Michelle Smith

SEAN: As February draws to a close, what manga does it bring us?

ASH: Let’s find out!

SEAN: Yen Press debuts Dungeons That Surely Slaughter Adventurers (Boukensha Zettai Korosu Dungeon), a Web Comic Apanda title from the creator of Voynich Hotel. Two people reincarnated as dungeon staff are annoyed that everyone else got to be reincarnated as adventurers… so they make the dungeons even harder, to kill them all!

ASH: I remember enjoying Voynich Hotel and as far as reincarnation premises go, I am amused by this one.

SEAN: The Fake Alchemist (Nisemono no Renkinjutsushi) is a Kadocomi title about a guy trying to get by after being isekai’d by being an alchemist… but he’s cheating!

ASH: That usually leads to trouble.

SEAN: The Idol’s Escape (Idol Escape) is a 2-in-1 omnibus with the entire series, which ran in Comic Beam. A gay man who wishes he could be as put together as his favorite idol winds up helping her escape from an abusive producer.

ASH: I wish them both the best!

SEAN: Keyaki Shopping District’s Sakura Bathhouse (Keyaki Shoutengai Sakura no Yu) is a BL title from Gene Pixiv. An outgoing high schooler accidentally injures a tough guy, and says he’ll do anything to make up for it. Now he’s… working at a bathhouse?

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Mad Miniscape is Dengeki Maoh title. A girl lives in an apartment with her childhood friend… who is dead. And evil. And wants to take her life. But as long as he’s THERE, that’s fine.

ASH: We all have our issues to deal with.

SEAN: Once Upon a Witch’s Death: The Tale of the One Thousand Tears of Joy (Aru Majo ga Shinu made: Owari no Kotoba to Hajimari no Namida) is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also puts out, which also has a recent anime. Meg Raspberry may be cursed to have a year to live, but she won’t let that stop her living a full life! This runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus.

[OSHI NO KO] TV Anime 1st Season Official Guidebook: First Report is exactly what it sounds like.

Also out next week from Yen Press: Almark 2, April Showers Bring May Flowers 4, The Beginning After the End 10, Brunhild the Dragonslayer 4 (the final volume), Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology 5, Cheeky Brat 16, D.N.Angel New Edition 2, Daughter of the Emperor 13 (the final volume?), The Ephemeral Scenes of Setsuna’s Journey 2, The Failure at God School 3, Futari Switch 2, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 12, Imitation 8, In Another World, My Sister Stole My Name 4, In the Land of Leadale 7, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 27, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 20, Laid-Back Camp 17, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 7, Mechanical Marie 2, Murciélago 26, Nomi x Shiba 3, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 10, The Shiunji Family Children 5, Shy 12, Slasher Maidens 13, Spring Storm and Monster 5, The War of Greedy Witches 4, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 8, and Übel Blatt Deluxe Edition 5.

ANNA: Could that be….too much manga????

ASH: I had to scroll much longer than I was anticipating.

SEAN: Viz Media has Cosmos 4 and Insomniacs After School 13.

Udon Entertainment supposedly has Vol. 3 and 4 of Veil. Take that with a grain of salt.

ANNA: I want to believe!!!!

ASH: It would be great to see!

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 4th volume of We Can’t Do Just Plain Love.

Steamship has His Sensual Whisper: The Voice That Sets Me On Fire 2 and Winter Wolf 2.

Square Enix Manga debuts My Favorite VTuber Is Scary IRL (Haitatsusaki no Onee-san ga Kowasugiru), a classic “shy boy meets the girl of his dreams” manga. It’s on Gangan Online.

Seven Seas has one danmei, Mistakenly Saving the Villain 3.

They also debut Kitayama and Minamiya (Kitayama-kun to Minamiya-kun), a spicy BL comedy about a guy who can always picture what someone looks like when they’re aroused… except this one guy. It runs, appropriately, in Splush.

MICHELLE: Snerk. Wow.

ANNA: What a terrible problem to have!

ASH: It does seem like that could lead to trouble.

SEAN: A Prince of a Friend (Ouji-sama no Tomodachi) is a shonen title from Dra Dra Sharp #. Rui is tired of every girl he likes confessing to his best friend… who is gorgeous, and the school prince. So she offers to teach him the ways of love.

Wait, I Love You (Matte, Suki), which runs in Byou de Wakaru BL, is about an actor and his stylist boyfriend trying to make things work despite their busy careers.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ANNA: Yeah!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Cupid is Struck by Lightning 2 (the final volume), The Dangers in My Heart 12, How Do I Turn My Best Friend Into My Girlfriend? 5 (the final volume), Ichi the Killer Omnibus 3, Karate Survivor in Another World 9, Monster Musume: Deluxe Edition 2, My Girlfriend’s Not Here Today 6, Mysterious Disappearances 8, Now That We Draw 4, and Yes, No, or Maybe? 3.

One Peace Books has Detectives These Days Are Crazy 3 and Hero Without a Class 5.

Kodansha Manga has Blue Lock Omnibus 1, which has the first three volumes of this popular soccer series.

ASH: It’s probably time I get around to reading this.

SEAN: GALAXIAS is a Weekly Shonen Magazine title about a girl who finds she knows nothing about this world that her father has kept from her, so sets out on a journey of discovery.

Hitting Rewind With You (Okuremashite Seishun) is a shoujo manga from Dessert. A girl who’s been too busy grinding grades to date decides to go out on Halloween in her old high school uniform… and runs into a handsome high schooler! Only… he’s in college too?!

MICHELLE: I might go for this one!

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Also in print: A Curtain Call for You 2, The Darwin Incident 9, I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day 7, Nina the Starry Bride 14, Rent-a-Girlfriend 35, and You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 3.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Nina the Starry Bride, I do enjoy it.

ASH: I still need to start it. I’m so far behind on so many things.

