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Arifureta Zero, Vol. 4

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

I do sometimes worry that the author of the Arifureta series has forgotten why we’re reading it in the first place. In regards to the original series, it’s to see Hajime’s ludicrous overpowered antics and the wacky banter between him and his companions, and with Zero it’s the exact same thing only it’s Miledi. The main series has more harem romance to it than Zero, which seems content to tease only Oscar and Miledi and not have it go further, but, well, romance isn’t why I read it, at least. And, in regards to this volume of Zero, while I can appreciate the author writing some really cool battle scenes because he enjoys it, with lots of the bad guys and good guys bringing out increasingly ludicrous powers, fight scenes are not why I read Arifureta either. Sadly, that makes this volume a big ol’ slog, as a good eighty percent of it is battles.

We head into the forest that we’ve seen in Arifureta’s 2nd volume, home of the Beastmen, and here (at least at the start) at the height of its powers. Well, half the group are here. Things have gotten dangerous enough that Miledi’s Angels split up at this point, with Oscar and Vandre helping to settle everyone from the last book, while Miledi and the others head to the forest, there to meet their next potential Liberator, and also try to stop the battle, as the Church has gotten there first. Speaking of the Church, Laus is continuing to have doubts over what they’re actually doing, and things are not helped by the Church’s religious fervor taking on more and more aspects of brainwashing. Can he continue to fight for something he doesn’t believe in any more? Or should be change sides and joining the Liberators.

I will admit, which I said that I wanted more wacky antics and less fights, when we DO get wacky antics, I’m not sure they’re the ones I wanted. Lyutillus is the Elven Queen of the forest… and also a masochist. The author admits she’s meant to be a mirror to Tio in the main series, and given Tio is my least favorite of the girls in that, I wasn’t really going to be enjoying this. Better was Miledi’s usual stuff – when she’s deliberately trying to be annoying to distract the mood, it’s fantastic, and her confrontation with Laus towards the start of the book was absolutely hilarious. Laus, in fact, is the best thing about this book, as his loss of faith is very well handled. I’ve long since come to terms with the fact that the gods are villains in this world, therefore the fact that everyone in the Church tends towards being a monster is hardly a surprise. I am quite interested in seeing how this switching sides works out going forward.

…I say that, but we know how this is going to end – the main cast all dead (bar Miledi’s soul) and branded as heretics. The bad guys win is the premise of this. But we’ve still no idea how long it’s going to be, and I’m happy to see it play out. As long as it’s not just fights. Or creepy sexual gags. Sigh. Not gonna have much luck there, am I?

Full Metal Panic!: Continuing On My Own

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By Shouji Gatou and Shikidouji. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Elizabeth Ellis.

Fans of the anime did not notice this as much, but the main series of Full Metal Panic! Novels very quickly dropped most of the humor from the series. Metatextually, the reason for this is the author started a series of side story volumes with short stories that contained all the wacky shenanigans and being hit with paper fans that anyone would need. Indeed, they even did a separate anime series, Fumoffu, that adapted many of these. But they also funneled some of them into the main series, which is good, because without it the series gets unmistakably grim. As this volume attests. The author urges in his afterword that we should not call it depressing, but yeah, sorry, it is depressing. This story of a child soldier whose hands are stained with blood and a girl who is essentially an esper superweapon has reached the point where “high school” has to end. And so it does.

Even the school is aware of this – early in the volume, Sousuke is approached by the outgoing Student Council President, who notes that he’s used his position to cover up Sousuke’s very obvious paramilitary activities, but the incoming council won’t be able to. Unfortunately, before he can do anything about this, Leonard has made his move, destroying most of Mithril and taking out several minor members of Tessa’s crew (so far, Mao and Kurz seem OK). As this happens, Leonard shows up at Kaname’s apartment and tells her “come with me”, and when she refuses and she and Sousuke flee, he responds by taking the school hostage and strapping bomb to Kyoko. Make no mistake about it, this is a supervillain who knows how to get what he wants. Much as Sousuke would wish otherwise, you can guess how Kaname responds to this.

As I said, this book is another series of gut punches, as Sousuke’s support structure is decimated, the school he’s grown fond of now knows who he is, and the woman he loves is now in the hands if the enemy. The final scene involves him showing up in class after all this has occurred, to the horror and disgust of most of the students, and telling them that he plans to bring Kaname back, and also to hate him rather than her. Understandably, because he loves Kaname he also wants to protect her “normal” life. That said, Kyoko’s in the hospital, the staff of the school is, blame or no, unlikely to let Kaname return… I dunno, I feel we’ve turned a corner here. In any case, I expect the next book will involve trying to figure out where Kaname is – I really hope she gets to do something besides be a damsel.

