most intriguing thing coming out this week.

MJ: I’m not enormously drawn to anything this week, but if I must make a choice, I’ll go along with Sean and Ash. I think No Matter What You Say, Furi-san Is Scary! sounds potentially fun, and sometimes that’s enough!

Bookshelf Briefs 10/28/21

by , , and Leave a Comment

BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 5 | By Kaori Tsurutani | Seven Seas – The bonds that Urara made with Ichinoi don’t have to end here, but they are going to be a bit stretched, as Ichinoi comes to the realization that living alone at her age in a house like hers is just not a smart thing to do. It helps that she and her daughter are more on the same page now. So she’s off to America, leaving Urara behind. That said, they can still text or email each other, Urara is still able to go to her old house and send things (manga) to her, and they still enjoy the series that first introduced them to each other. I also like that we saw the doujinshi that they sold at the Comiket at the end of this volume. It felt very real. As for Urara herself, she got into the college she wanted, and that’s a big plus. This was great. – Sean Gaffney

Bloom into You Anthology, Vol. 1 | By Various Artists | Seven Seas – An anthology series is always going to be hard to review, as it’s basically just a bunch of vignettes. There were a few here I quite liked. My favorite for the sheer mood of it was probably “Fleeting Cherry Blossoms,” which is by the Cocoon Entwined author and seemed to show off their ongoing obsession with hair. Some of the stories here take place after the end of the series, but for the most part they’re during its run. “Bitter Coffee Time” was also a very good story, showing the relationship between Riko and Miyako, showing the balance between cute teasing and pointed jabs. I think this is a good buy for anyone who enjoyed the original series, but there’s nothing here that’s truly essential. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 45 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – This is the final volume of Haikyu!! and I cried, like, four times. Furudate-sensei is so good at showing the significance of things, and in this volume that takes the form of acknowledging the importance of high school volleyball and trusted teammates in all of the characters’ lives, even those who didn’t pursue volleyball after graduation. And what a smart decision it was not to end the series with a spring tournament victory, because in addition to getting to see how Hinata has become undeniably great, the best possible happy ending for Kageyama and Hinata is to keep playing lots of volleyball together, whether that be as opponents or occasional teammates. Even as we look away, these guys will never quit striving. I’ll miss this series so much. – Michelle Smith

Red Flowers | By Yoshiharu Tsuge | Drawn & Quarterly – Red Flowers is the second volume in Drawn & Quarterly’s series collecting the complete mature work of Yoshiharu Tsuge. The volume compiles twelve short manga originally released between 1967 and 1968, all but one previously published in the prominent avant-garde anthology magazine Garo. Accompanying these stories is an essay co-authored by Mitsuhiro Asakawa and the series’ translator Ryan Holmberg which examines the historical context of Tsuge’s work as well as the influences of both literature and life experiences on his manga, including his connections to Shigeru Mizuki. (As a fan of Mizuki’s work, this essay and volume were therefore doubly interesting to me.) Many of the manga collected in Red Flowers are travelogues, although the people are just as important as the places in the stories as Tsuge explores humanity’s compassion as well as its darkness. Only two volumes in and it’s easy to declare that this series, and Tsuge’s work, is fantastic. – Ash Brown

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 15 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – Last time I mentioned that I appreciated the attention this series pays to medical research. This volume ends up being almost entirely medical research, and a lot of trial and error. It remains a great series to give a young kid who wants to get into the sciences. That said, there is SOME romance here, and I was amused at the rest of the cast pondering the possibility that Zen and Shirayuki might actually have done something in the bedroom together. (They slept—this series is very pure.) But really, it’s about trying to come up with a way to make better things, which mostly involves making bad things and things that are broken until you figure it out. It’s a very refreshing shoujo series, a change of pace from the typical. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 6 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – I did appreciate the fact that we saw that Loid and Fiona work very well together and are totally sympatico—as spies. That does not necessarily apply to being a fake wife, especially given Fiona has a massive crush on Loid to begin with. Best to leave it to someone like Yor, who worries a lot about whether she’s doing a good job as a spouse and parent and also has the strength to literally cut a tennis ball to shreds with her racket. That’s a bit terrifying, and I can see why Fiona ran off to undergo more training. I’m sure she’ll be back. As for the main mission, it may actually be coming together faster than planned, as we see Loid meeting his target. That said, this is too insanely popular to end just yet—and with good reason. – Sean Gaffney

Sunshine Sketch, Vol. 10 | By Ume Aoki | Yen Press – It’s been three years since the last volume, and you get the sense the author is trying to avoid bringing the manga to a close. I’m not sure why—it can’t be the money; they did character designs for Madoka Magica; they must have gotten something for that. In any case, this is more of Yuno and Miyako’s senior year. There’s some art advice, as the girls are still learning—yes, even Miyako gets some advice, despite being a ‘natural.’ There’s a school festival, which involves Sae and Hiro coming back, possibly as no one would really want to read this series without its iconic “are they gay or not?” couple. Still, while it’s still cute and fun, I do think it’s about time to let these two graduate and put a lid on it. – Sean Gaffney

