Melinda Beasi

The last week of January brings us no manga whatsoever!… OK, I lie, there’s a lot.

ASH: You almost had me there!

SEAN: Airship, in print, has the 8th volume of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear.

And in early digital we see Berserk of Gluttony 5 and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 3.

Dark Horse has the 3rd volume of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!.

ASH: Which reminds me that I still need to read the first two, but I suspect that it’s a series that I’ll enjoy.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has two debuts. The light novel debut is Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! (Tensei Reijou wa Boukensha wo Kokorozasu). You can likely guess how this one goes.

ASH: I do find it fascinating to see how these trends evolve over time.

SEAN: The manga debut is Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers (Shinja Zero no Megami-sama to Hajimeru Isekai Kouryaku), based on the light novel J-Novel Club also puts out. This runs in Comic Gardo.

We also see the 7th An Archdemon’s Dilemma manga, the 5th Black Summoner manga, By the Grace of the Gods 10, The Ideal Sponger Life 6, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! 11, the 2nd Reborn to Master the Blade manga, the 6th Record of Wortenia War manga, and Sweet Reincarnation 6.

Kaiten Books has a digital 3rd volume of The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting.

Kodansha debuts in print a new boxset holding the first 7 volumes of The Quintessential Quintuplets. Go read the part of the manga that everyone loved because they were sure their girl would win.

ASH: Haha!

SEAN: Also debuting in print is The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse (Mokushiroku no Yonkishi), a prequel to The Seven Deadly Sins that runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

There’s also the 13th and final CITY, If I Could Reach You 6, the 12th and final Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, Knight of the Ice 8, Saint Young Men omnibus 7, To Your Eternity 16, Wave, Listen to Me! 8, and Yuzu the Pet Vet 7, the last volume before the timeskip.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on Knight of the Ice and Wave, Listen to Me!.

ANNA: Knight of the Ice is one of the rare series that I’m actually caught up on because it is just that good!

ASH: This is a good Kodansha week for me! In addition to those two series, I’m particularly interested in Saint Young Men and To Your Eternity.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Zatsuki: Make Me a Star (Zatsuki ~Watashi o Sutaa Nishi Nasai~), a shoujo title from Palcy. Two teenage stars whose careers are going in opposite directions meet at high school.

MICHELLE: I’m at least moderately interested in this.

ANNA: Me too.

MELINDA: This sounds very enjoyable!

SEAN: Also digital: Back When You Called Us Devils 9, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 3, Harem Marriage 13, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 12, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 3, ONIMAI: I’m Now Your Sister! 4, Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 8, Tesla Note 2, Those Not-So-Sweet Boys 5, and What I Love About You 8.

Seven Seas debuts The Girl I Want is So Handsome! (Ikemen Sugidesu Shiki-senpai!), a done-in-one omnibus from Comic Yuri Hime. Shiki falls for an older girl at her school. She’s so handsome, and so cool… and so oblivious!

ASH: Count me as curious.

MELINDA: Same.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: the 10th and final Gal Gohan, Happy Kanako’s Killer Life 3, Harukana Receive 9. Tamamo-chan’s a Fox! 4, Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 3, and Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan 4.

Square Enix has A Man and His Cat 5.

MICHELLE: Yay!

MELINDA: I, too, say “yay!”

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Double, a manga from a magazine called Flat Heroes. Two friends are actors in the same theater troupe. One is asked to “double” the other, even as his career takes him in a new direction. Somehow this turns into a seinen thriller? Gonna be honest, this sounds fascinating.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: You still won’t trick me, Tokyopop!

ASH: Exactly so.

MELINDA: Ugh, the nerve of them releasing something that sounds interesting. I mean that with complete sincerity.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I’m certainly trepidatious. Speaking of hurts I shall never forgive, I have taken to requesting Silver Diamond on all of Seven Seas’ monthly license-request surveys. It’s BL and isekai-adjacent, so maybe? I figure it’s at least worth a shot!

SEAN: They’ve also got The Fox & Little Tanuki 4.

Viz has another massive One Piece box set that has Vol. 71-90 of the series.

Yen On has a 2nd volume of Spy Classroom.

Two debuts for Yen Press. The Abandoned Empress is a Korean webcomic that is one of those “spurned noble ends up going back in time to try to fix things” stories.

ASH: I like that Korean comics haven’t been forgotten by publishers these days!

MELINDA: Ah! Agreed!

SEAN: Spy Classroom is an adaptation of the light novel – see two lines up. It runs in my nemesis, Comic Alive.

Also from Yen Press: Breasts Are My Favorite Things in the World! 4, Cocoon Entwined 4, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 4, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World! 11, I Cannot Reach You 3, I’m the Hero, but the Demon Lord’s Also Me 3, Kaiju Girl Caramelise 5, The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious 2, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 17, Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online 4, The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker 4, and Yowamushi Pedal 19.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on I Cannot Reach You and Cocoon Entwined and, most especially, Yowamushi Pedal! I reckon the Inter High has gotta be finished by now!

