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The Manga Review: Anime, Boston!

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Today marks the first official day of Anime Boston, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year. Guests include anime and manga scholar Helen McCarthy, artist Shiu Yoshijima, GeekGal Sara Hodge-Wetherbe, and translator Zack Davisson. If you’re planning to attend, be prepared for big crowds; last year’s convention saw more than 29,000 people pass through the show floor.

In other news, AbramsComicArts is getting into the manga publishing biz; Kodansha revealed two new licensing acquisitions; Netflix unveiled the trailer for The Drops of God; Jun Mayazuki is TCAF’s guest of honor this year; PW named TOKYOPOP one of the fastest-growing publishers in North America; and volume nine of Spy x Family was the best-selling book in America last week. Last but not least, Rumiko Takahashi was awarded France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a distinction she shares with fellow manga artists Akira Toriyama, Katsuhiro Otomo, Go Nagai, Leiji Matsumoto, and Jiro Taniguchi.

AROUND THE WEB…

Carrie McClain’s latest Seven Seas Pubwatch highlights three of the publisher’s best March releases: orange—to you, dear one, The Villainess and the Demon Knight, and I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love. [WWAC]

The Yatta-Tachi crew compile a master list of April’s new manga and light novel offerings. [Yatta-Tachi]

Dee, Alex, and Cy dedicate a second episode of Chatty AF to the depiction of aromantic and asexual characters in anime and manga. [Anime Feminist]

Walt Richardson, Emily Myers, and Zack Wilkerson discuss chapters 1033-1057 of One Piece. [Multiversity Manga Club]

Suit up with the Manga Mavericks for a lively discussion of Shotaro Ishinomori’s Super Sentai: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger. [Manga Mavericks]

The latest installment of Shojo & Tell focuses on CLAMP School Detectives. [Shojo & Tell]

Can’t get enough CLAMP? Gee and Ray are also exploring the highs and lows of the CLAMP canon, from Cardcaptor Sakura to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. [Read Right to Left]

In memory of the late, great Leiji Matsumoto, Jon Holt and Teppei Fukuda translate Natsume Fusanosuke’s “The Ruins of Space Battleship Yamato: An Essay on Matsumoto Leiji and War.” [The Comics Journal]

REVIEWS

This week’s must-read review comes from Kristin, who names The Horizon one of the best new series of 2023. “The Horizon only has 21 chapters, but it is still as impactful, if not more impactful, than stories I’ve read with 100 chapters or more,” she observes. It didn’t take as much of a toll on me as Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano or No Longer Human by Usamaru Furuya did, but it came close, and for a series that’s this compact, this is a huge feat.” Sold!

At No Flying No Tights, Gail describes Shuna’s Journey as “a fascinating look at the creator’s earliest work”… at Good Comics for Kids, Renee Scott reviews Call the Name of the Night, while Johanna Draper Carlson tackles Embrace Your Size: My Own Body Positivity… and the Manga Bookshelf gang post a new set of Bookshelf Briefs.

New and Noteworthy

Complete and Ongoing Series

Insomniacs After School, Vol. 1

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First published in 1911, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden has beguiled millions of readers with its portrait of Mary and Colin, two sickly children who heal themselves by finding a forgotten space and bringing it back to life. Burnett’s story is very much a product of the Edwardian era, steeped in colonialism and patriarchy, but the core plot—in which the children discover their own agency, and create their own sanctuary—seems as relevant in 2023 as it did over a century ago.

Insomniacs After School steals a page or two from The Secret Garden, shifting the action from a British manor to a Tokyo high school where Nakami, a grumpy, uptight boy, and Magari, a goofy, spontaneous girl, are struggling with insomnia. The two meet cute when Nakami stumbles over Magari sleeping on the floor of the school’s long-abandoned observatory. After commiserating about their difficulty falling asleep, Nakami and Magari hatch a plan to transform the observatory into a clubhouse where they can hang out or sneak in a much-needed midday nap. They scavenge furniture, hang curtains, and welcome a neighborhood cat into their space, in the process uncovering the telescope left behind by the now-defunct astronomy club and, of course, becoming friends.

