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Manga the Week of 1/21/26

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SEAN: I don’t have any witty “Martin Luther King Day” manga remarks, alas.

ASH: Maybe next year.

SEAN: The print debut for Airship is Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex (Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai Sareru), which has already had an anime. A girl who grows up with her sister being given all the nice things suddenly finds herself engaged after her sister is killed in an accident. But then it turns out the engagement is a misunderstanding. What’s really going on here? From what I hear, this is another “it turns out being raised as an abused child is bad, actually” Cinderella story.

ASH: There are a few of those, it seems.

SEAN: And they also have I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 10.

Digitally we see the debut of Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! (Zatsuyou Fuyojutsushi ga Jibun no Saikyou ni Kidzuku Made), which starts as a “thrown out of the party for having support magic” title, but at least this guy has a childhood friend to help him realize he’s actually awesome.

ASH: I saw “magical buffs” and my mind went to magical girls but beefcakes. But that’s a different genre.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has the 5th The Cursed Sword Master’s Harem Life and the 4th Yandere Dark Elf.

Ize Press has two debuts. Revenge of the Baskerville Bloodhound stars a man who was trained to be a “loyal hound” (assassin, I’m guessing) but is betrayed and then killed. Luckily for him, this is an “I’ve rewound back into my past” manhwa.

Semantic Error is the original novel that inspired the BL manhwa also released by Ize. An uptight college student screws over his lazy classmates… then finds one of them is the designer he desperately wants to work with!

MICHELLE: Oopsies.

ASH: Gotta hate when that happens.

SEAN: Also from Ize Press: Beware the Villainess! 6, The Boxer 12, Itaewon Class 8 (the final volume), Lover Boy 4, Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom 8, Overgeared 9, and The World After the Fall 12.

So Dearly Reckless (Sore wa Mubou to Iu Mono da) is the J-Novel debut, and it’s from their Knight line. A young orphan wants to escape poverty, and adventuring may be the answer, especially when a handsome young man reaches out to him. But is this handsome young man really who he seems? Also, could there be… love?

ASH: Maybe?!

SEAN: Other light novels: An Archdemon’s Dilemma 20, By the Grace of the Gods 17, Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! 3, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 9, and To Another World… with Land Mines! 12.

For manga, they have Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 7, The Fearsome Witch Teaches in Another World 2, The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival 6, Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 7.

No debuts for Kodansha Manga, but we get, in print, Ajin: Demi-Human Complete 6, The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 6, Blue Lock 26, The Blue Wolves of Mibu 8, Gachiakuta 9, Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law 10, Nezumi’s First Love 2, and Sheeta’s Little Big World 3 (the final volume).

ASH: It’s been a while since I’ve thought about Ajin, but there were things about the series I really liked.

SEAN: Digitally we get Matcha Made in Heaven 13, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 19, and My Wife is a Little Intimidating 13.

ANNA: I need to catch up on Matcha Made in Heaven!

ASH: I haven’t read it yet, but I still love that title.

SEAN: After an entire week without a danmei debut, sanity has returned to Seven Seas. Twin Jades of Jiangdong is from the Legend of Exorcism and Dinghai Fusheng Records. Two childhood friends vow to always help each other and remain true, forgetting that they’re in a danmei novel.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: Gotta love when that happens.

SEAN: There’s also the 3rd volume of Joyful Reunion.

Seven Seas’ manga debut is Betrothed to My Sister’s Ex (Zutaboro Reijou wa Ane no Moto Konyakusha ni Dekiai Sareru), about which see above, The manga runs in Gaugau Monster.

Low Tide in Twilight is a manhwa omegaverse title, about a suicidal omega who is saved by a suspicious man. (Could the man be an alpha? Hmmmmmm… could be!)

ANNA: He’s probably just a normal dude who is not connected with the omegaverse at all.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 15, Cats With Jobs 2, DEAR. DOOR 2, Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth is a Modern City! 12 (the final volume), HIKARI-MAN 7-8 (the final volume), Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 10, My New Life as a Cat 12, Reincarnated as a Sword 16, Someone’s Girlfriend 5, and What It Means to Be You 3.

From Square Enix Manga we get Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! 15 and Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You 6.

MICHELLE: I really, really need to catch up with Cherry Magic!.

ASH: Same! But I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far.

SEAN: Steamship has early digital for the 5th volume of The Villainess and the Demon Knight.

Titan Manga debuts Scavengers Another Sky, a Young Champion Retsu title about young girls who go between worlds scavenging.

It also gives us ATOM: The Beginning 13.

Tokyopop has Merry Witches’ Life 3.

ASH: I enjoyed the first volume; I should probably read more.

