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Pick of the Week: Witches, Senpais, and Doodles

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KATE: I’ve been jonesing for A Witch’s Life in Mongol since I first encountered the title on Tumblr several years ago. Based on what I’ve read about this series, it checks all of my boxes. Historical setting? Yes! Originally published in a magazine for women readers? Yes! Capable female lead? Yes! Oh, and the artwork looks pretty great, too. So, yes, A Witch in Mongol is my PotW.

MICHELLE: Stardust Family sounds legitimately good but serious, and I think I am more in the mood for fluff, so I’ll go with I’ll Forget You Starting Today, Senpai!.

SEAN: I am always so happy to read anything by Ryoko Kui, so my pick this week is Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour.

ASH: Lots of great things being released this week! I’m definitely interested in Kui’s artbook, but I’ll be joining Kate this week in selecting A Witch’s Life in Mongol as my pick. I’ve likewise been looking forward to this manga for quite some time.

The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods, Vol. 1

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By Yanagi and Yoh Hihara. Released in Japan as “Mori no Hashikko no Chibi Majo-san” by TO Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Nathan Macklem.

This is an excellent book, which tends to wander around genres, but about a third of the way through I reasoned that it’s a disgraced noble book in disguise. Which the first half almost is, but then once she sets off on her journey to another country that has requested her (also very disgraced noble), it suddenly becomes a slow life feel good sort of book. At its heart is Misha, who is the tiny witch on the cover, and her journey from innocent child to grieving, stricken child (it’s not a spoiler, one of the chapter titles is literally “Sudden Tragedy”) and gradually trying to come to terms with that grief and live on. That said, all of that has to war with the insatiable curiosity that permates everything Misha does, which makes her a great apothecary, but like so many other fictional heroines also makes her prone to stumbling on the mystery of the week, which is the genre this eventually settles on.

Misha is a young girl who lives, as the title might suspect, deep in the woods, where she learns medicine from her mother, who is from a people who specialize in medicine. Her father visits every month or so, and they seem happy, till after a couple of months of no visiting it turns out her father was in a war and is on the verge of death… and is also a duke. So her mother takes Misha and rushes to the castle (where, years earlier, her mother had been severely injured by the duke’s wife) to try to save his life. She does this, but, alas, the wife is still around, so you can probably guess what happens. Worst of all, now that Misha is here she’s bound to get involved in… sigh… politics. Fortunately, she’s not only a terrific apothecary but has the ability to charm anyone who spends more than ten seconds around her.

This is a fantasy, sort of. Misha’s mother comes from a people who really, really made me think of elves but are not actually elves. Late in the book there’s also a dragon god, who acts exactly like you’d expect a dragon god to act in a light novel written for women. But it’s also grounded in the reality of Misha’s entire life being upended and her never really being allowed to stand still. She leaves the woods via horse (she’s never been on one before), has to treat all the wounded soldiers (she has very little hands-on experience), and then she’s sent as a student (she avoids concubine when people figure out who her relatives are) to another country, where she comes across attempted murders, attempted sacrifices, and wolf puppies who she heals through the power of goodness and niceness. No, really, it’s hinted that she literally has some sort of magical calm healing powers. The reason this works is that Misha is written terrifically, never getting too cloying, and remembering the grief that she’s still processing all book.

So, to sum up: this is a winner, and you should go get it.

The Manga Review: Robot Cat from the Future

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When Toei Animation released its 2025 Business Outlook Report last week, fans immediately began translating the document. Twitter user @Venixys reported that Toei was planning to expand it use generative AI tools in several ways including “storyboard creation,” “coloring,” and “background creation” from photographs. While using AI to perform these kind of detail-oriented, labor-intensive tasks could streamline production, it most likely comes with a human cost, as this work has traditionally been performed by teams of animators. In her coverage of the story, CBR’s Renee Senzatimore noted that Toei and Kodansha had both invested in Preferred Networks, Inc., a startup firm in the generative AI field.

One additional note: if you’re headed to San Francisco this fall, be sure to check out the de Young Museum’s Art of Manga exhibition, which opens on September 27th and runs through January 25, 2026. You can save $5.00 per ticket by pre-ordering them and using the code KODANSHA when checking out. (The fine print: the offer is “valid online only for adult and senior tickets to see Art of Manga from September 27 though October 25, 2025, subject to availability. This offer expires at 11:59pm (PT) on July 1, 2025.”) I’m sorry I don’t have a reason to be in San Francisco this fall, as the show looks great. How could it not be when Deb Aoki and Shaenon Garrity are on the advisory committee?