As delightful as these early scenes are, the best sequence in volume one documents their first outing as members of the “Enjoy-the-Night Club.” Nakami and Magari sneak out of their homes and into the city, meandering through empty neighborhoods, dodging a night patrolman, posing for photographs, and gazing out over the harbor as the first glimmers of dawn form on the horizon. Though there are a few lines of dialogue sprinkled throughout the chapter, most of Nakami and Magari’s adventure unfolds in companionable silence, allowing us to appreciate the stillness of early morning, and their thrill at being the only ones to witness the sunrise:

One of the strengths of Insomniacs After School is Ojiro’s low-key approach to character development. Ojiro isn’t in a hurry to reveal too much about his characters, fleshing out their backstories in an organic fashion through snippets of conversation and brief glimpses into their home lives. Nakami’s dad, for example, seems troubled, though it’s not clear from context what might be wrong, while Magari reveals she suffered from a serious childhood illness that made her frail. Neither teen wants their parents to know the full extent of their exhaustion, however, so they don’t seek help from the adults; as Magari declares, “When I was sick as a kid, I really hated how everyone worried about me. That’s why I keep my insomnia a secret.”

Another strength is the clean, expressive artwork. Ojiro’s facial close-ups and fresh use of perspective give us a sense of the characters’ eagerness for connection as well as their vulnerability and inexperience. In this sequence, for example, we see what happens when Nakami’s simple, matter-of-fact statement lands differently than expected:

The shift in perspective neatly underscores Nakami’s confusion: one minute he felt at ease with Magari, and the next he’s puzzled by her reaction, a note of trepidation registering on his face. Ojiro resists the temptation to verbalize what his characters are thinking, instead letting the reader feel his characters’ discomfort as Nakami’s comment hangs in the air.

Ojiro’s knack for capturing these small but emotionally charged moments lends Insomniacs After School a realism that will appeal teen readers; it’s a quiet, carefully observed portrait of two kids who are navigating the space between friendship and romance, with all the confusion and excitement that entails. Other readers—especially those of us with vivid memories of The Secret Garden—will find Insomniacs a warm reminder that bringing light and life to a neglected place can heal the heart, no matter how old you are. Highly recommended.

INSOMNIACS AFTER SCHOOL, VOL. 1 • BY MAKOTO OJIRO • TRANSLATED BY ANDRIA CHENG • TOUCH-UP & LETTERING BY INORI FUKUDA TRANT • VIZ MEDIA • RATED T (FOR TEENS)

Return from Death: I Kicked the Bucket and Now I’m Back at Square One with a Girlfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me, Vol. 2

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By Eiko Mutsuhana and Yuki Nezozuki. Released in Japan as “Shi ni Modori no Mahou Gakkou Seikatsu wo, Moto Koibito to Prologue kara (※Tadashi Koukando wa Zero)” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Alyssa Niioka.

You’ll notice that the title has slightly changed between the first and second volume. The first volume was dedicated to Oriana trying her best to alter the present so that she can once again be together with the man she loves, and earning a hard-won victory (albeit for herself, not for everyone) that is promptly destroyed by a nasty little cliffhanger. And now it’s time to try again… only this time it’s Vincent who has the knowledge of Life #2, and Oriana who doesn’t remember Life #1 *or* #2. Needless to say, he’s a bit bummed out by this, especially since this Oriana, who is not really driven to study hard to be near her beloved, is in a different class. Still, he is here to try to win her love anew and also find out why they keep looping back in time. This particular volume focuses far more on the first part of that than the second.

To be fair, that’s probably because it’s a lot harder for him to pull off the first than it is the second. He rather handily discovers that there’s a curse associated with the Dragon Tree that explains (unsatisfactorily) why he and Oriana have now died twice and why they keep “starting over”. He’s even more of an academic in this life (due to a promise he made with his father), so I think he’s got this in the bag. Sadly, romancing the love of his life runs right up against being a teenage boy, and the fact that he’s doing it for the third time (though he does not remember the first) does not really help him, he’s still a bit clueless about girls. Things are not helped by the fact that he is a duke’s son and Oriana is the daughter of a merchant… albeit a very successful merchant with noble connections, thanks to Vincent’s machinations.

