Features

SEAN: Spring is rapidly becoming summer in April here, I dunno about you. Will my manga wilt in the heat?

ASH: I’m enjoying the change in weather at the moment, but if this is spring I worry about what summer will feel like.

ANNA: The snow here only melted last weekend!

SEAN: Airship, in print, has the 8th and final volume of Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter and The World’s Fastest Level Up 2.

And early digital volumes of The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 4, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 4, and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 8.

Dark Horse has a 12th omnibus volume of Gantz.

Ghost Ship has nothing next week, but Seven Seas has a Mature-rated BL title, so I’ll put it here. We see Love is an Illusion! 2.

ASH: Seems appropriate.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print next week. Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 2 Vol. 6 (this is the manga), My Friend’s Little Sister Has It in For Me! 7, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Omnibus 9.

ASH: Bookworm! (I really do need to catch up.)

SEAN: Digitally we get two debuts. Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte (Tsundere Akuyaku Reijou Liselotte to Jikkyou no Endo-kun to Kaisetsu no Kobayashi-san) is the manga adaptation of the light novel series that also got an anime recently. It runs in B’s-Log Comic.

The other debut is a light novel coming after J-Novel Club licensed the manga version. Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster (Albert-ke no Reijou wa Botsuraku wo Goshomou desu) and has the interesting premise where a “reincarnated in an otome game” noble tries her hardest to be the villainess and harass the heroine… she’s just terrible at being bad.

Also from J-Novel Club: Black Summoner’s 11th manga volume, The Coppersmith’s Bride 2, Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 7, and Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 4.

Kodansha Books has a light novel debut: Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for my Retirement (Rougo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-manmai no Kinka o Tamemasu). Sol Press had released two volumes of this before, but this is (I presume) a new translation. It’s from the creator of Make My Abilities Average, and got an anime recently.

ASH: I find it interesting how these titles move around.

SEAN: From Kodansha Manga we see print books for Blue Lock 6, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 4, Rent-a-Girlfriend 18, and Something’s Wrong With Us 14.

ASH: I really ought to give Blue Lock a try sooner rather than later.

ANNA: Going to pick this up for one of my kids.

SEAN: And digitally we see Boss Wife 6, The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses 7, Gamaran 8, Our Fake Marriage 11, and SHAMAN KING: MARCOS 5 (the final volume).

One Peace Books has a new sequel, I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons (Hidamari ga Kikoeru: Shunkashuutou). This Canna release continues the story from previous volumes.

MICHELLE: Ooh, I didn’t know about this one!

ASH: Always happy to see more of this series!

ANNA: I am also surprised and delighted although I need to catch up.

SEAN: Seven Seas has one debut, a yuri title. Does it Count if You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? (Android wa Keiken Ninzuu ni Hairimasu ka??), a Comic Yuri Hime title featuring a robotics engineer who’s brilliant but also can barely take care of herself. She orders an android to help clean up… but the android has designs on her.

ASH: I’ll admit to being intrigued.

SEAN: Seven Seas also gives us Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Party Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to an Infinite Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge 2, BARBARITIES 2, THE EXO-DRIVE REINCARNATION GAMES: All-Japan Isekai Battle Tournament! 3 (the final volume), The Invincible Shovel 5, Kemono Jihen 5, Namekawa-san Won’t Take a Licking! 3, Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 2, and Tokyo Revengers 9-10.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on Kemono Jihen before it gets away from me entirely.

SEAN: Tentai Books has Turning the Tables on the Seatmate Killer 2 (yes, I know, it’s out already… like Denpa, I treat Tentai’s release dates with a grain of salt, so I tend to put it on the list once I see it on retail sites.)

Two BL one-shots from Tokyopop. Cut Over Criteria runs in a magazine titled NUUDE, and as you can imagine is a mature title. Office romance between a new recruit and a brooding systems engineer.

There’s also Platinum Blood, also running in the same magazine, about the relationship between a priest and a vampire, and it has like 5 different content warnings on he solicit.

Viz has a debut comedic romance from Media Factory’s Niconico Seiga. Love’s in Sight! (Yankee-kun to Hakujou Girl) is the story of a delinquent who’s won countless fights, but now faces his greatest challenge when he falls for a blind girl.

ASH: I do like a good delinquent story.

ANNA: I also enjoy delinquents.

