Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Ash Brown

Manga the Week of 6/24/20

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SEAN: Look out, folks. The danger of COVID-19 may still be here, but the dam has broken. There are SO MANY BOOKS next week.

ASH: Woo!

SEAN: We’ll start with Dark Horse, who have a 5th volume of Mob Psycho 100.

ASH: I’ll be picking this up.

SEAN: J-Novel Club’s debut is Deathbound Duke’s Daughter, which is another in the “I’ve been reincarnated as a villainess in an otome game” genre. Really nice artwork for this novel series. It’s from Futabasha’s M Novels.

Also from J-Novel Club: An Archdemon’s Dilemma 10, Ascendance of a Bookworm 7 (which finishes the 2nd arc, the one currently being animated), the 2nd Sorcerous Stabber Orphen manga, and a 4th Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!

Kodansha has a lot. Debuts? We have three. One even is in print: the first volume of The Ghost in the Shell: Human Algorithm, a spinoff of the legendary manga/anime franchise.

ASH: It’s always interesting to see how various creators envision Ghost in the Shell.

SEAN: A new digital-only title is Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! (Abe-kun ni Nerawaretemasu), a shoujo title from the online replacement for Aria, Palcy. A comedy manga about a girl who finds the school’s karate champ confessing to her… and he’s not going to take no for an answer.

Also digital (at least for now) is Sue & Tai-chan, another cat manga from the creator of Chi’s Sweet Home. This one runs in Be Love magazine, so seems more for housewives than kids. But… I mean, it’s still a cute cat manga.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to it!

SEAN: Scheduled (at the moment) for Digital next week and print later, we see Cardcaptor Sakura Collector’s Edition 5 (along with 3 and 4, whose print are out already), Fire Force 19, Love and Lies 9, O Maidens in Your Savage Season 7, and Yuri Is My Job! 6.

ASH: As usual, I’ll be waiting for the print release, but O Maidens in Your Savage Season is really good.

SEAN: Digital-only titles out next week? Altair: A Record of Battles 19 (I swear this is now weekly), Asahi-sempai’s Favorite 7 (the final volume), Hotaru’s Way 14, I Fell in Love After School 5, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 15, and Watari-kun’s ****** Is about to Collapse 7 (which also feels like it’s out every week).

MICHELLE: Of these, I’m only currently reading I Fell in Love After School, but I do enjoy it.

SEAN: KUMA has a digital-first, print later debut: Canis: Dear Mr. Rain. This BL title originally ran in Opera a few years back, but is now in Takeshobo’s Reijin. It’s about picking up a stray on the side of the road, only this is a human, not a dog.

MJ: Maybe?

SEAN: One Peace has a 13th Rising of the Shield Hero (manga version).

Seven Seas, in print, has New Game! 9.

Seven Seas, digitally, has a bit more. We have two debuts. Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time (Peter Grill to Kenja no Jikan) runs in Futabasha’s Manga Action, which means it can’t be full-on porn, but it sounds like it. Peter Grill has a lovely fiancee and has just won a tournament pronouncing him the World’s Strongest. Unfortunately, this means all the women in the world – elves, ogres – want to bone him. Poor guy, can he escape his horrible fate?

MJ: …wow.

SEAN: The other digital debut is Syrup, another yuri anthology of short stories – this one from Futabasha – and featuring the creators of I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up and Kisses, Sighs and Cherry Blossom Pink.

ASH: Oh! That sounds like it has promise!

MJ: This might be good!

SEAN: There’s also the 3rd Arifureta manga, Gal Gohan 3, GIGANT 2, a 2nd Magic User: Reborn in Another World as a Max Level Wizard light novel, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Elma’s Office Lady Diary 3, Non Non Biyori 13, the 3rd Reincarnated As a Sword manga, and the 10th and final Toradora! light novel. (Yes, I know there are short story volumes. No, they aren’t. No, it’s unlikely they will be.)

Square Enix has – digital first – the 3nd Hi Score Girl manga and the 2nd Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town manga.

Tokyopop has two new series. Don’t Call Me Daddy (Daddy Darlin’) is a BL manga, sequel to Don’t Call Me Dirty.

The other is No Vampire, No Happy Ending (Ringo to Bara to Kyuuketsuki (Kari)), a goofy Mag Garden comedy about a vampire enthusiast who finally meets one and discovers they’re not up to snuff.

MJ: This actually sounds fun, maybe in a What We Do in the Shadows kind of way, but …Tokyopop. Not sure I’m ready.

Vertical has (digitally) Bakemonogatari’s 4th manga, APOSIMZ 5, and Kino’s Journey 6.

MJ: I’ve been kind of out of it and have lost touch with the Kino’s Journey manga adaptation. I should try to fix that.

SEAN: That’s it! We’re done! Wait… (giant pile of Yen Press falls on Sean) Riiiiiight. Yen’s back in town.

ASH: Whoa! Hang on for the ride!

SEAN: All of the light novel debuts got moved to July. But there’s still a lot of Yen On. We get The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) 3, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 7, Last Round Arthurs 2, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 6.5 (yes, the numbering is deliberate), Overlord 12, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 7, A Sister’s All You Need 7, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime 8, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 2, Woof Woof Story 4, and World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker 3. Guh. So many books, so many long titles.

ASH: For sure!

SEAN: Manga? Well, there we have a few debuts. Bestia is a fantasy series about magical beasts, looks cute, and runs in Kadokawa’s Shonen Ace.

Breasts Are My Favorite Things in the World (Sekai de Ichiban Oppai Ga Suki!) is sort of Knight of the Ice if the knight was a girl and instead of wanting to hear magical girl songs she had to fondle huge breasts in order to do well in competitions. It looks… a bit over the top. This runs in Media Factory’s Comic Cune.

MJ: What is happening??

SEAN: Lust Geass is from the creator of Evangelion spinoff The Shinji Ikari Raising Project, runs in Kadokawa’s Young Ace, and seems to be Death Note only with sex instead of death.

MJ: Yen Press is really losing me lately.

SEAN: And there’s Restaurant in Another World, the manga version of the light novel. Old-school Crunchyroll manga readers may recall this title.

ASH: Oh, I may need to check this one out.

SEAN: Lastly, Sekiro Side Story: Hanbei the Undying seems to be a side story to something I don’t know (it’s certainly not Sekirei), and I guess is based off a game.

Ongoing titles? Well, Umineko: When They Cry comes to an end with the 3rd and final omnibus of Twilight of the Golden Witch. We’ve figured out by now that most everyone in the cast is really, genuinely dead. But did ANYONE other than Ange survive? Read to find out.

And… Bungo Stray Dogs 15, Chio’s School Road 9, Dead Mount Death Play 4, Divine Raiment Magical Girl Howling Moon 2, Do You Love Your Mom (and Her Two-Hit, Multi-Target Attacks?) 3 (manga version), Eclair Bleau (another yuri anthology volume) Goblin Slayer 8 (manga version), KonoSuba Explosion 5 (manga version, technically a final volume but there’s a sequel), Little Miss P: The Second Day, Phantom Tales of the Night 4, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 10 (manga version), and A Witch’s Printing Office 3.

MICHELLE: So many paragraphs of things I’m not reading, with the probable exception of Eclair Bleue.

ANNA: I’m going to have a hard time doing pick of the week this week, despite this deluge of manga.

ASH: I’m glad to see publishers getting their books out there, but that is certainly a lot all at once!

MJ: A lot of… what?

SEAN: Stay masked even though all the manga is back! What are you getting?

