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Sean Gaffney

The Villainess Is Dead! Long Live the Empress! Redoing the Story After a Poisonous End, Vol. 1

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By Iota Aiue and Tsukasa Kuga. Released in Japan as “Shokeisareta Akujo wa, Taikoku de Kouhi no Za wo Tsukamu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Mac B. Gill.

I would not be reviewing 80 billion of these villainess books if I was not a big fan of the genre. As such, I can usually forgive it if it’s a bit on the nose. There are a lot fewer surprises in this first book than is perhaps required, although you might call the end of the book a surprise, as I sense that making this a series rather than a standalone book was a last-minute decision borne out by the rushed non-ending. It does, however, have a terrific romantic couple as our leads. The villainess is honorable, noble, tricky, stubborn, etc. in equal measure. The prince (technically that is a spoiler, but come on, it’s revealed almost immediately and is not a surprise even then) is handsome, self-assured without being smug, and they realistically realize the truth about each other very fast. Also, there’s a handsome woman knight, who is such a great character I will ignore our heroine buying her as a slave (it’s fixed almost immediately).

We open with Westalia, our heroine, being executed after being framed for an attempted murder by her supposed best friend. (I did say this was a typical villainess book.) But it’s OK. She’s taken an antidote, and rises from the dead when her grave is being robbed. Fleeing across borders, she ends up in the Archadies Empire, where the Empress is chosen by a country-wide search. Though, given the literacy rate is pretty low, the finalists do tend to be rich nobles. Westalia came here on purpose. After spending her life trying to learn to be a good queen only to be betrayed, she’ll be damned if she’s going to thrown away trying to help people and do good. So she’s going to become Empress by hook or by crook. Fortunately, the only real competition she has seems very familiar, as if every villainess needs an idiot heroine…

I talked about being a fan of villainess stories, which means I’ve met my share of bratty younger sisters, evil heroines, etc. We get two varieties for the price of one here. Both are presented as “mostly sort of evil”, which is to say they’re evil until the point where the author allows them a bit of depth. Lily has always hated Westalia, and was too busy pretending to be her best friend to realize that her dilemma of being married off to a creepy middle-aged man might have been something solvable with Westalia’s help. (She’s merely disgraced, so we may see her again.) Meanwhile, Elizabeth is using her money and connections to buy the contest, so is very upset when that still isn’t enough. She seems to at least have a bit of self-awareness. She’s definitely coming back, because they rewrote the cliffhanger to assure it.

If you are a villainess fan, this is really good. If you can take or leave it, you probably won’t like it. I’ll definitely read more, though I suspect it might have been better as a one-shot.

Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain, Vol. 3

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By Ageha Sakura and Kurodeko. Released in Japan as “Imokusa Reijou desu ga Akuyaku Reisoku wo Tasuketara Kiniiraremashita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Vasileios Mousikidis.

In the first volume, we saw how Agnes was physically, mentally and emotionally abused by her family, and it was pretty terrible (the abuse, that is, not the book). In the second volume, we hear how actually a number of young noble ladies have this problem, and many of them are cracking under the strain and falling for handsome guys with vague mind control powers. And now, in the third volume, we’re told that it’s pretty rare to find a teenage noble girl in Desnim who is NOT abused by their family in some way. Heck, even when we get the classic setup in this volume – abused, Cinderella-esque older sister, arrogant and spoiled younger sister – it rapidly becomes clear that the younger sister is not actually LOVED by her family or anything, and that if they lose their scapegoat they’re perfectly happy to offer up scapegoat number two. Oh, yes, and other noble girls are raped by priests until they’re driven mad. Meanwhile, Agnes and her husband flirt shamelessly and plan an official wedding ceremony.

It’s been a year since Agnes arrived in Sutrena, and she’s is happily married to Lord Nazel (who is very happy to perform his husbandly duties all the time now that Agnes is mostly over her shyness). Nazel wants to have the big wedding ceremony they never had when they were married, and cajoles Agnes into it. This will require a priest sent from the capital, who is rather downtrodden and overworked, so quite happy to end up in a domain where people appreciate him. They also need a silver ring from a different domain, and meet the pleasant lord, his wife, and their two children. One of whom looks like she’s about to fall over dead from overwork at any moment, and the other of whom looks like she was born to hold her hand in front of her mouth and Ohohohohohoho. So yeah, family abuse. Sadly, things then get worse. For both daughters.

We’ve seen “good older sister, spoiled brat younger sister” endless times now in light novels, to the point where I was ready to roll my eyes. It’s a credit to the writing, though, that I rapidly realized that Furla was not going to end up with a fate worse than death, nor was she going to be arrested with her parents (whose crime is treating their child like crap, really). No, this is about getting an incredibly selfish young woman who, deep DEEP down, realizes that she’s nothing special to understand that all her safety and security is now gone and that she can’t simply simper at someone and get her own way. Technically things don’t end well for her – she’s another of Agnes’ endless parade of former nobles who are now maids, and the guy she’s fallen for is in love with this series’ equivalent of Superwoman. But frankly, compared with where she could have ended up… Furla does OK. She’s even learning laundry.

I will once again be annoyed at the author for yet another “I don’t swing that way” joke, which is tedious. Other than that, the fact that this series pinballs between dark abusive tragedy happening right off screen and Agnes and Nazel being flirty and happy and adorable is both the series’ greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Also, still don’t know why there’s a chibi-Agnes on each cover.

Fluffy-Eared Realm Restoration: Taking It Slow with My Cool Big Brother, Vol. 1

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By Iota Aiue and Tsukasa Kuga. Released in Japan as “Tensei Mofumofu Reijou no Mattari Ryouchi Kaikakuki: Cool na Onii-sama to Amaama Slow Life wo Tanoshindeimasu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Raenoire.

