Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Ash Brown

Bookshelf Briefs 4/14/25

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Blue Box, Vol. 14 | By Kouji Miura | Viz Media – At last, this sports manga has returned to being a sports manga. Not that romance is not still part of this, but the bulk of the book is devoted to either new first-years in the clubs or the sports festival. The new first-years include a younger brother who deliberately went to a different school to get out from his brother’s shadow, and a young girl who is clumsy but earnest, and who seems to really like Taiki a lot right away. Or, well, so it appears. And let’s not even get into Ayame dealing with the horrors of having to actually pursue a guy she likes rather than be pursued. As for the sports, Taiki gives off the appearance of a newbie, and there are jokes about people mistaking him for a first year, but when it comes to badminton skills he wipes the floor with the new kids. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Bocchi the Rock!, Vol. 6 | By Aki Hamazi | Yen Press – As with the previous volume, this is also a manga of two halves, though thankfully both halves are on the funny side. In the first half, Nijika decides to have a party/concert for her sister’s birthday, but struggles to come up with enough bands to fill out the bill. In the second half, Kita has “run away from home,” as her mother is objecting to her listing musician as a career, for sensible reasons, and also feels that this Gotou boy is a very bad influence on her daughter, which is wrong but also hilarious, especially when Bocchi actually shows up, and proceeds to be… herself. The other big thing in this book is we see Hiroi sober for the first time, and, well, she’s Bocchi. She’s Bocchi, and has found that alcohol is the cure for that. Sure feels like a lead-up to a spinoff. Good fun. – Sean Gaffney

I’m Here, Beside You, Vol. 1 | By TEA natsuno | Yen Press – Ibuki Doi learns that Mikami Baba, the boy he was in love with in high school and whom he had assumed was straight, is marrying a man. This news spurs him to get massively drunk, after which he wakes up in the past with a chance to do things over again. I normally like these kinds of stories, so I’m Here, Beside You was an instant purchase for me. Unfortunately, it was merely okay. One factor is that Ibuki quickly becomes frustrating as a protagonist, but the bigger issue is that halfway through there is an out-of-nowhere revelation that Mikami’s sister is going to be murdered soon. Given the utter lack of foreshadowing, it feels like an editorial course correction. Does the story get more interesting after this? Admittedly, yes. Enough so that I will read the second and concluding volume, at least, but I remain disappointed. – Michelle Smith

Rainbows After Storms, Vol. 2 | By Luka Kobachi | Viz Media – I’m not sure how long the “we need to reintroduce the series for new readers every chapter” thing is going to go on, but I hope it’s not for the entire series, because trust me, I know that the two of them are dating but they’re keeping it a secret from everyone else, and I also know that if you cut out the panels telling us that, this volume would be much shorter. It’s good otherwise, though, with Chidori being the one worried about their relationship this time around, as she fears that Nanoha had a past male crush, and is too afraid of what the answer is to ask about it. That doesn’t really get resolved, but we do have a lot of cute G-rated yuri situations, and I’d happily recommend it to those who like their wlw romance on the mild side. – Sean Gaffney

You Talk Too Much, So Just Shut It Already!, Vol. 1 | By Shunpei Morita and Aldehyde | One Peace Books – Tsukino Hiiragi has just transferred to a new middle school, which would be challenging enough, but she’s also deaf. Resigned to being lonely, she’s taken by surprise when her classmate Taiyo Enomoto instantly befriends her. While Tsukino can read lips, she communicates through writing and sign language. Taiyo communicates by constantly talking. Misunderstandings abound, in part because Taiyo believes language barriers can be overcome by sheer willpower and enthusiasm. This… is definitely not the case. But thanks to Tsukino’s charming nature and Taiyo’s incredible kindheartedness, things do generally work out in the end, even if both of them are completely confused. Some of the scenarios that play out in the series are rather silly—the creators don’t hesitate to favor comedy over realism—but the characters are earnest and the heart of the story is authentic. The first volume is funny and endearing; I look forward to reading more. -Ash Brown

Pick of the Week: Climbing and Clouds

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MICHELLE: I am looking forward to both Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory and The Little Bird Sleeps by the Sea. Presumably, the latter will be much more wholesome, however, so I will pick that one for brain-balm purposes.

SEAN: Gonna have to give it to the manga with the most striking cover this week, because The Climber makes me want to see what his deal is.

KATE: That sound you hear right now? That’s me screaming with excitement over a new installment of Go With the Clouds, North by Northwest, one of the weirdest and most consistently satisfying series I’m reading right now. I’m also going to hop on The Climber bandwagon, as it looks great, if potentially vertigo-inducing. This is definitely a head-to-the-comic-shop week for me!

ASH: While I am intrigued by several of the novel offerings this week, it’s The Climber for me, too!

ANNA: I’m with Kate this week, I’ve ordered both Go With the Clouds, North by Northwest and The Climber. What an exciting week!

Manga the Week of 4/16/25

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SEAN: Yen’s April has already started to slip into May, but fear not, there’s plenty here for your Easter week.

Yen On has three debuts. Bye Bye Earth is an old light novel series from 2000. A young woman is very powerful and has a huge sword. Unfortunately, she’s the only human in a world of anthropomorphic animals. So she sets out on a journey to find people like her.

maboroshi is a light novel based on a movie that came out two years ago, but it’s also by Mari Okada, so I may actually read this one. An explosion traps a town in what seems to be a groundhog Day loop, but the day can apparently be saved by Japanese high school students, as always. Despite my sarcasm, this is apparently excellent.

ASH: I mean, it is Mari Okada; I may have to read it, too.

ANNA: Oh yeah, Okada is always worth a look.

SEAN: The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) is a light novel adaptation of the manga series, which is a nice reversal from the usual.

ASH: Oh, how interesting! I might need to check this one out, too.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Banished from the Hero’s Party 13, The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori 2, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 11, The Detective Is Already Dead 10, I’m the Strongest in This Zombie World 2, and Sword Art Online Alternative Clover’s Regret 3 (the final volume). (Two of these got bumped.)

Most of Yen Press’s pile got delayed to next week, but there are a few books, including one debut. The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters: Before I Knew It, the Ultimate Specialized Support Skill Led to the World’s Ultimate Party! (Kaibutsu-tachi o Suberu Mono – Saikyou no Shien Tokka Nouryoku de, Kizukeba Sekai Saikyou Party ni!) is a “banished from the party” story, though at least this time two of the party join him. This is because (try to contain your shock) his ability is great after all! Now he’s going to make his own party of monsters. (Taking a wild guess that the monsters look like hot girls.) J-Novel Club has the novels, this is the manga adaptation, which runs in Isekai Comic.

And we also see April Showers Bring May Flowers 2, Rejected by the Hero’s Party, a Princess Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 2, and A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 16. (ALL of these got bumped.)

Viz Media debuts The Climber (Kokou no Hito), which has art by the creator of #drcl Midnight Children and Innocent. A young man is dared to climb to the top of the school building, and, after not falling, discovers a new passion. That’s right, this is technically a sports manga. It runs in Weekly Young Jump.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: I am very interested in this one.