NEWS ROUND-UP

In international publishing news, Kadakowa recently announced that it has acquired a 70% ownership stake in Edizioni BD, the largest Italian publisher of manga. As part of the deal, Edizioni BD will become a subsidiary of Kadakowa at a time when the Italian manga market is booming.  [Animeconomics]

ICv2 is offering readers a sneak peak at Infini-T Force, a forthcoming series about a high school student who has the power to summon Gatchaman when she’s in a bind. Hilarity ensues (or so I’m guessing from the jokey tone of the press release). [ICv2]

To mark its tenth anniversary, Shonen Jump+ has commissioned anime adaptations of series that ran on the platform. Matt Schely has the details. [Otaku USA]

ICYMI: Brigid Alverson investigates “the ongoing saga of the Diamond bankruptcy,” walking readers through mountains of legal documents to explain why this messy situation isn’t fully resolved. [The Comics Journal]

Your feel-good story of the week: the residents of Takaikamishima—population 11—decided to open a manga academy to put the island back on the map. The school is open in the summer, and caters to tweens and teens. [The Asahi Shimbun]

ESSAYS AND PODCASTS

If Helen Chazan’s writing hasn’t been on your radar, now is an excellent time to get acquainted with her work. TCJ just published her essay on Hunter x Hunter in which she characterizes Yoshihiru Togashi’s series as the “shōnen manga of a free man, every page crackling with hard-earned creative agency.” She elaborates: “The generic springboard of the Shōnen Jump manga premise is an opening for Togashi to draw whatever he pleases, in any style, setting or tone he wishes to explore.” I’ve never been particularly interested in Hunter x Hunter, but she’s persuaded me to give it a second chance. Go, read! [The Comics Journal]

David and Jordan debate the merits of Rash!!, a short-lived series set in a prison infirmary. [Shonen Flop]

The Manga Machinations team has a full plate this week, with Look Back, The Legend of Kamui, and Silver Mountain on the menu. [Manga Machinations]

Gee and Ray dedicate their latest podcast to romantasy, focusing on Dawn of the Arcana and The King’s Beast. [Read Right to Left]

Should you read War of the Adults? Rob offers his two cents as a parent and manga fan. [Dad Needs to Talk]

Petter and James tackle volume twenty-two of To Your Eternity. [Umami Manga]

ICYMI: Xan revisits Kingyo Used Books, which documents the manga-reading habits of the store’s clientele. [Spiraken Manga Review]

And speaking of old school titles, Kory, Helen, and Apryll jump in the WABAC Machine for a look at The Legend of Chun Hyang, an early CLAMP classic  [Manga in Your Ears]

Over at The Outerhaven, Richard Heaton explains why Dungeon Friends Forever is begging for an anime adaptation. [The Outerhaven]

Jocelyne Allen—another writer you should be following—sings the praises of Crystal Dragon, an epic shojo fantasy steeped in Celtic folklore. “While pretty much every panel is a work of art,” Allen notes, creator Ashibe Yuho “pulls off some truly glorious moments of visual storytelling.” Don’t hold your breath for the license, however; the series has been unfolding in fits and starts for forty years and still isn’t finished. [Brain vs. Book]

REVIEWS

Kirkus Reviews gives solid marks to Eike Exner’s forthcoming Manga: A New History of Japanese Comics, which will be released in August… Kathryn Hemmann reviews She and Her Cat, an anthology of short stories inspired by Makoto Shinkai’s short film of the same name… Rebecca Silverman recommends The 13th Footprint, a new mystery from the creator of Erased… and the latest recent installment of The Beat’s Bizarre Adventure focuses on A Drifting Life, Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, and Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth.

New and Noteworthy

Complete, OOP, and Ongoing Eries

 

Manga the Week of 5/28/25

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SEAN: The end of May brings a lot of Yen, so let’s dive right into that.

Yen On only has one title, which is the 3rd volume of Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- Short Story Collection.

Yen Press has many, many debuts. We’ll start with The BS Situation of Tougetsu Umidori (Umidori Tougetsu no “Detarame” na Jijou), the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen is already releasing. It runs in Comic Alive+.

Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour (Kui Ryouko Rakugakihon Daydream Hour) is an artbook/sketchbook from the creator of Delicious in Dungeon, and mostly featuring that series.

ASH: I’m definitely looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Kindergarten Wars (Youchien Wars) is a Shonen Jump + series about an assassin whose job is to protect the children of world leaders, most of whom are 5-6 years old. There’s just one problem… our assassin just can’t resist hot guys! This has a LOT of buzz.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ANNA: I mean, that does sound like a problem.

SEAN: Phantom Invasion (Gensou Shinkou) is a shonen series from Comic Walker. Our “hero” wakes up one day to find he’s in another world, and can seduce monster girls, an ability he decides to use for revenge.

ASH: An obvious decision, really.

SEAN: Stardust Family (Hoshikuzu Kazoku) is a complete 2-in-1 omnibus that ran in Comic Beam. In a future that is not ours, children interview adults to determine if they will be good parents, and the children have the final say. This feels “prestige”.

ASH: I am vaguely intrigued.

ANNA: Me too.

SEAN: Speaking of prestige, A Witch’s Life in Mongol (Tenmaku no Jaadugar) is a josei series from Souffle (I love it when a magazine I’ve never heard of gets an English title released). A Persian woman wants to use her medical knowledge, and ends up in Mongolia, where she meets one of the Mongol’s wives. This has been nominated for awards, and has an anime coming soon.

ASH: Another one I’m looking forward to reading! (And potentially watching.)

ANNA: Oh, this does sound interesting!

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Ako and Bambi 5, Bungo Stray Dogs 25, A Certain Magical Index 30, Cheerful Amnesia 6 (the final volume), CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon 7 (the final volume), Everyone’s Darling Has a Secret 2, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman 3, Liar, Liar 2, Miss Savage Fang 3 (the final volume), [Oshi No Ko] 10, Pink & Habanero 3, The Shiunji Family Children 4, Shy 10, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 8, Sword Art Online Ordinal Scale 2, Takahashi from the Bike Shop 2, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 4, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 10, and When I Became a Commoner, They Broke Off Our Engagement! 5.

MICHELLE: Some shoujo treats in there!

ASH: It’s true!

SEAN: Viz Media has a Ghibli artbook, The Art of the Boy and the Heron.

ASH: It should be lovely.

SEAN: They also debut the new JoJo. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7–Steel Ball Run is an alternate universe JoJo! As for the plot, did you ever see It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World?

ASH: I hear this part makes its way to Michigan and the Great Lakes, so I’m pretty sure I’m obligated to pick it up. (Granted, I was already planning to.)

SEAN: Tokyopop has a one-shot BL title, I Can’t Get Through the Night Alone (Hitori de Yoru wa Koerarenai). A Japanese soldier who is still recovering mentally from the stress of World War II runs into a cute American guy. Can they actually have a future?

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting!

SEAN: They also have a third volume of The Prince Is Standing in the Villainess’ Way!.

Steamship has a 2nd volume of The Missing “O”.

Seven Seas debuts Fairy Cat (Tenohira Neko), a seinen title from Comic Bunch. A young man spots a tiny, tiny cat one day. Can he make friends with it?

ASH: This looks really cute.

SEAN: I’ll Forget You Starting Today, Senpai! (Kyou kara Senpai wo Wasuremasu) is a josei series from Vanilove. A woman is startled to find the matchmaking service matched her with her old high school boyfriend. Worse, he seems to have forgotten who she is!

MICHELLE: Sounds like wacky fun.

ASH: Gotta love josei!

ANNA: I’m sure I will be checking this out.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 10, Cutie and the Beast 4 (the final volume), Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 10, I Quit My Apprenticeship as a Royal Court Wizard to Become a Magic Item Craftswoman 3, I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 6, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 8, Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend 4, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 8, and Time Stop Hero 12.

They also have a new danmei volume, Ballad of Sword and Wine: Qiang Jin Jiu 4.

One Peace Books debuts I Want Your Mother to be With Me! (Kimi no Okaa-san o Boku ni Kudasai!), a seinen series from Manga up! about an office worker who falls for his coworker, a widowed mom with a child.

Kodansha Books has an 8th volume of My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1.

