Michelle Smith

SEAN: Is it Yen week? (checks, sighs) Yup.

ASH: Here we go!

SEAN: In fact, we start with THIS week, as I missed Yen On’s one title in my last post. Lycoris Recoil: Ordinary Days is based on the hit anime, and is, as the title might suggest, a look at the less gun-battle side of the franchise.

Yen On has four debuts out NEXT week. We’ll start with I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning into a High-Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck (Rekishi ni Nokoru Akujo ni Naru zo: Akuyaku Reijō ni Naru hodo Ōji no Dekiai wa Kasoku suru yō desu!), a villainess title in the subgenre of “she’s trying to be a villainess on purpose” rather than “she’s trying to avoid her doom”. This had a hit anime recently.

ASH: I haven’t read many of them, but I am appreciating the villainess trend.

SEAN: The Only Thing I’d Do in a No-Boys-Allowed Game World: Reincarnated as a Yuri Ship-Sinker (Danshi Kinsei Game Sekai de Ore ga Yarubeki Yuiitsu no Koto: Yuri no Aida ni Hasamaru Otoko toshite Tenseishiteshimaimashita) is a series about a male yuri fan who gets reincarnated into the world of his favorite yuri game. The trouble is, all the girls are falling for him rather than each other! While I appreciate this is a comedy, you’ll pardon me if I treat it as radioactive.

ASH: Fair.

SEAN: Recommendations for Bad Children (Warui Ko no Susume) seems to be a dark series about two classmates, dealing with a school system that thrives on abuse and discrimination, who decide to start breaking the rules. I’ve heard this is good, but it’s not my genre.

ASH: Hmmm. Closer to some of the genres that I read, when I’m in the mood.

SEAN: Whoever Steals This Book (Kono Hon wo Nusumu Mono wa) is the novel that the manga (also licensed by Yen) was based on. A girl who doesn’t really care for books is forced to when some books trigger a curse on her hometown.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Babel 3, Bofuri 15, and Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 3.

Yen Press also has debuts. Liar Liar is a manga based on the light novel, also from Yen. It runs in my nemesis, Comic Alive. As with Recommendations for Bad Children, it’s in the “the best way to inspire geniuses is to let them bully the crap out of the weak” genre, which always stars the weak, of course.

Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale is the manga adaptation of the movie based on the omnipresent SAO franchise. It ran in Comic Walker.

Victoria of Many Faces (Tefuda ga Oume no Victoria) is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also releases. It runs in Flos Comic. A spy betrayed by her boss fakes her death and moves to another country, trying to live a quiet, happy life.

ASH: A quiet, happy life sounds really nice right now.

ANNA: I’m into that.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Assorted Entanglements 7, Bocchi the Rock! 6, Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 10, CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon 6, Dead Mount Death Play 13, Detroit: Become Human – Tokyo Stories 2 (the final volume), The Executioner and Her Way of Life 6, God Bless the Mistaken 4 (the final volume), The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All 2, Handyman Saitou in Another World 6, Honey Lemon Soda 8, I May Be a Guild Receptionist, But I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time 4, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 11, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 14, Imitation 5, Is the Order a Rabbit? 2, Laid-Back Camp 16, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 9, Love of Kill 14 (the final volume), Mieruko-chan 10, Oshi no Ko 9, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 8, Riviere and the Land of Prayer 2, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 25, The Shiunji Family Children 3, So I’m a Spider, So What? 14, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale 4, The Three Body Problem: The Comic 2, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 7, and Witch Life in a Micro Room 4.

MICHELLE: I’m going to try to get caught up with The Guy She Was Interested In… before it seriously gets away from me.

ASH: I was finally able to get my hands on the first volume! I’m looking forward to reading it.

SEAN: Viz Media debuts Mujina into the Deep, the latest title from Inio Asano, a Big Comic Superior title about a jaded man who has his life overturned thanks to a runaway kid and an assassin. I suspect this will be very different from Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction.

ASH: I suspect it will be intense in one way or another, as Asano’s work tends to be.

SEAN: They’re also re-releasing Hunter x Hunter in 3-in-1 omnibuses.

Also from Viz: Choujin X 8, Hirayasumi 4, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 6, Mission: Yozakura Family 15, Rainbows After Storms 2, Rooster Fighter 7, and Twin Star Exorcists 33.

Tokyopop gives us Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 6 and The Person I Loved Asked Me to Die in My Sister’s Stead 2.

Steamship debuts Loving Moon Dog (Koi Suru Moon Dog), a shoujo title from Hana to Yume Ai. It’s by the author of Skyblue Shore, which got culled as part of the Tokyopop collapse. A woman finds a doberman one day… who can turn into a hot guy! And is looking for a mate! This is actually a long-runner, and may be more shoujo than smutty despite the imprint.

MICHELLE: While I continue to have a sad about the unfinished shoujo series TOKYOPOP left behind, I just can’t with the “animals as love interest” genre.

ANNA: I’m also sad about Skyblue Shore but I’m with Michelle on skipping this.

SEAN: Steamship also has the print release of The Villainess and the Demon Knight (light novel) 2.

Square Enix Manga has Dragon and Chameleon 2.

Seven Seas debuts Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya: The Complete Manga Collection, which collects both volumes of the first manga spinoff of Fate that is “what if Ilya were a magical girl?”. Fans of Ilya will be happy, fans of Rin will be happy but also annoyed, probably.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Hate Me, but Let Me Stay 3, Lonely Castle in the Mirror 5 (the final volume), Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 20, My Boyfriend is a Dog 2, Nakamura-san, the Uninvited Gyaru 2, The New Recruit 2, Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown 3, Tokyo Revengers: A Letter from Keisuke Baji 3, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 12, and Wild Roses and Pretenders 2 (the final volume).

