Manga Bookshelf

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Sean Gaffney

Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, Vol. 15

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By Zappon and Yasumo. Released in Japan as “Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasaretanode, Henkyou de Slow Life Surukoto ni Shimashita” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Dale DeLucia.

With one exception, which I’ll get to further down the page, this was a pretty good final volume to the series. It wraps up all the things you were expecting, and all the things you realize you’d never thought of but probably should have. Red and Rit are cute, Red gets to do some cool things, Ruti and Tisse are cute, Ruti gets to do some cool things, and Mister Crawly Wawly is the best. OK, I kind of wanted Ruti and Tisse to become a real couple rather than just “I can see it if I really want to”, but at least there aren’t any last minute love interests. A lot of this book is about parents and their children, so it makes sense that it ends that way, with Red and Rit having a son, who is on the cover, and in the book. For about 3 pages at the end.

Summertime, and the living is easy. If a bit dull. Peace means there’s not as much medicine being sold, and Red and Rit experiment with potion making. Then they hear Yaralandra is leaving to go exploring (and, given her lifespan, won’t be back for about a decade), and Tisse is returning to her guild to finally give her report on the job she took in Book 1. So they decide now is the time to take their long-awaited honeymoon. They go and visit Red and Ruti’s parents, which is a bit awkward but far more loving than I was expecting. They then go and visit Rit’s father, so that she can renounce her claim to the throne, which leads to a lot more political wrangling than she would have liked. Finally, they return home and delight in the news that she is pregnant. All is well… unless the author decides to throw in some last minute drama.

No spoilers guessing what I didn’t like. The entire ending with Rit slowly dying and Red having to find the right medicine reeked of “I want to end this with a bang”. The author has struggled with the slow life part of their slow life series since the start, and still can’t hack it. On the bright side, I’ve made no secret about my favorite characters in the series, and they’re both great here. Mister Crawly Wawly remains, to the end, one of the best non-speaking monster characters in any light novel, and I hope the restaurant goes well. Tisse may be described occasionally as being emotionless due to her training, but there are several moments here where she’s overcome with happiness, and the artist clearly loves to draw her grinning. I hope she finally confesses now that Ruti has gotten over her brother.

This was one of the first “banished from the hero’s party” books to come out here, and it’s still one of the better ones. I enjoyed it very much, despite its struggles with its genre.

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 13

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By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

This is not exactly a series that moves at the speed of light. As Yoshin says in this book, they haven’t even gotten to their first anniversary yet. Thee reason that it feels like it’s been forever is that by now Yoshin and Nanami are essentially married in all but legal name, and the only reason that they haven’t gone further than kissing is Yoshin’s iron will… well, no, because the two of them are massive cowards, that becomes apparent near the end here. But we are actually headed into final exams, which means senior year will soon be upon them. This is not an issue for Nanami, who has terrific grades and a career she’s striving for. Yoshin, though, has only just woken up to the fact that he now has a girlfriend, as well as actual other friends (something he literally has to be told here). Not a surprise his future is hazy.

The last few volumes have consistently hit holidays, and this one does as well, Valentine’s Day is coming up. For Yoshin this has always been just another day, one he can safely ignore. Nanami is somewhat horrified to hear that he hasn’t even gotten obligation chocolate from classmates, but is also kind of delighted as she gets another of his firsts. Meanwhile, his friend Hitoshi, who we saw on the class trip getting along with a Hawaiian girl, went back there with his parents and they got on even better. To the point where she’s coming there for a trip. And since she’s American, they researched American Valentine’s, meaning Yoshin now also has to come up with a Valentine gift. And they also want the day off to be romantic. Which means, before that, ALL THE WORK HOURS. Fortunately, Nanami is now working at the same restaurant as Yoshin does, because this series is comfy as hell.

Yoshin’s self-reflective monologue about how he’s not remotely the protagonist of a story, with Nanami trying hard to convince him this isn’t the case, is probably not as cute as the author thinks it is, but it does give a nice view into the mind of Yoshin, who may have had a hot loving girlfriend for almost a year, but still tends to get into the “woe is me, why do I suck so much?” mindset at the drop of a hat. This is probably the main reason why he and Nanami still aren’t going further, despite the fact that even her grandparents are kind of hinting that the two of them should bonk, and their parents leaving several convenient times when no one is in the house. But no, nothing happens beyond a few really heavy french kisses. This despite Nanami really trying hard, with senpai/kohai roleplay, maid cosplay, more maid cosplay, still MORE maid cosplay, and “won’t you lick the chocolate off my body?” play. Which, as I said, goes nowhere, alas.

The next volume came out in Japan about a week and a half ago, and no doubt deals with White Day. We will be waiting. A bit frustrated, but waiting.

From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone, Vol. 10

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By Shigeru Sagazaki and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. Released in Japan as “Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

This series has always been pretty light on the harem aspect. There are several girls, they kind of like our lead, he’s been told to find a wife. But honestly, right now no one is “main girl” and nothing is happening at all. This book in particular is uninterested in the question. possibly as the “main girl” of this book, if there is one, is Mewi, who definitely fills the “daughter” role more than a romantic interest. But, as the cover art indicates, the real star of this volume is Bel himself. He still is very bad at self-confidence, at seeing himself as anything but just some average guy with a sword. Which is unfortunate, as sometimes when you continue to improve, to get to the next level, you need to know that you can take on the best of the best and still triumph. And Bel has leveled up.

