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Sean Gaffney

Manga the Week of 7/19/23

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SEAN: Warning: Yen Press week.

ASH: The heads up is appreciated.

SEAN: In fact, we start with Yen On. They have several debuts… well, and sort-of debuts. Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! Fantastic Days (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! Fantastic Days!), a spinoff written by the author of Reborn As a Vending Machine, who has done several KonoSuba spinoff LNs, all unlicensed. This is licensed, probably as it’s based on a game also coming out in the West soon. It’s… well, a standard KonoSuba story.

Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World: Secret File (Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjō, Arui wa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen Secret File) is a short story spinoff of the main series, with 100% more wacky and 100% less weird cliffhangers.

The Samurai and the Prisoner (Kokurōjō) is a novel, rather than a light novel, written by an author best known for Hyouka, and this new book has won awards. It’s a historical mystery novel revolving around a real-life person, Kuroda Kanbei.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

ANNA: Hmm, this does sound interesting.

ASH: Oh! Yes, it does!

SEAN: Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop (Cider no Yō ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru) is based on a movie, and we also saw the manga last month. It’s the same plot as every other Japanese anime movie ever since Your Name came out.

ASH: I thought it sounded familiar.

SEAN: They also have The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) 10, Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway 4, Ishura 4, Magical Explorer: Reborn as a Side Character in a Fantasy Dating Sim 5, Overlord 16, Sabikui Bisco 5, Solo Leveling 8, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 11, and The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 7.

Debuting from Yen Press is I Want to Be a Receptionist in This Magical World (Mahousekai no Uketsukejou ni Naritai desu!), a shoujo manga from Flos Comic based on a light novel that J-Novel Club released here as The Sorcerer’s Receptionist. Nunnally is a first-rate mage, but she’s going to be a receptionist who helps others. There’s just one problem… the annoying guy in class is always better than her at everything!

Imitation is a manwha, but not based on a webcomic or webnovel, which means it’s not on the Ize Press imprint. An idol humiliates herself on a talk show… and now a member of the top male idol group is angry with her!

ANNA: Oh no!

SEAN: My Mate Is a Feline Gentleman (Boku no Tsugai wa Neko Shinshi) is an A/B/O title (should that be a separate genre from BL?) about an omega hired by a beastman, who turns out to be appalled at the way omegas are treated in Japan. Is our hero finally going to have people be nice while having sex with him?

Saint? No! I’m Just a Passing Beast Tamer!: The Invincible Saint and the Quest for Fluff (Seijo-sama? Iie, Toorisugari no Mamono Tsukai desu! – Zettai Muteki no Seijo wa Mofumofu to Tabi wo suru), which is another manga based on a light novel J-Novel Club is already putting out. This runs in Comic Walker, and is about a girl who is determined to NOT be the Saint that will save the world.

Secrets of the Silent Witch (Silent Witch – Chinmoku no Majo no Kakushigoto) is the manga adaptation of a light novel that Yen puts out themselves. It’s from B’s Log Comic, and is about an introverted but extremely powerful witch forced to be the secret bodyguard to a prince.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer! Official Comic Anthology is a collection by various artists of short manga based around the popular series.

ASH: It’s been a while since I’ve thought of that franchise, but I had fun with it.

SEAN: The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) is a BL-ish manga that runs in Young Ace Up. Two boys have always been best friends… but one day one of them comes back from the mountainside… and he’s DIFFERENT. I am not sure if The Summer Hikaru Died is the same time as The Night Chicago Died. Probably not.

MICHELLE: Glory be!

ASH: I’ve heard very good things about this one.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 5, The Beginning After the End 3, Black Butler 32, The Boxer 3, Bungo Stray Dogs Wan! 5, Call the Name of the Night 2, Can’t Stop Cursing You 4 (the final volume), Cheeky Brat 7, Coffee Moon 3, Dead Mount Death Play 9, The Eminence in Shadow 7, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger 9, Goblin Slayer 12, Hinowa Ga CRUSH! 8 (the final volume), Hirano and Kagiura 3, Horimiya Memorial Book Page. 100 (an art book), I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 3, In Another World with My Smartphone 9, Kakegurui Twin 13, Kowloon Generic Romance 4, Love and Heart 8, Love of Kill 12, Mint Chocolate 8, My Gently Raised Beast 3, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 6, Run on Your New Legs 5 (the final volume), Shadows House 4, Shy 3, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 13, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 18, Touring After the Apocalypse 3, What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? 2, Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion 4, and The World After the Fall 3.

MICHELLE: I continually forget Black Butler is still going.

ANNA: 32 volumes is something!

SEAN: It’s OK, you can come out now, Yen is done. On to Viz. Continuing their partnership with Marvel, we get Marvel Comics: A Manga Tribute, an artbook featuring several famous Japanese artists drawing Marvel characters.

ASH: I’ll have to see who all contributed to this one.

SEAN: Viz also has Boy’s Abyss 2, Dark Gathering 2, Record of Ragnarok 7, Seraph of the End 27, and Undead Unluck 12.

Udon Entertainment has Record of Lodoss War: The Crown of the Covenant 2.

Square Enix Manga has The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 4 and My Dress-Up Darling 9.

Seven Seas debuts The Great Snake’s Bride (Daija ni Totsuida Musume), a horror manga from Comic Marche. This has won awards, and is apparently very dark and filled with interesting themes, but I will just say that it is about a marriage between a woman and a giant snake.

ASH: I’ll readily admit that I’m intrigued.