Pick of the Week: Picks Galore

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KATE: Holy smokes–that’s a lot of good manga heading our way this week! I’d be hard-pressed to limit my pick of the week to just two titles, let alone one. But if I had to choose just one book–and death was not an option–I’d pick Satoko and Nada, a sometimes gentle, sometimes sharp comedy about two international students making sense of the United States together.

SEAN: As I said in Manga the Week of, I love both Satoko and Nada and Tomo-chan Is a Girl. But if I’m going for a pick this week, I think I’ll go with – once again – Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Inio Asano’s K-On! gone horribly wrong series.

ASH: There really is an abundance of great manga being released this week! I’ll third the Satoko and Nada recommendation, but the manga I’m probably most looking forward to is Nagabe’s collection of short manga Love on the Other Side, so I’ll make that my official pick.

MICHELLE: I am going to pick still another option by going with the fifth and final volume of I’ll Win You Over, Sempai!. It’s a Kodansha digital exclusive and is about one of those pretty boys who’s actually kind of awkward but has been put on a pedestal and the pesky girl who does, indeed, eventually win him over. I have enjoyed it a lot.

ANNA: Out of everything coming out this week I’m most excited about Blue Flag 2, the first volume was wonderful.

MJ: Wow, the pressure is on! There’s a lot of exciting stuff to look forward to this week. And since my colleagues have already named most of them, I’ll put in a shout-out for The Weirn Books: Be Wary of the Silent Woods, which appears to be a continuation of her beloved (by me) Nightschool series for middle-grade readers. I’m excited to pick it up!

Manga the Week of 6/17/20

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SEAN: It’s mid-June. Is it hot where you are? It’s certainly hot where I am. Have some manga.

We start with light novels, though, as J-Novel Club has a debut. Wild Times with a Fake Fake Princess is another series by Ichiro Sakaki, author of Outbreak Company. The description makes it sound like “straight man surrounded by wacky people and situations”. Think broad comedy. It’s 3 volumes total.

J-Novel Club also gives us Her Majesty’s Swarm 3.

Kodansha, in early digital releases of print titles, gives us Boarding School Juliet 12, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime 13 and Witch Hat Atelier 6.

ASH: I’ll be waiting to pick it up in print, but I am very pleased to see all the love Witch Hat Atelier is getting these days!

ANNA: Totally collecting Witch Hat Atelier in print too!

SEAN: Digital-only has a LOT more. The debut is Men’s Life —Her Secret Life in The Boys’ Dormitory—, a Betsufure series by the creator of L♥DK. Introverted girl, extroverted brother, she has to disguise herself as him… you know the drill.

MICHELLE: I will at least give the debut volume a look, but I didn’t realize it was by the L♥DK creator. I tried the first volume of that and didn’t like it much.

MJ: This sounds potentially awful? I’ll wait to see what Michelle says.

SEAN: There’s also (deep break) Dolly Kill Kill 3, Domestic Girlfriend 25, GE: Good Ending 6, I’ll Win You Over Sempai! 5, Kakushigoto 4, Saint Young Men 6, Shojo FIGHT! 11, The Slime Diaries 3, and That Blue Summer 6.

MICHELLE : Both That Blue Summer and I’ll Win You Over, Sempai! are enjoyable shoujo. This is also the final volume for the latter. I really need to catch up on Shojo FIGHT! as well.

SEAN: One Peace has an 8th volume of Hinamatsuri.

Seven Seas has a couple of debuts. Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear gets its manga in print. It also gives us the 2nd novel as an early digital book.

The other early digital debut is Love on the Other Side: A Nagabe Short Story Collection. The Girl from the Other Side is the author’s most well-known work, and these are short stories (unrelated to his other series) about supernatural love.

MICHELLE: I will definitely be reading this!

ASH: Likewise! I’m very happy to see more of Nagabe’s work being translated.

ANNA: Sounds great.

MJ: Here for this!

SEAN: In ongoing print, we see Classroom of the Elite 4.5, Masamune-kun’s Revenge 11, Satoko and Nada 3, and Tomo-chan Is a Girl! 7, which also now has all its volumes available digitally! I love both Satoko and Nada and Tomo-chan.

ASH: Satoko and Nada is a great series.

SEAN: Other digital first titles: Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor 9, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 2, and the 2nd Invincible Shovel light novel.

Sol Press has a 2nd digital volume of light novel Redefining the Meta at VRMMO Academy.

Vertical debuts, digital-first, the manga version of Weathering with You, another Makoto Shinkai multi-media franchise. The manga runs in Afternoon.

MJ: I loved the movie, and have historically enjoyed the manga versions of Shinkai’s work, so maybe?

SEAN: Viz Media gives us the 8th 20th Century Boys Perfect Edition, Blue Flag 2, Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction 8, the 3rd Drifting Classroom Perfect Edition, and Golden Kamuy 16.

MICHELLE: I am chastened to admit I have not read Blue Flag yet! I will rectify this forthwith.

ASH: I’m following quite a few of these series, but Blue Flag is what I’ll be reading first. I think you’ll like the series, Michelle.

ANNA: Blue Flag is wonderful.

MJ: I also have not read Blue Flag, but I guess I should!

SEAN: Lastly, remember a few weeks ago when we were talking about Nightschool and wishing we could see more of it? Good news! The Weirn Books seems to be a reboot of the series aimed at readers of her Berrybrook Middle School series. The first volume from Yen Press is subtitled Be Wary of the Silent Woods.

ASH: Oh, nice!

ANNA: Sweet!

MJ: Oh, interesting!

SEAN: Good things come to those who wait. What are you waiting for?

Pick of the Week: Relationship Blues

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SEAN: I am somewhat torn between more Wotakoi and the debut of How Do We Relationship?, but since I’m sure I’ve picked Wotakoi before I’ll give it to the latter.

KATE: Two words: Blank Canvas! It’s a hilarious, wise, and rueful look at Akiko Higashimura’s professional journey from naive high schooler to budding manga-ka, warts and all. It’s hands down one of my favorite series of the last five years.

MICHELLE: I face the exact same dilemma as Sean. I really love Wotakoi, but the promise of a yuri series that focuses on sustaining a relationship rather than establishing one is just too good to pass up. How Do We Relationship? for me.

ANNA: There’s a lot of great manga coming out this week, but I’m going to go with Requiem of the Rose King, it is such a unique series.

ASH: This will be a very good week for me and manga (but not my wallet) – I’m actively reading many of the series being released, and am interested in more than a few of the debuts. For my picks, I tend towards debuts, so I’ll mention one that hasn’t yet been named yet that I’m particularly curious about (since the series it’s based on is a favorite of mine): The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru.

MJ: I’m interested in every single book listed so far! I don’t know how to choose! I’m especially a fan of Requiem of the Rose King. But I suppose, more than anything, I’m in the mood for romantic comedy, so I’ll join Sean and Michelle in giving my pick to How Do We Relationship?

Manga the Week of 6/10/20

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SEAN: Still June-ing, still dreaming.

J-Novel Club has digital manga and light novels. On the manga end, we get Animeta! 4 and Demon Lord, Retry! 2.

MICHELLE: I enjoy Animeta!, though I can’t really claim that it’s great.

ASH: I’ve been liking it, too.

SEAN: For light novels, there is the 6th The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress, Outbreak Company 14, the 2nd in the Tales of Marielle Clarac series, The Beloved of Marielle Clarac, and The World’s Least Interesting Master Swordsman 3.