The debut from Kodansha Manga is Spacewalking With You (Kimi to Uchuu wo Aruku Tame ni), an award-winning seinen title from &Sofa (two new magazine titles in one week!). A boy whose inability to focus makes him in danger of flunking out meets a new student, a hyperactive boy who’s a bit naive. Will these two weirdos help each other? This is another “not BL but has two male leads” series.

ASH: Those can be fun.

SEAN: Also in print: The Ayakashi Hunter’s Tainted Bride 2, A Condition Called Love 13, Honeko Akabane’s Bodyguards 3, Magus of the Library 8, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 8, Shimazaki in the Land of Peace 4, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 26, Vampire Dormitory 13, and Vinland Saga 14.

ASH: Always glad to see a new volume of Vinland Saga!

ANNA: Yes!!!!!

SEAN: For digital we have As the Gods Will 5 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 23, How to Grill Our Love 14, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 5, Wind Breaker 20, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 9.

J-Novel Club has two print titles. We get the 5th Black Summoner manga and My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 8.

One debut for J-Novel Club digitally: Revenge of the Soul Eater: Cast Out as a Weakling by My Sword Saint Father (Hangyaku no Soul Eater: Jakusha wa Fuyou to Iwarete Kensei (Chichi) ni Tsuihousaremashita) is one of those “everyone treats our hero like shit, so he suddenly gets fantastic new powers and he’ll show them, oh yes, HE’LL SHOW THEM ALL!!!” series.

Also from J-Novel Club in light novels: The Apothecary Diaries 14, Cooking with Wild Game 28, The Ideal Sponger Life 15, Management of a Novice Alchemist 5, No One Gets Past This Gatekeeper 4, The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After 3, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 26.

And one manga, Safe & Sound in the Arms of an Elite Knight 4.

Ghost Ship has Ayakashi Triangle 15 and The Elf Sisters Can’t Wait for the Night 2.

Retailers list March Comes in Like a Lion 4 and Under Ninja 6 coming out from Denpa Books.

ASH: We shall see!

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has two debuts, new series with almost identical titles but apparently not the same series. Welcome to Monstrous Miss Sophie’s Enchanted Salon of Healing (Bakemono Jou Sophie no Salon: Gokigenyou. Kawa Ichimai nara Naosemasu wa) stars a cursed girl whose skin is rough like bark and who only has small healing magic. Then she remembers… she was once a single mother in modern Japan! I won’t expect mayonnaise, but something along those lines, probably.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Welcome to Olivia’s Magic Jewelers (Olivia Maseki Houshokuten e Youkoso: Ka to Mise wo Oida Sareta no de, Outou ni Mise wo Kamaetara, Naze ka Moto Konyakusha to Gimai no Kekkonshiki ni Dero to Iwaremashita) is a standard “my engagement is called off, my sister has claimed everything I own, and my family throws me out” book. Can she start a new store in a new city?

Airship has one print volume, Too Many Losing Heroines! 4.

And in early digital, they have The Mimosa Confessions 4 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 12.

Why, that’s not much manga at all! I’m sure you can afford every title on this list!

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Vol. 8.5

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By Saekisan and Hanekoto. Released in Japan as “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsu no Ma ni ka Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nicole Wilder.

There’s a real difference between a short story volume made up of stories that were given away as free stories to those who bought the volume at a certain store, and short stories that have been specially crafted for a short story volume. This definitely feels like the latter, and the author, in the afterword, says they tried to make it different from the 5.5 volume by shifting the focus away from the two best friends and over to Amane’s parents and Yuuta. But the real focus of the entire volume is on Mahiru, on what she used to be like and how she became the young woman she is today. Which means, at last, we finally get a glimpse of Koyuki, the maid who acted as Mahiru’s de facto parent in the absence of any love from her actual parents. And yes, that means that this book can get quite dark, because any time from before Mahiru met Amane is really depressing.

The wraparound for this is that Amane sees Mahiru writing in her diary, which she says she keeps to save important memories – good and bad – in her life. The stories: Mahiru and Yuuta have a polite but awkward lunch; Mahiru and Amane discuss the value of hard work; Mahiru is a Very Good Girl and asks Koyuki if she can learn how to cook; Amane’s parents discuss what to do about the boy who caused Amane to become the self-loathing young man he is now; Mahiru deals with the aftermath of Amane meeting her father; Mahiru and Amane discuss skin care; Mahiru and Amane buy matching flatware; Amane asks why Mahiri always speaks formally with everyone; We get Mahiru and Amane’s night in bed together from her POV; Amane takes care of Mahiru when she’s having her period; a 10-year-old Mahiru has to deal with the jealousy of other girls.