I’ve left out the battles here, which are quite well written and awesome – by this point, the author was writing with an eye for the anime, and it shows, though he’s always had a bit of that in his works. We do also get one major casualty in this book, which I don’t want to spoil, but after everything that’s happened in the last four it feels sadder than I expected. This remains a solid series, but there will be absolutely no bear mascots going forward – FMP is serious business.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima, Vol. 3

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By Ikuto Yamashita. Released in Japan as “Shin Seiki Evangelion Anima” by Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in the magazine Dengeki Hobby. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Nathan Collins. Adapted by Peter Adrian Behravesh.

Fans of the Evangelion Anime light novels will be pleased to hear that there is not quite as many millions of people turning into pillars of salt in this volume. Indeed, the focus turns a bit narrower, as we are very much concerned with battling the enemy, which has stolen Shinji’s heart. That said, are they an enemy? The various troops certainly think so, and the nations have now teamed up to battle the Angels and their spinoff monsters. Unfortunately, biblical imagery is still the main way to attack in this series, and so very quickly no one is able to understand one another, reminiscent of the Tower of Babel. As for Shinji… who is the real Shinji? Is it the one who’s fighting in Super-Eva for most of the volume, with at least one Rei there next to him (though not always the SAME Rei)? Or is it the heart that makes someone who they are?

Asuka certainly thinks so, though to be fair she spends almost all of this book in a sort of primal mode, her experiences from the second volume having merged her with her Eva (as the art within makes abundantly clear) and her personality vacillating between ‘small child’ and ‘adorable pet’. She’s got company, however, as with the Americans coming into the picture we’re introduced to Mari in this continuity. Mari has been experimented on by scientists, and now functions as a wolf pack, complete with actual wolves. She’s not quite as primal as Asuka, but it is noteworthy that the two are paralleling each other again. And Shinji ends up swapping Reis, as Trois’ self-sacrifice butts up against Quatre’s emotional instability and they essentially swap roles. This ends up being very good for Quatre, who was so angry she reminded me of Asuka at times, but I worry about Trois.

As you might guess by the fact that I’m actually discussing characters, this is a better volume than the first two when it comes to actual introspection and things that are not giant robot allegorical battles. Not that there aren’t plenty of those as well – they’re still the main reason to get the book. But this volume is not as frenetic as the first two, and pauses to take in Hikari and Toji’s romantic yet also battle-torn meeting (Toji also gets his arm back – which is both good and bad) and Misato briefly dealing with essentially being a damsel in distress for most of the second book. This book, as with the others, ends with a cliffhanger, and it will be interesting to see how it pans out – heck, this is Evangelion, we could actually see the Angel with Shinji’s heart take over the narrative as Shinji. It works metaphorically, after all.

There have been so many Eva spinoffs it’s hard to compare them. This is better than the first two books, but I’d still say it’s best for fans of the design and mecha work more than anyone else.

Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki vol 1

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Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki Volume 1 by Yuu Watase

The Fushigi Yugi universe is one I’ve been following for a long time. Many of my earliest volumes are from the initial Viz release back in the early 2000s, so I felt very nostalgic reading the first volume of the last Fushigi Yugi story 20 years later. While there have been glimpses of Suzuno before in previous series and the anime, seeing an entire series devoted to her seems like a fitting way to finish out the Universe of the Four Gods.

This first volume is structured as a prequel within a prequel, giving the reader insight into Suzuno’s character as both a child and a young adult and setting up an intriguing conflict that I expect to see explored more in future volumes. As Fushigi Yugi: Byakko Senki opens, a young Suzuno is spending time with her parents. Her father has the volume of The Universe of the Four Gods, burdened with the tragic legacy of Takiko Okuda and her professor father. As the Great Kanto earthquake strikes, Suzuno is trapped in her burning house and her father sends her into the book in order to save her life. In the Universe of the Four Gods, Suzuno is clearly unable to fend for herself, but she meets up with some people who are surely going to be pivotal figures in her life – Neiran, a psychologically damaged woman who can turn into a tiger, and the brothers Kasal and Karm. After narrowly escaping being kidnapped, Suzuno travels for a little bit with her new companions who begin to suspect that she might be the fabled priestess of Byakko.