This is one of those series that I was on the fence about till I saw that I had read the author before. They’ve done a very series over here, mostly for Cross Infinite World, and I’d enjoyed their previous series, Third Loop. Though honestly, I may have enjoyed this new one more if I had not read Third Loop, as it’s clearly trying to hit the same sort of themes and cuteness as that one. The author seems to dabble in popular genres, and clearly this one is dabbling in both the “I go back in time to fix things” stories as well as “fluffy things are wonderful and cute girls are cute” stories, which has gotten popular lately. This book does have a few interesting things that held by attention, but unfortunately it is also very by the book, with almost no actual surprises. It’s a “would you like that fastball right down the plate?” book.

We open with Lune Renard, the crown princess, about to get guillotined by a revolutionary mob, along with her adopted brother and father, who don’t seem to like her any more than the mob. She’s tried to help her family and their holdings, but has only made things worse, and now she’s being executed. She prays to the fox god who supposedly rules this domain… and he answers, sending her back in time to just before she was found in the temple as an orphan by her family. Can she make things right this time, and ensure she is NOT married off to a royal? Sure she can. After all, she now can not only speak to spirits, but she also has adorable fox ears and a tail. She never had the power of cute in her past life!

I did like a couple of things about this book. We’ve sometimes seen prisoners abused by the kingdom in previous books, but we’ve never really gotten a low-security prison for political criminals like we get here, complete with the “funny” eccentric doctor. (YMMV.) And I appreciated that it acknowledged the difference in status and how they’re treated with the commoner “hard labor” criminals. Also, while the crown prince showing up was as bratty and awful as you’d expect, he was actually more layered than I expected. He becomes a different type of awful once he realizes that Lune is valuable and can talk to spirits, but he still sees her as an object rather than a person, and thinks she should be grateful to be his concubine. (They’re both eight, by the way.) That said, when presented with evidence that he cannot really weasel his way out of, he manages to actually not be evil, even if this means, um, throwing allies under the bus. That said, most of this book is Lune being adorable, talking to her snarky god, and fixing things relatively easily as these sorts of books go.

And, as I noted, I’d read this once before, when it was called Third Loop. If you like fluff or defeating roundworm through the power of yoga, this is okay.

Pick of the Week: Art Books, Final Volumes, and They Were 11 – Again

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SEAN: Tempting as it is to pick the MILF manga, I know deep down it will be bad. So I’ll make my pick The Apothecary Diaries art book, which I know will definitely be gorgeous.

MICHELLE: I very much liked suu Morishita’s Shortcake Cake, and it’s a shame I have not managed to read any Like a Butterfly before it finished, but there is a certain appeal in reading the whole thing in one go! So, that’ll be my pick this week.

ANNA: I’m behind in Like a Butterfly, but I very much like what I have read, so I’ll join with Michelle in making it my pick.

ASH: I’m going to join Sean this week in choosing The Apothecary Diaries Art Book. I don’t always have enough time to read everything that I want, but I can usually squeeze in a moment or three into my schedule to look at pretty illustrations.

ANNA: I have a bonus pick. I got a notification that They Were 11! shipped! I’m going rogue and picking that too!

MICHELLE: I got that notification, too!

Bookshelf Briefs 5/4/25

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Assassin & Cinderella, Vol. 1 | By Yuzo Natsuno | Square Enix Manga – I was honestly expecting this to be a lot more smutty than it ended up being, and it may still end up there, but this first volume is actually a bit goofy and quite sweet. That said, the artist is absolutely obsessed with our heroine Neneko’s body, and that may be why I was mistaken—in terms of the reader’s gaze, this is pretty much already porn, there’s just no sex yet. As for the plot, well, Neneko is pretty much being led around by the nose by her supposed target, who she falls for almost instantly—but she’s fine with that, though she does wonder why he seems to know everything about her. As for him, he’s the classic shoujo boyfriend, sweet towards her and a literal killer towards most everyone else. Better than I expected. – Sean Gaffney

Friday at the Atelier, Vol. 3 | By Sakura Hamada | Yen Press – Last time I wondered if we would get a confession in the next book. That didn’t quite happen, but it’s very clear these two need to be a couple, as they make each other better. The best part of the volume has Tamaki writing a food column about the restaurant owned by Ishihara’s friend, and her vivid description of the menu item she had makes it take off—her writing is clearly compelling. We also see her friend Rei finally meet the man that she suspects is taking advantage of Tamaki, only to quickly realize that he’s a sweetheart. That said, he can be a clueless sweetheart, as when he fails to realize why Tamaki is annoyed when he disregards her worries about him. This ends with the next volume, and I hope it ends sweetly and weirdly, like the rest of it. – Sean Gaffney

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 13 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – I wondered why it felt like I was missing something—I forgot to get the twelfth volume, and did not realize that till AFTER I read this one. Whoops. This one is excellent, as always, the second half a bit more so, as it focuses on Sarasa’s family. Ai realizes that she knows nothing about her parents, having not really thought about it much, and wonders if there’s something serious lying there. Yes and no, as we see the return of Sarasa’s mother, who is what is politely termed a “free spirit,” and Sarasa was raised by her grandparents partly due to this. The mom is a bundle of fun but also full of issues, and if I’m being honest is hard to like at this point. There’s plenty of acting lessons too, where Sarasa is taught to sing like Karen Carpenter. Now to read book twelve. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 33 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – One of the better things about this title is that it’s not just about Komi learning how to communicate with others better, but also shows that she’s using those skills to pick up on how OTHERS communicate and uses it to make things better. What seems to be a dumb gag near the end with a Japanese girl dressed in full “Egyptian woman” mode who only speaks single Egyptian-related words turns out to almost be a code that only Komi figures out. Elsewhere, the romance between Tadano and Manbagi is finally shot in the head mercifully, as she goes on a date with him, confesses to him, and gets shot down. I admit I’ve always wished that this series could have gone for the poly option, but this was pretty well handled nevertheless. – Sean Gaffney

