Ash Brown

SEAN: How is June already getting away from us?

ASH: I don’t know and I’m not sure I like it.

We start off with Yen Press, which has finally located most of its June releases. We start off with Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian (Tokidoki Bosotto Roshiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san), whose light novel has been coming out so long I’d assumed the manga was long-since licensed. It runs in Magazine Pocket.

ASH: I thought that title sounded familiar.

SEAN: Dara-san of Reiwa (Reiwa no Dara-san) is a supernatural comedy from Comic Walker. Two siblings meet a terrifying yokai… who they are not all that terrified by. And give a cute nickname. The cover makes me suspect this has a lot of fanservice.

ASH: Hmmm… the premise intrigues me at least.

SEAN: The Heroic Tale of the Villainous Prince (Akuyaku Ouji no Eiyuutan) is a villainess story, only with a villain, and runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus. A third prince hated for his dark hair and eyes… and, let’s face it, attitude… comes across his older brother in the middle of (sigh) breaking off his engagement in public. So the third prince decides to make her his fiancee instead.

Isekai Samurai runs, appropriately, in Isekai Comic. A samurai warrior is desperate to find a strong opponent… so desperate, in fact, that she ends up in another world, battling a dragon.

ASH: That’s one way to do it.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 6, Bride of the Barrier Master 4, Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 11, Coffee Moon 6 (the final volume), The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse 2, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 12, Daughter of the Emperor 11, Friday at the Atelier 4 (the final volume), Handyman Saitou in Another World 7, Honey Lemon Soda 9, Honey Trap Shared House 5, Imitation 6, In Another World with My Smartphone 14, Interspecies Reviewers 10, Is the Order a Rabbit? 3, Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler – 18, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 19, Lycoris Recoil 3, No Longer Heroine 9, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 9, Riviere and the Land of Prayer 3 (the final volume), The Saga of Tanya the Evil 26, The Three-Body Problem 3, and Victoria of Many Faces 2.

MICHELLE: I should check back in with No Longer Heroine at some point.

ANNA: I should check back in with Honey Lemon Soda.

ASH: So. Many. Titles.

SEAN: Viz Media has Fist of the North Star 17 and My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition 5.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Tokyopop gives us a 6th volume of Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide.

Titan Manga debut Yan, a Taiwanese title that is a brutal action mystery series about a woman who was falsely accused and is apparently dead, but has come back with superpowers.

ASH: And a very striking cover.

SEAN: They also have ATOM: The Beginning 11 and Dopeman 2.

Steamship debuts Sweet Heat Before Falling in Love: The CEO and His Fated Omega (Koi Suru Mae ni, Amai Hatsujou. – Shachou to Unmei no Omega), an omegaverse title from Otomitsu Mangosteen. An omega hiding her status goes into heat and has anonymous sex with a perfect alpha… if only she knew who he was! (Hint: it’s in the title.)

ANNA: Is it the CEO??????????????

ASH: No way!!

SEAN: Seven Seas has a danmei debut, so I’ll start with that. Dinghai Fusheng Records is another series about two young men who have to try to stop the entire universe exploding and also fall in love. This also has a special edition with a double-sided bookmark, a lined notebook, a set of five trading cards, and a sticker sheet.

ASH: Sounds like a challenge. (And also a very nice release.)

SEAN: Also danmei: Peerless 4.

Seven Seas manga debuts? BLACK BLOOD is a BL manga from Canna, complete in one volume. A cyborg who wonders if he really has a human heart meets a sweet scientist.

MICHELLE: Huh.

ASH: I’ll admit to being curious.

SEAN: Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess (Himegasaki Sakurako wa Kyoumo Fubin Kawaii!) is from the creator of I Get The Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me, and runs in Comic Cune. Sakurako is cute, curvy, and everyone loves her… except her childhood friend, who is in love with another girl!

Wolf’s Daughter: A Werewolf’s Tale (Ookami no Musume) is a shoujo manga from Flowers (!), from the creator of Kids on the Slope, a popular “license this, it won’t sell but I want it!” title. A young woman finds that she’s a werewolf, and now has to figure out what that really means and how to live with it.

ASH: This one caught my eye even before I knew about the Kids on the Slope connection.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Don’t Call it Mystery 13-14, I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! 9, Imaginary 3, Lazy Dungeon Master 11, Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown 4, and There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 7.

MICHELLE: Insert continued happiness over Yumi Tamura.

ANNA: Indeed!!!!!

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Nukozuke! 4.

Kodansha Books has Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 8.

Kodansha Manga debuts Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze (Harukaze no Snegurochka), a new title from the creator of Blade of the Immortal and Wave, Listen to Me!. It’s complete in one volume, and ran in Manga Erotics f. Two kids try to help someone escape from the secret police in the Soviet Union, but they are captured and tortured. This is an award winner.

MICHELLE: And it has a really gorgeous cover!

ANNA: Cool!

ASH: I’m here for it.

SEAN: Also in print: Bless 5, Blue Lock 19, Grand Blue Dreaming 22, Nina the Starry Bride 10, and Shangri-La Frontier 17.

And digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 14, Drops of God: Mariage 13, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 30, and Gamaran: Shura 32.

Kaiten Books has a 12th volume of the Loner Life in Another World manga digitally.

J-Novel Club have a print release for My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! ―AO― 8.

No digital debuts for J-Novel Club. On the light novel side, they have By the Grace of the Gods 16, The Countess Is a Coward No More! 3, Dahlia in Bloom ~Side Stories~, Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 5, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 20, Infinite Dendrogram 22, Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner 3 (the final volume), and Nia Liston 7.