ANNA: A genre we haven’t seen before? I’m always interested in sports manga.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 7, Mission: Yozakura Family 16, Rainbows After Storms 3, Record of Ragnarok 14, Red River 3-in-1 3, Snowball Earth 5, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 6, Tokyo Alien Bros. 2, Undead Unluck 19, and Vagabond Definitive Edition 2.

ASH: For those who haven’t seen it yet, the deluxe edition of Vagabond looks really great.

ANNA: I really don’t need to buy it again, but I sort of want to? But maybe not in this economy!

SEAN: So last week I screwed up and put the Tokyopop titles that should have been on this list. Last week we actually had The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess 2 and Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!? 4.

And *this* is the week with The Little Bird Sleeps by the Sea (Hinadori wa Shiokaze ni Madoromu), a BL one-shot from Chara. A young man whose family have all recently died adopts his niece and moves to a seaside town, where he meets another young man who also has a tragic past. This is from the creator of Love Nest, Sayonara Game, etc.

MICHELLE: Still intrigued!

SEAN: And there’s a 2nd volume of The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince.

Steamship gives us a 2nd volume of The Yakuza and His Omega: Raw Desire. (Note it’s from Steamship, BL fans. This is a rare M/F A/B/O.)

ASH: I’ll admit, I didn’t realize that those even existed.

SEAN: From Square Enix Manga we get Tokyo Aliens 8 and My Dress-Up Darling 13.

Seven Seas starts with the ominous title Gene Bride, a josei manga from Feel Young. A woman dealing with the horrible misogyny of her workplace is startled when a man shows up and declares that they were genetically matched as a perfect couple in middle school. The fact that this is in Feel Young means I won’t ignore it on sight, but that premise makes me go eeeeergh. (checks) Oh, it’s also from the creator of My Boy, no wonder I feel uncomfortable.

MICHELLE: Hm, again.

ASH: I could see this being very disconcerting but potentially intriguing.

ANNA: Yeah, I don’t know about this one.

SEAN: Mii-chan Wants to Be Kept (Mi-chan wa Kawaretai) is a seinen title from Ultra Jump. A stressed-out young man has recently lost his beloved pet cat, so is even more stressed. Then a hot girl shows up in his bed… and she seems a lot like his pet cat.

MICHELLE: Barf.

ASH: Huh.

ANNA: I’m not sure how much more uninterested in this I could possibly be.

SEAN: PUNKS TRIANGLE is a one-shot BL manga (though there’s a sequel) from the magazine Bloom. A fashion designer is town between a hot, sexy model and a dorky but adorable classmate.

And there’s a new danmei series from the creator of Legend of Exorcism and Dinghai Fusheng Records called Riverbay Road Men’s Dormitory. A movie director struggles to write believable characters, so rents out his house to a bunch of gay men to see if he can learn from their love lives.

MICHELLE: I’ve been looking forward to this one.

ANNA: Interesting research methods!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 365 Days to the Wedding 7, Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 8, Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi 3, Does it Count if You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? 5, Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent 2, I Get the Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me 6, Kase-san and Yamada 4, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 10, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Elma’s Office Lady Diary 9, My Cat is Such a Weirdo 6, and Mysterious Disappearances 5.

One Peace Books has I Was Sold Dirt Cheap, but My Power Level Is off the Charts 3.

No debuts for Kodansha, but in print they have Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest 7, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 2, Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up 4, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 9.

ASH: I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve seen a new volume of Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest.

ANNA: Oh, I need to read this series in the first place and also pick this up for one of my kids who is collecting it.

And for digital we get Koigakubo-kun Stole My First Time 8 and Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 16.

J-Novel Club has some print titles: An Archdemon’s Dilemma 17, By the Grace of the Gods 14, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 5, Tearmoon Empire 12, and the 11th manga volume of The Unwanted Undead Adventurer.

And no debuts for J-Novel Club this week, but we see, in light novels, The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?! 3, From Two-Bit Baddie to Total Heartthrob 3, Isekai Walking 2, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 12, and The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 4.

While for manga we get Ascendance of a Bookworm 4-2, Hell Mode 6, Isekai Tensei 10, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 2, and A Pale Moon Reverie 2.

Ghost Ship has Ero Ninja Scrolls 8.

Dark Horse has a 2nd omnibus of Drifters, with Vol. 4-6.

ASH: That seems fast for Dark Horse!

SEAN: And Airship gives us a print version for The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 4.

And digital for Reincarnated As a Sword 16 and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentosho 9.

What Easter manga are you getting?

ANNA: I see that Veil has been pushed back to June, so not that!

Pick of the Week: Cats and Monsters

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SEAN: I guess I’ll go for more bad things happening to reincarnated nobles with the 2nd part (1st half) of The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life As a Noblewoman.

MICHELLE: With the state of everything being as it is, the solace offered by A Man and His Cat seems like just the thing.

ANNA: This week, I’m picking my hope for Veil to be released next week. I’m guessing next week I will pick the actual manga Veil instead of my hope for it.

ASH: Well, I received notification that Veil has been delayed. I thought that was the one title this week I was really interested in, but then I remembered that Bubbles Zine is publishing Maruo Suehiro’s Beautiful Monster. A master of ero-guro, expect the volume to be exquisitely illustrated but definitely not for everyone.

Manga the Week of 4/9/25

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SEAN: The Easter Rabbit is busy hiding manga all around the area for children to find. Let’s see what they might be…

Seven Seas is having a quiet week, and Airship has no print titles out. They do have early digital for Modern Villainess 6 and The Too-Perfect Saint 2.

Ghost Ship has World’s End Harem: Fantasia 14.

J-Novel Club also has a quiet week, with no debuts. But for light novels we see Chivalry of a Failed Knight 5, Disowned But Not Disheartened 2, and The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life As a Noblewoman 2, Part 1.

While for manga, we get Black Summoner 19, Housekeeping Mage from Another World 7, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 10, The Water Magician 4, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 10.

Kodansha, try to contain your shock, has a quiet week with no debuts. In print, we see Blue Lock: Episode Nagi 3, Fall In Love, You False Angels 2, I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 8, and Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 20 (the final volume).

ASH: A quiet week with no debuts… when does the other shoe drop?

SEAN: And in digital we have A Condition Called Love 16, Gang King 28, Giant Killing 48, and I Have a Crush at Work 9.

MICHELLE: Insert obligatory Giant Killing appreciation noises.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Tokyo Revengers Series Guide: REMEMBER YOU!, a reference guide to the series with character profiles, designs, etc.

Also from Seven Seas: 100 Ghost Stories That Will Lead to My Own Death 2, The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 6, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 21, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 8, No Love Zone 3, The Strange House 3, and Tomo-chan is a Girl! Omnibus 4 (the final volume).

A debut at last! From Square Enix we get The God-Slaying Demon King (Kamigoroshi no Maou Saijyaku Shuzoku ni Tensei shi Shijyou Saikyou ni naru), a Manga Up! series about a man who reincarnated after almost defeating the demon king. Now it’s 500 years later, his adopted daughter is missing, and he has to do it all over again.