They also have a danmei title: the 3rd volume of Peerless.

One Peace Books has the 4th manga volume of Villainess Level 99.

Kodansha Manga debuts in print I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day (Kimi ga Shinu made Koi wo shitai), a yuri title from Comic Yuri Hime. A girl at a school for assassins hasn’t been the same since her roommate died. Then she meets an adorable new classmate who can turn her frown upside down! Oh yes, she first meets said classmate covered in blood.

ASH: Seems right.

ANNA: These things happen.

SEAN: Also in print: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 13, Battle Angel Alita Mars Chronicle 10, My Noisy Roommate 2, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 9, and Twilight Out of Focus 6 (the final volume so far, but I won’t be surprised if we get another sequel).

And digitally we see Having an Idol-Loving Boyfriend is the Best! 6 (the final volume) and My Boyfriend in Orange 14.

J-Novel Club, in print, has Black Summoner 4, Hell Mode 7, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 7, Reborn to Master the Blade 5, and Reborn to Master the Blade 5. (Light novel and manga, respectively.)

There are two digital debuts, both light novels. Knock Yourself Out! The Goddess Beat the Final Boss in the Tutorial, So Now I’m Free to Do Whatever (Ato wa Gojiyuu ni Douzo! Tutorial de Kamisama ga Last Boss Taoshichatta no de, Watashi wa Suki Houdai Ikiteiku) is one of the “I’m a guy reincarnated in a girl’s body” titles we’ve seen on occasion. A goddess wants her to defeat the final boss… and the immediately does so herself, using our heroine’s powers. Now what?

Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind (Ken to Mahou to Gakureki Shakai: Zense wa Gariben datta Ore ga, Konyo wa Kaze Makase de Jiyuu ni Ikitai) has a reincarnated as a noble guy. He spent his past life doing nothing but study, so wants to be a swords and magic sorta guy this time around. Sadly, you have to study to be able to do that.

ASH: A valuable lesson to be learned!

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club in light novels: The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 5, Duchess in the Attic 3, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 7, The Legendary Witch Is Reborn as an Oppressed Princess 3, Magic Stone Gourmet 8, and The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 4.

And from J-Novel Club in manga: The 100th Time’s the Charm 3, The Banished Former Hero Lives As He Pleases 5, Bibliophile Princess 8, Duchess in the Attic 5, Fushi no Kami 6, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 4, and Seirei Gensouki 11.

I’ve been ignoring Yen Press’s Korean imprint Ize Press forever, and I apologize. I’m trying to get better about putting Chinese and Korean titles in this list, even if I can’t point to a magazine and genre and say “ah ha!”. So let’s see what Ize has this week.

The debut is Kill the Villainess (Angnyeoreul Jugyeo Jwo), which is a webtoon but otherwise fits the villainess genre precisely. There’s just one hitch: our villainess is trying really hard to go back to her life in Japan, so all these love interests are a pain.

Also from Ize Press: A Business Proposal 8, Solo Levelling 11, The Star Seekers 6, Tied to You 4, Unholy Blood 5, Villains Are Destined to Die 7, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass 6, and The World After the Fall 9.

Ghost Ship has The Cursed Sword Master’s Harem Life 2, Into the Deepest, Most Unknowable Dungeon 10, and Might as Well Cheat 9.

Dark Horse Comics has Danganronpa 2: Chiaki Nanami’s Goodbye Despair Quest 2.

And Airship, in print, has Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! 19, Sword of the Demon Hunter 8, and Too Many Losing Heroines! 3.

And we get one early digital release: I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 8.

That sure was a Yen week. Adding Ize didn’t help. What are you reading?

ASH: This column.

SEAN: It’s the week of Valentine’s Day, and a reminder that you should be very careful what manga you give your partner. Check their tastes!

Three print volumes for Airship, as we see Adachi and Shimamura: Short Stories, There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 6, and True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 2.

And in early digital we get Loner Life in Another World 11 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 10.

Cross Infinite World stuns us all by releasing a digital series away from the last day of the month. Love & Magic Academy: Who Cares about the Heroine and Villainess? I Want to Be the Strongest in this Otome Game World (Renai Mahou Gakuin: Heroine mo Akuyaku Reijou mo Kankeinai. Ore wa Otome Game Sekai de Saikyou wo Mezasu) is a light novel for those who wondered what a male Yumiella from Villainess Level 99 would be like. Though perhaps not quite as weird as Yumiella.

Ghost Ship has The Hungry Succubus Wants to Consume Him 2.

J-Novel Club has three print releases: Ascendance of a Bookworm Manga Arc 2 Volume 9, Infinite Dendrogram 21, and the 6th Tearmoon Empire manga.

ASH: I really should try the manga adaptations of Ascendance of a Bookworm and Tearmoon Empire at some point; I’ve enjoyed their counterparts!

SEAN: J-Novel Club’s digital debut is Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat (Kaketa Tsuki no Mercedes: Kyuuketsuki no Kizoku ni Tenseishita kedo Suteraresou nano de Dungeon wo Seihasuru) had its manga debut two weeks ago, and here’s the light novel. A young woman knows that once her father picks a successor she’ll be abandoned, so knows what to do: dungeon crawl.