ANNA: One of these days I need to read Yowamushi Pedal. My kids read it though so I just need to figure out where it is in my house.

ASH: I’m slowly catching up, myself. Hime Hime!

SEAN: See what I mean? Barely any manga at all. What are you getting?

SEAN: The third week of January brings many and varied things to help warm us up in these cold nights.

Yen On has three debuts. Dragon and Ceremony (Ryu to Sairei) stars a wandmaker who has to repair a wand within a time limit. The trouble is, it needs the heart of a dragon… which haven’t been seen for centuries!

ASH: Wait, is that a non-isekai fantasy novel?

SEAN: The second debut is My Happy Marriage (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon). A noble who has endured abuse from her family most of her life is married off to a cold, uncaring soldier. But will this turn out to be a wonderful pairing after all? I’ve heard good things about this.

MICHELLE: I might check this one out.

ANNA: It sounds intriguing!

MELINDA: Hmmm, maybe?

SEAN: The third title is Sabikui Bisco, which was briefly Rust-Eater Bisco until it was decided to keep the Japanese. Our heroes try to find a miracle cure in the middle of a post-apocalyptic desert. This sounds very, very Shonen Jump, and was very popular in Japan when it first came out.

ASH: And another!

SEAN: We also see Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 4, Bungo Stray Dogs 7, The The Irregular at Magic High School 18 (I will die on this running gag hill), I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 11, Magical Girl Raising Project 12, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 9, So I’m a Spider, So What? 13, Sword Art Online Progressive 7, and You Call That Service? 5.

Yen Press has new volumes! Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 3, Carole and Tuesday 3 (the final volume), Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance 4, Murcielago 18, Overlord 14, Slasher Maidens 4, Teasing Master Takagi-san 13, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 12, and Val x Love 11.

ASH: It’s a good week for Yen readers!

SEAN: Viz debuts Record of Ragnarok (Shuumatsu no Walküre), which runs in Comic Zenon. Do you like muscles? Do you like martial arts? Do you like tournament arcs? This is the manga for you.

ASH: I will admit to being curious.

ANNA: OK!

MELINDA: Another maybe for me!

SEAN: We also see Assassin’s Creed: Blade of Shao Jun 3, BEASTARS 16, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku 12, No. 5 3, The Way of the Househusband 7, and Ultraman 16.

MICHELLE: I need to get caught up on The Way of the Househusband.

ASH: Same. I’ve loved what I’ve read so far, though!

ANNA: It is so great.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has the 3rd and final omnibus of Steins;Gate 0.

Tokyopop has Her Royal Highness Seems to be Angry 3.

Square Enix Manga gives us Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 5.

Seven Seas has a spinoff debuting: Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish (Tensei Shitara Ken Deshita Another Wish). I’m… not sure how it differs from the main series, but hey.

They also have a rare Mature title that isn’t Ghost Ship: Succubus and Hitman. It runs in… oh dear. It runs in Champion Red, and is about a succubus who forces a college student to murder the wicked. The lack of sex keeps this on the main label, I think.

Also from Seven Seas: Bloom Into You Anthology 2, The Ideal Sponger Life 10, Love Me for Who I Am 5 (the final volume), Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 9, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 2, No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary! 2, The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real! 2, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 2, and Species Domain 12 (also a final volume).

In print, Kodansha has 10 Dance 6, APOSIMZ 8, Sachi’s Monstrous Appetite 6 (the final volume), Toppu GP 6, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 3.

MICHELLE: At last, more 10 Dance!

ASH: Yes!

MELINDA: I am depressed to be so far behind in 10 Dance, but I guess I need to fix that!

SEAN: Kodansha did one of their “let’s announce the day before release to screw Sean up” announcements. Out already is MF Ghost, which focuses on the MFG racing circuit, and is from the creator of Initial D. No, the MF is not what you’re thinking. It runs in Young Magazine, and 10 volumes are now available.

MELINDA: I wish more things with “ghost” in the title were actually about ghosts. I like ghosts.

SEAN: The digital debut for next week is The Lines that Define Me (Sen wa, Boku wo Egaku), a Weekly Shonen Magazine title about the joys of India-ink painting. The mere fact that a title like this can get licensed these days is a joy.

ASH: It really is.

ANNA: Wow.

SEAN: Also digital: And Yet, You Are So Sweet 5, Blue Lock 11, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 6, My Darling Next Door 4, Saint Young Men 15, and Yozakura Quartet 28, which Kodansha says is the final volume, though I can’t verify that. Remember when Yozakura Quartet 1 came out? From Del Rey?

MICHELLE: I sure do.

ANNA: Me too.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has Altina the Sword Princess 12, Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! 8, Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte 2 (the final volume), The Great Cleric 6, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 15, Maddrax 2, Slayers 12, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 6 (which is a surprise to me, as I was sure 5 was the last).

Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of Desire Pandora.

And Airship has 4 new light novel volumes in print. Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 4, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 14, Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 3, and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 3.

While digitally we get Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 4 and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 5.