We’ll divide Kodansha into digital with print coming later, and just digital. For the former, we see the debut of Chobits: the 20th Anniversary Edition. One of CLAMP’s more problematic series… and that’s a pretty high bar… it’s still worth a read.

MICHELLE: I haven’t read Chobits in 17 years (I’m so old), so I think I might give it another look.

ASH: Chobits was the first CLAMP work that I read, so it holds a special place for me, problems and all.

MJ: Definitely not my favorite of CLAMP’s work, but I’m interested in what a 20th Anniversary Edition has to offer.

SEAN: There’s also Eden’s Zero 8 and Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku 4. Definitely looking forward to more Wotakoi.

MICHELLE: Me, too!

ASH: Yes! It seems like forever since the last omnibus. I’ve been enjoying the series a great deal.

ANNA: I’m OK with skipping it!

SEAN: The digital-only debut is Hop Step Sing!. A VR Idol story that lists ‘Kodansha’ as the creator of the original concept, its artist is best known for yuri works from Galette magazine. This runs in Comic Days, though, and is about a girl who becomes a VR Idol, unsurprisingly.

For ongoing digital-only, we see All-Out!! 14, Ex-Enthusiasts: Motokare Mania 4, Fairy Tail: Happy’s Heroic Adventure 4, The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon! 3, My Roomie Is a Dino 3, and Orient 3.

MICHELLE: Ex-Enthusiasts is enjoyable josei, so I’m looking forward to more of that.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a digital-first debut, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru. A retelling of the classic Tezuka story, the artist is known in the West for Attack on Titan: Before the Fall. A young man whose body is split into 48 pieces joins up with a thief to recover them. This runs in Akita Shoten’s Champion Red, but I will try not to hold that against it.

ASH: The original Dororo is a favorite of mine, so I’m very curious to see this version.

MJ: I’m also a big fan of Dororo, so this is interesting to me.

SEAN: Also debuting digitally first is Sarazanmai, the light novel based on the anime series that also spawned a manga prequel, which we’ve already talked about. It is, and I quote, an “action-filled LGBT comedy”.

ASH: Adding it to list of Sarazanmai media I need to catch up on!

MJ: I read very few light novels, but the description sounds great.

SEAN: Digitally first but not debuts are Blank Canvas 5 (the final volume) and Reincarnated As a Sword novel 6.

MICHELLE: Oh, I totally forgot about Blank Canvas! I need to read this.

ASH: It’s such a great series.

SEAN: SuBLime has a debut with Therapy Game. It’s a sequel to Secret XXX, and also runs in Shinshokan’s Dear+. It seems to involve casual sex, heartbreak, and revenge?

Also out from SuBLime is Caste Heaven 2.

Vertical has, digitally, the 4th Bakemonogatari manga, which starts the Suruga Monkey arc.

Viz’s debut is How Do We Relationship? (Tsukiatte Agete Mo Ii Ka Na), a yuri manga from Shogakukan’s Ura Sunday. Based on a doujinshi series, it apparently really gets into the messiness of dating between two young women. I have been looking forward to this one.

MICHELLE: Same.

ASH: Likewise!

MJ: This sounds great!

SEAN: There’s also Komi Can’t Communicate 7, the 2nd Pokemon Adventures Collector’s Edition, Requiem of the Rose King 12, and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 12. Komi and Sleepy Princess have had a crossover between each other. I would not expect Richard from Rose King to appear in either of those series, however.

MICHELLE: *snerk*

ASH: Ha! Likely not. Though it has been known to have dream sequences…

MJ: Always here for the Rose King!

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Lastly, some Yen Press hangovers. The 2nd Collector’s Edition of Nightschool, and the third Toilet-Bound Hakano-kun in print.

ASH: I’m really liking Toilet-Bound Hakano-kun, so far!

SEAN: What manga are you burning the midnight lamp over?

Pick of the Week: I Spy

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MICHELLE: I suspect this’ll be another of those weeks where most or all of us say the same thing. So, before I get to the inevitable, I’ll also mention I’m keen to read the second volumes of Knight of the Ice and Somethings’ Wrong with Us, as well favorites like Chihayafuru, Natsume’s Book of Friends, and Yona of the Dawn. But, I mean it’s gotta be Spy x Family. It’s got a really neat concept and comes highly recommended by a friend who’s been reading it on the Shonen Jump app.

KATE: Wait… Natsume’s Book of Friends is still going?! I had no idea! I admit to being really curious to see where the story is twenty-odd volumes into its run, but Michelle is right: Spy x Family is THE manga to read this week.

SEAN: There is a pile of good stuff this week, and Spy x Family is sitting on top of all of it.

ASH: Likewise, Spy x Family gets my official pick this week, but I’m also looking forward to Love Me for Who I Am and the print debut of Sexiled a great deal.

ANNA: Spy x Family for me!!!

MJ: Okay, I’m very much here for Spy x Family and I can’t bear to break the streak. But I also need to shout out to Love Me for Who I Am, which, were it a print release, would blow away any other option with its nonbinary protagonist.

Bookshelf Briefs 5/28/20

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Dr. STONE, Vol. 11 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Balloons! Yes, Dr. STONE is taking it upon itself to do something it does best, which is show off the gorgeous vistas of this not-really-that-explored future Japan it takes place in. And that means hot air balloons. It also means speedboats! But alas, just because Senku is a scientist does not mean he can cook. So they use some of the last remaining fluid to un-stone a butler-cum-chef-cum-everything, Francois, who is flamboyant and also a lot of fun. There’s actually some really good humor in this volume as well, be it the reporter getting her camera and its undercutting right afterwards, or Senku’s Einstein impersonation. This remains one of the essential Jump titles. – Sean Gaffney

Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth Is a Modern City!, Vol. 2 | By Rui Tsukiyo and Hideaki Yoshikawa | Seven Seas – After wrapping up the cliffhanger from the first volume (he names his first monster girl, which gives her the power-up (and bust expansion) she needs to win), the cast gets down to the nitty-gritty of what he wants to do: build a city, not a dungeon, which feeds on positive emotions. Of course, there are a few problems. Location, labor costs, the neighboring demon lords, and of course Marcho’s impending death, which she seems to have accepted more than Procel has. This remains sort of mid-tier manga—not interesting enough to stand out, but the pages turn easily, and you could do worse. Also, brilliant pun for the back-cover blurb. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – The second of the Éclair anthologies to come out over here, this one seems to focus more attention on love that is already in bloom when the story begins than love that we see the start of. There’s a nice mix of funny, heartwarming, sad, and generally melancholic. Some highlights are “Azalea Corner,” about a minion’s crush on the arrogant ojou she follows; “The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl,” which should be awful but is by Canno so is cute instead; and “That Summer Won’t Come Again,” about a girl trapped in her sister’s past who bonds with a senpai and learns to swim again. There’s good and not-so-good here, but overall well worth buying. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – This is the second Éclair anthology, but aside from two continuations, all the stories here are new. The quality varies, and it seems the better stories are in the front. The first story, Fly’s “Flowers in a Storm,” sets the tone for bittersweet, ambiguous endings with the tale of a first kiss that comes too late. There are also several stories about unrequited love for a friend who loves someone else, be it another girl, an idol, or a guy. Kabocha’s “Though Summer Won’t Come Again” is a standout, about a girl who assumes the senpai she’s developed feelings for prefers her older sister, as everyone else seems to. Unfortunately, I found the stories toward the end of the volume to be less enjoyable, particularly the final one, which includes the most awkward teacher-student embrace I have ever seen. Still, I will read the next installment when it comes out! – Michelle Smith