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 9 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – I knew we would not be able to get to the end of the series without SOME conflict. For the most part, any arguments these two had have been brief, and we’ve focused more on the sweet end of things. But we now get a reminder of where the series began—even as Asako is pondering motherhood (and thus marriage), an old schoolmate of hers comes along and presses all her “you sweat too much and stink” buttons. The scene is very hard to read, but also quite realistic—her other friend doesn’t really do anything to stop this torrent of nastiness, nor does Asako; it’s just a beatdown, even if it’s “unintentional.” Hopefully Kotaro will be able to get through to her again soon. – Sean Gaffney

Yakuza Lover, Vol. 2 | By Nozomi Mino | Viz Media – This volume opens with an intense debate between Yuri and Oya about sexual stamina and it gets a little weirder from there. I do find this type of series intrinsically entertaining because of how over-the-top it is. The main focus of this volume is Yuri’s kidnapping by a rival mob boss named Semilio, who seems more than a little deranged as well as obsessed with Oya. Yuri manages to endure her captivity, and her rescue by Oya isn’t a surprise, although his method of exacting his vengeance is a bit prolonged. Post-kidnapping, the couple has to deal with the aftermath of all their emotions. Fortunately they always have sex as the tool to make everything better, although I wonder if most psychologists would agree with this method of therapy. Will the next volume involve drug addiction or amnesia? Is Yuri actually going to attend any of her college classes or is she a full-time mob girlfriend now? These are the questions that kept me diverted for at least five minutes after finishing this volume. – Anna N

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 15 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – For all that this series now comes out about three times a decade, it is slowly moving forward, and the last part of this volume suggests that it’s moving forward faster than Yotsuba’s dad would really like. Buying a school backpack, even though school is not for several months yet, shows that Yotsuba is going to grow up, and causes her father to reflect on how much he really DOES feel like a father now, as opposed to “hey, here’s this abandoned kid I found” feelings he had to start with. It was also nice to see Fuuka again, and be reminded that she’s easily the smartest and most together of the cast while at the same time mocking her mercilessly. This series will always be a joy. – Sean Gaffney

Manga the Week of 11/3/21

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: November is approaching, and the manga are falling like leaves.

Airship has three debuts in print. There’s I’m the Evil Lord of an intergalactic Empire!, Planet of the Orcs, and A Tale of the Secret Saint.

Also out in print is Berserk of Gluttony 4.

Digitally we see an early release of Vol. 2 of Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship!.

Dark Horse has a 4th Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition.

ASH: I’m very happily upgrading my collection of the series to these beautiful volumes.

SEAN: Ghost Ship debuts Ero Ninja Scrolls (Ara Kusa Ninpo Cho), a Hakusensha title from their magazine Harem. (Yes, that is a real magazine by the same company that publishes Hana to Yume.) It’s ninjas and smut.

ASH: That doesn’t seem to be too uncommon of a combination.

SEAN: They also have a 2nd volume of Does a Hot Elf Girl Live Next Door to You? and a 2nd volume of Sundome!! Milky Way.

J-Novel Club has some digital releases. We see Altina the Sword Princess 11, Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! 7, The Great Cleric 5, Marginal Operation’s 10th manga volume, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 7, and Perry Rhodan NEO 4.

Some print for Kodansha. We see the 6th Attack on Titan Colossal Edition and the 5th and final box set of Fairy Tail. There’s also Battle Angel Alita 3, Peach Boy Riverside 3 and Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 6.

ASH: I’m still vaguely interested in Peach Boy Riverside, but haven’t actually gotten around to reading it…

SEAN: Digitally we get a new Cells At Work spinoff, Neo Bacteria! This is from the same author as the main Bacteria spinoff, and also ran in Nakayoshi. It’s done in one, and features the cells trying to help a girl confess to the one she likes. What even is this franchise anymore?

Also digitally, we get Fate/Grand Order -Epic of Remnant- Pseudo-Singularity III: The Stage of Carnage, Shimousa – Seven Duels of Swordmasters 4, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 6, Love After World Domination 2, My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought 10, and With the Sheikh in His Harem 7.

KUMA has a new BL title, You Are My Happiness (Kimiarite Kouhuku), a Comic Marginal title about a food stall vendor and his tailed, winged customer.

MJ: Maybe interesting?

SEAN: Seven Seas has three debuts. No Matter What You Say, Furi-san Is Scary! (Tonari no Furi-san ga Tonikaku Kowai) is an Ichijinsha title from the awkwardly named magazine Manga 4-koma Kings Palette. Girl looks and sounds like a delinquent… but she’s really a cute innocent girl in love with our hero.

ASH: I’m intrigued! This sounds like it could be fun.

MJ: It does.

ANNA: I enjoy delinquent manga.

SEAN: Reborn As a Barrier Master (Kekkaishi e no Tensei) comes from Gentosha’s Denshi Birz, and features a recently isekai’s salaryman who’s in the body of a 6-year-old. Almost sold into slavery, almost killed, he’s actually taken in by a local lord. Time to train his awesome power!

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games (Tai Ari Deshita. ~Ojou-sama wa Kakutou Game Nante Shinai~) is a yuri-ish title from Media Factory’s Comic Flapper. Imagine Maria-sama Ga Miteru if Sachiko were a hardcore gamer and you come close to what this is.

Seven Seas also has CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 2, A Centaur’s Life 20, Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 2, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 4, Machimaho: I Messed Up and Made the Wrong Person Into a Magical Girl! 8, Made in Abyss Official Anthology – Layer 3: White Whistle Melancholy, Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary 13, and Pompo: The Cinéphile 2.