SEAN: In digital: Am I Actually the Strongest? 16, Fungus and Iron 8, Love, That’s an Understatement 7, Saving Sweets for After-Hours 5 (the final volume), WIND BREAKER 22, and Ya Boy Kongming! 22.

J-Novel Club has one print debut, the manga version of My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World. It runs in Kadocomi.

No digital debuts for J-Novel Club. For light novels, they have Cooking with Wild Game 32, Guild Handyman? More like Mastermind! 2, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 9, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups 12, Knock Yourself Out! The Goddess Beat the Final Boss in the Tutorial, So Now I’m Free to Do Whatever 3, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 11, One Last Hurrah! The Grayed Heroes Explore a Vivid Future 2, and Revenge of the Soul Eater 4.

For manga, there is I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 6, Imperial Reincarnation 3, The Invincible Summoner Who Crawled Up from Level 1 6, Looks Like a Job for a Maid! 3, My Death-Defying Dog 2, and A Wild Last Boss Appeared! 9.

Hanashi Media has I’m Just a Villager, So What? 3 and Tsukimichi: Moonlit Fantasy 13.

Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women.

Dark Horse Manga debuts Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS, a spinoff title featuring Pilar and Rebecca that runs in Comic Alive +.

Cross Infinite World has two debuts. Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life! (Konyakusha wo Sutetara, Tanoshii Mahou Gakkou no Seikatsu ga Matteimashita) is the first, where after a broken engagement a noblewoman tries enrolling in the obligatory magic academy.

Strawberry Princess: The Time Loop Defying Villainess (Shiitagerareta Maihime wa Seijo no Loop ni Ichigo de Aragau) is a one-shot light novel about an abused princess who’s time-looping… but it’s not her doing it, it’s her evil half-sister trying to get the perfect man! And now she’s set her sights on our heroine’s fiancé! Wait, what do strawberries have to do with this?

ANNA: This sounds very complex.

SEAN: We also see If the Heroine Wants My Fiancé, I’ll Marry a Yandere Villain Instead! 2.

Airship debuts in print I Like Villains, so I Reincarnated as One (Akuyaku Suki no Ore, Oshi Character ni Tensei: Game Joban ni Shujinkou ni Korosareru Oshi ni Tenseishita node, Ore dake Shitteru Game Chishiki de Hametsu Flag wo Tsubushitara Akuyaku-tachi no Teiou ni Natteta Ken). It’s another “guy reincarnated into his favorite game as the pathetic villain who dies” story, and you know he’s not going to take that lying down.

ANNA: Maybe they should make one where he does take it lying down, for variety!

SEAN: Also in print: Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation 3.

The digital debut is My Girlfriend Cheated on Me, and Now My Flirty Underclassman Won’t Leave Me Alone (Kanojo ni Uwakisareteita Ore ga, Koakuma na Kouhai ni Natsukareteimasu), whose title is the plot.

There’s also The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 7.

Is there something here that will entertain you?

SEAN: It’s February, read manga. It will get you through February.

ASH: Thank you, manga, for your unwavering support.

SEAN: Airship has the print debut of Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! (Zatsuyou Fuyojutsushi ga Jibun no Saikyou ni Kidzuku Made), which starts as a “thrown out of the party for having support magic” title, but at least this guy has a childhood friend to help him realize he’s actually awesome.

ASH: It’s always good to have a childhood friend who has your back.

SEAN: Also in print: Witch and Mercenary 5.

Digitally, we get two debuts. I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms (Ano Hana ga Saku Oka de Kimi to Mata Deaetara) is a one-shot light novel in the genre of “tragic yet heartwarming movie about teenagers and time travel that gets made into a movie”. A genre Airship has so many of.

ANNA: It sounds wistful, I wonder if it is wistful.

ASH: It does though, doesn’t it? And I do tend to enjoy this particular genre.

SEAN: Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World (Magic Maker: Isekai Mahou no Tsukurikata) is an ongoing light novel in the genre of “I am reincarnated into a fantasy world and proceed to revolutionize it as a young child because I am so amazing”. A genre ALL publishers have so many of.

Dark Horse Manga has the first omnibus of Gunsmith Cats Burst, the sequel to the classic manga that assumes that what fans really want is more Bean Bandit.

ASH: Aww, beans.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 17 and Creature Girls: A Hands-On Field Journal in Another World 14.

Hanashi Media has stopped putting everything in the last week of the month, so we got I Got Reincarnated as a Cultist Mob in an Eroge Full of Maniacs with Death Wishes 3 this week, and next week we get The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage 3.

Ize Press debuts The Merman Trapped in My Lake. A girl finds her ancestor trapped the titular merman in the titular lake. The girl is named after this ancestor, and looks just like her, but surely that won’t lead to trouble.

ASH: When has it ever? (This does sound like something I would read…)

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Kill the Villainess 5, Lady Devil 4, Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner 4, See You in My 19th Life 9, and Semantic Error 5.

J-Novel Club’s one debut is in their Knight imprint. Finding My Way to (You) in This MMO World (Game no Sekai ni Tenseishita Ore ga ** ni Naru made) has a boy setting out to make his fortune – then getting conscripted – suddenly remember his past life from another world! What’s more, he’s got to guard the princess… who’s a prince in disguise! If you like the same old light novel plots but wished they were gayer, this is for you.

ASH: I mean, it surely can’t hurt.

SEAN: Other JNC light novels: The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 2, Holmes of Kyoto 21, In Another World with Household Spells 4, The Invincible Little Lady 7, Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain 6, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 14, and Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 19.

Other JNC manga: Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 5, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 12, Housekeeping Mage from Another World 9, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! 3.

Kodansha’s print debut is Love at First Memory (Ore to Mou Ichido, Hatsukoi), a Nakayoshi manga about an heiress who finally decides which of her suitors she loves… then she gets amnesia in an car accident, and they all insist they were the one she picked! This is from the author of Boss Bride Days and Springtime with Ninjas.

MICHELLE: I can only assume that wacky hijinks ensue.