I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love | By Minta Suzumaru | Futekiya (digital only) – Yoshino Kiritani is a beautiful 30-year-old salaryman who happens to be both gay and a virgin. With no relationship prospects on the horizon and wanting to finally have sex, he goes to a gay bar, meets a charismatic college student named Rou, and sleeps with him. The back-and-forth that follows between these two guys is so well done. Rou is a notorious playboy with a hot-and-cold routine he has employed many times to manipulate his conquests into falling for him and confessing their feelings. He tries this on Yoshino, even though he’s actually serious about him, but it doesn’t work. Self-effacing Yoshino genuinely thinks Rou wants nothing more to do with him, forcing Rou to face the seriously scary prospect of rejection by declaring his feelings first. There are a few explicit scenes, but they serve the characters and story well. Highly recommended! – Michelle Smith

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 2 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – First of all, a word of advice to the author: don’t sink people’s ships in your author’s notes, OK? Secondly, this continues to have the strengths of Io Sakisaka titles—it gets teenage love in a good way, has characters who are likeable but clearly flawed, shows gradual character growth, and has clean, easy-to-follow art. She’s still trying to balance out the idealistic girl with the realistic girl, though it may be leaning towards the former. Sadly, it also contains what’s always been one of this author’s big weaknesses to me—I like her series but never love them. Each volume is fun to read and I’d call it good, but it’s never going to be tops in my favorite shoujo manga lists. It’s not life-changing the way a Yona of the Dawn is. – Sean Gaffney

Ping Pong, Vol. 1 | By Taiyo Matsumoto | Viz Media – Ever since Matsumoto was a guest at TCAF in 2013 and spoke in depth about the series, its development, and how it fit into his overall career, I’ve been desperately wanting to read Ping Pong in English. When the excellent anime adaptation came and went soon after and the original manga still hadn’t been licensed, I didn’t expect that we’d ever see it translated. But it is actually here! The first of two beautifully designed omnibus volumes. And I am absolutely in love with Matsumoto’s Ping Pong. Ostensibly a high school sports manga, Ping Pong spends very little time explaining the ins and outs of the game even though table tennis is essentially omnipresent; instead, the series devotes its attention almost entirely to the characters themselves. With strong psychological elements, in part the work’s themes explore talent, motivation, and self-determination, all supported by Matsumoto’s distinctive and spectacularly dynamic and expressive artwork. – Ash Brown

Prince Freya, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Ishihara | VIZ Media – The land of Tyr is threatened by Sigurd, the empire to the north. Our “wimpy and weak” heroine, Freya, happens to be the spitting image of Prince Edvard, who’s just been poisoned by Sigurd, and so takes on the role of impersonating him to protect her country. Alas, Freya’s performance as Edvard (and characterization in general) is inconsistent and in a way that doesn’t seem intentional on the mangaka’s part. Sometimes she boldly and capably takes action, sometimes she just cries. In my notes I wrote, “This ain’t no Basara,” prompted by a panel in which Freya is making an extremely insipid face because of something sappy her love interest has just said, but then something super dramatic and unexpected occurs and… well, now I’m cautiously on board. It may turn out to be fluffier than I would like, but I will at least give it a couple more volumes. – Michelle Smith

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 9 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – There’s less swapping in this one, but the one time there is a swap it blows the reader out of the water. I suspect Ichika’s popularity took a nosedive after this volume, as her ideal of “all’s fair in love and war” is taken to a somewhat cruel conclusion. She’s not even the thirstiest of the quints, as both Nino and Miku are trying to make their feelings for Futaro as clear to him as possible. Meanwhile, Yotsuba is trying the opposite tactic, saying that she’ll support whichever sister that isn’t her he picks, showing off a core of self-deprecation that we’ve seen before, but never to this level. And then there’s Itsuki, who seems to have forgotten she was supposed to be first girl. Great harem antics. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 9 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – I missed reviewing the eighth volume of this, for some reason; I’m not sure why. It continues to be quietly sweet, with a heroine who perhaps leans a little too much towards “can save everyone by the sheer power of being really nice.” That said, nice can only go so far, and when she discovers a country that’s being blackmailed into slavery, nice becomes determined and fierce. There’s also some tortured romance at the start—the king’s chief bodyguard and the princess’s attendant clearly are headed towards each other, but there are a few steps back here before we can move forward once more. I admit that I’d likely enjoy this more without its central conceit of animal people, but oh well. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 7 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I admit I was a bit more surprised than Shirayuki was at the identity of the leader of the Lions of the Mountain. That said, it does remind us that Shirayuki is another one of those great “shoujo heroines who underreacts to everything,” which can be quite amusing when done right. That said, this volume is when the series transitioned from the quarterly DX to the main LaLa magazine, and as such much of the middle part is taken up with introducing new readers to the main cast and the situation. This includes an amusing “personality reversal” chapter where Mitsuhide starts acting like a chivalrous knight. the book ends with the implication that their love is going public. How will that go? Great shoujo. – Sean Gaffney

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, Vol. 1 | By Jougi Shiraishi, Itsuki Nanao, and Azure | Square Enix – This is a manga adaptation of the first fourth or so of the light novel, and it’s a very good adaptation. I will admit that Elaina is a lot more expressive than I was expecting… her delivery in the novels is somewhat cool… but it makes sense given the manga’s visual medium, and she’s cute. This volume shows off what we’re going to get from now on: some cute fluffy stories, some melancholic stories with deaths, some stories of Elaina having to extricate herself from a situation, and some backstory showing how she came to be wandering. The final story was one of my favorites in the book, and it’s the best one here too. A nice adaptation. – Sean Gaffney

Manga the Week of 6/3/20

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SEAN: June is busting out all over, and while the schedule is not back to normal yet, it’s better than May was.

ASH: Huzzah!

SEAN: First, an apology to a new publisher, Tentai Books, who have their first release out this week and I missed it. They’re publishing in both Spanish and English, and their debut is a light novel, There’s No Way a Side Character Like Me Could Be Popular, Right?. Seems to be targeting the Oregairu/Tomozaki crowd.

As for next week, Ghost Ship has a 9th Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs.

J-Novel Club has a lot. In print, we get the debut volume of Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress!, which I recommend to absolutely everyone.

ASH: Now that it’s finally in print, I’ll definitely be picking this one up. I’ve heard great things about it from all sorts of people.

ANNA: I’m curious about it too!

SEAN: Also in print: Ascendance of a Bookworm 5, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 10, and In Another World with My Smartphone 10.

Digitally, there’s also Altina the Sword Princess 4, a 3rd By the Grace of the Gods, Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On? 2, Kokoro Connect 9, the 3rd Marginal Operation manga, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 11, and a 6th Record of Wortenia War.

Kodansha has a lot, most of which I’ve mentioned before because the schedule shifted. The print and digital debut is Rent-A-Girlfriend (Kanojo, Okarishimasu), a Weekly Shonen Magazine manga by an artist best known for the long-running and unlicensed AKB49: The Rules Against Love. A desperate guy, as the title suggests, rents a girlfriend, who seems perfect… at first. This is getting an anime this summer, and Kodansha describes it as “sweet, naive boy meets cute, ruthless girl”.

Debuting digitally is Stellar Witch LIP☆S (MajoKaitou LIP☆S), a shoujo series from Nakayoshi. A girl who desperately wants to see an idol group turns to a witch to help her. Hijinks ensue.