As you can see, a majority of these stories sound light and fluffy, and they are. The ones set in Mahiru’s past mostly are there to emphasize why she is the way she is, just as the volume where they return to Amane’s hometown does that for him. (His parents are awesome here, and we see how violently protective Shuuto is of his son.) She was a profoundly lonely girl who had tremendous difficulty – still does – opening up to anyone. As a result, she has Amane on a huge pedestal, and we realize the title The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten applies to both of them equally. They’re living together for the most part already, picking out furniture as if they’re married, and while they haven’t gone all the way yet, the lead up to the sexy times indicates that certain bases were achieved.

People read this series for the warm fuzzies, and this book gives them to you in spades. Just be ready for some heart-rending stuff whenever we see Mahiru as a younger girl.

High School DxD: Extracurricular Daywalker

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By Ichiei Ishibumi and Miyama-Zero. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Haydn Trowell.

Generally speaking, when I write my reviews of this series, they tend to either talk about the sheer depths of boob-obsessed sleaze that Issei possesses, or I talk about how it really hammers the shonen beats in 4-4 time to the point where it’s an ur-example of the genre. That said, we’ve now reached the point where the two are deeply intertwined with each other and cannot be separated. The book opens with a follow up to the silliest story in the previous volume, as Xenovia, Irina and Asia strip naked and force Issei to play the eroge they bought for him. Asia’s familiar requests that it be allowed to eat her school swimsuit before it helps our heroes. And the entire plot revolves around the fact that Issei’s obsession with breasts has allowed the villains to realize they can invade other worlds, because his Breast Goddess clearly was not an angel, fallen angel, demon, or anything else from the DxD universe. Even the dragons are going along with Issei’s perversion now. The boobs are the genre.

This is essentially a continuation from Book 14, as there’s been a coup in vampire society, so now our heroes have to go and rescue Rias and Kiba, who are now essentially under house arrest. As it turns out, the coup is being engineered by the Khaos Brigade (no surprise), but also involves Gaspar’s childhood friend Valerie, who is the new puppet queen and has a grail inside her, meaning she can now hear the voices of the dead. Oh, and one of the strongest dragons is also here as hired muscle. The vampires end up being taken care of fairly quickly, mostly as they’re easily manipulable and don’t know what “deal with the devil” really means. Unfortunately, the devil is Vali’s grandfather, who had been missing for ages, and he’s now back… because he heard about what happened to Issei, and now he wants to run wild in other dimensions.

This is Gaspar’s book, and he gets the big (and somewhat terrifying) power up, but he doesn’t get as much focus as the girls (for some strange reason, coughcough). Gaspar’s birth and upbringing are garden variety abusive for this type of series, as is his rampage of revenge after Valerie suffers a horrible fate (don’t worry, she’s not dead – DxD is not the sort of series that is ready to kill off a girl who is basically Vampire Asia – but she’s comatose). Issei also gets a power up that was fun to see him play around with, but we’re used to that from him. No, the biggest moment of the book for me was the finale, when all the groups team up to go after their new, far greater enemy, and decide they need a team name. Koneko suggests “DxD”, and I could swear you hear triumphant music. It’s a title drop!

Surely next time it’s Irina’s time to shine!… no, sorry, it’s Rossweisse next time. Ah well. For fans of the series only, but this was pretty good.

Secrets of the Silent Witch, Vol. 6

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By Matsuri Isora and Nanna Fujimi. Released in Japan as “Silent Witch” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alice Prowse.

So, first of all, a word of warning: this is the first of a two-parter, and the second part has not been scheduled in English yet. Secondly, for those folks who felt that perhaps Monica was getting a bit too relaxed recently, no fear: this volume has her in a state of constant stress and panic for nearly the entire book. From the first volume, the danger has always been that Monica has to keep her identity as the Silent Witch secret, and that any number of things come along to try to break her cover. This volume has attacks on that coming from multiple angles, and having to try to avoid all these people who know who she really is has made her a scared, twitching mess. And, the most important thing, we now have ALL of the Seven Sages in the same book at the same time. And their infighting may be what destroys Monica’s mission once and for all.

