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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Features

Manga the Week of 3/22/23

March 16, 2023 by Sean Gaffney 1 Comment

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?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

The Manga Review: Buy Local

March 10, 2023 by Katherine Dacey Leave a Comment

If you live in the Greater Boston area, Comicopia should be on your radar. This small shop is packed to the gills with manga, from best-selling shonen titles—Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen—to kid-friendly series, yaoi and yuri, horror, manly-man manga, and a few OOP treasures, as well as a modest selection of books in Japanese. I discovered Comicopia when I relocated to the Boston area in 2008, and it felt like an oasis. I’ve always found the staff friendly and funny, and the atmosphere comfortable; no one will judge you for buying something popular or—heaven forfend—girly. For more insight into what makes Comicopia a great place to shop, check out this interview with Comicopia’s Matt Lehman and Dan Palomares conducted by fellow Bostonian Brigid Alverson.

NEWS

This opening sentence pretty much says it all: “Hit Japanese manga One Piece is coming to Netflix as a live-action series — a development that’s both exciting and worrisome for fans who have seen mixed success in a growing list of Hollywood adaptations.” [Associated Press]

And speaking of One Piece, creator Eiichiro Oda consulted ChatGPT on an upcoming storyline, but rejected the bot’s suggestions as “boring.” [NDTV]

Band geeks unite! Azuki has just licensed Crescent Moon Marching, a coming-of-age story about a teenager who joins a marching band to get away from the stress of her fast-paced life in Tokyo. Look for the first chapters on March 16th. [Azuki Manga]

Everything old is new again: Dark Horse will be re-issuing Hellsing in a new paperback edition this fall. [ICv2]

Krystallina has the scoop on the upcoming merger of Manga Planet and futekiya. [The OASG]

Although the February 2023 NPD Bookscan numbers confirm what most of us know—folks loooooove Chainsaw Man and Spy x Family—there were a few surprises on last month’s Top 20 Adult Graphic Novels list, including the first volume of Blue Box and the seventh volume of My Dress-Up Darling. [ICv2]

Why is Osamu Dazai having a moment on TikTok? The New York Times investigates. (Hint: it involves Bungo Stray Dogs.) [New York Times]

LISTENING IN

On the latest episode of Screentone Club, Elliot and Andy discuss Slasher Maidens and Oshi no Ko, “two things that everyone loves – ladies kicking arse and ladies being idols.” [Screentone Club]

If you’ve been curious about Ramen Wolf & Curry Tiger, Xan has some thoughts about this unusual culinary manga. [Spiraken Manga Review]

The OverMangaCast gang weigh in on chapters 100-127 of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba (better known to fans as the Swordsmith Village arc). [OverMangaCast]

Walt Richardson and Emily Myers review the February 2023 issue of Shonen Jump. [Multiversity Manga Club]

On the most recent episode of Manga in Your Ears, Kory, Apryll, and Helen discuss Is Love the Answer? and the first volume of Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. [Taiiku Podcast]

Anyone nostalgic for Planetes will want to tune into Manga Machinations, which is doing a multi-part retrospective on this sci-fi classic. [Manga Machinations]

Ashley and Asher also take a trip down memory lane with a look at Duklyon: CLAMP School Defenders, “a strange, comedic, and loving send up of tokusatsu shows.” [Shojo & Tell]

REVIEWS

If you read only one review this week, make it Leonard Pierce’s lovely, in-depth analysis on Gengoroh Tagame’s Our Colors, an honest look at a young teenager wrestling with his sexual orientation. “Tagame has been open about this being his own coming-out story in many ways,” Pierce observes, “but the manner in which he projects it into a contemporary setting while retaining its personal character is excellent storytelling.” At Brain vs. Book, Jocelyne Allen explores the surreal humor of Wayama Yama’s Onna no Sono no Hoshi, a comedy about a beleagured male teacher at an all-girls’ school… Carrie McClain explains why you should be reading The Invisible Man & His Soon-to-be-Wife and Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home… Masha Zhdanova gives a thumbs up to Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand and thumbs down to volume two of Rainbow Days… and The Japan Times gives a big thumbs down to the big-screen adaptation of Inio Asano’s Downfall, pronouncing it dour and boring.

New and Noteworthy

  • Ayashimon, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Call the Name of the Night, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Call the Name of the Night, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
  • Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • I Fell for a Fujoshi, Vol. 1 (Krystallina, Daiyamanga)
  • Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Pulse, Vols. 1-2 (Eleanor W., Okazu)
  • Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)

Complete and Ongoing Series

  • Blue Box, Vol. 3 (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
  • Coffee Moon, Vol. 2 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • The Elusive Samurai, Vols. 4-5 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Kakuriyo: Bed and Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 8 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • SHY, Vol. 2 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Something’s Wrong With Us, Vols. 9-10 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School, Vol. 10 (Noemi10, Anime UK News)
  • Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 2 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • Wandance, Vol. 4 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 9 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)

Filed Under: FEATURES

Manga the Week of 3/15/23

March 9, 2023 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, Michelle Smith and Ash Brown Leave a Comment

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!

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

The Manga Review: Turnover at Tokyopop

March 3, 2023 by Katherine Dacey 2 Comments

In a recent interview with ICv2, Tokyopop’s Kae Winters confirmed that Stu Levy is transitioning out of his long-time leadership role at the company. “Stu’s been a major part of Tokyopop for so long, but with his own family now – and his move to Germany – we knew he’d step back eventually,” she said. She praised new COO & Publisher Marc Visnick as “a natural fit with our team” as Tokyopop continues to solidify its place in the current US market. “When we returned to publishing back in 2016 we released seven new titles; in 2022 we published almost ten times as many,” Winters noted. “We consider ourselves a boutique publisher now, with plans to expand modestly in an effort to maintain quality over quantity, and continue to bring titles to fans that we personally believe in.” Visnick echoed Winters’ sentiments, stating that he is “cautiously optimistic” about manga sales since Tokyopop has “witnessed steady growth across all trade channels” including independent booksellers and libraries.

NEWS….