MICHELLE: I can’t confidently claim Stellar Witch is going to be any better than Rent-A-Girlfriend, but it’s certainly more my speed.

ANNA: This sounds fun, but I am utterly incapable of keeping up with these digital releases.

MJ: Yes, with so many, I find I need to REALLY want to read something for it to stand out from the crowd.

SEAN: No other print stuff, but in digital-first print books we have (be prepared for titles you’ve heard here before…) Cells At Work: Code BLACK 5, Fairy Tail 100 Years Quest 4, Granblue Fantasy 5, Knight of the Ice 2, L♥DK 15, Maga-Tsuki 11-13 (a final volume 3-in-one omnibus two years after a 2-in-one omnibus, YIKES), The Seven Deadly Sins 38, Something’s Wrong with Us 2, and Yuzu the Pet Vet 2.

In digital-only we get A Condition Called Love 4, Chihayafuru 20, Smile Down the Runway 10, and To Be Next to You 6.

MICHELLE: I’ve been catching up on A Condition Called Love and enjoying it. And, of course, I always rejoice for more Chihayafuru.

ANNA: Chihayafuru is the one digital release that I am confident I will get caught up on…one day.

SEAN: Seven Seas has, in early digital release, Love Me for Who I Am (Fukakai na Boku no Subete o), aka Fukaboku. This LGBT manga from GOT Corporation’s Comic MeDu is about a nonbinary protagonist and the nontraditional maid cafe they’re introduced to.

MICHELLE: I’ll definitely be checking this one out.

ASH: Same!

ANNA: Sounds good!

MJ: To illustrate my above point, I’m SO here for this. I will seek it out.

SEAN: Also out early digitally: A Centaur’s Life 18 and Skeleton Knight in Another World light novel 6.

In print, Seven Seas has quite a bit. Debuting is The Invincible Shovel, a light novel that I found hilarious when I reviewed the early digital copy. And we also see Sarazanmai: Reo and Mabu, the manga prequel to the upcoming light novels based on the anime.

ASH: I really need to catch up on Sarazanmai in general.

SEAN: Also out in print: Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth is a Modern City! 2, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 3, Magical Girl Site 12, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 9, and Saint Seiya: Saintia Sho 10.

Viz has two debuts. The first is SPY x FAMILY, a series that should need no introduction but I’m going to anyway. In an unnamed vaguely Eastern European country, a spy needs to have a wife and child to complete his next assignment. A woman who moonlights as an assassin needs a husband so that she isn’t suspicious. And a young girl with esper powers just wants to get away from being experimented on. Together, they are the best found family ever. Oh yes, and except for the girl (who can read minds), they don’t know each other’s profession. A magical series, I want the world to read it. Hilarious and heartwarming.

MICHELLE: So excite.

ASH: Really looking forward to this release!

ANNA: Me too!!!

MJ: This sounds great!

SEAN: The other debut is, of course, My Villain Academia, which replaces the seemingly popular My Hero Academia. Not sure why, maybe its sales were slipping? In any case, this volume focuses on our villain heroes, Shigaraki, Twice, and Himiko Toga. It promises to be DARK as hell. (Also, it is possibly it’s really My Hero Academia 24.)

MICHELLE: Heh. This arc solidified Twice as my favorite amongst the villains.

SEAN: In Shonen Jump news, we get Black Clover 21, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 13, Dragon Ball Super 9, Food Wars 36 (mercifully the final volume… anyone noticed an annoying trend for popular long-running Jump series to leap off of cliffs into piles of crap lately?), Jujutsu Kaisen 4, My Hero Academia Vigilantes 7, The Promised Neverland 15, We Never Learn 10, and Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V 7.

MICHELLE: Oh, I had no idea that was the final volume of Food Wars! I reckon since I have read through volume 30 I might as well finish it, pile of crap or no. Also, I’m looking forward to the next Vigilantes volume, as I believe it has more of Aizawa’s past in it.

SEAN: As for Shojo Beat, no debuts, but we get Ao Haru Ride 11, Natsume’s Book of Friends 24, Queen’s Quality 9, and Yona of the Dawn 24. Natsume’s Book of Friends is always near the top of my pile when it comes out, though it may have to wait for me to read Yona.

MICHELLE: I love both dearly, but because Natsume comes out less regularly, I think it’s got the edge for me.

ASH: Natsume and Yona both have my heart, too. Though, I’ve also been enjoying Queen’s Quality.

MICHELLE: I really need to read it. I did enjoy QQ Sweeper.

ANNA: Nice week of many great series coming out!

MJ: Queen’s Quality! Hurray!

SEAN: What are you getting next week? (Please get SPY x FAMILY.)

Pick of the Week: Big Big Waves

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SEAN: It’s possible I’m not on the same WAVElength as the rest of the group, but I’m going to channel my inner nerd and pick the final (no really, finally final) volume of Haruhi-chan. A silly gag manga that may end up more remembered than its parent series, it gave us tiny Ryoko, balloon dog Taniguchi, and a ton of silliness.

KATE: As someone who teaches a class on the history of radio, I feel morally obligated to choose Wave, Listen to Me!! as my PotW. I also want to bang the drum for the new edition of Svetlana Chmakova’s Nightschool, which ticks so many boxes for tween readers that it should be part of any school library’s collection.

ANNA: I’m picking Wave, Listen to Me!! too, I’m curious to check it out!

MICHELLE: I am extremely happy that Wave, Listen to Me! is getting a print release. I read and loved the first three volumes in their digital editions, so it’s a clear choice for pick of the week. I’m also happy volumes four and five are now on the print schedule for fall!

ASH: As a close follower of Hiroaki Samura’s work in English, there really can be no pick of the week for me other than Wave, Listen to Me! I expect it to be more along the lines of Ohikkoshi rather than Blade of the Immortal, but either way, I’m thrilled to have it in print.

MJ: I’d like to echo what Kate said! My pick this week has to be Wave, Listen to Me!, no doubt. But I’m very happy to note the return of Nightschool and I hope it might generate new interest in the series!

Bookshelf Briefs 5/19/20

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After-School Bitchcraft, Vol. 1 | By Yu Shimizu and Kazuma Ichihara | Yen Press – Afterschool Boobcraft would be a better title for this supernatural romance about Ririki, a ditzy high school student who accidentally discovers that her chemistry teacher is a sorcerer. Though Ririki quickly realizes that she, too, has hidden powers, nothing about her giggly, helpless behavior suggests that she’s competent enough to tie her own shoes, let alone cast a spell. Renji, her teacher, is even less of a character, defined primarily by his brusque demeanor and perma-scowl. Anyone reading for plot will find the the crude, obvious fanservice irritating, while anyone reading for fanservice will find the series’ pedestrian efforts at world-building an unwelcome distraction from the parade of costume failures and panty shots, all of which are drawn in salacious detail. Not recommended. – Katherine Dacey

Animeta!, Vol. 3 | By Yaso Hanamura | J-Novel Club – Miyuki Sanada is making gradual improvement as an inbetweener, though she’s been told that if she doesn’t pass the key animation exam within a year, she’s fired. Meanwhile, her fellow new hire, Maria Date, seems to be leaving her in the dust, is actively campaigning to take her place with the prestigious Studio 7, and gets invited to enter a character design contest by the big boss. I appreciate the sports manga feel this rivalry evokes, but the most compelling part of Animeta! for me is the plight of Yuiko Fuji, the inbetween checker who once tried to become a key animator but had no flair. She’s amazing at her current job, but seeing new talent getting promoted over her is tough. This series has really grown on me, now that its been fleshing out its characters more, and I reckon I’ll stick with it for the long haul! – Michelle Smith