And for manga we get Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 5, Demon Lord, Retry! R 7, The Engagement of Marielle Clarac 8, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 2, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 6, Stuck in a Time Loop 4, and Sweet Reincarnation 11.

ASH: That’s a pretty decent J-Novel haul.

SEAN: HarperAlley, a HarperCollins imprint, debuts Plus-Sized Misadventures in Love! (Debu to Love to Ayamachi to!), a shoujo title from Koisuru Soiree. A shy young woman thinks of herself as fat and ugly, but after a car accident affects her memories, suddenly she’s a lot more confident. This is a romcom, with the publisher saying it’s in the vein of A Silent Voice and Perfect World.

ANNA: Hmmm. Maybe.

ASH: Agreed.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a third and final volume of The Hungry Succubus Wants to Consume Him.

Retailers say Denpa Books have Short Game: Mitsuru Adachi’s Baseball Short Story Collection out next week. This is a collection of short stories by a classic manga artist about the subject he loves best.

MICHELLE: I am so looking forward to this.

ANNA: Me too!!!!!!

SEAN: Also listed as coming out next week is Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family 6.

No print for Airship, but we do see Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 9 and Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 3 in early digital.

OK, that’s pretty huge! Publishers trying to squeeze titles in before the end of the fiscal year. What are you buying?

SEAN: Mid-June, and oh look, it’s raining again. I guess April showers bring May showers bring June showers.

Airship, in print, gives us The Mimosa Confessions 4 and Reborn as a Space Mercenary 12.

And for early digital we see The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 5 and A Tale of the Secret Saint 8.

Dark Horse Comics has the 5th and final volume of the deluxe edition of Trigun Maximum.

Ghost Ship has The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 14 and The Cursed Sword Master’s Harem Life 3.

ASH: One day I will really, really, really get around to reading one of these. (Can you guess which?)

SEAN: Ize Press debut Radio Storm. A young man is suffering through the standard “I’m in a magic school with weak powers”, but a plague sends him out of the school to find his “Caller”. This is whatever the Korean term for BL is.

Also from Ize Press: DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR 7 (the final volume), Finding Camellia 4, I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog 3, Men of the Harem 3, My Secretly Hot Husband 3, Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom 6, and Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 7.

No debuts for J-Novel Club, though technically the 14th volume of Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest should count, as it’s the first of the “After Story” books showing what life is like for Hajime and his polycule back on Earth.

On the light novel side, we see The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases 5, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 6, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 8, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 47, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 2, The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 11, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 16, and They Don’t Know I’m Too Young for the Adventurer’s Guild 2.

For manga, they have Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Sui’s Great Adventure 7, A Cave King’s Road to Paradise 6, Dragon Daddy Diaries 5, The Eternal Fool’s Words of Wisdom 5, The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1 3, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 8, Sweet Reincarnation 11, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 6.

There’s several print debuts for Kodansha, especially if we count repackagings. The first and final volumes of Codename: Sailor V are out in the Naoko Takeuchi Collector’s Edition.

MICHELLE: Oooh.

ASH: Pretty!

ANNA: Sweet!!!

SEAN: Senpai is an Otokonoko: My Crossdressing Classmate (Senpai wa Otokonoko) is a LINE Manga title that had an anime recently. Given it’s LINE Manga, you know what that means, it’s a webtoon, which also means it’s in color throughout. A girl confesses to the cool upperclassman… only to find the cool upperclassman is a boy in the girls’ uniform.

ASH: I’d read at least the first volume of this.

SEAN: Shout Loud, My Heart is a BL title from Gateau, complete in one volume. A college student and budding guitarist meets a man at a gig and is attracted to his voice.

MICHELLE: Interesting. The cover to this has a nice vibe, too.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: And there’s a box set with all of Twilight Out of Focus.

Also in print: Am I Actually the Strongest? 10, The Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm 5, Rent-A-Girlfriend 31, and Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 11.

And we get digital releases of Medalist 12, Parasyte Reversi 5, and Quality Assurance in Another World 14.

One Peace Books debuts My Death Flags Show No Sign of Ending (Ore no Shibou Flag ga Todomaru Tokoro o Shiranai), a Manga Box title based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. This is a male version of the villainess story, as our protagonist finds himself in his favorite game as the most evil character.

ASH: A potentially interesting variant of the genre.

SEAN: Seven Seas releases Cats With Jobs (Neko no Oshigoto), another cat manga from the author of Monster Cats, Yokai Cats, etc. The subject should be obvious.

ASH: Kitties!

ANNA: It is nice to know that there’s so much cat manga out there.

SEAN: Seven Seas also have SHWD: The Complete Yuri Collection. This is an odd one. They licensed and released Vol. 1, but then it vanished for three years. Now they’re releasing the whole thing at once, including that first volume. SHWD is from Comic Ruelle. It stands for Special Hazardous Waste Disposal, and has been described as “yuri buddy cop story meets horror”.

ASH: That is rather odd.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 7th Time Loop 7, After School Etude 3, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 14 (not to be confused with the light novel with the exact same title being released by J-Novel Club the day before), Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth is a Modern City! 11, Failure Frame 10, Last Game 9, Love is an Illusion! 7, My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren’t Wicked 6, Nakamura-san, the Uninvited Gyaru3, The New Recruit 3 (the final volume), Too Many Losing Heroines! 3, Trapped in a Dating Sim 12, and You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! 6.