Suzuno travels back to her own world in the aftermath of the earthquake, and the story line shifts to show her as a young woman, quiet and artistic and plagued by enduring visions and memories of what she’s lost. A shy, retiring heroine forced to adapt to a mystical new world isn’t exactly a novel plot point, but the overtones of impending tragedy and Suzuno’s resilience in difficult situations immediately make her an engaging heroine. Watase’s art is always clear and engaging, and I’m looking forward to seeing her portrayal of Suzuno’s mystical warriors and the unique world of the Universe of the Four Gods. This first volume mainly established Suzuno as a fully-fledged protagonist and I’m fairly happy with that pacing even though I put it down feeling a little impatient waiting to get started on the rest of the story. While I think is possible to enjoy this series without reading other Fushigi Yugi stories, I think at minimum someone reading Byakko Senki should be familiar with Genbu Kaiden, and hopefully the main series that started off this 20 year old saga.

The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes, Vol. 1

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Google the term sanpaku, and you’ll quickly discover why the word resists easy translation. In its most basic sense, sanpaku means “three whites,” a condition in which the iris sits a little higher or lower in the eye than normal, exposing more of the schlera. The significance of having sanpaku eyes, however, seems hotly contested, with some websites proclaiming it a curse and others declaring it evidence of great emotional turmoil. The heroine of Denpa Books’ newest series is neither doomed nor crazy, just deeply frustrated that her chronic Resting Bitch Face makes it difficult to show Katou, her crush, how cool and awesome she thinks he is.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes is the artwork. The illustrations are rendered in a warm, pink palette that captures Amane’s agitation more effectively than deformations and sweat drops alone could do. The character designs are somewhat generic—Katou is a standard-issue shojo prince, right down to his mega-watt grin—but Amane and her siblings are drawn with genuine individuality, revealing their shared family curse: all three look meaner than they are. Amane, in particular, stands apart from her galaxy-eyed peers with her cat-like pupils and scowling expression that make her look more like a bosozoku gang member than a sweet, timid high school student.

Though artist Shunsuke Sorato convincingly shows us how flustered Amane becomes in Katou’s presence, there’s almost no dramatic or comedic tension in this series; by chapter three, it’s obvious that the sweetly hunky Katou likes Amane, too, and is eager to reciprocate her affection. Therein lies the biggest problem with The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes: the story is so one-sided and predictable that it barely registers as a rom-com, since there’s almost nothing at stake in Amane and Katou’s exchanges. For middle-school readers navigating a first crush, Sorato’s storytelling approach will feel reassuring, but for older teens The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes may be too anodyne to be truly engaging.

A review copy was provided by Denpa Books. Volume one will be released digitally on August 25th at the Denpa Books website and September 1st on additional digital platforms. The print edition will be released on September 15th.

THE GIRL WITH THE SANPAKU EYES • ART & STORY BY SHUNSUKE SORATO • TRANSLATED BY DAVID GOLDBERG • LETTERING BY GLEN ISIP • DENPA BOOKS • 128 pp. • NO RATING (SUITABLE FOR READERS AGED 10+)

Pick of the Week: Listening to Space Waves

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SEAN: A lot of my ‘mid-tier’ series are out this week, so its hard to have a pick. I guess I’ll go with Fiancée of the Wizard, because shoujo isekai have been pretty good lately.

KATE: Oof–this is one of those weeks where there’s so much choice I’m a little paralyzed! I’m excited for new volumes of Drifting Dragons and Wave, Listen to Me, but I’m also intensely curious about Sazan and Comet Girl (Sazan to Susei no Shoujo), a done-in-one sci-fi series that’s in… wait for it… color. So if I had to whittle down my list to one book, it would be Sazan and Comet Girl.

ASH: I’m definitely interested in Sazan and Comet Girl, but I’m holding out for the print edition. So, Wave, Listen to Me! will be my go-to manga this week, although I’ll admit to being intrigued by the debut of Fiancée of the Wizard and its pretty cover.

ANNA: Like Ash, I’m curious about Sazan and Comet Girl, but Wave, Listen to Me! is also my pick!