Monthly in the Garden with My Landlord, Vol. 4 | By Yodokawa | Yen Press – This book focuses on the idol group Miyako left, and how they’re holding up now that the dynamics in the group are slightly changed. Especially as it turns out that their new leader is overextending herself a bit, which makes her manager worry, and also having meals and discussions with Ayako’s angry, stressed editor, which makes her manager worry a bit more. Fortunately, it turns out this is less “everything has changed since Miyako left” and more “Miyako helped disguise that the other girl has always been like this.” In happier news, Miyako meets Ayako’s parents, and they’re supportive, even though they immediately recognize who she really is. This feels like it’s ready to wrap up in the next book, which is good, as next book is the last book. – Sean Gaffney

A Star Brighter Than the Sun, Vol. 1 | By Kazune Kawahara | Viz Media – It’s always a treat to see a new Kawahara title hit these shores, and this one does not disappoint. Our heroine Sae has, or so she thinks, one main feature, which is that she is TALL. She towers over the rest of the girls in her class. She is not, however, taller than Koki, her childhood friend and first crush. She used to be, but puberty hit him hard, he shot above her, and now he’s tall… AND gorgeous. She seems to think she has no chance with him, and tries her best not to think about it, even as one of her new friends decides to make a play for him. Little does she know, but we the reader can tell, he’s already decided who he likes. This has all the things you want to read from this author, and absolutely does not disappoint. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 20 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – This is the final volume of the series, and for the first half of the book you’d never know it, as it follows the same pattern as previous books… though Takagi is perhaps getting a bit more overt about her feelings, and Nishikata’s denials are more and more perfunctory. What sets up the finale is him being scouted for the track team, which leads him to realize a) he likes this sort of thing (leading to his adult profession of gym teacher), and b) he misses walking home with Takagi, leading to him finally accepting that he loves her. Which, to my surprise, he confesses in the final chapter, over the festival fireworks. Meaning she gets to pretend she couldn’t hear him and tease him one last time. We’re not getting the adult “side story,” but ah well. I loved this so much. – Sean Gaffney

Adachi and Shimamura, Vol. 99.9

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By Hitoma Iruma and raemz. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Molly Lee. Adapted by Emlyn Dornemann.

So, the rumor is that the author of this series started panicking and worrying that they would die before it was finished, and so they came up with several volumes that would feel like a final volume. That said, there is not a more final final volume than this one. and yes, I know that we still have Volume 12 and a second Short Story collection to go, but thematically, this ties absolutely everything into a nice neat bow. Unlike the SS volume, which featured 3-4 page microstories as well as one long one, this has 4 longer stories and a wraparound plot which were written for the Blu-Ray release of the anime. Generally speaking, Blu-Ray ‘extras’ tend to be a bit more involved than your typical throwaway bookstore giveaways, and it shows. This not only manages to have a lot of typical Adachi and Shimamura style shenanigans, it gets quite sad and tear-jerking at times. Be prepared to be with Adachi and Shimamura to the very end of their lives.

A brief content warning: this volume contains more Yashiro than any other volume to date, and with good reason. The wraparound story has A young woman in the very far future, on an post-apocalyptic world, being slowly led by Yashiro to her destined soulmate. Along with that, we see 1) Shimamura visiting Hino at her mansion; 2) Adachi inviting Shimamura to a hot spring, supposedly so they can finally have their first time together; 3) A Shimamura in her late eighties, with all of her family, all her friends, and her lover now dead, finding solace in playing an RPG her sister once played with, you guessed it, Yashiro; 4) The resolution of the future world, with Yashiro, her mission now done, heading out to find other Adachis and Shimamuras and reunite them; and 5) Shimamura dying, and going where she knows she needs to go.

As you may have gathered, this volume gets a lot darker than I was really guessing. The far future story is more heartwarming than anything else, and the Hino story was fairly pointless except for us to see her as an adult (sorry Nagafuji fans, she’s not in it). The hot spring story, and this is hardly a spoiler, does not end with sex. But it’s the story of Shimamura in her dotage that hit the hardest. The chapter with her looking back on everyone who left her behind is quite touching, especially as she’s haunted by her lover, who shows up to be a Greek chorus. Then there’s the last chapter, which is both a tearjerker and also a bit eerie, as Yashiro shows up to lead Shimamura to the afterlife… which has her grandparents, and her beloved dog, but that’s not where she needs to be. You know where she needs to be? Remember Adachi’s idea of heaven from the previous SS book? Yup. Shimamura is now in Adachi’s heaven, with no one else but them. Never let it be said this series is not defined by the lovable headcases that are its leads.

Possibly this worked well for me because I am overly sentimental, but I found it one of the best in this series. I’m not sure I want the 12th volume, but we’ll see if it can be more than “slice of life”, which this volume was.

Manga the Week of 5/7/25

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SEAN: May we have some manga this May? (I’ll workshop it.)

ASH: I think we just may.

SEAN: Airship has three ongoing print titles, with Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 20.5, A Tale of the Secret Saint ZERO 2, and The Too-Perfect Saint 2.

And for early digital they have Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 11.