Also from J-Novel Club: The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases 4, By the Grace of the Gods 15, A Cozy Life in the Woods with the White Witch 2, the 4th The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World manga, and the 12th The Unwanted Undead Adventurer manga.

Kodansha Manga has one print debut: Fall In Love, You False Angels (Koiseyo Mayakashi Tenshi-domo), a shoujo manga from Dessert by the author of Hoteri Hotette First Kiss. A beautiful “perfect” girl is chosen to be class president, and her vice-president is a handsome “perfect” guy. Except she’s secretly a martial artist, and hiding her true face behind a mask. Is he the same? Wait, isn’t this Kare Kano for the new generation?

MICHELLE: In fact, the blurb on Amazon references Kare Kano, too!

ANNA: I mean, I did enjoy most of Kare Kano.

ASH: And I do have a soft spot for secret martial artists…

SEAN: Also in print: The Fable Omnibus 6, Grand Blue Dreaming 21, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 10, and Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 7.

Digitally we get Gang King 26, Giant Killing 47, I Have a Crush at Work 8, Nina the Starry Bride 14, Parasyte Reversi 3, That Beauty Is a Tramp 4, With You and the Rain 7, and Yozakura Quartet 32.

MICHELLE: Woo, Giant Killing.

ANNA: Yay for Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 3rd volume of Kurokiya-san Wants to Lead Him Around by the Nose.

Seven Seas has a bunch of debuts. Choking on Love (Museru Kurai no Ai wo Ageru) is a shoujo manga from Dessert. A straight-laced graphic designer. A free-spirit musician. Can they get along? Can they find love?

MICHELLE: I’m guessing they can.

ASH: A musician and a “chaotic encounter at a ramen shop” — yeah, that’s absolutely something that I’d give a try.

SEAN: I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons (Hikyouiku kara Nigetai Watashi) is a shoujo manga based on the light novel released by J-Novel Club, and it runs in Comic Pash!. A woman who’s been trained to the point of abuse for ten years to be a royal finds her fiance with another woman and immediately breaks the engagement, runs away from home, and flees to a far-off piece of the middle of nowhere. Sadly for her, her love interest is a shoujo love interest circa 2006. She’ll NEVER get away…

ANNA: Rooting for her!

SEAN: King the Land is a webtoon Korean manwha inspired by a K-drama, and thus really far outside my wheelhouse. Two childhood friends are ripped apart by tragedy. Now it’s years later, and all there is is bitterness.

ANNA: I watched part of the drama but didn’t make it through the full season.

SEAN: The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside by My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom (Kanpeki Sugite Kawaigeganai to Konyaku Hakisareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru) is the manga version of the light novel Seven Seas has already released. It runs in Comic Gardo.

In danmei news, Seven Seas has Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 4.

ASH: I am sadly behind in most of my danmei reading.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: A Certain Scientific Railgun 19, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 11, Even Though We’re Adults 10 (the final volume), Gravitation: Collector’s Edition 4, The Lady and Her Butler 3, Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing 5 (the final volume), Stay By My Side After the Rain 3, and Tomo-chan is a Girl! Omnibus 2.

MICHELLE: I hope to read Even Though We’re Adults in one swell foop (sic), now that it’s complete.

ASH: Looks like that’s what I’ll be doing, too!

SEAN: Somehow I missed that Square Enix had their Perfect Editions of Soul Eater and Soul Eater Not! both end this week until just now, so they should have been on last week’s list. Yet another reason to never trust me. Vol. 17 and 3, respectively.

ASH: The reprints do look pretty snazzy.

SEAN: In titles actually out next week, there’s The Otaku Love Connection (Otaku mo Koi mo Rensa suru), a shoujo manga from Gangan Pixiv. A guy is perfectly happy to ship the gorgeous couple of his class, but for all his shipping desires he never realizes the attention he gets himself.

We also get Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! 13 and My Isekai Life 17.

ASH: I’m still enjoying Cherry Magic!, though I do have some catching up to do.

SEAN: A debut from SuBLime: Palace of the Omega (Kouguu no Omega), an omegaverse title from Cheri+. A prince is not only 13th in line for the throne, but also – the horror! The shame! – an omega, so he’s married off to another kingdom. Then he finds his husband is… not spoiling the manga in the blurb for once. I hate it when husbands do that.

Tokyopop has been piling on lately, and we get three MORE debuts next week. A Lovestruck Cat Wants to Be Petted (Koisuru Neko wa Naderaretai) is a one-shot BL title from Comic Marginal. A cat has a crush on the pet shop owner. Then… he suddenly becomes human?!

The Margrave’s Daughter & the Enemy Prince (Urareta Henkyou Haku Reijou wa Ringoku no Outaishi ni Dekiaisareru) is a josei title from COMIC ROOM. A tomboy princess who wants to lead men in battle rather than deal with royalty finds her kingdom taken over and her father killed. Now she’s been “given” to the enemy prince… but it’s fine. She’ll get her revenge.

ANNA: Rooting for her too!!!!

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: White Liar is a one-shot BL title from LiQulle. A jaded hairdresser has vowed never to fall in love. But then he meets an up and coming actor…

MICHELLE : Hm.

SEAN: Tokyopop also has the 3rd volume of Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?.

Viz’s debut is Pokémon: Scarlet & Violet, a sequel to Sword and Shield. It runs in Corocoro Ichiban!.

Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 10, Fly Me to the Moon 27, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 12, Hayate the Combat Butler 45, I Wanna Do Bad Things with You 4, I Want to End This Love Game 5, My Hero Academia 40, and Sakura, Saku 6.

