Manga Bookshelf

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Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: A Bevy of Riches

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SEAN: This is a ridiculously stacked week for manga fans. Viz has a hot new Jump series in Dandadan, Seven Seas gives yuri fans what they’ve always wanted (women beating the shit out of each other) in Black and White: Tough Love at the Office, and Kodansha has both Last Gender *and* Shonen Note: Boy Soprano in the same week. That said, I’ll throw in with One Peace Books this week and Usotoki Rhetoric, because I love a good 1920s shoujo.

MICHELLE: Perhaps I’ll be disappointed by the mystery aspects of Usotoki Rhetoric, but it still looks so much my sort of thing that I have to pick it. Definitely honorable mention to Shonen Note, however.

KATE: I’m glad to see Drawn & Quarterly is keeping Shigeru Mizuki’s works in print, so my pick is Onwards Towards Our Nobel Deaths.

ASH: Usotoki Rhetoric has certainly caught my attention, too, but Shonen Note has been on my radar longer. I’ve been looking forward to it for awhile now, so I’ll make it my official pick (though I’ll be making a point to read both series!).

ANNA: Usotoki Rhetoric does look interesting, I shall make it my pick!

Bookshelf Briefs 10/6/22

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Falling Drowning, Vol. 3 | By Yuko Inari | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – It’s the final volume and, inevitably, Honatsu has begun to regain her memories. With them, she remembers that Shun was once her most precious person. Unfortunately, she’s currently dating Toma. Seasoned shoujo readers might expect that Honatsu choosing one of them would be the culmination of the series, but it’s actually her relationship to her past self that has the biggest payoff, as she eventually comes to recognize that young Honatsu was never really as invincible as everyone thought, and the past six years have taught her how to talk about her weakness and sadness without hesitation. It’s clear from the author’s notes that she was told to wrap things up quickly and that there had been more she wanted to draw. While things do feel somewhat rushed, Falling Drowning still comes to a satisfying conclusion. – Michelle Smith

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 3 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – This is an improvement on the second volume. There is still the occasional mention of Shiraishi lacking any presence, but for the most part we’re moving on from that and starting to show WHY Kubo seems to be so over the moon for him. Because she 100% is, far more than the Takagis and Nagatoros of this world. It can be embarrassing, as she would no doubt freely admit when her older sister starts drunkenly teasing her in front of Shiraishi (who now worries this is his fault somehow). I’m not sure when these two cuties are going to get together, and I’ve no doubt it will be a few more volumes. But guaranteed money they’ll do it before the other two girls I mentioned above. – Sean Gaffney

Lost Lad London, Vol. 2 | By Shima Shinya | Yen Press – To be honest, the central mystery of Lost Lad London—who is framing Al Adley for the murder of his biological father, the mayor of London?—doesn’t move forward much in this volume. The most significant thing that happens is that the cops decide Al’s their prime suspect, haul him in for questioning, and search his residence without a warrant. The real charm is the atmosphere. This feels like a proper mystery, for one, but there is also some amusing interplay between Al and Ellis that makes me yearn for an adaptation of some kind. Too, I appreciate that the characters discuss the racism and sexism they’ve had to contend with in their lives. I look forward to the third and final volume for the solution (and to see if my guess is right) but I’m bummed our time with these characters will have been so brief. – Michelle Smith

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 15 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – Suddenly Queen’s Quality has gotten a lot more depressing. Certainly this helps with the aimless feel we’ve had the last few books, and the cast is now winnowed down to people I can remember. But man, when the “good end” is your hero protecting everyone by destroying all the memories he’s ever had, that’s bleak. Fortunately, I doubt that Fumi and company are going to let Kyutaro get away with that. Unfortunately, all their alternatives also seem to involve sacrificing themselves. Hell, even some of the terrible villains are falling to horribly gruesome deaths. I don’t THINK this is the sort of manga to end with its main couple dead or dying. But I guess we’ll have to see. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 8 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – Not gonna lie, this is THE best arc of Spy x Family to date, and the entirely of this book is right in the middle of it. Not only do we see Yor take out dozens of assassins, either in public (so she has to incapacitate them) or in private (where she can murder them). She is simply amazing, and it’s also stunning to see a Jump series show off this much blood, gore, and death—expect the anime to cut this heavily. At the heart of this, though, is the core of Yor’s story arc—her goals in becoming an assassin are mostly fulfilled now, or can be fulfilled by the family that she loves dearly but doesn’t know it yet. She wants to give it up. Unfortunately, she can’t right now, as she has to save the mother and daughter from death. Amazing book. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 11 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Aside from one chapter right at the start of this volume which tries to get into the topic of fetishes and flounders badly, this is a very good entry in the series, mostly because of a discussion I don’t think I was expecting it to have, even if it doesn’t dwell on it ling. When our married couple go to buy a car and Ikuma has to take a call, he returns to find that the salesman was “waiting for the man” to offer his card and start the pitch—something Sumika notes happens ALL THE TIME. Indeed, when Ikuma does the bare minimum of pointing out that women should be treated as equals, he gets a round of applause from every woman in the dealership. An unexpected surprise in this otherwise cutesy volume. – Sean Gaffney

Manga the Week of 10/12/22

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SEAN: Manga the Week of is brought to you this week by Weetabix.

MICHELLE: I will never not associate Weetabix with Spike and Giles.

ASH: Now that you mention it!

SEAN: We start with Yen On, which gives us In the Land of Leadale 6, Magistellus Bad Trip 2, and Sasaki and Peeps 2.

While Yen Press has The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time 2 and Kaiju Girl Caramelise 6.

ASH: Oh, I somehow didn’t realize that Kaiju Girl Caramelise was an ongoing series.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Dandadan, a Shonen Jump + title. A boy believes in aliens, but thinks ghosts are the bunk. A girl in his school believes the exact opposite. Together they will discover… that aliens and ghosts are too spicy for Shonen Jump’s app, I can tell you that.

ASH: Ha!

Also from Viz: Case Closed 84, Kaiju No. 8 4, Komi Can’t Communicate 21, Sakamoto Days 4, and Splatoon 15.

Tokyopop has a shoujo debut, Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke (Moto, Ochikobore Koushaku Reijou desu). J-Novel Club releases the light novel of this. The manga runs in MAGCOMI. It’s essentially a Villainess story, even if the lead isn’t evil in the original.