While cooking with Mewi, Bel cuts himself with a kitchen knife. He regards this as something that could happen to everyone, but those around him are startled. Then, at the training hall, he spars with Vesper, the guy who was nearly but not entirely killed a number of volumes ago, and is now well enough to start light training again. While fighting him, Bel notices that his eyes can see the future of what Vesper is about to do… and Bel is so flummoxed by this he loses. This *really* startles everyone. Now Bel has to worry: is this all a part of his getting old and starting to lose his edge? Or has he genuinely unlocked some instinctual skill? He’d better figure things out quickly, unfortunately; Mewi went out with friends one day and never came home.

I admit when I got to that plotline I was wondering if the answer would be “whoops, Mewi was doing something entirely innocent and it’s all a misunderstanding”. But no, Mewi is essentially going through the exact same thing Bel is, only he has decades more experience than she does and knows his own limitations (in fact, one might argue he exaggerates his own limitations). Mewi, on the other hand, is learning fast and getting stronger, to the point where she thinks she can take out some random kidnappers with the help of her friends… only to find they’re not just random thugs after all, and she really is still a kid who is learning. I am… grumpy about Bel slapping Mewi after she’s rescued, but I’ll gloss over it. As for Bel’s future vision, I’m pleased to see it has very definite limits, but it does also allow him to stay ahead of his young students for now… which means, of course, he will still think of them as students. Which ties back to the start. No wife for you.

The anime’s second season is going on, and it does a pretty good job. For those who want to read about a far too modest guy and his amazing sword skills, this is top tier.

Bookshelf Briefs 8/10/26

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Colette Decides to Die, Vol. 7 | By Alto Yukimura | Viz Media – Colette and Hades may be together now (and it’s implied more happens by the end of this omnibus), but that doesn’t mean much has really changed. Most of these two volumes involve meeting more gods. Ares is a young hothead obsessed with challenging Athena to contests… which he always loses. He’s also rather forthright and honest, which may be one reason why. As for Athena, well, her servants certainly love shipping her with other women. The second half of this omnibus shows us Cronus, Hades’ father who is now a rather sulky baby, but also introduces a more serious issue: Hades’ mirror that can tell if someone is lying is shattered, and they may not be able to fix it. Will Hades need to rely on intuition and observation to make sure the right people go to hell? I love this. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 21 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Manga – Sometimes the best, most likely solution to a mystery is not the one that anyone involved wants to hear. This is especially true when it’s Kotoko doing the sleuthing. Here she proposes a decent enough solution that will allow them to try to get the matriarch of the family to remove her veil… then comes up with a more likely answer that will force the family to lift lids off cans of worms they don’t want to. But on the bright side, it will get that veil off. And there is the (supposedly) final appearance of Mecha-Kotoko, which is designed to take Kotoko herself down a peg and is thus very welcome. This one has a lot less of Kotoko being terrible, so it’s not as good as previous volumes, but I’m still enjoying it a great deal. – Sean Gaffney

Medalist, Vol. 14 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Manga – If the last volume was about Inori having her worst day ever as a figure skater, this volume is about her comeback, and the back half is here to show off her awesomeness. That said, the manga tries not to ignore the other skaters that are also competing, and everyone gets a chance to show off some fantastic moves, technique, speed, et cetera, and the author gets to show off amazing drawing skills. We also get someone who is clearly being set up to be the next major antagonist in the series: Dahlia, the other Japanese competitor in this event. She thinks Inori is “a bit TOO innocent.” Unfortunately, we’re not able to see what Dahlia does until volume fifteen, so we must wait. This remains one of the best manga out there, always spellbinding. – Sean Gaffney

The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Seen, Vol. 1 | By mmk | Viz Media – This is a fairly standard high school romcom with a good gimmick: the guy is handsome but is also a “typical guy,” i.e. he hasn’t remembered the name of the girl who’s sat next to him the whole year, just that she has large breasts. But when he tries another crass remark that he insists is a compliment, she talks about the fact that she can almost see his nipples… and he freaks. Yup, he can dish it out but can’t take it. The rest of the volume has variations on that theme, with the two of them also gradually getting to know each other and developing actual feelings beyond “you are sexually attractive to me.” She’s a little weird. He’s a little annoying. They’re perfect for each other, really. This is cute, but full of sexual leering—on purpose. – Sean Gaffney

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 18 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship – New volume, new girlfriend. Saiki is a brilliant idol singer, but she longs to be an eccentric brilliant idol singer, emphasis on the eccentric, so keeps trying to do weird things. Naturally, she rejects Rentaro’s confession as too normal for her… until she finds out about his other girlfriends. The other major plotline sees the return of the Rentaro Family idol group… only because he’s got so many new girlfriends, the new girls are the ones who take it on. And, naturally, some girls are really good at idoling, and some… are not. Needless to say, this series remains very heartwarming and (in this volume) only slightly horny. No worries, the horny will return. – Sean Gaffney

Our Dining Table: Seconds, Please!, Vol. 2 | By Mita Ori | Seven Seas – I continue to enjoy this gentle, slice-of-life story, largely because it’s not just about Minoru and Yutaka as a couple, but is equally about Minoru’s relationship with his little brother, Tane. Early in the volume, Minoru and Yutaka put off moving in together because Tane’s just not ready to be without his big brother yet. However, as time goes on, Minoru graduates college and is set to embark on a training course at the same time as Tane is about to begin elementary school. By then, Tane has grown up enough to be more worried about Minoru being all alone than about himself. It’s really sweet, and more than once Tane made me think of Yotsuba. Have I made it clear how much Tane is the true star of this series? Because he totally is (though I do like Minoru and Yutaka, too, of course). – Michelle Smith

Stella Must Die, Vol. 1 | By Yasunori Mitsunaga | Kodansha Manga – Well, this was really, really weird. Take a standard “otome heroine is in danger” situation, and cross it with… Parasyte… and you have this. A king has died and now there’s a throne war. The older siblings need the young princess dead. They try poison. They try assassins. They try summoning demons. But the “shit worm” living inside her intestines, who is a reincarnated Japanese guy, keeps protecting her. The first volume is a combination of setup that I’m sure will pay off later and some truly grotesque situations, though fortunately by the end of the book Stella is aware of what’s going on, rather than just an unconscious prisoner in her own body. I’m not sure I’ll keep going, but this is definitely unique. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Chiisakobee, As You Can See

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SEAN: I have often found that when the first volume of a manga has the two main characters just standing straight and staring at the reader with a blank face, it’s inevitably really good. Hence, my pick this week is for Chiisakobee, which has exactly that.