MICHELLE: It has literally been five years now since I reviewed a volume of My Hero Academia. Now that it’s drawing to a close, I should probably get back on it.

SEAN: And that’s it, as Yen Press must wait till next week. Till then, who’s your true love?

ASH: Could it be… manga? (Or maybe sleep…)

SEAN: The shortest month is here, but don’t expect less manga.

Yen still has a few stragglers from January. Yen On has a 6th volume of The Eminence in Shadow.

And Yen Press has Pink and Habanero 2.

Viz Media “debuts” Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, which is basically “Boruto after the timeskip”. It still runs in V Jump.

Also from Viz: Colette Decides to Die 2, Dandadan 11, The Elusive Samurai 14, In the Name of the Mermaid Princess 5, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak 2, Kagurabachi 2, Prince Freya 11, Queen’s Quality 21, Rainbow Days 14, World Trigger 27, and Yona of the Dawn 43.

MICHELLE: Man, I haven’t read any Yona in so long. Time to remedy that!

ASH: I have some catching up with Yona to do, too. I’ve also recently been told I should read Dandadan.

ANNA: I also need to catch up with Yona

SEAN: THREE debuts for Tokyopop. I Don’t Need a Script for Love (Ai no Serifu wa Irimasen) is a one-shot BL title that ran in from RED. Actor and model have a one-night stand… but then the model is brought in as an emergency replacement in the actor’s show! He doesn’t fraternize with cast members… BUT…

My Contract With the Apothecary Monster (Kusuri no Mamono no Kaiko Riyuu) is a shoujo manga based on an unlicensed light novel, which runs in Comic Corona. A girl forms a contract with a monster, which usually means giving up years of her life, but he doesn’t seem to want that. What does he want?

ASH: Indeed, what could it be?

SEAN: This Is But a Hell of a Dream (Kore wa Akumade Yumenanode) is a one-shot BL title that ran in from RED. A naive incubus is brought home by an alluring host… and the host has to teach him what being an incubus is all about. *cough*

ASH: One would think that would have been covered during orientation.

SEAN: Steamship gives us Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts 7.

Square Enix Books has a 4th print volume of The Apothecary Diaries, which will be the 2nd half of this anime season, for the curious.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying this series.

SEAN: And Square Enix Manga has the 6th and final volume of SINoALICE.

Debuting from Seven Seas is Now That We Draw (Kakunaru Ue wa), a seinen title from Young Animal. A high school manga wannabe is told by an editor his manga is too boring. But when a classmate of his sees it and reveals she’s an artist with similar problems, they get into a fake relationship to help each other with ideas. It’s Young Animal, so expect this to have a pile of fanservice.

ASH: That’s one way to solve writer’s block, I guess.

SEAN: Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition (Maboroshi No Hana Yoi No Tsuki) is a re-release of the series Tokyopop put out 20 years ago. It ran in Horror M, as well as Apple Mystery. A pet shop sells strange animals that seem to be involved in strange situations… and the owner? Also strange. This is a new translation, and I believe the Bunkoban release, so 300 pages or so.

MICHELLE: I am excited for this! I own the TOKYOPOP editions, but never got around to reading it.

ASH: It’s a good-looking edition!

ANNA: I read several volumes of the old edition and liked it!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: CANDY AND CIGARETTES 11 (the final volume), Daily Report About My Witch Senpai 4, Delinquent Daddy and Tender Teacher 6 (the final volume), Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 4, Hatsukoi Note 2, Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)! 2, I Married My Female Friend 4 (the final volume), I Ship My Rival x Me 2, Lazy Dungeon Master 10, My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files 2, Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 6, A Tale of the Secret Saint 8, and Throw Away the Suit Together 3 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: I should read My Dear Detective!

ASH: Likewise.

SEAN: There’s also Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 4 for danmei.

One Peace Books has the 10th and final volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

MICHELLE: Oh, already over!

ASH: The perfect time for me to finally get around to reading more.

SEAN: No debuts for Kodansha Manga. In print we see A Condition Called Love 11, The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 5, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN MSD Cucuruz Doan’s Island 3, Ogami-san Can’t Keep It In 7 (the final volume), The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 15, Snow & Ink 2, Vinland Saga Deluxe 6, WIND BREAKER 9, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 12.

MICHELLE: All those other times I pledged to read Iruma-kun, I didn’t manage to do it. Will this time be different?

ASH: I believe in you!

SEAN: Digitally we have Chihayafuru 48, My Wife is a Little Intimidating 10, Shangri-La Frontier 19, and Those Snow White Notes 25.

J-Novel Club has one debut, The Hero-Killing Bride (Yūsha-goroshi no Hanayome). The plot will sound a bit familiar to fans of The Executioner and Her Way of Life. Our heroine is a nun who’s actually an inquisitor, and is assigned to seduce and kill the hero who is getting to be more popular than the church. Except the hero is also a girl. This is dark yuri, along the lines of… well, The Executioner and Her Way of Life.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: Dimension Wave 2, Doll-Kara 9, Finding Avalon 5, Gushing over Magical Girls 11, The Hero and the Sage, Reincarnated and Engaged 3, the 2nd The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power manga, the 5th Peddler in Another World manga, Reincarnated Mage with Inferior Eyes 7, The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 9, The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World 3, Seventh 10, and VTuber Legend 8.

Ghost Ship has a 13th volume of 2.5 Dimensional Seduction.