On the tenth anniversary of Saturday AM‘s founding, Brigid Alverson sat down for a conversation with publisher Frederick Jones to discuss the magazine’s history, as well as its recent pivot into book publishing. “We refer to our works as diverse manga to normalize content that is both by creators of various ethnic origins and features various heroes of similarly broad racial backgrounds,” Jones explains. “While most young people will never make it to Japan and even fewer won’t learn Japanese, Saturday AM’s diverse manga stands as a key brand for their works to be discovered, featured, and celebrated.” [ICv2]

Kristin offers practical tips for assembling the full run of Berserk. [Anime Collective]

Bill Curtis compiles a master list of all this month’s new manga and light novels. [Yatta-Tachi]

R.I.P. Leiji Matsumoto. [The Beat]

Yamada Murasaki’s Talk to My Back has been nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Award. [The Beat]

Last year was the highest grossing year for manga sales in Japanese history. [Otaku USA]

Chainsaw Man was 2022’s best selling manga according to two separate charts: NPD Bookscan and ComicsHub. Both lists are heavily dominated by VIZ Media properties, with only a handful of titles from Dark Horse and Kodansha making the cut. [ICv2]

If you love cats, Brigid Alverson has good news for you: Seven Seas has five new cat manga in the pipeline, including Cat on a Hero’s Lap, My New Life As a Cat, and A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch. [ICv2]

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival just announced its inaugural Sophie Castille Award, which recognizes outstanding work in the field of translation. The award was created in honor of the late Mediatoon executive who was “a key figure in the growth of translation of comics and graphic novels around the world.” This year’s prize will go to the translator of “a comic translated from any language into English,” but LICAF organizers hope “to widen the scope of these awards and have partners all over the world so that there will be Sophie Castille Awards for many languages” in the future. [LICAF]

…AND VIEWS

Please join me in congratulating Tony Yao on thirteen years of manga blogging! Tony has been posting thoughtful articles about manga and mental health for years, first at Manga Therapy, and more recently at Drop-In to Manga. [Drop-In to Manga]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to teach–or take–a college survey course on manga? If so, you’ll want to check out the syllabus for Martin de la Iglesia’s Manga – Introduction to History and Theory, which he taught last year at Heidelberg University. [The 650-Cent Plague]

David Brothers leads the Mangasplainers in a lively discussion of Under Ninja, a series about a ninja who “sets his sights set hilariously low.” [Mangasplaining]

Looking for a great new series? Laura Grace adds a new chapter to her ABCs of Shojo Manga with a survey of titles beginning with the letter G. [Beneath the Tangles]

If you love a great accessory or a well-tailored frock, you’ll want to read Jocelyne Allen’s review of Fashion, a manga about the garment industry. Author Lemon Haruna “does a great job of portraying clothes in motion, and making them feel both unique and a part of everyday life,” Allen observes. “Haruna also has an extremely clean, but totally expressive style that reminds me somehow of a cross between Kondoh Akino and Chris Ware.” [Brain vs. Book]

REVIEWS

This week’s must-read review comes to us from Adam Symchuk, who praises Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand for its thoughtful depiction of a young girl on the cusp of adolescence. “Exploring themes of ‘family’ is where Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand excels,” he observes. “Tokiko’s relationship with her father paints a portrait of a young girl with a unique intuition and empathetic nature.” Over at The OASG, Helen and Krystallina compare notes on volume seven of The Apothecary Diaries, while the staff at Beneath the Tangles post short reviews of Ayashimon, Guardian of Fukushima, and Tezcatlipoca, and my Manga Bookshelf colleague Sean Gaffney reminds us that he doesn’t just review light novels; he also writes pithy, hilarious manga reviews.

New and Noteworthy

  • Asumi-chan Is Interested in Lesbian Brothels, Vol. 1 (Matt Rolf, Okazu)
  • Call the Name of the Night, Vol. 1 (Nick Smith, ICv2)
  • Confessions of a Shy Baker, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • The Invisible Man and His Soon-To-Be-Wife, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • Insomniacs After School, Vol. 1 (Nick Smith, ICv2)
  • Kitaro (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1 (Kate Dacey, The Manga Critic)
  • My Home Hero, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Ping Pong Dash! (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Sasaki and Peeps, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • SHY, Vol. 1 (Ian Wolf, Anime UK News)
  • SOTUS, Vol. 1 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Sunbeams in the Sky, Vol. 1 (Nick Smith, ICv2)
  • Until We’re Together (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • Weathering With You, Vol. 1 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)

Complete and Ongoing Series

  • ARIA, The Masterpiece, Vol. 6 (HWR, Anime UK News)
  • Asadora!, Vol. 6 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!, Vol. 6 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
  • Dr. STONE, Vol. 23 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 4 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 5 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Love of Kill, Vol. 10 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Love Recipe (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
  • Mao, Vols. 3-5 (SKJAM! Reviews)
  • Miss Miyazaen Would Love to Get Closer to You, Vol. 3 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Ragna Crimson, Vol. 7 (Grant Jones, ANN)
  • Welcome Back Alice, Vol. 4 (Demelza, Anime UK News)

Filed Under: FEATURES

Manga the Week of 3/8/22

March 2, 2023 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

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?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

The Manga Review: RIP Leiji Matsumoto

February 24, 2023 by Katherine Dacey Leave a Comment

On February 20th, Leiji Matsumoto passed away at the age of 85. Matsumoto made his professional debut in the pages of Manga Shonen magazine in 1954, dabbling in a variety of genres over the next fifteen years before discovering his true calling: space operas. In the 1970s, he directed Space Battleship Yamato, and penned some of his most influential work, including Space Captain Harlock, Galaxy Express 999, and Queen Emeraldas. In later years, he collaborated with Daft Punk on a series of music videos for their 2001 album Discovery, and rebooted Space Captain Harlock with illustrator Koichi Shimahoshi. Anime News Network, the BBC, ICv2, and The Japan Times have all published thoughtful reflections on Matsumoto’s legacy, as did translator Zach Davisson, who shared vivid memories of watching Yamato on American television in the 1970s:

As a child of the 70s/80s, one of the reasons why Leiji Matsumoto’s works hit so hard is because at the time, boys were not allowed to have emotions. They could be brave, or adventurous, but not sad. Not emotional. Love was not something you saw in Saturday morning cartoons. (1)

— Zack Davisson @ECCC E-10 (@ZackDavisson) February 20, 2023

NEWS AND VIEWS

Over at Comicosity, Allen Thomas dedicates his latest Health and Inclusivity column to Okura’s I Think Our Son Is Gay. “I appreciate this manga because it is a helpful guide for approaching the queer and trans kids in our lives,” he observes. “Hell, it’s great for cishet kids too because they can see what their queer and trans peers may likely experience in school, at home, or in life in general. This manga also shows us how to be there for the people in our lives by responding to their needs without projecting our own.” [Comicosity]

Anime Feminist has compiled a directory “spotlighting Black writers, artists, and media outlets that cover or create art inspired by Japanese pop culture.” [Anime Feminist]

If you’ve been curious about The Girl Who Can’t Get a Girlfriend, click over to Honey’s Anime to read Brett Michael Orr’s interview with author Hiranishi Mieri. [Honey’s Anime]

Seven Seas just announced that it will be publishing Chi: On the Movements of the Earth, Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat, Dungeon Friends Forever, and I Married My Female Friend. All four series are slated for a late 2023 release. [Seven Seas]

Asher and Ashley revisit an early work from the CLAMP canon: Man of Many Faces. [Shojo & Tell]

There’s a reason you probably haven’t heard of Tricks Dedicated to Witches. [Shonen Flop]

Wondering what to read in 2023? Book Riot has you covered with a breakdown of the best completed, ongoing, and upcoming shonen manga. [Book Riot]

John Holt and Teppei Fukuda translate yet another essay by manga critic Natsume Fusanosuke: “Pig Gourd: The Meaning of Tezuka’s Playing Around with Form.” The essay, which was originally published in 1992, focuses “on Osamu Tezuka’s trademark Pig Gourd character, who will pop up or even decimate panel borders to show not only Tezuka’s embarrassment at being unable to resist a sight gag but also his bold desire to play with panel possibilities.” [Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics]

REVIEWS

Erica Friedman bestows a rare 9 out 10 stars to The Girl Who Can’t Get a Girlfriend, “a beautiful, heart-breaking and hilarious book about queer life and love.”