SEAN: Viz also has the 12th and final volume of Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Mission: Yozakura Family 4, Record of Ragnarok 6, Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 22–26 (also a final volume), Ultraman 18, and Undead Unluck 11.

And finally there is Yen. Yen On has two debuts that are sequels or side stories. Sasaki and Miyano: First-Years is the sequel … OK, prequel. Spy Classroom Short Story Collection is the side collection.

Also from Yen On: Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie 4, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 8, The Hero Laughs While Walking the Path of Vengeance a Second Time 5, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 2, I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss 5, In the Land of Leadale 8, King’s Proposal 2, Magical Explorer 4, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady 4, The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices 2, Sugar Apple Fairy Tale 3, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 12, and The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 4.

ASH: So many!

SEAN: Yen Press also has debuts. Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Episode Freya is a manga spinoff based on the light novel spinoff. It runs in Manga Up!.

K-ON! Shuffle is a new spinoff of K-On!, starring a completely different cast. But the plot is the same.

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is the 2nd manga adaptation of the light novel series. It got a 2-volume shoujo one 10 years ago, but this is the seinen one from Young Ace.

Sunbeams in the Sky (Sunbeams in the Sky) is a romance from GFantasy, so theoretically could be shonen or shoujo. Twin sisters are about to start at a new high school… then circumstances cause one of them to hide in her room for the foreseeable future. Can the other twin convince her to come out by pretending to be her?

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? is a manwha title about an arrogant boss who is startled to find the perfect secretary, who’s kept his life together for almost a decade, is quitting! This is based on a novel, and I’d slot it in as josei.

MICHELLE: Hm. I am kind of in a manhwa mood lately…

ASH: There have been some good ones coming out recently!

ANNA: I’m curious about this.

SEAN: The Witch and the Knight Will Survive (Majo to Kishi wa Ikinokoru) is a seinen title from Young Ace Up. A knight finds his home village wiped out, allegedly the cause of a witch. He vows revenge… but is she really responsible?

ASH: That’s a fair number of debuts.

SEAN: Yen also has non-debuts, believe it or not. Catch These Hands! 4 (the final volume), Cheeky Brat 6, Combatants Will Be Dispatched! 8, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy 2, Doomsday with My Dog 2, The Eminence in Shadow 6, The Executioner and Her Way of Life 2, From the Red Fog 4, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 3, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 6, I’m Quitting Heroing 2, In Another World with My Smartphone 8, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 15, Laid-Back Camp 13, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 5, Love and Heart 7, Mieruko-chan 7, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected @ comic, 19, A Returner’s Magic Should be Special 2, Run on Your New Legs 4, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 19, Slasher Maidens 7, So I’m a Spider, So What? The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters 5, Tales of the Kingdom 3, Teasing Master Takagi-san 17, Trinity Seven 27, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 3, and Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion 3.

MICHELLE: Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet is the one on my list!

ASH: So much Yen!

ANNA: Looking forward to more Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet.

SEAN: I miss Yen’s date slips, I reiterate. What are you picking up?

SEAN: April continues apace!

ASH: That it does!

SEAN: We start with Yen On finally getting a trailing aspidistra of a release, the 4th volume of Magical Explorer: Reborn as a Side Character in a Fantasy Dating Sim.

From Viz Media we see Case Closed 86, Dandadan 3, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood 3 (the final volume), Kaiju No. 8 6, Komi Can’t Communicate 24, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 11 (the final volume), Pokémon: Sword & Shield 6, Sakamoto Days 7, and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 20.

ASH: I need to catch up on quite a few of these! Most likely starting with Twilight Princess.

SEAN: Udon debuts Persona 4 Arena, a Dengeki Maoh series for all you folks who wished Persona 4 were a fighting game. This is, in fact, an adaptation of a video game. (It got bumped. Again. I will keep doing this over and over, I warn them.)

ASH: (It’s only fair.)

SEAN: They also have a 5th volume of Daigo The Beast: Umehara Fighting Gamers! (which also got bumped).

Some interesting debuts from Tokyopop, which is now Stu Levy-free. My Coworker Has a Secret (Wakeari Danjo no Secret Days) is a josei title from Comic Qurie. A young woman works in a bookstore and tries to hide her huge otaku secret. Then her coworker finds out… but he also has a secret.