They also have a new one-shot, Hyperventilation. This BL manwha features two guys who meet again at a high school reunion and rekindle things.

Titan Books debut Atom – The Beginning, which runs in Shogakukan’s Heros magazine. It is, as you may have guessed, a prequel to Tezuka’s Astro Boy.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: SuBLime has Black or White 5 and Moon & Sun 2 (the final volume).

ASH: Which reminds me that I’ve been meaning to read the first volume.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga gives us Beauty and the Feast 4, Hi Score Girl 9, and My Isekai Life 3.

Seven Seas once again has a number of debuts. Black and White: Tough Love at the Office (Shiro to Kuro) probably has that subtitle to set it apart from other manga with similar titles. Two women at the same office who can’t seem to stop a) beating the shit out of each other or b) having sex with each other have to team up to solve a mystery. It runs in Comic Ruelle.

ASH: Not the type of yuri series we often see.

SEAN: Hunting in Another World With My Elf Wife (Hokkaidou no Geneki Hunter ga Isekai ni Hourikoma Rete Mita – Elf Yome to Meguru Isekai Shuryou Life) is a MAGCOMI title. A hunter gets killed by a bear and ends up in a fantasy world… but he still has his shotgun!

SHWD is also from Comic Ruelle. It stands for Special Hazardous Waste Disposal, and has been described as “yuri buddy cop story meets horror”.

ASH: Another atypical combination!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Cat Massage Therapy 3, Creepy Cat 4 (the final volume), The Duke of Death and His Maid 3, The Girl From the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún Deluxe Edition II, Kemono Jihen 2, Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More 3, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 6, and This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 3.

MICHELLE: I enjoyed the first volume of Kemono Jihen so look forward to the second.

ASH: I’m buying The Girl From the Other Side again; the deluxe edition is lovely.

SEAN: One Peace Books debuts Usotoki Rhetoric, a Bessatsu Hana to Yume title (!) about a girl who can hear lies teaming up with a detective in the mid-1920s.

MICHELLE: Ooooh. This sounds potentially fun!

ASH: It does!

SEAN: They’ve also got I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School 5.

Kodansha debuts Last Gender (Last Gender: Nanimono demo nai Watashitachi), an LGBT title about a hidden bar where people can explore different sides of themselves. It ran in Evening Magazine.

ASH: My curiosity is piqued.

SEAN: And they also have Shonen Note: Boy Soprano, a Morning Two title from the creator of Shimanami Tasogare. A middle school student with a wonderful soprano voice runs into issues growing up. This has been nominated for awards.

MICHELLE: I’ll definitely be checking this out.

ASH: I’ve really been looking forward to this one, too.

SEAN: And they have this weird poster book/artbook/massive thing, AKIRA: Art of Wall.

Also in print: The Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm 3, Island in a Puddle 4, Lovesick Ellie 6, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 5, and Something’s Wrong With Us 11.

Digitally, we see The Fable 7, Giant Killing 33, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 10, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 4, My Maid, Miss Kishi 4, Police in a Pod 17, Quality Assurance in Another World 6, The Shadows of Who We Once Were 5, Tokyo Revengers 27, and Vampire Dormitory 7.

MICHELLE: One day I really will succeed in getting caught up on Giant Killing.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a light novel debut. Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta (Yuri no Ma ni Hasamareta Watashi ga, Ikioi de Futamata Shite Shimatta) features a girl who is best friends with her school’s yuri power couple. Sadly, that means everyone else hates her. She doesn’t like herself much either. Then… both of her friends, separately, ask her out. And she says yes. To both of them.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: Also digital: The Apothecary Diaries 6, the 8th manga volume of An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, Full Metal Panic! Short Stories 2, In Another World With My Smartphone 26, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 4, and The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 5.

Drawn and Quarterly are reissuing all four volumes of Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa: A History of Japan, with new cover art, as well as single volume Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths.

ASH: Very glad to see Mizuki’s work staying in print.

SEAN: And now we jump to Airship, which has some print light novels. We see the print debut of The Case Files of Jeweler Richard. There’s also Berserk of Gluttony 7, Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 5, and I’m in Love with the Villainess 5 (the final volume).

ASH: I’ve been waiting for The Case Files of Jeweler Richard.

SEAN: And in early digital we see I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again! 2, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 3, and Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 12.

Please enjoy this delicious manga made from whole grains. What are you eating next week?

Pick of the Week: Viz Favorites and Horror Classics

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MICHELLE: There’s so much good stuff coming out this week. I find that what I find most appealing is the prospect of a nice big Yona of the Dawn binge to get caught up, so that’ll be my pick this week.

SEAN: I’ll be going with “comfort manga” as well, as my pick is the new My Hero Academia.

ASH: Both solid choices! As for me this week, I’m particularly interested in Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! Shojo horror manga is one of my favorites and this is just in time for spooky season.

ANNA: Did someone say Yona of the Dawn, I shall say it too!

KATE: Gotta go with Ash’s pick, as I’m a big Kanako Inuki fan!

Manga the Week of 10/5/22

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SEAN: It’s October, so all your manga tastes like pumpkin spice. Go one, try a page.

MICHELLE: Why, it’s positively delightful!

SEAN: Airship first. After a long wait, mostly as the series switched publishers in Japan and new contracts needed to be written, we have the 14th volume of Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!. This is print AND digital, so no early stuff here.

There is an early digital debut, though, with The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Saijaku Tamer wa Gomihiroi no Tabi wo Hajimemashita). The premise sounds very similar to A Late Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life, but we’ll see how this “my seemingly weak class and skills get me abused but they’re actually REALLY STRONG” series goes.

And we also have an early version of Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 3.

Cross Infinite World has a 2nd volume of I’d Rather Have a Cat than a Harem! Reincarnated into the World of an Otome Game as a Cat-loving Villainess.

Dark Horse Comics gives us Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition 7.

ASH: Like Dark Horse’s other deluxe editions, these are hefty but beautiful volumes. I’m happily upgrading my collection.

Ghost Ship has a 5th volume of Sundome!! Milky Way.

A bunch of print for J-Novel Club. We see Ascendance of a Bookworm’s 11th manga volume, By the Grace of the Gods 10, The Faraway Paladin’s 4th manga omnibus, In Another World With My Smartphone 24, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Omnibus 7, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 8, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 5.