Square Enix Manga has Always a Catch! 3, Ragna Crimson 14, and Wash It All Away 2.

Steamship has a third light novel for The Villainess and the Demon Knight.

Tokyopop’s debut is My Adorable Betrothed (Kawaii yo Gikei-san), a one-shot BL title that ran in from RED. Two men are betrothed to each other after birth, and years later one of them is adopted into the family of the other. Does this lead to forbidden passion? Does this lead to piles of sex? Yes.

Also from Tokyopop: My Contract With the Apothecary Monster 2.

No debuts from Viz, but we do see Choujin X 9, Dogsred 2, Fool Night 5, Haikyu!! 3-in-1 5, Heart Gear 5, Insomniacs After School 10, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 8, Mission: Yozakura Family 17, Undead Unluck 20, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 17.

ASH: Ack, I still need to read the first volume of Dogsred!

SEAN: Yen Press have three debuts. The 13th Footprint (13-kaime no Ashiato) is the latest from the creator of Erased and The Kid I Saw in My Dreams. A teacher living a happy life with his family finds that coming to an end when he begins receiving anonymous postcards that foretell the future. This gets a swank hardcover, also like the author’s other titles.

MICHELLE: I’d always meant to read those other titles but, predictably, I failed.

ASH: It’s been a while, but I recall liking them.

ANNA: Michelle and I can be failure buddies together.

SEAN: The Ragnarok System of the Desperate Reincarnated Demon Lord and the Seven Aggressive Maidens (Kojirase Tensei Maou to 7-ri no Oshikake Otome no Ragnarok System) is from the author of Trinity Seven, and runs in… oh dear… Champion RED. A former hero is reincarnated as a dorky college student… and suddenly everyone wants to have sex with him! This is exactly what it looks like.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: There’s also Spice and Wolf Collector’s Edition, which collects the manga in 2-in-1 volumes with new art.

Also from Yen: Aria of the Beech Forest 3 (the final volume), I’m Here, Beside You 2 (the final volume), and Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood 3 (not remotely the final volume).

MICHELLE: The first volume of I’m Here, Beside You was kinda disappointing, but I reckon I’ll still finish the series, given there’s only one more volume.

SEAN: How are you keeping your manga dry?

SEAN: Summer is here, it’s getting too hot to read 800-page history books, but not too hot to read manga.

ASH: It’s getting close, some days.

SEAN: Yen On has a good 3/4 of the stuff it said was coming out today (though Yen Press itself got bumped). Secrets of the Silent Witch -another- (Silent Witch: Chinmoku no Majo no Kakushigoto -another-) is a spinoff of the main series, showing us the backstory of Monica’s minder and irritating smug colleague Louis.

This Is the Wizard’s Secret Weapon (Kore ga Mahoutsukai no Kirifuda) stars a swordsman tired of war. Despite having no magical aptitude, he decides to retire and go to a magic academy. Unfortunately, a) his sword skills mean he defeats everyone anyway, and b) the princess also attending wants him to get back to warring.

ASH: Poor guy.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: The Detective Is Already Dead 10, I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 10, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Minor Myths and Legends 2, Ishura 9, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History 2, The Only Thing I’d Do in a No-Boys-Allowed Game World 2, Rascal Does Not Dream of His Girlfriend (the 14th book), Recommendations for Bad Children 2, and Sugar Apple Fairy Tale 8.

The debut for Viz Media is Girl Crush, a shoujo title from Comic Nicola. A young woman decides to be an idol, but though she’s technically perfect she lacks a certain something. Can she push past those barriers and become a star?

MICHELLE: Hm. Maybe!

ANNA: I don’t know!!!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 12, Call of the Night 20 (the final volume), I Wanna Do Bad Things with You 6, Komi Can’t Communicate 34, Minecraft: The Manga 2, Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet 2, and Rainbows After Storms 4.

Tokyopop has a BL one-shot, Sweet or Bitter Love (Ryouen to Akujiki). This from RED title is about a guy who seems to be down on himself, and goes to a marriage interview… only to find his chosen partner is his handsome, perfect co-worker!

ASH: Awkward!

SEAN: They also have Comic Party Wonder Love 3 (the final volume).

SuBLime have Black or White 2 and The World’s Greatest First Love 18

Square Enix Manga gives us My Isekai Life 19 and The Otaku Love Connection 2.

Seven Seas’ one debut is a sequel, I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love -double- (Koi wo Suru Tsumori wa Nakatta -double-). It ran in mellow kiss and is complete in one volume.

MICHELLE: Oh! I really liked the first volume of this.

SEAN: They also have Berserk of Gluttony 12, The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 10, Kageki Shojo!! 14, King the Land 2 (the final volume), My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files 3, Now That We Draw 2, Otonari Complex 4, Re:Monster 11, Rozen Maiden Collector’s Edition 2, and This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 16.

MICHELLE: A lot of good stuff here!

SEAN: And for danmei, we see Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 5 and Run Wild: Sa Ye 2.

One Peace Books has a 2nd volume of The Revenge of My Youth.

Kodansha’s print debut is an omnibus edition of Issak.

ASH: Oh! I’d somehow missed (or likely forgot) this was getting a print release. Pretty sure I need to read this.

ANNA: I’m curious about this.

SEAN: Also in print: The Darwin Incident 7, Dead Rock 2, The Fable Omnibus 8, Fall In Love, You False Angels 3, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 3, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 17, Sketchy 6 (the final volume), and Tank Chair 4.