MICHELLE: Hm. The cover is kind of cute and it is josei…

ANNA: Ok, this might break my vow to ignore Tokyopop releases…..

ASH: I am cautiously curious, for sure.

SEAN: There’s also Sengoku Youko, an older shonen title by the creator of The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer and Spirit Circle. It ran in Comic Blade, and features two demon siblings trying to right wrongs.

MICHELLE: This cover is the TOKYOPOPiest thing I have seen in years.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Lastly, the inevitable BL title from Canna, another one-shot, Snow Fairy (Yuki no Yousei). A photographer trying to photograph fairies ends up stranded in the snow, and is taken in by a country farm boy.

Titan Manga has the 4th volume of ATOM: The Beginning.

From SuBLime we get the 6th volume of Black or White and the 11th volume of Don’t Be Cruel.

Square Enix Manga gives us My Dress-Up Darling 8 and My Isekai Life 6.

ASH: My Dress-Up Darling is another series I need to catch up on; I rather enjoyed its earlier volumes.

SEAN: Two debuts from Seven Seas. First we have My New Life as a Cat (Neko, Hajimemashita: Nyantomo Ki ni Naru Nyao). It’s reincarnation isekai (high school student hit by a car), but he’s a cat. It runs in Ciao Deluxe, so is probably written for tween girls. (His owner is a girl.)

ASH: I guess this technically counts as a cat manga?

SEAN: The other debut is There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… (Watashi ga Koibito ni Nareru Wake Naijan, Muri Muri! (*Muri Janakatta!?)), the manga adaptation of a light novel Seven Seas will be releasing in a couple months. A gloomy girl is trying to reinvent herself in high school… with limited success. She then forms a friendship with the school idol. Then things go pear-shaped when the idol confesses to her! This runs in Dash x Comic.

Also from Seven Seas: Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 6, Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth is a Modern City! 7, The Ideal Sponger Life 13, Kingdom of Z 6 (the final volume), Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari 2, MoMo -the blood taker- 4, No Longer Allowed In Another World 2, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 6, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 7.

From One Peace Books we see Multi-Mind Mayhem 7.

Kodansha Books has some print titles. We get Am I Actually the Strongest? 2, Don’t Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro 14, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 13, Orient 14, Real Account 21-22, Shonen Note: Boy Soprano 3, Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 12, To Your Eternity 18, and the 17th and final volume of Witchcraft Works.

MICHELLE: I really need to read Shonen Note.

ASH: A good Kodansha print week!

SEAN: Digitally, we see The Fable 13, Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest 12, Gang King 4, Giant Killing 36, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 13, Life 2: Giver/Taker 2, Police in a Pod 22, Space Brothers 42, and Tokyo Revengers 30.

We have some debuts from J-Novel Club. Reincarnated Mage with Inferior Eyes: Breezing through the Future as an Oppressed Ex-Hero (Rettougan no Tensei Majutsushi – Shiitagerareta Moto Yuusha wa Mirai no Sekai o Yoyuu de Ikinuku). A strong and powerful mage is hated and feared by everyone around him because his eyes show just how powerful he is. He sends himself into the future in hopes there won’t be the same prejudice. This is J-Novel Club’s first novel license from Shueisha, which is the only reason I’ll be trying it.

Survival Strategies of a Corrupt Aristocrat (Akutoku Kizoku no Seizon Senryaku) is a relatively new title from their partner Drecom. A guy burying himself in games after his wife betrayed him ends up inside the game as Jack… whose life is far, far worse. Fortunately, our hero knows how the game turns out, and also knows the strongest support character. Can he turn his life around? I’ll be honest, I decided not to read this when I saw the word betrayed.

Also from J-Novel Club: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 9, The Game Master Has Logged In to Another World 2, The Invincible Little Lady 2, Rebuild World’s 3rd manga volume, The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 7, and Seventh 3.

Ghost Ship has several titles next week. Call Girl in Another World 6, GUNBURED × SISTERS 4 (the final volume), Parallel Paradise 13, World’s End Harem Vol. 14 – After World, World’s End Harem: Fantasia 8, and Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 23.

Denpa has said this should be available next week, so here we go. March Comes in Like a Lion (Sangatsu no Lion) is a legendary manga from the creator of Honey and Clover. It’s about a teenage boy with a very troubled life, and it’s also about shogi. It runs in Young Animal.