New and Noteworthy

  • Assorted Entanglements, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
  • Barbarities, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • Choujin X, Vol. 1 (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
  • The Evil Secret Society of Cats, Vol. 1 (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
  • Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • The Girl Who Can’t Get a Girlfriend (Tony Yao, Drop-In to Manga)
  • Hirano and Kagiura, Vol. 1 (Kevin T. Rodriguez, The Fandom Post)
  • If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Vol. 1 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
  • If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • Insomniacs After School, Vol. 1 (Renee Scott, Good Comics for Kids)
  • Is Love the Answer? (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Love’s In Sight!, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
  • Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • Red Cage (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • SCRAMBLUES (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
  • Show-Ha Shoten, Vol. 1 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)

Complete and Ongoing Series

  • Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 16 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Chainsaw Man, Vol. 2 (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
  • Chainsaw Man, Vol. 3 (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
  • Dr. STONE, Vol. 2 (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
  • Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 4 (Jaime, Yuri Stargirl)
  • I Want to Be a Wall, Vol. 2 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • Love at Fourteen, Vol. 12 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Love at Fourteen, Vol. 12 (Jaime, Yuri Stargirl)
  • Moriarty the Patriot, Vol. 10 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World!, Vol. 4 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • Sasaki and Miyano, Vol. 7 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vol. 2 (Krystallina, The OASG)

Filed Under: FEATURES

Manga the Week of 3/1/23

February 23, 2023 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N and Ash Brown Leave a Comment

SEAN: Technically March, but it’s still February for most of our list.

Yen On’s sole release next week is Tezcatlipoca, a crime novel featuring a Mexican drug lord and his Japanese boy protege getting involved in organ donation. It is award-winning, and also not for the squeamish.

ASH: I am very curious about this one (but probably not in the mood to read it right this moment).

SEAN: And from Yen Press we see The Beginning After the End 2, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 5, and The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious 5.

Viz Media has a 2nd Demon Slayer light novel, One-Winged Butterfly. There’s also JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 5–Golden Wind 7, the 17th and final omnibus of Urusei Yatsura, and WITCH WATCH 5 digitally. Thank you, Viz, for finally releasing all of UY for its fans.

ASH: It really is great to see these longer classic series being released.

SEAN: Square Enix has By the Grace of the Gods 7 and The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 2.

Seven Seas had been quiet the last couple of weeks. That ends now. There’s so much. That said, there’s only one debut, The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife (Toumei Otoko to Ningen Onna: Sonouchi Fuufu ni Naru Futari), a Futabasha series about an invisible man and a blind woman who find love while running a detective agency. Gotta say, this sounds fantastic. The author also wrote The Country Without Humans.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this very much!

ANNA: OK, this sounds cool.

ASH: It does seem worth a look!

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: A Chinese Fantasy: Law of the Fox (the 2nd in this series), The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 4, Karate Survivor in Another World 4, Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More 4, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 4, My Deer Friend Nokotan 3, My Wife Has No Emotion 4, Otaku Elf 5, Pompo: The Cinéphile 3, Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger 2, ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! 3, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 7, SPRIGGAN: Deluxe Edition 3, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 5, and Versailles of the Dead 3.

ASH: You weren’t kidding! That is quite a bit. It’s been literal years since the last volume of Versailles of the Dead was released, but I do vaguely recollect getting a kick out of it.

SEAN: KUMA debuts A Home Far Away (Haruka Tooki Ie), a one-shot from Canna about a directionless young man looking for a purpose, and his encounter with a young cook.

MICHELLE: Judging purely by the cover, this looks good!

ANNA: Sounds interesting.

SEAN: Kodansha Books has another digital release of an old Vertical crime drama from the 00s, this one Kenzo Kitakata’s Winter Sleep.

ASH: Another one I haven’t managed to read yet, but am glad is being made more broadly available.

SEAN: In print, Kodansha Manga gives us BAKEMONOGATARI 17, Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro Manga Box Set 1 (the first six volumes), EDENS ZERO 21, Hitorijime My Hero 13, Peach Boy Riverside 10, Rent-A-Girlfriend 17, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 7, Shonen Note: Boy Soprano 2, Something’s Wrong with Us 13, and The Witch and the Beast 10.

MICHELLE: I need to get started on Shonen Note.

ASH: As do I, I’ll have to admit.

SEAN: The digital debut is My Home Hero, a drama about a salaryman who finds himself embroiled in crime syndicates and murder. It runs in Young Magazine.

Also digital: Am I Actually the Strongest? 7, Boss Bride Days 2, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 25, The Food Diary of Miss Maid 4, Gamaran: Shura 5, Heaven’s Design Team 8, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 12, My Idol Sits the Next Desk Over! 6, The Prince’s Romance Gambit 12 (the final volume), The Slime Diaries: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 6, We’re New at This 12, and With You and the Rain 4.

Kaiten Books has a print volume of My Dad’s the Queen of All VTubers?! 3.

J-Novel Club have some digital debuts. Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored (Tensei Shite High Elf ni Narimashitaga, Slow Life wa 120-nen de Akimashita) is one of those reincarnation books. Sadly, the life of an elf involves staying put and being a vegetarian… and also living for a thousand years! After a century of this, our hero decides to go on a journey.

Grand Sumo Villainess (Ouzumou Reijou ~Seijo ni Hirateuchi wo Kuratta Shunkan Sumō Budatta Zense wo Omoidashita Akuyaku Reijō no Watashi wa sute Neko Ōji ni Chanko wo Furumaitai Haadosukoidosukoi~) is a “reincarnated as a villainess in an otome game” book, and our heroine is already at her doom. Fortunately, she knows sumo!

ASH: That’s a new twist to the genre I wasn’t expecting!