A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 10 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamaji | Seven Seas – Last time I said the cliffhanger was chilling, this time that extends to much of the book. The Index series has usually been too concerned with action and harems to get into pure horror, but its spinoffs have no issues with it, particularly this one. Cannibalism of a scientific sort continues to be the norm here, with our tragic villain continuing to be sympathetic. As is Yomikawa, possibly the nicest character in the whole Indexverse. For those who aren’t reading this for nice, the good news is that Accelerator is back in action by the end of this and ready to beat villains up while continuing to state what a villain he is. Index fans will enjoy this, though may also be creeped out. – Sean Gaffney

Cocoon Entwined, Vol. 2 | By Yuriko Hara | Yen Press – Yes, it is still tempting to review these volumes by just saying “hair” and being done with it. I mean, the start of the second volume seems to be narrated from the POV of a former schoolgirl’s hair, which is now made up of the uniform of our heroine. But there is a bit more to it than that, as we cycle back a bit and get more insight into the mysterious Hoshimiya, whose hair drifting down in single hairlets (hairlets?) continues to be an emotional gut punch for most of the school. There’s also discussion of traditions, why they’re kept and when they might have to be broken for the sake of moving on and fixing things. It’s quite an emotional drama. And rest assured, it’s filled with hair. So much hair. – Sean Gaffney

The Golden Sheep, Vol. 3 | By Kaori Ozaki | Vertical Comics – The third volume of The Golden Sheep is its last, and while it was nice that the four friends at the center of the story ultimately resolved their differences, it all felt rather too easy and anticlimactic. I did like that Yuushin finds purpose in striving to achieve enough independence to live with the stray kitty he rescued, though. (It is an extremely cute kitty.) The volume is rounded out by a twisted short story called “Love Letter” in which an unborn soul chooses to be born to a teen runaway and ends up dying from neglect, but loves its mother so much that it opts to return to earth in any guise that allows it to see her, including another cute kitty who soon meets a tragic end. It left a weird taste in my brain. – Michelle Smith

How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?, Vol. 3 | By Yabako Sandrovich and MAAM | Seven Seas – The first volume it was the fanservice that got my attention. The second volume it was the advice on keeping fit. And in this one it’s the comedy that’s really reaching out to grab you, taking the series in places I was not expecting it to go, like turning the main girls (including their teacher!) into a muscle-bound idol group, something that is impressively different but goes over like a lead balloon. Zina has fit in well with the others, and moreover she knows Satomi cosplays, so can cheerfully use that for blackmail. There are also hints that romance may come into this series—Hibiki has always been attracted to Machio when he’s not bulking out, but there’s a suggestion that her feelings may run a bit deeper than that. That said, I expect comedy to prevail. This is fun. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 14 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The first half of this book is almost all dedicated to Kaguya and Shirogane finally, finally, confessing—not through words, but through actions. It’s the payoff everyone has been waiting for, and it’s handled perfectly. The second half of this book then drags it all back to hilarious comedy, with the chapter about Kaguya french-kissing Shirogane being the highlight of the volume and possibly the series. Of course, there’s the question of where do we go from here—Kaguya ends up breaking her brain so much over this that she reverts to her old icy persona, and there may be a new love triangle developing around Ishigami. So don’t stop reading just because Kaguya got confessed to—there’s still plenty more fun. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Smash!!, Vol. 4 | By Hirofumi Neda and Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – The gag series has caught up to the main storyline, or at least wants to avoid the Overhaul Arc, so for the most part this volume is original material. Sometimes that’s good—the author shows a surprising taste for very dark character-based jokes when they want to, including one with Todoroki talking about his mother that made me gasp. There’s also a parents’ day again (it goes a bit better than the one in School Briefs), which allows us to see parents we forgot existed, like Uraraka’s mother. That said, there’s also a sense that the series is starting to get a bit tired. The next volume is signposted to be the last, and that’s a good thing. Go out while you’re still flying high. – Sean Gaffney

Nori | By Rumi Hara | Drawn & Quarterly – Born in Kyoto and currently based in New York, Hara has been creating comics for about a decade, but Nori is Hara’s graphic novel debut. The volume has its origins in a series of self-published mini-comics which earned Hara multiple award nominations. Nori collects six short tales of varying lengths which feature the adventures of the titular Noriko, an imaginative three-year-old, and Hana, her grandmother and caregiver. Except for a surprise trip that takes Nori and Hana to Hawaii, the stories are largely set in Osaka in the 1980s. All of them are incredibly charming. Hara effortlessly blends mythology and legends with the characters’ day-to-day lives and Nori’s fantastical imaginings. Some of my favorite moments are Nori’s interactions with older kids—some of whom really aren’t sure what to do at first with a precocious toddler hanging about as they explore the natural world together. Nori is an undeniable delight. – Ash Brown

That Blue Summer, Vol. 4 | By Atsuko Namba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Rio Funami is a Tokyo girl who’s been sent, along with her bookish little brother, to stay with her grandmother in the countryside for the duration of her 40-day summer vacation. She’s fallen in love with a local boy named Ginzo Izumi, who initially rejected her, believing they belonged in different worlds and valued different things. However, as time has gone on, Ginzo has come to see that’s not true. In fact, Rio seems enraptured by the village he calls home and understands the calling he feels towards graphic design while simultaneously feeling obligated to stay and take over the family liquor store. This is more than just a generic romance—it’s about passions versus practicality and finding reasons for joy in any situation. I’m enjoying it a lot and isn’t that cover a beauty? – Michelle Smith

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 14 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – The race that would never end has ended! And yes, our hero manages to capture first place, The first half of the book is really fantastic, showing off how good the author is at wringing drama and emotion from every last meter. The second half pales in comparison mostly as it’s setting up the next chunk of book, though seeing Onoda suddenly fail so hard simply as his mentor has left (transferred to another country) is poignant, and I suspect he needs another race or two before he can get back into form, so I expect more failure. Oh, and Kanzaki shows up briefly to remind us she exists and also help the core team get new bikes that work to their strengths. Still excellent shonen sports. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: We Love Ping Pong

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MICHELLE: Seinen sports manga from Taiyo Matsumoto?! I mean, it’s gotta be Ping Pong this week for me!

SEAN: Ping? Pong!

ANNA: Totally psyched for Ping Pong!

KATE: Since the pandemic began we’ve been in virtual agreement about our pick of the week, so I thought I’d shake things up with a contrarian suggestion. Alas, this week’s pickings are mighty slim; I’m having a hard time imagining myself choosing Saki the Succubus Hungers Tonight or Campfire Cooking in Another World over… well, just about anything, let alone one of the weirdest, coolest sports manga of the last twenty years. I guess that’s my long-winded way of saying put me down for a copy of Ping Pong, too.

ASH: Ping Pong is one of my most anticipated releases for the year, so it’s an easy pick of the week for me! (And for everyone else, too, it seems!)

MJ: My colleagues are very persuasive. What can I possibly say but Ping Pong?

Manga the Week of 5/20/20

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SEAN: STILL no sign of land. How long is it?

Cross Infinite World has seen which way the trends are blowing and is here for you with The Weakest Manga Villainess Wants Her Freedom!. A light novel about a girl who discovers she’s been reincarnated into her favorite game as the weakest boss villain who dies early and everyone mocks after her death. Yeah, she’s not sticking around for that. She’s outta here! If you can’t wait for more Bakarina or I Refuse to Be Your Enemy, this should tide you over.