The book starts still at New Year’s, after Monica has gotten such a huge response from the crowd she literally passes out standing up. Later, she meets the last, missing witch, who feels like “what if Luffy was a gardener?”, and also confronts Duke Clockford, who she is fairly certain was responsible for her father’s execution but can’t prove it. He, of course, is trying to use her like he does everyone. Then, when she returns to school, she finds two horrible transfer students. Robert Winkel is merely annoying, trying to force Monica to play chess with him and acting like the geekiest geek ever. Far more dangerous is Huberd Dee, an old classmate of Monica’s from the magical academy. He’s been held back twice for essentially being a sadistic lunatic, and his one goal in life is to duel Monica Everett forever in magic battles – and if she’s here as Monica Norton, well, too bad.

This isn’t quite as funny as previous books, though Monica’s reactions can be amusingly over the top in an anxiety disorder sort of way. The highlight there is definitely Robert Winkel, who suddenly has awakened to liking girls and takes his four older brother’s horrible advice – which ranges from “show her how buff you are” to “write her a poem” to “tell her you’ve got a big dick”. Monica, thankfully, doesn’t get his meaning on the last one. As for the actual plot, it’s strong, with the villain turning out to be another witch, and the witches’ position in general is precarious enough that they need to take care of this quietly without it blowing up into a scene, because if it does Monica will be under the thumb of the man who had her father killed forever. And Felix, well, he doesn’t do much, but I suspect that to change when the seventh book comes around.

Unfortunately, the seventh volume is not scheduled yet. Fortunately, there is a spinoff out next month focusing on out favorite annoying witch, Louis. That will help tide us over.

Pick of the Week: Mid-May Picks

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SEAN: I have heard many people talking up The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods, so I think that’s where I’m headed this week.

MICHELLE: I’m all about Love in the Palm of His Hand this week. I’m a sucker for stories when the protagonist finally finds the milieu in which they belong, and if there’s BL romance on top of that, then that is very much my sort of thing!

ASH: It’s Love in the Palm of His Hand for me, too! I find it interesting that there seems to be a trend developing for drama and romances which feature sign language, but I’m absolutely here for it.

ANNA: I’m going to pick Adored By an Elite Officer: Could This Be Love? just for the sake of trying a random josei title. Who ever knew there could be so much josei being translated!

Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother, Vol. 4

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By Chidori Hama and Wan Hachipisu. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijō, Brocon ni Job Change Shimasu” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Rymane Tsouria.

This book feels very different from the three books that preceded it. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the core of “incest? Or no? I’ll keep you guessing because I hate you” from the author is still in place. However, Alexei is absent from the bulk of this novel, which allows it to not only lean into Ekaterina basically making everyone around her fall for her even harder, but also allows her to lean even harder into her past life, the death, and Japan in general. This world has gods, after all, and they notice she’s different. This also leads to leaning harder on the environmental concerns as well – the deforestation had already hinted at this, but it’s emphasized even more. That said, I’m burying the lede here, which is that there’s a dragon and he’s here to make sure that the reader has someone to root for who isn’t incest boy or a wussy prince. The dragon is cool.

Alexei is VERY busy after the events of the third book, to the point where he can’t make a pilgrimage to the mines to visit his uncle and greet the gods. So Ekaterina volunteers to do it for him. Of course, she has to go with a retinue of knights and attendants, because everyone around her is overprotective. And, well, this book is exhibit A for why they should be overprotective. On the way there, they encounter a monster and Ekaterina learns she does not like to kill monsters (especially if they’re mandrake sugar beets that she immediately assigns personalities and backstories to). She learns the tragic backstory of a local legend, and then runs into said legend herself, who is the bride of death. The gods warn her that the local volcano is going to erupt… sometime. And then she meets the dragon, who is so impressed with her that he proposes.

As always, the best reason to read these books is the main character. The most interesting moment in the book comes right after the dragon proposes (where he also points out the very good reasons to marry him), where her Japan-persona completely breaks down… and the original Ekaterina, who is still a terrified child dealing with her family trauma, comes to the fore. This was the biggest surprise of the book, and I hope it’s picked up on in later books, because I had assumed that Ekaterina’s Japan side basically “won”. The other thing I liked is something I also enjoy in other series with characters like this, which is trying to see how others view her. “Goddess” is thrown around a lot, her genius uncle thinks she’s a genius, and the idea that she might have been abducted by a dragon sends the previously 100% stoic Mina to completely freak out. She’s rapidly become the most valuable asset in the world, and that’s concerning. Though possibly good news for those who worry she’ll just marry her brother.