SEAN: 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) is one of those books about an OP hero who doesn’t realize he’s OP, in the style of Last Dungeon Kid.

And one manga digital debut, I’m Capped at Level 1?! Thus Begins My Journey to Become the World’s Strongest Badass! (Genkai Level 1 kara no Nariagari: Saijaku Level no Ore ga Isekai Saikyou ni Naru made) is a Comic Walker title. It begins with our hero being summoned, given powers, condemned for having weak powers, and sentenced to death. So, one of those series.

Also from J-Novel Club: The Apothecary Diaries 7, An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride 15, Cooking with Wild Game 20, Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools 6, Doll-Kara 4, John Sinclair: Demon Hunter 9, Maddrax 5, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 2, the 4th manga volume of Oversummoned, Overpowered, and Over It!, and Rebuild World 2 Part 1.

Ghost Ship gives us The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 5 and Manga Diary of a Male Porn Star 3.

Cross Infinite World debuts The Inconvenient Life of an Arousing Priestess (Kon’yaku Hakida, Hatsujou Seijou). A hardworking young woman is engaged to a prince and working as a priestess! Unfortunately, her powers have a bad side effect. As a result, you guessed it, broken engagement, ruined reputation, shunned, etc. Fortunately, the next country over needs her powers!

They also have Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes: Hide and Seek in the Wintry Mountains 2 and the 5th and final volume of Reincarnated as the Last of my Kind.

Airship has the print debut of I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner, the spinoff series giving us Claire’s POV.

Also in print: The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 3, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 13, and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 4.

And in early digital we see Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 7.

What interests you? What arouses you? What appalls you?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

The Manga Review: Brush Up Your Shakespeare

February 17, 2023 by Katherine Dacey Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, ABLAZE announced that it will be publishing four manga by Osamu Tezuka. Two will debut this year: One Hundred Years, a story about an accountant who makes a pact with a demon in exchange for wealth and power, and Shakespeare Manga Theater, a collection of short stories based on Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and The Merchant of Venice. In 2024, ABLAZE will release Tomorrow the Birds, a one-shot about a world in which birds are smarter than people, and Neo Faust, one of Tezuka’s final works.

One quick programming note: to make it easier for you to find a great anime or manga podcast, I’ve created a permanent directory at the Manga Critic. Click here to view; click here to make suggestions or corrections. My goal is to update the list a few times a year.

NEWS…

The ALA’s Graphic Novels and Comics Round Table just published its list of 2022’s Best Graphic Novels for Adults. Though the list cants heavily towards Western titles, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and Talk to My Back both made the cut. [GNCRT]

The Beat has an eleven-page preview of Tokyopop’s forthcoming Guardian of Fukushima, a graphic novel documenting the bravery of Naoto Matsumura, a Japanese farmer who returned to Fukushima in the aftermath of the 2011 nuclear disaster to care for all the animals that had been left behind. [The Beat]

Star Fruit Books will be publishing Hideshi Hino’s Occult Detective Club: The Doll Cemetery this summer. [Star Fruit Books]

In April, Last Gasp will publish Keiji Nakazawa’s memoir I Can’t Forget the Bomb: Barefoot Gen and the Bombing of Hiroshima. [Last Gasp]

The first chapter of The JOJOLands, the newest installment of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, debuted yesterday in the pages of Ultra Jump. [Otaku USA]

If you’re feeling nostalgic for Death Note, InuYasha, or Sailor Moon, I have good news for you: VIZ has made the full run of all three anime available on YouTube, along with select episodes of Hunter X Hunter and Naruto. [CNET]

File under Better Late Than Never: Kakusai Han recently made his professional debut as a manga artist with the publication of 67-sai no Shinjin: Han Kakusai Tanpenshu, which, translated into English, means The 67-Year-Old Newcomer: A Collection of Short Stories by Kakusai Han. “I always thought things would work out if I drew something interesting,” he said. “I didn’t care about my age.” [The Asahi Shimbun]

… AND VIEWS

Martin de la Iglesia revisits K, an early manga from Jiro Taniguchi and Shiro Tozaki about a “Japanese climber living near the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges” whose superior skills make him the go-to guy for tricky alpine rescues. [The 650-Cent Plague]

The latest installment of Dad Needs to Talk focuses on The Savior’s Book Cafe Story in Another World. [Dad Needs to Talk]

Over at Manga in Your Ears, Kory convenes a roundtable on Shuzo Oshimi’s Inside Mari. [Taiiku Podcast]

Should you read WANDANCE? Xan weighs in on the popular series, a sports manga set in the world of hip hop dancing. [Spiraken Manga Review]

Andy and Elliott devote the latest Screentone Club to Nodame Cantabile, a slice-of-life drama about young musicians, and Burn the House Down, a twisty psychological thriller. [Screentone Club]

Jocelyne Allen offers a hilarious, blow-by-blow account of Reiko Shimizu’s Kaguyahime, which, in spite of its title, has almost nothing to do with The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. “It’s bonkers right out of the gate,” she observes. “The first page has a quick overview of the Bamboo Cutter, presumably setting us up for what we’re about to read, but no. Next up is a hot (probably—I can never tell with nineties manga) foreigner looking at art in a gallery. There’s a pretty funny moment where the gallery staff guy is forced to try and speak English, and then next thing you know, fire! And maybe a bomb!! The gallery is evacuated, and our foreign friend is joined by someone with flamethrowers. The two proceed to torch the gallery, and we cut to a random high school.” Back in the aughts, I have no doubt CMX or Tokyopop would have licensed this, but today, I’m not so sure any US publisher would take a chance on this pure, unadulterated slice of 90s shoujo cheese. [Brain vs. Book]

REVIEWS

This week’s must-read review comes to us from Tony Yao, who’s been blogging his way through Sensei’s Pious Lie. Writing about the fourth and final volume, Yao explains why he found the story’s resolution cathartic. “The characters in Sensei’s Pious Lie aren’t beautiful, just tragically human,” he observes. “But there’s a beauty in seeing the tragic. Through loss, you slowly get to pick up pieces and discover alternative ways to figuring things out, but it takes other people to help you see that.”

Also of note: Anna N. reviews the first four volumes of Matcha Made in Heaven … the crew at Beneath the Tangles reviews A Condition Called Love, Boss Bride Days, and Unnamed Memory… and Megan D. revisits Puri Puri, a harem manga from the DrMaster vaults.