ANNA: Sometimes I’m in the mood for wacky hijinks.

ASH: Wacky hijinks can be healing.

SEAN: There’s also The Ghost in the Shell Legacy Edition Manga Box Set, a big box of all the GITS titles uncensored (yes, they have THOSE pages).

ASH: Goodness!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 27, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 16, Parasyte Paperback Collection 3, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 14, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun: IruMafia Edition 3, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 23.

MICHELLE: Oh! I didn’t realize there was a new volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday?!

ANNA: Woah!!!!

ASH: Oh! I was somehow unaware.

SEAN: And digitally, we see A Couple of Cuckoos 27, Forest of Piano 11 through 18 (the final volume, and these are the first new translated volumes since 2019), Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 29, My Boyfriend in Orange 15, Sayabito: Swords of Destiny 7, and That Beauty is a Tramp 7.

One Peace Books has a 5th volume of Hero Without a Class.

Seven Seas time. For danmei, the big release (literally) is The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong Box Set, a deluxe hardcover version of Bakarina: danmei edition. There’s also a mini-artbook and mini-posters.

ASH: That is a sizeable release!

SEAN: For other titles, we see Get Married So I Can Curse Your Firstborn and Finally Be Free! (7-dai Tatarimasu node Hayaku Kekkonshite Kudasai!), a Monthly! Spirits series about a vengeful god trying to unvengeful herself by cursing seven generations of a family. Unfortunately for her, the 6th one is so unpopular there may not BE a 7th!

ASH: Whoops.

SEAN: Grim Night Tales (Endan Yobanashi) is a Sunday Web Every series that is basically an anthology of horror short manga.

ASH: A horror manga anthology, you say?

SEAN: Hibana is a BL manga from the creator of Classmates. A girl finds that her boyfriend is falling for another guy… and getting far too obsessed with him. This comes from Magazine Be x Boy, and is done in one.

MICHELLE: Oooooh. I have heard great things about Classmates.

ASH: Classmates is excellent. Granted, I generally tend to enjoy Asumiko Nakamura’s work.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Greatest Wolf of My Life 2, The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child 5, My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files 5, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 7, Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 4, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 18, The Too-Perfect Saint 5, The Valiant Must Fall 6, and The World’s Fastest Level-Up 7.

Square Enix Manga gives us Dragon and Chameleon 6, Mr. Villain’s Day Off 7, and Wash It All Away 6.

Steamship has a 5th volume of Loving Moon Dog and a 5th volume of The Villainess and the Demon Knight light novel.

Titan debuts Gizmo Riser, a MAGCOMI series about a slave who inherits some amazing gloves from his uncle so he can destroy the state.

ASH: I wish him well.

SEAN: Lots from Tokyopop. Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko! (Ayaka-chan wa Hiroko-senpai ni Koishiteru) is a Web Action yuri manga about two women who are completely in love with each other, but absolutely think the other one is straight.

Destiny Paradise Night is a one-shot BL manga from Honey Milk. A guy dumped by his girlfriend saves someone from jumping off a bridge… only he wasn’t really. Also, he’s a sexy idol.

EX-Rank Lover: My Doting Ex-Boyfriend Wants to Make Love to Me Again and Again! (Dekiai Moto Kare wa Saikai H de Torotoro ni Aishi Tsukushitai – Amayakashi Jouzu na Nikushoku Gokujou Teku ni Oborete) is a josei one-shot from LoveParfait. A receptionist finds that the new employee at her office is her ex from high school… and he’s really hot now and wants to get back together!

Tokyopop also has Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 7 and Reincarnated in a Mafia Dating Sim 3.

Viz Manga debuts Centuria, a dark fantasy from Shonen Jump +. A stowaway on a slave ship gets powers from the gods of the sea, and that’s where his troubles begin.

ANNA: I’m a little curious!

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple 2, Choujin X 11, Hirayasumi 8, Hunter x Hunter 3-in-1 5, Jujutsu Kaisen 29, Kingdom 4, Mission: Yozakura Family 21, Snowball Earth 8, Steel of the Celestial Shadow 9, and Ultraman 21.

Yen Press debuts Hinatsugimura, a one-shot horror manga from Nemuki +. A group of travelers wait out a storm in a mansion. That ALWAYS goes well.

MICHELLE: It might be a trope, but sounds kind fun nonetheless.

ASH: Yup. I’d read that.

SEAN: Also from Yen, No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 26.

ASH: I’m out of touch and didn’t realize that was still running!

SEAN: Don’t use manga for firewood! Read it!

SEAN: Manga the Week of appears despite it being too cold to actually type.

There’s a deluge from Yen On, with several titles that were delayed a few weeks. Moscow 2160 is a light novel from the author of Goblin Slayer. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future Moscow, this stars a mercenary trying to make a good life for his younger siblings.

ASH: A promising premise.

SEAN: New Game Plus After Defeating the Last Boss: All These Beautiful, Problematic Girls in the First Town Have Gotten Really Attached to Me… (Last Boss Toubatsugo ni Hajimeru Nishuume Boukensha Life – Hajimari no Machi de Wakeari Bishoujo-tachi ga Mechakucha Natsuite kimasu) stars a man who gives his life saving the world. Now he’s resurrected, and back at Level 1, though… he’s just as strong as he was when he died. And also, well, women are flocking to him. And possibly something else rhyming with flocking, but I suspect this one won’t quite go that far.

ASH: Ah, got it, problematic.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant 5, The Detective Is Already Dead 11, Even a Replica Can Fall in Love 4, Gods’ Games We Play 6, The Irregular at Magic High School 26, Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 5, Nagisa Natsunagi Still Wants to Be a High School Girl 2, Once Upon a Witch’s Death 2, The Only Thing I’d Do in a No-Boys-Allowed Game World 3, Orc Eroica 6, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 5, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Short Story Collection 4, Sabikui Bisco 10 (the final volume), Secrets of the Silent Witch ~another~ 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime 22, The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 10, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 8, and This Is the Wizard’s Secret Weapon 2.