ASH: A dad’s gotta do what a dad’s gotta do.

ANNA: Those demon kings can be tricky.

SEAN: Also from Square Enix: A Man and His Cat 13 and My Isekai Life 18.

MICHELLE: I should read more A Man and His Cat.

ASH: I haven’t read much of the series, but I enjoyed what I did.

SEAN: Steamship debuts Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth (Tensei Shitara Maou-sama ni Dekiai Saremashita), a josei title from Otomitsu Mangosteen. A woman has been having a bad few weeks. Her real estate job is going badly, the guy she had a crush on at work got married… sigh. Then one day a demon lord smashes into her window and says she used to be the saint and they’re enemies. Except… he vows to make her the happiest woman in the world BEFORE he destroys her, to make the destruction sweeter. Honestly, reverse isekai smut is really rare, so I’ll take a look.

ASH: I’ve certainly encountered worse premises!

ANNA: It could be so much worse.

SEAN: SuBLime debuts Ask and You Will Receive (Sonna ni Iu Nara Daiteyaru), which runs in moment. (Too many BL magazines have ee cummings capitalization, it gets confusing.) A playboy who has a normal “daytime” life as a dull office worker is annoyed that his straight narcissist co-worker is now showing up at his favorite gay bar! Time to get out the hot seduction skills.

ASH: I can’t imagine anything going wrong with that scenario.

SEAN: Worst Soulmate Ever: Proposal (Unmei no Tsugai ni Kyuukon (Propose) da Nante) is the one-shot sequel to the one-shot we saw last December. Marriage comes up.

Tokyopop has The Little Bird Sleeps by the Sea (Hinadori wa Shiokaze ni Madoromu), a BL one-shot from Chara. A young man whose family have all recently died adopts his niece and moves to a seaside town, where he meets another young man who also has a tragic past. This is from the creator of Love Nest, Sayonara Game, etc.

MICHELLE: Hm, this looks pretty cute!

SEAN: And there’s a 2nd volume of The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince.

Udon Entertainment has, according to retailers (sorry, Udon, you’re going in the same box as Denpa/KUMA), 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!

ASH: I am really looking forward to this one, whenever it releases.

ANNA: I WANT TO BELIEVE!!!!!

SEAN: Viz has a couple of kinda-sorta first volumes. Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Savanaclaw is another in the franchise, and runs in GFantasy. It’s a magical academy with a fighting tournament. Be still my heart.

Also from Viz, Kaiju No. 8: B-Side, the manga adaptation of the light novel spinoff.

And we see Akane-banashi 11, Beyblade X 2, Case Closed 94, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba: The Official Coloring Book 3, Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga 3, I Wanna Do Bad Things with You 5, Pokémon: Sword & Shield 12, Splatoon 3: Splatlands 4, and Star Wars: The High Republic: The Edge of Balance—Premonition (the final volume).

And we still have some March runoff from Yen, and what’s worse, they haven’t updated their website calendar. This is based off their page. Yen On has Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World 6 (the final volume?), Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 13, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 11, The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 5, and Magical Explorer 9.

And for Yen Press, we get April Showers Bring May Flowers 2, Excellent Property, Rejects for Residents 3, Rejected by the Hero’s Party, a Princess Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 2, and A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 16.

That started slow but picked up about halfway through. What did you find?

ASH: A relatively small shoe.

Pick of the Week: Pink Candy Picks

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ASH: I find this week my heart torn between two debuts. The first is Pink Candy Kiss—josei is becoming more common in translation, which delights me, but we still don’t see too much josei yuri. The second is the BL title vs. LOVE, because I know it’s going to be difficult for me to resist a delinquent manga taking its inspiration from Shakespeare.

SEAN: I’ll go with Pink Candy Kiss as well, which seems the more appealing of the two yuri debuts this week.

MICHELLE: Same here (though I’m looking forward to a Tamon’s B-side binge!)

Bookshelf Briefs 3/27/25

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A Certain Scientific Railgun, Vol. 19 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Motoi Fuyukawa | Seven Seas – The flashback that never ends continues, and it’s still not over, though we are at least at the end of this PART of the flashback, showing all the various factions trying to outdo each other, and learning—big surprise—that some of them are connected to the Dark Side of Academy City, and their goal is to completely destroy the school’s reputation. Fortunately Mikoto is in this volume, though she’s still not as relevant as I’d like. We don’t get Kuroko till the end, for the cliffhanger, which also shows that Mikoto’s roommate and best friend who we have never seen in the present day is—again, big surprise—a traitor. This is Mikoto’s series, so the plot twists tend to be as twisty as a pocky stick, but hey. Time to wait another year. – Sean Gaffney

Choking on Love, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Iwashita| Seven Seas – I’ve been trying to read more good old-fashioned shoujo lately, and this is an excellent example. An art student has been struggling at school because her designs are too staid, mostly as she lacks confidence. Then while working on her laptop at a ramen shop, it gets drinks spilled on it by a hot guy, and she screams at him, only to find that a) he’s also at her school, and b) he’s in a band. After helping her with her project, the two grow closer, and he asks her to design their band’s flyers. The title seems to refer to her own feelings about this guy, as she clearly likes him almost immediately but is very frustrated by that fact, and he too is surprised by how well they get on right off the bat, as he usually tries to ignore women. I’ll definitely read more. – Sean Gaffney

Colette Decides to Die, Vol. 2 | By Alto Yukimura| Viz Media – The bulk of the first volume of this omnibus sees Colette literally going up to heaven, as there are gods there that are asking for her treatment. As it turns out, their issues are more psychological than physical, but that doesn’t matter to her. The second half of the omnibus sees Colette trying something she’s never done before, as she has to assist a midwife with a pregnant woman. This basically involves her and her coworker (both coworkers get slightly more to do this time around) learning that there’s a lot more to being pregnant than just getting bigger till the baby comes out. Interspersed with this are scenes with her and Lord Hades, especially in the first half, where she’s searching heaven for a rare flower and almost gets stranded. This is really good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya: The Complete Manga Collection | By Hiroshi Hiroyama and TYPE-MOON | Seven Seas – Just as Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha was a spinoff of an eroge (no, not Nanoha herself) that turned into a massive magical girl franchise, so the Fate/Stay Night series has this manga, which is an alternate continuity where Rin and her rival Luvia (this is the series where she really makes a real appearance) are magical girls, but when they annoy their magical sticks Illya, a “normal” girl living with her brother Shirou and her maids Sella and Leysritt, and Miyu, a mysterious girl with a dark past living with Luvia, get to be Card Captors, only with the battles being a lot more bloody. This is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a Fate magical girl spinoff, and Fate fans should greatly enjoy it. – Sean Gaffney