SEAN: There’s also Bite Maker: The King’s Omega 8, The Dangers in My Heart 6, The Evil Secret Society of Cats 3, Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten 3, My Senpai is Annoying 10, Namekawa-san Won’t Take a Licking! 4 (the final volume), The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 2, and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 9.

Kodansha Books has Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement 2, the third volume in the series. (The first was an omnibus of the first two Japanese novels because it was a license rescue, so this will not be going away.)

Kodansha Manga has no debuts, but has some print. We get Attack on Titan Omnibus 11, A Condition Called Love 4, FAIRY TAIL: 100 Years Quest 13, The Great Cleric 4, Phantom of the Idol 6 (look, Kodansha is now putting out ebooks 1-2 weeks before print, and it’s confusing), When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 12, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 5.

Digitally they’ve got Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 6, Blue Lock 20, Gamaran 11, Medalist 7, Messiah -CODE EDGE- 2, Small Nozomi and Big Yume 3 (the final volume), Ya Boy Kongming! 12, and You’re My Cutie 6.

MICHELLE: I need to get caught up with Blue Lock and Medalist. I enjoyed what I’ve read of both very much.

ANNA: I need to order Blue Lock for one of my kids, I’m likely going to start collecting Medalist in print.

SEAN: The debut from J-Novel Club is Stuck in a Time Loop: When All Else Fails, Be a Villainess (Loop kara Nukedasenai Akuyaku Reijō wa, Akiramete Sukikatte Ikirukoto ni Kimemashita). For once, we have a nice girl who, after being killed over and over for not having the RIGHT power, decides to give up and be a villainess. That’ll go well.

ASH: It usually does.

SEAN: There’s also A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills! 2, The Game Master Has Logged In to Another World 3, Holmes of Kyoto 15, I’m Capped at Level 1?! Thus Begins My Journey to Become the World’s Strongest Badass! 2, Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 5, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 9, and Seventh 4.

Ghost Ship has Desire Pandora 4 and Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 10.

And Airship, in print, has The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 8 and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 6.

While in early digital, if they can get the retailer links up in time, we should see Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 14 and Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 3.

Tired. Manga? Buy?

Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta, Vol. 3

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By Toshizou and Kuro Shina. Released in Japan as “Yuri no Ma ni Hasamareta Watashi ga, Ikioi de Futamata Shite Shimatta” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Tristan K. Hill.

Either this book is wearing me down or I have an undiagnosed concussion injury, because I did not find this third volume of Yuri Tama nearly as annoying as I did the previous two. There are a couple good reasons for that, of course. The godawful incest plotline that plagued the second book seems to have been quietly shelved, and Yotsuba’s sisters, while still overly affectionate, have dialed themselves back. Yotsuba’s self-loathing is still very, very prevalent in everything she says, but at least her girlfriends are now telling her to stop doing that, so we’re getting there. Koganezaki continues to represent the reader’s frustrations, and is awesome. And, of course, there’s a ridiculous new love interest, but frankly, it’s handled about as well as can be expected, given that the premise of this series is Yotsuba doing something amazingly foolish and every other woman in the cast thinking “God, I can’t not fuck her”.

Yotsuba has only just managed to recover from the events of the second book and is trying to quietly enjoy the rest of her summer break, but then her sisters bring stunning news: the idol Maki Amagi is taking a leave of absence from show business. Her sisters are devastated, Yotsuba is nonplussed. Who? Then suddenly a new girl moves into the house next door. No prizes for guessing who it is. It turns out that Maki Amagi is really Makina Oda, who was childhood best friends with Yotsuba before she had to move away. As Yotsuba tries to process this, Makina asks a favor: the paparazzi think she’s dating a guy, so to throw them off the trail, can she pretend to be dating Yotsuba? Yotsuba is immediately taken in by this story that does not sound remotely fake, but how will her actual girlfriends react?

I’ve mentioned this before, but given it’s one of the most notable things about her, I’ll mention it again. When Yotsuba turns off her self-doubt and constant second guessing brain and just goes with the flow, she manages to be a fantastic romantic partner. On her date to the aquarium with Makina, we see this in action, and we also see what’s obvious to everyone but Yotsuba: the “paparazzi” thing was just an excuse, she’s been in love with Yotsuba since she was five years old. The series revels in its cliches (we get the good old “childhood marriage promise” here), but honestly things are handled about as well as I could have expected them to be. Yotsuba has a heart to heart with Rinka and Yuna (followed by offscreen sex with Rinka and Yuna – Yotsuba worries she’ll be terrible in bed, but honestly, given her personality and general vibe when moving on instinct, I think she’ll be a natural) and is still in love with them, but Makina is very much still in the picture.

There’s no fourth book yet, but the author is hopeful, and says it will focus on Koganezaki (who might get to be part of the only yuri pairing in the book that doesn’t involve Yotsuba). Till then, this is very silly but fun, especially if you ignore Yotsuba’s parade of insecurities in her narration.

Pick of the Week: Hitting People Very Hard

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MICHELLE: I know nothing about Teppu other than the fact that it’s sports manga, which is enough for me to award it my pick this week.

SEAN: I also know nothing about Teppu, but boy did it excite some people whose opinions I respect, so we’ll go with it.

ASH: I still am print-preferred, so my pick of the week goes to the debut of the Tearmoon Empire manga, but I’m definitely interested in Teppu!

KATE: I’m going to put in a word for Phantom of the Idol, which is the perfect beach read. Six volumes in, it’s still silly, fizzy, and fun, demanding little of the reader other than the willingness to chuckle at a decent sight gag or a music industry joke.