MICHELLE: Fingers crossed!

ANNA: Yay!!!

ASH: Here for it whenever it’s here!

SEAN: In print from Airship, we see Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 2, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 6, Skeleton Knight in Another World 10, and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 7.

And for early digital we get Raven of the Inner Palace 2, Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 6, and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 5.

That’s a whole lot. I’m exhausted, how about you?

ASH: Utterly.

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?

SEAN: March is going out like a lamb, but is the manga we’ve been waiting for actually coming out? Sorry, it got bumped to May. Meanwhile…

Yen Press has one title which is Visions 2022__Illustrators Book. This is, as you might guess, a sequel to Visions 2021__Illustrators Book, and is basically the finest pixiv artbook that you can reproduce without asking copyright holders’ permission.

Viz Media has Tombs: Junji Ito Story Collection (Bohyou no Machi), which is, well, another Junji Ito story collection. These are from the mid-90s, and mostly ran in Monthly Halloween, a shoujo horror magazine, and then its sister publication, Nemuki, after Monthly Halloween folded.

ASH: So much Junji Ito manga these days! But that won’t stop me from reading it.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Fist of the North Star 8 and Naruto’s Story—Uzumaki Naruto and the Spiral Destiny, a light novel.

ASH: Any week with Fist of the North Star is a good week.

SEAN: Udon debuts Persona 4 Arena, a Dengeki Maoh series for all you folks who wished Persona 4 were a fighting game. This is, in fact, an adaptation of a video game. (It got bumped.)

ASH: So many things do.

SEAN: From Tokyopop we have a one-shot, Welcome Back, Aureole (Okaeri Aureole), another Canna title (Tokyopop clearly has found another publisher who will speak to them and is milking it for all it’s worth) about two boys falling in love in high school.

They also have Konohana Kitan 12 and On or Off 3.

A new title from Steamship, The Villainess and the Demon Knight (Akuyaku Reijou to Kichiku Kishi). This Zero-Sum Online title has the heroine remember she’s a villainess in an otome game… a little too late. She’s disgraced, disowned, and is now a sex worker. Then her first customer is her childhood friend, who is a knight… who takes her as his fiancee.

ASH: That’s quite the character arc!

SEAN: From Square Enix Manga we see Beauty and the Feast 7, Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition 10, and The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 11.

Seven Seas debuts The Valiant Must Fall (Yuukiarumono Yori Chire). This runs in Young Animal, and is from the creator of Gunslinger Girl. A suicidal samurai ends up being saved by a young woman with healing powers, and he wants to see what her deal is.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Dai Dark 5, and LES MISÉRABLES Omnibus 2.

ASH: I really need to catch up with Dai Dark.

SEAN: For those watching the anime and wishing there was more sex, One Peace Books has Farming Life in Another World 8.

Kodansha, in print, has Fire Force Omnibus 3, No. 6 Manga Omnibus 2, Sayonara, Football 16 (the final volume), The Seven Deadly Sins Manga Box Set 4, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 21, When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 10, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 3.

Digitally, we get Bootsleg 3, Boss Bride Days 3, Cells at Work! White Brigade 4 (the final volume), A Couple of Cuckoos 10, DAYS 34, Gamaran: Shura 6, My Home Hero 2, and That’s My Atypical Girl 8.

Kaiten Books has The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting 6.

One debut from J-Novel Club, and it’s a manga version of a light novel that came out last month. I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! (Ore wa Subete o “Parry” Suru: Gyaku Kanchigai no Sekai Saikyou wa Boukensha ni Naritai) runs in Comic Earth Star Online.

And they’ve also got Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Sui’s Great Adventure 3, Full Metal Panic Short Stories 5, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 22, and VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral after Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream 4.

TECHNICALLY Ghost Ship has no new releases. In reality, I’m putting two titles here as being a bit too mature for Seven Seas’ list. Why Don’t You Eat Me, My Dear Wolf? (Tabenai no? Ookami-san) is a done-in-one volume from Rutile, and is a BL take on the Red Riding Hood story.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: There’s also a 2nd volume of Asumi-chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels!.