MICHELLE: I’m happy Wave, Listen to Me! is coming out in print, and Sazan and Comet Girl looks neat, but I’m most looking forward to the thirteenth volume of Waiting for Spring, in which the main storyline concludes. It’s a quiet sort of shoujo series that hasn’t made many waves and though I don’t expect any dramatic twists in the final volume, I like these characters and want to see how things wrap up for them.

MJ: Even with so much to choose from, I’m struggling to make a pick this week. But I think I’ll go along with Kate in choosing Sazan and Comet Girl, which was, for me, the most intriguing item on this week’s list!

Manga the Week of 8/26/20

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SEAN: The end of August, a time when most people think back on the good things about summer. Like manga!

ASH: At least some things were good!

SEAN: We start off with Ghost Ship, which has a 3rd volume of Destiny Lovers.

J-Novel Club debuts Monster Tamer (Monster no Goshujinsama), which comes from the Monster Bunko label, so it’s a specialty. The plot sounds like Arifureta. A lot like Arifureta, honestly. Perhaps a bit less dungeons and more forests, but…

They also have the 4th Demon Lord, Retry! and a 3rd manga volume for Sweet Reincarnation.

Kodansha has quite a bit. In print, we see Drifting Dragons 5; Fire Force 19; In/Spectre 12; Rent-a-Girlfriend 2; and Wave, Listen to Me! 3.

MICHELLE: I’m happy about Wave, Listen to Me! but mostly can’t wait ’til the end of September, when volume four (with material I haven’t already read digitally) comes out!

ANNA: I’m also happy about Wave, Listen to Me!.

ASH: Likewise! I’ve also been enjoying Drifting Dragons.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is ASHIDAKA – The Iron Hero (Tekkai no Senshi). This has been getting a simulpub release, but now the first volume is out. Hope you like metal arms. It runs in Monthly Shonen Magazine, and appears to be very old-school shonen. I’m hoping for big eyebrows.

ASH: Heh.

SEAN: You can also enjoy digital volumes for Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! 3, Altair: A Record of Battles 21, Guilty 6, Hotaru’s Way 15 (a final volume), I Fell in Love After School 7, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 16, Love Massage: Melting Beauty Treatment 6, Waiting for Spring 13, and When We Shout for Love 3 (also a final volume).

MICHELLE: I think this was originally the final volume of Waiting for Spring, too, but now there’s a fourteenth one with side stories and bonus content. In any case, I’m reading a bunch of these.

SEAN: Seven Seas is still doing the “yay, we can print books again!” thing. No print debuts, but we get Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 6, Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor 9, Arifureta Zero 3 (manga version), A Centaur’s Life 18, Magika Swordsman and Summoner 13, My Room Is a Dungeon Rest Stop 3, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Anima 3, Non Non Biyori 13, and Re: Monster 5. A lot of those had their digital version out already.

ASH: I’m not following many of these very closely, but I am glad to see print starting back up again.

SEAN: Digitally there are some debuts. Sazan and Comet Girl (Sazan to Suisei no Shoujo) is a done-in-1 omnibus from LEED Magazine’s Torch, and, despite being a LEED publication, does not appear to be in the style of Golgo 13. It’s a sci-fi story. It’s also in full color.

ASH: I’m curious about this one, though I’ll likely wait for the print volume.

MJ: That sounds interesting.

MICHELLE: It does!

SEAN: In light novels, we have The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent (Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu). An OL gets summoned to be the Saint… but gets rejected. Now she’s trying to live a slow life, but it quickly becomes apparent that maybe she is a saint after all.

Also digitally we have Adachi and Shimamura‘s 3rd light novel, D-Frag! 14, and Monster Girl Doctor 6.

Square Enix gives us The Misfit of Demon King Academy 2 and Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 2 (manga version).

Tokyopop has a 2nd volume of Koimonogatari: Love Stories.

Vertical has quite a bit. They haven’t publicly announced most of it, but given it’s there on their web page for all to see, I don’t feel guilty talking about it. They’re debuting some digital NISIOISIN novels. We get Owarimonogatari 1 & 2, Katanagatari 1-3, and Zaregoto 1-3. This would catch us up with the print releases… except they’re also putting out the 4th and final Katanagatari omnibus in print only. Oh yes, and a 4th Bakemonogatari manga volume in print.

They also, in non-NISIOISIN products, have The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home box set.

ASH: I still really love Chi’s Sweet Home.

MJ: Same.