KATE: Make mine Chiisakobee, too. Something about that cover really speaks to me!

ASH: That cover really is great. So count me in for Chiisakobee, too! (Although I’ll also probably be taking a closer look at Ask Iwata when I have a chance.)

MICHELLE: Sure. I don’t have any better ideas, really.

ANNA: I guess I’m gonna go with the consensus this week!!

The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World, Vol. 4

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By Heiseiowari and Noy. Released in Japan as “Tenseishitara Saikyou Shu-tachi ga Sumau Shima deshita. Kono Shima de Slow Life wo Tanoshimimasu” by SQEX Novel. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Alex Castor.

I was talking online about how comfy and relaxing I found this series, and someone pointed out some quotes I made while reading the first book that talked about how tired and cliched it was. And of course both things are correct. There’s nothing here that’s going to make you say “wow, that’s something I’ve never seen before” or “didn’t expect them to react like that!”. But it’s like a nice meat and potato stew in the middle of winter. There’s meat. There’s potatoes. There’s carrots. And that’s about it. You don’t really want much else. We’ve got lots of Arata and Reina being married in all but name but still too shy to do anything about it. They’re raising their adopted daughter, adopted niece, and girl who’s still a bit too loli to get into the harem sweepstakes but she’s working on it. And, of course, we have today’s cover star, the blonde vampire who is hundreds of years old. She’s exactly what you think as well. Thank goodness.

It is pointed out to Arata that while he visited the dragonfolk village, he hasn’t yet visited the ogrefolk village, so he and the rest of his family decide to do just that. There they find that it’s essentially a Japanese hot springs town, and the ogre vibe is so “Japan” that Arata is somewhat overwhelmed by the whole thing. He meets Sakuya, the sister of the ogre he met in previous books, and thankfully she’s not falling for him – though she does help accidentally facilitate the big fanservice scene of the book. A problem comes up, though, when Luna, who is hitting puberty but still can’t remember her ancestor (the trigger for it in this series), winds up possessed, then dying, then back to normal but occasionally possessed again. And then there’s Mina, who’s spent three volumes tormenting our main couple but it’s been hiding her true desires – and Arata wants to give them to her.

There’s some nice backstory for Mina here, which doesn’t tell us anything we hadn’t guessed but does help to set up the big problem. Arata’s wish is to have everyone on the island gather together in peace for a big banquet. Mina is a vampire who wants a really, really really good fight, so that she can finally die. These two are fundamentally incompatible, but this is basically a shonen series, so the outcome of their fight should not surprise you. Honestly, as blonde vampires go, Mina is on the nicer side all round, though Arata and Reina may disagree after she tries to seduce Arata in Reina’s body… and we’re told that she does the same for Reina in Arata’s body. I like to think of that as Mina being a stand in for the reader, who wants to knock their heads together and say “You two need to fuck”. As for the rest of the book, it’s cute. It’s relaxing. It’s uneventful, mostly.

That said, a large number of additional cast may hit in the next volume. We’ll see if that stirs the pot any. Till then, I’ve come to like this quite a bit.

Return of the Corpse King: Reining in My Cringe Secret Society, Vol. 2

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By Sty and Tsumeki. Released in Japan as “Shiou no Kikan: Moto Yuusha no Ore, Jibun ga Soshikishita Chuuni Himitsukessha wo Tomeru Tame ni Futatabi Isekai ni Shoukansareteshimau” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

I’m still enjoying this series a lot more than I expected to, and it’s for much the same reasons as the first. I’m not as wild about the “cringe” part of the title, though thankfully there’s less of him regretting his chuuni past and feeling embarrassed here. There’s more of the serious bits here as well, though, and I’m definitely enjoying those. This series has a backstory that it is content to give to you in bits and bobs, rather than as a giant wall of flashback, and I appreciate that. It also wants to remind you about what being absent for nearly two hundred years would do to people who are, shall we say, a bit codependent on you. Likewise, Shio not telling everyone he’s from another world turns out to be for a very good reason, especially given the aforementioned codependency. All this makes me forgive the fact that there’s a tournament arc in this book.

The first volume introduced us to four of Shio’s posse of supernatural badasses, here we meet another. Hræsvelgr, though, is having a much harder time getting over the vanishing of the most important person in her life. Sure, she’s kept herself busy helping out a schmuck of a guy who doesn’t even know how to use her power properly, but really what she is is suicidal. Meanwhile, our protagonist needs, of course, weapons. Which means he needs money. Fortunately, he’s headed to the fantasy equivalent of Las Vegas, where he can enter a fighting tournament to get some cash, as well as meeting the ruler of the city, Kaguya, who is very interested in him. Unfortunately, that fake Helheim is still making a bad name for itself, and it doesn’t help that there are a lot of demons around trying to bring back the Demon Lord Shio killed last time. Only… did Shio really kill him?