ASH: The list just keeps going!

SEAN: Significantly less from Yen Press, but there is some. The debut is Please Look After the Dragon (Dragon Yashinatte Kudasai), a Manga One series about a guy who comes across a dragon who is essentially on a trip to find herself, and asks that he take her in.

ASH: This could be cute.

SEAN: There’s also The Holy Grail of Eris 11, Let This Grieving Soul Retire! 10, Level Up with the Gods 2, The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince 4, and Victoria of Many Faces 3.

ASH: Okay, that is significantly less.

SEAN: Viz Media gives us Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Book of Octavinelle 2, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 14, Girl Crush 5, Hayate the Combat Butler 47, Mao 23, Not So Shoujo Love Story 3, Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet 4, Rai Rai Rai 3, and Rainbows After Storms 8.

Two Tokyopop debuts. First Love Reunion: A Decade Later, My High School Crush Is Determined to Make Me His! (Tsugi ni Attara Dakutte Kimeteta node. Saikai Shita Hatsukoi no Kare ga Moujuuka Shitara…) is a Love Kiss! more oneshot (yes, that’s the magazine) about a girl who crushed on a guy from afar in high school, but is startled at their reunion when he walks up and kisses her!

Wandervogel is a BL manga from Chara, and stars a vagrant who takes refuge with a novelist during a storm, and then finds the novelist… can read minds?

MICHELLE: Hm…

SEAN: SuBLime has Scattering His Virgin Bloom: Love Frenzy, a sequel to a manga they put out in 2022, an omegaverse title about an omega whose heat comes in his mid-20s.

There’s also a 3rd volume of A Man Who Defies the World of BL.

ASH: I haven’t read the earlier volumes yet, but I am curious about this series.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts Otaku x Gal (Gal ni Yasashii Otaku-kun), whose plot sounds EXACTLY like My Dress-Up Darling but this apparently skews less romancey and more slice of life-y.

They also have Exquisite Blood: The Heretic Onmyoji 3 and My Isekai Life 23.

Seven Seas has some danmei, as we see Silent Reading: Mo Du 2 and Thrice Married to a Salted Fish 2.

Seven Seas manga debuts Aharen-san is Indecipherable (Aharen-san wa Hakarenai), a Shonen Jump + series with a recent anime. It’s coming out in 2-volume omnibuses. Aharen doesn’t get social cues, but that’s fine, as she now has a best friend who can understand her! Maybe?

ASH: Only maybe.

SEAN: The Beast King: Master of Medicines (Juuou to Yakusou) is a Manga One title about a novice adventurer who’s saved when near death by the Beast King. Now he wants her to help him heal other monsters!

ASH: This is definitely something I would read.

SEAN: He Craves to be Teased by His Favorite ASMR Streamer (Minami-kun wa Sono Koe ni Jirasaretai) is a BL manga from Equal. An ASMR artist is asked to do “private sessions” for another guy who can only be turned on by his voice.

Also from Seven Seas: I Can’t Stand Being Your Childhood Friend 2, Monster Musume: I Heart Monster Girls 5, Natsume Wants to Blossom (Vol. 2 in the series), No God in Eden 3, Ripples in the River 2, and Tease Me Harder: A Sweet and Kinky Romance 2.

Kodansha Manga, in print, has Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle 11 (the final volume), Bless 7, Issak Omnibus 5, Mobile Suit Gundam: THE ORIGIN Deluxe 4, Thunder 3 8, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 11.

ASH: I really need to read Issak before I get too much further behind.

SEAN: Digitally we have A Condition Called Love 18 (the final volume), Giant Killing 53, and Nina the Starry Bride 17.

MICHELLE: Long ago, I read a bit of A Condition Called Love. I guess now that it’s ending, I should get back to it.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print titles. Ascendance of a Bookworm manga Part 4 Vol. 2, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 7, Gushing over Magical Girls 8, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom Omnibus 6, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World manga 4, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 7, and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 3.

ASH: Obligatory “Yay, Bookworm!”.

SEAN: Two JNC digital debuts, both light novels. The Canon Fodder’s Ascension from Pawn to World Unifier (Kamaseinu kara Hajimeru Tenka Touitsu: Jinrui Saikouhou no Last Boss wo Enjite Gensaku Break) is another “villain” novel where a guy wakes up in the body of a loser villain and tries to make him awesome.

It’s Tough Being a Necromancer is a J-Novel Club contest winner, about an apprentice necromancer sent off on an adventure to get experience. He finds it with a bunch of monster girls.

ASH: How tough could it be?

SEAN: Other light novels out next week: Disowned but Not Disheartened! 3, Duchess in the Attic 5, Heir to a Monstermancer 2, The Isle of Paramounts 2, Knight’s & Magic 9, Let This Grieving Soul Retire! 9, Mercedes and the Waning Moon 4, The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 7, Royal Spirits Are a Royal Pain! 2, and Worthless at Home, Whiz to the World 3.

Other manga out next week: Bibliophile Princess 10, The Crown of Rutile Quartz 2, From Villainess to Healer 5, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 6, Peddler in Another World 6, and A Royal Rebound 3.

Ghost Ship debuts Lilia’s Pregnancy Spells the World’s End (Lilia Pregnant The World End), a Web Every Sunday series about the hero who has defeated the demon lord… only now the demon lord’s daughter wants his baby! And will try any seduction to get it.

Airship has the print debut of A Good Day Starts with Cats and Books (Shodana no Hon to Neko Biyori), a short story collection masquerading as a novel, about a bookstore and the many readers who contribute to its shelves.

ASH: The cozy cats and cozy bookstore subgenres have combined forces?!

SEAN: Also in print: Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 6 and Virgin Knight: I Became the Frontier Lord in a World Ruled by Women 2.

For early digital, we see Reincarnated as a Sword 18, The Too-Perfect Saint 5, and True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 3.