Tentai Books has a new light novel out digitally, with print to follow. Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer (Tonari no Seki ni Natta Bishoujo ga Horesaseyou to Karakattekuru ga Itsunomanika Kaeriuchi ni Shiteita), a high school romcom about a nebbish guy who ends up next to the seemingly untouchable girl.

No debuts for Viz, but we do see My Hero Academia: Ultra Analysis—The Official Character Guide, nearly 300 pages of facts, trivia, hero analysis, and interviews.

We also get Black Clover 27, Dr. STONE 19, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 5–Golden Wind 2, Love Me Love Me Not 11, Mashle: Magic & Muscles 3, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes 11, Snow White with the Red Hair 16, The King’s Beast 4, and Undead Unluck 4.

MICHELLE: I vow to get caught up with these three Shojo Beat titles! And MHA: Vigilantes, as well.

ASH: Shojo Beat’s on my radar, too! As is the latest JoJo.

ANNA: I need to get caught up too!

SEAN: Yen On has two titles, as we get High School DxD 5 and Spice & Wolf 22.

Lastly, Yen Press has Bestia 3 and Uncle from Another World 3.

Stay gold, manga lovers. What are you picking up?

Pick of the Week: Manga for Halloween

by , , , and Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: Despite not one but two volumes of kitty manga coming out next week, I am most intrigued by Boy Meets Maria. LGBT, “powerful,” “dark,” and done in one volume? Yes, please!

ANNA: There’s not a ton coming out that really appeals to me this week, but I’m most interested in Never Open It: The Taboo Trilogy, just because we don’t get a ton of short story collections of manga.

KATE: Against my better judgment, I’m going to pick The Walking Cat, partly on the strength of the cover art, and partly for it cats vs. zombies premise. Who knows? Maybe this done-in-one omnibus will have something new and interesting to contribute to the undead genre.

SEAN: It’s been a bit stressful lately, and I could use a good laugh, so I will go with a known comedy favorite, Gabriel Dropout.

ASH: I’m interested in everything that’s been mentioned thus far, but find myself echoing Anna for my pick this week: I pre-ordered Never Open It as soon as I discovered that Ken Niimura was going to have a new book out—one of his previous works, Henshin, is a particular favorite of mine.

Manga the Week of 10/27/21

by , , , and 1 Comment

SEAN: BOO!

ASH: Aaah!

MICHELLE: Ack!

ANNA: EEK!

MJ: … erk?

SEAN: We start with Yen On, which has The Detective Is Already Dead 2, the 15th KonoSuba, and Solo Leveling 3.

ASH: I really ought to give Solo Leveling a try before I get too far behind.

Two new series from Yen Press. The first is the manga version of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, whose light novel came out earlier this month.

The other is Never Open It: The Taboo Trilogy, a short story collection by famed creator Ken Niimura.

ASH: I am so excited for this one! I really enjoy Niimura’s work.

ANNA: This looks interesting.

SEAN: Also from Yen: Gabriel Dropout 10, Mint Chocolate 4, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 16, and Wolf and Parchment 2.

Udon Entertainment has the 8th Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu.

Seven Seas doesn’t have much, but what it has are mostly debuts. Boy Meets Maria is an LGBT title from Printemps Shuppan’s Canna, and I hear it’s quite powerful, but also quite dark. It’s finished in one volume.

ASH: I’ll be giving it a read, for sure.

MICHELLE: Same here.

MJ: Oh, interesting!

SEAN: Necromance is a shonen title from Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket. A hero becomes an undead to save the world… but now he can’t even touch the girl he loves! Can he find a way to return himself to life?

ASH: I don’t know about the manga, but that title is great.

MJ: Agreed.

SEAN: Sarazanmai: The Official Manga Anthology is what it says – a collection by many artists based around the popular series.

ASH: I like seeing these types of anthologies released.

SEAN: The Walking Cat: A Cat’s-Eye View of the Zombie Apocalypse is a Futabasha title from Manga Action. Zombie apocalypse meets cat manga. It’s a 550-page omnibus with all 3 volumes in 1.

ASH: That’s quite the tome! Count me curious.

MICHELLE: Huh.

ANNA: Hmm.

SEAN: One Peace has The Rising of the Shield Hero 21.

Kodansha has a debut in print… well, a spinoff. The Seven Deadly Sins: Original Sins Short Story Collection is what it sounds like. It also includes the original “pilot” for the series.

Also in print: Grand Blue Dreaming 14, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts 12, Whisper Me a Love Song 4, and With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day is Fun 5.

MICHELLE: I really liked the first volume of With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day Is Fun. I should read more of it.

SEAN: Digitally Kodansha debuts Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest (Fuguushoku [Kanteishi] ga Jitsu wa Saikyou Datta – Naraku de Kitaeta Saikyou no [Shingan] de Musou Suru), which runs in Magazine Pocket. It is what it is.

Also out digitally: Back When You Called Us Devils 6, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 3, DAYS 26, Farewell My Dear Cramer 6, The Girl, the Shovel and the Evil Eye 2, Harem Marriage 10, Mr. Bride 3, and Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 5.

Remember all those print titles from J-Novel Club I talked about last week? They got bumped. Insert them here.

ASH: I’ll be on the lookout.