New and Noteworthy

  • Barbarities, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • Barbarities, Vol. 1 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Blissful Land, Vol. 1 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • Choujin X, Vol. 1 (Lesley Aeschliman, Lesley’s Anime and Manga Corner)
  • Choujin X, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Choujin X, Vol. 1 (Steven Blackburn, Screenrant)
  • The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend (Christopher Farris, ANN)
  • The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend (Marie Brisou, Noisy Pixel)
  • Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Vol. 1 (Rui, Anime UK News)
  • Guardian of Fukushima (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Guardian of Fukushima (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
  • Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 1 (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • Insomniac After School, Vol. 1 (Harry, Honey’s Anime)
  • Josee, the Tiger, and the Fish (Kevin T. Rodriguez, The Fandom Post)
  • My Coworker Has a Secret!, Vol. 1 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Not All Girls Are Stupid (Danica Davidson, Otaku USA)
  • The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices, Vol. 1 (Christopher Farris, ANN)
  • Show-Ha Shoten!, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Show-Ha Shoten!, Vol. 1 (Harry, Honey’s Anime)
  • A Sign of Affection, Vol. 1 (Kate, Reverse Thieves)
  • Snow Fairy (Lisa De La Cruz, The Wonder of Anime)
  • SOTUS, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • The Wolf Never Sleeps, Vol. 1 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)

Complete and Ongoing Series

  • A Galaxy Next Door, Vol. 4 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • How De We Relationship?, Vol. 8 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • I’m In Love with the Villainess, Vol. 4 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
  • The King’s Beast, Vol. 9 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Love and Heart, Vol. 6 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Mao, Vol. 5 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • A Polar Bear in Love, Vol. 5 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Prince Freya, Vol. 7 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • Rent-a-Girlfriend, Vols. 13-14 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid, Vol. 4 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • Tokyo Aliens, Vol. 2 (Grant Jones, ANN)
  • Undead Unluck, Vol. 10 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • WANDANCE, Vol. 3 (Sarah, Anime UK News)

Filed Under: FEATURES

Manga the Week of 2/22/23

February 16, 2023 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N and Ash Brown Leave a Comment

SEAN: February. I can’t believe I’m still in February.

ASH: It really seems like it should be over by now, doesn’t it?

SEAN: Airship starts us off. We see print volumes of Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 6 and Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 18.

And for early digital there is Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 8 (the final volume) and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 21.

Dark Horse Comics has Psycho Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami 6 (the final volume).

ASH: I really ought to get around to giving this series a try at some point.

SEAN: DMP has the 8th Vampire Hunter D manga (it got bumped).

ASH: That doesn’t seem to be unusual for DMP these days…

SEAN: Drawn and Quarterly has a new reprint of the Kitaro anthology. This was fantastic, a wonderful representation of the series, and if you didn’t get it then, get it now. It doesn’t duplicate much content, if any, from the more recent collections.

ASH: I am so glad to see this one staying in print! I loved the first edition and am looking forward to reading the new essay included in this one.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a giant pile. The debut is The Disowned Queen’s Consulting Detective Agency (Kandō Sareta no de Tantei-ya Hajimemasu! Jitsu wa Bōkoku no Joōda Nante Naisho Desu), from the creator of I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss. Octavia is found to be illegitimate, and swiftly disowned. Unfortunately, she has a bunch of heirlooms her old family really want. But she doesn’t care: she’s going to become a detective!

MICHELLE: I’m always tempted by anything that might have a mystery element.

ASH: They can be fun!

SEAN: Also out next week: Gushing over Magical Girls 5, Haibara’s Teenage New Game+ 2, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 8, Infinite Dendrogram 19, the third Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World light novel, the third Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World manga, My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 7, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 13, the 7th manga volume of My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ—, Outbreak Company Gaiden (the final volume), Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My World Whenever I Want! 2, Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! 9, and The World’s Least Interesting Master Swordsman 9.

ASH: That is quite the pile!

SEAN: Kodansha debuts, in print, The Great Cleric, a series it had been releasing digital-only. It’s Reincarnated In Another World As a Cleric, and is on the more serious end of the isekai spectrum.

Also debuting is the one-shot Sweet Poolside, another Shuzo Oshimi title that ran in Young Magazine back in 2004. Two swimmers have similar but opposite problems. A boy is ashamed he has no body hair. A girl is ashamed she has too much. She then asks him to shave her. This is apparently less dark than other Oshimi titles.

ASH: It certainly still sounds a lot like an Oshimi title, though!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 5, Fire Force 31, Flying Witch 11, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 3, Grand Blue Dreaming 18 (it got bumped), Last Gender 2, Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You 3, Run Away With Me, Girl 2, and Shangri-La Frontier 4.

ANNA: My kids are Blue Lock fans, so I’ve pre-ordered this!

ASH: That’s a solid recommendation, then!

SEAN: Digitally we see Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 5, Beast #6 3 (the final volume), The Café Terrace and its Goddesses 5, Changes of Heart 9 (the final volume), The Full-Time Wife Escapist 11 (also a final volume, unless they license the guidebook, which I doubt), Gamaran 6, Golden Gold 9, HIRAETH -The End of the Journey- 3 (also a final volume), Medalist 6, This Vampire Won’t Give Up! 4, Ya Boy Kongming! 10, and You’re My Cutie 5.

MICHELLE: I’ll definitely be reading The Full-Time Wife Escapist and am working on catching up with Medalist, too.

ANNA: I need to read both!

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 2nd manga volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

From Seven Seas, we get CALL TO ADVENTURE! Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board 5, Classroom of the Elite 5, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 3, Futari Escape 2, I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl 2, Kemono Jihen 4, Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish 3, and Time Stop Hero 6.

Titan Books has a 3rd volume of ATOM: The Beginning.

New titles from Tokyopop. The Flower That Seems to Truly Dance (Makotoshiyaka ni Mau Hana wa) is a BL title from Canna, about a young man trying to find someone at the outbreak of World War II. It’s a one-shot.

MICHELLE: Gotta say, that setting really does appeal to me.

ANNA: I remain steadfast in my resolve to not read things from this publisher.

SEAN: SCRAMBLUES (Bokura no Scramblues) is a BL title from Canna, about the relationship between a popular musician and a graphics designer. It’s a one-shot.

The Snake Who Loved a Sparrow (Suzu Hebi Kyuuairon) is a BL title from Canna, and it’s, well, about the love between a snake and a sparrow. It’s also explicit. And a one-shot.

There is also a 6th volume of A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation, which is from Comic Corona, not Canna, and is also not BL, per the author, though I’d argue it’s for BL fans.

Viz has a big debut with Choujin X, the new title from the creator of Tokyo Ghoul. A young man, trying to fight against injustice, injects himself with a drug that turns him into a powerful creature. Can he keep this a secret?

Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand (Aoi Uroko to Suna no Machi) is a josei title from You, about a girl and her father moving to a rural town to start over, a town which reminds her of her childhood… when she was saved by a merman? This is complete in one omnibus.

ANNA: I was getting worried that there might not be much for me this week, but I’m intrigued by this.