What manga are you reading as you shiver in the cold?

MICHELLE: I don’t know, man. There’s less and less that interests me, these days.

SEAN: Time for the shortest and worst month! What manga do we get to see?

ASH: At least one or two different things.

SEAN: Airship has one print debut. The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits (Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu) stars a woman who was cast out by her family and died alone and unloved. You know why? You got it, bad skill from the gods. Now she’s reincarnated, loved and a viscount’s daughter. And while she still has the same skill, she also has appraisal, and we know how protagonists with appraisal do. She’ll be fine.

ASH: I do have a fondness for alchemists, even if this particular genre isn’t generally my thing.

SEAN: Also in print: Adachi and Shimamura: Short Stories 2 and Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 5.

For early digital we get The Misdeeds of an Extremely Arrogant Villain Aristocrat 2 and A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 4.

Two debuts for J-Novel Club. The Petty Villain Plays by the Rules: Rewriting This Otome Game with Honest Work! (Yarikonda Otome Game no Akuyaku desu ga, Danzai wa Iya nano de Mattou ni Ikimasu) is another one of those “male villainess” books. Guy wakes up as the eldest son of a villainous family doomed to ruin. Can he fix things?

ASH: Probably? Or maybe make them worse somehow.

SEAN: The Young Lady Is the Substitute Harvest Goddess is another JNC contest winner. A young gamer is sent to a different world by a goddess, who wants her to take over as harvest goddess. Fortunately, this world runs along the lines of her beloved farming games.

ASH: That’s helpful!

SEAN: Also from JNC: The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 12, Isekai Walking 5, Miss Blossom’s Backward Beauty Standards 2 (the final volume), and Tearmoon Empire 16.

No debuts for Kodansha Manga, but we see A-DO 9, Blue Period 17, DEAD ROCK 4, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 11, Tower Dungeon 4, WIND BREAKER 19, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 18 in print. (No digital-only next week.)

Seven Seas debuts The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Collected Fragments (Mahou Tsukai no Yome: Fragment), a manga short story collection revolving around people who are not Chise.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ASH: I’d read it!

SEAN: Speaking of the author of The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Ghost and Witch is a charming young story about a girl and the thing possessing her going to Ireland for supernatural shenanigans. It runs in Comic Growl.

ASH: I’d read this one, too!

SEAN: And the BL debut is Perfect Addiction, the story of a guy who loves sex but finds the girl he’s after loves another guy. He quickly discovers a) the other guy is gay, and b) has trouble enjoying sex. These two can solve each other’s problems. This runs in Gush.

ASH: They do say opposites attract.

SEAN: For danmei, we get Run Wild: Sa Ye 4 and Three Hundred Years of Longing: Bu Jian Shang Xian San Bai Nian 2.

Also from Seven Seas: The Feisty Omega and His Twin Mates 3, Hate Me, but Let Me Stay 6, I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! 2, Kaiju Kamui 2, The Long Summer of August 31 4, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 22, My Deer Friend Nokotan 7, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 5, and Tokyo Revengers: A Letter from Keisuke Baji 6 (the final volume).

Square Enix Manga has the 6th volume of The Emperor’s Caretaker.

Steamship debuts The Scheming Crown Prince’s Wicked Consort (Akujo (to Gokaisareru Watashi) ga Haraguro Outaishi You no Aisare Kisaki ni Nari sou desu!) runs in Opa x Comi. A young woman is an “ice queen” who has driven off everyone near her, including her ex-fiancé. But she desperately needs an heir for her family. Wait, what’s the Crown Prince doing here?

ASH: Well, then!

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts In So Deep, It’s Love Already (Numa Sugite Mohaya Koi), a shoujo series from Dessert. (K Manga has been releasing it in chapter form.) A fan finds the new transfer student is just her type, but does he have a secret side?

Viz Manga debuts Ichi the Witch. From the author of Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun and the artist behind ACT-AGE, this is the story of a young hunter who learns that, despite being a boy, he can be a witch! This is really good, read it.

MICHELLE: Neat!

ASH: I’ve definitely heard good things.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Astro Royale 4, Blue Box 19, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex 4, The Bugle Call: Song of War 5, Colette Decides to Die 6, Dandadan 17, Kagurabachi 6, Kill Blue 5, The King’s Beast 17, Marriage Toxin 11, and You and I Are Polar Opposites 8 (the final volume).

What a small week? Taking a break? Or getting more?

SEAN: January may be ending, but of STUFF to get through.

ASH: How? Already??

SEAN: Yen On has a bunch of ongoing light novels. We get Ishura 10, I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History 3, King’s Proposal 7, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 8.5, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend (the 15th and final volume), Sugar Apple Fairy Tale 9, and Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf 11.

Yen Press has a license rescue, as we get a 3-in-1 hardcover omnibus of Battle Royale Deluxe Edition. The OG death game manga, this will be great news for people who are not me, as I hate things like this.

MICHELLE: I think I may have the novel around here somewhere.

ASH: The novel is great and definitely my preferred version of the story.

SEAN: And there’s also the 2nd Sword Art Online Unital Ring.

Viz’s debut is Disney Twisted-Wonderland: Usurper from the Wilds, a novel based on the franchise. This is basically The Lion King version of the title.

And they also have Princess Mononoke Film Comic: All-in-One Edition, a massive 850-page hardcover.

They also have Asadora! 9, Boy’s Abyss 12, Firefly Wedding 5, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run 5.

ASH: Yeah, JoJo!

Tokyopop gives us The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince 6.

Titan Manga has The Raven Dark Hero 2

Steamship has the 4th and final volume of The Yakuza and His Omega: Raw Desire.

Seven Seas have two danmei titles, Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 7 and Heaven Official’s Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Deluxe Hardcover Novel) 8 (the final volume).