This is still cute and sweet, and has lots of teen romantic agita if that is your thing. As with the first book, I found the teen agita a but *too* realistic. I also appreciated getting a bit more backstory regarding Yana and Azraq, which helps explain a lot of what was happening in Volume 1 that we couldn’t quite wrap our minds around. The main issue with the book is the fact that it’s clearly Book 1 of 2 in this arc, and is no doubt based on a webnovel, so it does not remotely have the exciting cliffhanger of the first book, but simply comes to a stop. Presumably to pick up in the third and (I presume) final volume. What’s more, as noted, this is mostly all romance, so any “why is this happening?” is also left by the wayside.

So yes, if you want to see a teenager in love trying to get the girl he loves to overcome class consciousness and feel the same, this is a good book. If you want to figure out why they both died last volume, not so much.

Bookshelf Briefs 4/5/23

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Ayashimon, Vol. 1 | By Yuji Kaku | VIZ – Ayashimon starts with a bang: we meet Maruo, a boy who’s so obsessed with shonen manga that he devotes his entire childhood to becoming as strong as his favorite heroes. In a few nifty sight gags, author Yuji Kaku establishes how quickly Maruo becomes invincible, to the point where he’s feared by everyone and unable to work a normal, nine-to-five job. A chance encounter with a demonic mob boss puts the despondent Maruo on a new path, however, leading to a steady gig as the muscleman for a scrappy yakuza gang. It’s at this moment in the story that volume one begins to sag; the later chapters lack the comedic flair and brisk pacing of the introduction, as Kaku relies too much on expository dialogue for world-building purposes, in the process squandering the good will he created with his energetic, imaginative introduction. – Katherine Dacey

The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife, Vol. 1 | By Iwatobineko | Seven Seas – This one has a bit of a gimmick, as it’s in shades of blue rather than in black and white. It might need the gimmick as it’s basically sweet and nice and that’s about it. A detective agency is run by a man who is invisible, helped by a boisterous beast girl, a grumpy but kind human guy, and the secretary, who is blind but always seems to know just where her boss is. The two quickly fall for each other. Sadly, the two are also both terminally shy and awkward, so this is a very slow-burn romance, mostly consisting of dinner dates and discussion of how each of them deals with the problem surrounding sight. I’m not sure I want to read this in an ongoing manner, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you like cute, it’s here for you. – Sean Gaffney

Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1 | By Wataru Yoshizumi | Seven Seas – Marmalade Boy was one of the first manga I ever read, and I’ve always remembered it with extreme fondness. Thus, I was fairly concerned that I’d not like it as much upon a reread. Happily, I needn’t have worried, because this series is still great and conjures up many nostalgic feelings. Yes, the premise of Miki and Yuu’s parents switching partners, remarrying, and merging their families under one roof is kind of out there, but I enjoyed Miki’s reactions to everything going on in her life and Yuu was actually a lot kinder—and more obviously interested in architecture—than I remembered him being at the outset. The color pages in this new edition are also really nice. True, there is a student-teacher romance that has not aged at all well, but that’s not going to stop me from relishing revisiting a beloved fave. – Michelle Smith

Medalist, Vols. 6 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This is now an award-winning manga, and I assume it’s selling like crap, or else it would definitely be getting a print release. It deserves it so much. The first chapter in this volume is a fist-pumping burst of joy, as everything Inori has been training for up to that point comes together and she absolutely blows everyone away. And then we get the rest of the volume, where she realizes that there’s still so much more she has to learn—and learn fast—or else she’s toast. The manga never hesitates to remind you what a cutthroat world figure skating is, and how it has no mercy for anyone who cannot keep up. Tsukasa is also realizing this as well, and has just as many self-esteem issues as Inori… with the added pressure of needing to be her rock. I cannot wait to see what happens next, and hope she goes as far as possible. – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions, Vol. 3 | By Yoko Akiyama and Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – It’s hard to review this kind of spinoff because the stakes are so low. Nothing unusual can happen, as it can’t break canon. And, sadly, a huge chunk of it has to feature the stars—there’s a major story here that’s once again about Bakugou being really mad, and Izuku flinching a lot. In the main part of the series, he’s apologized for the bullying, but not the constant rage, really. Oh yes, and there’s a Mineta chapter where he dresses up as a small dog for perverse reasons. The girls are disgusted with him, but no one bothers to file a complaint with the school or anything—by now I assume they go unread. I think what I’m trying to say is that I take My Hero Academia too seriously to enjoy this wannabe version. – Sean Gaffney