SEAN: Lastly, Yen has some titles that slid back a week. Including The Garden of Words, the latest Makoto Shinkai multimedia emotional gutcruncher novel. Yen On also has Goblin Slayer 10, which is… not a Makoto Shinkai title.

ASH: Nope. It most definitely is not

SEAN: On the manga end, Yen debuts Fiancee of the Wizard (Mahoutsukai no Konyakusha), a Kadokawa title from one of their shoujo fantasy magazines. It’s a reincarnation isekai, but with a female lead, and is based on an as-yet unlicensed light novel.

MICHELLE: This seems pretty romance-heavy, at least by its description: “When a woman is reborn into a world of swords and sorcery as a young girl, her new life takes a turn for the fantastic as she meets an impossibly handsome yet surly son of a wizard. A future of magic, adventure, and romance awaits!”

ANNA: OK, I’m now much more intrigued by this description!

ASH: Potentially promising, for sure. (Even if I am well beyond burned out on most isekai.)

SEAN: We also get A Certain Magical Index 22 (manga version), High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World 8 (manga version), IM: Great Priest Imhotep 4, Interspecies Reviewers 4, Laid-Back Camp 9, Murcielago 15, School-Live! 12 (the final volume, though there’s a sequel out in Japan), Smokin’ Parade 8, Val x Love 9, and The World’s Strongest Rearguard 2 (manga version).

Typing ‘manga version’ a lot. It’s a multimedia world. What media are you consuming?

Bookshelf Briefs 8/19/20

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In which we extend our profound sympathies to Sean, languishing without internet thanks to a hurricane and his crappy ISP.

The Dorm of Love and Secrets, Vol. 4 | By Nikki Asada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Structurally, the conclusion of The Dorm of Love and Secrets is a lot like another of Kodansha’s short, digital-only, shoujo series, Let’s Kiss in Secret Tomorrow. The heroine’s big secret is received with very little fanfare (in Asahi’s case, her high-achieving dormmates had already figured out she was a member of the normal class) and instead the focus is on reassuring the secondary character who’d been interfering with the main couple’s happiness that they are, in fact, a good person. Here, Asahi helps Tsukigase fight to save Midnight Oil Hall from being torn down. It’s a decent ending, though the plot thread about Yokaze’s grandfather’s dojo is never addressed again. I also would’ve liked more with Asahi and her older sister, who was largely responsible for Asahi’s inferiority complex regarding her supposed lack of intelligence. Ultimately, this was a pleasant series but not required reading. – Michelle Smith

Haikyu!!, Vol. 39 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – Karasuno has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Spring Tournament and their opponent is Kamomedai, a defensively skilled team with a “little giant” of its own. In fact, the original little giant is in the stands, and seeing him be impressed by the next generation of small players is great. My favorite part, though, is that a couple of Hinata’s classmates, who had assumed he was a benchwarmer, happen to catch the game on TV and are astonished by how good he is. In fact, throughout the volume, whenever he scores a point, Furudate-sensei will toss in a little panel of these guys celebrating his success. It’s a really nice touch. Oh, and also Tsukishima the elder literally sparkling with pride over his little brother’s performance. The volleyball part is as great as ever, but the sheer warmth exuding from these pages is why I love this series so much. – Michelle Smith

Love on the Other Side: A Nagabe Short Story Collection | By Nagabe | Seven Seas – Collecting six short manga, Love on the Other Side is more akin to Nagabe’s series The Girl from the Other Side than the The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms anthology, although there are certainly some aesthetic similarities to that volume, as well. While the narratives in Love on the Other Side are unrelated to one another, the stories are all about an intimate (not necessarily romantic) relationship between a human child or young woman and a beast. In many cases, that beast is a literal monster. Some are kind-hearted, some are not, and with some, well, it can be difficult to tell. In part, the tension and unease caused by that is what gives Love on the Other Side such an effective and affecting atmosphere. The stories are beautiful and touching but also often unsettling—love shadowed by peril, uncertainty, and the unknown. Overall, it’s an excellent collection. – Ash Brown

Not Your Idol, Vol. 1 | By Aoi Makino | Viz Media – Given the fact that the main protagonist of Not Your Idol is an assault survivor, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that the manga is intense, but I don’t know that I was fully prepared for the level of its intensity going into the first volume. I hesitate to call Not Your Idol “dark” (even though it is) as that could seem to imply that the story goes beyond reality when what makes it so disconcertingly effective is the horrifyingly realistic sexism and misogyny underlying the manga’s drama and psychological suspense. The first volume is not a feel-good debut, but it is a very strong one. I’m anxious to see where the series goes next, especially considering some of the twists towards the end of the first volume—I desperately want to know if those developments are truly what they seem or if there are more shocking revelations to come. – Ash Brown