Debuting on the manga side is My Former Student Is a Hunk?! (Oshiego-kun to wa Dekimasen), which runs in Monthly Magazine Base. A 35-year-old teacher is startled when her former student, who is now 18, tall, and buff, proposes to her! Right, he was the kid who kept saying he would marry her for years and she kept saying “when you turn 18”. She never expected him to turn into THIS! This was originally a Twitter comic.

ASH: Uh-oh!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 12, Let’s Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World 9, ROLL OVER AND DIE 7, The Strange House 5, and The Titan’s Bride 8.

MICHELLE: Something mildly creepy (presumably) like The Strange House sounds appealing, at present.

SEAN: Manga Mavericks debuts Path From Tanuki Temple, an indie manga that I believe is full color. A princess raised in seclusion wants to see the world. That always goes well.

ASH: Scrappy tanuki princess in full color? That’s absolutely something I will read. I’ve really been enjoying Manga Mavericks’ indie releases.

SEAN: Last Gasp has the 2nd Ultra Heaven.

ASH: A good time for me to get around to reading the first volume!

SEAN: KUMA may have some debuts (Denpa/Kuma is switching printers atm, so dates are more in the air than usual). Betrayers Love Song (Uragirimono no Love Song) is a childhood friends-turned-rivals mafia title. It runs in Be x Boy Gold.

Only My Psycho is a BL title from i Hertz, and done in one. Hit squad partners turned lovers.

MICHELLE: Huh.

SEAN: Kodansha’s debut is Sayuri, which is from the author of Hi-Score Girl but is far more of a horror/tragedy. A family moves into a terrific house, only to find a spirit haunting it. This is done-in-1, and ran in Comic Birz.

Also in print: GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis 5, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 7, Omega Megaera 2, Shangri-La Frontier 20, and Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 7.

Digitally we see Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 11, Drops of God: Mariage 14, I Want to Hold Aono-Kun So Badly I Could Die 13, ONIMAI: I’m Now Your Sister! 10, and Our Fake Marriage: Rosé 4 (the final volume).

J-Novel Club has two print titles. We get My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 10 and Reborn to Master the Blade 8.

No digital debuts for JNC. For light novels, we get The Amazing Village Creator 2, Blade Skill Online 3, The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons 3, The Blue Sea of Marielle Clarac (the 13th in the series), Chivalry of a Failed Knight 8, and Old Knight, New Post 2.

The sole manga volume is Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint! 2.

Ize Press has a giant 900-page novel, DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR. An adaptation of the webtoon, this is vampires, baby, and also Enhypen, who are the Kpop band that are connected to it.

Ghost Ship debuts A Reincarnated Carrier’s Strategy for Another World (Tensei ni Hakobijin no Isekai Kouryakuhou), which runs in Young Champion Web. A guy is reincarnated and gets to choose his class, but chooses “carrier”, the weakest one, so that he’s not tied to anything. Then he starts meeting women who need his help. And his “help”, given this is a Ghost Ship title.

I don’t cover FAKKU titles, but for those curious about the Nana & Kaoru: Black Label spinoff, it has moved from Denpa to that imprint. The 3rd volume is out next week.

ASH: Well, that’s good to know.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has the 6th volume of Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds.

Airship, in print, has I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire! 4.

And for early digital… well, wait, this is ONLY digital. No print is planned. We debut When a Clueless First-Person Shooter Player Falls into Another World (Manuke na FPS Player ga Isekai e Ochita Baai). The title is the plot. FPS guy in a fantasy/magic world.

ASH: Seems like we’ve heard that somewhere before.

SEAN: For actual early digital we get Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 12 and Witch and Mercenary 5.

Hooray, slightly smaller! What are you buying?

SEAN: I don’t have any witty “Martin Luther King Day” manga remarks, alas.

ASH: Maybe next year.

SEAN: The print debut for Airship is Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex (Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai Sareru), which has already had an anime. A girl who grows up with her sister being given all the nice things suddenly finds herself engaged after her sister is killed in an accident. But then it turns out the engagement is a misunderstanding. What’s really going on here? From what I hear, this is another “it turns out being raised as an abused child is bad, actually” Cinderella story.

ASH: There are a few of those, it seems.

SEAN: And they also have I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 10.

Digitally we see the debut of Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! (Zatsuyou Fuyojutsushi ga Jibun no Saikyou ni Kidzuku Made), which starts as a “thrown out of the party for having support magic” title, but at least this guy has a childhood friend to help him realize he’s actually awesome.

ASH: I saw “magical buffs” and my mind went to magical girls but beefcakes. But that’s a different genre.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has the 5th The Cursed Sword Master’s Harem Life and the 4th Yandere Dark Elf.

Ize Press has two debuts. Revenge of the Baskerville Bloodhound stars a man who was trained to be a “loyal hound” (assassin, I’m guessing) but is betrayed and then killed. Luckily for him, this is an “I’ve rewound back into my past” manhwa.

Semantic Error is the original novel that inspired the BL manhwa also released by Ize. An uptight college student screws over his lazy classmates… then finds one of them is the designer he desperately wants to work with!

MICHELLE: Oopsies.

ASH: Gotta hate when that happens.

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Beware the Villainess! 6, The Boxer 12, Itaewon Class 8 (the final volume), Lover Boy 4, Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom 8, Overgeared 9, and The World After the Fall 12.

So Dearly Reckless (Sore wa Mubou to Iu Mono da) is the J-Novel debut, and it’s from their Knight line. A young orphan wants to escape poverty, and adventuring may be the answer, especially when a handsome young man reaches out to him. But is this handsome young man really who he seems? Also, could there be… love?

ASH: Maybe?!

SEAN: Other light novels: An Archdemon’s Dilemma 20, By the Grace of the Gods 17, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 3, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 9, and To Another World… with Land Mines! 12.

For manga, they have Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 7, The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 2, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 6, Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 7.

No debuts for Kodansha Manga, but we get, in print, Ajin: Demi-Human Complete 6, The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 6, Blue Lock 26, The Blue Wolves of Mibu 8, Gachiakuta 9, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 10, Nezumi’s First Love 2, and Sheeta’s Little Big World 3 (the final volume).