Things aren’t all serious, of course. We meet another demon, Furcas, who is basically the terrifying demon equivalent of “dumb meathead girl”, so I was naturally disposed to liking her. (There’s a human equivalent too. TWO meathead girls in one volume, my cup runneth over!). I was amused as well at the creeping horror that Shio has when he realizes that Aleu, the schmuck Hræsvelgr is helping, is not doing a bit but really is that much of a schmuck, and his flirting with Kaguya was first-rate. That said, the best scenes were the serious ones, particularly the ones with Hræsvelgr. Her meltdown after discovering that the gang has gotten back together without her is painful to read. And of course then there’s Shio finally telling Hræsvelgr what he’s been avoiding – that merely by his followers being around the man they love, he is slowly being killed. Oh yes, and Shio also finds that most of what’s been happening is thanks to the complete dick who summoned his middle school class in the first place. He’s not happy.

There’s a third volume of this series out in Japan, but it hasn’t started serializing on JNC, so we may have to wait a bit. This continues to be better than I expected, and not very much like The Eminence in Shadow at all.

Manga the Week of 8/12/26

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SEAN: Hot. Then wet. Then hot. Then wet. Worst summer ever. At least there’s manga.

MICHELLE: I’m waiting on the outcome of hurricane season before I can make any declarations.

ASH: That seems fair.

SEAN: Yen On has one debut, which is My Yandere Girlfriend Hiding in the Dungeon Kills Me Over and Over Again (Dungeon ni Hisomu Yandere na Kanojo ni Ore wa Nando mo Korosareru). Do you want Re: Zero but with more yanderes? Good news!

Also from Yen On: The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 10, Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 15 (the final volume), The Detective Is Already Dead 12, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 5, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? 20, The Kept Man of the Princess Knight 6, Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 6, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Beach Queen + (the 16th book in the 15-book series), Sasaki & Peeps 10, To the Monster I Love 2, Wandering Witch 17, Wolf & Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf 12, and You Are My Regret 4.

ASH: Wait… 16th out 15?

SEAN: Viz’s debut is Ask Iwata, a self-help guide for gamers written by the CEO of Nintendo.

ASH: It’s outside of my usual reading, but I’ve heard good things about this one.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 17, Dandadan 20, Girl Crush 8, Kill Blue 8, Mao 25, Marriagetoxin 14, Rai Rai Rai 5, Rainbows After Storms 11, and Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 7.

MICHELLE: Wow, Mao is already up to volume 25.

SEAN: I missed a Tokyopop release last week: the 4th light novel of My Beautiful Man, namely My Uncontrollable Man.

This week they have My Noons and Midnights Are for You 2.

Titan Manga debut High Elf with a Long Life (Tensei Shite High Elf ni Narimashita ga, Slow Life wa 120-nen de Akimashita), the manga version of a light novel released by J-Novel Club under a slightly different title. A reincarnated as an elf guy wants a normal isekai, not sitting in the elf village doing nothing! This runs in Comic Earth Star.

ASH: You know, I could use some sitting around doing nothing.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: SuBLime has A Man Who Defies the World of BL 5 and Scattering His Virgin Bloom: Love Frenzy 3.

From Square Enix Manga we see Daemons of the Shadow Realm 11, My Clueless First Friend 9, and My Isekai Life 26.

Seven Seas, on the danmei side, has the 8th and final volume of Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu. This comes with an exclusive extra chapter, and a special edition with stickers, postcards, etc.

ASH: Ooh, fancy!

ANNA: For the fans!!!

SEAN: There’s also Legend of Exorcism: Tianbao Fuyao Lu 6.

Seven Seas debuts a manga anime watchers have already started: Draw This, Then Die! (Kore Kaite Shine). This shonen series from Gessan, and stars a girl who lives on a remote island who LOVES manga – but can she draw her own manga?

ASH: Signs point to yes, maybe?

ANNA: Hoping for the best for her!

SEAN: Hotel Inhumans is a Sunday Web Every series, and also inspired an anime. A hotel has to provide for its customer needs… but the customers are all hitmen!

ASH: I’m sure that won’t cause any problems whatsoever!

ANNA: Sounds a little John Wicky!

SEAN: PUNKS TRIANGLE stitch is a sequel to PUNKS TRIANGLE, and runs in Bloom. BL fashion designer x model.

Also from Seven Seas: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 16, Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 7, Hate Me, but Let Me Stay 7, Karate Survivor in Another World 10, Koharu and Minato: Happy Life with My Girlfriend 2, My Girlfriend is 8 Meters Tall 4, My Kitten is a Picky Eater 9, Pet Shop of Horrors: Collector’s Edition 7 (the final volume), Romelia War Chronicle: The Count’s Daughter Rallies an Army in the Wake of Mankind’s Victory 3, and Succubus and Hitman 11.

One Peace Books has the 4th and final volume of The Revenge of My Youth: My Re Life With an Angelic Girl.

Last Gasp has a 3rd volume of Ultra Heaven.

ASH: Which is a good r minder for me to read the first two…

SEAN: Kodansha Manga debuts You Might As Well Be the One (Isso Anata ga Todome wo Sashite), a shoujo manga from Dessert. A flashy girl meets a kind boy. But he has… a secret!

MICHELLE: Hm. Intentional Billy Joel reference, or no, one wonders.

SEAN: Kodansha also has The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 14, Issak Omnibus 7, Love at First Memory 3, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 10, Perfectly Fine on My Own, So My Fiancé Can Twist in the Wind 3, and Tank Chair 9.

Digitally we have Cat-Life Balance 2, Giant Killing 57, Issak 14, and TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 15.

MICHELLE: Obligatory Giant Killing squee.

ASH: It is a good one.

SEAN: Kana debuts Chiisakobee, a seinen manga based on a novel. It runs in Big Comic Spirits. A man who lost his parents and his parents’ family business in a fire resolves to rebuild, with the help of others.