The debut from J-Novel Club is Seventh. It’s the story of a noble who ends up cast from their family after being publicly disgraced, forced to try to find a way to survive. The catch is that this isn’t a villainess series, the lead character is a Duke. And not a villain. Then again, that younger sister of his looks suspiciously like an otome game heroine…

ASH: Hmmm…

SEAN: Also digital: Ascendance of a Bookworm 21, Holmes of Kyoto 11, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 4, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me! 8, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 4, Sweet Reincarnation 7, Tearmoon Empire’s 2nd manga volume, and When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace 4.

Kodansha’s print debut is Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki! (Inuki Kanako no Daikyoufu!), a horror one-shot from the “queen of horror manga”. This has several of her most famous short stories, designed to terrify young girls. They ran in various magazines.

ANNA: OK, stories designed to terrify young girls sound interesting.

ASH: I’m looking forward to giving this one a try. Always game for new horror manga.

SEAN: I forgot to mention, the author of these stories also did School Zone, a horror manga Dark Horse put out long, long ago which was reviewed by our own Kate Dacey. http://mangacritic.mangabookshelf.com/2010/10/24/my-10-favorite-spooky-manga/

ASH: Oh, that’s a manga in good company!

SEAN: Also in print: Grand Blue Dreaming 17, Orient 10, Peach Boy Riverside 8, Rent-a-Girlfriend 14, Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection 4, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 20, and Wandance 2.

MICHELLE: The first volume of Wandance was a lot of fun.

SEAN: As for digital… keeping in mind I am working from secondary sources… the debut is Raised by the Demon Kings! (Sodatechi Maou!). If you can imagine Three Men and a Baby but with rival demon kings, you’ve got this one. It ran in Magazine Special.

Also digital: The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage 6, Changes of Heart 6, Chihayafuru 34, Desert Eagle 4, A Galaxy Next Door 3, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 2, I’ll Never Send a Selfie Again! 5, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 28, My Boyfriend in Orange 12, and Our Love Doesn’t Need a Happy Ending 3 (the final volume)

Some more debuts from Seven Seas. Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess (Jingai Hime-sama, Hajimemashita – Free Life Fantasy Online) is the manga version of a series that just had its light novel also licensed by Seven Seas. A newbie gamer gets a new VR game from her younger sister… but her character build is horrible! Now she’s a zombie.

Imaginary is a josei title from Rakuen Le Paradis. A young man reconnects with a childhood friend he never confessed to. Can he manage to bond with her anew?

MICHELLE: This looks potentially interesting!

ANNA: Yay for josei!

ASH: Yes, indeed!

SEAN: Night of the Living Cat runs in Comic Garden, and the premise is horrifyingly adorable. Instead of zombies, humans who pet cats become cats themselves!

ASH: Goodness!

SEAN: The Summer You Were There (Kimi to Tsuzuru Utakata) is a Comic Yuri Hine series from the creator of The Girl I Want is So Handsome!. A shy girl is a romance writer, but when her classmate gets her hands on a manuscript, she suggests more writing experience… by the two of them dating!

Tentai Books theoretically has print releases for some of their recent digital-only light novels. We see From Toxic Classmate to Girlfriend Goals 1, I Kissed my Girlfriend’s Little Sister?! 1, There’s No Way a Side Character Like Me Could Be Popular Right? 3, and You Like Me, Don’t You? So, Wanna Go Out With Me? 1.

Tokyopop has the 11th volume of Konohana Kitan.

Viz debuts Romantic Killer, a Shojo Beat romance series from Shonen Jump +. (There was a HUGE fight about this online, but look, it’s shoujo, get over where it ran. I can’t believe I’M the one saying that, but…) A girl who’s not all that interested in guys is moved to a virtual reality where there’s nothing BUT hot guys. I’ve heard this is quite fun.

ANNA: Wow, it must be difficult for her to be surrounded by so many hot guys.

SEAN: Also out next week: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 15, Dr. STONE 23, Moriarty the Patriot 9, My Hero Academia 32, My Love Mix-Up! 5, Snow White with the Red Hair 21, and Yona of the Dawn 37.

MICHELLE: Gotta get caught up on the Shojo Beat titles!

ANNA: Me too! Always glad to see a new volume of Yona.

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Yen On debuts Sugar Apple Fairy Tale, a fantasy romance novel series from the creator of Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower. The story of a candy crafter trying to become a Silver Sugar Master seems sweet as pie, but the “I’m purchasing a fairy, as they are treated like property in this world” will be a bar it’s going to have to clear.

ASH: The candy crafting side of things has potential, but… yeah.

SEAN: We also get Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 8.5, The Detective Is Already Dead 4, A Sister’s All You Need 13, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 10, and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 9.

Three debuts for Yen Press. Gahi-chan! runs in Comic Dengeki Daioh “g”, and has its sights firmly aimed at 14-year-old boys who love unrealistic body types. A manga artist finds his heroine has shown up on his door! She’s actually a yokai… who can eat his art and transform it into a suit of skin, which she then wears. Despite sounding like a horror premise, it’s an ecchi comedy.

ASH: The yokai part of that description caught my attention, but I’m not sure about the rest of it.

SEAN: Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet is a shoujo title from Margaret, from the creator of Daytime Shooting Star. A girl whose father has put their family in debt finds a job as a housekeeper to a surly novelist. What’s worse, she has to live there.

MICHELLE: Interesting that Yen is picking up these Margaret titles. This is the second one, after No Longer Heroine.

ANNA: Cool, I’m curious about this.

SEAN: And Unnamed Memory is the manga adaptation of the wonderful light novel series. It runs in Comic Dengeki Daioh.

Also from Yen: Angels of Death Episode.0 4, Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 3, Chained Soldier 2, 86–EIGHTY-SIX 3, The Eminence in Shadow 5, The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring 2, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 18, So I’m a Spider, So What? The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters 4, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 16, and Yowamushi Pedal 21.

ASH: I’m finally close to being caught up with Yowamushi Pedal and have been enjoying the ride.

SEAN: I guess EVERYONE finally got their manga back from the printers. What are you getting?