Cross Infinite World has two new debuts. The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor (Yarinaoshi Reijou wa Ryuutei Heika wo Kouryakuchuu) is another series from the creator of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss, and is in the increasingly popular villainess subgenre of “time rewind”. Sentenced to death by her fiance, our heroine suddenly finds herself six years in the past, right when she’s about to get engaged. She thus proposes to “random guy next to her”. Bad idea.

ASH: That does seem to be a questionable tactic.

SEAN: There’s also Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess (Aobarahime no Yarinaoshi Kakumeiki). “Yarinaoshi” is the Japanese for the Time Rewind genre, in case you’re interested. After getting stabbed to death, our heroine goes back ten years to try again.

We also get Return from Death: I Kicked the Bucket and Now I’m Back at Square One With a Girlfriend Who Doesn’t Remember Me, the 2nd novel in the series, but note the subtitle has changed.

In print, Airship has Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 12.

And in early digital: Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 4.5 and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 8.

Any manga lamb chops for you?

SEAN: Warning: It’s Yen Press week. Be prepared for more than usual.

ASH: Good to know!

SEAN: Airship has some print titles. We get Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 21, Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 3, and Vivy Prototype 3.

And in early digital we see 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! 3 and The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary 7.

Denpa Books has an artbook out, TabeGirl: The Art of JUN. It seems to involve pretty women eating food. For those who want to see that, great news!

ASH: I am curious, for sure.

SEAN: A trio of titles from Ghost Ship: 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 5, Do You Like Big Girls? 6, and It’s Just Not My Night! – Tale of a Fallen Vampire Queen 3 (the final volume).

J-Novel Club has a digital manga debut next week. It’s the manga version of a light novel they’ll be releasing next month. A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills! (Doukutsuou kara Hajimeru Rakuen Life – Bannou no Saikutsu Skill de Saikyou ni!?) is a Comic Walker title that’s another of those “you have a bad skill and therefore it is OK to bully, shun, and literally exile you” stories. As you can guess, it’s not a bad skill really.

ASH: Very few skills seem to be, honestly.

SEAN: We also have Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 13 (the final volume), The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom 3, the 4th Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home! manga, Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner! 2, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 6, the 4th Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire manga, and Record of Wortenia War 18.

Kodansha has some print titles. A Condition Called Love 2, In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 3, Noragami Omnibus 4, The Seven Deadly Sins Omnibus 9, and the 28th and final volume of UQ Holder!.

Digitally, we see And Yet, You Are So Sweet 7, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 5, Blue Lock 18, The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses 6, Gamaran 7, A Girl & Her Guard Dog 8, GTO: Paradise Lost 20, and She’s My Knight 3.

MICHELLE: A couple of cute-seeming shoujo series in this mix. And a fun sports manga.

SEAN: One Peace Books has Captain Corinth: The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer 2.

ASH: The first volume set up some interesting premises.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom (Gekkakoku Kiiden), a shoujo title from Asuka (!!!). A prince survives an assassination attempt thanks to a mysterious girl. Just who is she?

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: Intriguing.

ANNA: Hmmmm….Intriguing…..

SEAN: There’s also the print debut of The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter (Hone Dragon no Mana Musume). J-Novel Club published this digitally, now Seven Seas is picking up the print. This is another in the genre of “Powerful fantasy being adopts adorable urchin”.

ASH: It is a subgenre I tend to enjoy.

SEAN: They’ve also got The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue 6, Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 10, Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon 4 (the final volume), The Duke of Death and His Maid 5, His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper 3, Lazy Dungeon Master 3, My [Repair] Skill Became a Versatile Cheat, So I Think I’ll Open a Weapon Shop 3, PULSE 3, and The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes: Ultramarine 3.

ASH: Well, that’s a sign I should get around to reading Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon sooner rather than later.

SEAN: Viz Media has a debut in its Signature line. Insomniacs After School (Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia) is a seinen title from Big Comic Spirits. A guy who’s extremely unpopular due to his attitude has a secret: he has insomnia! Then he finds a girl with a similar issue. Can the two of them find both a way to fall asleep more easily? This has an anime starting next month.

ASH: Signature offerings are generally of interest to me.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Alice in Borderland 5, Beast Complex 2, Children of the Whales 21, Crazy Food Truck 3, Jujutsu Kaisen 19, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt 19, Orochi: The Perfect Edition 4 (the final volume), and Spy x Family 9.

ASH: Still glad for this Orochi release.