J-Novel Club has print manga! Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 4 Vol. 5, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 7, and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 4.

J-Novel Club has print light novels! In Another World With My Smartphone 33, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 9, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 14.

J-Novel Club has digital manga! The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?! 6, Duchess in the Attic 7, Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint! St. Evelyn’s Weird and Wonderful Friends 4, I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic 8, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power: Disgraced No Longer, I’m Finding Happiness with the Prince! 7, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 7, and Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! This White Mage Is One Heck of a Healer 5.

J-Novel Club has digital light novels! Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 17, DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 13, The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 4, Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! 2, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone 10, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 13, Proud to Be the Villainess 2, Unsung Epics of the Hero’s Journey 2, and The Villainess Speaks Not 2.

ASH: I remember back in the day when J-Novel Club was just starting out; they grow up so fast!

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party With His Mom! 5 and Girls Zombie Party 2.

Two weeks after Alphapolis debuted the paperback Vol. 1s of A Gatherer’s Adventure in Isekai, May I Ask for One Final Thing?, and Possibly the Greatest Alchemist of All Time, we get the Vol. 2s.

ASH: That was fast.

SEAN: Airship has print volumes for The Devil Princess 4 and The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits 3.

For early digital we get Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 3 and Venus Mission: I Was an Assassin-for-Hire Who Died, Now I’m Hunting Heroes in Another World 2.

Can manga make things cooler? Or drier? Try it out!

Goodbye, Horrible Fiancé, Hello, Fun Magic School Life!, Vol. 2

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By Mashimesa Emoto and Nitou Akane. Released in Japan as “Konyakusha wo Sutetara, Tanoshii Mahou Gakkou no Seikatsu ga Matteimashita” by GC Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by piyo.

Usually, when you’re writing a romance, there are various tricks you can use to make sure that it doesn’t resolve itself too soon. The usual method is to have the protagonist be dense as a brick, and there’s a bit of that here, as Misha does not seem to realize just how utterly infatuated with her Vil has become. Another way, best suited for longer-running series, is to plant seeds of doubt in the protagonist’s mind, doubt that this is really love. Could they be lying? Could this be betrayal? Are they just being used? The author tries to do this with Misha and Vil as well, but it comes off a bit less well, mostly as she simply cannot fall for the obvious bait. She can’t picture Vil as anything but a swell guy. Which is good news for those who like sweet romance, but does mean that any conflict is gonna be delayed till Book 3. Which isn’t out in Japan yet.

Misha continues to do her best at school, even though her weak snow magic makes her struggle a lot of the time. She’s a little wary around Vil now that she knows his real identity. Unfortunately for her, he’s not about to give up on the one person who treats him like a normal human being. As such, she’s made Vil’s personal assistant, which naturally means she has to treat him the same and be around him all the time. She also volunteers to be staff at the next school dance, mostly as she doesn’t want to buy a new gown. Unfortunately, at the dance, a large number of students start collapsing with sickness, and they have to figure out what’s happened. As for her weak snow magic, well, you’ve read series like this before. It turns out it may, in fact, be strong, powerful magic, it’s just she’s been learning how to magic the wrong way this entire time. In other words, her school life is filled with protagonist-like events, as expected.

This was, once again, pleasant without really knocking me out. I am amused by Misha’s familiar Gem, who not only can seemingly do anything, and not only is hiding their true power from Misha, but is also a filthy little shipper, and manages to get Misha and Vil together despite her best non-efforts. I also liked the drama of the food poisoning at the dance, though I rolled my eyes a bit at the fact that everyone ended up getting a reward. If this is supposed to be a school set up around noble rules, there’s no way those first-years who came up with the food that made everyone ill would not be getting in at least a little trouble. As for the ongoing plot, it’s clear that someone really wants Vil dead, and since poison didn’t work, we’ll turn to vicious rumor. I’m not sure if the prince is in on it, but it wouldn’t surprise me. As for the romance, I did like the cute beta couple, thought once again, I can’t see this being an option if this is written in class war-ese rather than romance novel-ese.

So good, but not great, stuff. Now we wait for a third book.

Observation Records of My Wife: The Misadventures of a Self-Proclaimed Villainess, Vol. 4

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By Shiki and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Jishō Akuyaku Reijō na Tsuma no Kansatsu Kiroku” by Regina Books. Released in North America by Hanashi Media. Translated by Ethan Holms.

I will admit, this is the first volume in the series that I wasn’t that wild about. It’s still great whenever Cecil is being Cecil or Bertia is being Bertia, but I get the sense the author thought of this as a two-book arc, and was determined to keep it that way despite the fact that the second book doesn’t have nearly the interest that the first one does. The first book in the arc had a “you’ll never marry my daughter!” dad and a shut-in mom, a deadly and attractive combination. This second book has a family of mostly airheads, and also has a girl who irrationally hates Kuro. Yes, the irrational hatred is the actual plot, and it does turn out to have a reason, but it makes her annoying and easy to dislike. I admit that I was counting pages towards the end there. Fortunately, the book is still narrated by Cecil, which automatically raises it up.

Last time we met Kuro’s family, this time we meet Zeno’s. His mother is a ditz… as are his four sisters, who don’t believe he actually has a girl who likes him, so kidnap him immediately and try to get him to marry the girl they approve of – the niece of the King of Light, Light Sparrow. She’s been sickly, especially lately. She also seems to really like Zeno when she meets him… but she takes an immediate, visceral dislike of Kuro, saying that she can sense she’s evil. This goes badly. Bertia tries to handle this by showing off how cute Kuro really is, which does not work at all. Cecil tries to figure out what is making Light Sparrow sick and why she relapsed, and this goes better. Finally, they return home to a big surprise.