SEAN: Viz Media gives us After God 8, The Climber 4, Kingdom 3, Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc. 11, Record of Ragnarök 17, Red River 3-in-1 6, Rooster Fighter 9, Trillion Game 9, Undead Unluck 23, and The Way of the Househusband 15.

ASH: The Way of the Househusband is another series I’ve been meaning to catch up on, too.

SEAN: Yen On has one title: About a Place in the Kinki Region (Kinki Chihou no Aru Basho ni Tsuite). It’s a horror mystery about a missing occult editor and what he was researching.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ANNA: Sounds cool!

ASH: Yup, I’d read that.

SEAN: Yen Press has the bulk of its monthly titles out next week. Immortality and Punishment (Fushi to Batsu) is a zombie apocalypse story from the creator of Magical Girl of the End. It ran in Bessatsu Shonen Champion.

Scenes from Awajima (Awajima Hyakkei) is an award-winning manga from Pocopoco. It’s about a prestigious opera school and the girls who strive to succeed in it.

MICHELLE: Double ooh. And it’s by Takako Shimura!

ANNA: Consider me intrigued!

ASH: I’ve been wanting to read this since it started!

SEAN: And, while not technically new, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dreaming Girl is the latest omnibus to cover an “arc” of the series.

Also from Yen Press: Bocchi the Rock! Comic Anthology 2, Bride of the Barrier Master 5, Bungo Stray Dogs 26, Dead Mount Death Play Side Story: Phantom Solitaire’s Art of Disguising Oneself as a Supernatural Being 2, Double the Trouble, Twice as Nice 2, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 10, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 13, Hakumei & Mikochi 13, Heterogenia Linguistico 6, Hi, I’m a Witch, and My Crush Wants Me to Make a Love Potion 5, In Another World with My Smartphone 15, Killed Again, Mr. Detective? 2, Kindergarten Wars 3, Konosuba: Even More Explosions on This Wonderful World! 2, L’il Miss Vampire Can’t Suck Right 2, The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious 8, Maiden of the Needle 5, Minato’s Laundromat 6, The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter 6, The Ragnarok System of the Desperate Reincarnated Demon Lord and the Seven Aggressive Maidens 2, Shadows House 10, Sister and Giant: A Young Lady Is Reborn in Another World 5, Strategic Lovers 4, Sword Art Online Re: Aincrad 4, The Villainess Stans the Heroes 5, Triage X 29, Unnamed Memory 7, and When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement! 6.

ASH: That… was a lot. Probably some good stuff in there, though.

SEAN: I was waiting for that Yen deluge. What are you buying?

Long Story Short, I’m Living in the Mountains, Vol. 4

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By Asagi and Shino. Released in Japan as “Zenryaku, Yama Kurashi wo Hajimemashita” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by N. Marquetti.

The author reminds us once again in the afterword that this is not a romance nor is it going to turn into one. And no, the chickens are not going to become cute girls either. I get it, as I imagine that the audience for this series is looking at the cute girl in the cast, joined in this volume by her younger, also cute sister, and shipping is just happening naturally. That said, if the author really didn’t want any romance I think they could shut things down a bit more. Sure, here Sano states outright that he’s not interested in Rie (good, as she’s underage), but much of the relationship between him and the Katsuragis consists of him basically being a perfect catch except for his horrible depression and self-loathing, and the two of them noticing it. And that’s not even considering the ho yay he’s ignoring between him and Aizawa. Or hell, the fact that he has a chicken wife and a jealous chicken mistress. Romance kind of worms its way in anyway.

As noted above, we get another cast member in this volume. Katsuragi’s younger sister Rie is dealing with a stalker who went from “let’s date” to “what are you doing right now?” to “I need to know where you are 24-7 or I will kill us both” very quickly, so her parents agreed that having her stay with her sister is for the best. Rie is a gyaru in Sano’s eyes, but I think “normal 17-year-old who possibly bleaches her hair a little” is more accurate. Elsewhere in the book, there’s a lot of killing of boars; Sano goes to the very top of his mountain and finds a dilapidated shrine, which he tries to fix up a bit; he learns how to get lotus roots straight from the source, though he doesn’t enjoy it; and he begins to prepare for the winter, which given his remote mountain will mean going to ground, possibly for a month or two.