Ghost Ship debuts Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party With His Mom! (Yuusha ni Zenbu Ubawareta Ore wa Yuusha no Hahaoya to Party wo Kumimashita!), based on an as-yet-unlicensed (and unlikely to be) light novel, and runs in Isekai Comic. Our protagonist is, well, kicked out of the hero’s party. Soon after, he comes across a slave market which has a very familiar face as one of the slaves… the hero’s mother! Now he gets to realize his dream, as he has a thing for older women. This manga is rather infamous, and I may actually take a flyer on it because it’s SO over the top it might be comedic. Also, please note that Seven Seas scheduled this to come out the week of Mother’s Day.

ASH: That’s timing!

SEAN: Ghost Ship also has 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 14 and Isekai Affair 2.

J-Novel Club has three debuts next week, all light novels. Abducted Princess Running Rampant: Wielding Forbidden Magic in the Demon King’s Castle (Maou ni Sarawareta Kiyoshi Oujo desu ga, Maoujou Gurashi ga Hima datta no de Kinki Mahou de Abaremasu) features a princess who’s spent her life being forced to use holy magic and locked up by her family. Then she’s kidnapped… and the demon king forces her to do the same thing, and also locks her up. She’s going to have to rescue herself.

ASH: I have faith in her abilities.

SEAN: Fluffy-Eared Realm Restoration: Taking It Slow with My Cool Big Brother (Tensei Mofumofu Reijou no Mattari Ryouchi Kaikakuki: Cool na Onii-sama to Amaama Slow Life wo Tanoshindeimasu) is a “fix my timeline” series. The princess, along with her family, is executed for hiding her past as an orphan (her family did that, she had no choice). A fox spirit hears her prayers and sends her back in time to try again… but this time she has fox ears and can hear the voices of spirits! Will everything go well just because she’s now fluffy? (Spoiler: yes.)

ASH: Seems reasonable!

SEAN: The Villainess Is Dead! Long Live the Empress! Redoing the Story After a Poisonous End (Shokeisareta Akujo wa, Taikoku de Kouhi no Za wo Tsukamu) features another young noble woman who’s been raised to be the future queen but ends up betrayed, framed, and seemingly executed. But she actually escapes, goes to another country, and tries to start over… by becoming the Empress of that country.

ASH: At least she has tenacity?

SEAN: Other light novels from JNC: Isekai Tensei 10, Lady Bumpkin and Her Lord Villain 3, The Legendary Witch Is Reborn as an Oppressed Princess 4, and Record of Wortenia War 28.

And for manga, they have Endo and Kobayashi Live! 7 (the final volume), How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 12, and The Invincible Little Lady 8.

Kodansha Manga has one print debut, Tune In to the Midnight Heart (Mayonaka Heart Tune). This Weekly Shonen Magazine title has an anime in the works. A young man who, when he was a kid, found solace in a radio host, but one day she disappeared. Now in high school, he wants to track her down. Will getting involved with four wannabe idol girls help him track her down?

ASH: Perhaps!

SEAN: Also in print: Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 7, Love on the Horizon 2, Medalist 8, Snow & Ink 3, Thunder 3 4, and Vinland Saga Deluxe 7.

ASH: I really ought to catch up with Medalist.

SEAN: Digitally they have Blue Lock 31, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 13, Those Snow White Notes 28, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 18.

Oh look, it’s time for “Sean missed a title” time. This should have been on last week’s list. Last Gasp has Ultra Heaven 2.

ASH: Don’t feel bad, I missed that one, too, and I’m reading the series! (Thanks for the heads up.)

SEAN: One Peace Books has Higehiro 11.

Seven Seas has three debuts, one a BL manga, one a Chinese novel, and one a Korean webtoon. The manga is 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 (40 Made ni Shitai 10 no Koto) is a one-shot from Magazine Be x Boy. A guy about to turn forty is having a midlife crisis, and tries to check things off his list of “never done that”. Which includes spending his birthday with his lover. But he hasn’t dated in ten years. Can his younger work colleague help?

ASH: Signs point to yes.

SEAN: Love Between Fairy and Devil is another series that inspired a hit live action drama you can watch on Netflix. The demon lord has been resurrected, accidentally, by an orchid fairy. Now he’s ready to get revenge, and forces her to help him. The “her” is the surprise – I’m not sure if this is Seven Seas’ first non-danmei Chinese novel, but it feels like it.

ASH: Interesting, it just might be.

SEAN: Bastard is not the 80s fantasy manga, but a 2010s thriller webtoon, about a boy whose father is a serial killer.

MICHELLE: Hm.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Barbarian’s Bride 3, Beetle Hands 3, I Abandoned My Engagement Because My Sister is a Tragic Heroine 3, I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons 2, Kemono Jihen 16, Monster Musume 19, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 2, and Too Many Losing Heroines! 3.

Square Enix Books not only has the 5th volume of The Apothecary Diaries (which is good, as 4 is where Season 2 of the anime will leave off this June), but also releases The Apothecary Diaries Art Book, a handsome hardcover showcasing the light novel art and character designs.

ASH: Oh, very nice!

SEAN: And Square Enix manga has a 2nd volume of The Emperor’s Caretaker.

Steamship has the 6th and final volume of I Can’t Refuse S.

Tokyopop has Mitsuka 4 and My Beautiful Man 4.

Viz Media has no debuts, but it does have Blue Box 15, Chainsaw Man 18, Colette Decides to Die 3, Dark Gathering 13, The Elusive Samurai 15, In the Name of the Mermaid Princess 6, Kagurabachi 3, The King’s Beast 15, Like a Butterfly 12 (the final volume), Queen’s Quality 22, Sakamoto Days 17, Wolf Girl and Black Prince 13, and You and I Are Polar Opposites 5.