Don’t burn manga for warmth! Read them!

SEAN: 2022 is only just beginning and already the manga feels like it’s getting away from me.

ASH: While I delight in the amount of manga being released, you are not alone in that feeling.

SEAN: Airship has some print light novels. The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 2, My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s 3, and The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 5.

Digitally, we get early releases for Adachi and Shimamura 8 and I’m in Love with the Villainess 4.

ASH: I’m in line for the print personally, but still, hooray!

SEAN: Cross Infinite World debuts a new light novel series, I’d Rather Have a Cat than a Harem! Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game as a Cat-loving Villainess (Sonna Koto yori, Neko ga Kaitai ~ Otome Game no Sekai ni Tensei Shimashita ~). On the plus side, our reincarnated villainess has her old family as her reincarnated family in this world as well. On the down side, she’s still a villainess. How to solve this? …who cares? KITTY!

ASH: That was not a isekai variation I was expecting!

SEAN: Ghost Ship debuts Might as Well Cheat: I Got Transported to Another World Where I Can Live My Wildest Dreams! (Sekkaku Cheat wo Moratte Isekai ni Teni shita n dakara, Suki na you ni Ikitemitai), a Comic Ride title that adapts an unlicensed light novel. Our reincarnated hero may be able to make fantastic healing potions, but he’s not here to adventure – he’s here to check out the local sex workers!

J-Novel Club has some print stuff. We get Ascendance of a Bookworm manga 8 (aka Part 2 Volume 1), How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom manga omnibus 3, In Another World With My Smartphone 19, Marginal Operation 8, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 3.

ASH: Yay, Bookworm!

SEAN: Digitally we have Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 3, In Another World with My Smartphone 24, The Magician Who Rose from Failure 4, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! 5, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 8, and Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! 4.

Kodansha has the 4th and final volume of Boys Run the Riot in print, as well as the 11th and final Sweat and Soap. They’ve also got Living-Room Matsunaga-san 9, the print debut of Lovesick Ellie (which has been released previously digitally), Rent-A-(Really Shy!)-Girlfriend 2, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 8, and A Sign of Affection 4.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize Boys Run the Riot was so short. Hooray for Lovesick Ellie in print!

ASH: I somehow hadn’t realized that, either! Also, I finally got around to starting Sweat and Soap and it’s great. Really looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

SEAN: Digitally we have two debuts. I Was Reincarnated with OP Invincibility, so I’ll Beat ’em Up My Way as an Action-Adventurer (Zettai ni Damage wo Ukenai Skill wo Moratta node, Boukensha to shite Musou shite miru) is a Suiyoubi no Sirius title that sounds like it will melt the skin off anyone who reads it.

It’s That Reincarnated-as-a-Virus Story (Virus Tensei kara Isekai Kansen Monogatari) is… well, a villainess story, sort of? It is also from Suiyoubi no Sirius, and yes, the protagonist is a virus that can cause a pandemic. Timely!

ASH: Quite.

ANNA: Maybe too timely for me.

SEAN: Also digital: Cells at Work! White Brigade 2, The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon! 7, My Roomie Is a Dino 6, Police in a Pod 8, SHAMAN KING & a garden 2, and Shangri-La Frontier 5.

One Peace has Farming Life in Another World 4, Multi-Mind Mayhem 2, and The New Gate 8.

Seven Seas has two debuts. Daily Report About My Witch Senpai (Majo-senpai Nichijou) is a shoujo Akita Shoten title from Manga Cross. An office worker’s senpai is a witch, as the title might suggest – and she’s overworking herself! Can he help?

The Dragon Knight’s Beloved (Ryukishi no Okiniiri) is a josei series from Comic ZERO-SUM, based on a webcomic. A young maid, who loves caring for the dragons at the castle, gets a startling request from a knight when she comes of age – pretend to be his lover!

ASH: You had me at dragons and josei.

ANNA: Woooo!

MELINDA: Oh!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear manga 6, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 3, and Reincarnated as a Sword 8.

Square Enix has the 4th manga volume for By the Grace of the Gods.

SuBLime has the 3rd and final volume of Bad Boys, Happy Home and The World’s Greatest First Love 15.

ASH: I liked the first volume of Bad Boys, Happy Home, so I should probably give the last two a read, too.

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Assassin’s Creed Dynasty, which seems to be based on, besides the AC franchise, a Chinese webcomic.

As one series begins, another must end. So it is with Viz, which sees the debut of Pokémon Adventures: X•Y and the final volume of Pokémon: Sun & Moon. What are they about? Come on. They’re Pokémon manga.

Viz also has Star Wars: Tribute to Star Wars, an artbook with works from lots of Japanese creators, such as the creators of the Zelda manga, Witch Hat Atelier, and Tekkonkinkreet!

ASH: Oh! That should be pretty good, then!

SEAN: We also get Case Closed 81, Fly Me to the Moon 9, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 2, Mao 3, and Persona 5 8.

MICHELLE: I still need to check out Frieren and Mao.