SEAN: Yen On debuts Hollow Regalia (Utsuro Naru Regalia), a new light novel series from the creator of Strike the Blood. One day giant dragons appeared and destroyed Japan. Our hero survived by drinking dragon’s blood, making him immortal. There’s only one thing left for him to do… find precious artwork in the ruined city of Tokyo and bring it to art dealers.

ASH: There are a few twists there I was not expecting.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 8, The Executioner and Her Way of Life 6, Higehiro: After Being Rejected, I Shaved and Took in a High School Runaway 3, Ishura 3, Magistellus Bad Trip 3 (the final volume), Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 11, Overlord 15, Rascal Does Not Dream of a Lost Singer (10th in the series), Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- 21 (which starts the 6th arc), Secrets of the Silent Witch 3, Solo Leveling 7, Sword Art Online 26, and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 10.

ASH: That’s a pretty decent batch of novels.

SEAN: Debuting from Yen Press is Call the Name of the Night (Yoru no Namae o Yonde). It’s from Harta (yay!), and stars a girl whose illness makes her call forth darkness in times of stress, and the doctor trying to cure her.

MICHELLE: Hm (reprise).

ASH: Indeed.

SEAN: The Otherworlder, Exploring the Dungeon (Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru) is a Comp Ace adaptation of the light novel Yen On is already releasing. It’s about a guy who is hired to join a team of experts and take on a dungeon in another world. The trouble is, after the transport, he’s the only one there. Can he find allies?

The Villainess Stans the Heroes: Playing the Antagonist to Support Her Faves! (Akuyaku Reijou wa Kyou mo Karei ni Anyaku suru Tsuihougo mo oshi no Tame ni Akutou to Shite Shien Shimasu!) is a manga based on a webnovel, which runs in Gangan Online. It’s in the subgenre of “girl tries to be a villainess and fails badly”.

ASH: It’s a fun subgenre.

SEAN: There is also (deep breath) The Abandoned Empress 4, Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 4, Bungo Stray Dogs: Wan! 4, Coffee Moon 2, Goblin Slayer Side Story II: Dai Katana 4, Hirano and Kagiura 2, I Kept Pressing the 100-Million-Year Button and Came Out on Top 2, In the Land of Leadale 3, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II 3, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 10, Kiniro Mosaic: Best Wishes (an epilogue volume), Love of Kill 11, MonsTABOO 3, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World 5, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 5, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, The Frozen Bond 3 (the final volume), Shadows House 3, She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat 2, Shy 2, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 2, Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included 2, Touring After the Apocalypse 2, and Yowamushi Pedal 22.

MICHELLE: Yay for Yowamushi.

ANNA: I need to pick that up for my kids.

SEAN: Assuming you got through that last blast of manga, what are you getting?

SEAN: March marches on!

We start with Viz, who give us new volumes! Animal Crossing: New Horizons 4, Call of the Night 11, Fly Me to the Moon 16, Helck 2, Mao 10, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 11, My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions 3, and Yakuza Lover 8.

MICHELLE: How did Mao get up to volume ten already?! Sheesh.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a one-shot, Be My Love, My Lord (Ban ni Natte, Goshujin-sama), which runs in Overlaps’s BL magazine LiQulle. A nobleman has always had a beastman servant… but now those feelings turn to love. And lust.

Titan Comics has Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia 2.

ASH: I haven’t really been following the manga very closely, but I did like previous Sherlock volumes.

SEAN: Tentai Books has a 2nd digital volume of How to Melt the Ice Queen’s Heart, which came out last week, but hey.

SuBLime debuts The Dragon’s Betrothed (Kamisama no Uroko), a new title from the creator of Therapy Game. Ever see those shoujo titles where a young girl goes to a shrine and meets a hot god? Here it’s a young man who does that.

MICHELLE: This premise doesn’t thrill me, but I really, really like Therapy Game, so I’ll give it a shot.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed the creator’s past work, too.

SEAN: They also have Golden Sparkle, a one-shot from Homesha’s Mellow Kiss. A sheltered young man has never been told about sex and is having puberty issues. Fortunately (?), he has a caring new friend from school to teach him. If you like this author, good news, it’s not their only appearance on this week’s list.

ASH: I don’t know if I do yet, but I suspect I might!

SEAN: From Square Enix we get Ragna Crimson 8 and YoRHa: Pearl Harbor Descent Record – A NieR:Automata Story 2.