A Royal Rebound: Forget My Ex-Fiancé, I’m Being Pampered by the Prince!, Vol. 2

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By Micoto Sakurai and Kuroyuki. Released in Japan as “Konyakusha ga Uwakiaite to Kakeochi Shimashita. Ōji Denka ni Dekiaisarete Shiawase nanode, Ima sara Modoritai to Iwarete mo Komarimasu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by A. M. Cola.

Villainess books (and I’m including the separate subgenre of “not reincarnated but still a noble lady whose engagement is broken” there) tend to fall into “hard mode” or “easy mode”. “Hard mode” are books like I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, where our heroine is constantly threatened with death and execution if they put even one foot wrong, and each volume is flying by the seat of the pants. Easy mode is generally the Cinderella sort of story, where our heroine’s prearranged marriage was really dreadful and she’s immediately snapped up by a much better catch, and the rest of the book is just “how much happier she is now”. A Royal Rebound is definitely in the easy category, to the point where it may even be the “here’s how you play the game” tutorial. Even when we get our heroine put into mortal danger here, her fiance comes along and can fix things relatively quickly.

Amelia is still in seventh heaven as we start Book 2. She’s now engaged to Sarge, the third prince, and the two of them can spend all day (and night… and some of the next day) doing nothing but research agriculture till they drop. Yeah, it’s that kind of relationship – these two don’t even kiss. Nevertheless, she has Sarge, and the royal family, all of whom adore her. Being part of the royal family also means that she is now being asked to go on diplomatic missions, including one to the nearby kingdom of Janaki, who are also having agricultural issues but lack the magic powers that most folks in Bedeiht have. Of course, the kingdom of Janaki is dangerously close to the Beltz Empire, where Amelia was almost kidnapped to last volume by her ex-fiance. But surely there won’t be a second kidnapping, right?

Again, this book is super relaxed. The princess of Janaki, who is the fiancee of one of the other princes, appears like she might be a spoiled brat who’s fallen in love with someone else… but no, it’s OK, she’s just being brainwashed. In reality, she’s like every other woman in this book, sweet as pie and ready to dedicate everything to the nation. Hell, even the bad guy, who comes in with a hate on for the entire nation state, ends up being convinced that her mother really didn’t abandon him out of choice and that he really was loved, and turns around. Even Reese, Amelia’s ex-fiance… well, OK, no, Reese still stays in prison. There are limits. But Amelia thinks about what a shame it is his Earth magic can’t be of use to the country going forward. This is a nice series to read, but its main fault is that it’s so idealistic it squeaks.

But again, that’s probably why folks bought it. I suspect this is the final volume (if there is a third, it might just be a pile of weddings in a row), but if so it’s just really… nice. In a good way. Mostly.

Bookshelf Briefs 7/9/23

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Bakemonogatari, Vol. 18 | By NISIOISIN and Oh!great | Kodansha Manga – I hadn’t been reviewing the manga version of Bakemonogatari, as, while stylistically fantastic, it was pretty much an adaptation of the source I’ve already reviewed. The manga is ending with the Tsubasa Cat arc, though, and Oh!great is trying to cram in everything he can before it ends. So we pause in the middle of the arc for all of Koyomi Vamp, the arc that came after it. We also see Nadeko meeting up with Kaiki, the swindler, resolving her own plotline rather than having him meet Karen in the Nisemonogatari series. It makes the series more interesting, as I wasn’t sure where it would go next. Still only recommended for ecchi manga fans, but it’s great if you’re one of them. – Sean Gaffney

Horimiya, Vol. 16 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – The final volume took almost two years to get here after the previous one, and I admit that I started to forget who the cast was (perhaps the upcoming anime sequel will help). The book is basically half the ending of the main series and half prequels and sequels. The main story revolves around Miyamura, who has an alternate universe sequence about his bleak life if he’d never met Hori, and comes to terms with his new self. The sequel involves Hori’s little brother, now in high school, and the girl who was his childhood friend, who is rather troubled by the lack of interest she seems to get. The prequel is how Hori’s parents met, which is hilarious. And hey, no S&M gags! I will miss this, though it went on too long. – Sean Gaffney

Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 7 | By Nene Yukimori | Viz Media – I really like how much Kubo and Shiraishi impact each other. Kubo’s impact is more obvious, as Shiraishi is getting more and more “visible” and also showing his emotions more, but he’s also being there for Kubo when she’s vulnerable—which, as we see, she is when she’s not teasing Shiraishi. Something about the two of them brings out their best sides, and it’s really sweet to see. The rest of this book is pretty much “aw, look, this is adorable” over and over, with tons of hot blushing action, and minimal romantic success, as it’s fairly clear these two won’t confess till the very last chapter. Oh well, it’s fun to see then interact cutely with each other. – Sean Gaffney

Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 2 | By Wataru Yoshizumi | Seven Seas – I have a confession to make. When I first read Marmalade Boy, I hated Miwa. Hated Hated Hated him. Hated his smug little face. And I was really irritated when he was coming on strong to Meiko, because after all, she had… her teacher… look, I was much younger and stupider, OK? Obviously the Nacchan plotline reads horribly today, and I wish I could say it ends here. Sadly, that doesn’t make me like Miwa, but at least I will try to be nicer to him. That said, at this point he’s less Nacchan’s romantic rival than he is Miki’s, as “oh my god are they… gay?” is another plotline here that hasn’t aged particularly well. As for Ginta and Arimi, we’re starting to see they’re perfect for each other, even if they don’t. Still happy this is here again. – Sean Gaffney