ASH: Definitely on trend there, but it sounds like it could be fun.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Saki the Succubus Hungers Tonight 2 in print.

J-Novel Club has three novels: Banner of the Stars 3, Bibliophile Princess 2, and Campfire Cooking in Another World 6.

Kodansha’s website says we’re getting digital-first versions of Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest 4, Knight of the Ice 2 (postponed from this week), Saiyuki 2, The Seven Deadly Sins 38, and Something’s Wrong With Us 2. I’m assuming they will hit other retail sites soon.

MICHELLE: Hm. I’m looking forward to more of Something’s Wrong with Us!

SEAN: Digital-only titles do seem to be up on other retail sites. There’s Cosplay Animal 12, Dolly Kill Kill 2, GE: Good Ending 5, I’ll Win You Over, Senpai! 4, Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition 3, Space Brothers 36, That Blue Summer 5, and Yozakura Quartet 26.

MICHELLE: I am really enjoying I’ll Win You Over, Senpai!, somewhat to my surprise.

SEAN: One Peace says that it has The Reprise of the Spear Hero’s 2nd manga volume out next week. As with other small publishers in these COVID times, actual shipment dates may vary.

Seven Seas has early digital releases for A Certain Scientific Railgun: Astral Buddy 3, New Game! 9, and Species Domain 8.

Vertical’s digital releases are now part of Kodansha’s, so I missed that CITY 8 came out digitally this week. By that logic, we should see Please Don’t Bully Me, Miss Nagotoro 3 next week.

Viz has the debut of the week, and it’s a big one. Ping Pong is an old series from Taiyo Matsumoto that ran in Big Comic Spirits back in the 1990s, and Viz is releasing it in two 500-page tomes. If you liked Sunny, or Tekkon Kinkreet, or what little we got of Number Five, you have to check this out. And yes, it really is about ping pong, it’s not a metaphor or something.

MICHELLE: I am so here for this.

ANNA: Me too, that sounds amazing.

ASH: Yes! I have been pining for a release of this series ever since Matsumoto was at TCAF back in 2013. I am so happy to finally get my hands on this.

MJ: I love that you had to explain that, though. “It really is about ping pong.”

SEAN: The other debut is The Kingdom of the Gods, which inspired a Netflix series called Kingdom. It’s a manwha, seems to be complete in one volume, and has a cover that looks terrifying.

ASH: I’ll be checking this one out! I’ve heard great things about the adaptation, so I’m curious about the original.

MJ: I’m always interested in manwha.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Beastars 6, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku 2, Levius/est 4, No Guns Life 5, Ran and the Gray World 7 (the final volume), Urusei Yatsura omnibus 6, and The Way of the Househusband 3.

MICHELLE: Some good stuff here! I really need to catch up on BEASTARS.

ASH: It’s gone in some directions that I really didn’t expect, but I’ve certainly been enjoying the series. I liked the first volume of Hell’s Paradise, too, and I’m looking forward to more of The Way of the Househusband, as well!

SEAN: Are you planning to eat your manga? Or just read it?

Bookshelf Briefs 5/7/20

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The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 12 | By Kore Yamazaki | Seven Seas – As much as I continue to love this series overall, this particular volume had some highs and lows for me. When Chise’s new classmates are in a scene with her, I find them interesting (particularly her prickly roommate, Lucy) and enjoy seeing Chise successfully interact with peers when just a couple of volumes ago she had doubts about her ability to do so. That said, the conversations these characters have amongst themselves about their pureblood alchemical family drama are unimaginably boring. At the same time, there’s an important conversation between the leads in which Elias tries to clarify what he meant by “bride” and an eventful camping trip to Scotland at the end of the volume that sees Lucy in peril, both of which I greatly enjoyed. In the end, I’m as eager for the next installment as ever. – Michelle Smith

As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 9 | By Matoba | Yen Press – It would appear that the manga author is well aware that Eurydice is not the most popular character in this book, as the first part of it deals with her getting amnesia and forgetting she’s a shotacon… and having people reluctant to cure her. Big same. Elsewhere, it’s all about the three “main” couples in the series, none of whom are official but all of whom are teased to death. Astaroth and Sacchan are stuck on a seemingly deserted island, and both are feeling very awkward around each other. Beelzebub and Mullin are a couple but don’t actually seem to realize it, much to the frustration of others. Most importantly, Azazel and Belphegor hold a real conversation! It’s good setup for the final volume next time. Fluffy fun. – Sean Gaffney

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!, Vol. 1 | By Yuu Toyota | Square Enix – The title of this one gave me the impression that it was going to be smutty, but the reality is anything but (at least so far). Kiyoshi Adachi is a gloomy, average, thirty-year-old virgin who has just discovered he can read the minds of the people he touches. When Adachi decides to see whether his seemingly perfect coworker, Kurosawa, has a secret nasty personality, he instead discovers that Kurosawa is romantically interested in him. As Adachi accesses more of Kurosawa’s thoughts throughout the volume, he realizes that he’s a genuinely good person and wants to get to know him better, but his lack of romantic experience means he gets overwhelmed easily. I think these guys make a cute couple and look forward to continuing the series. I also really enjoyed the bonus stories, especially the one about Adachi’s equally virginal friend and a delivery guy who bond over a kitty. – Michelle Smith

Gabriel Dropout, Vol. 8 | By Ukami |Yen Press – The main thrust of this volume is the arrival of Gabriel’s big sister Zeruel, who (as Gabriel knows) will flip her shit when she sees her behaving like a sloppy otaku, and (as Gabriel doesn’t know) has a massive sister complex about her. This amusingly leads to Gabriel acting like a perfect little angel and creeping everyone out. Fortunately, in a “who knows Gabriel best” trivia competition, Vignette’s knowledge of present Gabriel trumps Zaruel’s past knowledge. Speaking of Vignette, her demonic tendencies take another beating when another demon in the group refuses to see her as anything but an angel because she can’t be mean. Basically, be they angel or demon, everyone in this cast is a flake, so it’s all good. – Sean Gaffney

Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition, Vol. 2 | By Kouji Kumeta | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This series continues to be the sweeter, more optimistic version of Zetsubou-sensei, and I’m OK with that. This is not to say that the author does not get a bit bitter about things that are in his wheelhouse, such as constant editor turnover (his current editor, who is a bit of a loser, is there because no one else will have Kakushi) and having to judge new entries in a manga competition (Kakushi judges fine, but is undercut by the stupid editor adding (lol) after every entry). Biting the hand that feeds him has always been Kouji Kumeta’s top skill. That said, it almost seems tempered by age and maturity here, particularly in the scenes with the father and daughter simply being a good family. Ominous future, though… – Sean Gaffney

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 11 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Yen Press – Sometimes it happens that I just don’t have much to say about a volume of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. I like it best when some modicum of progress is made in one of the core relationships in the series, and for the most part (and despite the claim on the back cover that Wakamatsu finally learns Lorelai’s true identity) we don’t get that this time. Mostly it’s gags about otome games and hypnosis and what if Nozaki did a book signing. That said, there is a very nice tidbit at the end where Hori sincerely tells Kashima that he likes everything about her, and I hope that isn’t forgotten though I realize it’s extremely likely that nothing will come of it. In summation, I think I’m kind of reading this wrong, but ultimately I still enjoy it. – Michelle Smith