MICHELLE: I really need to read Colette and Like a Butterfly!

ASH: I need to pick up Queen’s Quality again. We’re almost at the end!

SEAN: Yen On has two stragglers from April. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle: Episode Lyu 2, and My First Love’s Kiss 3 (the final volume).

And Yen Press has Yowamushi Pedal 27.

ASH: I’m still happy this series was licensed.

SEAN: So, what manga MAY you get? (OK, OK, I’ll stop.)

Dinners with My Darling: How the Former Monster King Ate Her Way to Happiness, Vol. 2

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By Mugi Mameta and Nagisa Hanazome. Released in Japan as “Aisanai to Iwaremashite mo – Moto Maou no Hakushaku Reijou wa Kimajime Gunjin ni Ezuke wo Sarete Shiawase ni naru” by M Novels f. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by JC.

There are times throughout this second book (and indeed the first one as well) when you can kind of feel everything about to go off the rails. Abigail is a lot, and not only does the cast have trouble trying to control her, so does the author. Perhaps we did not need quite so many scenes of her yelling ‘coitus’, especially as the writing has not quite mastered the difference between “Abigail sounds like someone who has grown up isolated and also is more monster than human a lot of the time’ and ‘Abigail sounds and acts like a 6-year-old”. Where the book does succeed, though, is the divide between genres. The rest of the cast are in a tense political thriller, and also investigating a corrupt domain that abused our main character horribly. Oh, and killer monsters are everywhere. Abigail, however, is in a cooking manga.

The first half of this book is all smiles, as Gerald and Abigail travel to the sea for fish and souvenirs, try to decide if a whole sheep or a whole cow is a better gift for someone, and finally have their first time, which is offscreen but which Abigail seems to like a whole lot, given how much she uses it as a go-to “calm my husband down” thing later. In the second half, though, they’re both forced to go visit the royal family, and deal with the fourth prince, who is in charge of the old lands that Abigail grew up in. Unfortunately, the officials sent there to take care of things have all disappeared/been murdered, so he really needs Abigail (and Gerald) to head over there to help him figure out why. What they find there is that Abigail’s blase description of her abusive life proves to be more horrifying than what they thought.

As with so many other series that are basically “everything was terrible till the start of the first book, everything is wonderful from that point on”, the best parts tend to be the jagged edges that stick out on occasion. Everyone seems to be trying to kill Abigail, be it hired bandits (who she spots running alongside their carriage) or the citizens of her former land (who try to poison her), and things get to the point where an angry dragon decides to kill every human in the area because they’re just that terrible. The best part of the book, as it’s the most horrifying, is when Abigail decides the solution is to let the dragon kill her and be reborn as a human again and get married 15 years down the road. It has to be explained to her why everyone hates this. Then again, Gerald is no better, as he doesn’t seem to understand why Abigail is upset he ran off to fight and left her behind, to the point where she had to climb to the op of a high tree to fix everything.

This is not in the top tier of Cinderella style genre books, but it’s solid. I’ll read another.

The Invisible Wallflower Marries an Upstart Aristocrat After Getting Dumped for Her Sister!, Vol. 3

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By Makino Maebaru and Murasaki Shido. Released in Japan as “Kon’yaku Haki Sareta “Kūki” na Watashi, Nariagari no Dan’na-sama ni Totsugimashita” by Mag Garden Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by piyo.

The first two volumes of this series were pretty rough, and while I knew this third one would be the finale, I also wondered if we’d have to get through a lot of pain and drama to get to the inevitable wedding photo cover art. As it turns out, not only did the book start with the wedding, but this came a lot closer to the “victory lap” I’ve talked about before than I was expecting. Oh, sure, there’s a murder attempt, a blackmail attempt, and a relatively serious resolution to the matter of Lucas’ parentage. That said, the fact that the parentage was resolved in any way other than “dead deadbeat dad” surprised me. What this mostly was was Lucas and Iris in love, and having to prove over and over they’re in love because everyone is trying to get them to back out of their relationship. Fortunately, they’ve already consummated… oh, right, they’re both innocent virginal dorks. Well, heck.

Lucas and Iris have moved up their wedding, mostly as the third prince has been sending potential fiancee towards Lucas,. trying to get him to call things off. Lucas, of course, refuses. Meanwhile, he and Iris are busy searching for his father, and decide to start by going back to the convent where his mother gave birth to him. This reveals a secret that is not exactly a shock to Lucas, Iris, or the reader – his mother was a noble, and was cast out of her family for being in love with a commoner. What’s more, this is also known to the noble family itself – who are down on their luck right now, and could really use a fresh new pawn to blackmail into doing whatever they say. As for Iris, well, that’s what murder is for. OK, it’s not ENTIRELY a victory lap here.

The outcome of the dangerous evil nobles is not exactly a surprise – in fact, it’s so little of a surprise that we never actually find out how Iris manages to get out of being murdered, she just shows up to rescue Lucas and save the day. That said, as I noted above, I was surprised that we actually had some resolution with Lucas’ long-lost father, who turns out to be hard done by but who also married too young, and the way that Lucas reacts to all of this information coming at once feels very true to life. I will note that this book definitively ends with the third volume, but it may have been a last minute decision – Things are set up so there could be more,. but then we get a quick epilogue explaining they had many children and lived happily ever after. It does have a really killer ending sentence, though, which ties up the theme of Iris’ character nicely.

These two have spent three books trying to stay married, let’s leave them to it. A fun read.

Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki, Vol. 11

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By Yuki Yaku and Fly. Released in Japan as “Jaku Chara Tomozaki-kun” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jennifer Ward.