May I Ask for One Final Thing?, Vol. 2 | By Nana Otori and Sora Hoonoki | AlphaPolis (digital only) – Have to admit, this author knows that this series has one (1) gimmick, and they are here to milk it for all that it is worth. That said, we cannot see Scarlet punching jerks in the face for 167 pages, as that would be an artbook, not a manga. There is a real plot here, which mostly features Scarlet and Julius breaking up a slave auction using a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence. Gotta say, the main reason to get this is that it’s simply funny, and Scarlet is a badass. And we also get more proof this is a villainess book—the “heroine” is a reincarnation. That said, I’ll have to wait till the third book to see how Scarlet punches that problem away. – Sean Gaffney

My Engagement Got Broken Off (lol), Vol. 1 | By Yoshiki Takemoto and Daifuku Ikura | AlphaPolis (digital only) – Another series along the same lines as May I Ask One Final Thing?, this feels like a combination of that and some of Cross Infinite World’s titles. Elise is absolutely delighted that her engagement is broken off, as she knows exactly what being married to the prince will entail—being a broodmare. What’s more, she doesn’t need to directly exact revenge, as she has a doting family who are perfectly willing to do that for her. So instead, she decides to work on making food better in this light novel world she’s reincarnated in, one where soy sauce literally grows on trees. If you enjoyed the other Alphapolis villainess book, you’ll like this one. – Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 48 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – It’s been a while since I’ve really been able to appreciate Kyoko’s acting abilities, so I really enjoyed the scene where her character gets a fantastic action scene, showing off her physicality as well as her emotions. Meanwhile, this being Skip Beat!, there’s a new eccentric creator to deal with, and he’s reminding everyone of Tuxedo Mask. And it’s nice to see something good FINALLY happen to Kanae. But yes, it’s the end of this volume that folks will talk about, with Ren putting a full court press on to try to get past Kyoko’s broken love-ometer. I really hope he can do it, but I’m not optimistic, because at the moment I think this is Hakusensha’s flagship series, so I doubt it’s ending soon. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 13 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – It’s fun to see how these two still manage to make the other one swoon. For Sumika it’s the times when Ikuma is just honest about his pure and strong love, using a straightforward manner that she can’t quite pull off. For Ikuma it turns out to be when Sumika takes the lead, and is more active during sex, something that he finds incredibly arousing but also (since it involves admitting he’s submissive) hard for him to say. We even get a bit of drama, as a trip to Hokkaido goes south when, due to various wacky manga accidents, Ikuma is lost and without a phone. Still finding ways to make me smile, even as it also tries to find ways to make the reader horny. – Sean Gaffney

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte: Disc EX

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By Suzu Enoshima and Eihi. Released in Japan as “Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endo-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Minna Lin.

The “Disc EX” should tell you exactly what you’re getting with this volume. This is not a new volume in the series per se, nor is it a sequel or a side story. Even as a collection of short stories, that description feels inadequate. It’s the sort of bonus content you get when a game has done well and the creators are taking a victory lap. It’s not going to have any drama or threats – indeed, the one scene where there is a brief threat of actual consequences is quickly resolved by simply deciding to ignore the problem. Instead, you get exactly what you want from a fan disc – more of the cast being themselves. More of Lieselotte being tsundere, more of Sieg being overwhelmed by how cute she is, more of Endo and Kobayashi narrating out loud (even when they’re in the actual world itself). You don’t have to read this. But it will bring a smile to your face.

The goddess Lirenna has made things so that Endo and Kobayashi can be there on the day that Lieselotte and Siegwald’s wedding day, as we saw in the final scene of the 2nd book. They have most of the whole day there, so while there they ask about various things they didn’t see or missing pieces from the first two books. We hear about Lieselotte’s Memoir, which here is a simple diary of her last few years but in the fan disc at the end of the game Endo and Kobayashi played it was a dark chapter that showed you what Lieselotte was really like and drove home the tragedy. (We don’t get excerpts from the bad diary, that would be depressing, and against the premise of this book). After various short stories show off the supporting cast, the two are wed, and Endo and Kobayashi return to Japan permanently – except the game now has a video epilogue from its cast.

As I hinted above, the most interesting part of the book is where Endo and Kobayashi express surprise that Fiene gave in and got engaged so fast, as they know that she’s suffering from subconscious trauma due to being Eve and having her husband (Adam, aka Baldur) murdered in front of her by Kuon. They debate telling her about this, but realize that there’s really no good reason to do so, and a few good reasons they should not, so they just… don’t. I appreciated this. No need to lift lids off cans of worms. I was also amused at the side story devoted to Leon, and why he showed up with everyone at the final battle. The cast are all frustrated that they don’t know why, but we all know why – he’s madly in love with Fiene’s mother. I suspect he might eventually wear her down, but this is – again – a fun little bonus that readers know about but most of the cast don’t, which fits the fan disc theme.

I’d have liked more about Endo and Kobayashi’s relationship – they’re on first name basis now, but that’s about it – but this is fine. As a volume likely only commissioned because of the anime, it does its job quite well, and fans should be pleased.

An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, Vol. 16

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By Fuminori Teshima and COMTA. Released in Japan as “Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki.

These books are getting increasingly hard to review, as there’s simply not much that’s left in terms of “dangling plotline” beyond one or two minor things introduced here. Zagan has gotten to the point where he’s ready to propose to Nephy, and has a ring, but a) is waiting for Nephy to be emotionally prepared for a proposal, and b) has to use the ring as a magic tool when battling a demon. Barbatos and Chastille are still trapped in tsundere hell, but are at least able to go out on dates now, and it won’t be long before they manage to somehow get married while denying it to the last breath in their bodies. The only real ongoing new plot of interest is Asmodeus, who, as predicted, is trying to pretend that the whole Lily thing didn’t affect her, but it totally did.There’s also getting spirits out of angelic swords, but unless we meet any of these spirits, I don’t care.