Bookshelf Briefs 9/27/22

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D-Frag!, Vol. 16 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – This new volume (by now the series is annual) involves a massive parody of “trapped in a game” stories, as the main cast are all in an experimental VRMMO which has a few bugs in the system. Kazuma’s in-game cursed armor may be affected by a REAL curse on him, Runa’s attempt to imitate Lone Wolf and Cub has left her as a baby, and Sakura can only use water spells, because, well, she’s Sakura. There are some very funny stabs at both Sword Art Online and similar stories as well as the D-Frag cast itself, with Kazuma once again having to rely on his tsukkomi in order to survive. That said, it ended with a surprise heartwarming moment… with Kazuma being the most surprised! Still underrated. – Sean Gaffney

Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 11 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – The End of Humanity has been promised for several volumes now, and this volume is here to deliver on it. We get some really terrifying horror shots here of innocent folks suddenly having their arms and legs cut off by alien spores, but that pales next to the actual apocalypse, which takes up more than one two-page spread. We even get what appears to be the final Isobeyan chapter, giving it an ending that the original Doraemon never actually got. That said, the last volume in the series is twelve, not eleven, and I suspect some sort of time travel/alternate universe stuff may manage to save the day. For now, though, hope you aren’t attached to anyone on Earth. – Sean Gaffney

Dekoboko Bittersweet Days | By Atsuko Yusen | TOKYOPOP – In this sequel to Dekoboko Sugar Days, things start somewhat episodically. Rui and Yuujirou move up to their third year in high school, they go to the beach, there’s a flashback to them as kids, etc. Eventually, however, the references to their college plans and worries about how their families might react to their relationship coalesce into a fairly dramatic story. Now, was it really that believable that Yuujirou would break up with Rui on Christmas and not talk to him again until right before Rui is about to get on a plane to attend college in France? No, not really. Not when they love each other so much. But their last-minute reconciliation is still great because they were utterly unconcerned in that moment about their families finding out and, surprise, everything was totally fine. Sometimes an ending can be predictable and still be sweet and satisfying. – Michelle Smith

Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 11 | By Ryoko Kui| Yen Press – This came out a lot faster than I was expecting, but that may be because things are very quickly coming to a climax, and the end plot may be less “how do we save Falin?” and more “how do we not all get executed as criminals?” Marcille won’t be helping, as due to plot and circumstance she’s now in charge of the dungeon, though we only get a brief glimpse of what that actually entails. And rest assured, there is some incredibly disgusting horror here as well, because that is also the sort of thing this series can offer us. Actually, there’s not as much food this time around—or at least not food that we can convert to real recipes. I’m not sure how much longer this has to go, but it will be interesting to see how Laios talks himself out of this one. – Sean Gaffney

Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger, Vol. 1 | By Emboss | Seven Seas – At first glance, Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger looks like a standard-issue food manga, focusing on two friends whose main hobby is trying out new restaurants. The artwork reinforces the idea that this is a Food Manga™ with numerous close-ups of Wolf and Tiger slurping noodles, sighing contentedly, and rubbing their bellies as they sample new delicacies, all of which are rendered in meticulous, mouth-watering detail. The frenetic pacing, however, robs the story of its educational and entertainment potential; at every turn, we’re bombarded with new characters, few of whom are properly introduced to the reader, despite the presence of a narrator. By the end of volume one I felt tired and hangry—a sure sign that this series wasn’t working for me. YMMV. – Katherine Dacey

Sakamoto Days, Vol. 2 | By Yuto Suzuki | VIZ Media – The second installment of Sakamoto Days does pretty much what you’d expect: we’re introduced to new assassins—none of whom are equal to the task of killing the hero—and a conspiracy involving a top-secret organization. We’re also treated to a few amusing flashbacks to Sakamoto’s training, as well as an acrobatic fight scene that begins on a roller coaster and ends at a haunted house. Though the action scenes aren’t as dazzling as the best Shonen Jumpka titles, Yuto Suzuki knows his way around a good sight gag, and peppers every fight sequence with a few humorous interludes. What really keeps Sakamoto Days aloft, however, is heart: the characters’ obvious affection for one another makes it easier to embrace the story’s killer-gets-dragged-back-into-his-old-life plot. Recommended. – Katherine Dacey

See You Tomorrow at the Food Court | By Shinichiro Nariie| Yen Press – This is a dialogue-heavy story that relies entirely on the personalities of the two high school girl leads. Yamamoto dresses like a gal, but is relatively serious and has a job. Wada looks like an honor student, but is a flake who is all over the place. They’re best friends, and every day they eat at the food court in the mall and discuss… whatever. This was marketed as yuri-ish, but aside from the final chapter it’s not really. It is a good examination of high school girls and the need to have a “public” face. How much you like it depends on how much you can tolerate Wada, who can be very hard to take a lot of the time, though I think she’s ultimately lovable. A one-shot for now, it just restarted in Japan. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops, Vol. 8 | By Neko Nekobyou and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – This is the final volume of the series, and like previous volumes, it focuses on its main character—Lux. She’s had the emotional arc since the very start of the series, and now she gets to come to terms with the death of her friend, come to terms with the fact that she was a pawn of Laughing Coffin, and come to terms with the hero-worship she has for Kirito, even when he’s an NPC that may or may not contain his soul. It wouldn’t be SAO without playing fast and loose with sentience. In the meantime, this was a solid series that gave screen time to most of the regulars who are not Kirito, Asuna or Sinon, and I’m happy to have read it. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Dinos, Soccer and Rohan Kishibe

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SEAN: Nothing leaps out at me as obvious this week, so I’ll take a flyer on Dinosaur Sanctuary, if only as the cover art makes it look pretty cute!

KATE: I, on the other hand, was positively gleeful at the sight of Dinosaur Sanctuary; my inner seven-year-old cannot wait to see which dinos are featured in the first volume. Bring on the brontosaurus, I say!

MICHELLE: Nothing really sticks out for me, either, so I’ll pick DAYS, as the prospect of a sports manga binge is always something to look forward to.

ASH: Dinosaur Sanctuary looks like it could be a delight and dinosaurs are very popular in my household right now, but the debut that I’ll likely be reading first is Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe.

Manga the Week of 9/28/22

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SEAN: Oh no, I’m awake, September must be ending!

Yen On is taking the week off, but we have some Yen Press manga. Dead Mount Death Play 8, Laid-Back Camp 12, Play It Cool, Guys 4, and Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, The Frozen Bond 2.

From Viz Media we debut a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure spinoff, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe (Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai). This features a series of short stories starring the eccentric guy from Diamond Is Unbreakable, and is coming out in deluxe hardcover, same as the JJBA volumes.