ASH: Same, I’ll have to admit.

ANNA: Me too, although I think the first volume of Frieren is at least somewhere in my house.

SEAN: Lastly, Yen On has Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 7, Date A Live 4, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 8, and Torture Princess 7.5.

What manga are you being reincarnated as?

SEAN: Welcome to 2022, a year unlike any other (and hopefully nothing like 2020 or 2021). What manga do we have?

Well, we start with light novels, as Yen On debuts Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie (Akuyaku Reijou, Cecilia Sylvie wa Shinitakunai no de Dansou Suru Koto ni Shita). It’s an otome game villainess story, but this time our heroine, instead of changing the way she lives her life, decides to completely disguise herself… as a boy!

We also see Unnamed Memory 4.

Yen Press has just one title, and it’s an artbook. Visions 2021__Illustrators Book covers 170 artists from Pixiv, showing off their stunning artwork.

ASH: Other artbooks from Yen have been nicely done, so this definitely has potential.

SEAN: No debuts for Viz Media, but we do see the final volume of Love Me, Love Me Not.

MICHELLE: Man, already?!

ANNA: I’ve been collecting this series, but am several volumes behind. Looking forward to binge reading the rest of it.

SEAN: We do get a new side story, but as it’s one volume it’s more of a one-shot. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba–Stories of Water and Flame is a short story manga volume based on the super popular manga.

ASH: I’m far behind on Demon Slayer, but am still curious about this one.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 13, Dragon Ball Super 15, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 7, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 4, Moriarty the Patriot 6, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions 2, My Love Mix-Up! 2, Snow White with the Red Hair 17, Twin Star Exorcists 24, and Undead Unluck 5.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to more of My Love Mix-Up!.

ASH: Same!

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Tentai Books slipped out a release this week while I wasn’t looking. From Toxic Classmate to Girlfriend Goals (Yatarato Sasshi no Ii Ore wa, Dokuzetsu Kuudere Bishoujo no Chiisana Dere mo Minogasazu ni Guigui Iku) is another in what is almost becoming a genre, the “girl sitting next to me has a bad reputation but is really just covering up her embarrassment” genre.

ASH: I’ll admit to liking this particular subgenre.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts My Isekai Life 01: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! (Tensei Kenja no Isekai Life – Daini no Shokugyou o Ete, Sekai Saikyou ni Narimashita) has as its one thing different from all other books in the genre that our hero is not coming from Japan, but from a fantasy world where he already had a class. Just a weak one. Now he has two! And is strong!

We also see The Apothecary Diaries’ 4th manga and Ragna Crimson 4.

ASH: Looking forward to reading more of Apothecary Diaries.

MELINDA: I haven’t even started Apothecary Diaries but I admit to being very drawn to it for the title alone.

SEAN: Only one debut for Seven Seas, but it’s a biggie: Kamen Rider: the Classic Manga Collection. This 850-page omnibus has all 4 volumes of the original 1971 manga in hardcover format. This was the inspiration for most anything you’ve ever loved.

ASH: That’s a pretty easy sale for me.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor 13, Blue Giant 7-8, Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 3, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 13, Magaimono: Super Magic Action Entertainment 2 (the final volume), Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu 3 (also a final volume), The Tale of the Outcasts 4, and Time Stop Hero 3.

MICHELLE: I’ve been meaning to check out Blue Giant and Manly Appetites.

ASH: Manly Appetites has been a delight.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga has print books! Including the debut of The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon!, which came out digitally last year.

We also see Battle Angel Alita 4 and Eden’s Zero 14.

Debuting digitally is My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! (Oshi ga Tonari de Jugyou ni Shuuchuu Dekinai!), also in the ‘sweet romance with the girl sitting next to me’ genre, only this time our protagonist is also a girl.

ASH: I don’t mind that twist.

MELINDA: Here for it.

SEAN: ANN also reports that Kodansha has Hiraeth: The End of the Journey (Hiraeth wa Tabiji no Hate), a Morning Two title from the creator of Our Dreams at Dusk. It’s already an award winner, and starts off dark, as a woman who wants to see her friend who has died tries to kill herself. She’s stopped by two travelers who take her on a journey.

ASH: Oh!

MELINDA: This sounds potentially great.

SEAN: There’s also Girlfriend, Girlfriend 7, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 4, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 19, My Darling, the Company President 2, My Master Has No Tail 2, and Princess Resurrection Nightmare 7 (the final volume).

Kaiten Books has three new print titles for books they’ve previously released digitally. We get Loner Life in Another World 4 (manga), My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?! 2, and Welcome to the Outcast’s Restaurant! 1 (manga).

Quite a bit from J-Novel Club. The Apothecary Diaries 4, Black Summoner 7, Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend: Roomies and Romance 4, Hell Mode 2, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 7 (manga), I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! 3, Jessica Bannister and the Family Secrets (4th in the series), Marginal Operation 11, Monster Tamer 7, The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 2, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Wayward Journey 15, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 7.

ASH: That is quite a bit!