For digital we get Gang King 30, Giant Killing 49, I Have a Crush at Work 10, Love, That’s an Understatement 6, and Nina the Starry Bride 15.

MICHELLE: Jeez, more good stuff!

ASH: Truth!

ANNA: Nina the Starry Bride, yay!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a pile of print. We get Ascendance of a Bookworm (manga) Arc 3 Vol. 3, Black Summoner 5, Blade & Bastard 4, Hell Mode 8, the 6th omnibus of the Infinite Dendrogram manga, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Collector’s Edition 12, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 13.

No debuts for J-Novel Club digitally. On the light novel side, we see Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 18, Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars 6, and Pens Down, Swords Up 2.

On the manga side, we get Bibliophile Princess 9, Butareba 6, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 9, I Only Have Six Months to Live, So I’m Gonna Break the Curse with Light Magic or Die Trying 2, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 3, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 4, and Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! 5.

Ghost Ship has a 22nd volume of Parallel Paradise.

Airship, in print, has the 3rd and final volume of I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince.

And for Early Digital, we see Failure Frame 12.

Lastly, ABLAZE has a PILE of titles, perhaps glaring at me given I tend to forget to add them to this list. We start with an Osamu Tezuka title, complete in one volume. Neo Faust is a late period Tezuka, and ran in Asahi Shinbun. A professor is trying to sort out his legacy. Unfortunately, so are others.

ASH: I do appreciate that Tezuka’s works seem to have been released from licensing purgatory.

SEAN: Petals of Reincarnation (Reincarnation no Kaben) is a horror manga that’s coming out in omnibus format here, and ran in Comic Blade. A young man who tends to be painfully average at anything he tries discovers there are people who borrow talents from their past lives…

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: ABLAZE also has Gannibal 4, Get Schooled 4, and Happyland 2.

There we go. What are you picking up?

SEAN: (insert June-related manga joke here)

ASH: (witty response)

SEAN: Airship has only one print title, Adachi and Shimamura 99.9.

ASH: I had to check, but that is indeed the correct volume number.

SEAN: And for early digital they have I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! 3 and Loner Life in Another World 12.

Fantagraphics has a 2nd volume of Search and Destroy.

ASH: Excited for this!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one print title out next week, Reborn to Master the Blade 6.

No debuts for J-Novel Club, but we see (on the light novel side) An Archdemon’s Dilemma 19, The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters 3, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 6, Imperial Reincarnation: I Came, I Saw, I Survived 2, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups 10, Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain 4, and My Next Life as a Villainess 14.

And for manga we get Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 4 Volume 3, Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! 4, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even 4, and Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 4.

Kodansha debuts, in print, Attack on Titan 35: FLY Collector’s Box Set, a huge collection of post-series stuff and artbook stuff and everything else that fans of this series will want to wallow in.

ASH: I’m past my Attack on Titan days, but that does sound like a nice set.

SEAN: Another print debut: Roar: A Star in the Abyss (Roar: Naraku no Heroine), a josei title from Palcy. From the creator of Guilty, this is along the same lines. A girl who grew up happy on a remote island now finds herself a star, being manipulated by everyone around her. Is revenge the only answer? (Yes.)

MICHELLE: Could be interesting! Not that I have yet managed to finish Guilty…

ANNA: I haven’t even started Guilty but I enjoy revenge!

ASH: Likewise, actually.

SEAN: Also in print: The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 7, Initial D Omnibus 6, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN MSD Cucuruz Doan’s Island 5 (the final volume), A Sign of Affection 11, WIND BREAKER 11, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 14.

MICHELLE: Yay, Iruma.

ANNA: Need to get caught up on A Sign of Affection.

SEAN: And for digital we get The Café Terrace and its Goddesses 17, Chihayafuru 50 (the final volume), Killing Line 3, Sayabito: Swords of Destiny 6, Shangri-La Frontier 21, and Those Snow White Notes 29.

MICHELLE: Okay, now I really REALLY need to read Chihayafuru.

ANNA: Wow. Me too. I think I have been digitally hoarding the first 18 volumes or so.

SEAN: Nakama Press has the first two volumes of Infini-T Force: Arc to the Future (Infini-T Force – Mirai no Byousen), which runs in Heros (yes, that’s the spelling). A girl gets a wish-granting pencil, and calls upon Gatchaman, Tekkaman, Casshern, etc. in this sentai mega-crossover.

MICHELLE: Gatchaman (or Battle of the Planets, technically) was extremely important to me becoming a manga fan, but I am still not sure I am up for this, if the *rest* of the Science Ninja Team is not present.

ANNA: I too have very fond memories of Battle of the Planets.

SEAN: One Peace Books has I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons 3.

ASH: As usual, I’m behind, but I do enjoy this series.

No debuts for Seven Seas. We see new volumes, though. Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 12, The Dungeon of Black Company 12, I Got Married to the Girl I Hate Most in Class 2, Killer Shark in Another World 4, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 4, Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 20, Tokyo Revengers: A Letter from Keisuke Baji 4, and A White Rose in Bloom 4.

ASH: I need to read more of A White Rose in Bloom.

SEAN: They also have two danmei or danmei-adjacent books: Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu 2 and Lout of Count’s Family 4.

Square Enix Manga debuts On and Off: Work-Life Imbalance (Kaisha to Shiseikatsu: On to Off), a josei title from Gangan Pixiv from the creator of Ottoman: Henshin Hero Husband. An androgynous young man and a glasses-wearing young woman are co-workers… but after work, he dresses as a gothic lolita, and she dons punk fashions! When they meet up… they don’t recognize each other! This looks cute.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ANNA: It does sound cute!