There were a few things I did really enjoy. The revelation of what’s wrong with Light Sparrow ties back into much earlier in the series, and while it’s a bit of a handwave solution, I appreciated how it was handled on the human end, with Cecil, despite wanting to simply ignore it, giving in to Bertia’s kindness. Speaking of things typing back to plotlines I had actually completely forgotten about, one of the minor issues in and earlier book (Bertia’s maid has a “weak presence”, which causes people to ignore her) is also given a solution stemming from the spirit world, and I did appreciate the maid’s resolute “nope” to the solution being offered. Good for her. And then there’s the ending, which is pretty telegraphed, and not entirely unexpected. I did appreciate Cecil, on hearing the news, realizing he now has TWO people to love unconditionally. Cecil is, at best, lacking empathy, so it’s nice to see he’s not going the route of, say, the lead couple in I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again!.

If you want to skip this book and start with the next one: Bertia wants to do Halloween, and Cecil will be making it more of a harvest festival with costumes. Also, she’s pregnant. This was OK.

Pick of the Week: You Know What It Is

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KATE: As a musicologist who happens to like manga, I whole-heartedly endorse Crescent Moon Marching and Girl Meets Rock—the former because I played tenor drum in my high school marching band, and the latter because I teach Rock History. As I’ve learned from both gigs, playing in a band of any kind means drama. I’m here for all of it: tears, rivalries, romances, and rehearsals.

MICHELLE: I am absolutely interested in Crescent Moon Marching, but for this one week of each year, it’s just gotta be Kaze Hikaru, for me.

ANNA: I will not pass up the chance to celebrate a new volume of Kaze Hikaru!

ASH: Marching band manga??? Marching band manga?!! As soon as I learned about it, I wanted to read Crescent Moon Marching; I’m very excited that its time has come. I loved being in marching band in high school and college (usually playing mellophone) and I still enjoy watching performances immensely, so I suspect I’ll appreciate this series, too.

SEAN: I mean, yes, it’s Kaze Hikaru, the Excel Saga of the 2020s, but if I make my pick what I’m most interested in, it’s definitely Girl Meets Rock!.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time: No One Told Me There Would Be Monsters!, Vol. 10

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By KAYA and Naru. Released in Japan as “Tensei Shōjo wa Mazu Ippo kara Hajimetai: Mamono ga Iru toka Kiitenai!” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Amy Osteraas.

Each volume further a writer gets into a series, the more difficult it gets to write an ending that wraps everything up in a nice, neat bow and resolves all the hanging plot and character points. And since that’s the case, it’s always glorious to see a series that does it. This final volume of Good on Wolves (the series’ unofficial nickname among its fans here) is everything I wanted to see. The series returns to its roots, acknowledges how far it’s come, and settles back down after spending the previous volumes roaming all over the map. There’s also a proposal here, though this series is always going to be fairly mild about romance. The big emotional high for this story wasn’t Allen saying to Sara that they should get married and build a house, but rather the mountain wolves asking everyone to trust them and fighting together with the cast to fend off cockatrices. Good doggos to the end, even as scary wolves.

Sara and her friends are in the capital, living their best life. But they hear that things are a little rough in Rosa right now. They were building a paved road from the city to the Dark Mountain, but work stopped halfway. What’s more, the mayor apparently looks haggard. Who’s the mayor? Why Ted, of course! Despite this, Sara wants to go back to Rosa. She wants to visit the cabin where she started in this world, and she’s made her peace with Ted and his jerk antics. So the whole crew go up there, only to find… things are better than expected? Ted is exhausting himself, but that’s more his personality than anything else. He even has a fiancee! The road project is stalled mostly as they’re out of magic stones. Fortunately, when Sara’s around, monsters are sure to follow, and now there’s a huge number of Cockatrices making life difficult for everyone.

Much of this book, like the previous one, is showing off how Sara has matured and become an adult, much to the surprise of some (she’ll always be short and look pretty young). Her teaching is first rate, and she even helps Ted with his romantic relationship (which is also relatively free of drama). The only dramatic moment is when there’s a crisis with several hunters needing supreme potions, a “either you get all better or it kills you” sort of potion. Sara’s been lucky to this point, but one of the hunters doesn’t survive. That said, Sara briefly castigates herself but recovers quickly. She’s basically a doctor through most of this, when she’s not using her barriers to do virtually anything. If there’s one minor nit I have, it’s that Allen feels a bit left out until the end of the book – I’d like to have seen more with just the two of them.

This is another series that I’ve always loved, going from a small insular mountain (that we don’t even realize is a dangerous dungeon till much later in the series) then expanding outwards from a refugee camp to a city to a bigger city and finally to the capital… then back to the mountain in the end. Bye, Sara. Enjoy your career, your married life, and your many, many pet wolves.

Starting on Hard Mode: God Levels, Got Problems, Vol. 2

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By Hanmenkyoushi and ririnra. Released in Japan as “Level Count Stop kara Hajimaru, Kamisama-teki Isekai Life: Saikyou Status ni Tenseishita node Suki ni Ikimasu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Jessica Speed.

I usually refer to this series, when I refer to it at all, by its main title before the colon, Starting on Hard Mode. That said, after reading this second volume, the subtitle is definitely standing up and making sure that it’s counted. Merlin really wants to be a standard OP isekai mooch, going out, killing monsters, then coming back and watching the trio of young women he’s picked up fight over him without actually realizing that’s what they’re doing. The thing is, though, that’s not why God really brought him here. He’s got ludicrous powers for a reason, and that reason also means that he can’t simply try to give everyone else the credit. For one thing, he’s still trying to deal with the prejudice in this world (though here we find that’s mostly an urban problem). More importantly, though, he’s simply not the sort of person who can stand back and let disaster strike just because he needs to hide who he is.