SEAN: There’s also more than usual for Ghost Ship. The debut is Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon (Fukafuka Dungeon Kouryakuki: Ore no Isekai Tensei Boukentan), which runs in Mag Garden’s Comic Blade. There’s a dungeon that has repelled even the strongest armies. But our recently dead and reincarnated from Japan hero knows how to take them on: with a group of hot and powerful women.

ASH: Obviously.

SEAN: Ghost Ship also has Ero Ninja Scrolls 2, JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World 2 (manga), Parallel Paradise 8, and Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 17.

Speaking of publishers sneaking out volumes without telling me, I’m TWO weeks late in noting that Inside Mari 8 is out from Denpa Books!

Dark Horse has the 8th Gantz omnibus.

Airship, in print, has Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 4.

And digitally they give us Planet of the Orcs 2.

Which of these titles gives you a Rider Kick?

SEAN: It’s the last week of 2021, what are publishers squeezing out the door?

Airship gives us How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 13 in print and Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 8 in early digital.

J-Novel Club puts out Infinite Dendrogram 16, John Sinclair: Demon Hunter 5, The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! 8 (manga), Mapping: The Trash-Tier Skill That Got Me Into a Top-Tier Party 3 (manga), Perry Rhodan NEO 5, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! 4 (manga).

Kodansha has a print box set debut: Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 1. We also see L*DK 17-18, My Boy 8, Peach Boy Riverside 4, Perfect World 9, Pretty Boy Detective Club’s 2nd manga volume, Rent-a-Girlfriend 10, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 5, and Vampire Dormitory 2.

ASH: Perfect World got away from me! I’ve apparently fallen a bit behind.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Her Majesty’s Swarm (Joou Heika no Isekai Senryaku), which runs in Suiyoubi no Sirius. Based on the light novel released here by J-Novel Club, it’s about a college girl who loves strategy games who suddenly finds herself inside of one… as the leader of the spider monsters!

ASH: I mean, I do like strategy games… (but I also like print.)

SEAN: We also get Back When You Called Us Devils 8, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 5, DAYS 27, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 22, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 2, Harem Marriage 12, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 2, My Boyfriend in Orange 11, Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 7, That’s My Atypical Girl 3, and With You and the Rain 2.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on DAYS.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts a new spinoff: My Next Life as a Villainess Side Story: On the Verge of Doom!. Our heroine is reborn as Katarina Claes, the villain of her favorite otome game, as per usual. Only… she’s already in school and bullying the heroine! How can she avoid death when she doesn’t have years to fix everything? This runs in Zero Sum Online.

Seven Seas also has Otaku Elf 3 and The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 4.

ASH: It’s been interesting to see another creator’s take on Dororo (one of my favorite Tezuka tales).

SEAN: Udon has the 9th volume of Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu.

Yen On debuts a title whose manga came out here last week: The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time (Nidome no Yuusha wa Fukushuu no Michi wo Warai Ayumu). It seems to contain everything I hate about light novels. But I’m sure people who are not me will enjoy it.

ASH: It takes all kinds!

SEAN: Lastly, Yen Press gives us Fiancée of the Wizard 4 (the final volume), I Was a Bottom-Tier Bureaucrat for 1,500 Years, and the Demon King Made Me a Minister 2, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 16, Love and Heart 4, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 2, Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts 14, and Val x Love 10.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Fiancée of the Wizard a try, so this might be the ideal time to finally get around to doing that.

SEAN: That’s a relatively light week! What are you buying?

MICHELLE: Honestly, not much!

ANNA: Nothing for me, going to catch up on all the unread manga piles in my house.

MELINDA: Same here, unfortunately.

SEAN: Busy busy busy! Almost forgot to type this up this week! What do we see?

ASH: Oh, do I know the feeling!

SEAN: Yen On has the 3rd volume of The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten as well as Reign of the Seven Spellblades 4.

Yen Press debuts an artbook: AidaIro Illustrations: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun. This does exactly what it says on the tin.

ASH: I quite like the art in Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, so I’m looking forward to this collection.

Also out from Yen’s manga imprint: Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 2, The Eminence in Shadow 2, Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger 6, For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams 7, and The Saga of Tanya the Evil 15.

MICHELLE: As with much else, I do mean to get around to reading For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams someday.

ASH: I read the first few volumes and have the next few on hand, though I haven’t actually gotten around to reading them yet.

SEAN: Three debuts from Viz. Akira Toriyama’s Manga Theater is a massive, 625-page hardcover featuring a ton of short stories from the legendary Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball creator.

ANNA: That sounds like a great holiday present!

MICHELLE: I didn’t love Dr. Slump but really adored Toriyama’s COWA! oneshot, so might check this out.

ASH: Wow, that’s a lot of manga packed into one volume! Should hopefully be pretty good.

MELINDA: This is pretty cool!

SEAN: Kaiju No. 8 is a Shonen Jump + release that already is getting simulpubbed, and has HUGE buzz. A man who works on cleaning up after Japanese Godzilla monsters suddenly finds himself with new powers. Can he now achieve his dream of fighting them?