SEAN: Their digital light novel debut is A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life (Deokure Tamer no Sonohigurashi). A gamer is excited to start a new VRMMORPG… but quickly finds the class he chose is not really suited to being awesome, but to slow life.

Also out digitally next week: Ascendance of a Bookworm 15, Campfire Cooking in Another World 5 (manga version), The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 11, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 14, Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party 7, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! 4, Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! 3, and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Wayward Journey 14.

Dark Horse gives us a 7th Mob Psycho 100.

Cross Infinite World has the 3rd volume of Reincarnated as the Last of My Kind.

Lastly, Airship has The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan in print.

And in early digital versions they have Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 2 and The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 4.

What manga are you trapped inside, face pressed against the pages, unable to escape?

Pick of the Week: Confessions and Titans

by , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: This may be the first time I’ve ever picked as Pick of the Week a book I not only plan to not read but plan to actively avoid. But man, Attack on Titan is ending, and it’s just been so influential on the past few years of manga. It blew up here in North America, for good and ill, and it had some great set pieces. But I fear its attempts to tell an anti-fascist story got muddled along the way. Still, I will toast it here.

MICHELLE: I suppose I’ll go with Doing His Best to Confess, since it looks cute. That’s my whole justification this time: it looks cute.

ASH: That’s a justification that I can get behind, and a manga that I’m interested in, too! Sean also makes an excellent case for Attack on Titan as a pick. Novel-wise, however, I’m going to go with The Haunted Bookstore.

ANNA: I’ll also go with Doing His Best to Confess, it sounds like the most appealing option for me this week.

Manga the Week of 10/20/21

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: As we inch ever closer to Halloween, beware of the manga yokai, which look like Shonen Jump volumes but lure children to their doom.

ASH: I absolutely believe this tale to be true.

MJ: Okay, I lol’d.

SEAN: Airship has two print light novel debuts. We get print versions of The Haunted Bookstore – Gateway to a Parallel Universe and The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real!.

ASH: Looking forward to giving The Haunted Bookstore a try now that it’ll be in print!

SEAN: Also in print (and same-day digital): Monster Girl Doctor 8.

Early digital volumes include Adachi and Shimamura 7, Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Lily’s Miracle (a side-story), and Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 3.

Ghost Ship has World’s End Fantasia 5.

J-Novel Club has a bunch of print titles. We see the debut of Her Majesty’s Swarm, as well as the first Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook. We also get By the Grace of the Gods 6, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 6, In Another World with My Smartphone 18, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Omnibus 3, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 2.

ASH: I’m still delighted to see things like fanbooks being released these days.

SEAN: Digitally we see Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend: Roomies and Romance 3 and My Next Life As a Villainess 10.

Kodansha has a new print omnibus of Attack on Titan, containing the first three volumes, back when the story was at its best and the art was at its worst. We also get Attack on Titan 34, the final volume, which is the opposite.

ASH: Oh, how the times have changed!

SEAN: Other omnibuses in print: Love in Focus Complete Collection (the entire series), The Seven Deadly Sins 1-3, And That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! 3-4. There’s also Eden’s Zero 13 and The Heroic Legend of Arslan 15, which are not omnibuses.

And we get a print release for Vampire Dormitory, whose ebook came out two years ago.

Digital debuts? We get Doing His Best to Confess (Natsuaki-kun wa Kyou mo Kokuhaku shitai), a Betsufure title which has a seemingly cool and aloof guy turn out to just be shy and awkward. Can he confess to the girl he likes?

MICHELLE: This looks pretty cute. I tend to like stories about seemingly cool and aloof guys who are just awkward (see Lovesick Ellie).

ANNA: That does sound cute.

ASH: Agreed!

SEAN: The other debut is Tesla Note, which is a shonen series that runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine. It’s filled with action and conspiracies, is from the author of Tiger & Bunny, and its anime has bombed so bad possibly no one will care enough to get the source.

Also out digitally: Blue Lock 8, The Decagon House Murders 3, Defying Kurosaki-kun 17, A Girl & Her Guard Dog 6, Nina the Starry Bride 5, We’re New at This 9, and You’re My Cutie 2.

MICHELLE: At some point I will actually read Blue Lock.

SEAN: One Peace Books has Hinamatsuri 13.

Seven Seas has three debuts. Creepy Cat is a full-color graphic novel based on the popular webcomic which balances between cute and scary.

ASH: Always curious about a new cat comic!

SEAN: Kiruru Kill Me is a new Shonen Jump Plus series from the creator of Pretty Face and Mx0. A young man is rich and successful, but has no one to love. Then he falls head over heels… for an assassin. There’s only one thing to do: order a hit on himself.

ASH: I’ll admit to being curious about this one, too.

Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! (Yuusha ni Haiboku Shita Maou-sama wa Kaerizaku Tame ni Mamonogirudo o Tsukuru Koto ni Shimashita) runs in Shinchosha’s Comic Bunch Web, about a dark lord defeated by an OP Hero, who manages to survive and now forms… you guessed it… a ragtag band of misfits.

Also from Seven Seas: Even Though We’re Adults 3, GIGANT 6, Kingdom of Z 4, and Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 6.

MICHELLE: At some point I will actually read Even Though We’re Adults!

ASH: I’ve been picking them up as they’ve been released, but have not actually read any of the volumes, yet.

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 2nd volume of Her Royal Highness Seems to be Angry.