ASH: I’d read it without much prompting.

SEAN: Square Enix also has the 12th and final volume of The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses.

From Steamship, we see Loved by Two Fiancés 3 (the final volume) and The Villainess and the Demon Knight (manga version) 4.

Tokyopop debuts Imitation Play, a one-shot BL title that ran in from RED. A bar manager nurses a doomed crush on a guy who just broke up with his girlfriend… but is it doomed?

Wails of the Bound: Return is, well, more Walls of the Bound. ABO fans will be happy.

The Wizard: When Words Kill is a danmei novel that appears to be another in the popular “police procedural but with magic” genre that danmei enjoys.

MICHELLE: Hm.

SEAN: Tokyopop also has a 4th volume of The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince.

Udon Entertainment has, according to retailers, Veil, a josei manga from Comic Ruelle. A policeman meets a runaway heiress, and he gets her a job. This will be in full color! Let’s see if it comes out this time!

ASH: I have hope!

SEAN: They also have a big old artbook. LOVE – Arco Wada FATE Art Works is dedicated to Fate/Extra, so if you love Nero this is for you.

Two debuts for Viz. The Bugle Call: Song of War (Sensou Kyoushitsu) is a shonen series from Jump Square. Have you ever wished the Pope could rescue you from your horrible life and tell you to lead a crack military squad? No? Probably for the best, it sounds like a bad job.

ASH: I’ll admit that I am vaguely curious about supernaturally weaponized music.

Kill Blue is a Weekly Shonen Jump title about a hardboiled assassin who is somehow turned into a teenager again? can he survive the horrors of middle school?

MICHELLE: This sounds like it could be fun!

ANNA: Yes, sounds amusing.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Boruto: Two Blue Vortex 2, Dandadan 13, Dr. STONE 27 (the final volume), Kaiju No. 8 13, Let’s Do It Already! 5, Marriage Toxin 7, My Hero Academia 41, One Piece 3-in-1 35, Rainbow Days 16 (the final volume), A Star Brighter than the Sun 2, and Yona of the Dawn 44.

MICHELLE: Those last two, for sure!

ANNA: Yay!!!!

ASH: Always glad for more Yona.

Yen On has a number of titles that slipped from May. We see Date a Live 14, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 8 (the final volume), The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time 8 (the final volume), I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss 10, King’s Proposal 6, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 27, and The Unimplemented Overlords Have Joined the Party! 4.

Yen Press has two debuts. Desperate March for Love (Koi no Zetsubou Koushinkyoku) is a yuri one-shot from Harta. A girl asks her crush out, and she accepts!… but seems far too casual about the whole thing. Can our heroine convince her true love that this IS a true love?

The Skeleton Enchanted by the Cursed Blade: The Greatest Demon Lord, Who Conquers the Dungeon and Commands an Invincible Army (Youtou ni Miirareshi Skeleton ~Meikyuu wo Shihaishi, Muteki no Gunzei wo Hikiiru “Saikyou” no Ken Maou~) runs in Young Animal Zero, and is exactly what you’d expect a series with that title that runs in that magazine to be like. It’s also a “weak to strong” title, and filled with fanservice.

They also have Hell Is Dark with No Flowers 2.

(insert wry comment that reminds folks to buy things here)!

SEAN: The end of May brings a lot of Yen, so let’s dive right into that.

Yen On only has one title, which is the 3rd volume of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Short Story Collection.

Yen Press has many, many debuts. We’ll start with The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori (Umidori Tougetsu no “Detarame” na Jijou), the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen is already releasing. It runs in Comic Alive+.

Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour (Kui Ryouko Rakugakihon Daydream Hour) is an artbook/sketchbook from the creator of Delicious in Dungeon, and mostly featuring that series.

ASH: I’m definitely looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Kindergarten Wars (Youchien Wars) is a Shonen Jump + series about an assassin whose job is to protect the children of world leaders, most of whom are 5-6 years old. There’s just one problem… our assassin just can’t resist hot guys! This has a LOT of buzz.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: I mean, that does sound like a problem.

SEAN: Phantom Invasion (Gensou Shinkou) is a shonen series from Comic Walker. Our “hero” wakes up one day to find he’s in another world, and can seduce monster girls, an ability he decides to use for revenge.

ASH: An obvious decision, really.

SEAN: Stardust Family (Hoshikuzu Kazoku) is a complete 2-in-1 omnibus that ran in Comic Beam. In a future that is not ours, children interview adults to determine if they will be good parents, and the children have the final say. This feels “prestige”.

ASH: I am vaguely intrigued.

ANNA: Me too.

SEAN: Speaking of prestige, A Witch’s Life in Mongol (Tenmaku no Jaadugar) is a josei series from Souffle (I love it when a magazine I’ve never heard of gets an English title released). A Persian woman wants to use her medical knowledge, and ends up in Mongolia, where she meets one of the Mongol’s wives. This has been nominated for awards, and has an anime coming soon.

ASH: Another one I’m looking forward to reading! (And potentially watching.)

ANNA: Oh, this does sound interesting!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Ako and Bambi 5, Bungo Stray Dogs 25, A Certain Magical Index 30, Cheerful Amnesia 6 (the final volume), CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon 7 (the final volume), Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret 2, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 3, Liar, Liar 2, Miss Savage Fang 3 (the final volume), [Oshi No Ko] 10, Pink & Habanero 3, The Shiunji Family Children 4, Shy 10, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 8, Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale 2, Takahashi from the Bike Shop 2, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 4, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 10, and When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement! 5.