Which is still in play, but I hope it doesn’t go that way. I’m fine with it kicking the can down the road. Next time we should see the return of the rest of the cast. An excellent volume.

Bookshelf Briefs 5/18/25

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The Apothecary Diaries Art Book | By Touko Shino | Square Enix Books – First of all, a word of warning: this is an artbook that has art from the first fourteen volumes of the light novel—which not only burns way past the five that Square Enix has released in print, but even past the thirteen that J-Novel Club have released digitally (fourteen isn’t out till the end of this month). Other than that, this is a very good look at the art from the light novels, with the color pages and interior illustrations given attention. There’s no major interviews and insights, and some characters (such as some people from the fourth volume whom anime fans might be very curious about) are missing character bits. It’s just there for the art, and if you want lots of Jinshi, Maomao, and Miss Chue (listed in order from least to most important), this is for you. – Sean Gaffney

Betrayed by the Hero, I Formed a MILF Party with His Mom!, Vol. 1 | By Ishino Yassan and Makoto Kuon | Ghost Ship – I mean, I can’t say that I didn’t expect it. This is exactly what you’d expect it to be, except, unfortunately, that it’s a lot duller. I was hoping it would lean into the ridiculousness of the premise, but alas, it seems to be taking it totally seriously. Our hero is kicked out of the party because he’s Guy #2 in a party with Guy #1 and the girls he’s sleeping with. That’s fine by our hero, as he’s reincarnated from Japan, and all these nineteen-year-old girls seem like kids to him. He likes older women. In this world, people die around 50 or so. So when he meets the hero’s mother, who has been sold into slavery by her husband (yeah, I warned you), she’s surprised to find he’s attracted to her. A lot. Much sex ensues. For hardcore fans. – Sean Gaffney

Pink Candy Kiss, Vol. 1 | By Ami Uozumi| Viz Media – If you’re tired of yuri that’s light as air and stars high school girls, this is absolutely a title for you. Takara, dumped by her fiancé because she doesn’t really seem to care too much about their relationship, admits she’s never really had those lovey-dovey feelings for anyone. Then she runs into Ema, a gorgeous woman who turns out to be her old classmate from junior high… and also married to someone else. As Takara starts to remember what she actually did with Ema in junior high, all her repressed feelings come out at once, which war with the fact that Ema is married and her husband loves her dearly. Unfortunately, Ema seems far more interested in Takara herself, to a ridiculous degree. It’s soap opera, but it’s compelling and well written. – Sean Gaffney

Seduced by the Demon King: A Sensual Rebirth, Vol. 1 | By FOXIES | Steamship – I picked this up because I was interested in the reverse isekai plot that gets things rolling. Haruka is an overworked and underappreciated office lady in Japan, but (and she has forgotten this) she used to be the Saint in a fantasy world where she battled the Demon Lord. Now he’s here to drive her to utter despair. The gimmick in this series is that she’s already in utter despair, as she’s a Japanese OL. So, in fact, he has to make her happy by cooking for her, buying her a new apartment for them to live in, and giving her the best sex she’s ever had in her life. As such, this might start out as a reverse isekai but it rapidly turns into a staple romance, which is to say “what if I was rescued from drudgery by the perfect guy? Who cares if he’s evil?” This was decent. – Sean Gaffney

Tamon’s B-Side, Vol. 7 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – This is SLIGHTLY less funny than previous volumes, mostly as it’s dealing with the fallout of Utage quitting her housekeeping job. Tamon, of course, considers this a rejection of him personally and is predictably devastated, but the rest of the band are also trying to cope with it in their own way, and also try to convince her that she needs to stop thinking too much and go back to her boy. After that we delve into the one guy we’ve never looked at before, Rintaro, and discover his deep, dark, horrible secret: he’s even more of an otaku nerd than Utage herself. This is one of those titles that could run and run, so I don’t see it resolving soon, especially as it fixed its story breaker from last time. But it’s really funny, which is what you want from this author. – Sean Gaffney