Viz debuts Burn the Witch, from the creator of Bleach. Indeed, it’s set in the same world as Bleach, albeit a little further into the future, and in London. Two agents trying to get easy assignments they can turn into cash instead end up in fantasy misadventures.

Also from Viz: Asadora! 4, No Guns Life 11, No. 5 2, and The Creative Gene, a collection of essays by the creator of Metal Gear Solid.

ASH: Happy to see the next volume of No. 5 coming out!

SEAN: Yen On has two light novels: A Sister’s All You Need 11 and Solo Leveling 3.

Yen Press’s sole title is a digital-only debut: If You Could See Love (Moshi, Koi ga Mieta Nara). This yuri series runs in Shonen Ace Plus. Have you ever seen those complicated love charts fans make with arrows pointing forward and back? Our heroine can see them… including two pointed at her. But… this is an all girls’ school!

ASH: The premise sounds like it could be promising.

SEAN: Are you haunted by manga? Or by the spirit of Sasha Braus demanding a potato?

Pick of the Week: Knights and Kings

by , , , , and 1 Comment

MICHELLE: There’s so much good stuff coming out this week, though most of it new installments in series in which I’m woefully behind. My heart, however, most goes “squee!” at the prospect of getting caught up with Knight of the Ice, so that’s what I’ll go with this week.

SEAN: A lot of good stuff, yes. New Komi Can’t Communicate, new Rose King. That said, I will stay on brand and pick a light novel, I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, because I just can’t get enough of this type of story.

ANNA: I’m with Michelle, Knight of the Ice is consistently enjoyable, looking forward to the new volume.

KATE: I gotta admit that I’m not really feeling this week’s list; I’m so behind on Knight of the Ice that I don’t know if I can still recommend it. But if pressed to the wall, I’d throw my weight behind Wave, Listen to Me!, if only because I’m one of those dinosaurs who still listens to the radio.

ASH: I’ll be waiting for the print edition, but Wave, Listen to Me! is such a good choice. As for my pick, I’ll be going with Requiem of the Rose King as I still cannot resist its sensuous drama. (Not that I’m trying to resist it…)

MJ: Hello, there is a new Requiem of the Rose King and that’s the end of the selection process for me. Yep.

Manga the Week of 10/13/21

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: Mid-October and we’re still seeing a lot of great books.

ASH: I’m okay with this, although I am terribly behind.

SEAN: Yen On has a debut, with a title that might sound a bit familiar. I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss (Akuyaku Reijo nano de Last Boss wo Kattemimashita) is a light novel with a premise that readers are no doubt aware of. This one’s quite popular, though, and an anime was just announced, which is a rarity for villainesses not named Catarina.

Other light novels next week include Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 4, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 4, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 7, and The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 3.

As for Yen Press, they have Angels of Death 12 (the final volume) and Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 10.

ASH: Good reading for the spooky season.

SEAN: Viz Media gives us Call of the Night 4, Case Closed 80, Fullmetal Alchemist: A New Beginning (a new light novel in the series Viz started back in the 00s), How Do We Relationship? 4, Komi Can’t Communicate 15, the 10th and final volume of Pokémon Adventures Collector’s Edition, and Requiem of the Rose King 14.

ASH: Always glad for a new volume of Requiem of the Rose King! And thanks for pointing out that the Fullmetal Alchemist novel is a new volume rather than a new printing; it’s been a while since I’ve read any of those.

ANNA: Agree about Rose King, I need to get caught up.

MICHELLE: Same here!

MJ: Okay, Requiem of the Rose King, yes please. Also, I can’t believe I never really got into that Fullmetal Alchemist light novel series. I will have to check it out!

SEAN: Tokyopop has Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Blood Brothers and Konohana Kitan 10.

Square Enix has By the Grace of the Gods 3.

No debuts for Seven Seas this time around, but we do get Arifureta: I Heart Isekai 4, Happy Kanako’s Killer Life 2, High Rise Invasion 19-21 (which wraps up the series), The Invincible Shovel 2, Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka 12, Non Non Biyori 15, Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General 7, The Tale of the Outcasts 3, and Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan 3.

ASH: I still need to check out Wonder Cat.

MICHELLE: Jeez, volume two of Happy Kanako already?!

SEAN: One Peace debuts Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway (Hige o Soru. Soshite Joshikousei o Hirou), the manga adaptation of a popular light novel which has been licensed in English by Kadokawa’s new publishing arm here. The title is the plot.

Kodansha, in print, has Knight of the Ice 7.

ASH: Yay!

ANNA: One of the few series I’m not behind on, it continues to be delightful.

MICHELLE: I’m behind, but I still say “Yay!”

SEAN: Digitally there is a bit more. The debut is Our Bodies, Entwining, Entwined (Karada, Kasanete, Kasanatte), a “shousei” title from Palcy. A woman who was dumped years ago for being “boring” at sex is in a new relationship, but her boyfriend also has issues having sex. Can the two of them satisfy each other?

Also digital: Altair: A Record of Battles 24, Ex-Enthusiasts: Motokare Mania 6 (the final volume), Giant Killing 27, My Pink Is Overflowing 5, Perfect World 8, Police in a Pod 5, Space Brothers 39, Wave, Listen to Me! 7, and Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad 3.

MICHELLE: I thought Ex-Enthusiasts: Motokare Mania was quite fun and, of course, I adore Giant Killing and Wave, Listen to Me!.