Merlin, Sophia, Sonia, and Noise have been going monster hunting around the city, but there really haven’t been very many monsters around lately. Elsewhere, we see various demons talking about an attempt to resurrect the Demon King, and what would be required in order to make it happen. At the same time, a new girl has shown up in the city, and she seems to know who Merlin is. She also has guards around her, and is very bad at hiding her identity. She’s Auriel, the fourth princess of this country, as well as the country’s Saint. She’s an outgoing, teasing young woman who starts in right away on trying to hit on Merlin – she doesn’t get anywhere, but he’s at least a bit quicker to notice it than with the others – and also makes it clear she’s happy to be a part of any harem they have going on. But is that really her true self? And when these plots all come together, will Merlin be able to stay just another adventurer?

Don’t get me wrong, a lot of this is standard isekai stuff, and I rolled my eyes at the cheesecake color page of Aurelia designed to lure in the average LN reader who wants sex. (There is no sex.) But I think this is a step up from the first book. I particularly liked the relationship between Sonia and Aurelia. Sonia doesn’t dislike Aurelia, per se, but she knows that her entire persona is false, and so is wary of her. As for Aurelia, she’s a standard light novel type – no one ever saw me as anything but a tool, so I have turned into a doll rather than a human – but because Sonia sees a lot of Aurelia’s self-sacrificing nature in herself – let’s remember this is the girl who wanted to die so that her sister could move on with her life a book ago – Sonia is willing to help her as a friend, which includes taking the bullet. Something that horrifies Aurelia, but also forces her to get stronger and hopefully move on from her past (and her awful family, who we may meet in Book 3?).

So yeah, still not a must-read, but I found this pretty solid. And it’s Drecom, so you know it won’t be 17+ volumes.

The Bladesmith’s Enchanted Weapons, Vol. 5

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By Kazuma Ogiwara and CARIMARICA. Released in Japan as “Isekai Toushou no Maken Seisaku Gurashi” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ryan Burris.

While there are still bouts of humor in this series, it has not escaped my attention that each volume seems to be darker than the last, and this one was particularly dark. Dead adventurers, dead women and children, bandits everywhere, lots of justified hatred of nobles, and the realization that the city that our heroes live in really does have a lot of issues, and they’re desperately trying to force it to become a place that people might actually want to go. Which, frankly, it isn’t at the moment. The cast is also pretty static – we’ve met potential new characters, and one of them even returns in this book, but for the most part once we get to know them they leave the city. Hell, even Claudia threatens to take Lutz and go somewhere more welcoming. Though I suspect a lot of that is that she’s tired of Lutz throwing himself into deadly situations.

We open on a party of adventurers running from a zombie, and when one of them trips, the others… run away. She’s saved by Lutz, who happened to be in the dungeon and is also the main character, but she can’t rejoin that party. Fortunately, she finds another party… and then the exact same thing happens, only she is the one who runs while her new party are killed by a flame demon. She’s a mess. This flame demon has also massacred a village of carpenters Lutz worked with, and their village leader, Kevin, wants revenge. He’s a mess. And then there’s Djoser, head of the knights, such as they are, who is dealing with a bout of self-hatred, not at all helped by coming across bandits butchering everyone except an old merchant. He’s a mess. As for Lutz? He’s fine.

Well, OK, he’s not ALL fine. His beloved axe gets destroyed, but this allows him to make an even better katana with the remains. His main worry is that he keeps worrying Claudia, who loves Lutz a lot and very much does not want to keep being the good wifey who waits for her man to come home and worries he never will. She gets only one really good scene here, but it’s a pip, as she points out exactly how valuable she and Lutz are to the city and how much they’re starting to rely on him magically solving all their problems. We’re starting to see the Count trying to do something about it – creating a knight unit that not made of of noble rapists will help, though notably, even then they have to create a SECOND knight unit and leave the dissolute first one, as they all have connections. Better roads would help, but the bandit problem is not going away, and since the bandits just seems to be “those damn nobles”, it may take a more complicated fix than any of our leads can do. There’s good worldbuilding here, but the world is hard.

This remains one of my favorite new light novel titles, but it can be very grim. There are no easy solutions.

Manga the Week of 8/5/26

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SEAN: August comes, as it must to all men and manga.

ASH: Must it, really?

SEAN: Ablaze Manga has a 6th and final volume of Centaurs.

Airship has a print debut. Space Orc: Barbarian Raider of the Stars, Aiming for the Queen! (Space Orc: Banzoku no Senshi wa Yoake no Ten wo Kake Joou wo Nerau) is pretty much what it sounds like. Can a guy make a name for himself enough to marry the Queen, even though he’s an orc?

ASH: At the very least, he’s going to give it a go.

SEAN: Also in print: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! Short Story Collection, Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 14, and Reincarnated As a Sword 19.

ASH: So much reincarnation these days!

SEAN: And for early digital we see Classroom of the Elite: Year 3 2 and Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 7.

Drawn & Quarterly has the 4th The Legend of Kamui omnibus.

ASH: Absolutely here for this one! I’m loving the series.

SEAN: Ghost Ship gives us The Cuckolding Wizard’s Adventure 3 and Virgin Ventures: The Hilarious Hijinks of Erotic Amateurs 3.

Graphix debuts Crescent Moon Marching (Mikazuki March), a seinen manga from Manga Action. This is hardcover and in full color. Do you like band manga but wish they were more dramatic and serious? This is for you.

MICHELLE: It might be for me!

ASH: Same! I’ve been looking forward to this one.

ANNA: Sounds interesting!