There’s a very interesting bit about 2/3 of the way through the book where Sano realizes that he hasn’t really prepared for winter fast enough or done enough, and thinks ruefully that he’s always slow to pick up on things like this and maybe that’s why his old fiancee left him. About five pages later, he’s hearing how Rie is finding Katsuragi’s place too cold and worries over it, workshopping solutions and eventually coming over and helping the two of them to insulate it. Sano’s depression is all internal – he still hates it when people tell him not to pay them back – and anytime he has to deal with something that affects only himself (see: his chapped hands), he puts it off or ignores it, but when it’s about anyone else, he basically becomes the perfect boyfriend. Something Katsuragi is deliberately ignoring, and which Rie does not ignore but she’s still 17, so…

The book implies that Sano is going to be alone for several months – given this cast is doing its level best to make sure this fragile guy is part of a community, I highly doubt that. Next time: more now, more chickens, and probably less not-romance.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time: No One Told Me There Would Be Monsters!, Vol. 9

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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.

Even if I hadn’t already seen the news that the next volume is the final one, the fact that the book starts with Sara and Allen finally being a couple and dating would probably have made me think it anyway. The author does not seem to be the sort who enjoys focusing on romance, as we saw with Nelly and Chris and as we see here. Allen and Sara’s first date is exactly the same as their normal work, going dungeon crawling. Allen needs a checklist on how to do a normal date like a normal person. It’s very funny, but it also underlines once again that our core cast are not normal people, and Sara may be the worst of them due to where she landed when isekai’d. The best joke in the book has her being asked to take a class on common sense, because she doesn’t have enough of it – and she has to ruefully agree.

Sara is eighteen now, has settled into her job, and is now dating Allen, though that mostly seems to involve them acting exactly as they always have. They’re not staying long in their current digs, though, as they get a request to take Ann, the Invited we met a few volumes back, to the Capital so that she can become a knight, which is the career that she’s decided on. This will likely take a while, meaning Sara and Nelly have a tearful goodbye for now. On the journey there, they’re interrupted by some cotton sheep, which like all cute-sounding animals in this world are actually vicious monsters. Fortunately, the sheep end up going north of our heroes’ destination. Once at the capital, Sara reunites with old friends and former enemies who she can now grudgingly get along with, and that’s probably for the best, as it turns out the cotton sheep have turned again and are heading straight for the city.

There’s one point in the story where everyone finds out they now have “nicknames” that almost read as titles, and I was rather startled at “Allen the Hero”, till I remembered the whole giant turtle thing and went “oh yeah, guess he is”. In fact, every single one of the Invited, as expected, are fast becoming legendary, as are the folks who hang around them. Kuntz is tricked by his brother into helping to train his fellow rookie hunters, and the training, which ropes in the rest of the group, ends up showing everyone in the city why the Invited are so different – their imaginations and otherworld experience means they can simply think of magic and powers differently. This is why in the past they’d been essentially forced to do whatever the kingdom wanted, and the big thematic climax of this book is not the final fight against the sheep, it’s the fact that Liam a) offers a plan that does not require them, and then b) politely asks if they have any other ideas. He too has come a long way.

Will this series end with babies ever after? Almost certainly not. Will it end with wolves? Almost certainly. Good heartwarming isekai.

Pick of the Week: The Wonders of Skating and Wine

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SEAN: Given the 2nd season of the Medalist anime doesn’t debut till late in the month, my pick this week is the new volume of the Medalist manga – print or digital, whatever you’re caught up on.

MICHELLE: I’m with Sean!

KATE: The cover of Wonder Boy is enticing, but I’m casting my vote for The Drops of God. It’s totally absurd in the best possible way; you’ll learn about terroir and varietals from two hot guys who are vying for their late father’s wine collection. (Think of it as a tournament manga with Pinot Noir.)

ASH: I can definitely get behind Kate’s recommendation, The Drops of God is terrific, but I’ll go ahead and flip the script and make Wonder Boy my official pick. It seems like it could be a very compelling series.

I Like Villains, So I Reincarnated As One, Vol. 1

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By Kei Takano and kodamazon. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Suki no Ore, Oshi Character ni Tensei: Game Joban ni Shujinkou ni Korosareru Oshi ni Tenseishita node, Ore dake Shitteru Game Chishiki de Hametsu Flag wo Tsubushitara Akuyaku-tachi no Teiou ni Natteta Ken” by Dengeki no Shin Bungei. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Elliot Ryouga. Adapted by Gray Morrow.

It can be very hard to get past a lousy beginning. When this book began with our title character screaming “hell yeah, I’ve been reincarnated!” and then immediately shouting “Open Status” and getting a list of annoying stats, it dug itself a deep, deep hole. It didn’t help that the other main character is a young maid whose backstory we never learn but who is devoted to Weiss (the character our unnamed Japanese guy has become) to the death, and it was hard not to groan. Oh, there’s also an angry tsundere and a stoic nun who shows her cute side when around animals. This author writes tropes to order, and a quick glance at their other series suggests that, indeed, Seven Seas may have picked the best one. Alas.