Prince Freya, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Ishihara | Viz Media – While several of Ishihara’s manga have now been released in English, Prince Freya is the first I’ve read. But I’m always happy to see more shoujo fantasy released, so I was looking forward to giving the series a try. The premise of the manga is pretty solid if not particularly innovative—Freya is a young woman who, due to unusual and deadly circumstances, is required to pose as Prince Edvard, the leader of her country. Ishihara has also laid the groundwork for some excellent court politics and intrigue. The pacing, however, especially in the introductory chapter, is extraordinarily fast. In addition, time and distance seem to have frustratingly little meaning in the series. And unless there’s some sort of spirit possession going on (which admittedly would be an interesting twist), Freya’s “becoming” Edvard in the first volume strains belief. But even considering its flaws, Prince Freya continues to intrigue me. – Ash Brown

Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro Side Story: Nostalgic Travelogue | By Satoko Kiyuduki | Yen Press – This is nothing more than a series of short stories set during and after the main series, but if it allows us to spend more time with Kuro and friends, I’m 100% down with it. There’s moments of bittersweet tragedy in a story of a princess who sacrifices her life for the sake of her country. There’s amusing moments, such as Kuro and Sen having to play chess to escape a king’s wrath… a very strange game of chess. And there’s heartwarming, such as a young boy who grows older as he hears the stories of the travelers (including Kuro) who pass through his inn, eventually finding himself involved with some of the people he heard about. I love this series; it’s gorgeous and poignant. – Sean Gaffney

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 2 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Now that our main couple has gotten together, it’s time to bring in some things to cause potential drama. The cute underling at work that’s in Kotaro’s department (and clearly has a crush on him) tries to uncover if he and Asako are dating… but fails. Also, he sees her like a little sister. Asako tells her mother she’s dating a guy… and she’s thrilled. The biggest issue in this volume may be Asako’s little brother Keita, who had to defend her from bullies as a kid and thus doesn’t trust anyone who might date his big sister. That said, a nice dinner at Keita’s restaurant (he’s a budding chef) does the trick, with Kotaro winning him over by simply being sincere. Both the sweat and the sex have lessened in this book, leaving pure sweetness. – Sean Gaffney

A Witch’s Printing Office, Vol. 2 | By Mochinchi and Yasuhiro Miyama | Yen Press – This started badly, with an entirely gratuitous boob shot distracting me from what turned out to be a pretty good plotline of a cooped-up rich kid wanting to get out into the world and read more… even if it turns out she might be reading her mom’s doujinshi. The basic premise of this series is that anyone and everyone can be happy buying and reading doujinshi, even if it’s monster guides or magic spellbooks. Yes, even the demon lord, who turns out to be quite nice. In fact, the real danger in this book is a natural one, as there’s a huge typhoon that threatens to take out the island that not-Comiket is held on. And there’s even a cliffhanger… is there another Japanese person trapped here? Aside from one bad bit of fanservice, still very good. – Sean Gaffney

Manga the Week of 5/13/20

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SEAN: Mid-May (Mother’s Day) and we’re feeling the loss of many books, though there’s still enough coming out that people should be kept busy.

ASH: Indeed! It certainly feels odd not going to TCAF this year, but I’ve still found plenty to read.

SEAN: We start with J-Novel Club, which has the 4th Ascendance of a Bookworm manga, Cooking with Wild Game 7, and Outer Ragna 2.

ASH: I’ve heard so many good things about Ascendance of a Bookworm; I really need to move it closer to the top of my to-be-read pile.

Newbie publisher Kaiten Books has its second release, which is Shed that Skin, Ryugasaki-san! (Mukasete! Ryugasaki-san), which is NOT based on a light novel but is in Overlap’s Comic Gardo anyway. It’s the sweet story of a lizard-like girl and a boy who really loves lizards. Can they find love?

Catching up on things I missed: Kodansha now has the rights to Loveless, presumably through their partnership with Ichijinsha, and has released all 13 volumes digitally as of last week.

Also out already from Kodansha via their partnership with Comixology is Drops of God Vols. 12-22.

In the “would have been print but isn’t yet” Kodansha titles, we find Beyond the Clouds 2 and Knight of the Ice 2.

MICHELLE: Knight of the Ice is so much fun.

ASH: I really liked the first volume!

ANNA: Me too, I’m looking forward to collecting this in print.

SEAN: On the actual digital front, we have Ace of the Diamond 26, The Dorm of Love and Secrets 4 (a final volume), Giant Killing 20, The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon! 2, and Tokyo Revengers 15.

MICHELLE: I’ll be reading 60% of these!

SEAN: Seven Seas has two debuts (digital, of course). The first is the Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear manga, based on the light novel we talked about a week ago. It runs in Shufu to Seikatsusha’s Comic Pash!, which is not a magazine I get to mention here very often.

More relevant to the Manga Bookshelf crowd is Sarazanmai: Reo and Mabu, a single volume BL manga from Gentosha’s RUTILE. From what I can tell, this is the prequel to the Sarazanmai anime/light novel series, which is from the pen of Kunihiko Ikuhara and whose light novel version Seven Seas is releasing later this year. Um, they’re cops, they’re lovers, they adopt a kid, there’s weird supernatural shit? Sounds like Ikuhara, all right.

MICHELLE: Hmm.

ASH: I’ll be reading this at some point.

MJ: Count me in on this.

SEAN: Also out next week: Classroom of the Elite 5 has a early digital release. There’s also Dungeon Builder: Demon King’s Labyrinth Is a Modern City 2, Magical Girl Site 12, and the 11th and final volume of Masamune-kun’s Revenge.

Square Enix has one digital release: The manga version of Wandering Witch, whose light novel is coming out from Yen On. This manga version is from Gangan Online. For fans of Kino’s Journey.

ASH: I do like Kino’s Journey…

MJ: Ohhhhh, I also love Kino. Hm.

SEAN: SuBLime has a 2nd volume of Given and the 3rd Yarichin Bitch Club.

MICHELLE: Yay, Given!

ASH: Yes! Looking forward to reading more.

ANNA: Looking forward to more Given!

MJ: Oh, no! I’mm behind!

SEAN: Finally, we have Viz. No debuts, but we get A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow 3, Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition 9, Radiant 11, RIN-NE 33, Splatoon 9, Transformers: the Manga 2, and Yo-Kai Watch 14. (Yes, I know. I always forget Yo-Kai Watch exists.)

ASH: I’ve been enjoying A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow quite a bit so far.

SEAN: Some interesting things. Are you buying any manga for your mom?

Pick of the Week: Possibly Our Idol?

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MICHELLE: There is a lot of terrific stuff coming out this week. Shortcake Cake, Snow White with the Red Hair, and Haikyu!! continue to be among my favorite series. But this week I’ll award my pick to the debut of Not Your Idol, as the prospect of some psychological drama appeals to me.

SEAN: I admit Not Your Idol looks great, but it also seems a bit too dark for my taste. Therefore I will go to the opposite pole and make my pick Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. Because frankly, it looks fun and also ridiculous.

ANNA: I agree that Not Your Idol looks great, but I’m also just not in the mood for anything too dark and twisty. So right now I’m much more in the mood for some Shortcake Cake but it is always hard for me to pick when there are a bunch of Shojo Beat titles coming out.

ASH: Debut-wise, Not Your Idol is where it’s at for me. But I’d also like to take this opportunity to give Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-san one last shout-out, too!

MJ: I’m going to go with Not Your Idol. I’m increasingly shifty about cross-dressing as a plot device, but I like the cover, and apparently that’s enough for me in these strange times.