SEAN: I have heard that Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand is REALLY good. Also, how often do we get anything from You? Maybe if this sells we can get Gokusen.

ASH: I am likewise intrigued and have heard good things!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Golden Kamuy 28, Hayate the Combat Butler 41, Mission: Yozakura Family 3, Rooster Fighter 3, Twin Star Exorcists 27, The Way of the Househusband 9, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 9.

ASH: I need to get caught up with Househusband; I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far immensely.

Yen On debuts Hirano and Kagiura, a light novel side story to Sasaki and Miyano. By the way, if you read the Hirano and Kagiura manga, this is a separate story taking place six months before that.

It also has Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian 2, The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 5, Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World 2, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 8, The Bride of Demise 3 (the final volume), Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 3, Date a Live 8, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 18, Magical Girl Raising Project 15, A Sister’s All You Need 14 (the final volume), and You Call That Service? 7 (the final volume).

Yen Press debuts Assorted Entanglements (Fusoroi no Renri), a yuri series from Comic Newtype. It’s an anthology! Sometimes. It’s a series of interconnected stories! Sometimes.

ASH: Hmmm.

SEAN: The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices (Watashi wa Gotsugou Shugi na Kaiketsu Tantou no Oujo de aru) is a manga adaptation from Flos Comic of the light novel Yen also releases. It’s a good reincarnated villainess story, if only as, while our heroine tries to change her fate, she may accidentally be making things worse.

ASH: I haven’t read the original light novel, but I still like that title.

And they have, in digital-only form, Rose Guns Days Sorrowful Cross Knife (Rose Guns Days – Aishuu no Cross Knife), a side story to the main Rose Guns Days series focusing on Wayne.

There is also SOTUS. From Kadokawa’s Ciel and based on a Thai webnovel. Have you ever wanted to have ritualized hazing and bullying be super sexy? This book’s for you.

MICHELLE: …

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: And Yen Press also has Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple 2, Chained Soldier 3, Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie 3, Daughter of the Emperor 3, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 13, The Detective Is Already Dead 4, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger 8, Hinowa Ga CRUSH! 7, The Holy Grail of Eris 3, Mint Chocolate 7, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 5, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 5, Sasaki and Miyano 7, School-Live! Letters (a one-shot sequel to the original manga), Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 17, Uncle from Another World 6, Unnamed Memory 2, The Wolf Never Sleeps 3, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 4, and The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker 5.

ASH: That’s quite the pile, too!

SEAN: I miss when Yen delayed everything so they had ten titles per week rather than 40 in the same week. What are you getting?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

The Manga Review: Before Chainsaw Man

February 10, 2023 by Katherine Dacey 2 Comments

The January 2023 NPD Bookscan numbers are in, and Tatsuki Fujimoto is king! He claimed twelve of the top twenty spots on last month’s Adult Graphic Novel list, with eleven volumes of Chainsaw Man and the first installment of Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man. January was a good month for other VIZ properties as well, with volumes of Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kaiju No. 8, One Piece, and Spy x Family charting; Dark Horse’s new deluxe edition of Berserk was the the only other series to make the cut. On NPD’s Author Graphic Novel list, webtoons and manhwa made a strong showing with volumes of Killing Stalking, My Gently Raised Beast, The Remarried Empress, Solo Leveling, and Villains Are Destined to Die.

NEWS…

Congratulations to Erica Friedman, who recently reached a major milestone: her 5,000th article at Okazu! To mark the occasion, she shared the results of her recent Global Yuri Fandom Survey, and offered insight into how the survey was designed. [Okazu]

Brigid Alverson has the low-down on VIZ’s fall line-up, which includes gag manga, more Junji Ito, and Ai Yazawa’s Neighborhood Stories. [ICv2]

Have you completed the February Seven Seas Reader Survey yet? [Seven Seas]

The crack team at Yatta-Tachi have compiled a comprehensive list of all the manga and light novels scheduled for a February release. [Yatta-Tachi]

Good news for oenophiles: Kodansha has just made all 44 volumes of The Drops of God more widely available. You may remember that Vertical published a few volumes in 2011, leaving the series incomplete. Then in 2020, Kodansha teamed up with comiXology to make the entire series accessible through Amazon. The story is now available in a much wider array of digital formats, from Apple Books to Kobo and nook. [The Fandom Post]

…AND VIEWS

One of the best things I read this week was Carrie McClain’s Love Letter to Josei Manga, a personal reflection on how she discovered—and fell in love with—manga for older female readers. If you still have dog-eared copies of Suppli or Tramps Like Us lurking on your bookshelf, this post is for you. [Black Nerd Problems]

Arpad Okay revisits Shiro Masume’s Ghost in the Shell, explaining why it remains a cyberpunk classic almost 30 years after it was first translated into English. [The Beat]

The staff at WWAC compile a list of their favorite indie-press comics of 2022. [WWAC]

Kristin sifts through all the various manga editions of Tokyo Ghoul, offering readers practical advice about how to assemble a complete set without breaking the bank. [Anime Collective]

For anyone curious about the history of manhwa, William Schwartz’s in-depth essay on Lee Hyun-see’s Alien Baseball Team is essential reading. “The sheer eccentricity of these constantly shifting genre tones underlies much of the comic’s appeal – and also its influence,” he notes. “Anyone familiar with modern South Korean cultural content has probably experienced the same form of whiplash. International hits like Parasite and Squid Game have been big mainstream examples of much the same blended storytelling, which has been the calling card of South Korean media since the first Korean Wave back in the late ’90s.” [The Comics Journal]

LISTENING IN: PODCASTS

Looking for a great anime podcast? Check out this brief but well-curated list compiled by the folks at Audible. [Audible]

To celebrate their second anniversary, the OverMangaCast gang host a lively discussion of The Promised Neverland. [OverMangaCast]

The Mangasplainers dedicate their latest episode to Riyoko Ikeda’s shojo classic The Rose of Versailles. [Mangasplaining]

In the first of a two-part series, the Manga Machinations team revisit Akiko Higashimura’s autobiographical series Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey. [Manga Machinations]

Marian, Sakaki, and VLord discuss the first volume of Alice in Borderland, a sci-fi thriller that sounds a little like Battle Royale and Squid Game. [Saturday Night Shoggy]

On the most recent episode of Shojo & Tell, Ashley is joined by fellow podcasters Giana and Chika (Shoujo Sundae) for an in-depth discussion of Yuu Watase’s Alice 19th. [Shojo & Tell]

The Trash Manga Friends unite for a lively conversation about A Couple of Cuckoos, a romantic comedy in which “two kids swapped at birth are forcibly engaged and made to live together.” [Trash Manga Friends]

REVIEWS

Over at Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman offers a glowing appraisal of Is Love the Answer?, a book exploring one young woman’s efforts to come to terms with her sexual orientation. The book “doesn’t offer any clear-cut answers, nor does it settle all of its characters into a comfortable happily ever after,” Silverman notes. “But what it does do is teach the questions to ask and stress that it’s okay if you don’t come up with a definitive answer, now or ever. There is no such thing that’s “normal.” There’s only who you are, and whoever that is, it’s perfectly fine.”