Our unnamed hero, whose past consists of “I had a younger sister who was better than me at things”, is reincarnated into the body of Weiss, his favorite villain from a game he liked. Weiss also has an overachieving sister, who was made the heir rather than him, and he turned dissolute and evil as a result. Our guy loves that kind of tragic backstory, and this game is filled with them. Can he turn things around and save himself from an early grave, with the help of Rosalia, his overpowered maid who will do anything for him? (No, not that, the book is very PG-rated.) What’s more, can he save the other villains with really good tragic backstories, the “Evil Bloody Mistress” and the “Cruel False Saint”? And will they all fall in love with him?

By the end of the first book this rose to the level of adequate, though not enough for me to want to read more. Weiss (I have to use the name of the character) is the sort of person who loves a good Draco in Leather Pants – and he specifies they have to have a good tragic backstory and actual reasons for their behavior, when he meets a normal evil slave-owning trading bastard later he has no sympathy. Much as I dislike Rosalia’s over the top loyalty for no stated reason, she and Weiss do make a good team, and while she’d clearly do anything he asked, it’s also clear she seems to have some self-hatred issues that prevent any romance from getting further. Unfortunately, there’s one big reason this continues to not be very good – Weiss has no struggles whatsoever in getting overpowered fast. No, I do not count “passes out after using super cool magic” as a struggle, especially as he usually is caught by his maid. His game knowledge also makes helping defeat the narrative easy as pie. There’s one battle where he visibly struggles, against a literal god.

There are better OP harem romances out there, and indeed better “wow, I’m a villain” books as well.

Villains Are Destined to Die, Vol. 2

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By Gwon Gyeoeul and JINSA. Released in Japan by D&C Media. Released in North America by Ize Press. Translated by Kakao Entertainmnt.

This second volume does not really focus at all on our main character’s past life in Korea, choosing instead to focus exclusively on the “game” world and how Penelope can extricate herself from it without dying. Which makes this feel more like a traditional villainess book, and so therefore it’s much easier to read and more relaxing; on the other hand this does make it a bit more “the same old same old”, at least until the end. It’s been apparent from the start, but this book merely underlines it, that if she is going to clear a “love interest” and escape, the choice that will help her the most is in fact the crown prince, and that Eckles is not remotely the safest bet, but she still can’t quite see people as people rather than as stat counters, and so that revelation is probably going to take another book or so. In the meantime, at least she’s getting to do some archaeology. Though perhaps in a more Indiana Jones way than she’d like.

Penelope and her family are off to the massive hunting party being held by the royal family. Last year Penelope threw a huge fit, hopefully this year will go better. Though honestly, it’s not. She can’t take Eckles, who’s left back at the mansion to slowly turn more yandere by the day. Reynold is being a bit too tsundere, and Penelope doesn’t realize that’s what he is. Derrick simply cannot stop being an asshole no matter how he feels. Oh, and Callisto is there, and wants VERY much to continue their earlier conversation about love. And then there’s the ladies’ tea party, where she runs up against a group trying to get her to do a repeat performance from last year. Clearly it’s time to go hunting… assuming that she doesn’t get lost. Or run into giant bears. Or have to defend the prince from assassins…

The most telling part of the book comes after all of the hunting party and the chaos that follows, where Penelope has ended up restoring her reputation, and gotten her various love targets to fall for her enough… that the game decides she doesn’t need affection counters anymore, and she can only see them if she pays obscene amounts of money. Which, good news, she now has, but it also shows that she cannot stop seeing anyone as a real person here, and gets paranoid when she’s unable to work out how they feel about her. Which is a shame, because when she’s mostly winging it, such as in the first 2/3 of the book, where the game gives her a few basic opportunities but mostly she makes the right choices by simply making the right choices. This is especially true with Callisto, who is rapidly becoming the Final Love Interest whether she wants him to be or not, and I think they’d be good for each other if she can ever get away from gatcha life.

This is apparently 4 volumes + 1 After Story in total, so I suspect things will get really dark next time. Still, this remains a lot of fun, especially if you read the manwha (I haven’t) and enjoy text.

Even Exiled, She’s Still the Beloved Saint! St. Evelyn’s Weird and Wonderful Friends, Vol. 1

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By Harunadon and Kurodeko. Released in Japan as “Tsuihousareta Seijo desu ga, Jitsu wa Kunijuu kara Aisaresugitete Kowain desu kedo!?” by Earth Star Luna. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Camilla L.