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 4 | By Honda | Yen Press – Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san began as an amusing depiction of the hectic goings-on (and kooky customers) at the bookstore at which its creator worked. After volume three, though, Honda quit that job and is now hurting for material (by her own admission). In desperation, she interviews various people in the bookselling industry (and takes a trip to Taiwan), but the frenetic energy of earlier volumes is completely gone. Now it’s just informative and rather dull. The story peters out and then we get random short comics from Pixiv and Twitter. I did like a couple of things, like the page capturing the various ways people show joy before the shelves, and Honda’s reaction to a senseless act of destruction. Honda-sensei quit the bookstore to become a full-time manga creator, and I hope we see some of her other series here in the near future! – Michelle Smith

Wanna Try Dating Inoue? | By Fujitobi | Futekiya (digital only) – This is another exceedingly cute BL oneshot from Fujitobi, who also wrote Faded Picture Scroll. Although named for the first trio of stories, the volume is actually about two different couples at the same high school, set in a world where humans and anthropomorphic animal people coexist peacefully. Asthmatic first-year Yuzuta Inoue falls for a kind third-year tengu named Karasuma, and it is mostly cute, although Inoue’s persistence in trying to get Karasuma to fall for him crosses the line into problematic initially. Rooting for them are a couple of side characters named Asaka and Ookami, who turn out to be the protagonists of the next trio of stories. Ookami is 100% the best thing about this manga. He’s sweet, gentle, shy, and stuck in the big, imposing body of a werewolf. I love him. I hope we get more Fujitobi titles in the future! – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: A Mostly Floral Assortment

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MICHELLE: I’m very happy about more Ooku and Rose of Versialles and excited to check out The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Jack Flash & Faerie Case Files, but it didn’t take long for me to really care about the cast of Blue Flag, and I am desperate for the next volume even though it may well tear my heart out. In the best way, of course.

SEAN: Lots out this week for me, but I’ll make the final volume of Bloom Into You my pick. A rare series that gets better every volume.

ANNA: I’m excited about many of the volumes Michelle already mentioned, but if there’s a new volume of Rose of Versailles out that is always going to be my enthusiastic choice.

ASH: There are so many things being released this week that I’m interested in (including everything that’s been mentioned so far), making it very difficult to pick just one. But I’ll take this moment to highlight the release of Venus in the Blind Spot since a best-of collection Junji Ito’s work could never be a bad choice.

MJ: I don’t have incredibly strong feelings this week, except for continued gratitude that we’re seeing new volumes of Rose of Versailles and Ooku. And since I’ve said many times “Yoshinaga always wins,” I guess I’ll go for Ooku!

KATE: I got nothing new to add to the list: I’m excited about Junji Ito’s latest short story collection, and excited for another installment of The Rose of Versailles.

Manga the Week of 8/19/20

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SEAN: The Yen Press juggernaut is back.

Let’s start with Yen. They have a couple manga debuts. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is the manga version of the popular light novel. This arc is a done-in-1 omnibus.

I Love You So Much I Hate You (Nikurashii Hodo Aishiteru) is an office romance yuri about two professional working women with a rivalry… or is it?

MICHELLE: I hope this is something kind of complicated, but I guess we shall see.

ASH: I do like that we’re starting to see more yuri with adult characters.

MJ: Yes, I do too.

SEAN: I Don’t Know How to Give Birth! (Shussan no Shikata ga Wakaranai!) is a comedic essay manga about the author struggling with her first-time pregnancy. It looks fun.

ASH: I’m super-curious about this one.

ANNA: I am too!

SEAN: Also from Yen this week: Teasing Master Takagi-san 9; Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization 6 (the final volume); Spirits and Cat Ears 9; So I’m a Spider, So What? 8 (manga version); an omnibus version of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga; Phantom Tales of the Night 5; Overlord: The Undead King-Oh! 4; Magia Record 2; Kakegurui 12; Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon: Sword Oratoria 12 (manga version); Hinowa Ga CRUSH! 4; Black Butler 29; As Miss Beelzebub Likes 10; Aoharu x Machinegun 18 (the final volume); and Angels of Death 10.