ASH: I’m looking forward to this one; Rohan is an interesting and popular character. (And he was also my introduction to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure as a whole.)

ANNA: Yep!

SEAN: We also see Fist of the North Star 6 and Fullmetal Alchemist: The Ties That Bind (another reissue of an FMA light novel).

ASH: Still very happy to see Fist of the North Star coming out!

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts On or Off, a BL manwha webtoon about the dangers of falling for your boss.

They also have the 2nd volume of supernatural BL series Fangs.

After a number of minimal weeks from Seven Seas, they got everything back from the printers this time around. We start with 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Juukimama na Hanayome Seikatsu o Mankitsu Suru), a manga adaptation of the light novel series Seven Seas also released. It comes from Comic Gardo.

Cats and Sugar Bowls (Neko to Sugar Pot) is a collection of yuri-themed short stories by the same author, and is a single volume.

ASH: That sounds like it could be promising.

SEAN: A Chinese Fantasy: The Dragon King’s Daughter (Chuugoku Gensousen) runs in Futabasha’s Web Action, and is a series of classic Chinese folktales adopted into manga form.

ASH: Count me curious, for sure!

SEAN: Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk (Josou Shite Mendokusai Koto ni Natteru Nekura to Yankee no Ryou Kataomoi), an LGBT comedy about two guys who want to visit a maid cafe, but only feel comfortable doing so dressed as girls. It’s from Mag Garden’s MAGXIV.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Dinosaur Sanctuary (Dinosan) is from Shinchosha’s Comic Bunch, and asks what happens, after the events of “A Certain Movie”, to the other Dinosaur-themed zoos around the world?

ASH: That’s a fun premise.

SEAN: Lazy Dungeon Master (Zettai ni Hatarakitakunai Dungeon Master ga Damin wo Musaboru made) has had the novel coming out from J-Novel Club for a while now. Here’s the manga version, which runs in Comic Gardo.

Love is an Illusion! is a manwha webtoon that delves into the story of a guy who spends his whole life thinking he’s an alpha… till he runs into a real alpha who sees he’s just an omega deep down. BL, as you likely guessed.

Seven Seas also has The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 3, GIGANT 9, Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 5, I’m in Love with the Villainess 3, Kiruru Kill Me 3, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 5, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 15, No Matter What You Say, Furi-san is Scary! 4, and Skeleton Knight in Another World 9.

One Peace Books debuts The Death Mage (Yondome wa Iyana Shi Zokusei Majutsushi), a light novel about a young man who is tired of getting reincarnated and then dying all over again, and resolves to use his powers from previous lives to put a stop to that.

ASH: I can understand that feeling.

SEAN: From Kodansha Manga we get the debut of Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You (Ochikadzuki ni Naritai Miyazen-san). This Gangan Joker series has a girl trying to get to know the school’s delinquent, despite him being terrible at, well, communication. We know this genre by now.

ANNA: OK, I know the genre but I also enjoy people falling in love with delinquents.

SEAN: Also in print: EDENS ZERO 18.

Digitally we see Altair: A Record of Battles 25, Burn the House Down 4, A Couple of Cuckoos 9, DAYS 31, My Tentative Name 3, My Wonderful World 3, Oh, Those Hanazono Twins 5, The Prince’s Romance Gambit 11, SHAMAN KING & a garden 3, Tesla Note 6, and That’s My Atypical Girl 6, which definitely won’t be getting the Feature Image this week.

MICHELLE: Okay, finally some stuff for me. I am really curious about Burn the House Down and desperately need to get caught up on DAYS.

SEAN: Two debuts from J-Novel Club. Re:RE — Reincarnator Executioner (Re:RE -Ri: Āruī- Tenseisha o Korosu Mono) is a dark fantasy about a father trying to get back his daughter, whose body has been possessed by the evil Reincarnators.

Our other debut is a one-shot from the author of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom. Yashiro-kun’s Guide to Going Solo (Yashiro-kun no Ohitorisama Kōza) is a reversal of books like Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki – a trendy girl is asking the lone wolf how she can be more like him!

J-Novel Club also has Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?!’s 2nd manga volume, The Ideal Sponger Life 8, Record of Wortenia War’s 8th manga volume, and Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!’s 6th manga volume.

Ghost Ship gives us Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! 7-8 and Desire Pandora 3.

Dark Horse Comics has the 10th omnibus of GANTZ.

ASH: That’s a series I’ve not thought about in a long while.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has Surviving in Another World as a Villainess Fox Girl! (Scenario Nante Iranai! Rival Chara no Kitsunekko). This book has not one but TWO “reincarnated into an otome game” characters, each with different motivations to save their favorite character. Unfortunately, their plans don’t match up.

Airship debuts a new “beautifully depressing” novel from the creator of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas. I Will Forget This Feeling Someday (Kono Kimochi mo Itsuka Wasureru) is about a couple trying their hardest to BE a couple despite being from different dimensions.

ASH: I often enjoy novels of that type, though I’m not sure I’m feeling up to it at the moment.

SEAN: We also get early digital volumes of Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 19 and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 2.

There’s a ton of stuff here, after the September of Barely Any Manga. What are you getting?

Bookshelf Briefs 9/20/22

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Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro, Vol. 11 | By Nanashi | Kodansha Manga – I haven’t actually briefed this for a long time. Since I did, in fact, it had an anime, which was somewhat polarizing but is getting a second season. The premise has evolved now that Senpai is a senior, and that means there’s an actual new recruit to the art club. What’s more, Nagatoro has joined the judo club, trying to get back the competitive mojo she lost long ago when a more talented girl blew right past her. As a result, we may have some genuine change here, as the two of them can’t hang out endlessly in the art room anymore. Senpai knows this, which is why he actually struggles to try to ask Nagatoro to… y’know… hang out. Not a date. Nagatoro has mellowed, and so has this series. – Sean Gaffney

GAME: Between the Suits, Vol. 1 | By Mai Nishikata | Steamship – Oooof. It’s always dangerous doing a series about someone whose life is in a rut, who is going through the motions, who is burying herself in her work in order to avoid thinking too much. The danger is that the manga can be as boring as the protagonist’s life has become, and that’s exactly what happens here. Theoretically I should be annoyed at the male lead, who is the classic josei “smug jerk who will make the girl fall in love with him by being smug at her until she surrenders,” but I can’t be bothered, because the layout and the pacing are just too damn dull. This is supposed to be arousing! It’s a Steamship title! I should not be checking to see how many pages are left. Try one of their other titles. – Sean Gaffney