ANNA: Also intriguing.

ASH: Indeed! I’ve heard good things.

MELINDA: Okay, I’m ready.

SEAN: Rosen Blood is from Akita Shoten’s Princess, and if I said reverse harem vampire story would that get your attention?

ANNA: This fully has my attention, surprising no one.

We also get the final volume of Takane & Hana, the 18th, which is out in both a regular edition and a special edition which has a variant cover and an extra chapter. I’ll miss these goofballs.

ANNA: I’m behind on this series, but I am fond of it!

MICHELLE: I will miss them too!

SEAN: There’s also Chainsaw Man 8, Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition 15, Jujutsu Kaisen 13, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 21, One Piece 98, Queen’s Quality 13, We Never Learn 19, Yakuza Lover 3, and Yona of the Dawn 33.

ANNA: Stoked for the excellence of Yona of the Dawn and the insanity of Yakuza Lover.

ASH: Always glad to see Yona on the list. I’ve been enjoying Queen’s Quality, too.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a 5th volume of Laughing Under the Clouds.

Square Enix has the 8th Hi Score Girl.

Seven Seas debuts Robo Sapiens: Tales of Tomorrow (Robo Sapiens Zenshi), a done-in-one omnibus from Kodansha’s Morning Two. This is a multi-award winning manga about robots and humans, and how far apart and close to each other they are.

MICHELLE: Sounds intriguing.

ASH: I’m here for it!

MELINDA: Same!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 3, DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 2, Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 2, and Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games 2.

Kodansha’s first print debut screams “this is actually Vertical”: Emma Dreams of Stars (Emma wa Hoshi no Yume wo Miru). A one-shot from Kodansha’s Morning, but it was originally published in France, and is about the first woman Michelin Guide Inspector.

ANNA: Ooh!

MICHELLE: I second that “Ooh!”

ASH: And thirded!

MELINDA: And I’ll just repeat, “Ooh!”

SEAN: Also debuting is Hitorijime Boyfriend, a one-shot from Ichijinsha’s Gateau and prequel to Hitorijime My Hero.

Kodansha also has a lot of print titles whose ebooks came out a week or two (or more) ago. We see Bakemonogatari 11, Blood on the Tracks 7, Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro 9, Orient 6, Shaman King Omnibus 6, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 7, UQ Holder 24, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 2.

Digitally our debut is My Master Has No Tail (Uchi no Shishou wa Shippo ga nai), a good! Afternoon series that has the unlikely teamup of a tanuki and a rakugo master.

ASH: Sounds like my kind of team!

SEAN: And there’s Chihayafuru 29, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 18, Love After World Domination 3, My Dearest Self With Malice Aforethought 11 (the final volume), Saint Young Men 14, Smile Down the Runway 21, With the Sheikh in His Harem 8 (also a final volume), and Ya Boy Kongming! 6.

MICHELLE: Insert obligatory Chihayafuru rejoicing.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a few series in print which, well, are mostly already out, but Amazon lists them as next week, so… anyway, it’s Ascendance of a Bookworm 10, I Shall Survive Using Potions! (manga) 5, Infinite Dendrogram 14, A Lily Blooms in Another World, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It in for Me! 1, Tearmoon Empire 2, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer (manga) 2.

ASH: I am so far behind on my light novel reading, but there are some good ones here.

SEAN: Digitally we have two light novels debuting. Goodbye Otherworld, See You Tomorrow (Sayonara Isekai, Mata Kite Ashita), a post-apocalyptic journey series that looks a bit more serious than most recent isekai titles.

There’s also Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter (Koujo Denka no Kateikyoushi), the story of a commoner who was trying to become a court magician… but failed. Now his only recourse to avoid debt is a suspicious tutoring job.

We also see Lazy Dungeon Master 15 and the 7th Unwanted Undead Adventurer (manga version).

Ghost Ship has Call Girl in Another World 3 and Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 16.

Denpa Books gives us The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes 3.

And Dark Horse has the 3rd volume of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!.

Cross Infinite World gives us Reset! The Imprisoned Princess Dreams of Another Chance! 2 digitally.

Lastly, Airship has two digital-early titles: The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 2 and Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 3.

Too much, too marvelous, too marvelous for words. What titles make you dance?

SEAN: No time to lose! What manga is out next week?

ASH: Only a few titles, I’m sure.

SEAN: Yen On has one title, a debut. Orc Eroica is a new light novel series about an orc who, after doing nothing but fight and win battles for years, finally realizes he’s still a virgin! He needs to find a wife and lose his V-card! I’ve been told this is much better than it sounds, which frankly would not be hard to achieve given the bar is lying on the ground.

MICHELLE: Hee (at the bar, not the concept).

MELINDA: I guess, on the upside, virgin orc shenanigans are a unique, new niche?

SEAN: Yen Press debuts two new manga titles. The Eminence in Shadow (Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute) is an adaptation of the light novel and runs in Comp Ace. It’s not as good as I think fans think it is, but it’s still fun.