J-Novel Club has two debuts. Hell Mode ~The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing~ (Hellmode ~Yarikomi Suki no Gamer wa Haisettei no Isekai de Musou Suru~) is about a hardcore gamer looking for a challenge, who finds himself reincarnated in a very difficult game world.

The other is Maddrax, a German SF series from J-Novel Pulp.

Also out next week: An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride 12, Black Summoner 6, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 14, and the 8th manga volume of Infinite Dendrogram.

Ghost Ship gives us World’s End Harem 12. The back cover promises this is the climax, but (unsurprisingly in this sort of manga) the climax may wait a bit longer, as there’s more to come.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Airship debuts in print Disciple of the Lich: Or How I Was Cursed by the Gods and Dropped Into the Abyss!.

Also out in print: Reincarnated As a Sword 9 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 2.

Digitally there’s early volumes for My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s 2 and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 2.

Are these books great? Judge them. Judge them with your EYES.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/4/21

by and Leave a Comment

Do You Like Big Girls?, Vol. 1 | By Goro Aizome | Ghost Ship – The cover art and publisher of this particular title tells you exactly what’s going to happen, and that’s what happens. The premise is that a short college guy takes over managing his sister’s girls’ volleyball team, and they’re almost all very tall, big-breasted women. The actual premise is that he screws through the entire team, one chapter and one girl at a time, with the exception of his sister, but you get the sense that that exception will fly out the window when the second volume comes around. That said, the sex is consensual all around, the girls are fun, and the coach of the team is bi, something he has to repeat twice because our hero assumes bi = gay. If you’re looking for fun softcore porn, this is pretty good. – Sean Gaffney

I Wish I Could Say “Thank You” | By Yukari Takinami | Fanfare/Ponent Mon – When I think of Fanfare/Ponent Mon, I tend to first think of Jiro Taniguchi, but the publisher does in fact release work by other manga creators, all of which are also worth a look. I Wish I Could Say “Thank You” is one such volume, an autobiographical comic about the experiences of the creator and her family after her mother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. With this diagnosis also comes the knowledge that her mother does not have long to live, a shadow with which they will all have to come to terms. I Wish I Could Say “Thank You” is an honest work, simply but effectively told and illustrated. And though its subject matter is obviously serious, the manga is also not without humor, Takinami skillfully balancing hard-hitting moments with light-hearted ones as she delves into the complexities of familial relationships made even more complicated by an incurable illness. – Ash Brown

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 10 | By Afro | Yen Press – Rin frequently takes off from the main cast to do her own thing, but this time around she’s almost absent for a good chunk of the manga, as the rest of our camping kids all have fun without her, doing things like making makeshift stoves and homemade sausages. The back half does have Rin, but without Nadeshiko, who is taking a train towards their destination—instead Rin and Sakura do a little mini-tour of the area they’re going to, showing off once again how much the author loves the Japanese countryside, as well as the country 80 million suspension bridges. That said, discussion of the prices of camping equipment in this volume reminded me how expensive a hobby this really is. Can they keep up the financial pace? – Sean Gaffney

Mr. Bride, Vol. 1 | By Natsumi Shiba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Boy, I wanted to like this more than I did. It has a cute premise, as a woman who has it together at work but is a complete mess at home ends up having her horrified co-worker move in and become a “wife” as he’s actually really hardcore about cooking and cleaning properly. It even runs in Kiss! The trouble is… I really don’t like the female lead, who seems to be taking this very much for granted. I admit that it’s exactly the sort of thing I’d also hate if the genders were reversed, and I can see this appealing to women who want a little fantasy of being cared for, but I think this relationship, such as it is, is a bit too unbalanced to really appeal to me. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 29 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – Sometimes, as heroes, you can come up with a brilliant plan, execute it perfectly… and it turns out not to work after all. This is what we see with our 1-A kids here, as between Yaoyorozu, Ashido and Kirishima they deliver a sleep dose right into Gigantomachia’s mouth… which is then pretty much shrugged off, as he continues to head for the heart of the city. Things aren’t much better there either, as Shigaraki and Izuku battle to see who can kill who the fastest, and the collateral damage gets wider and wider. And isn’t the named hero body count a bit small so far? Even if the heroes do win this battle, they may never be able to recover from the fallout. And it’s still going on. – Sean Gaffney

Ran the Peerless Beauty, Vol. 10 | By Ammitsu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – I am a bit disappointed, I will admit, that the cover art is the only bit we get showing our hero and heroine getting married—the actual final volume itself is simply content to end at graduation. There’s one last problem left to solve, as Ran has to confront the guy who caused her to not get into the right school and assure him that it’s OK. He turns out to have his own issues, being the only med school student in a family of doctors who isn’t a natural born talent. But honestly, most of what we get here is Ran being gorgeous and kind, with the occasional full-page shot reminding us how gorgeous and kind she really is. This is Kimi ni Todoke-lite, and the lite is a flaw, but I still greatly enjoyed it. – Sean Gaffney