Chastille’s birthday is coming up soon, and Barbatos is *so* bad at romance that Gremory actually asks another archdemon for help, Vepar. Vepar would rather chew glass, as he regards Barbatos as evil and thinks Chastille is being forced into this, but after a while hanging around Barbatos he starts to get the picture – Barbatos is just lame. Vepar, meanwhile, wants a chance to fight his former master Asmodeus. While this is going on, Barbatos is also approached by Astrologian Eligor, who is trying to recruit Barbatos to switch sides and fight against Zagan. Most of what follows is a string of wacky misunderstandings. While this is going on, actual demons have been appearing in the country more and more, and both Zagan and Asmodeus are trying to stop it. Though Zagan’s may be hard, as it’s 10.000 demons standing on each other wearing a trenchcoat.

There’s nothing really wrong with this volume. The humor is funny if you like tsunderes. The couples are cute, though I’m less fond of Selphy, Lilth and Furcas’ love triangle, possibly as I suspect Selphy will end up on the losing side of it. Zagan gets to do cool things, Nephy gets to do cool things. And another innocent kid walks down an alleyway when they hear a noise, which has happened in this series already about four times, and I feel the need to remind the populace about taking basic safety lessons. But while there’s nothing wrong with the book, it’s not exciting either. It’s there to incrementally move things along, but it has the air of “I can drag this out as long as my publisher lets me”, and it’s starting to show. The manga spinoff that just started probably isn’t helping.

So fans of the series should read this, but don’t be surprised if you, like me, feel a bit tired of the whole thing.

The Apothecary Witch Turned Divorce Agent, Vol. 2

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By Kosuzu Kobato and Yasuyuki Syuri. Released in Japan as “Kusushi no Majo Desu ga, Nazeka Fukugyō de Rikon Daikō Shiteimasu” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

When reviewing the 2nd volume of The 100th Time’s the Charm, I talked about all the ways that it was a good example of how NOT to do a 2nd novel for a series that seemed pretty wrapped up with the first, and suggested that it might be because DRE didn’t want a lot of one-shots to start their novel line. Feeling a bit guilty about that, I’m happy to say that the 2nd volume of The Apothecary Witch Turned Divorce Agent is a good example of how the author SHOULD do this. It gives us a lot more details about Carla’s past, but also leaves us a lot of mysteries still to solve. It also touches on Thane’s past, and why he has such a mad-on about witches. Both characters still flirt by being sarcastic at each other, and are mostly unaware of their own feelings – at least Carla is. Basically, if you read the first book and thought “more of this, please”, good news.

It’s the time of the year when all witches have to convene at a secret spot for their annual convention, and much to Carla’s annoyance that includes her. Thane wants to go with her, as he wants to ask the Fortune-Telling Witch, who used to be the Foresight Witch, about his past – as the Foresight Witch was supposedly related to the death of his father and downfall of his family. He can’t go to the convention itself, but Carla mentions it, and said witch agrees to meet with Thane after Carla does a job for her – and yes, it’s another divorce request. A noblewoman is not only puzzled why her husband and father-in-law are conspiring late at night, but lately she’s been unable to move out of bed at night to check. Is this a genuinely bad marriage that will allow Carla to successfully negotiate a divorce at last? What do you think?

There’s a subplot here involving the Queen from the first book, and how she turns out to be tied to Carla’s past far closer than we’d imagined. We do learn a lot about it, but it’s mostly along the lines of “this was no accident, it was murder”, which honestly is such a non-surprise I’m not even worried about spoilering it. It does help us get a lot more insight about why Carla is the way she is. On the magic side, it’s fairly clear that her magic is suppressed in some way, likely due to emotional trauma and memory loss, and no doubt when she regains her memories she will become a lot more powerful. On the personality side, everything I like about Carla’s attitude is also a major flaw – she has almost no regard for her own person or safety, barely eats at the best of times, and does not understand why this is odd at all. It’s no surprise that Thane’s sullen personality is explained very well in this book, while Carla is the ongoing story.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and I enjoyed this book just as much. I’m really hoping for more, this is one of the best DRE licenses.

Manga the Week of 7/12/23

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SEAN: (bad white blues singer voice) Well I woke up this morning, with some manga near my bed…

Airship has lots of print. Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 5, Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 19, The Haunted Bookstore – Gateway to a Parallel Universe 6, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 4.

ASH: Always a fan of print!

SEAN: And there’s an early digital release for Loner Life in Another World 6.

Ghost Ship gives us Parallel Paradise 14.

It’s print week for J-Novel Club! Debuting is the manga version of Tearmoon Empire, which is just as good as the novels. It runs in Comic Corona.

ASH: I should give this a look.

SEAN: We also see Ascendance of a Bookworm 19, the 5th Infinite Dendrogram manga omnibus, and the 4th Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles manga omnibus.

ASH: I’ve got some catching up to do with Ascendance of a Bookworm, but I do really enjoy the series.

SEAN: Digitally J-Novel Club has Black Summoner 13, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Sui’s Great Adventure 4, Earl and Fairy 2, The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 3, VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream 5, Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 2, and Yuri Tama: From Third Wheel to Trifecta 3.