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 12 | By Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe | Viz Media – For the most part, we’ve only really experienced Frieren’s journeys with Himmel and company in flashback. But now she’s back in time, and we get zero Fern and Stark and a lot more of her original party. This is good—they’re all great characters, and I like how they all notice, but never actually say out loud, how much she’s changed and emotionally matured over the years. Unfortunately, there are also demons in this time, and Frieren has to be very careful to avoid using magic so powerful that it hasn’t been discovered this far back in time. All this plus a lot of walking around looking for a way to return to the future and coming up empty over and over again. But then, the journey is what’s important. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia, Vol. 40 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – I know Bakugo has his fans—he’s been the #1 in the character polls since the series began—but I know at least a few people who were really annoyed when, as you might expect, he turned out not to be quite dead despite having his heart destroyed a few volumes ago. And to be fair, Horikoshi does give us a way to explain it besides “power of shonen,” even though that’s what it is. I was less fond of the connection between Bakugo and All for One, which even All for One admits is a coincidence but allows the narrative to slide him off the screen so that the final battle can be Deku vs. Shigaraki, as we know it has to be. We’ve only got two volumes to go after this, and it’s probably for the best, as by god this is exhausting. – Sean Gaffney

Ninja Sarutobi Sasuke | By Sugiura Shigeru | New York Review Comics – At this point, only three manga have been published by New York Review Comics, but they have all been remarkable; I’m very curious to see what else may be translated in the future. The most recent volume to have been published, Ninja Sarutobi Sasuke, originally released in 1969, is largely a redrawing of some of Sugiura’s popular work from the 1950s. I don’t think I’ve read or seen anything quite like it before. Nominally, the plot follows the eponymous hero as he travels throughout early Edo-era Japan, recruiting others to the warlord Sanada Yukimura’s cause and wreaking havoc for those who would use ninjutsu for ill. On top of this historical framework is layered a cacophony of impressive visuals, a multitude of anachronisms, and pop culture references originating from both Japan and the West. It’s surreal nonsense, a gag manga that leans heavily into its outrageousness to great and astonishing effect. -Ash Brown

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 13 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship – After a brief arc about the power of addictive Korean barbecue, we meet the latest girlfriend in this volume, who is a) a teacher, and b) a mess. You could argue Naddy is the same, but Naddy 100% has her life together compared to Momoha, the school’s ethics teacher who spends most of her time when not teaching drinking, gambling, masturbating (no, she tells us herself), and living in a tent on school grounds. The biggest gag is that despite this, when it comes to people OTHER than herself, she’s an excellent ethics teacher… so the polycule may be in danger, what with its 13-year-old cousins and 89-year-old grandmas who look eight. Let’s not even get into the huge arc where everyone pretends to be drunk. For fans, as always. – Sean Gaffney

The Revenge of My Youth: Re Life with an Angelic Girl, Vol. 1 | By Yuzi Keino and Boiru Iseebi | One Peace Books – After working himself to the point of collapse, thirty-year-old Shin’ichiro Niihama, completely dissatisfied with the course his life has taken, somehow wakes up in the past as his high school self. He doesn’t understand what’s going on, but that’s not going to stop him from trying to change things, hoping that life will be different for himself as well as for the young woman who is most important to him. The ways in which basic workplace skills are applied to solve teenage problems in the story is highly entertaining; Shin’ichiro finds not only his school life significantly improved, but his love life, too. (Or, at least what will obviously become his love life, even if he’s being incredibly dense about it.) But one of my favorite things about The Revenge of My Youth is actually the wonderfully wholesome relationship between Shin’ichiro and his younger sister, who is absolutely delightful. -Ash Brown

Manga the Week of 4/2/25

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SEAN: Ah, time to begin April, the best month.

MICHELLE: Indeed.

SEAN: Yen On has some leftover titles from March, as we see I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 16, The Kept Man of the Princess Knight 4, Victoria of Many Faces 2, and Wandering Witch 15.

ASH: I was hoping for an aquarium theme there, but flowers are also acceptable.

SEAN: Yen Press has one debut, The Anemone Feels the Heat (Anemone wa Netsu o Obiru), a yuri title from Manga Time Kirara Forward. A girl headed to her high school exams stops to help a sick girl, and thus fails by being late. Now in a lower-tiered high school, she finds… the very girl she stopped to help. Can she overcome her bitter feelings and get to know her?

Also from Yen Press: Blade & Bastard 2, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 12, and Hazure Skill 7.

Viz Media debuts Pink Candy Kiss (Tsumetakute Yawaraka), a josei yuri title from Cocohana. A woman has her boyfriend break up with her because “she never gets jealous”, and she admits that she’s not too broken up by the breakup. Then a former classmate from middle school joins her workplace, but is now a mysterious beauty!

MICHELLE: I’m here for josei yuri!

ASH: Same! Definitely curious about this one.

ANNA: Oh, this sounds good.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Dandadan 12, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy 5, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak 3 (the final volume), Marriage Toxin 6, Moriarty the Patriot 19 (the final volume), Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite 3, Rainbow Days 15, and Tamon’s B-Side 7.

MICHELLE: I need to read more Tamon.

ASH: I probably should, too. (Granted, I haven’t actually read any yet…)

SEAN: Steamship debuts The Trapped Former Villainess Wants to Escape from the Sadistic Prince (Tsunderu Moto-Akuyaku Reijo wa Do-S Ouji-sama kara Nigedashitai), a josei title from Comic Boost. An office worker wakes in the body of a former villainess in an otome game… and her husband is not happy that she now has memories of a life in Japan! Can she escape before he attempts to seduce her to regain the villainess’ memories? For dubcon fans.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga has By the Grace of the Gods 12, My Happy Marriage 5, and Otherside Picnic 12.

Seven Seas has two debuts. The Long Summer of August 31 (8-gatsu 31-nichi no Long Summer) is a seinen title from Weekly Morning; KManga had it licensed digitally, and here’s the print version. A high school boy and girl are trapped in a Groundhog Day loop, all because he hasn’t gotten a girlfriend and lost his virginity as he vowed. This is apparently “funny but heartwarming”.

ASH: Time loops are interesting, but I feel like re-reading All You Need Is Kill might be the better option for me this time.

SEAN: vs. LOVE is a BL version of Romeo and Juliet with gangs, and it’s from the creator of Blood Night Market. It ran in Magazine Be x Boy.

MICHELLE: Hm. I like the cover art, at least!

ASH: Shakespeare-inspired delinquent BL? I’m in.

ANNA: It sounds interesting!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Great Snake’s Bride 5, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 17, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 11, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 6, My Girlfriend’s Child 7, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 3, Perfect Buddy 3, Re:Monster 10, Reborn Rich 3, Sweet Room Escape 2 (the final volume), and Yonoi Tsukihiko’s Happy Hell 2.

ASH: The Great Snake’s Bride is another series I should catch up with; i vaguely recall enjoying the first volume.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Kurokiya-san Wants to Lead Him Around by the Nose 4.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut. The Dashing Zaddy and His Icy Protégé (Ikeoji Monster to Zettai Reido Danshi) is a BL series from Palcy. Yes, ‘zaddy’ has hit a mainstream manga title. This zaddy has a shameful secret, though. Perhaps… he needs a younger but equally hot colleague?