Last time I said that this volume is the final one, which is not true anymore. That said, last time I reviewed this series it was June 2023. Yuki Yaku has been busy with the anime, as well as writing Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night. But, he assures us, the 12th volume is done and will be out a few months later. Um, well, this came out in Japan in January 2024. And there’s no sign of it. But honestly, that’s fine, as this book was a jaw dropper, and I was emotionally worn out by the end of it. We’re at the finale even though this is not the final volume, and you can tell because the cast has narrowed considerably. It feels thematically relevant that everyone who ends up in the sciences classroom for third year doesn’t appear for the rest of the volume. We can’t solve this with numbers. In fact, that may be part of the problem. We need to solve it with words… which Tomozaki is good at, but “good” isn’t enough anymore.

We pick up where we left off, with Aoi seeing the family video that was made for her. Let’s just say her reaction is… viscerally bad. After we return to school, and the main cast starts their third year, Aoi is absent from school, and does not appear to be returning. It doesn’t help that she’s not in either arts OR sciences, but the “advanced” classroom, meaning she’s isolated. And so Tomozaki is forced to do things that are, well, sketchy. Namely, lurk around her house, and eventually start talking with her younger sister Haruka, who, after verifying Tomozaki is not a kidnapper or creeper, opens up to him – a bit – about her family. Eventually these meetings do drag Aoi out of the house, and she too opens up to Tomozaki. Unfortunately, learning the full story of the death of her other sister does not fix everything magically.

There’s a lot of really big scenes in this book – the author excels at writing compelling set pieces to advance the story. Fuka, who is the secondary heroine of this whole series, shows off why she’s the only one besides Tomozaki who’s been able to rattle her, and Fuka’s response when Haruka explains her family is stunning – and also drives home the fact that she truly thinks like a writer. The lightest part of the book is at the live Atafami competition, with Mimimi’s novice commentary, but even that has Tomozaki realize that while he wants to be a gamer he doesn’t really have a compelling enough dream that will make him attract others. Lastly… we really had not seen much of Aoi’s mother at all, but we get a much better portrait of her here. And oh, I wish we hadn’t. There are some things you should not say to grieving children.

We came very close to ending on a MASSIVELY depressing cliffhanger, but fortunately, Fuka exists, and as always is there to pull Tomozaki up and push him forward. Though if they’re going to save Aoi, they’ll need the entire cast, not just this scaled-back version. As for when we’ll see the finale? Or if it really will be the final book? Stay tuned.

Pick of the Week: Boxers, Idols, and Vampires

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MICHELLE: This week, it’s Ashita no Joe that appeals to me the most. I continue to be grateful that this is being released!

KATE: I second Michelle’s pick! We need more classic sports manga available in English.

SEAN: Because I enjoyed New Game!, I’ll give my pick this week to a new work from its author, Idol x Idol Story!.

ANNA: I’m also making Ashita no Joe my pick!

ASH: I do love that Ashita no Joe is being translated, but this is likely the only chance I have to pick A Vampire in the Bathhouse which looks like an utterly ridiculous (in a good way) josei manga. It was the rubber duckies on the cover that tipped the scales for me.

Tearmoon Empire, Vol. 15

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By Nozomu Mochitsuki and Gilse. Released in Japan as “Tearmoon Teikoku Monogatari” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Madeleine Willette.

Generally speaking, unless God is literally involved in the plot, the “how and why” of these time loop stories is rarely examined. We know why – so they can redo their life and get it right this time. And for a lot of Tearmoon Empire, that’s been the case. Even with vanishing diaries and conflicting timelines, the premise has been “Mia fixes things so she’s not executed”. But with Bel and Patty, things aren’t quite so clear cut. We can guess that Patty might have been sent back to screw up Mia’s timeline fixes, but if so that’s going pretty badly. As for Bel… is it really just to help her mature and keep Citrina happy? Or is there some deeper purpose to her presence? Is there a guiding hand in this that is not Saint Mia and her sarcastic narrator? Unfortunately, this is Bel’s problem to solve, as Mia has a whole host of new things to deal with. Which, mostly, she handles very well.

This is a “set up the next arc” volume, so there’s a bit less drama and a lot more talking. What drama there is comes from Patty, who is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and Mia realizes that she may have left it a bit too long before she needs to tell her the truth. We also get more details about Patty’s brother, who was supposedly very ill, and also supposedly assassinated by Citrina’s family… though we discover most of those “assassinations” were “ship them overseas on a boat” instead. Once Mia returns to home base, she must deal with her clingiest friends being out of sorts about not spending time with her, and also has to win over a new princess in order to further her own plans. Unfortunately, this princess is following daddy’s orders, and while she’s savvy she’s not really that clever… except when it comes to fish.

After last volume reminded us that Sapphias exists, this volume does the same for Esmeralda, who has mostly been absent from the story since the shipwreck arc. She’s very aware of that, in fact, and has been hearing about Mia having all of these adventures – some of them dangerous, but that doesn’t matter – without her. As for Esmeralda herself… look, with Mia, we have her genuine character growth constantly undercut by the narrator, so we have to pick it out in between the snark. The narrator, however, mostly shuts up when Mia or her immediate offspring aren’t involved, though, and it allows us to see that Esmeralda has changed as much as Mia.This also means that she not only spots regrets in others – such as one of Mia’s ex-maids who is now at the Mia academy – but also in herself, as she finally gives Arshia a richly deserved apology… which, to Arshia’s credit, she doesn’t accept. More needs to be done before the bridges can be repaired. It’s also a good example of the timeline changing as we read. as the start of her arc in this book has Esmeralda an obscure, mostly forgotten figure who worked behind the scenes, while at the end she’s a famous diplomat.