We’ve reached the point where there are enough of the “exiled saint” books that they prove themselves ripe for parody. The noble saint, who is massively overpowered. The arrogant prince, who doesn’t get it. The little sister, selfish and greedy, who thinks she can do the exact same thing but is woefully incorrect. The saint being completely and utterly unaware of how popular she is with everyone who is not that prince and her immediate family. And I saw the cover art and the synopsis of this series, so I was ready for it to be goofy. I was still unprepared. This may be the most bananas light novel I’ve read since the days of The Invincible Shovel. It starts off with the saint being a bit over the top, and then gradually the reader realizes she’s actually one of only a few people with common sense in the whole book. You’d better be here for the funny, because it is shoved in your face.

Evelyn is horrified to be told by her fiancé, the first prince, that she’s being replaced as the Saint of their kingdom by her younger stepsister Mary, who he is also taking as his fiancée. In fact, Evelyn throws a fit, mostly as she’s extremely naive and sheltered, and has been kept away from anything that might taint her since she was five years old. Now she’s 28, “too old to get married”, and wandering around the local town. Going home proves to be a mistake, her parents are absolutely terrible people. She’s reduced to looking around for people on the street to heal, then asking for money. Fortunately, she runs into a streetwise young man who is NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL, and he gradually realizes she is a potential cash cow in the making. Meanwhile, back at the palace, it turns out sainting is harder than it looks.

There is a BIT of plot here. Evelyn mostly goes along with this as she’s been the saint for 23 years, and thinks her power has started to wane. Fortunately, there are other people with large amounts of holy power, one of whom is not only engaged to the SECOND prince, but absolutely loves Evelyn. A bit too much. It never quite spills over into “comedy sexual assault lesbian”, but it comes kind of close. The first prince and Mary are both comically awful, so the plot is not so much “how do we fix this” as “everyone immediately realized what happened, find the missing Evelyn”. I’ll be honest, a lot of times I was rolling my eyes and ended up exhausted. If you don’t like everyone in the cast being a broad caricature except maybe three people (Evelyn, the streetwise young man, and one of the princes… and I’m only putting Evelyn on the list barely), or don’t like OMG SO FUNNY books, this is not for you.

But come on, Evelyn goes to a town where she tries to confess who she really is but can’t because everyone in the town names their children… and even pets… after Saint Evelyn. “There are 57 Evelyns in this town.” How can you not like a book like that? (There are two more volumes, which worries me, but that’s for future me.)

Bookshelf Briefs 1/8/26

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Bocchi the Rock!, Vol. 7 | By Aki Hamazi | Yen Press – This is not really the sort of manga that’s heading for a definitive conclusion, though we are seeing two of our cast of four graduating here. I assume it will end, if it’s allowed to, with Bocchi and Kita graduating as well. But there are the occasional stabs at character development. The best section in this volume sees Bocchi end up bonding with a fellow introverted guitar hero who’s genuinely famous but also cannot speak to others without her voice cracking, something represented in the printed text by it showing up backwards. We’re also getting more of Bocchi trying to be overly self-confident, even if it’s mined for humor a lot, and I appreciate that more than Bocchi hating herself. I’m not getting yuri here, but I do enjoy the girl time that this series gives us. – Sean Gaffney

Colette Decides to Die, Vol. 5 | By Alto Yukimura| Viz Media – This omnibus marks the halfway point of the series, so it makes sense that it’s towards the end that Colette realizes the feelings she has for Hades. It’s handled really sweetly—again, the title is perhaps the ultimate example of a title that doesn’t sell anything but the first chapter, and it’s even wrong there. We also see the resolution of the otter’s plotline, as it turns out his being fired relates to accidentally destroying a priceless memory of Poseidon’s wife—sometimes, as in real life, you can screw up badly enough to get permanently fired. Fortunately, there are other avenues open to him. All this and Colette even practices medicine sometimes. I love this series so much. – Sean Gaffney

The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All, Vol. 3 | By Sumiko Arai | Yen Press – We get SO CLOSE to a confession and couple with this volume, but not quite. The big dramatic event that happens here is that Mitsuki is “outed” in class, and decides to deal with it, after a brief freakout and a week off school, by ripping the bandaid off and coming to school dressed as she normally does at the record store… even the piercings, which I assumed not-school safe. Needless to say, everyone basks in the hotness that is Mitsuki… including Aya, who finds herself dealing with the fact that the person she loves is no longer just hers anymore. Things are going to come to a head at the prom, which is normally not a thing in Japan but they’re doing one here, because the vibe demands it. We’ll have to wait till Book Four, though. AMAZING. – Sean Gaffney