My Special One, Vol. 1 | By Momoka Koda | VIZ – Sahoko hates attractive boys and is almost pathological in her dislike of idols, loudly proclaiming that she hopes that all of them are cursed to become fat and bald. She’s still suffering from the aftereffects of her first love confession going terribly wrong. However, her feelings begin to change when she meets an idol in real life. Kouta appears in the neighborhood diner that Sahoko’s family runs. Sahoko becomes flustered when she asks Kouta for an autograph for her best friend Yuko, and when he turns his charm on her she becomes filled with unfamiliar feelings…could she actually be developing a crush on a cute boy?! The first volume of this manga is cute, if a bit predictable. While there’s some humor, I wasn’t extremely invested in the characters. I’m not sure if it is going to make it into my regular reading rotation, but I could definitely see myself binging on it at some point in the future if I’m in the mood for low-stakes romance. – Anna N

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 2 | By Sakaomi Yuzaki | Yen Press – Food is still the primary reason for the manga, but now that it’s settled in this new volume is ready to delve deeper into the lives of both its leads. Notomo is being pressured to marry, and constantly sees dating advice given as if it assumes that she’s cishet, and is not a happy camper. We also learn Kasuga’s past, as she was part of an abusive household growing up, where she and her mother were treated as second-class citizens due to being women. As this is happening, both are subtly trying to feel out if this is just a really good friendship or something more, but unfortunately neither one of them have the answer yet. This manga is frankly fantastic, one of the best I’ve read recently, and every LGBTA fan should pick it up. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 12 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – We’re New at This is trying its best to give us good observations about how to be a loving couple and not annoy your partner too much, and now that we’re observing more than one couple we get to see some things we wouldn’t with our leads, such as how to deal with a pregnant wife. As for Ikuma and Sumika, they are here for that, but they also get to carry the bulk of the OTHER reason readers love this, which is the sexy times. Here a cherry blossom party quickly turns alcoholic, and a horny Sumika asks her husband to get them to a love hotel… which turns out to have a few devices that might take their heights of ecstasy even further. These two really, really love each other, both as a married couple and as two folks who really love sex. It’s still cute. – Sean Gaffney

The Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess, Vol. 1

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By Roku Kaname and Hazuki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Aobara-hime no Yarinaoshi Kakumeiki” by PASH! Books. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by JC.

This book suffered somewhat for coming out on the same day as The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor, which is also about a noble young lady who is brutally murdered by a hateful mob and travels back in time to when she is ten years old, intent on getting a different result. Alicia does not have quite as many problems once she ends up back in her ten-year-old self as Jill did in Do-Over Damsel, but then Alicia is not quite sure of anything regarding her previous self. One of the more interesting parts of this book is that Alicia can only remember what happened the day she was killed. So she knows she became Queen, and was blindly defending her unfaithful husband out of love, but she’s not quite sure how things got to the point where everyone now hates her and she’s run through with a sword. The other major difference between this and Do-Over Damsel is that this is a far more serious-minded book.

So yes, Alicia is now back in time, when her father is alive, she wasn’t married off to the King of another land, and, most importantly, she’s not dead and disgraced. One of the few things she does remember is the face of the man who killed her… who has just shown up at a ball she’s attending. It turns out he has a tragic past that causes him to be shunned… but Alicia decides that the first step should be to get him as her advisor, so that she can learn why all of this happened at all. This is a big change for the princess, who before she “awoke” to her past life was pretty and beloved, but tended to avoid lessons and instead played tag around the castle. Fortunately, most of the cast takes her personality change in stride.

This is a solid book, whose main problem is separating itself from a pack that has gotten very, very cluttered with other series. (Including other series by the artist, who also drew Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter’s artwork.) Alicia is likeable, and the combination of her lack of memories from the past and the fact that she appears to have been somewhat shallow in her past life means that she’s able to mostly act her age. Clovis, her former murderer and current advisor, is also very nice when people are not blaming him for what his grandfather did, and I am also very happy that, for once, we actually get the “I’ve come from a previous time loop” confession straight away, which allows for more than one 10-year-old to try to figure out how to stop it. The rest of the cast are OK, with Alicia’s father the king seeming to be more savvy than he lets on.

Again, the main drawback to this is: there’s no reason to read it if you’re already reading 8 other “girl goes back in time to change her fate” light novels. But if you like that genre, this is another good one.