And it’s back. Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc (Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica – Majuu Hen) is a spinoff, this time in the original continuity, which takes place between the TV series and the movie.

Yen Press also has the third and final volume of After School Bitchcraft, Bungo Stray Dogs: Beast 2, the third and final volume of ID:Invaded #Brake-Broken, Love of Kill 5, Mieruko-chan 4, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 2, and Trinity Seven 24.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Mieruko-chan a try—better get on that before I get too far behind!

SEAN: Square Enix gives us I Think Our Son Is Gay 2 and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 6.

MICHELLE: Hooray for the former. Not that I ever managed to read volume one.

ASH: The first volume of I Think Our Son Is Gay was truly wonderful.

ANNA: This makes me want to check it out!

MELINDA: Ah! Looking forward to another volume of I Think Our Son Is Gay!

SEAN: Two debuts from Seven Seas. My Lovey-Dovey Wife is a Stone Cold Killer (Haikei… Koroshiya-san to Kekkon Shimashita) is a Comic Cune title about a killer assassin who also happens to be a loving wife. The emphasis is on the comedy here.

ASH: Are assassins the new trend? I think assassins may be the new trend.

ANNA: I enjoy assassins!

SEAN: The other debut, complete in one volume, is Restart After Coming Back Home (Restart wa Tadaima no Ato de), a BL title about a man forced to move back home after losing his job, and how he meets another young man who was adopted by the community while he was away.

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

ASH: Oh! I do like the sound of this one.

ANNA: Me too.

MELINDA: Here for it!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 2, Dungeon Toilet 2, the 16th and final volume of Magical Girl Site (did it kill them all off at last?), The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today 2, My Androgynous Boyfriend 3, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! 6, My Room Is a Dungeon Rest Stop 5, the 4th and final volume of Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World, School Zone Girls 3, and Skip and Loafer 2.

ASH: Lots of interesting things in that mix, but Nicola Traveling Around the Demons’ World is the one that has most of my attention.

ANNA: I have the first two volumes on my to read pile.

SEAN: Kodansha has a treat for anyone who didn’t get Vertical’s original release: nichijou 15th anniversary box set! (Capitalization deliberate.)

Kodansha, in print, gives us Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost 2, Cardcaptor Sakura Collector’s Edition 9, Interviews with Monster Girls 9, Living-Room Matsunaga-san 8, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 4, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 17.

MICHELLE: Insert obligatory What Did You Eat Yesterday? squee.

ASH: Indeed!

MELINDA: Same.

SEAN: Digitally we have three debuts. His Extra-Large, Ever-So-Lovely… (Itoshi no XL Size) is a BL title from Ichijinsha’s Gateau about two men who meet at a college club. One confesses to the other that he’s still a virgin because his dick is simply too big. Well, we’ll soon see about that! (No, I’m not making this up. Is AO3 outsourcing to manga creators now?)

MICHELLE: …

MELINDA: Is he an ORC, though?

SEAN: Also on the BL tip (and also in Gateau) is Sugar Dog Life, about a short baby-faced guy and the tall manly police officer he meets.

MICHELLE: Okay, this is more my speed.

SEAN: The final debut is With You and the Rain (Ame to Kimi to), about a girl who adopts a…dog? Sure, we’ll go with dog. Not a tanuki at all. This runs in Young Magazine.

MELINDA: There are a lot of tanuki in the game I’m playing, which makes me interested in this for no good reason.

SEAN: We also get Back When You Called Us Devils 7, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 4, Harem Marriage 11, and Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 6.

It’s a small week for J-Novel Club, as we see My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 2, Record of Wortenia War 13, and Slayers 11.

Lastly, Airship has several print titles. We see Drugstore in Another World 3, Reborn as a Space Mercenary 2, Reincarnated As a Dragon Hatchling 2, and The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent 4.

And in early digital we get Mushoku Tensei 14 and The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent 5.

What are you going to get? Speak now or forever hold your peace.

SEAN: Hey, remember when I totally screwed up? And did all of Seven Seas’s release dates wrong? No? Well. So everything you saw in LAST week’s Manga the Week of should have been on THIS list. Go look at the post for 11/10 for those. I will backtrack and do stuff that should have been on that list for this one. Apologies to Seven Seas.

Airship, in print, has My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s and Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Lily’s Miracle.

Digitally we see Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 3.

Cross Infinite World has the 2nd volume of Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: World Conquest Starts with the Civilization of Ruin.

Ghost Ship already has out Double Your Pleasure – A Twin Yuri Anthology. Twincest: the manga. Yaaaaaay.

ASH: Goodness!

MELINDA: Oh dear.

SEAN: As well as the 8th and final volume of Destiny Lovers.

J-Novel Club debut a new title, Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte (Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endo-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san). Two guys playing a game with a villainess suddenly realize that her fiance can actually HEAR their commentary on the game! Can they change the outcome?