My Love Story!!, Vol. 14: In College! | By Kazuke Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – I was both delighted and wary when I learned a fourteenth volume of My Love Story!! was coming out. In the first story, a smartly constructed follow-up, the series’ three leads have reunited for college, and one of their fellow students is someone Takeo and Suna knew in elementary school. When they were kids, Takeo caused this guy to cry in front of a girl he liked, and his retelling of the story serves as a great way to get reacquainted with these characters. I liked the second story less, in which the trio gets a part-time job over winter break that turns into a closed-circle murder(?) mystery and features cliché shoujo moments like “Yamato falls off a cliff.” However, it does also provide a lovely moment when, after Takeo is accused of the crime, Suna expresses absolute trust in his innocence. This ended up being pretty good! – Michelle Smith

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 16 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship – Our girlfriend of the volume this time is Kaho Eira, who, like Yor from Spy x Family, can kick a car, but is terrified of anything she CAN’T beat up. It’s a cute gimmick, and does perhaps take the curse off her being too cool—each new girl needs a big flaw to provide the laughs. That said, easily the highlight of the volume is a serious two-chapter arc where Shizuka’s mother, upset that her daughter doesn’t talk, taking away her phone—which nearly causes Shizuka to break down and forced Rentaro to intervene, stating that this is simply how Shizuka communicates, and trying to make her be “like the other girls” is only harming her. It’s terrific, and made me tear up. – Sean Gaffney

Our Dining Table: Seconds, Please!, Vol. 1 | By Mita Ori | Seven Seas – Having loved the original Our Dining Table, I wasn’t initially sold on this sequel. There’s less of an emphasis on everyone eating together, and on Minoru’s cute little brother Tane, and more on Yutaka and Minoru’s deepening romantic relationship. An antagonist in the form of Minoru’s meddling ex is introduced. It was kind of feeling like standard BL fare. I’m happy to report, however, that I was won over by the end. Instead of melodrama, the meddling ex storyline leads to moments of vulnerability and acceptance that bring Yutaka and Minoru closer together. We get to know them better as individuals and as a couple and Tane remains a highlight. I especially appreciated the bittersweet milestone of him learning to pronounce “Yutaka” correctly. I’m equal parts relieved and looking forward to volume two. – Michelle Smith

Rainbows After Storms, Vol. 6 | By Luka Kobachi | Viz Media – Inevitably this series was going to have a big fight, and it ends up being right before the class trip. Nanoha finds that Chidori and Mai have been talking without her, gets the wrong idea, and decides to get really mad about it—which means that Chidori, who is upset that Nanoha is not trusting her, also gets mad. Their mood colors the whole trip, forcing their friends to do an intervention, and thank goodness, because it’s the same for the reader as well—when these two are apart and miserable, this series is far less fun. Fortunately, they make up near the end of the book, and exchange vows in a church, though we have several volumes to go before we get the inevitable “we’re dating” “we already knew” ending this is clearly going for. Good yuri fun. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 15 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – There is a black hole in the center of this volume that draws everything else towards it. At the front you have the resolution of Martha’s storyline, which is bittersweet but at least we know that Henry’s wife was a good woman and that he and Martha can now have tea together. At the back end we see a town festival, and Melinda’s surprise appearance as a fortune teller… where the stress gets to her so much that Yor actually suggests she see Loid in a professional capacity. In between these two we get the Desmond Family Dinner. I don’t think we’ve had a single chapter in the series quite as terrifying as this one, or as sad, or as cringeworthy, and all it is is a family having a meal together for the first time in a long time. If this is why Loid has to beat, look out. – Sean Gaffney

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, Vol. 9

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By FUNA and Keisuke Motoe. Released in Japan as “Rōgo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-Man-Mai no Kinka o Tamemasu” by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by Kodansha Books. Translated by Luke Hutton.

(A reminder that the English Vol. 9 is the equivalent of the Japanese Vol. 10.)

Last time I said that the next book would have Colette get attacked, but I was not expecting this to literally happen on the first page of the new book. It does end up being a good introduction to one of FUNA’s most common tropes, another Roaring Rampage of Revenge. Mile’s group doesn’t do this quite as often, and usually it involves people who try to con them getting humiliated. Kaoru’s moments of extreme violence are taken more seriously, and tend to be in more traumatic situations, though after the time skip she seems to have mellowed to being closer to the other two heroines. And Mitsuha, well, her shtick is that she’s a flake, even more than Mile and Kaoru, so it makes sense that her revenge is the most emotional, off the cuff, and complete. There’s no stopping it, you just have to give in and accept your bad decision has ruined your life.

As Mitsuha and Colette walk down the street, someone comes at them with a knife, and stabs Colette in the back/abdomen. Mitsuha, as noted above, goes nuts. Colette ends up being OK after some surgery, though she’ll have a scar (which horrifies Mitsuha but Colette is proud of). The assassin is questioned, but come on, you’ve read the last few books, you know who’s responsible for the assassination attempt, it’s that empire again. After this, we deal with Mitsuha’s restaurant getting a scheming golddigger, the recuperating Colette getting some suspicious visitors in her hospital room, an accident at the gunpowder factory that Mitsuha has to deal with (not intentionally caused this time); The noble teenage girl group suffering from being too popular; starting a new junior noble girl group for youngsters; and having this turn into an Idol Project.