MICHELLE: I went to read the description of this one and it turns out this “zaddy” is all of 40. *cries in old person*

ASH: Manga years are like dog years, right? There has got to be some sort of time conversion going on.

ANNA: I’m so old.

SEAN: Also in print: The Fable Omnibus 7, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 6, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN MSD Cucuruz Doan’s Island 4, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 16, WIND BREAKER 10, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 13.

Digitally we see Chihayafuru 49, Matcha Made in Heaven 11, Shangri-La Frontier 20, That Beauty Is a Tramp 5, and Those Snow White Notes 27.

MICHELLE: I was just thinking it’s about time for a new Chihayafuru.

ANNA: I might never catch up on Chihayafuru, but I have faith in my ability to keep up on Matcha Made in Heaven.

SEAN: Just one debut from J-Novel Club, and it’s a manga. Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! (Isekai ni Otosareta… Jouka wa Kihon!) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, and runs in Comic Corona. Normal dude gets truck-kun’d, ends up in a fantasy forest where he befriends vicious wolves and tries to lift a curse of “black mist of evil”.

Light novels out from J-Novel Club next week: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 17, Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools 9, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 6, The Hero-Killing Bride 2, Housekeeping Mage from Another World 9, and When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace 13 (the final volume).

And for manga, they have A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 5, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 7, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 3, and The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 5.

Ghost Ship has a 6th and final volume of I’m Not a Succubus!.

Cross Infinite World debuts This Alluring Dark Elf Has the Heart of a Middle-aged Man! (Watashi no Kokoro wa Oji-san de Aru). A (male) office worker wakes in the body of a (female) dark-haired elf in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, this elf is still an introvert who avoids others.

They also have Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights 6 and Fluffy Paradise 7.

No print for Airship, but we do see Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 20.5 and A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 2.

A good start to the month! What are you buying?

Pick of the Week: Gods, Ghosts and Teenagers

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SEAN: There are a couple of debuts I’m very interested in. But my pick is the final volume of Teasing Master Takagi-san, a series I’ve loved since it began. I doubt it sells well enough to justify the spinoff starring their child getting licensed, but I can dream…

KATE: A new installment of The Summer Hikaru Dies is reason to rejoice, so I’m making it my pick of the week.

MICHELLE: I’m also intrigued by The Summer Hikaru Died, but my pick goes to GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST!, which looks like a lot of fun.

ANNA: I’m curious about The Failure at God School, as I’m always intrigued by paranormal shoujo series.

ASH: I’ll be joining Anna in picking The Failure at God School as the debut that intrigues me the most this week, though everyone’s picks for ongoing series are all solid choices, too.

Manga the Week of 3/26/25

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SEAN: The end of March, so let’s calm down and be less windy, shall we?

ASH: It has been a little ridiculous at times.

SEAN: Airship has print volumes for Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 10 and Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 2.

ASH: I don’t know, that sounds pretty heroic and saintly to me!

SEAN: For early digital we have Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 4 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 11.

Dark Horse has the 9th volume of its Hellsing re-release.

Ghost Ship debuts 12 Dirty Deeds to Unite the Princess and Her Heroine (Hime to Onna Yuusha ga Musubareru Tame no 12 no Hijiri Koui), a seinen title from Comic Fuz. The princess and the heroine have always said they’ll be together, and now the heroine has defeated the demon lord. Alas, she’s now cursed, and to break it, she needs to do increasingly perverse things. I’d call this yuri but come on, the audience is 100% male.

ASH: That’s quite the curse.

SEAN: We also see Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 7 and The Witches of Adamas 10.

So, immediately after saying I’d start to include Ize Press titles here, I forgot last week to include them. Apologies. So these are already out as you read this. There are no debuts, but we see Dark Moon: The Blood Altar 6, Finding Camellia 3, I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog 2, Men of the Harem 2, My Secretly Hot Husband 2, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint 6, Semantic Error 2, Tomb Raider King 10, and The Uncanny Counter 5 (the final volume).

No debuts for J-Novel Club, but plenty of ongoing series. For light novels we see Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon 10, Black Summoner 20, Earl and Fairy 10, Hell Mode 9, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 19, I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 3, Knight’s & Magic 6, The Labyrinth of Marielle Clarac (the 12th in the series), My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 10, Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden 6, Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 12, and Otherside Picnic 9.

ASH: I’d somehow forgotten Otherside Picnic was still ongoing.

SEAN: And for manga J-NC has Only I Know That This World Is a Game 7, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 3, Tearmoon Empire 7, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 5.

From Kodansha Books we get a 6th volume of Am I Actually the Strongest?.

And Kodansha Manga has a print debut. The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride (Kizumono no Hanayome), a Shonen Sirius manga. A young girl was kidnapped and had a demon mark placed on her. Now back with her family, she’s shunned and hated by all and forced to wear a mask. Then she meets a handsome young man after her mask falls off. Cinderella story with a lot of bullying. Odd seeing it in Shonen Sirius.

ASH: Curious, indeed.

SEAN: Also in print: A Condition Called Love 12, FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 17, Gazing at the Star Next Door 5, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 2, I Can’t Say No to the Lonely Girl 6 (the final volume), Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 3, and Spoil Me Plzzz, Hinamori-san! 3 (the final volume).

Digitally we see A Couple of Cuckoos 22, Gamaran: Shura 30, and WIND BREAKER 19.

One Peace Books has Tales of the Tendo Family 5.

MICHELLE: I should read this.

ASH: I’ve liked what I’ve read, so far!

SEAN: Debuting from Seven Seas is You Are My Alpha (Kimi wa Alpha), a one-shot omegaverse title from Asuka Ciel. Two friends attend a school for only alphas, and are working on a drug to try to fix the whole A/B/O thing. Then one of them… sigh… becomes an omega! Now they have to keep it a secret.

For ongoing titles, they have Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat 3, Dungeon Friends Forever 4, HIKARI-MAN 3-4, His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper 9, Kageki Shojo!! 13, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 9, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today 9, Reborn as a Space Mercenary 8, Tokyo Revengers 29-31 (the final omnibus), and Yakuza Reincarnation 12.

MICHELLE: Every time I see HIKARI-MAN, my brain at first interprets it as Hataraki Man and I have this surge of hope that is immediately deflated.

ASH: Mine does the same thing. :(

SEAN: And for danmei we get The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish 4 (the final volume, and it also has a special edition) and You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post 3.

MICHELLE: Woo.

SEAN: Steamship has a 3rd volume of Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way With You.

Tokyopop debuts Touch Within the Abyss (Kimi no Yoru ni Fureru), another from RED title, and a one-shot. A hitman who lost his brother as he was unable to pull the trigger reunites with the witness … who is blind. This is BL, so you can imagine what happens next.

ANNA: They start a small business doing artisanal crafts?

ASH: Sounds pretty typical.

SEAN: Viz Media gives us #DRCL midnight children 4, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean 9 (the final volume of this arc), and The Liminal Zone 2.