No Longer Heroine, Vol. 1 | By Momoko Koda | Yen Press – Hatori Matsuzaki has had a crush on Rita Terasaka for years. Believing that their status as childhood friends guarantees her the role of “heroine” in his love story, she is unthreatened by his string of casual girlfriends. That is, until he shows signs of actually getting serious about Adachi-san—an unlikely match in terms of looks but a sincerely good person—and Hatori is forced to consider the possibility that maybe she’s not the leading lady after all. Her obnoxious behavior in the wake of this revelation made me question whether I wanted to continue reading this series. Thankfully, she is quickly ashamed of herself, and though I cannot root for her to break up Rita and Adachi, I do root for her to move on and find a love of her own. – Michelle Smith

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 15 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – Now that ‘teasing the guy she likes’ has become a genre, we’ve seen several titles that deal with an inherent difficulty, which is that these sorts of series traditionally star a pretty, vivacious, charismatic girl and a much less charismatic boy. The question will always arise: “what does she see in him?” Fortunately, Takagi-san answers this question better than most other titles. Nishikata may struggle in his desire to “win” over Takagi, and he frequently shows off his immaturity (the series is about junior high schoolers, but sometimes you have to remind yourself of that), but he’s really a nice, decent person who always tries to do the right thing, and we see that here. That’s what she loves. – Sean Gaffney

World End Solte, Vol. 1 | By Satoshi Mizukami | Seven Seas – This author has managed to amaze me twice, first with Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, then with Spirit Circle. Both of those titles had one foot in the real world of Japan, however. This new series is 100% fantasy… even though our heroine’s powers have more than a little bit of magical girl to them. She’s dealing with a lot, as her parents are dead and she’s been sold by the beloved village head into slavery (yeah, I know, it doesn’t stick). Teaming up with a girly-looking boy trying to find a way to die, an obnoxiously perky fairy, and Mole Macarony from the Pogo books only with less Republicanism, and they’re off on an adventure… provided they survive the journey. This is hella fun, and I trust this author. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Poe Clan Supremacy

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KATE: At the risk of being super-predictable, I cast my vote for the second volume of The Poe Clan. I mean… c’mon. It’s MOTO HAGIO for Pete’s sake, and Moto Hagio in peak form. Nobody brings the drama like Hagio, or makes looks being miserable look so beautiful. BRING. IT. ON.

SEAN: Yup. While I will admit Spy x Family is probably what I’ll read first, The Poe Clan is clearly the stellar release of the week.

ANNA: Poe Clan! – I’m glad the second volume is being released!

MICHELLE: Who am I to go against Moto Hagio? (Those tournament arcs, though…)

ASH: There are quite a few intriguing manga being released this week, but, yeah, The Poe Clan is absolutely my pick, too.

MJ: I mean. What Kate said.

Manga the Week of 9/21/22

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SEAN: OK, now it’s the first week of Autumn, and there’s even rain! A good week to read some manga!

ASH: Truly!

SEAN: Airship starts us off with print titles. The 2nd volume of Classroom of the Elite: Year 2, Monster Girl Doctor 9, and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 5.

And their early digital titles are Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 5 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 6.

ASH: A mercenary sort of week, it seems.

SEAN: After a 3-year wait, Fantagraphics finally gives us the 2nd and final omnibus of The Poe Clan.

MICHELLE: Just in time for spooky season.

ANNA: I still need to read the first volume of The Poe Clan, but I own it. Maybe I’ll do a Poe Clan binge for spooky season.

ASH: So glad to see this coming out!

MJ: Yes!

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us DARLING in the FRANXX 5-6.

There’s two new J-Novel Club light novel series. The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom (Horobi no Kuni no Seifukusha – Maou wa Sekai wo Seifuku suru you desu). A man dies and is reincarnated in another world. He has a loving family, a promising future, etc. But… he knows that eventually bad things are going to happen. Now he has to figure out how to fix it.

DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level (Isekai Meikyuu no Saishinbu o Mezasou) is our other debut. For once our kid who wakes up in a fantasy dungeon is desperate to get back home… because he has an ailing sister in Japan to care for. His only chance is to reach the very bottom, where the rumor is any wish can be granted.

ASH: Both of those may have potentially interesting twists on the genre.

SEAN: Also coming out: Black Summoner 10, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 21, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 2, Record of Wortenia War 16, and Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! 7.

Kodansha Comics has precisely one print volume, and it is Blue Period 9.

The digital debut is Gamaran, a Weekly Shonen Magazine title from about 12 years ago that ran for 22 volumes, followed by an ongoing sequel. It’s a martial arts series, so any plot description will be secondary to TOURNAMENT ARCS!.

MICHELLE: Man, I am weak against tournament arcs!

MJ: Honestly, so am I…

SEAN: Also out next week: The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage 5, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You 4, Blue Lock 15, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 7, The Dawn of the Witch 5, Golden Gold 4, Hella Chill Monsters 3 (the final volume), Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 10, Mr. Bride 6, A Serenade for Pretend Lovers 4, Shaman King Marcos 4, She, Her Camera, and Her Seasons 2, The Untouchable Midori-kun 2, and We’re New at This 11.

MICHELLE: I am a recent and enthusiastic convert to Blue Lock, so I’m happy I now have thirteen volumes to marathon digitally.

ANNA: Woo!

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Anti-Romance, a BL title from Gentosha’s Rutile about two young men who’ve lived together for six years but are not quite more than friends. This is from the creator of Blue Morning. Seven Seas’s edition has extra material.

MICHELLE: Blue Morning was great, so I’m looking forward to this.

ASH: Same! I’ve enjoyed every Shoko Hidaka manga that I’ve read so far.

MJ: So here for this.

SEAN: His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper (Maou Heika no Osoji Gakari) is from Akita Shoten’s Princess, a magazine I am very happy to see licenses from again. A girl with cleaning magic is transported to another world under an anti-cleaning curse! This sure sounds like shoujo, all right. Hopefully we’ll see more than just housekeeping.

ANNA: I enjoy shoujo and demons!

ASH: It’s frequently a good combination.