And Airship has, in print, the debut of The Too-Perfect Saint: Tossed Aside By My Fiancé and Sold to Another Kingdom (Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru). The title is the plot, but having read the digital version, I’m far more excited for the upcoming anime. This does interesting things.

ASH: That’s good to know!

SEAN: Also in print: The Mimosa Confessions 3, Reborn as a Space Mercenary 11, Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 9, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess 8.

And there’s early digital for Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord 4 and Witch and Mercenary 2.

I’ve decided to streamline these lists by removing the parts of the light novel titles that come after the colon (except for debuts). Did it help?

MICHELLE: Yes!

ASH: That’s a good trick; don’t let the secret out.

SEAN: January is coming to a close, let’s see what we’ve got.

ASH: I bet it’s manga. And maybe some light novels?

SEAN: Airship has one print volume, the 5th and final I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!.

And for early digital titles we see The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 8, Too Many Losing Heroines! 3, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: Otome Games Are Tough For Us, Too! 3.

Cross Infinite World gives us the debut of Dinners with My Darling: How the Former Monster King Ate Her Way to Happiness (Aisanai to Iwaremashite mo – Moto Maou no Hakushaku Reijou wa Kimajime Gunjin ni Ezuke wo Sarete Shiawase ni naru). A young woman enters a political marriage with her military husband, who says he’ll never love her. Little does he know that merely by feeding her he’s better than her old family!

ASH: I will admit, there are elements of this premise that appeal to me. (And others that don’t.)

SEAN: Also from CIW is How I Swapped Places with the Villainess, Beat Up Her Fiancé, and Found True Love 2 and Let’s Get to Villainessin’: Stratagems of a Former Commoner 2.

Ghost Ship debuts The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night (Yonshimai (Elf) wa Yoru wo Omachikane), a Dragon Age manga about a guy who can rouse the “Queen’s Blood” in four elf sisters, so gets permission to prank them every night. And by prank I mean sleep with.

ASH: Four!

SEAN: Hanashi Media has the 5th volume of Tsukimichi Moonlit Fantasy.

J-Novel Club has three debuts next week. Meals Made to Order: How to Domesticate Your Dragon with Delicacies! (Misuterareta Ikenie Reijou wa Senyou Skill “Otoriyose” de Jaryuu wo Ezukesuru) stars a young woman who … sigh… can’t activate her magic skill, so everyone hates her, she’s disowned, and she’s being fed to a dragon. She then awakens her isekai memories, and realizes her skill is “Doordash gourmet meals from Earth straight to her”. Now she can feed the dragon tasty food rather than herself!

ASH: Okay, dinners with dragons might actually get me to read this.

SEAN: Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat (Kaketa Tsuki no Mercedes: Kyuuketsuki no Kizoku ni Tenseishita kedo Suteraresou nano de Dungeon wo Seihasuru) is the manga version of a light novel JNC will soon be releasing, and it runs in Comic Corona. A young woman knows that once her father picks a successor she’ll be abandoned, so knows what to do: dungeon crawl.

Shannon Wants to Die! (Shinitagari no Shannon: Dragon ni Taberarete Mita) is about an immortal mage who has gotten sick of immortality. Unfortunately, nothing seems to kill her!

ASH: I do like stories about immortality…

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: the 2nd Accidentally in Love: The Witch, the Knight, and the Love Potion Slipup manga, Dagashi-ya Yahagi: Setting Up a Sweets Shop in Another World 3, Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight 16 (the final volume), The Emperor’s Lady-in-Waiting Is Wanted as a Bride 5, the 6th I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! manga, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 5, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 46, Rebuild World 6 Part 1, The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After: Using a Past Life to Keep a Joyful Wife 2, and Tearmoon Empire 14.

Kaiten Books has a 9th print volume of the Loner Life in Another World manga.

Kodansha Books has a 7th volume of My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1.

One print debut for Kodansha Manga: Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards (Akabane Honeko no Bodyguard), a Weekly Shonen Magazine title about a guy who has to protect his classmate against numerous assassins… without her knowing it!

Also in print: Gazing at the Star Next Door 4, Hitorijime My Hero 15, Suzume 3 (the final volume), and Toppu GP 13.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Killing Line, a josei series from Be Love that’s from the creator of Searching for My Perfect Brother. A young woman is invited to a group date, only for the date to be interrupted by an assassin who has a hit out on one of the other participants, and wants to leave no witnesses! Can she manage to survive? This is a dark comedy, apparently.

MICHELLE: Huh. Could be good!

ANNA: Dark comedy and assassins are things that I like.

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Also digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 13, As the Gods Will 3, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 11, A Couple of Cuckoos 21, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 29, Gamaran: Shura 28, and WIND BREAKER 18.

MICHELLE: Someday, I really will read Elegant Yokai Apartment Life.

ASH: I really ought to, as well.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 13th volume of The New Gate.

The debut for Seven Seas is Home Sweet Home (Hiiragi-senpai to Ofutari-sama), a shoujo manga from Betsuma. A girl tired of changing schools when her dad changes jobs wants to stay home by herself, but is OK with living with the daughter of her dad’s boss. Only… it’s the SON of her dad’s boss. This is from the creator of Rainbow Days.

MICHELLE: I didn’t like Rainbow Days at all, but the lure of Margaret (or an offshoot) cannot be denied. Shallowly, the cover to volume one is cute!

ANNA: Margaret and related things are intriguing.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: There’s also a mature webtoon title, The Missing “O”, about a woman who had a one-night stand that gave her the perfect orgasm, and she’s spent years trying to find her lover again. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember his name.