ASH: It’s been a while since I’ve thought about Ajin, but there were things about the series I really liked.

SEAN: Digitally we get Matcha Made in Heaven 13, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 19, and My Wife is a Little Intimidating 13.

ANNA: I need to catch up on Matcha Made in Heaven!

ASH: I haven’t read it yet, but I still love that title.

SEAN: After an entire week without a danmei debut, sanity has returned to Seven Seas. Twin Jades of Jiangdong is from the Legend of Exorcism and Dinghai Fusheng Records. Two childhood friends vow to always help each other and remain true, forgetting that they’re in a danmei novel.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: Gotta love when that happens.

SEAN: There’s also the 3rd volume of Joyful Reunion.

Seven Seas’ manga debut is Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex (Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai Sareru), about which see above, The manga runs in Gaugau Monster.

Low Tide in Twilight is a manhwa omegaverse title, about a suicidal omega who is saved by a suspicious man. (Could the man be an alpha? Hmmmmmm… could be!)

ANNA: He’s probably just a normal dude who is not connected with the omegaverse at all.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 15, Cats With Jobs 2, DEAR. DOOR 2, Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth is a Modern City! 12 (the final volume), HIKARI-MAN 7-8 (the final volume), Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 10, My New Life as a Cat 12, Reincarnated as a Sword 16, Someone’s Girlfriend 5, and What It Means to Be You 3.

From Square Enix Manga we get Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! 15 and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You 6.

MICHELLE: I really, really need to catch up with Cherry Magic!.

ASH: Same! But I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far.

SEAN: Steamship has early digital for the 5th volume of The Villainess and the Demon Knight.

Titan Manga debuts Scavengers Another Sky, a Young Champion Retsu title about young girls who go between worlds scavenging.

It also gives us ATOM: The Beginning 13.

Tokyopop has Merry Witches’ Life 3.

ASH: I enjoyed the first volume; I should probably read more.

SEAN: Viz Media gives us After God 8, The Climber 4, Kingdom 3, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 11, Record of Ragnarök 17, Red River 3-in-1 6, Rooster Fighter 9, Trillion Game 9, Undead Unluck 23, and The Way of the Househusband 15.

ASH: The Way of the Househusband is another series I’ve been meaning to catch up on, too.

SEAN: Yen On has one title: About a Place in the Kinki Region (Kinki Chihou no Aru Basho ni Tsuite). It’s a horror mystery about a missing occult editor and what he was researching.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ANNA: Sounds cool!

ASH: Yup, I’d read that.

SEAN: Yen Press has the bulk of its monthly titles out next week. Immortality and Punishment (Fushi to Batsu) is a zombie apocalypse story from the creator of Magical Girl of the End. It ran in Bessatsu Shonen Champion.

Scenes from Awajima (Awajima Hyakkei) is an award-winning manga from Pocopoco. It’s about a prestigious opera school and the girls who strive to succeed in it.

MICHELLE: Double ooh. And it’s by Takako Shimura!

ANNA: Consider me intrigued!

ASH: I’ve been wanting to read this since it started!

SEAN: And, while not technically new, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl is the latest omnibus to cover an “arc” of the series.

Also from Yen Press: Bocchi the Rock! Comic Anthology 2, Bride of the Barrier Master 5, Bungo Stray Dogs 26, Dead Mount Death Play Side Story: Phantom Solitaire’s Art of Disguising Oneself as a Supernatural Being 2, Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice 2, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 10, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 13, Hakumei & Mikochi 13, Heterogenia Linguistico 6, Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion 5, In Another World with My Smartphone 15, Killed Again, Mr. Detective? 2, Kindergarten Wars 3, Konosuba: Even More Explosions on This Wonderful World! 2, L’il Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right 2, The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious 8, Maiden of the Needle 5, Minato’s Laundromat 6, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 6, The Ragnarok System of the Desperate Reincarnated Demon Lord and the Seven Aggressive Maidens 2, Shadows House 10, Sister and Giant: A Young Lady Is Reborn in Another World 5, Strategic Lovers 4, Sword Art Online Re: Aincrad 4, The Villainess Stans the Heroes 5, Triage X 29, Unnamed Memory 7, and When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement! 6.

ASH: That… was a lot. Probably some good stuff in there, though.

SEAN: I was waiting for that Yen deluge. What are you buying?

SEAN: As 2026 begins to take hold, let’s see what manga we have coming out in this traditionally quiet month.

ASH: Oh, right, it is 2026 now, isn’t it? Somehow.

SEAN: Yen On starts us off with Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 4 and The World Bows Down Before My Flames 3.

Yes Press’ one release is Wonder Boy (Fushigi na Shounen), a massive 800-page hardcover containing the first half of this seinen series that ran in both Morning and Morning Two about 20-25 years ago, and is from the creator of Land. It’s an episodic story about a traveler who watches humanity.

ASH: That is quite the volume! And probably something I should read.

SEAN: No debuts for Viz Manga, but we do get Beyblade X 5, Case Closed 97, Destroy All Humans, They Can’t Be Regenerated 6, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 11, Snow Angel 3, Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga 3, Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 4, Yaiba: Samurai Legend 3, and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon 8.

Tokyopop has a 2nd volume of Eternal Covenant.

Titan Manga debuts 3 Minute Bodyguard Yoko-chan (3-bu Youjinbou Yoko-chan), a comedy manga from Comic Zenon about a young heir who’s always dodging assassinations… and his bodyguard only works for him 3 minutes a day!

ASH: Could be entertaining.

SEAN: They also have Isekai Metaller 2.

SuBLime has new volumes! Sleeping on Paper Boats 2 (the final volume) and Yarichin Bitch Club 6.

Square Enix debuts Mechanical Buddy Universe 1.0, a sequel to, well, Mechanical Buddy Universe. It runs in Young Gangan.