SEAN: And then there’s more BL, as we also get Monotone Blue, a one-shot from Be x Boy GOLD. This is from the creator of The Girl from the Other Side, and is a high school romance between a cat and a lizard. Well, OK, a catboy and a lizardboy.

MICHELLE: Huh.

ANNA: OK, tentatively here for this.

ASH: I do tend to like Nagabe’s manga, so I plan on picking it up.

MJ: Um. Yes.

SEAN: In continuing volumes, we get She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 6.

Tokyopop finally updated its website, so I can tell you that we see the third volume of Mame Coordinate.

Viz debuts the print edition of Look Back, from the creator of Chainsaw Man. When this came out digitally, everyone I know read it and loved it. It’s about drawing manga, but be warned: the word “poignant” applies here.

ANNA: Poignant and from the creator of Chainsaw Man sounds like quite the combination.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Alice in Borderland 3, BEASTARS 20, Crazy Food Truck 2, Golden Kamuy 27, Hayate the Combat Butler 40, Maison Ikkoku: Collector’s Edition 9, Seraph of the End 25, and Spy x Family 8.

MICHELLE: Gotta get caught up with Spy x Family.

ANNA: Me too. My household loves the anime.

ASH: So far, I’ve really been enjoying that series.

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: Three titles from Yen On: Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 4, The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 2, and Sword Art Online 25.

Lastly, there’s Yen Press. The debut is Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, the manga adaptation of the novel (and movie). This is complete in one omnibus.

Also coming out: the 11th and final volume of Shibuya Goldfish, Solo Leveling 5, Tales of Wedding Rings 11, and The Wolf Never Sleeps 2.

This seems more like a normal week of manga. What are you getting?

Pick of the Week: Heroine Addiction

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SEAN: Despite the fact that I suspect this will be one of THOSE types of shoujo stories (see also: Hot Gimmick and its ilk), I cannot resist those big eyes staring at me… well, eye… and so I will make No Longer Heroine my pick this week.

MICHELLE: I am less lured in by No Longer Heroine itself than by the fact that it ran in a Margaret spinoff and I typically like Margaret shoujo. So, I’ll pick it too and we shall see!

KATE: There isn’t much on this week’s manga list that says, “Buy me!”, so I’m choosing another new arrival as my Pick of the Week: Jordi Lafebre’s Always Never, which chronicles a forty-year love story… in reverse. The artwork looks lovely, and the characters are my age (at least at the start of the book), which is a refreshing change of pace from high school angst and office lady romance.

ASH: Oh, that looks good, Kate! And like Sean and Michelle, I’m at least vaguely curious about No Longer Heroine. But since this is probably the last time we’ll see a final release for A Silent Voice, I’m making the second volume of the collector’s edition my pick. The series isn’t always an easy read due to the weight of it’s subject matter, but it is a consistently compelling and excellent one.

ANNA: I’m going to join with the general curiosity for No Longer Heroine!

Manga the Week of 9/15/22

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SEAN: Has fall arrived yet? Certainly not QUITE here as of yet.

ASH: So close! I can’t wait.

SEAN: Yen Press is taking the week off, for the most part. No light novels, and only two manga. One of those is a debut, however. No Longer Heroine (Heroine Shikkaku) is a shoujo series from Betsuma. It’s also 12 years old, showing that yes, older titles can still be picked up. Our heroine is a childhood friend! She’s going to get married to her guy! Because childhood friends always win in Japanese series… right? Right? (cricket noises)

ANNA: OK, I have to admit my curiosity about slightly vintage shoujo.

MICHELLE: I typically like series from Margaret and its offshoots, so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one!

ASH: Count me interested, too!

SEAN: And we also get the 23rd volume of Triage X.

No debuts for Viz, but we get new volumes of Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3, Call of the Night 9, Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai 4, Fly Me to the Moon 13, Mao 7, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 8, Pokémon Adventures: X•Y 3, Rosen Blood 4, and Yakuza Lover 6.

ANNA: Some things here I need to get caught up on!

SEAN: SuBLime debuts Love Nest, a Dear+ series that’s actually another spinoff from Sayonara Game.

ASH: I still need to read that one.

SEAN: And they’ve also got the 5th and final volume of Jealousy.

There’s a new Steamship debut, Ladies on Top (Onnanoko ga Daicha Dame desu ka?). This Ura Sunday Jyoshibu series is about a 24-year-old OL who’s had a series of bad relationships because the guys take the lead. Then she starts dating a 28-year-old co-worker who likes aggressive women and awakens her hidden dom…

ASH: I haven’t read a Steamship title yet, but this one caught my attention, so it may be the first.

SEAN: Square Enix debuts the manga version of My Happy Marriage (Watashi no Shiawase na Kekkon), whose light novel Yen is putting out. It runs in Gangan Online. The light novel is excellent… but expect the title to be ironic, at least for the start.

ASH: It’s interesting to me how these cross-publisher titles seem to be happening more frequently these days.

SEAN: They’ve also got the 6th manga volume for The Apothecary Diaries.

ASH: Yay!

SEAN: Seven Seas has Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid in COLOR! – Chromatic Edition. This one-shot collects the best/funniest/most heartwarming scenes in the manga and does them in full color.

One Peace Books has the 19th volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero’s manga.

In print, Kodansha Manga has the debut of a series already out digitally, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability (Tensei Shitara dai Nana Ouji dattanode, Kimamani Majutsu o Kiwamemasu). It is what it sounds like.

There’s also the 2nd and final volume of A Silent Voice Complete Collector’s Edition.

ASH: I’m double-dipping for the additional content.

SEAN: Digitally, we see new volumes of Ace of the Diamond 39, The Fable 6, Falling Drowning 3 (the final volume), A Kiss with a Cat 4, My Maid, Miss Kishi 3, Police in a Pod 16, The Shadows of Who We Once Were 4, Shangri-La Frontier 7, and WIND BREAKER 6.

MICHELLE: I thought Falling Drowning was pretty interesting and look forward to completing it. And, of course, here’s my obligatory pledge to catch up on Ace of the Diamond.

SEAN: Kaiten Books has a digital release for the 7th manga volume of Loner Life in Another World.

Two light novel debuts for J-Novel Club. Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade (Shinigami ni Sodaterareta Shoujo wa Shikkoku no Tsurugi wo Mune ni Idaku) has a baby discovered by a mysterious person in the middle of nowhere. She is taught combat and magic… then her mystery benefactor disappears! Now she has to leave the middle of nowhere to find them. (The title perhaps gives away who the mystery person is.)