I was annoyed that the fat jokes seem to have returned here, but other than that this was an excellent volume, showing Mia actually thinking things through and making clever decisions, though it’s her empathy, as always, that wins the day.

Homunculus Tears: Alchemy for the Brokenhearted

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By Inori and Aonoshimo. Released simultaneously in Japanese, English, Spanish and German by the author. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka.

(I try not to spoil too much about this book, but I do spoil the final resolution of it. Reader beware.)

This is a spring/summer that will have two works by I’m in Love with the Villainess author Inori coming out. The second, The Girl Who Wants to Be a Hero and the Girl Who Ought to Be a Hero, came out the traditional way in Japan via Dengeki Bunko, and is coming out the traditional way here via Yen Press. But this is a self-published work, releasing digitally on the same day in four languages, and translated by the same translator as ILTV. As such, thoughts like “experiment” and “risk” come to mind. Which may be true, but in the end, I think the most important thing is that it’s a good book with a lot to say about why we exist and what to do when someone feels they no longer want to. It’s also got a good couple at the center of it, who can be boiled down to “the grumpy one and the sunshine one”, but also contain greater depths. Best of all, I love the narrator, whose deal is my favorite part of the book.

In a dystopian world where humans are at war with the demons (and the men appear to have all been killed off – this is a yuri genre, after all), Maha is a grim but excellent soldier, who uses alchemy to wipe out the demons, though the cost of the alchemy she does is that she deliberately destroys past ties to herself, such as her memory of those who died, or of the taste of good food, in order to give equivalent exchange to power her spells. One day, her researcher mother (who has spent most of her life ignoring her daughter) reveals they have created a homunculus, who hopefully will be able to fight against the demons so that humans no longer has to. Maha has many feelings about this, most of them angry, but unfortunately, the homunculus herself, Ruri, is adorable, innocent, and really likes Maha a lot. And Maha’s grumpy, closed-off heart gradually starts to open up again.

There were a couple of minor things that made me a bit annoyed during the book – I’m not fond of the “loli that’s really x00 years old” archetype, and the relationship between Maha and Ruri starts off with “we’re like older and younger sister!”, which I’ll be honest had me saying “oh no, not again” after ILTV. But for the most part, this was a very rewarding read. The narrator is not Maha, as you’d expect, but instead… well, I don’t want to spoil too much, but someone who is both a guide for Maha and also a filthy shipper who really wants Maha to fall in love with another woman. The narrator is also deeply tied to the past of this book, which reminded me a lot of the 5th ILTV book, and I’m wondering if the author first thought of this concept while writing that. I also appreciated the fact that it managed to not only argue for the value of living, but did so without (I’ve got to spoil this) a tragic sacrifice, while I was expecting from about Page 20, and had steeled myself for. Instead everyone goes for a swim. I smiled.

The author says there may be more self-published works in this vein. Honestly, I’d like to see a different story done the same way, as I feel this wraps up very neatly in a volume and doesn’t need a sequel. Fans of the author should enjoy this a great deal.

Too Many Losing Heroines!, Vol. 4

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By Takibi Amamori and Imigimuru. Released in Japan as “Make Heroine ga Ōsugiru!” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Matthew Jackson. Adapted by Acro.

I feel that as this series has gone on it has very much decided to be a normal romcom with an oblivious protagonist rather than a satire/deconstruction of same, and I like it better this way. Sure, I still want to strangle Nukumizu, but that’s the point, and everyone else in the story agrees with me. Unfortunately, because this is a romcom, all the women in the series who are not otherwise seeing someone seem to be falling in love with him. Including new candidates this volume, because unlike previous ones, the plot forces him to stay involved the entire time and not try to blow everyone off. What it shows is that when he tries, he can be observant, caring, and genuinely nice… provided he’s not thinking about it. Once he does, and he gets into that “no, I’m overthinking this, there’s no way she could be interested in me that way” mode, that’s when he makes girls want to punch him.

This is one of those series where each volume has the heroine of that particular book, so as you may have guessed, this volume focuses on Shikiya, student council secretary and vaguely emotionless weirdo. That said, the book starts with Tiara Basori, the uptight vice-president of the student council, confiscating Tsukinoki’s later BL novel, which features… erm… a genderswapped student council president and Nukumizu in RPF. Naturally, she threatens to submit it to the faculty, which will definitely lead to Tsukinoki getting suspended at least, the dissolution of the literature club, and possibly Nukumizu, who’s in the book, also getting suspended. As such, there’s a new goal for Nukumizu to achieve… find a way to blackmail Tiara and get that book back! Of course, this is not an issue, because, as Shikiya says, “Tiara is easy.”

Note that easy means a romantic pushover, and not easy in the western way. She falls for Nukumizu almost immediately, it’s honestly one of the better jokes in the book at how comically fast it is. That said, she’s also the duller, more standard part of the book. The more interesting bit is with Shikiya and Tsukinoki’s fractured relationship, and how no one really wants to talk about it. Shikiya has been amusing but an enigma in the first three books, and in this one we see that her emotional difficulties are actually a major issue for her, and that she regards other people smiling – even if it turns out to be just a faked smile – as something that she can’t really do. As with every other girl in this series, if she and Nukumizu became a couple, they’d be a good one. Also like every other girl in this series, that would require Nukumizu to be self-aware, which he painfully isn’t. Right now he has a better chance of scoring with his “still walking the incest line but not going over it” younger sister.

Still, if you like romcoms with a greater emphasis on “com”, and don’t mind the fact that everyone in the cast is a failure pile in a sadness bowl, this is perfect for you.