Kodansha has no debuts, but we do see print volumes for A Galaxy Next Door 5, SHAMAN KING: FLOWERS 3, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 3, and Twilight Out of Focus 2.

The digital debut is one that made anime fandom very happy when it quietly appeared on bookstore sites. Teppu ran in good! Afternoon about 15 years ago, and is about mixed martial arts, which means it’s filled with very well-drawn hot teenagers beating the hell out of each other. That said, I hear this is more character-driven than, say, Baki the Grappler is.

MICHELLE: I’m always willing to give a new sports manga series a chance!

ANNA: Hmmmm…..

ASH: Count me curious!

SEAN: And also digitally we have Ace of the Diamond 44, The Fable 16, Gang King 7, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 14, A Kiss with a Cat 6 (the final volume), Life 2: Giver/Taker 5, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 7, Phantom of the Idol 6, and Watari-kun’s ****** Is About to Collapse 14.

One Peace Books has the 8th manga volume of The Reprise of the Spear Hero.

From Seven Seas we get BARBARITIES III, Cinderella Closet 2, Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 6, I Get the Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me 3, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 3, MoMo -the blood taker- 5, My Girlfriend’s Child 2, My New Life as a Cat 2, My [Repair] Skill Became a Versatile Cheat, So I Think I’ll Open a Weapon Shop 4, and No Longer Allowed In Another World 3.

Square Enix Manga has The Apothecary Diaries 8 and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 13.

ASH: The Apothecary Diaries is another series I enjoy but need to catch up on.

SEAN: SuBLime has Finder Deluxe Edition 12 and The World’s Greatest First Love 16.

ASH: I’ll admit, I’d forgotten that both of these series were ongoing.

SEAN: Tokyopop gives us a 2nd volume of Sengoku Youko.

Udon Entertainment has Persona 4 Arena 3 (the final volume).

Viz debuts Disney Twisted-Wonderland, based on the Japanese game, and running in GFantasy. Yu is at a magical academy… despite having no magic. And no way to leave campus.

Also from Viz: Case Closed 87, Dandadan 4, Devil’s Candy 3, Fly Me to the Moon 18, Helck 4, Kaiju No. 8 7, Kirby Manga Mania 6, Mao 12, and Wolf Girl and Black Prince 2.

(bad white blues singer voice) I was asking what you were buying… and then a demon slayer from another world with a harem of catgirls cut me dead.

MICHELLE: *tosses a buck in Sean’s guitar case*

The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?!, Vol. 2

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By Yuji Yuji and Nami Hidaka. Released in Japan as “99-kai Danzaisareta Loop Reijō Desu ga Konse wa “Chōzetsu Aisare Mode” Desutte!?: Shinno Chikara ni Mezamete Hajimaru 100-kaime no Jinsei” by DRE Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Stephanie Liu.

Despite what a lot of writers will tell you, it’s pretty easy to write some more of what you’ve already written. When you’ve done a volume, introduced the character, the situation, etc. you can think of some ways to extend it out, add another subplot, new villain, etc. This is especially true if your publisher is brand new to the light novel market and does not want to have a bunch of single-volume series lest people think they’re failing. But honestly, sometimes the author has to take a step back, look at what they’ve already wrapped up in a satisfying manner, and say “I could write more. But do I *need* to write more? If I write another volume in the series, will it actively damage everything that I’ve created to date?” Unfortunately, we have a textbook example of that here, in a second volume of a series that really should have been a one-shot.

This is a book of two halves. The first half is fine. Alphina, who has mostly succeeded in running away from her suitors, infiltrates the school her brother Carl is attending to make sure he’s doing all right. She disguises herself as an assistant teacher, and the biggest problem she has is a classmate of Carl’s, Hipper, who seems to hate Carl for reasons that go beyond simple “jealousy” or the like. Alphina ends up uncovering a plot by religious cultists, which she is fortunately able to stop. Unfortunately, in doing so she reveals her identity, and has now been captured by the royal family and will be marrying the prince, someone that absolutely delights everyone except Alphina. This leads to the second half of the book, which is not fine.

I have complaints. The first volume found a good balance between “funny” and “annoying”, this second one tips it too far towards the latter. The comedy is so broad in places as to beggar belief. The use of the time loop, which frankly I thought was a gimmick we were done with after the first 10 pages of the first book, could actually have been clever were it not attached to the aforementioned annoying comedy, so it seems like a wasted opportunity. Most importantly, though, isn’t this supposed to be a romance? It’s a J-Novel Heart title, am I right? Why is it then, after two volumes, that every single love interest remains shallow at best and creepily possessive at worst? The book thankfully ends with a marriage averted for the moment, but the reader can’t help but agree with Alphina – marrying any of these zeebs would be a nightmare. Even the cover art has that “this is the final volume of a romance, let’s end on a wedding shot” art, except Alphina’s sweatdrop shows us she really, really doesn’t want to be here.

All this plus the return of a character I never wanted to see again. There’s room left for a third book in the series, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see one, but man, if you want to give Alphina a happy ending, try making the guys more than cardboard cutouts for the sake of the comedy.

My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex: “Just a Bit More Like This”

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By Kyosuke Kamishiro and TakayaKi. Released in Japan as “Mamahaha no Tsurego ga Motokano datta” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Gierrlon Dunn.