As always, I try to look at the more serious parts of this series, which have been hard to come by sometimes. But given that the premise is Mitsuha trying to ensure that she has enough of a safety met to live on in both worlds in case she ends up being unable to go back and forth, and she continues to think about the future of everything she’s done even after she dies, it can get quite dark. She pointedly has a discussion with Former Count (now Marquess) Bozes about what to do with her land, stores, and people she looks over in the event she’s killed. To her this is sensible and planning ahead. To Bozes, who still regards Mitsuha as a teenage girl who should be out there having teenage fun, it’s depressing as hell. Mitsuha KIND of gets this (she knows not to have the discussion in front of Beatrice or Sabine), but also does not get it at all.

Not that this series is ending with Mitsuha’s death. It’s FUNA. Oh, and we get the obligatory grateful orphans desperate to work for food, so check that off your bingo card.

Manga the Week of 1/14/26

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SEAN: As 2026 begins to take hold, let’s see what manga we have coming out in this traditionally quiet month.

ASH: Oh, right, it is 2026 now, isn’t it? Somehow.

SEAN: Yen On starts us off with Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 4 and The World Bows Down Before My Flames 3.

Yes Press’ one release is Wonder Boy (Fushigi na Shounen), a massive 800-page hardcover containing the first half of this seinen series that ran in both Morning and Morning Two about 20-25 years ago, and is from the creator of Land. It’s an episodic story about a traveler who watches humanity.

ASH: That is quite the volume! And probably something I should read.

SEAN: No debuts for Viz Manga, but we do get Beyblade X 5, Case Closed 97, Destroy All Humans, They Can’t Be Regenerated 6, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 11, Snow Angel 3, Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga 3, Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life 4, Yaiba: Samurai Legend 3, and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon 8.

Tokyopop has a 2nd volume of Eternal Covenant.

Titan Manga debuts 3 Minute Bodyguard Yoko-chan (3-bu Youjinbou Yoko-chan), a comedy manga from Comic Zenon about a young heir who’s always dodging assassinations… and his bodyguard only works for him 3 minutes a day!

ASH: Could be entertaining.

SEAN: They also have Isekai Metaller 2.

SuBLime has new volumes! Sleeping on Paper Boats 2 (the final volume) and Yarichin Bitch Club 6.

Square Enix debuts Mechanical Buddy Universe 1.0, a sequel to, well, Mechanical Buddy Universe. It runs in Young Gangan.

They also have Bride of the Death God 2 and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 28.

There is, amazingly, no danmei debut this week for Seven Seas. They do have Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Deluxe Hardcover 3 and There’s Something Wrong with the Chief 2.

ASH: No debuts, but still going strong.

SEAN: For manga, SS debuts Romelia War Chronicle: The Count’s Daughter Rallies an Army in the Wake of Mankind’s Victory (Romelia Senki ~Maou wo Taoshita Ato mo Jinrui Yabasou Dakara Guntai Soshiki Shita~) is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel and has an anime coming. It starts with the traditional broken engagement, and the fact that women with no engagement have no value even if they did save the kingdom, and goes on from there. It runs in MAGCOMI.

ASH: You would think that would be worth something.

SEAN: A Yuri Love Story That Begins with Getting Dumped in a Dream (Yume de Furarete Hajimaru Yuri) is a yuri manga (duh) from Web Comic Gamma Plus. Two girls have always been besties since childhood. But when one of them has a dream of confessing and getting rejected by the other one, new feelings start to come out.

ASH: Sounds like this one will have lots of feelings.

SEAN: Other Seven Seas titles: BL Game Rebirth: My New Life as the Hero’s Younger Brother 3, Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki 5, Glasses with a Chance of Delinquent 5, Hope You’re Happy, Lemon 2, IDOL x IDOL STORY! 4, Killer Shark in Another World 6, Magic Maker: How to Create Magic in Another World 2, Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 13, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Fafnir the Recluse 5, The Princess I Loved in My Past Life is Now a Middle-Aged Dad 2, and Roses and Champagne 3.

ASH: Not so bad for a relatively quiet week.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 2nd volume of I Want Your Mother to be With Me!.

Kodansha debuts Kaijin Fugeki: Kindled Spirits, the latest title by Oh! Great. two young holy warriors are all that stand between the Earth and destruction, through the power of their dance. Also, it’s by Oh! Great, expect gorgeous art, lots of action set pieces, and women with big breasts. This is what he does. This runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

ANNA: I mean, Oh! Great! does do what one would expect of Oh! Great!