ASH: Oh! A solid Viz week for me.

SEAN: Yen On debuts a one-shot, Miri Lives in the Cat’s Eyes (Miri wa Neko no Hitomi no Naka ni Sundeiru), the story of a boy who can see the past, a girl who can see the future, and how they try to stop a murder. This is an award-winner, but I’ll lay you even odds it ends with one of the two dead.

MICHELLE: That sounds potentially interesting!

ASH: I am likewise intrigued.

SEAN: We also get A Certain Magical Index NT 4 and Days with My Stepsister 5.

And here’s all the Yen Press we didn’t get last week. Debuts first. The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters (Kaibutsu-tachi wo Suberu Mono) is a shonen title from Isekai Comic, and the light novel it’s based on comes out from J-Novel Club. It’s a “weakest is really the strongest” title.

The Failure at God School (Kami-sama Gakkou no Ochikobore) is a shoujo title from Hana to Yume, based on a light novel by the creator of The Apothecary Diaries. Gods these days go to school and have to make the grade… so what happens when a shrine that needs a deity has to expand its search?

ANNA: Sounds interesting!

ASH: Count me interested.

SEAN: If It’s You, I Might Try Falling in Love (Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo) is a oneshot BL title from Manga Park. A jaded boy who hates opening up after a typical middle school experience meets a ball of sunshine.

ASH: Awww, that’s cute.

SEAN: In the Heavenly Prison, the Devil Enchants Me (Tengoku de Akuma ga Boku wo Miwaku Suru) is a seinen series from Dra-Dra-Sharp#. A boy who wants to become a man among men goes to school on a remote island only to find it’s filled with succubuses. Be warned, this is 18+ rated.

ASH: Oh, my.

SEAN: Speaking of 18+ rated series, It’s All Your Fault (Zenbu Kimi no Seida) is a seinen title from Ultra Jump, about an otaku who wants to be a famous cosplayer, and her rival, who already is. This one is also in the “yuri for guys” category.

Nomi x Shiba is a BL title from Kimikoi about a guy who finds himself falling for his roommate. How can this be? He’s not gay, right?

ANNA: I’m sure he isn’t!!!!

ASH: I mean, what are the odds?

SEAN: Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts Heir: White Rabbit and the Prince of Beasts (Shiro Usagi to Kemono no Ouji: Niehime to Kemono no Ou Spin-off) is a sequel to Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, of course, and also ran in Hana to Yume. This stars Leonhart and Sariphi’s son.

Super Ball Girls shows what happens when the writer of Blue Lock and the artist of Prison School are allowed to write anything they want. This Big Comic Superior title is about a young man who finds a bouncing super ball holding a beautiful woman. Every time I try to see what this title is about I get angry incels complaining, and not in the good way.

ASH: Huh.

Also from Yen Press: Cheeky Brat 13, The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor 5, The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring 6, Friday at the Atelier 3, GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! 3, Higurashi When They Cry: MEGURI 4, I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World 6, In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name 2, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 25, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History 2, Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord 4, A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom 6, A Sinner of the Deep Sea 3 (the final volume), Sister and Giant 3, The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince 2, Strategic Lovers 2, The Summer Hikaru Died 5, Teasing Master Takagi-san 20 (the final volume), The Tiger Won’t Eat the Dragon Yet 3, Unnamed Memory 6, and The Villainess Stans the Heroes 4.

MICHELLE: I would like to check out GOGOGOGO-GO-GHOST! at some point!

ASH: I really should, too, I think. I also need to pick up more of The Summer Hikaru Died.

SEAN: Ooof. Maybe we should get the wind back, to blow away all this manga. What are you buying?

Pick of the Week: No, It’s Not About the Iditarod

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ASH: I’ll admit, I had no idea that Satoru Noda had created a hockey manga before Golden Kamuy. I am immensely curious about its relaunch, so Dogsred is my pick this week!

SEAN: My pick is Did You Think My Yuri Was Just for Show?, as I always appreciate yuri with adults not in high school. Plus it’s complete in one volume.

MICHELLE: I’m pulling for Dogsred this week!

ANNA: Me too! Dogsred sounds interesting!

KATE: Is it a hat trick if I also pick DOGSRED?

Manga the Week of 3/19/25

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SEAN: March was just warming up, now it’s really getting down to business.

ASH: As it should.

SEAN: Yen On has one debut, a one-shot. Did You Think My Yuri Was Just for Show? (Watashi no Yuri mo, Eigyou da to Omotta?) stars an up-and-coming voice actress who finds that her favorite idol, who had retired, is now joining the same agency! I’ve heard this is better than it sounds.

ASH: We shall see!

SEAN: OK, there’s another debut, but it’s a spinoff. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Minor Myths and Legends (Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka: Shouhenshuu) is the first in a series of short story collections based around the popular fantasy series.

Also from Yen On: Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 23, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 3 (not a final volume, but the last since 2021), and The World Bows Down Before My Flames 2.

Viz Media (yes, that’s right, nothing from Yen Press, it all got shoved back a week) debuts Dogsred, a remake of a 6-volume (unlicensed) series the author wrote in 2011. A young figure skater ruins his career by throwing a violent tantrum and gets banned for life. He moves to Hokkaido, and tries to find a new love: ice hockey. This runs in Weekly Young Jump.

MICHELLE: I will probably check this out!

ANNA: This sounds like a reverse Cutting Edge. I’m curious.

ASH: I had no idea that this was a remake, but I’m looking forward to giving this one a try!

SEAN: Also from Viz: After God 3, Battle Royale: Enforcers 3, Fool Night 4, Haikyu!! 3-in-1 4, Insomniacs After School 9, One-Punch Man 30, Seraph of the End 32, Show-ha Shoten! 7, Trillion Game 4, and The Way of the Househusband 13.

ANNA: Need to catch up on Way of the Househusband!

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Tokyopop has a debut. Trapped By His Love: The Duke’s Unexpected Bride (Nariyuki de Konyaku wo Moushikonda Yowaki Binbou Reijou desuga, Nazeka Jiki Koushaku-sama ni Dekiai sarete Torawarete imasu) is a Comic Corona title based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel. A woman is about to be engaged… to her childhood bully. Desperate, she proposes to the first man she meets. Who is a Duke. And he immediately accepts. For those who like “obsessed” male love interests.

They also have the 2nd and final volume of Comic Party Wonder Love.

Steamship debuts At Your Service in Another World (Isekai Ohoushi Kiroku), a josei title based on an as yet unlicensed light novel. It ran in Pomme Comics. An OL was isekai’d to another world… and finds work as an OL, only in a fantasy world. Sadly, she’s now ordered to “service” a knight she hates. Except… he’s weak to her seduction!

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga gives is Always a Catch!: How I Punched My Way into Marrying a Prince 2 and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You 4.

Seven Seas has three debuts. I’ll start with the danmei novel, Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu. This is in the same universe as Dinghai Fusheng Records, and stars a young man who comes to the big city to become an exorcist.