I’ve talked a lot about the fact that this is in many ways a very typical Japanese high school romcom. There’s an obvious winning couple. But there’s also a second, losing love interest who is far more interesting than the main one, mostly because she has no filter whatsoever. Isana would be a nightmare to deal with in real life, as Mizuto and Yume have both observed, but as fiction she’s wonderful. And there’s also the fact that these are all teenagers, about 17 years old, and they are seriously horny. And this series has never been shy about its fanservice, having a very, very high “count the number of times the main characters think about breast size” ratio. This only increases with this book, as we get a new supporting cast when Yume joins the student council. There’s a cute-first year who’s short but stacked. There’s a spunky second-year who’s also… seemingly… top-heavy. Yume’s not small. Isana is very large. You get the ideqa. This book is for guys.

Yume is now on the student council, and is dealing with several things at once. The most normal is that the sports festival is coming up, and the council have to help out there. Also, one of the council members regards Yume taking first place as offensive, and declares herself a rival who will take first place in the next exams… even if that means studying a bit TOO hard. But most importantly, there’s Yume’s desire to try to break down Mizuto’s emotional walls. There’s humorous ways to try (which I’ll discuss below) and heartwarming ways, such as their joint birthday party, where we also learn that their parents actually met much earlier than either of them knew. That said… all of this may be for naught when Isana’s bra breaks during the sports festival and creates misunderstandings galore.

The funniest part of the book, if only as it has the most characters acting completely ludicrously, is where Yume gets advice on seducing Mizuto by taking a bath with him. This idea comes from Akatsuki, who does just this sort of this with Kawanami, but Yume does not really realize that Akatsuki is a TERRIBLE person to get seduction advice from. The scene almost turns heartwarming, but is also seriously funny, especially when Mizuto’s towel drops and… well, Yume’s not disappointed, at least. Other than that, Isana has pretty much resolved herself to being as blatantly forward as possible until Mizuto stops her, and most of the sexual humor in the book is hers. (Most of the painful comedy is hers as well – falling on your breasts while not wearing a bra and getting dragged along HURTS.) As for the main romantic relationship… baby steps. The presents were nice, but Mizuto is still not quite ready yet. This may take till graduation.

So yeah, another decent volume in this series. It won’t light a fire under you, but it’s cute and fun and has likeable leads.

Pick of the Week: Butterflies, Akitas and Tinies

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SEAN: I’ve been slacking on my new shoujo series, so Like a Butterfly seems like the perfect time to hop back on board.

MICHELLE: Like a Butterfly is definitely my top pick as well!

KATE: I’m excited for the next volume of Lovely Muco.

ANNA: I’m not going to pass up a chance to pick a new shoujo series, Like a Butterfly is my pick as well.

ASH: Well, since I likewise failed to mention anything about the release of Minami’s Lover last week, I feel like I need to make it my pick this week seeing as I’m always interested in Garo manga. (Though, if I’m picking a release from this week, Like a Butterfly is definitely the debut that has my attention.)

The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor, Vol. 2

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By Sasara Nagase and Mitsuya Fuji. Released in Japan as “Yarinaoshi Reijō wa Ryūtei Heika o Kōryaku-chū” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by piyo.

When I reviewed the first volume I mentioned that Cross Infinite World was putting it out a lot faster than they normally do their series, and the reason for that became apparent shortly after the release of the first volume over here: it’s getting an anime. It’s a good choice: I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss got a decent if not dazzling anime as well, and the audience for the two series is exactly the same. Not just because of the author, but the same basic themes are here as well. iris may be a Villainess reincarnated into a game, and Jill a young woman who travels back in time to fix her past mistakes, but as protagonists they’re both doing the exact same thing: improvising and being badass as the universe does its best to kill them over and over and over again. And in this second book we get another think it has in common with Final Boss: for every Villainess there’s a Heroine, and heroines in these series tend to be evil.

Hadis and Jill are on their way to the capital to meet the rest of his family. Sadly, on arriving there, he’s attacked, accused of being a fake, and his magic and Jill’s is sealed. Hadis is mostly fine with this, and tries to make the series into a Slow Life book, gardening and cooking delicious meals. Jill is not particularly happy with his, so she and Zeke (half of her bodyguard duo) go into a nearby town so that she can join the Dragon Knights and gain intel. Easier said than done – she’s got the combat skills, even without magic, but the reaction of dragons to her means that she’ relegated to squire duties – which also means getting bullied. We also meet Hadis’ siblings, who turn out to not be as bad as she thought… at first.

Reading this book can be a struggle. Not because it’s bad, I really enjoyed it, but because Jill’s life is such a high wire act that at any moment you expect her to die and for this to become a Re: Zero sort of time loop story. Things are not helped by the introduction of Princess Faris, Gerald’s younger sister. In the first book she had merely been one half of the “ew” part of the story, as we knew Gerald was sleeping with her and that she was frail but not much else. Here we see her younger self, who turns out to be doing much the same thing Jill is – and for many of the same reasons. Alas, this makes them mortal enemies, and the two pretty much hate each other on sight by the end of the book. Final Boss also had its “heroine” antagonist, but Faris looks to be a lot nastier than Lilia ever was.

This really is “if you like Final Boss, it’s more of the same”. But that’s good, as it means it’s just as addictive. Roll on Volume 3.

Re: ZERO ~Starting Life in Another World~, Vol. 22

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By Tappei Nagatsuki and Shinichirou Otsuka. Released in Japan as “Re: Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Dale DeLucia.

When I was reading this book, I mentioned on Twitter that if you removed all scenes where Subaru is essentially acting as the “tsukkomi” to every else that the book would be 100 pages shorter. That said, I know that one of the reasons we enjoy Subaru so much is that this is how he copes with things. He’s always had three ways of dealing: overcompensating, trauma response, and sarcasm, and he’s gotten much better on the first two but the third is ingrained. You’d think this would make him very one-note, but it doesn’t, because each of the characters that he reacts this way to is so different. The way Subaru responds to Emilia, mocking her while also acknowledging his adoration, is very different from how he has to deal with Shaula, the new character, which is a mix of disgust and “what the hell is going on?”. He has a type, but the range is larger than you’d think… until the cliffhanger, which promises to upend this a lot.