Pick of the Week: Cinderellas and Akitas

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SEAN: Tempting as it is to go with the manga featuring what looks like the dumbest dog ever on the cover (Lovely Muco), I will instead go with Tista. I’ve heard the author’s pre-Spy x Family stuff can get pretty dark, but I’m willing to try it, mostly because it looks hella cool.

KATE: After living with a smart, stubborn dog for 13 years–one who was intent on herding me everywhere, and woke me up at 5:45 am every morning–I fantasize about owning a cheerful, dim, and uncomplicated pooch! I’m not quite in the right spot to adopt a new dog right now, so Lovely Muco sounds like the next best thing.

MICHELLE: Cinderella Closet has a premise that doesn’t exactly thrill me—transform with the power of makeup!—but it gives me a little bit of a Princess Jellyfish vibe and it ran in Margaret, so I’ll take a chance by picking it this week.

ASH: More often than not, I choose a debut for my pick of the week, but this time I’m going to try to actually make good on my promise to catch up with My Love Mix-Up!, so that series gets my vote.

ANNA: I’m also going to go with the lure of the new and pick Cinderella Closet!

The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor, Vol. 1

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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 Jenny Murphy.

This has really become the year of Sarasa Nagase. Last month J-Novel Club released one of her earlier one-shots, The Disowned Queen’s Consulting Detective Agency. One of her two biggest hits, I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, just had a semi-successful anime, and is being released by Yen Press. And now we get her other big hit, whose webnovel is just as long as Final Boss. The two series are somewhat similar. While the first one is a take on the basic Villainess book, where our heroine has knowledge of a game and discovers she’s the antagonist, this one is what’s called in Japan a “Yarinaoshi” genre, which we in the West call a “Peggy Sue”, after the 1980s movie Peggy Sue Got Married. Our heroine is killed and finds herself going back in time to try to get things right this time. That said, both Final Boss and Do-Over Damsel have one big thing that’s exactly the same: their heroines are both completely bananas.

Jill Cervel is fleeing for her life, having been betrayed and wrongfully accused by her fiance. (Try to contain your shock.) Cornered, she leaps off a tall castle wall to her certain death… and wakes up back at the age of ten years old, right when she’s about to get engaged to the fiance that murders her. And said fiance really, really wants to get engaged to her. To avoid this, she grabs the guy behind her without looking and says that she’s already pledged herself to this guy. Of course, this guy happens to be Hadis Teos Race, emperor of the Rave empire, a gorgeous young man who IMMEDIATELY accepts Jill’s proposal and whisks her away to his country. Has she gone from the frying pan into the fire?

I mostly loved this, so let’s start with a few caveats. Jill is ten here, regardless of her mental age, and spends a great deal of the book worrying that her new lover is into little girls. This is not helped by the plot, which requires him to take someone under 14 as a bride (not for sex reasons, I promise). The other caveat is the reason that her fiancee is out to murder her, which is that he is sleeping with his younger sister and she just discovered this. Frankly, Gerald is one of those “so evil it’s laughable” guys we often find in light novels, and so it’s no surprise that he’s the worst. Hadis is the biggest surprise, as I expected him to be similar to Claude from Final Boss and he is very much not. He’s kind of a mess. As for Jill, she is a hoot, she’s overpowered as hell, and she’s trying her best to not die even when the universe really, really wants her to die. The author’s heroines are always the main reason to get the book, and this is no exception.

Cross Infinite World is fast-tracking this one a bit more than their usual schedule (possibly as it’s more than 2 volumes long), so we’ll get the 2nd book in about 3 months. If you like reset novels, or strong heroines, or “eccentric” lead characters, this is a great choice.

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, Vol. 13

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By Ryo Shirakome and Takayaki. Released in Japan as “Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen.

The last third of this very long final volume of Arifureta is a giant victory lap. We get lots of cleanup after, the apocalypse, lots of comedic stuff involving the Haulia, some vaguely amusing jokes, and Hajime finally gets around to having sex with most of the rest of the harem (offscreen, sorry to all those wanting your “snu-snu”). It probably goes on far too long, frankly. But I was so happy to be reading it, because it meant that I was not reading fight scenes. After last volume being 175 pages of fights, this volume is 220 pages of fights, and frankly I would rather chew my own arm off than read more of the battle first going one way, then the other, and the occasional nameless person that we don’t know actually dying. The only named people we know who die are the evil God, and Eri, who was killed off last book. We know how this final battle will turn out, this is not Arifureta Zero.