ASH: Whoops.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Checkmate 2, The Dragon Knight’s Beloved 8, Karate Survivor in Another World 7, Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 2, Otaku Elf 8, Precarious Woman Executive Miss Black General 11, The Summer You Were There 6 (the final volume), and Yokai Cats 9.

Steamship has a 2nd volume of I’ll Never Be Your Crown Princess! – Betrothed.

Also from Tokyopop: A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 10, I Was Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, and I’m Determined to Fall in Love! 2, I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway! 6, Let’s Eat Together, Aki and Haru 3 (the final volume), and Watch Dogs Tokyo 3 (the final volume).

Udon Entertainment debuts Mr. Mega Man (Rockman-san), a slice-of-life title from Young Ace Up based on the classic game. (It got bumped.)

And there’s also Little Mega Man, a gag manga based on the game that also runs in Young Ace Up.

Viz Media gives us Boy’s Abyss 8, How Do We Relationship? 12, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean 8.

ASH: I am so far behind but still excited for JJBA.

SEAN: And Yen Press has three debuts that didn’t come out in last week’s deluge. The Color of the End: Mission in the Apocalypse (Usuzumi no Hate) is a seinen title from Harta. If you like “wandering a post-apocalyptic hellscape” manga (and let’s face it, that’s a genre now), this is for you.

ASH: It is… and I do.

SEAN: I Picked Up This World’s Strategy Guide (Kono Sekai no Kouryakuhon wo Hirotte Shimaimashita) is from the magazine Isekai Comic (it has its own magazine now?). A young girl going out to pick herbs finds a mysterious book… which tells her all about the fate of her village and country! But she’s an NPC-type! What should she do?

Takahashi from the Bike Shop (Jitenshaya-san no Takahashi-kun) is an award-winning josei title from Torch, and it’s also been mad into a live-action drama. A woman who is dealing with her terrible job finds the one person she can confide in is, well, see title.

MICHELLE: Sounds potentially cute!

ANNA: It does sound cute!

ASH: I’m looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Yen also has Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 5 and the 2nd and final volume of When the Villainess Seduces the Main Heroine.

Much better than last week. Well, a little better. What are you getting?

SEAN: This week we see January, traditionally the month with the fewest releases, take on Yen Press, which always buries us in stuff on the same week. Who wins?

ASH: We all do! Somehow. I think?

SEAN: The debut from Yen On is a one-shot and award-winner, Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky (Toumei na Yoru ni Kakeru Kimi to, Me ni Mienai Koi wo Shita), a romance title about an introverted college guy whose world opens up after he meets a blind woman. This is not an adaptation based on a movie but feels like it is.

ASH: Oh, interesting.

SEAN: We also see Solo Leveling: The Novel Omnibus, a giant brick featuring all the books to date.

ASH: That’s one way to do it… and does remind me this is a series I’m supposed to try at some point.

SEAN: And we get new volumes! Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 5, Even a Replica Can Fall in Love 2, Gods’ Games We Play 4, Hell Is Dark with No Flowers 2, Hero Syndrome 2, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 3, The Irregular at Magic High School 24, My Happy Marriage 8, Sabikui Bisco 9, and Sasaki and Peeps 8.

MICHELLE: I should potentially check out My Happy Marriage.

ANNA: Oh, me too.

SEAN: From Yen Press, we debut Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret (Houkago no Idol ni wa Himitsu ga aru), a seinen title from Manga Park. A young man who needs to get top scores or else ends up screwing up the answer sheet and gets sent to remedial classes… where he meets the prettiest girl in school!

Hell Is Dark with No Flowers (Jigoku Kurayami Hana mo Naki) is a manga adaptation of the light novel Yen is also releasing. It runs in Young Ace.

I’m Here, Beside You (Anata no Osoba ni) is a BL title from B’s-LOVEY. Our protagonist always loved the very straight class president in high school, but never did anything. Now he finds the ex-president is getting married… to a man! Drinking himself into a stupor filled with regrets, he wakes up… in his high school past?

MICHELLE: Welp, that’s an instant pre-order.

ASH: I am likewise intrigued!

ANNA: I’m curious!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Ako and Bambi 4, Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen 3, Call the Name of the Night 5 (the final volume), Chained Soldier 10, Cheerful Amnesia 5, Days with My Stepsister 2, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 8, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 2, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 8, Goblin Slayer Side Story II: Dai Katana 7, Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods 12, The Holy Grail of Eris 9, Kowloon Generic Romance 9, Lord Hades’s Ruthless Marriage 3 (the final volume), Magical Explorer 2, Miss Savage Fang 2, Saint? No! I’m Just a Passing Beast Tamer! 5, Sasaki and Miyano 10, Sasaki and Peeps 3, Shadows House 8, She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat 5, Shy 9, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 7, Spring Storm and Monster 2, Sword Art Online: Kiss and Fly 3, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 3, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 21, Tougen Anki: Legend of the Cursed Blood 2, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 9, and Your Forma 2.

ASH: Okay, yeah, Yen might have won.

SEAN: Viz has two debuts. Tokyo Alien Bros. is a seinen title from the creator of Hirayasumi, and ran in Gekkan! Spirits. Two aliens come to earth to investigate humans. One is very good at blending in. The other… isn’t.

ASH: Sounds absolutely like something I would read.

We also get Vagabond Definitive Edition, which is self-explanatory. 728 pages, $55 hardcover, filled with Takehiko Inoue, which justifies the price.

ASH: This should be glorious. I’m seriously considering upgrading from my VizBig editions.