Seven Seas debuts a BL oneshot, I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love (Koi wo Suru Tsumori wa Nakatta). It runs in Homesha’s Mellow Kiss, and is from the same author as Golden Sparkle. It stars a 30-year-old salaryman with no romantic experience who runs into a young college student at a bar. They hit it off well. VERY well.

MICHELLE: Oh! I read and reviewed this back when it was on Futekiya. It’s very good!

ASH: Oh! I really should check this one out, then!

SEAN: Also debuting is a new danmei novel, Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu. A very talented jerk takes a paragon of virtue under his wing, hoping to teach him about how much life sucks.

ANNA: That sounds like a promising dynamic.

MICHELLE: I’m a sucker for jerks and paragons of virtue.

ASH: You are certainly not the only one.

SEAN: Seven Seas also brings us Dinosaur Sanctuary 2, Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten 2, I Get the Feeling That Nobukuni-san Likes Me 2, Kageki Shojo!! 8, and Kiruru Kill Me 4.

MICHELLE: *insert obligatory text about getting caught up on Kageki Shojo!! one of these days*

ASH: Indeed. I’ve been collecting the volumes, but I haven’t had the chance to actually read all of them.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a second volume of The Death Mage.

Two light novels from Kodansha Books. We get a debut, As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World (Tensei Kizoku Kantei Sukiru de Nariagaru – Jakushou Ryouchi o Uketsuidanode, Yuushuuna Jinzai o Fuyashite Itara, Saikyou Ryouchi ni Natteta). Its title is its plot.

And we get The Dawn of the Witch 2.

Kodansha Manga has The Great Cleric 2 in print.

Digitally, one week after Life, they debut Life 2: Giver/Taker. This spinoff ran in the seinen magazine Afternoon, and features a cop whose little sister’s death years ago led her to become someone devoted to preventing tragedies.

ASH: No time wasted there!

SEAN: There’s also Ace of the Diamond 42, The Fable 12, Gang King 3, JOY 2, Matcha Made in Heaven 5, Quality Assurance in Another World 7, Shaman King: The Super Star 6, WIND BREAKER 9, and When Will Ayumu Make His Move? 10.

ANNA: I’m very excited for more Matcha Made in Heaven.

ASH: I still love that title.

MICHELLE: I am actively getting caught up with Ace of the Diamond. It’s only got five volumes left, so I hope we see an announcement soon about Kodansha putting out the sequel.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print titles. We see Ascendance of a Bookworm 17, Marginal Operation 13, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 2nd manga volume, and Tearmoon Empire 8.

Most of J-Novels’ digital titles this week are manga. With two debuts. Karate Master Isekai (Karate Baka Isekai) comes from Dujimi Shobo’s Comic Hu, and features our hero refusing any cheat skills, as he has karate.

ANNA: I also have karate (no I don’t).

MICHELLE: *snerk*

SEAN: The other debut is the manga version of Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My World Whenever I Want (Itsudemo Jitaku ni Kaerareru Ore wa, Isekai de Gyoushounin o Hajimemashita), whose novel is also published by J-Novel Club. It runs in Hobby Japan’s Comic Fire.

Also from J-Novel Club: the 9th manga volume of How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 6, Perry Rhodan NEO 12, the 9th manga volume of Record of Wortenia War, and the 2nd manga volume of Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster.

Digital Manga Publishing has the 3rd and final volume of Only the Flower Knows.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give that series a try; better get on it.

SEAN: Denpa Books has a 4th volume of The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes.

In print, Airship gives us Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest ZERO 6 (the final volume), The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 3, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 8.

WHOOPS! Airship dropped an early digital edition of Didn’t I Say To Make My Abilities Average in My Next Life 15 on me this week, and I therefore missed it for last week’s list.

And early digital this week gives us Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut 4 and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 3.

Manga manga manga!

SEAN: It’s March, and to celebrate New England is finally getting a bit of snow. But what manga are we getting?

Airship has no print releases, but they do have an early digital one: Reincarnated as a Sword 12.

Dark Horse gives us a 13th volume of Berserk Deluxe Edition.

ASH: I’ll be picking this one up, surprising no one at this point.

SEAN: Denpa Books has a second omnibus volume of Nana & Kaoru.