A Sign of Affection, Vol. 4 | By Suu Morishita | Kodansha Comics (digital version, print due in December) – One of the great things about A Sign of Affection is that, while Yuki is deaf, the manga is not about her being deaf, nor is it about how deaf people do romance. It’s simply a cute and budding romance between two college kids, one of whom is deaf. They’re finally a couple here, and are doing things like going on camping trips where they can point at things and learn what the sign language is for that particular object. We also get a bit more happening with our beta couple, as Rin and Kyouya are clearly into each other but reluctant to take the next step, though after the events of this volume that may start to change. We’ve been getting a lot of really sweet shoujo lately, and I for one love it. – Sean Gaffney

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 8 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Kotaro ad Asako are still a brand new couple, and they got together very fast, so there are still a few things they get very embarrassed about, ranging from Asako’s worries that she’s gaining weight to the joys (?) of taking a bath together. That said, as the cover art may indicate, the main chunk of this book is taken up with a company beach party, which allows everyone to show off their swimsuit (or to wear a hoodie over it because you’re shy) and demonstrate their beach volleyball skills. The most important chapter, though, may be the one where they see a family while out shopping and both imagine how good a parent the other one would be. Two volumes still to go in this sweet romance. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Mixed-Up Picks

by , , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: Lotsa stuff this week, including 80 gabillion Yen On light novels, as well as a new Shojo Beat title. But I’m gonna go with the new volume of Sunshine Sketch, because, like Yotsuba&!, it’s been three years since the last volume. I miss my vaguely yuri art college kids.

MICHELLE: This week has Wotakoi, Chihayafuru, Spy x Family, Yona of the Dawn, and Yowamushi Pedal. In a regular week, I could happily endorse any one of those. But it’s the new Shojo Beat title, My Love Mix-Up!, that interests me most. I loved the artist’s work on My Love Story!! and am intrigued to see how it pairs with a different writer’s story.

KATE: I heartily second Michelle’s pick since I also adored My Love Story!!. But I’m also stoked for another volume of Boys Run the Riot, a series I’ve been enjoying and vowing to review when I find the time.

ANNA: There’s a lot of great series coming out this week, and I’m totally going to read My Love Mix-Up!. But on a week when Yona of the Dawn is also coming out, that’s always going to be my pick.

ASH: I’m looking forward to every series mentioned so far, but the debut of My Love Mix-Up! is the one that I’m most curious about, essentially echoing Michelle here.

MJ: Well, My Love Mix-Up! seems to have my name written all over it, so I’m gonna have to go with that, no question!

Manga the Week of 10/6/21

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: October! Time for scary manga!

ASH: Ooooooo!

MICHELLE: Scary manga and super creeps?

SEAN: Airship has, in print, Monster Musume The Novel – Monster Girls on the Job!, a spinoff of the popular monster girl manga series.

We also get an early digital release for Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 3.

Dark Horse has the 7th Gantz omnibus.

Denpa gives us a 4th volume of Pleasure & Corruption.

Ghost Ship debuts Do You Like Big Girls? (Ookii Onnanoko wa Daisuki Desu ka?), a series that runs in Takeshobo’s Kissca, and combines ‘volleyball manga’ and ‘borderline porn’… well, OK, the porn is like 5/6 of it, the volleyball 1/6. But at least it’s all consensual, that’s a plus.

ASH: That is a plus!

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship is SUPER HXEROS 4. This actually jumped from Seven Seas’ main label to Ghost Ship before the last volume, so presumably the sexual content also bumped up.

ASH: Sometimes you don’t know where a series is going to go until it goes there.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has lots of stuff, including 3 titles that should have been on last week’s list, apologies, the month change confused me. J-Novel Pulp’s John Sinclair: Demon Hunter 4, The Magician Who Rose From Failure 3, and Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ 2.

As for actual next week stuff, for manga there’s Der Werwolf 3 and Marginal Operation 9.

For light novels, we get Are You Okay With a Slightly Older Girlfriend? 5, Cooking with Wild Game 14, Holmes of Kyoto 6, In Another World with My Smartphone 23, Infinite Dendrogram 15, Monster Tamer 6, and She’s the Cutest… But We’re Just Friends! 2.

Kodansha has print manga for us. There’s Boys Run the Riot 3, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card 10, Orient 5, Rent-a-Girlfriend 9, That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime 17, and Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku 5.

ASH: Boys Run the Riot has been great so far. I’m really looking forward to reading more of Wotakoi, too; it seems like it’s been awhile.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more Wotakoi!

ANNA: Already so behind on Boys Run the Riot.

SEAN: Kodansha’s digital debut is Love After World Domination (Koi wa Sekai Seifuku no Ato de), a Weekly Shonen Magazine series about a hero who falls in love with a villainess. I think this is getting an anime.

Also out digitally: Chihayafuru 28, GTO: Paradise Lost 15, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 3, My Dearest Self With Malice Aforethought 9, My Sweet Girl 13 (the final volume), My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1 6, ONIMAI: I’m Now Your Sister! 2, Saint Young Men 13, Sweet Sweet Revenge 2 (also a final volume), With the Sheikh in His Harem 6, and Ya Boy Kongming! 5.

MICHELLE: I’m most excited for Chihayafuru, of course, but I did start My Sweet Girl and liked it well enough. Probably I should attempt to finish it.

ANNA: Waves with intention to read one day at Chihayafuru.

SEAN: Seven Seas continues to push out titles after the early September lull. Lots of debuts again.

ASH: Woo! Here we go!

SEAN: DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level (Isekai Meikyuu no Saishinbu o Mezasou) is an isekai manga from Overlap’s Comic Gardo. Based on an (unlicensed) light novel, its premise is the same as any other manga with ‘isekai’ and ‘dungeon’ in the title.

Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! (Salaryman ga Isekai ni Ittara Shitennou ni Natta Hanashi) is an isekai manga from Overlap’s Comic Gardo. Not based on a light novel, it has a salaryman summoned by the demon lord to keep her minions in line. This seems like a comedy.

Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers (Hitomi-chan wa Hito Mishiri) is NOT an isekai manga from Comic Gardo. This runs in Akita Shoten’s Manga Cross, and seems to be their attempt to do Komi Can’t Communicate with the serial numbers filed off.

Time Stop Hero (Jikan Teishi Yuusha – Yomei 3-ka no Settei ja Sekai o Sukuu ni wa Mijika Sugiru) is an isekai manga from Kodansha’s Shonen Sirius, which seems to combine the subtleties of isekai series with the sensitive and caring aspects of the 1982 sex comedy “Zapped!” starring Scott Baio.

MICHELLE: lol.

MJ: I also lol’d.

SEAN: And we have ongoing series. The Ancient Magus’ Bride 15, The Demon Girl Next Door 4, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 12, Kageki Shojo!! 2, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 2, the third and final volume of Rainbow and Black, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 2.

ASH: Oh, there’s a few ongoing series here that i’m reading; I better get ready!

MICHELLE: I could go for some The Ancient Magus’ Bride.

SEAN: Tokyopop gives us Laughing Under the Clouds 4.

Viz gives us one debut, a Shojo Beat title from Betsuma. My Love Mix-Up! (Kieta Hatsukoi) features a new author but the artist is the one who did My Love Story!!. Guy likes girl, but she seems to like another guy. What’s more, the other guy now thinks that HE likes him. Bisexuality ahoy!

ASH: My Love Story!! is a favorite of mine, in part because of the artwork, so I’m definitely planning on giving this one a try.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ANNA: Unsurprisingly, me too!

SEAN: Viz has a new My Hero Academia: School Briefs light novel, the 5th in the series. It seems to take place right after the My Villain Academia arc (though is about the heroes, of course).

We also get Blue Exorcist 26, Chainsaw Man 7, Jujutsu Kaisen 12, Moriarty the Patriot 5, One-Punch Man 23, Seraph of the End 22, Spy x Family 6, We Never Learn 18, and Yona of the Dawn 32.

ASH: Solid showing from Viz this coming week.

MICHELLE: No kidding!

ANNA: Yay for more Yona especially.

SEAN: Lastly, there’s Yen Press, who moved a lot of September stuff to October. Yen On’s debut is The Undead King’s Reign of Peace (Fusetsu no Fushiou no Saiseiki), the story of a girl saved by the undead king, a powerful skeleton. (See, more skeletons in light novels.) Sadly, while he wants peace for all, most everyone wants him dead.

ASH: I don’t mind the skeleton trend, honestly.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 3, Date a Live 3, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 2, The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious 7, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World! 5, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 12, No Game No Life Practical War Game, Strike the Blood 19, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 7, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 6, and Woof Woof Story: I Told You to Turn Me Into a Pampered Pooch, Not Fenrir! 7.

No debuts from Yen Press, but we do get Adachi and Shimamura 2, Bungo Stray Dogs 20, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 11, I’m the Hero, but the Demon Lord’s Also Me 2, Im: Great Priest Imhotep 11 (the final volume), Love of Kill 4, Plunderer 8, Sunshine Sketch 10 (which, like Yotsuba&!, also had its last volume come out in 2018), The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions 4, and Yowamushi Pedal 18.

ASH: I’ve actually been binging Yowamushi Pedal lately to catch up to this volume.

MICHELLE: I really need to catch up, too! Maybe singing “hime, hime” will help me to do so.

ANNA: My kids are into Yowamushi Pedal so I gotta order that.

SEAN: I think the scariest thing is how big this list is.

ASH: It is pretty big.

Pick of the Week: Old Favorites and New Delights

by , , , , and Leave a Comment

ASH: There are some great manga being released this week and, while I can’t bring myself to choose only one as my official pick, I did somehow manage to narrow it down to two. Debut-wise, I’m particularly curious about The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, which looks like it should be delightful. But I also want to highlight the final volume of BL Metamorphosis, which has been a truly wonderful and special series.

SEAN: Those are both fantastic choices, and I’m also very interested in J-Novel Club’s new shoujo light novels. But I have to pick Yotsuba&! 15, because it’s been so long, and it’s so heartwarming.

MICHELLE: There is so much good stuff coming out this week! I am really looking forward to The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today, but since we can extoll the virtues of volume two in November, I’ll join Sean in choosing Yotsuba&! this week, since I might not get another chance until 2024.

KATE: I’m always down for a new installment of Yotsuba&!, but I won’t lie: I need a Masterful Cat in my life right now, since I’m just getting the hang of commuting and working with other people in person again.

ANNA: There are quite a few intriguing titles coming out this week, but the one that is going to rocket to the top of my to-read list is Witch Hat Atelier.

MJ: There’s a lot for me to choose from this week, for once! And I truly am torn, even though many of the series I’m most interested in are those I haven’t yet (but plan to!) begin. So I guess, like Michelle, I’ll take this opportunity to appreciate a long-awaited new volume of Yotsuba&!.