ANNA: I’m not in favor of double dipping since I also have the VizBig editions but that is tempting.

SEAN: Also from Viz: After God 2, Record of Ragnarok 13, Red River 3-in-1 2, Snowball Earth 4, Steel of the Celestial Shadows 5, Trillion Game 3, and Undead Unluck 18.

ANNA: Red River! Red River! Red River!

SEAN: Square Enix has a 3rd manga volume of The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten.

Seven Seas has two debuts, one manga and one danmei. The manga is Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger (Kono Sekai ga Izure Horobu Koto wo, Ore dake ga Shitte Iru) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, and its very title exhausts me. It runs in Magazine Pocket, and is a reverse isekai and a “I can return by death!” sort of thing, only unlike Subaru, this guy also gets skills.

Run Wild: Sa Ye is another one of those books which has spawned lots of adaptations. A young man who decides that living with his gambling-addicted dad is better than the contempt he gets from his adoptive parents goes to live with him, only to run into a brother and sister who end up changing his life! (It’s danmei, so you can probably guess which sibling changes his life more.)

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: Why, whatever do you mean?

ANNA: It must be the sister.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: After School Etude 2, A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch 4, Cat on the Hero’s Lap 4 (the final volume), Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 2, Dinghai Fusheng Records (manhua version) 2, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 9, How My Daddies Became Mates 2, I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince 2, The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child 2, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 2, ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! 6, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 11.

A manga debut from One Peace Books. The Revenge of My Youth: Re Life with an Angelic Girl (Inkya Datta Ore no Seishun Revenge – Tenshi sugiru Ano Ko wa Ayumu Re Life) is a shonen series based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel, and it runs in Comp Ace. An office worker at a black company drops dead and wakes up back in high school! Now he can make his high school life more vibrant, and also save the life of the cutest girl in school, who committed suicide after being bullied. Hence the revenge part of the title.

KUMA is listed as having two one-shots out next week. Even if There’s No Rainbow Tomorrow (Ashita Niji ga Denakute mo) is a one-shot title from On Blue. An online romance between a drag queen and a sleepy salaryman.

MICHELLE: I’ve had this pre-ordered for a while. I’m definitely looking forward to it.

ASH: What a pretty cover!

ANNA: Sounds cool.

SEAN: And there’s also Guardians of the Far Frontier (Hategaikaku no Bannin), a Lily Hoshino series from Rutile. An aristocrat with PTSD after being the only survivor of a battle is sent to a faraway outpost. Can a sorcerer help him with his nightmares?

ASH: Lily Hoshino is a name is don’t remember seeing for a while!

ANNA: Oh yeah, that’s a bit of a throwback.

SEAN: Kodansha has debuts. Dogs and Punching Bags (Inu to Sandbag) is the latest title from Kaori Ozaki, creator of The Gods Lie and Mermaid Prince. This ran in Gekkan! Spirits, and stars a woman returning home to help her drunken father live out his final days. She runs into a man whose enthusiasm for life contrasts entirely with her own. This release has both volumes, so is complete in one.

MICHELLE: Intriguing!

ASH: I missed that we were getting more Kaori Ozaki manga! That makes me very happy.

ANNA: It makes me happy too!

SEAN: Dra-Q is a seinen title that runs in Young Magazine. A quiet high school student has a secret… she’s a vampire! (Yeah, sorry, Dra-Q does not mean drag queen, this is not that kind of manga.) She can attend school but is forbidden to fall in love, so naturally the guy she has a crush on finds out her secret.

ASH: Seems right.

ANNA: Listen, these things happen when you are a secret vampire.

SEAN: Also in print: Gachiakuta 5, The Great Cleric 12, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 12, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 4, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 5, and Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 2.

Digitally there’s Boss Wife 9 (the final volume), Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 24, MF Ghost 20, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 15, and Ya Boy Kongming! 18.

J-Novel Club actually had some print out that should have gone on last week’s list, but it wasn’t on Yen’s site. Cross-pollination of publishers confuses me. THIS week they have Blade & Bastard 3 and My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AO— 7 out in print.

Last week they had Ascendance of a Bookworm 28, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 9, and Tearmoon Empire 11.

As for digital titles, there are two debuts. The first is the manga version of Imperial Reincarnation: I Came, I Saw, I Survived (Tensei Shitara Koutei deshita – Umare Nagara no Koutei wa Kono Saki Ikinokoreru ka), which runs in Comic Corona, and whose light novel JNC will be releasing soon. Our hero is reincarnated as a young child emperor who everyone wants to use as a puppet. Can he somehow control his own destiny?

The other debut is one I’ve been waiting for for some time. The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman (Tensei Reijou to Suuki na Jinsei wo) has a deceptively dull title but has been called “the light novel Game of Thrones”. Our heroine is reborn as a rich noble, but with no magic or powers, just a normal woman. Unfortunately, when she hits fourteen, the drama starts, as she’s exiled from her home, and then at sixteen she’s dragged back to an arranged marriage. I have been told that this is dark but really good.

ASH: My curiosity has been piqued.

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: Ascendance of a Bookworm: Short Story Collection 2, Chivalry of a Failed Knight 4, the 7th The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects manga, the 8th Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers manga, the 9th Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World manga, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 12, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace 12, and You Were Experienced, I Was Not 6.

Ghost Ship has Ayakashi Triangle 13, Inside the Tentacle Cave 4, Monster Marriage Shop 2, and Yandere Dark Elf: She Chased Me All the Way From Another World! 2.