ASH: Spoilers!

SEAN: There’s also Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke (Moto, Ochikobore Koushaku Reijou desu). Our heroine is raised to be a mage and the fiancee to a prince… then all the magic talent goes to her sister, so she’s tossed aside. Now she tries to make her way as an adventurer… but wait. Why is she suddenly finding herself in modern-day Japan? Her life is a game? And she’s a side character? Like heck. She’s going to catch her own good end.

We also get a manga debut, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World. This is the manga version of the light novel we’ve already talked about. It runs in MAGICOMI.

J-Novel Club also has Demon Lord, Retry! 8, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 18, Perry Rhodan NEO 9, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ 6, and the 2nd The Saga of Lioncourt manga.

Ghost Ship has a 4th volume for Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon.

Cross Infinite World has a new title, The Saint’s Belated Happiness: Newly Single, Now Living with the Demon Prince (Iki Okure Seijo no Shiawase – Konyaku Hakisareta to Omottara Mazoku no Ouji-sama ni Dekiaisaretemasu!). The saint has spent years saving the world… so many years that she’s now 27, so her fiance the prince dumps her for being too old. Going home, she finds a young boy… with horns. Who rapidly grows up to be The Demon Prince. He probably cares less that she’s a Christmas Cake.

Airship, in print, has Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 6.

Digitally, the early debut is The World’s Fastest Level Up (Sekai Saisoku no Level Up!). You’ll never believe this. This boy has a skill. But everyone thinks it’s useless and hates him. Then, he finds out it’s the most powerful skill ever! Now he’ll be the strongest with the help of hot pink-haired heroine and hot blue-haired heroine! … sigh.

There’s also the 3rd volume of Loner Life in Another World, which at least I know is not taking itself seriously. Mostly.

Is it me, or is print manga just in a massive lull? What are you getting next week?

Bookshelf Briefs 9/6/22

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Blue Lock, Vol. 2 | By Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura | Kodansha Comics – Blue Lock really is a lot of fun, if you can get past the fact that a program designed to foster egotistical behavior on the field will accordingly foster egotistical behavior the rest of the time, too. Raichi, in particular, is just a major asshole. Still, this volume has many positives. The teams within each wing are having a tournament with only the top two eligible to remain at Blue Lock. Team Z loses their first match, but finds a way to work cohesively as a team while enabling each player to demonstrate an independent striker spirit. Most importantly, though, Isagi finally realizes what his own personal secret weapon is and achieves an important breakthrough at the end of the volume. So far, I have ended each volume of this eager to devour the next. It might be time to try to get caught up with the digital release. – Michelle Smith

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 23 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – After spending the first part of this volume dragging Chika for being so unobservant of the main romantic couple (with one or two heartwarming moments mixed in), it’s time to sift over to our other main couple… except they’re both not interested. Miko is starting to understand that she’s in love with Ishigami, but has no idea what to do next, and ends up trying “aggressive.” Ishigami is far more interested in gaming on Discord with his new friends, which include another one of his hot classmates. And then there’s Osaragi, whose support of Miko this entire time is kicked over for the (supposedly) shallow house of cards that it is. That last part is easily the most interesting, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. – Sean Gaffney

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 30 | By Taeko Watanabe | VIZ Media – Some volumes of Kaze Hikaru are more gripping than others, and this is definitely one of them. With Yoshinobu’s rise to the rank of Shogun and the apparent assassination of the Emperor twenty days later, Ito ratchets his scheming up several notches, culminating in a plan to cultivate the appearance of a rift within the Shinsengumi that would enable him to theoretically go spy on an anti-Bakufu faction. Hijikata is dubious; Kondo endorses it. It’s 1867 now, and so even though Sei and Okita continue to make incremental romantic progress, the weight of history is hard to ignore, especially when the volume ends by foreshadowing an “unforeseen tragedy” that lies ahead. There are few series that can inspire as much dread as Kaze Hikaru. I close with my traditional lament that this does not come out more often. – Michelle Smith

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 20 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – Komi Can’t Communicate is always at its best when it’s advancing its romantic plot, and we get that in abundance here… though not with Komi. A skiing trip with the gang takes up most of the first half of the book, then they all get on the bus to go home… except Tadano and Manbagi, who were accidentally left behind. With little choice, they have to find a room for the night, as that was the last bus. This pretty much leads to all the romantic cliches you can possibly imagine, including a confession of love to a sleeping partner… who turns out not to be sleeping. Fortunately, Tadano’s low self-image means he doesn’t really believe it, but the romance scale has started to fall away from Komi for the very first time. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 20 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – This is a book of two halves, as the story arc is wrapping up. The first half is everyone else hearing about Mitsuhide rejecting Kiki, and their somewhat stunned reaction to this. The second half shows us Zen and Shirayuki trying to make the most of their limited time together, which includes such lewd things as kissing, but that’s about it. And now they’re separated again, and we no doubt continue a new arc next time, though that arc may involve Kiki definitely having to give in and get married now. Snow White with the Red Hair is definitely carving its own path, and is not really interested in what readers think (or else Mitsuhide and Kiki would be together, as would Shirayuki and Obi). – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Correspondence Course

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MICHELLE: I’m not entirely sure it’ll be my thing, but Correspondence From the End of the Universe is certainly the most unique tittle to be coming out next week! For that, it deserves at least a look!

SEAN: My pick is the 8th and final volume of Sword Art Online: Girls’ Ops, a series that remained dedicated to its premise, which was to do a SAO series with the minimum amount of Kirito and Asuna. It succeeded, and I quite like it.

MJ: Wow, I do actually exist. And, okay, this may be the most predictable move of all my predictable moves ever, but I’m gonna copy Michelle here and go with Correspondence From the End of the Universe. Taking chances for the win?

KATE: I’m adding my voice to the chorus of folks buying Correspondence From the End of the Universe this week; it looks quirky (in a good way!).

ASH: While I’m still astonished (and glad) to have Harada’s manga being licensed in English (and so have my eyes on The Song of Yoru & Asa Encore), I join most everyone else in selecting Correspondence from the End of the Universe as my official pick. Gotta love SF josei.

ANNA: I’m not going to deny the tidal wave of support for Correspondence from the End of the Universe, that’s my pick as well.