MICHELLE: Some shoujo treats in there!

ASH: It’s true!

SEAN: Viz Media has a Ghibli artbook, The Art of the Boy and the Heron.

ASH: It should be lovely.

SEAN: They also debut the new JoJo. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run is an alternate universe JoJo! As for the plot, did you ever see It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World?

ASH: I hear this part makes its way to Michigan and the Great Lakes, so I’m pretty sure I’m obligated to pick it up. (Granted, I was already planning to.)

SEAN: Tokyopop has a one-shot BL title, I Can’t Get Through the Night Alone (Hitori de Yoru wa Koerarenai). A Japanese soldier who is still recovering mentally from the stress of World War II runs into a cute American guy. Can they actually have a future?

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

SEAN: They also have a third volume of The Prince Is Standing in the Villainess’ Way!.

Steamship has a 2nd volume of The Missing “O”.

Seven Seas debuts Fairy Cat (Tenohira Neko), a seinen title from Comic Bunch. A young man spots a tiny, tiny cat one day. Can he make friends with it?

ASH: This looks really cute.

SEAN: I’ll Forget You Starting Today, Senpai! (Kyou kara Senpai wo Wasuremasu) is a josei series from Vanilove. A woman is startled to find the matchmaking service matched her with her old high school boyfriend. Worse, he seems to have forgotten who she is!

MICHELLE: Sounds like wacky fun.

ASH: Gotta love josei!

ANNA: I’m sure I will be checking this out.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 10, Cutie and the Beast 4 (the final volume), Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 10, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 3, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 6, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 8, Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 4, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 8, and Time Stop Hero 12.

They also have a new danmei volume, Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu 4.

One Peace Books debuts I Want Your Mother to be With Me! (Kimi no Okaa-san o Boku ni Kudasai!), a seinen series from Manga up! about an office worker who falls for his coworker, a widowed mom with a child.

Kodansha Books has an 8th volume of My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1.

The debut from Kodansha Manga is Spacewalking With You (Kimi to Uchuu wo Aruku Tame ni), an award-winning seinen title from &Sofa (two new magazine titles in one week!). A boy whose inability to focus makes him in danger of flunking out meets a new student, a hyperactive boy who’s a bit naive. Will these two weirdos help each other? This is another “not BL but has two male leads” series.

ASH: Those can be fun.

SEAN: Also in print: The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 2, A Condition Called Love 13, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 3, Magus of the Library 8, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 8, Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 4, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 26, Vampire Dormitory 13, and Vinland Saga 14.

ASH: Always glad to see a new volume of Vinland Saga!

ANNA: Yes!!!!!

SEAN: For digital we have As the Gods Will 5 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 23, How to Grill Our Love 14, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 5, Wind Breaker 20, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 9.

J-Novel Club has two print titles. We get the 5th Black Summoner manga and My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 8.

One debut for J-Novel Club digitally: Revenge of the Soul Eater: Cast Out as a Weakling by My Sword Saint Father (Hangyaku no Soul Eater: Jakusha wa Fuyou to Iwarete Kensei (Chichi) ni Tsuihousaremashita) is one of those “everyone treats our hero like shit, so he suddenly gets fantastic new powers and he’ll show them, oh yes, HE’LL SHOW THEM ALL!!!” series.

Also from J-Novel Club in light novels: The Apothecary Diaries 14, Cooking with Wild Game 28, The Ideal Sponger Life 15, Management of a Novice Alchemist 5, No One Gets Past This Gatekeeper 4, The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After 3, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 26.

And one manga, Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 4.

Ghost Ship has Ayakashi Triangle 15 and The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night 2.

Retailers list March Comes in Like a Lion 4 and Under Ninja 6 coming out from Denpa Books.

ASH: We shall see!

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has two debuts, new series with almost identical titles but apparently not the same series. Welcome to Monstrous Miss Sophie’s Enchanted Salon of Healing (Bakemono Jou Sophie no Salon: Gokigenyou. Kawa Ichimai nara Naosemasu wa) stars a cursed girl whose skin is rough like bark and who only has small healing magic. Then she remembers… she was once a single mother in modern Japan! I won’t expect mayonnaise, but something along those lines, probably.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Welcome to Olivia’s Magic Jewelers (Olivia Maseki Houshokuten e Youkoso: Ka to Mise wo Oida Sareta no de, Outou ni Mise wo Kamaetara, Naze ka Moto Konyakusha to Gimai no Kekkonshiki ni Dero to Iwaremashita) is a standard “my engagement is called off, my sister has claimed everything I own, and my family throws me out” book. Can she start a new store in a new city?

Airship has one print volume, Too Many Losing Heroines! 4.

And in early digital, they have The Mimosa Confessions 4 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 12.

Why, that’s not much manga at all! I’m sure you can afford every title on this list!

SEAN: Hello, children. Are you ready for Manga the Week of 5/21/25? Then we’ll begin.

MICHELLE: Good morning, Mr. Gaffney~!

SEAN: Airship has four print volumes out next week, as we see Modern Villainess 6, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 13, The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 11, and Sword of the Demon Hunter 9.

And digitally, Airship has The Villainess and the Demon Knight 3 and Witch and Mercenary 3.