I can feel Ed Chavez glaring at me from here, but retailers say the legendary They Were 11! (11-nin Iru!) is out next week. I know it’s probably still a placeholder date. Sorry. It *is* coming soon. A shoujo story from 1975 by Moto Hagio that ran in Betsucomi, and honestly if you did not order this when you heard the name Moto Hagio, then you should probably be reading some other weekly manga releases post.

MICHELLE: I was lucky enough to obtain a copy of Four Shojo Stories, in which the original run of “They Were Eleven” appeared, but this new edition also contains a sequel series, so I am definitely looking forward to that!

ASH: I also have one of the illicit copies of Four Shojo Stories and am likewise really looking forward to this release whenever it happens to come out.

ANNA: Did you know that I also have a copy of Four Shojo Stories somewhere in my house? But I can’t find it and will totally buy They Were Eleven whenever it is available.

SEAN: Airship, in print, has Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 8 and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 12.

And in early digital there is Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 11.5 and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 8.

So, it turns out January is no longer the month no one releases anything. What are you getting?

SEAN: Somehow it’s still 2025.

ASH: My brain has managed to jump ahead to 2026 and back to 2024 simultaneously, which I guess evens out to 2025?

SEAN: In print, Airship has I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine, but Somehow I Became Entangled with a Righteous Prince 2.

MICHELLE: I like the title, at least!

SEAN: And digitally they have True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends 2.

Drawn and Quarterly debuts a classic, The Legend of Kamui (Kamui Den). This 60s manga was serialized in Garo, and is NOT the 80s version that was put out by Viz Media. An Edo-Period historical drama with ninjas, it’s so influential even Tezuka praised it for bringing drama and ideology to manga. This is the first omnibus, and is 600 pages.

ANNA: Oooh, interesting.

ASH: This is huge. I am so incredibly happy and excited for this release. And was fortunate to receive an early copy which I am absolutely loving.

SEAN: No debuts for J-Novel Club, but we do see After-School Dungeon Diver: Level Grinding in Another World 4, the 10th Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill manga, Demon Lord, Retry! 9, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone 5, the 11th How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom manga, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 6, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 8, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 9, Record of Wortenia War 27, and the third The Water Magician manga.

Kodansha also has no debuts. In print, they have Ajin: Demi-Human Complete 2, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi 2, ORIGIN 8, The Seven Deadly Sins Omnibus 14 (the final volume), Sheltering Eaves 2, Versus 2, and Witch Hat Atelier 13.

MICHELLE: I really liked the first volume of Sheltering Eaves!

ANNA: I cannot believe I am so far behind in Witch Hat Atelier it is a personal failing.

ASH: I have a few volumes I’ve been saving which I’ll be reading all at once.

SEAN: And for digital we see Blue Lock 29, Gang King 25, Manchuria Opium Squad 4, Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2 5, and We’re New at This 18 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: How am I already this far behind with Tokyo Tarareba Girls Returns 2?!

SEAN: One Peace have the 5th light novel volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

Just one debut for Seven Seas. Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent (Megane, Tokidoki, Yankee-kun) is a shoujo title from Betsufure. A girl who was bullied by gangs in the past attends a new high school free of them, and meets a glasses-wearing kid… and it turns out he’s a secret gang member! This was so popular Japanese fans got it un-cancelled at one point.

MICHELLE: Looks potentially cute!

ANNA: I generally enjoy delinquents in shoujo.

ASH: Same! And megane, too!

SEAN: Also coming from Seven Seas: 365 Days to the Wedding 6, The Barbarian’s Bride 2, The Duke of Death and His Maid 16 (the final volume), Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 9, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 2, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 7, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 8, My New Life as a Cat 8, Mysterious Disappearances 4, Soara and the House of Monsters 4, The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 4, Tiger and Dragon 2, The Titan’s Bride 6, Tokyo Revengers 27-28, and The White Mage Doesn’t Want to Raise the Hero’s Level 4 (the final volume).

ASH: I recently picked up the first volume of Soara and the House of Monsters; I have time to catch up!

SEAN: And for danmei they have Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang 5 (the final volume).

Square Enix has Just Like Mona Lisa 4.

From Steamship we get I Can’t Refuse S 5 and A Suitable Fetish 2.

Steamship also has an early digital release of the 2nd light novel volume of The Villainess and the Demon Knight.

SuBLime has My Dearest Patrolman 3 (the final volume) and Stigmata: Love Bites 2 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: The latter has such a gorgeous cover, I might read it on that basis alone!

ASH: Oooh, that is evocative!

SEAN: Two debuts from Viz. Beyblade X is the latest in that toy-based series, and runs in Monthly CoroCoro.

Firefly Wedding (Hotaru no Yomeiri) is an award-winning shoujo manga that runs in Manga One. An ill girl who is being married off so she can have some value to her family before she dies now finds that she’s also being targeted by an assassin! Can she find a way to solve both these problems in one fell swoop? This is definitely on the more ‘dramatic’ end of the shoujo manga scale.

MICHELLE: Hm. Maybe!

ANNA: Shoujo with assassins???? I’m going to check this out.

ASH: This definitely holds promise. Now I just have to figure out why the premise sounds vaguely familiar to me…

SEAN: Also from Viz: Case Closed 93, Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga 2, Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Manga – Anthology 2, Komi Can’t Communicate 32, Mao 19, Spy x Family 13, and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon 6.

And that’s it! Titles from 1964 to 2024 in this batch. What are you buying?

ASH: No wonder I can’t figure out what year it is!