I’m in Love with the Older Girl Next Door (Tonari no Onee-san ga Suki) is a shonen series from Manga Cross. This is from the author of The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, and stars a middle-school boy who’s in love with his next door neighbor, a high school girl.

The Last Elf (Saigo no Elf) is a seinen title from Comic Gardo. The world is gradually becoming less fantastic and more industrial. Can our elf help the forgotten spirits escape the country before they’re killed by the military?

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Dinosaur Sanctuary 6, Last Game 8, Made in Abyss 13, Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More 7, and Who Made Me a Princess 9 (the final volume)

And for ongoing danmei we have The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun 8.

One Peace Books has the 6th light novel of The Death Mage.

KUMA suddenly has a pile of titles on the preorder schedule for March. The usual buyer beware regarding release dates, but they say next week we get Betrayers Love Song (Uragirimono no Love Song), a BL mafia title taking place in early 20th century Italy.

Kodansha Manga has no debuts. But in print, we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 9, Dra-Q 2, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 5, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 6, ORIGIN 9, Sheltering Eaves 3, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 22.

MICHELLE: Wow, I’ve already managed to fall behind on Sheltering Eaves. I’m looking forward to that and What Did You Eat Yesterday?.

SEAN: And for digital we have Drops of God: Mariage 11, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 25, Issak 12, MF Ghost 21, Pumpkin Scissors 24 (the first new volume in 5 years), and Quality Assurance in Another World 13.

ASH: I am still glad that Drops of God is still being made available somehow.

SEAN: A quiet week for J-Novel Club. For light novels, we get The Countess Is a Coward No More! 2 and I Parry Everything 8. For manga, we see Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- 5, Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 4, and The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 8.

Ghost Ship features Parallel Paradise 21, Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 13, and Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His S-Rank Cat Girl 5.

Dark Horse has the 42nd volume of Berserk, the first since the creator’s death. It’s being handled by his assistants.

ASH: I’ll be reading this, for sure, albeit with some amount of nervousness.

SEAN: In print, Airship has I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 8 and Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation 2.

And digitally we see The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 9.

For a week where Yen Press punted, this is pretty long. What are you getting?

Pick of the Week: Ersatz Spy x Family

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SEAN: There’s nothing that really leaps out at me this week, but I’ll take a flyer on Assassin & Cinderella, which is josei, but it’s a Gangan title, so I assume josei-ish? In any case, I like spies and I like assassins.

MICHELLE: I very much enjoyed the original Tokyo Tarareba Girls, so even though I’ve not managed to check out the sequel, I’m sure it is also excellent!

ANNA: I’m with Sean this week in being curious about Assassin & Cinderella.

ASH: While I am likewise curious about Assassin & Cinderella, my pick this week goes to Minecraft, not so much for myself but for the fanatic ten-year-old at home. (I’m pretty sure I’ll get some bonus parent points for bringing it home, though. )

Manga the Week of 3/12/25

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SEAN: March blows ever onward, and so does the pile of manga.

Airship has print releases for Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 4 and Loner Life in Another World 11.

And we see early digital for The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 4.

Dark Horse debuts an omnibus release for Drifters, from the creator of Hellsing. Famous warriors from Earth are transported to another world to have a battle royale.

ASH: I actually really enjoyed what I read of Drifters; glad to see it coming back in print!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Ayakashi Triangle 14, Imaizumi Brings All the Gals to His House 2, and Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu! 8.

J-Novel Club has two print volumes: Ascendance of a Bookworm 29 and the 9th Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles manga.

The digital debut for JNC is They Don’t Know I’m Too Young for the Adventurer’s Guild (Boukensha Guild ga Juunisai kara shika Irenakatta no de, Saba Yomimashita). A nine-year-old boy, after a series of harrowing events, ends up in the care of an adventurer’s guild.

ASH: Oh, goodness. Based on the nine-year-olds I know, that sounds like a potentially dangerous combination.

SEAN: They also have Butareba 6, Cooking with Wild Game 27, D-Genesis 8, The Eternal Fool’s Words of Wisdom: A Pawsitively Fantastic Adventure 4, From Villainess to Healer 2, Heavenly Swords of the Twin Stars 5, I Could Never Be a Succubus! 6, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 10, Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner 2, A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even 5, The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 10, and Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 15.

Kodansha Manga debut 23:45, a one-shot BL manga from Gateau. An otaku suddenly finds himself haunted by a ghost that keeps reliving his own death every day.

MICHELLE: Hm. Potentially interesting!

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: They also have How to Deal When Your Intimidating Neighbor is Actually an Omega (Kowamote no Rinjin ga Ω datta Toki no Taishohou) is also from Gateau, and its genre should be self-evident. An alpha is scared by his neighbor till one day he finds out (wait for it…) he’s secretly an omega! This series sounds like it has the least alpha Alpha ever.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Also in print: Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card 16 (the final volume), Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 12, Nina the Starry Bride 8, Quality Assurance in Another World 11, Sketchy 5, Tank Chair 3, and Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! 3.

ANNA: I do enjoy Nina the Starry Bride.

ASH: I keep meaning to pick it up!

SEAN: Digitally we see The Beast Player 5, Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 7, Gang King 27, Manchuria Opium Squad 5, Our Fake Marriage 15, SHAMAN KING: THE SUPER STAR 9, and Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 6 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: Sheesh, and I didn’t even start it yet!

SEAN: One Peace Books has a third volume of Nukozuke!.

Seven Seas debuts Fake Fact Lips, a one-shot BL manga (though it has a sequel) from Qpa. Two men who have been competitive rivals all their lives compete to see who’s the better lover.

MICHELLE: The coded-as-uke guy on the cover looks surly, so maybe I would like this one. :)

ASH: I could be pretty easily convinced to give it a read.

SEAN: We also see At 25:00 in Akasaka 3, The Big Apple 2, CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 9, The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 9, Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 10, Kemono Jihen 15, No Longer Allowed In Another World 8, Otonari Complex 3, Succubus and Hitman 8, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 15, and Todai Revengers 3-4.

MICHELLE: Yay for more Otonari Complex!

SEAN: Square Enix debut Assassin & Cinderella, a josei title from Gangan Online. A spy is assigned to get secrets out of an assassin. But then… he proposes to her?? If you wondered what Spy x Family would be like with a lot less Anya and a lot more sex, this is for you.

ANNA: There’s been a lot of assassin manga coming out recently.

ASH: Somewhat more josei, too, which I’m not going to complain about.

SEAN: There’s also The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 23.

Steamship has a 7th volume of Fire in His Fingertips: A Flirty Fireman Ravishes Me with His Smoldering Gaze.

SuBLime has Megumi & Tsugumi 5.

Tokyopop debuts the alliterative Feigning Fox with a Face Full of Flowers (Usobuku Kitsune wa Hana o Kamu), a one-shot BL title that ran in from RED. A human and a fox spirit live and love together.

ASH: That’s a title that leaves an impression.

SEAN: They also have I Was Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, and I’m Determined to Fall in Love! 3, A Tail’s Tale 2, and Wails of the Bound: Beta 3 (the final volume).