Also coming out next week: Are You Okay With a Slightly Older Girlfriend? 6, Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 2, Demon Lord, Retry! 7, Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World 2, the 2nd manga volume of My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ—, Otherside Picnic 6, and the 2nd manga volume of Villainess: Reloaded! Blowing Away Bad Ends with Modern Weapons.

ASH: I’m certainly behind, but hooray for more Bookworm fun!

SEAN: Kodansha, in print, has Drifting Dragons 10 and Sweat & Soap 10.

ASH: I’m reading both those series right now, so this is a good Kodansha week for me.

SEAN: Digitally, the debut is Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You. (Dose Koi Shite Shimaunda), a Nakayoshi title. From the author of I Fell in Love After School, this is straight-up reverse harem fun.

MICHELLE: I am easy to please and this cover is cute so I will check it out.

ANNA: I do enjoy reverse harem fun.

MELINDA: As do I.

SEAN: Also debuting is Arakawa Under the Bridge. It had come out print-only years ago, now enjoy the digital.

ASH: I enjoyed this series, so am glad that it’ll be more accessible to even more people now.

SEAN: And we get Blue Lock 9, Cells at Work: Platelets! 4 (the final volume), Medalist 3, Mr. Bride 4, and Quality Assurance in Another World 4.

One Peace has a 3rd volume of Farming Life in Another World.

Seven Seas has some debuts. That are already out, please see above.

THE EXO-DRIVE REINCARNATION GAMES: All-Japan Isekai Battle Tournament! (Chou Sekai Tensei Exo Drive: Gekito! Isekai Zen Nihon Taikaihen) is from Mag Garden’s MAGCOMI, and is a parody of the genre, as isekais have become bread and circus tournaments for spectators.

A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic (You to Bakemono ni naru Chichi ga tsurai) is an autobiographical essay manga from Champion Cross. It’s complete in one volume.

ASH: That’s certainly a tough subject, but I’ve heard good things about the manga.

MELINDA: I suspect this is an important story to tell.

SEAN: And there’s Bite Maker: The King’s Omega 3, The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún 11 (the final volume), Karate Survivor in Another World 2, Species Domain 11, The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary’s 2nd manga volume, and Time Stop Hero 2.

MICHELLE: I am several volumes behind on The Girl from the Other Side, but that just means I have a nice little chunk to read up until the end. I hope it’s happy but it’s hard to see how just now.

ANNA: I really liked the first few volumes but stalled out on this series. I’m curious to see what you think of the ending.

ASH: I’m a few volumes behind, too, but I really do love this series.

SEAN: Back to things actually coming out in the future, Square Enix has Wandering Witch’s 3rd manga.

SuBLime has a surprise non-2nd week of the month release with Sayonara Game. A one-shot from Shinshokan’s Dear+, it’s a baseball BL story?

MELINDA: I’m listening…

SEAN: Tokyopop has Ossan Idol! 5.

Udon has the 2nd omnibus of Steins;Gate 0.

Viz gives us BEASTARS 15, Children of the Whales 18, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku 11, Urusei Yatsura 12, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 4.

ASH: Whoops! BEASTARS has gotten away from me; I didn’t realize how much catching up I have to do!

SEAN: Yen On has Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 15 and The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody Side Story: The Wonderful Life of a Typical Nobody.

Yen Press debuts the manga version of Reign of the Seven Spellblades (Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru), which runs in Shonen Ace. I love the novels, so the manga should also be great.

ANNA: I’m a little curious about this!

Also debuting… sort of… is Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II, the sequel to the first manga, but let’s face it, it’s just a continuation with a different artist.

We also have Solo Leveling 3, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 11, and A Witch’s Printing Office 5.

ASH: I still need to read Solo Leveling, but I’m ready for more Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun!

So, as I try to forget this list and the previous one ever happened, what are you buying?

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

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

Also out in print is Berserk of Gluttony 4.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MELINDA: Maybe interesting?

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

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

MELINDA: It does.

ANNA: I enjoy delinquent manga.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ANNA: I need to get caught up too!

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

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

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

SEAN: BOO!

ASH: Aaah!

MICHELLE: Ack!

ANNA: EEK!

MELINDA: … erk?

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

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

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

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

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

ANNA: This looks interesting.

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

Udon Entertainment has the 8th Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu.

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

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

MICHELLE: Same here.

MELINDA: Oh, interesting!

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

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

MELINDA: Agreed.

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

ASH: I like seeing these types of anthologies released.

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

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

MICHELLE: Huh.

ANNA: Hmm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ASH: I’ll be on the lookout.

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

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

Dark Horse gives us a 7th Mob Psycho 100.

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

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

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

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

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

ASH: I absolutely believe this tale to be true.

MELINDA: Okay, I lol’d.

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

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

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

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

Ghost Ship has World’s End Fantasia 5.

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

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

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

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

ASH: Oh, how the times have changed!

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

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

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

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

ANNA: That does sound cute.

ASH: Agreed!

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

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

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

SEAN: One Peace Books has Hinamatsuri 13.

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

ASH: Always curious about a new cat comic!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ASH: The premise sounds like it could be promising.

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