They also have Bride of the Death God 2 and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 28.

There is, amazingly, no danmei debut this week for Seven Seas. They do have Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Deluxe Hardcover 3 and There’s Something Wrong with the Chief 2.

ASH: No debuts, but still going strong.

SEAN: For manga, SS debuts Romelia War Chronicle: The Count’s Daughter Rallies an Army in the Wake of Mankind’s Victory (Romelia Senki ~Maou wo Taoshita Ato mo Jinrui Yabasou Dakara Guntai Soshiki Shita~) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel and has an anime coming. It starts with the traditional broken engagement, and the fact that women with no engagement have no value even if they did save the kingdom, and goes on from there. It runs in MAGCOMI.

ASH: You would think that would be worth something.

SEAN: A Yuri Love Story That Begins with Getting Dumped in a Dream (Yume de Furarete Hajimaru Yuri) is a yuri manga (duh) from Web Comic Gamma Plus. Two girls have always been besties since childhood. But when one of them has a dream of confessing and getting rejected by the other one, new feelings start to come out.

ASH: Sounds like this one will have lots of feelings.

SEAN: Other Seven Seas titles: BL Game Rebirth: My New Life as the Hero’s Younger Brother 3, Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 5, Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent 5, Hope You’re Happy, Lemon 2, IDOL x IDOL STORY! 4, Killer Shark in Another World 6, Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World 2, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 13, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Fafnir the Recluse 5, The Princess I Loved in My Past Life is Now a Middle-Aged Dad 2, and Roses and Champagne 3.

ASH: Not so bad for a relatively quiet week.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 2nd volume of I Want Your Mother to be With Me!.

Kodansha debuts Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits, the latest title by Oh! Great. two young holy warriors are all that stand between the Earth and destruction, through the power of their dance. Also, it’s by Oh! Great, expect gorgeous art, lots of action set pieces, and women with big breasts. This is what he does. This runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

ANNA: I mean, Oh! Great! does do what one would expect of Oh! Great!

ASH: It’s true.

SEAN: Also in print: The Drops of God 2, Last Samurai Standing 4, Medalist 12, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 11, Parasyte Paperback Collection 2, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 5, and You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 2.

ASH: If anyone hasn’t gotten around to reading one of the various editions of Parasyte yet, you should. It’s still one of my favorite series.

SEAN: And for digital we see And Yet, You Are So Sweet 12, Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 10, Gang King 37 (the final volume), Koigakubo-kun Stole My First Time 9, Medalist 13, and Undead Girl Murder Farce 8.

MICHELLE: A double Medalist week!

ANNA: I need to get caught up!

SEAN: Kana has the 2nd omnibus volumes for Cat’s Eye and City Hunter.

ANNA: Need to check these out.

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print titles. We get (light novels) The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 4, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 10, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World Omnibus 3, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 3, and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 2, and (manga) Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill 3, Gushing Over Magical Girls 7, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 11, and Tearmoon Empire 7.

ASH: Once again, not a bad list for a relatively quiet week.

SEAN: Digitally they have three debuts, all light novels. Reforming an Icy Final Boss: Getting Back at the Self-Proclaimed Villainess with the Power of Friendship (“Jishou Akuyaku Reijou” ni Korosareta Last Boss no Yarinaoshi: Bocchi na Reitetsu Koujo wa, Dai Ni no Jinsei de Riajuu wo Mezashimasu) stars a cold young woman who is murdered by someone claiming this world is an otome game. Now she’s back in the past, and determined to get a happy life… and figure out what that otome game thing meant.

Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! This White Mage Is One Heck of a Healer (Yuusha Party wo Tsuihousareta Shiro Madoushi, S Rank Boukensha ni Hirowareru: Kono Shiro Madoushi ga Kikakugaisugiru) is a kicked out of the hero’s party for being weak but is actually really strong book, and I can’t anymore, I just can’t.

ASH: It’s okay, Sean, I see you.

SEAN: Sowing Vengeance: The Eldest Son’s Disgraceful Green Thumb (Tsuihousareta Meika no Chounan: Baka ni Sareta Hazure Skill de Saikyou e to Nobori Tsumeru) is one of those “everyone in the world gets a skill, and if yours isn’t cool enough everyone tries to kill you, including your own family” books. See above.

Other light novels out next week: The Countess Is a Coward No More! 4, EXP Is Golden 4, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 9, Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World 11 Part 1, Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 14, and Zero Damage Sword Saint 2.

For manga they have Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 3 Vol. 5, Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! 2, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 13, I Parry Everything 4, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 12, and Tearmoon Empire 9.

Ghost Ship debuts Let’s Make a Harem in a Zombie World! (Zombie Sekai de Harem o Tsukurou!), a Young Magazine Web title from the creator of The Witches of Adamas. A young man figures out he can stop hot girls from turning into zombies by having sex with them. Hijinx ensue. Coitus also ensues.

ASH: As it does.

SEAN: Ghost Ship also has Rebel Hero: I Will Use My Skills to Control the Scheming Princess’s Heart and Bod 2.

Dark Horse Manga has a 2nd volume of Adabana.

ASH: I meant to read the first volume before the second volume came out…

SEAN: No print debuts for Airship, but we see Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 14, ROLL OVER AND DIE 5, and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 15.

Two early digital debuts, though. A Good Day Starts with Cats and Books (Shodana no Hon to Neko Biyori) is a short story collection masquerading as a novel, about a bookstore and the many readers who contribute to its shelves.

ANNA: I agree with both of these points!

ASH: They are very good points.

SEAN: The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits (Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu) stars a woman who was cast out by her family and died alone and unloved. You know why? You got it, bad skill from the gods. Now she’s reincarnated, loved and a viscount’s daughter. And while she still has the same skill, she also has appraisal, and we know how protagonists with appraisal do. She’ll be fine.

And they also have a 5th volume of Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!.

Pretty big 2nd week, especially with barely any Yen! What are you buying?

MICHELLE: Not much, evidently!