There’s a debut from Ghost Ship. Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His Wild S-Rank Cat Girl (Dappou Tamer no Nariagari Boukentan ~S Rank Bishoujo Boukensha ga Ore no Juuma ni Natteimasu~) is a Comic Ride series. A low-ranked tamer is asked by a high-ranking catgirl to “tame” her in hopes she’ll evolve. In reality, it’ll probably just lead to horniness.

ASH: Sounds about right.

SEAN: Also from Ghost Ship: World’s End Harem: Fantasia Academy 2.

J-Novel Club has a debut, but it’s one of the Sol Press rescues: Let This Grieving Soul Retire (Nageki no Bourei wa Intai Shitai – Saijaku Hunter ni Yoru Saikyou Party Ikuseijutsu). Our hero’s friends have cool powers. He does not. But for some reason they keep expecting things from him.

Also from J-Novel Club: Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower 9, D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared 3, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 2, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 41, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 8, the 4th manga volume of Tearmoon Empire, and the 7th manga volume of Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf!.

Kodansha, in print, gives us Am I Actually the Strongest?, which has been out in digital since 2020, but I think is either getting or just got an anime.

Also in print: As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 4, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 4, Magus of the Library 6 (!!!), and SHAMAN KING Omnibus 12 (the final volume).

ASH: Ooh! Magus of the Library!

SEAN: The digital debut will be familiar to old school Tokyopop fans. Life is a shoujo manga from Betsufure, and TP published 9 volumes of it before cancelling it. Now Kodansha is doing a digital version, which hopefully will go the distance. This is an award-winning manga, but be warned, it’s a tough one: our heroine starts cutting herself in the first book.

MICHELLE: Amazon shows I purchased the first volume back in 2006, but I don’t think I ever actually read it, so now’s my chance!

ANNA: Maybe this is an indication (Silver Diamond) of other (Demon Sacred) Tokyopop (Immortal Rain) series getting picked up.

ASH: I live in perpetual hope!

MELINDA: My well of hope runs dry, but… maybe?

SEAN: Digitally we see Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! 10, Doing His Best to Confess 4, I Guess I Became the Mother of the Great Demon King’s 10 Children in Another World 7, MF Ghost 11, Raised by the Demon Kings! 6, Shangri-La Frontier 10, The Shape-Shifting Witch’s Kiss 4 (the final volume), and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 7.

MICHELLE: Doing His Best to Confess looks cute. I’ve been meaning to try it out.

SEAN: From Seven Seas, we see Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi The Comic, the webtoon adaptation of the popular danmei series, in full color.

ASH: Looking forward to giving this one a try!

SEAN: We also see orange -to you, dear one-, the final epilogue to the orange series, which tells the story of the rest of the main cast in this new future.

MICHELLE: So excite.

ANNA: I still have the first volume of orange lurking around my house, unread!

MICHELLE: It’s so good!

ASH: It really is. Very glad to see the epilogues being released.

MELINDA: !!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has The Ancient Magus’ Bride 17, The Girl in the Arcade 3, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 5, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 16, and Yokai Cats 3.

MICHELLE: It’s been 84 years since I read any of The Ancient Magus’ Bride. I’ve really been missing it.

ASH: I’m somehow behind in my reading, but I enjoy this series so much.

SEAN: Square Enix debuts My Clueless First Friend (Jijou o Shiranai Tenkousei ga Guigui Kuru), a Gangan Joker series which is getting an anime. A bullied elementary school girl is startled when a new transfer student arrives and finds that all the things people bully her for are, to him, cool!

From Steamship, we get Ladies on Top 2.

ASH: Which reminds me I still need to read the first volume.

Udon debuts Persona 4 Arena, a Dengeki Maoh series for all you folks who wished Persona 4 were a fighting game. This is, in fact, an adaptation of a video game.

Viz Media debuts Ayashimon, a Shonen Jump series from the creator of Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. A guy who wanted to grow up to be strong like a manga hero does his job a bit TOO well.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Black Clover 32, Blue Box 3, The Elusive Samurai 5, Ghost Reaper Girl 4, Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love 5, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 8, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 6, and Yona of the Dawn 38.

MICHELLE: Must have a Yona binge soon!

ANNA: Need to get caught up on Ima Koi and always excited for new Yona!

SEAN: That’s it! What will you read if you’re snowed in?