Having finally arrived at the tower, and gotten the comatose Rem and the injured Patlash to the medical bay, our heroes now have to deal with the fact that the Sage they’ve been seeking is… probably NOT the sage. And also a bit of an airhead. They also have to pass a test to get access to the upper floors of the tower at all. The first no one is able to pass until Subaru, who is from Japan and suspects the creator of this test is as well, finds a solution to. Unfortunately, the floor they get to has a bunch of “book of someone’s life” books, and they’re in random order. So they need to get to the next floor… which requires another test. Unfortunately, not only is this one much harder, but they all have to pass it individually. Bad news, since the test giver is an insanely powerful swordsman.

This has the feel of a book that is a time-marker, to be honest. I never felt bored, but there’s a sense that we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop, and since it doesn’t drop till about page 280, that’s a lot of waiting. There are some very nice scenes between Subaru and Julius, which shows off their friendship (Julius is kind of put through the wringer in this book), and EMT fans will be eating very well, as the relationship between her and Subaru has never been more romantic, even as she wins a fight by letting her opponent grope her tits, not understanding why she should feel offended at that. (Emilia’s “sexual innocence” continues to be at 120%.) And we’re also getting more of an idea about what Anastasia/Echidna is really after, and trusting them a wee bit more. Not much plot happens here, but a lot of good character stuff occurs.

Next book, judging by that cliffhanger, should be far more plot-driven, though I suspect it will also remain inside the tower. And hey, no death loops this book!

Manga the Week of 7/5/23

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SEAN: Hot hot heat. Must be July.

Viz gives us a debut, Like a Butterfly (Hibi Chouchou) is the latest from the author of A Sign of Affection and Short Cake Cake… except it’s not, it actually came out before both of those. A gorgeous high school girl is also shy and doesn’t like attention… so promptly falls for the boy who refuses to look at her. This looks sweet.

MICHELLE: I’m here for it.

ANNA: Surprising no one, so am I!

ASH: Likewise interested.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Blue Box 5, Dr. STONE 26, The Elusive Samurai 7, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 8, Moriarty the Patriot 12, My Love Mix-Up! 8, One Piece 103, Romantic Killer 4 (the final volume), Tista 2 (the final volume), and Vampire Knight: Memories 8.

Square Enix has A Man and His Cat 8.

ASH: I should probably catch up with this series; I did enjoy what I have managed to read.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts Classroom of the Elite: Horikita (Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e √Horkita), a spinoff AU series that focuses on Horikita, which may surprise anime fans who thought the series already focused too much on her. It ran in my nemesis, Comic Alive.

They’ve also got The Ancient Magus’ Bride 18, Berserk of Gluttony 8, Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home 2, Kemono Jihen 6, Let’s Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World 4, Made in Abyss 11, Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 16, and Versailles of the Dead 4.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize volume 18 of The Ancient Magus’ Bride was coming out so soon; I’ve been working my way to getting caught up to 17!

ASH: Always glad to see a new volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride!

SEAN: There’s some print from Kodansha. Drifting Dragons 14, EDENS ZERO 23, In/Spectre 18, Lovely Muco! 2, Noragami Omnibus 6, To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts 14, and Yuri is My Job! 11.

ASH: Drifting Dragons is another series that I’ve been enjoying but need to catch up on.

SEAN: The digital debut is My Wife is a Little Intimidating (Boku no Oku-san wa Chotto Kowai), a Comic Days series based on a Twitter comic. The description reminds me a bit of We’re New at This if the wife were… well… intimidating, rather than stoic.

And there’s digital for The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 9, How to Grill Our Love 3, Life 5, MF Ghost 15, Matcha Made in Heaven 6, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 2, Sakura’s Dedication 4, The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch 3, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 9.

ANNA: I’ve been eagerly awaiting the next Matcha Made in Heaven!

ASH: I haven’t read the first volume yet, but I still love the series’ title.

SEAN: No new series for J-Novel Club, but a whole lot of ongoing ones. The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?! 2, The Apothecary Witch Turned Divorce Agent 2, An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride 16, the 2nd manga volume of A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills!, Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte Disc EX (the final volume), Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 8, the 5th manga volume of Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 2, Magic Knight of the Old Ways 5 (the final volume), The Misfit of Demon King Academy 4 Part 2, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 7, the 4th manga volume of Rebuild World, A Royal Rebound: Forget My Ex-Fiancé, I’m Being Pampered by the Prince! 2, and To Another World… with Land Mines! 7.

ASH: Wow! That is a whole lot!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Love is an Illusion! 3 (OK, not technically Ghost Ship), Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu! 2, and World’s End Harem: Fantasia 9.

Apologies, missed this last week. Fantagraphics has a one-shot, Minami’s Lover (Minami-kun no Koibito), a Garo manga from 1986 about a high school couple who struggle with everything when she becomes six inches tall!

ASH: Oh, yes! I just got my hands on that one!

SEAN: Dark Horse has the 9th Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition. (It got bumped.)

ASH: I’ll be picking it up whenever it’s actually released.

SEAN: And Airship, in print, gives us Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 3 and Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut 5.

We also get early digital for The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 5 and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 23.

That’s it? Not too bad!