Viz Media debut Minecraft: The Manga (Minecraft – Sekai no Hate no Tabi), a Corocoro title. It’s… well, it’s Minecraft. In manga form.

ASH: I know somebody in my household who is very excited about this.

SEAN: We also see Animal Crossing: New Horizons 8, Call of the Night 19, Jujutsu Kaisen 25, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 10, Komi Can’t Communicate 33, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 27, and X-Men: The Manga: Remastered 2.

ASH: I need to read more of Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle; it’s a lot of fun.

Yen On has Love Is Dark 2 and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 20.

And Yen Press debuts meth-e-meth, a Manga Time Kirara Forward series complete in one omnibus that has both volumes. You too can learn to control golems, even in high school.

They also have an 11th volume of Combatants Will Be Dispatched!.

Isekai? Cat-eared maids? Teen romcom hijinks? Not many of those this week. So try something new!

Bookshelf Briefs 3/5/25

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Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki, Vol. 2 | By Yuu Yoshinaga | Seven Seas – Teenagers are gonna be teenagers. Sometimes that means that you don’t really realize how hard the guy is crushing on you because you’re sure that a relationship can’t happen. And sometimes you decide to date a girl because she’s pretty nice, only to then have the girl you REALLY like accept your confession, meaning you have to show up to the date to dump her. This volume is less of a deconstruction of shoujo manga than the first one was, and more straight-up melodrama, complete with such cliches as “wow, she looks gorgeous without her glasses.” But the melodrama is well-written, and for those who love the shoujo genre, you’ll want to check this out, it’s good. Though… slow-paced. We’re not getting the main couple together soon. – Sean Gaffney

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All, Vol. 2 | By Sumiko Arai | Yen Press – The characterization and yuri vibe in this is excellent, don’t get me wrong, and I love our two leads. But I have to admit, I’m almost 100% here for the art style, which is amazing—I want every panel in an artbook. Every pose looks calculated to make a reader go either “so cool!” or “so cute!” This series blew up before it even came out here at all, and since volume one it’s gotten bigger—the anime announcement being key, though expect a lot less Aerosmith, RHCP and Foo Fighters in the soundtrack, I imagine. Oh yes, and we also get the arrival of Joe’s ex, Kanna, who admirably fills the “strong adult woman role model” Mitsuki needs right now. A lot of this is getting Mitsuki out of her introvert closet… but will that work out for Aya? Fantastic. – Sean Gaffney

The Legend of Kamui, Vol. 1 | By Shirato Sanpei | Drawn & Quarterly – Ever since reading and enjoying Shirato’s spin-off manga Kamui Gaiden (previously released in English as The Legend of Kamui), I have wanted to read the original—an influential, monumental epic serialized in the alternative manga magazine Garo between 1964 and 1971. I was absolutely thrilled when Drawn & Quarterly announced that The Legend of Kamui would finally be released in English translation. The first massive tome of ten is now available, and it is phenomenal. A major theme is Shirato’s deft exploration of nature though the lives of wolves. But while woven together with the lives of the series’ human characters, Shirato cautions readers against drawing literary parallels between the two, however tempting. In large part, the series is also a social commentary, examining the highly feudalistic society of 17th century Japan as a way of critiquing human society in general. The critiques are potent and still pertinent, resonating strongly even today. – Ash Brown

Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1 | By Matsuri Akino | Seven Seas – I learned an important lesson this week: sometimes it’s better not to revisit old favorites. Pet Shop of Horrors was one of the first manga I read, sweeping me up in its fervid embrace with achingly pretty characters and exhilaratingly weird plot twists. Rereading the new deluxe edition, however, brought the series’ paper-thin characterizations and jarring tonal shifts into sharper relief. The running comic bits—in which Count D toys with Detective Orcot—are strenuously unfunny, bookending stories that run the gamut from icky to illogical. As monkey paw theater, Pet Shop of Horrors is OK, serving up a few genuinely unnerving stories that will stay with you after reading them, though you may wonder if the character really deserved their fate. – Katherine Dacey

A Smart and Courageous Child | By Miki Yamamoto | Tokyopop – Sara and Kouta are preparing to become parents, excited to welcome their first child into the world while understandably being a bit nervous, too. But as Sara’s due date approaches, her hopefulness fades in the face of worry and concern, realizing that the world can be a cruel and dangerous place for children, even for those who are smart, brave, supported, and loved. The artwork of A Smart and Courageous Child, utilizes colored pencils, mostly subdued tones with the exception of the carefully considered use of brilliant red. The result is striking—Yamamoto’s delicate illustrations are eye-catching while still maintaining a sense of softness. Yamamoto’s artwork also helps to skillfully convey the character’s shifting moods and feelings with both sensitivity and honesty. Overall, A Smart and Courageous Child is an affecting work that acknowledges the complexities of being a parent in today’s society as well as the associated mental and emotional turmoil. – Ash Brown

Spy x Family, Vol. 13 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – There is a LOT going on in this volume. We get the end of the Wheeler arc, where Fiona pays for her Loid obsession with a very broken body, but does not die, thanks (ironically) to training to be as strong as Yor. Yuri almost catches Twilight but does not, then almost catches Loid but does not. At least he gets a sempai at work who probably makes a better potential love interest than Fiona. And then there’s the old couple moving in next door, who seem like nice grandpa and grandma types, there for comedy (the grandpa can’t remember anything), but we know nothing is as it seems. The ending of the book has a cute story with Anya putting her name on the door, but she misspells it… and seems puzzled by that. Is there significance to ANIA? We shall see. A very solid volume, with lots of anti-war sentiment. – Sean Gaffney

This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Vol. 3 | By Sai Naekawa | Yen Press – Theoretically this volume is about the conflict between mermaid Shiori and fox spirit Miko, and how they’re both in love with Hinako and want to save her while also really wanting to BE the one to save her. Both agree, Miko more than Shiori, that regardless of their own feelings Hinako’s safety comes first, which is good. And certainly Hinako definitely seems to be in more danger… especially, for some reason, more recently. Their biggest obstacle may be Hinako herself, who simply cannot shake the constant feeling that she’s about to die, will be very happy when that happens, and hopes for a good life for those she leaves behind. Getting Hinako to value herself is a huge hurdle, and I hope they take it on going forward. Great stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 13 | By Kamome Shirahama | Kodansha Comics – Why are there laws, and when is it best to break them? That’s the theme of this book, as Coco tries desperately to resolve this without executions, and also tries to explain why “witches aren’t allowed to do that” is not meant to be a hardcore, for-the-rest-of-eternity rule. Elsewhere, Tetia is finding that it’s very hard to run away from royalty who are attached to you, Richeh is reunited with her introverted and somewhat self-hating older brother, and Agott… will no doubt have more to do in the next arc. The best part of this is the climax, which results in the creation of a magical emergency room for magical triage, which can manage to use magic to heal people without having it intrude on what doctors do. Unfortunately, the arc isn’t over yet. Ominous cliffhanger. – Sean Gaffney