Manga the Week of 4/30/25

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SEAN: As April becomes May, we have a week equally divided into both.

Yen has some stragglers. From Yen On we get Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki 11 and Wolf & Parchment 10.

Yen Press debut To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You (Haikei Mishiranu Danna-sama, Rikonshite Itadakimasu), a manga based on a light novel that will be coming out from Yen in the summer. It runs in Flos Comic. A woman who wants a husband-free life is delighted when, immediately after her marriage, her husband goes to war. Now, eight years later, he’s coming home, and she wants a divorce. He seems less inclined.

ASH: Uh-oh.

ANNA: That doesn’t seem great for her!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Blend-S 2, Brunhild the Dragonslayer 2, mono 2, Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! Brush Up 2 (the final volume), and The War of Greedy Witches 2.

Viz Media gives us Dragon Ball Super 23, Firefly Wedding 2, and – for digital fans – The Legend of Zelda manga will finally be available digitally. This is Vol. 1-10, which includes Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, Four Swords, The Minish Cap, A Link to the Past, and The Phantom Hourglass.

ASH: Oh, nice!

SEAN: Steamship has Alpha Wolfgirl x Omega Wolfboy 3.

Square Enix Books has a big ol’ artbook, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail — The Art of Succession -Relics of Heritage-. Recommended for those who know what that title means.

ASH: I don’t, but I bet it’s pretty.

SEAN: Seven Seas has some debuts. Cat Man (Neko Ningen) is a shoujo title from Kurofune Pixiv. A humanoid cat struggles with everyone just seeing them as cute, and they don’t really want to be affectionate. This is apparently more serious than you’d expect, examining preconceptions and prejudice.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: I am potentially intrigued.

SEAN: IDOL x IDOL STORY! is a new series from the creator of New Game!, and it runs in Comic Fuz. A convenience store worker was once a hopeful idol, but fell short. Then she meets an up-and-comer inspired by her story. Can she try again? Either way, there’s probably yuri subtext.

ASH: Naturally.

SEAN: Kaya-chan Isn’t Scary (Kaya-chan wa Kowakunai) is a seinen horror manga from Kurage Bunch, and has an anime coming soon. A kindergarten teacher discovers that one of her class has a secret and disturbing ability… she can punch out evil spirits!

ASH: That seems like it would be a good ability to have.

ANNA: These are perilous times.

SEAN: My New Boss is Goofy (Atarashii Joushi wa Dotennen) already had its anime air, and it runs in Manga Cross. A man changes jobs, and his previous boss was sadistic and cruel. His new boss… isn’t. This looks BL but isn’t, apparently.

MICHELLE: That cover absolutely looks BL.

ASH: It really does.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Checkmate 3, The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain 4, Dai Dark 8, Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 14, The Dangerous Convenience Store 5, Dungeon People 5, and ENNEAD 5 (in paperback and unedited hardcover).

One Peace Books debuts Detectives These Days Are Crazy! (Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara), a Dengeki Maoh series about a middle-aged detective who suddenly has a high school girl show up wanting to be his assistant.

ASH: I’d give that a try.

SEAN: Two debuts in print for Kodansha. GAEA-TIMA the Gigantis (Daikai Gaea-Tima) is a seinen title from Monthly Young Magazine, from the creator of COLOR/LESS. A monster devastates a community, with one survivor of its attack. However, a decade later it’s a tourist destination, and the survivor is selling monster souvenirs! But what happens when there’s another monster attack?

A Vampire in the Bathhouse (Sentou to Vampire) is a one-shot josei title from Zero-Sum Online. An overworked bathhouse attendant suddenly finds that an overworked vampire has started showing up! Comedy ensues.

ASH: Hooray, josei!

ANNA: Josei AND vampires? Sounds good!

SEAN: Also in print: Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Omnibus 2, Blue Lock 18, EDENS ZERO 31, and Nina the Starry Bride 9.

MICHELLE: I was thinking it was about time for another Ashita no Joe installment!

ASH: Excellent.

ANNA: What will he be able to punch this time????

SEAN: And digitally we get Parasyte Reversi 4, The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch 4, and Ya Boy Kongming! 19.

J-Novel Club has two debuts, both manga. My Fiancé Cheated, But a New Love Rings! (Konyakusha no Uwaki Genba wo Michatta no de Hajimari no Kane ga narimashita) is a manga based on a light novel out in two weeks or so, also from J-Novel Club. The manga runs in MAGCOMI. Fans of this genre will know the basics. Noble girl, doing her best as a future queen, catches the crown prince cheating on her with her younger sister. So she runs away, with the help of a guy who’s always loved her.

My Tiny Senpai (Uchi no Kaisha no Chiisai Senpai no Hanashi) is not based on a light novel, and runs in Manga Life Storia Dash. It was also made into an anime. Big shy guy. Office manga about a tiny teasing girl. Clearly they both like each other. Why aren’t they together? A question the entire office is asking. This is from the author of She’s My Knight.

For light novels, J-Novel Club has EXP Is Golden 2, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 8, Magic Stone Gourmet 9, The Poison King 4, and Tearmoon Empire 15.

For manga, they have The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases 6, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power 3, Rebuild World 11, A Royal Rebound 2, and Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 6.

No debuts for Cross Infinite World, but they do have Dinners with My Darling 2, How I Became King by Eating Monsters 3, and The Invisible Wallflower Marries an Upstart Aristocrat After Getting Dumped for Her Sister! 3 (the final volume).

And no print titles for Airship, but we do see Adachi and Shimamura 99.9 (a second short story volume) and Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 12 digitally.

Has spring sprung for you yet? What titles interest you?