Ghost Ship has She’s the Strongest Bride, But I’m Stronger in Night Battles 3.

Ize Press has two debuts. Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner features a series of murders happening in our main character’s neighborhood. He doesn’t really care, though, till he meets his new neighbor.

ASH: Hmmm. Sounds suspicious.

SEAN: The Villainess Is a Marionette may be Korean, but the plot sure sounds familiar to readers of Japanese villainess books. Our heroine wakes up in the body of a novel’s villainess… only she’s already done this once before. This is her THIRD life, and she’s determined to fight fate this time.

ASH: I wish her luck!

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: A Business Proposal 9, Kill the Villainess 2, The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine 4, Solo Leveling 12, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass 7, Unholy Blood 6, and The World After the Fall 10.

J-Novel Club has two light novel debuts. Well, one is a spinoff. Ascendance of a Bookworm: Hannelore’s Fifth Year at the Royal Academy (Honzuki no Gekokujou: Hannelore no Kizokuin Gonensei) is a continuation of the main series after the final volume, but Rozemyne is now a supporting player and the main character is Hannelore!… oh god, poor Hannelore. She is not ready to be a main character.

ASH: Hee! This should be fun.

SEAN: The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods (Mori no Hashikko no Chibi Majo-san) is about a teenage girl who learns about medicine from her mother while living in a remote forest. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, as it often does to teenage girls in these sorts of books, and she has to set out to learn more far from the forest.

ANNA: I was hoping she could remain in the woods and devote herself to making jam and/or medicines.

ASH: That would have been nice.

SEAN: Other light novels from J-Novel Club: The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 6, From Villainess to Healer 3, Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother 4, The Great Cleric 11, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 7, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even 6, and You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story 7.

And for manga we see An Archdemon’s Dilemma 12, Cooking with Wild Game 11, Jeanette the Genius 2, and Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It! 8.

Kaiten Books has a digital manga debut. Two Months Left to Live in Another World (Yomei Nikagetsu no Isekai Kenkouhou) runs in Isekai Comic, and has In Another World in its title, so you know what it is. A martial-arts master is now 82 and needs skilled nursing care to get by. Then one day, while being taken to the ER, he and his nurse end up… in another world! (See, you did know what it was.)

ASH: I am shocked by this turn of events.

SEAN: No debuts for Kodansha Manga. In print, we see Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro 19, Dra-Q 3, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 13, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 15, Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan 5, and ORIGIN 10 (the final volume).

And digitally we get The Great Cleric 14, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 26, My Wife is a Little Intimidating 11, and Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad 10.

One Peace Books gives us Tales of the Tendo Family 6.

ASH: I should check in with this series again.

SEAN: No debuts for Seven Seas, but we do see Blood Night Market 2, A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch 5 (the final volume), Choking on Love 2, Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 12, Home Sweet Home 2, I’m in Love with the Villainess 8, It Takes More Than a Pretty Face to Fall in Love 2, and My Wife Has No Emotion 8.

MICHELLE: I should check out Choking on Love and Home Sweet Home before I get too far behind.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts Love in the Palm of His Hand (Chameleon wa Tenohira ni Koi wo Suru), a BL series from Gangan Bliss. A wannabe actor who keeps failing auditions meets a young man who has hearing loss, and discovers the wonders of sign language.

MICHELLE: This looks potentially great.

ASH: I am intrigued!

SEAN: Steamship debuts Adored By an Elite Officer: Could This Be Love? (Elite Jieikan ni Dekiaisareteru… Rashii desu?), a josei series from Eternity. A young woman loses her job and is dumped on the same day. Then she runs into her old childhood friend, now a member of the JSDF… and he proposes?

ANNA: Josei, do you say?????

SEAN: Steamship also has Loving Moon Dog 2.

Tokyopop has new volumes. I Was Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, and I’m Determined to Fall in Love! 4, A Tail’s Tale 3, and Trapped By His Love: The Duke’s Unexpected Bride 2.

Viz Media debuts Cosmos, a seinen title from Sunday GX. A high school boy discovers his classmate is an alien wearing a human skin! This leads him to get caught up with an insurance investigator who wants him to help her track down more aliens.

ANNA: I have to admit I wasn’t super compelled by the alien angle but I’m intrigued by insurance investigations!

ASH: I will admit to being curious.

SEAN: Viz also has After God 4, Hirayasumi 5, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 2, Jujutsu Kaisen 26, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 23, Mujina into the Deep 2, and Trillion Game 5.

No debuts for Yen On, but we do see The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 8.5, Classroom for Heroes 4, High School DxD 16, Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods 2, Monsterholic 2, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 14, Secrets of the Silent Witch 6, and Sentenced to Be a Hero 4.

And… yeah, that’s it. All the Yen Press stuff got bumped. Now, write down in your notebook what manga you want to buy at the Scholastic Book Fair.

ANNA: I also want to buy one of those sticks with a pointing hand and maybe a holographic ruler.

ASH: Book fairs are the best.

SEAN: Everything is getting released at once lately, it seems.

ASH: Here we goooooo!

SEAN: We have some Yen On stuff, the only three Yen titles that did not get bumped. Accel World 27, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 7, and Hell Is Dark with No Flowers 3.

Viz has three debuts, only one of which is a manga proper. Dr. Mashirito’s Ultimate Manga Techniques is one of those “how to be a famous manga artist” books, written by the first editor for Akira Toriyama. It’s apparently excellent.

ASH: Oh, that does sound intriguing!