Even the fights in the book are divided neatly in half. The first third of the book shows us Ehit’s apostles versus the rest of the cast that weren’t fighting in Book 12, including Kaori, who frankly gets the MVP for that battle easily. That said, it shows off everyone’s cool moves, shows everyone almost winning and them almost losing, etc. It’s very much a final battle. Then we cut to Ehit vs. Hajime for the second half, and the same thing happens, only every time it appears that Hajime is almost losing, he pulls some new “I was only fooling” bullshit out of his ass, because, frankly, this is Arifureta, and if you didn’t think this was coming you’re reading the wrong series.

So yeah, the first two thirds of the book is basically fight now grr. the only emotional moment is the one pre-designed to be a tear-jerker, which is where Miledi shows up to save the day and also die, because now that Ehit is finally defeated there’s no reason why she cannot finally pass on and rejoin all her friends and her true love. (There’s an additional short story that adds a nice even happier ending to that, if you like). The last third is a bit more varied, as we see Kouki trying to deal with apologizing to literally everyone he’s ever known, Kousuke unlocking his inner chuuni and ending up with a rabbit girlfriend, and Liliana pouting because she’s still too young to get the sex that the rest of the girls all get. And there’s a nice little epilogue where Hajime finally returns home to his family, which is heartwarming.

The webnovel this was based on has an After Story that would probably run about 13 more volumes, but Overlap has shown no sign they plan to release any of it, so this might be it for Arifureta. Which is fine, frankly. It ties up well, and I don’t need the wacky adventures of Yue in Japanese high school. To the end, Arifureta was the “I’ve got the lamest power and everyone hates me, but it’s secretly THE COOLEST” that every other similar series tried to be, and none of them really could ever touch it. I won’t MISS it per se, but I’m glad I read it. Mostly.

The Manga Review: Out Like a Lamb

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The final week of March may not have brought warm weather or flowers to your neck of the woods, but it did yield a few licensing announcements from Seven Seas; an update on the publication status of Okinawa; a preview of the forthcoming Rick and Morty manga; a press release confirming that Ooku: The Inner Chambers is coming to Netflix; and news that Junji Ito’s “Bloodsucking Darkness” is being adapted into a film by Fangoria Studios. The Guardian also ran an interesting piece about France’s long-time love affair with anime and manga. Among the most interesting tidbits I gleaned from the article is that 55% of all comics sold in France in 2021 were Japanese in origin. (Kudos to the Guardian‘s editorial team; the headline is, as the French might say, magnifique.) Also of note: school children in Hiroshima will no longer read Keiji Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen after the city’s municipal school board determined that assigning students “a partial extract of the work makes it difficult to convey the true nature of the atomic bombing.”

AROUND THE WEB….

Over at the Sports Baka substack, Ichi offers an in-depth look at Run On Your New Legs, a story about an amputee who falls in love with running after getting fitted for a new prosthetic. [Sports Baka]

Erica Friedman files a report from Comiket, where she’s researching the current state of the yuri market, and meeting other yuri enthusiasts. [Okazu]

Speaking of conventions, Jocelyne Allen shares some of the doujinshi that she collected before the pandemic. [Brain vs. Book]

The staff at AniFem want to know what queer manga and anime are bringing you joy right now. [Anime Feminist]

Louis Kemner makes the case that Lemon Irvine is the best female character in Mashle: Magic and Muscles, and deserves a more prominent role in the anime adaptation. [CBR]

If, like me, you’re not always excited to learn your favorite manga has been turned into an anime, you’re not alone. [CBR]

Lisa De La Cruz winds down her March Manga Madness series with a look at two CLAMP one-shots: Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess Tales and The Legend of Chun-Hyang. [The Wonder of Anime]

REVIEWS

If you missed Mari Yamazaki’s delightful Thermae Romae the first time around, let Adam Symchuk’s thoughtful review persuade you to pick up the new omnibus edition. “The heart of Thermae Romae is a beautiful celebration of the baths themselves, and an understanding of the integral role they have in the social/politcal landscape of both countries,” he notes. “Mari Yamazaki brilliantly uses the light humor of her story to convey the importance of springs, and draws connections between the two cultures that create a familiarity that transcends time and location.”