ASH: You weren’t kidding about the return of the juggernaut! And this is just the manga. Out of these, Phantom Tales of the Night is what has most of my attention.

SEAN: As for Yen On, it also has some debuts. Interspecies Reviewers should already be familiar from the manga and anime: this is a light novel version.

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy (Seiken Gakuin no Maken Tsukai)… yup, another demon lord in a magical academy.

MICHELLE: How many does that make now? At least three.

SEAN: Also: Sword Art Online 20, Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kouhai, Final Fantasy I*II*III: Memory of Heroes, Do You Love Your Mom (and Her Two-Hit, Multi-Target Attacks?) 6, The Dirty Way to Destroy the Goddess’ Heroes 4, Bottom-Tier Tomozaki-kun 4, and 86 ~Eighty-Six~ 5.

From Viz: Venus in the Blind Spot is a best of collection from Junji Ito, and also has the exact same meter as “Mirror in the Bathroom” by The English Beat.

MICHELLE: My brain automatically went to “Heroes in a Half-Shell.” Which is strange, considering I never watched that show.

ASH: Hahaha! Whatever the meter, I’m always glad for more Ito in English.

ANNA: Always a good thing.

MJ: I’m on board for this!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Urusei Yatsura 7, Ooku: The Inner Chambers 17, Golden Kamuy 17, and Blue Flag 3.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more Ooku, but after the cliffhanger at the end of volume two, it’s Blue Flag I am desperate for.

ASH: Oh! This is a good week for Viz. And a bad week for my wallet; I’m reading most of these.

ANNA: Yes, super anxious to read the next volume of Blue Flag.

MJ: Ooku! And okay, I’m behind on Blue Flag, but I definitely want to know what all the fuss is about.

SEAN: Vertical has the 3rd Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro.

Udon has a 3rd Rose of Versailles omnibus, meaning I’m already behind.

MICHELLE: I only just got volume two last Friday!

ASH: I got the second volume on Saturday, but go ahead and bring on the third!

ANNA: Me too!!!

MJ: Help!

SEAN: Tokyopop has a 2nd volume of The Fox and Little Tanuki.

Sol Press has the 3rd Redefining the Meta at VRMMO Academy novel.

Seven Seas debuts a spinoff. The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Jack Flash & Faerie Case Files (Mahou Tsukai no Yome Shihen.75 – Inazuma Jack to Yousei Jiken), which should be a lot of fun for fans of the main series.

MICHELLE: Huh! I’ll have to check this out.

ASH: I’m a fan of The Ancient Magus’ Bride and I’m a fan of the writer Yu Godai, so I’m doubly-excited for this release.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Toradora! 9 (manga version), Skeleton Knight in Another World 5 (print), Reincarnated As a Sword 3 (manga version), Plus-Sized Elf 5, How to Train Your Devil 3, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 8 (manga version), Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends 18 (print), and Bloom Into You 8.

MICHELLE: I believe that’s the final volume of Bloom Into You, as well. I need to get caught up.

SEAN: No debuts from Kodansha. But we get, in print, Sweat and Soap 3, Saiyuki 2, O Maidens in Your Savage Season 7 and 8, Love and Lies 9, Gleipnir 7, and the 5th Cardcaptor Sakura Collector’s Edition.

ASH: I’m a little behind, but O Maidens in Your Savage Season is so good.

SEAN: Digitally we get That Blue Summer 8 (final volume), Space Brothers 37, Shojo FIGHT! 12, Orient 5, Mikami-sensei’s Way of Love 8 (final volume), Living-Room Matsunaga-san 8, Kakushigoto 6, GE: Good Ending 8, Fairy Tail: Happy’s Heroic Adventure 5, Dolly Kill Kill 5, and Cells NOT at Work 3.

MICHELLE: I have been enjoying That Blue Summer. Hard to believe it’ll be over so quickly!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one debut, but it’s a biggie: Slayers!. The classic fantasy light novel has been rescued and is coming out with a new translation. The first volume is out next week.

Also out from J-NC: Wild Times with a Fake Fake Princess 2 and How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 12.

Ghost Ship gives us To-Love-Ru Darkness 16, Saki the Succubus Hungers Tonight 3, and Parallel Paradise 2.

Lastly, Dark Horse has the 2nd volume of Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.

Mo’ volumes, mo’ problems. What’s weighing you down?