SEAN: J-Novel Club’s new light novels include Ascendance of a Bookworm Fanbook 8, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 20, Hell Mode 12, The Isle of Paramounts: Reborn into a Slow Life Among the Strongest in the World 4, and Return of the Corpse King: Reining in My Cringe Secret Society 2.

For manga they give us All Eyes on Nekoyashiki-kun! Notice Me, Not My Characters 2 and Mercedes and the Waning Moon: The Dungeoneering Feats of a Discarded Vampire Aristocrat 5.

Kodansha Manga has, in print, Love Out on a Limb 3, MF Ghost 4, Marrying the Dark Knight (For Her Money) 2, My Noisy Roommate: The Roof Over My Head Comes with Monsters and a Hottie 5, Secondhand Sisters 2, Stella Must Die 2, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Trinity in Tempest 11, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 21, and Wind Breaker 22.

And digitally we get Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 14 (the final volume), Otherworldly Munchkin: Let’s Speedrun the Dungeon with Only 1 HP! 14, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 22 (the final volume).

Nakama Press gives us Infini-T Force 9.

One Peace Books has the 2nd volume of My New Devil Wife.

Seven Seas opens with some danmei. Little Mushroom is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi series about a mushroom posing as a man and his tortured relationship with an assassin. It says new translation and illustrations, so someone put this out before, but Seven Seas now has it.

MICHELLE: Oh, another Peach Flower House rescue. (They also had Golden Terrace, originally.) I’ve heard very good things about this.

ASH: Likewise! I’m intensely curious.

SEAN: There’s also the third and final volume of The Villain’s White Halo.

In “Chinese novel but not BL”, we get Hidden Love. A 13-year-old falls for her brother’s college roommate, but nothing happens, presumably as she’s 13. Years later, she’s in college and he’s a teacher. Can a different taboo romance work better?

ASH: Oh, my.

SEAN: The first manga debut is Girl Meets Rock! (Futsuu no Keion-bu). A Shonen Jump + series, this appears to be the K-On! of the 2020s.

ASH: I do enjoy a good music manga.

Magic Repo Man: Dumped by My Party, I’ll Cash In With a Cute Support Fairy to Become the Strongest! (Kashita Maryoku wa “Revolving Barai” de Kyousei Choushuu: Youzumi to Party Tsuihousareta Ore wa, Kawaii Support Yousei to Issho ni Toritateta Maryoku wo Unyoushite Saikyou wo Mezasu) is, well, look at the title. It runs in Comic Meteor. No, the LN isn’t licensed.

Also from Seven Seas: BOSS, BXTCH, BABY 3, Checkmate 4, Everything for Demon King Evelogia 2, Himegasaki Sakurako Is a Hot Mess 5, His Little Amber 2 (the final volume), I Won’t Let Mistress Suck My Blood 3, Idol x Idol Story 6, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout 10, Only I Know the World Is Ending and Getting Killed by Rampaging Beasts Only Makes Me Stronger 6, Rozen Maiden Collector’s Edition 6, Sacrifice of My Manly Soul 4 (the final volume), and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 9.

Square Enix Books has a 10th print volume of The Apothecary Diaries light novel.

ASH: Excellent.

SEAN: Square Enix Manga debuts The Princess Groom (Belle Poupée no Super Darling Konyaku: “Konomi ja Nai” to Iwareta Ningyohime, Gaman wo Yametara Ouji ga Deredere ni Natta. Jitsu ni Ui!). As you can tell by the Japanese title, it’s based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. A meek, waifish young woman regularly uses a magic ring to transform into a hot, confident guy. Alas, her fiancé isn’t into her… till he finds out she does this. Then he is. (No, it’s not BL, he’s more into her domming him.) This runs in Manga Up!.

ASH: I’ll admit to being intrigued.

ANNA: I mean I guess it is a little different!

SEAN: Steamship has the 5th volume of The Trapped Former Villainess Wants to Escape from the Sadistic Prince.

Two Tokyopop debuts. Spicy Milk Candy is, try to contain your surprise, a BL one-shot that ran in from RED. Two guys in high school have a sweet, loving relationship… till it turns out they’re really into S&M.

Walking in Your Tracks (Boku ga Aruku Kimi no Kiseki) is a new BL series that runs in Freyja Comics. A wheelchair-using writer pushes everyone who tries to help him away, but his new caregiver knows just what to do.

MICHELLE: Hm.

SEAN: Also from Tokyopop: My New Wife’s Fake Smile 4 and On-the-Job Training 2.

Two Viz debuts. Daydream Darling (Yume ka Utsutsu ka) is the latest from Io Sakisaka, and it runs in Betsuma. A shy girl avoids her classmates and prefers to talk to the handsome upperclassman she knows from the library. Then her secret is revealed…

MICHELLE: Not that I’ve ever managed to finish an Io Sakisaka series, but this does sound appealing.

ANNA: I have finished an Io Sakisaka series! Curious about this!

SEAN: The Marshal King is the latest from Boichi, and it runs in Shonen Jump +. It’s a steampunk Western drawn by Boichi, that should tell you everything you need to know.

ASH: It does say a lot.

ANNA: Is steampunk back????

SEAN: Also from Viz: Black Clover 37, Blue Box 21, The Bugle Call: Song of War 8, Colette Decides to Die 8, D.Gray-man 29 (first volume since 2023), Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai 7, The Elusive Samurai 21, Ichi the Witch 4, Kagurabachi 8, Kaiju No. 8: Relax 3, Kaze Hikaru 34, and Shinobi Undercover 2.

MICHELLE: Annual Kaze Hikaru celebration!

ASH: Huzzah!

ANNA: Yay!!!

SEAN: Always nice to see the annual Kaze Hikaru, on schedule to end in North America in 2037. What else are you getting?