The latest Reader’s Corner is now live at Beneath the Tangles, offering short, incisive reviews of In the Land of Leadale, Touring After the Apocalypse, and The Villainess Stans the Heroes.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

COMPLETE AND ONGOING SERIES

Manga the Week of 4/5/23

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SEAN: It’s April! The best month! Let’s see what’s coming out next week.

ASH: Let’s!

SEAN: We start with Airship, which has some print releases. There’s Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut 4 and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 3.

And for early digital, we see The World’s Fastest Level Up 3.

Per Denpa’s twitter, they say that they should have Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji 4 and Heavenly Delusion 5 out next week, so we’ll go with that.

ASH: Oh! I’m reading both of those series.

SEAN: Ghost Ship debuts Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu! (Kaette Kudasai! Akutsu-san), a Young Ace Up! title that is another in the genre of “girl teases the guy she likes”. This one takes place at his apartment, though, and is apparently pretty sweet – the Ghost Ship imprint is more for nudity than actual sex, I think.

ASH: There is definitely a range when it comes to Ghost Ship titles.

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship: Might as Well Cheat: I Got Transported to Another World Where I Can Live My Wildest Dreams! 5.

No debuts for J-Novel Club, but we do have a large number of ongoing series. Ascendance of a Bookworm 24, Bibliophile Princess 6, Black Summoner 12, Holmes of Kyoto 14, The Ideal Sponger Life 11, The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 22, The Misfit of Demon Academy 4 Part 1, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 7, The Saga of Lioncourt 4, and To Another World… with Land Mines! 6.

ASH: As always, yay, Bookworm!

SEAN: Kaiten Books has a 3rd print volume for Gacha Girls Corps.

Kodansha has a print debut of a formerly released digital title, Quality Assurance in Another World (Kono Sekai wa Fukanzen Sugiru). It’s a Comic Days title about a young girl who meets a “Seeker”, someone who tries to fix problems in their world. But… just what *is* their world, anyway?

ASH: I am glad to see more of Kodansha’s digital titles released in print.

SEAN: Also in print: Attack on Titan Omnibus 10, Lovesick Ellie 9, and Sweat and Soap Manga Box Set 2 (which comes with a free thing of soap).

ASH: Ha! Hopefully it’s a good as the series itself.

SEAN: The digital debut for Kodansha is Lovely Muco! (Itoshi no Muco), the story of a dimwit Akita dog and their glass-blower owner. It comes from Evening magazine, and is based on a real dog.

We also get Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 8, Chihayafuru 37, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 7, Life 2, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 6, MF Ghost 12, Phantom of the Idol 5, Raised by the Demon Kings! 7, and Watari-kun’s ****** Is about to Collapse 13.

Seven Seas has one new debut. Cinderella Closet is a shoujo title from Betsuma about a plain jane girl who gets transformed by her office coworker with the power of makeup! But that same coworker has a secret…

MICHELLE: Hm…

ANNA: OK, I’m a bit intrigued.

MJ: Is the makeup… magic? I must know.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Bite Maker: The King’s Omega 7, The Knight Blooms Behind Castle Walls 2, Let’s Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World 3, My Sister, The Cat 2, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 8, and World End Solte 2.

Steamship gives us GAME: Between the Suits 3.

Udon Entertainment has a 5th volume of Daigo The Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers!.

Viz Media debut Tista, a title from the creator of Spy x Family, it ran in Jump Square back in 2007. A young, church-going girl turns out, in the evenings, to have a job as a deadly assassin! Spy x Family fans will recognize the subplot.

ASH: Oh, ho!

ANNA: Nice!

MJ: Here for this.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Dr. STONE 25, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 25, Moriarty the Patriot 11, My Love Mix-Up! 7, One Piece 102, Rainbow Days 3, Romantic Killer 3, and Snow White with the Red Hair 24.

MICHELLE: I look forward to catching up on My Love Mix-Up!.

ASH: Likewise! I have some reading to do.

ANNA: Oh man, I’m quite a bit behind.

SEAN: Actually relatively short for the first week of the month. Any good stuff here for you?