New and Noteworthy

  • As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • Assorted Entanglements, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Cut-Over Criteria (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Dragon Quest: The Adventures of Dai, Vols. 1-2 (Justin, The OASG)
  • The Fiancee Chosen By the Ring, Vol. 1 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend (Brian Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
  • The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Heartbreak Reincarnation (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 1 (Sofia Cortes, Noisy Pixel)
  • If My Favorite Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Is Love the Answer? (Helen, The OASG)
  • Love Is an Illusion!, Vol. 1 (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
  • Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand (Kyle Clark, Noisy Pixel)
  • Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You, Vols. 1-2 (Justin, The OASG)
  • My Special One, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • My Special One, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Pandora Seven, Vol. 1 (Yuvin Pillay, Noisy Pixel)
  • Run Away With Me, Girl, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 1 (Paulina Pryzstupa, WWAC)
  • Show-ha Shoten!, Vol. 1 (MrAJCospay, ANN)
  • SHY, Vol. 1 (Justin, The OASG)
  • SOTUS, Vol. 1 (Ivanir Ignacchitti, Noisy Pixel)
  • Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet, Vols. 1-2 (Anna N., Manga Report)
  • Wonder Cat Kyuu-Chan, Vol. 1 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • You and I Are Polar Opposites, Vol. 1 (Tony Yao, Drop-In to Manga)

Complete and Ongoing Series

  • Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost, Vol. 3 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • Beastars, Vol. 22 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 22 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Dandadan, Vol. 2 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • How Do We Relationship?, Vol. 8 (Matt Marcus, Okazu)
  • In Another World With My Smartphone, Vol. 7 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Jujutsu Kaisen, Vol. 4 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 4 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
  • Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 2 (Onosume, Anime UK News)
  • Mieruko-chan, Vol. 6 (Justin, The OASG)
  • My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files, Vols. 2-3 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • Otherside Picnic, Vol. 3 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
  • Phantom of the Idol, Vol. 3 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Rainbow Days, Vol. 2 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Until Your Bones Rot, Vols. 1-3 (Krystallina, Daiyamanga)
  • The Witch and the Beast, Vol. 9 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • With the Sheik in His Harem, Vol. 1 (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)

Filed Under: FEATURES

Manga the Week of 2/15/23

February 9, 2023 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s Valentine’s Day, or Galentine’s Day, or whatever you might celebrate. What manga do we have?

We’re still in a kinder, gentler time when Yen Press no longer has sliding release dates, so we start with Viz. Their debut is the one shot The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend (Kanojo ga Denai Onna), which ran online on various services like Tapas and pixiv, and which Viz is publishing as a collected volume. It’s an autobiographical story of love, and what to do when that love does not work out.

ASH: I’ve been curious about this one since I first heard about it.

MJ: I hadn’t heard about it, but it does sound interesting!

SEAN: Viz also has The Hunters Guild: Red Hood 2, Komi Can’t Communicate 23, Radiant 16, Sakamoto Days 6, and Splatoon 16.

Tokyopop debuts Confessions of a Shy Baker (Futari de Okashi na Kyuujitsu o) which runs in the amusingly named magazine Flat Heros. A real estate agency owner worries that advertising the agency as LGBT-friendly might out him. Fortunately, he bakes, so there are always sweets.

ASH: I generally avoid Tokyo these days, but I am seriously tempted by some of these titles.

MJ: Must… stay… strong..

SEAN: They’ve also got Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke 3.

SuBLime has a debut. Megumi & Tsugumi (Megumi to Tsugumi) runs in Qpa. It’s an Omegaverse story, so the plot is basically all about that sort of thing.

Also from SuBLime, Candy Color Paradox 6.

ASH: Though I’m a little behind, I have been enjoying this series.

SEAN: Square Enix has My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! 5 and Tokyo Aliens 2.

Seven Seas gives us two debuts. Gap Papa: Daddy at Work and at Home (Shokuba to Jitaku de Gap no Aru Papa) is a Kadokawa title based on a webcomic. It’s about a cool, distant work colleague who turns into a sweet and doting husband and father at home. The Gap is as in “gap moe”.

MICHELLE: Hm. Possibly cute!

ASH: Awkward title, but promising premise.

SEAN: The other debut is Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition. Originally running in Ribon in the early 1990s, getting a very popular TV anime, and then getting a Tokyopop release in 2002, it’s getting a deluxe reissue here, with color pages and a new translation. Miki is horrified to find her parents are swapping spouses with another couple! And they’re all living together! And her new stepbrother Yuu, is such a jerk! Voted “most likely to read badly in retrospect” by old-school manga fans. Don’t mention Namura.

MICHELLE: It’s been 20 years since I read Marmalade Boy so I’m really looking forward to revisiting it. I hope I won’t be too horrified.

ANNA: Ha, I still have my old edition of Marmalade Boy, maybe I’ll check out the new version.

ASH: I somehow haven’t actually read this series yet, although I definitely know about it!

MJ: I also still have my old editions of Marmalade Boy, and I’ll probably leave it at that.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: CANDY AND CIGARETTES 3, Correspondence from the End of the Universe 2, Monologue Woven For You 3 (the final volume), and The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 3 (the final manga volume).

One Peace Books has a 2nd volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

MICHELLE: Yay! I really liked the first volume.

ASH: As did I! Really looking forward to reading more.

SEAN: Kodansha has a print debut, a 528-page done-in-one collection. Break of Dawn (Bokura no Yoake) ran in Afternoon, and it’s by the author of Alice & Zoroku. A young boy watches everyone else in the country be obsessed with a comet, but he’s found something even more out of this world.

ASH: This seems like something I would be interested in (and as a single volume, might actually have a chance of reading in a timely fashion).

SEAN: Also in print: Drifting Dragons 12, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 4, Parasyte Full Color Collection 2, Phantom of the Idol 4, Real Account 18-20, and Wandance 4.

MICHELLE: I’ve already fallen behind on Wandance.

SEAN: While digitally we see The Fable 11, Fungus and Iron 2, Gang King 2, Giant Killing 35, The Girl, the Shovel, and the Evil Eye 4, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 12, Island in a Puddle 5 (the final volume), A Kiss with a Cat 5, Police in a Pod 21, Rent-A-Girlfriend 17, Tokyo Revengers 29, and The Witch and the Beast 10.