SEAN: Not-So-Shoujo Love Story is an OEL yuri manga that ran as a webtoon and which Viz has picked up. I don’t normally discuss OEL, but this has a lot of buzz. A girl is ready to confess to the guy she likes, only to be shocked when her rival confesses… to her!

ASH: I do like that twist.

SEAN: Snow Angel (Kono Setsugen de Kimi ga Zutto Waratte Irareru you ni) is a shoujo series from Cheese!. A young girl’s childhood ends when her father dies and she has to care for her grandfather with dementia. She’s stressed, verbally abused by her grandmother, and at the end of her rope. Then her old childhood friend shows up…

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: I’m a maybe on this one. I don’t know if I’m up for heavy themes.

ASH: It does sound like she got a rough start to things.

SEAN: Viz also has Fly Me to the Moon 28, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 13, I Want to End This Love Game 6, Mao 20, Persona 5 13, Sakura, Saku 7, Spider-Man: Octo-Girl 2, and Spy x Family: The Official Anime Guide—Mission Report: 221001-1224 (i.e. the 2nd half of Season 1).

Udon Entertainment has three books coming out next week according to retailers: Atelier Ryza 3: Official Visual Collection, Rival Schools: Official Complete Works, and Street Fighter V: Climax Arts + Alpha to 6. They are all artbooks.

ASH: Udon has previously released some pretty nice artbooks.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Merry Witches’ Life, a josei series from Comic PASH!. Three recently widowed women join forces to try to bring back their late partners, by any means necessary. This is apparently a heartwarming slice of life, despite the dark premise.

ANNA: I am intrigued by this.

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: SuBLime debuts Pink Heart Jam Beat, the sequel to, well, Pink Heart Jam. It runs in mellow kiss. It’s less a sequel and more of a continuation – they’ve moved in together now, here’s more.

SuBLime also has the 2nd and final volume of Palace of the Omega.

Steamship gives us Fire in His Fingertips 8 and A Suitable Fetish 3.

ANNA: I don’t want to know what an unsuitable fetish would be.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has Dragon and Chameleon 3, Just Like Mona Lisa 5, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 24.

Zero debuts for Seven Seas. But they have Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 3, Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 3, I Ship My Rival x Me 3, The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child 3, Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 3, My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today 4, My Lovey-Dovey Wife is a Stone Cold Killer 7, Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 2, Though I Am an Inept Villainess 7, and The Too-Perfect Saint 2.

ASH: My brain is having trouble parsing how many titles are actually in that list.

SEAN: There’s also some danmei, as we see Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu 4 (the deluxe hardcover edition) and Remnants of Filth: Yuwu 7 (the final volume, and there’s a special edition variant).

One Peace Books gives us Hero Without a Class 3.

Zero debuts for Kodansha Manga. But they have, in print, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 6, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 11, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 7, The Seven Deadly Sins Manga Box Set 6 (the final box set), Versus 3, and Wandance 12.

MICHELLE: I should get caught up on Wandance.

ANNA: I should start reading it in the first place!

ASH: I probably should, too.

SEAN: And for digital they have Gang King 29, Manchuria Opium Squad 6, and My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1 15.

I forgot about Kana Manga last week (and, well, every other week since I began this list). They have Eden of Witches 3 out this week.

ASH: I finally just picked up the first volume.

SEAN: J-Novel Club have three print titles out next week. We see Ascendance of a Bookworm 30, In Another World With My Smartphone 29, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Omnibus 12.

Three debuts for J-Novel Club, all light novels. Bullet Hellion: The Gunslinging Demon Prince Crushes Another World with Modern Arms (Juudan Maouko no Isekai Kouryaku: Maougun na no ni Gendai Heiki wo Shoukan Shite Attouteki ni Tata Katte mo Ii desu ka) has our isekai’d hero killed by bullet-kun instead of truck-kun during a paintball war gone wrong. Now he’s a noble, and can summon modern guns!

Long Story Short, I’m Living in the Mountains (Zenryaku, Yama Kurashi wo Hajimemashita) stars a man who is totally burned out, especially after his fiancee left him. So he buys a mountain and retreats from society. Except he’s lonely. Fortunately, he… no, he does not meet goddesses or cute elf girls. He ends up with three giant intelligent chickens. Who I have been assured do not turn into hot women.

ANNA: It is important to double check these things.

ASH: Have I mentioned that I’m planning to move to the mountains and raise chickens after completely burning out? I didn’t realize that was such a universal theme!

SEAN: My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings! (Konyakusha no Uwaki Genba wo Michatta no de Hajimari no Kane ga Narimashita) had its manga version come out two weeks ago. Fans of this genre will know the basics. Noble girl, doing her best as a future queen, catches the crown prince cheating on her with her younger sister. So she runs away, with the help of a guy who’s always loved her.

Also from J-Novel Club in light novels: Dungeon Dive 10, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 9, VTuber Legend 9, and The Water Magician Arc 1 4.

And for manga: Doll-Kara 10, Fushi no Kami 7, and Now I’m a Demon Lord! 10.

Ghost Ship has a third volume of Monster Marriage Shop.

ASH: At first I read that title as Monster Marriage Slop which would be an entirely different manga.

SEAN: Expanse (another publisher I should remember to look at) has Genshin Impact: Official Art Book 2.

Airship, in print, has Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 10 and Reincarnated as a Sword 16.

And digitally they have I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince 3 (the final volume).

Reading manga is good for you! Read some today! What are you reading?

ASH: Not as much as I would like!