ASH: It’s true.

SEAN: Also in print: The Drops of God 2, Last Samurai Standing 4, Medalist 12, Ninja Vs. Gokudo 11, Parasyte Paperback Collection 2, Tune In to the Midnight Heart 5, and You Can’t Bluff the Sharp-Eyed Sister 2.

ASH: If anyone hasn’t gotten around to reading one of the various editions of Parasyte yet, you should. It’s still one of my favorite series.

SEAN: And for digital we see And Yet, You Are So Sweet 12, Because I, the True Saint, was Banished, that Country is Done For! 10, Gang King 37 (the final volume), Koigakubo-kun Stole My First Time 9, Medalist 13, and Undead Girl Murder Farce 8.

MICHELLE: A double Medalist week!

ANNA: I need to get caught up!

SEAN: Kana has the 2nd omnibus volumes for Cat’s Eye and City Hunter.

ANNA: Need to check these out.

ASH: Likewise!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print titles. We get (light novels) The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 4, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 10, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World Omnibus 3, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 3, and My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 2, and (manga) Campfire Cooking in Another World With My Absurd Skill 3, Gushing Over Magical Girls 7, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 11, and Tearmoon Empire 7.

ASH: Once again, not a bad list for a relatively quiet week.

SEAN: Digitally they have three debuts, all light novels. Reforming an Icy Final Boss: Getting Back at the Self-Proclaimed Villainess with the Power of Friendship (“Jishou Akuyaku Reijou” ni Korosareta Last Boss no Yarinaoshi: Bocchi na Reitetsu Koujo wa, Dai Ni no Jinsei de Riajuu wo Mezashimasu) stars a cold young woman who is murdered by someone claiming this world is an otome game. Now she’s back in the past, and determined to get a happy life… and figure out what that otome game thing meant.

Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer! This White Mage Is One Heck of a Healer (Yuusha Party wo Tsuihousareta Shiro Madoushi, S Rank Boukensha ni Hirowareru: Kono Shiro Madoushi ga Kikakugaisugiru) is a kicked out of the hero’s party for being weak but is actually really strong book, and I can’t anymore, I just can’t.

ASH: It’s okay, Sean, I see you.

SEAN: Sowing Vengeance: The Eldest Son’s Disgraceful Green Thumb (Tsuihousareta Meika no Chounan: Baka ni Sareta Hazure Skill de Saikyou e to Nobori Tsumeru) is one of those “everyone in the world gets a skill, and if yours isn’t cool enough everyone tries to kill you, including your own family” books. See above.

Other light novels out next week: The Countess Is a Coward No More! 4, EXP Is Golden 4, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 9, Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World 11 Part 1, Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 14, and Zero Damage Sword Saint 2.

For manga they have Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 3 Vol. 5, Fired? But I Maintain All the Software! 2, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 13, I Parry Everything 4, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 12, and Tearmoon Empire 9.

Ghost Ship debuts Let’s Make a Harem in a Zombie World! (Zombie Sekai de Harem o Tsukurou!), a Young Magazine Web title from the creator of The Witches of Adamas. A young man figures out he can stop hot girls from turning into zombies by having sex with them. Hijinx ensue. Coitus also ensues.

ASH: As it does.

SEAN: Ghost Ship also has Rebel Hero: I Will Use My Skills to Control the Scheming Princess’s Heart and Bod 2.

Dark Horse Manga has a 2nd volume of Adabana.

ASH: I meant to read the first volume before the second volume came out…

SEAN: No print debuts for Airship, but we see Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 14, ROLL OVER AND DIE 5, and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 15.

Two early digital debuts, though. A Good Day Starts with Cats and Books (Shodana no Hon to Neko Biyori) is a short story collection masquerading as a novel, about a bookstore and the many readers who contribute to its shelves.

ANNA: I agree with both of these points!

ASH: They are very good points.

SEAN: The Tale of a Little Alchemist Blessed by the Spirits (Outo no Hazure no Renkinjutsushi: Hazure Shokugyou datta node, Nonbiri Omise Keieishimasu) stars a woman who was cast out by her family and died alone and unloved. You know why? You got it, bad skill from the gods. Now she’s reincarnated, loved and a viscount’s daughter. And while she still has the same skill, she also has appraisal, and we know how protagonists with appraisal do. She’ll be fine.

And they also have a 5th volume of Heroine? Saint? No, I’m an All-Works Maid (And Proud of It)!.

Pretty big 2nd week, especially with barely any Yen! What are you buying?

MICHELLE: Not much, evidently!