Kaiten Books has the 8th manga volume of Loner Life in Another World out digitally.

J-Novel Club has some print titles. We see the debut of Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles, the manga version, which runs in Comic Fire. We also get I Shall Survive Using Potions! manga volume 9, Infinite Dendrogram 17, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 9.

Digitally they’ve got Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World 2, Black Summoner’s 10th manga volume, Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 3, The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 2, and Reincarnated as an Apple: This Forbidden Fruit Is Forever Unblemished! 2 (the final volume).

Lastly, Airship has the print debut of Raven of the Inner Palace, which was excellent.

ASH: I really ought to pick this one up now that it’s in print!

SEAN: And we get early digital for I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 4 and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 3.

What manga are you grateful for?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

The Manga Review: In Your Ear

February 3, 2023 by Katherine Dacey Leave a Comment

This week’s Manga Review is something of a departure. On Wednesday, I posted a brief message on Twitter, encouraging other users to recommend their favorite podcasts, or share a few details about their own. The response was enthusiastic, introducing me to more than a dozen new podcasts–well, new to me–that explore the mangasphere from just about every angle, from individual series such as City Hunter and Haikyu! to manga so bad they’re good. (Or at least fun to discuss.) Below, I’ve compiled the results of my survey, but feel feel free to suggest more in the comments; the internet is a big place, and it’s a daunting task to try and find smart conversation about any topic, let alone manga.

PODCAST DIRECTORY

I’ve organized this alphabetically, with links to each podcast’s home page. Because of the sheer volumes of recommendations I fielded, my descriptions of each podcast are brief; I encourage you to click through to the sites directly for a better sense of tone and content.

  • 19 O’Clock News: A Kodocha Podcast focuses on Miho Obana’s Kodomo no Omocha.
  • All-Mighty Podcast (AMP) is one of several podcasts focusing on My Hero Academia.
  • Anibae’s Anime bills itself as “3 friends that talk about anime in a sassy and messy way.” They also sponsor monthly manga book clubs.
  • The Anime Nostalgia Podcast explores what it was like to be an anime and manga fan before the rise of Tokyopop, Borders, and simulpubs.
  • Anime Roundtable offers a Canadian view on anime, manga, and pop-cultural headlines.
  • Behind the Manga is a mixture of analysis, discussion, and manga industry news.
  • Chatty AF is the official podcast of Anime Feminist, where you’ll find episodes addressing old anime, new manga, and everything in between.
  • CLAMPCast in Wonderland is hosted by Lucy and Robin, who are diligently working their way through the entire CLAMP canon, from RG Veda to Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles. 
  • Dad Needs to Talk is a more wide-ranging podcast that covers “fatherhood, manga, anime, TV, and games.”
  • Deal with the Devils: An Eyeshield 21 Podcast celebrates the one and only football manga to be translated into English.
  • Demon Slayer Podcast focuses on Koyoharu Gotouge’s blockbuster manga.
  • D’OhMance Dawn is a playful mash-up of One Piece and Simpsons content.
  • Duckface Diaries: A World Trigger Podcast offers podcasts and video essays about the ongoing Weekly Shonen Jump series.
  • Hero Notes: The My Hero Academia Podcast is one of several exploring Kōhei Horikoshi’s wildly popular franchise.
  • Into the Shoujo-Verse is a five-person collective podcasting about movies, manga, and webtoons.
  • It’s Not My Fault The OASG Podcast Isn’t Popular is a mixture of shop talk, anime reviews, and manga news.
  • Kanzenshuu describes itself as “the oldest, biggest, most authoritative Dragon Ball resource” for English speakers.
  • Let’s Stay Together: A Fruits Basket Podcast offers a nostalgic look back at Natsuki Takaya’s hit shojo series.
  • The Lum Squad is an offshoot of the Manga Mavericks podcast that focuses on Rumiko Takahashi’s Urusei Yatsura.
  • Manga In Your Ears offers lively, in-depth discussions of new and ongoing series.
  • Manga Machinations is a team effort; the four core cast members regularly post in-depth reviews of current and classic series.
  • Manga Mavericks offers a mixture of news, reviews, and commentary on the manga industry.
  • Manga Melee is part of the BrosWhoThink Network, and serves up a twice-monthly mix of comics and manga analysis.
  • Mangasplaining is to manga podcasting what the the League of Justice is to superheroes; it’s an all-star gathering of smart, funny manga experts with strong opinions.
  • MokkoriPlay: A City Hunter Podcast is pretty much what it sounds like: a deep dive into one the 1980s most influential manga/anime series.
  • Multiversity Manga Club is a bi-monthly podcast about Shonen Jump titles.
  • My Hero Academia Podcast covers the series in all its incarnations, from movies to games to manga.
  • No Name Anime Show is hosted by GONZO.MOE, and features roundtable discussions of anime and manga.
  • The One Piece Podcast is just what the title implies: an ongoing podcast about the world’s most popular comic.
  • OverMangaCast describes the premise of the show as “heated adventures in over-analyzing manga.”
  • Over Soul: Shaman King Podcast explores the legacy of Hiroyuki Takei’s classic series.
  • Read Right to Left is a monthly podcast in which two friends “discuss, celebrate and criticize the many, many things we read” with a dash of “fangirling.”
  • Saint Seiya Cosmocast is the first English-speaking podcast dedicated to Masami Kurumada’s zodiac-themed manga.
  • Sailor Manga is an affectionate look at Naoko Takeuchi’s ground-breaking series.
  • Saturday Night Shoggy is dedicated to Shogakukan’s enormous catalog of manga.
  • Screen Tone Club is a bi-monthly podcast that focuses primarily on new and ongoing series.
  • Shojo & Tell focuses on shojo manga, old and new.
  • Shonen Flop revisits cancelled shonen series in an effort to separate the gems from the duds.
  • Shoujo Sundae describes itself as “safe haven for fans of shoujo anime & manga.”
  • Sparkleside Chats with Magical Girl Ayu brings fans together for friendly conversation about their favorite magical girl manga.
  • Spiraken Review Podcast just celebrated its 500th episode with a review of Vinland Saga.
  • TomoChoco describes itself as “a yuri podcast by queer people for queer people.”
  • Trash Manga Friends read bad manga so that you don’t have to.
  • The View From the Top focuses on all things Haikyu!! 
  • Weekly Manga Recap is a great way to keep abreast of the latest Shonen Jump chapters.
  • The Wonder of Anime is a weekly podcast featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the American anime industry.
  • Volume One is a weekly anime and manga podcast.
  • The Yona Podcast offers in-depth conversations about the shoujo fantasy series Yona of the Dawn.

REVIEWS

This week’s must-read review comes to us via the Sports Baka substack, which features an article about Moonland. The series is one party Haikyu!! and one part gymnastic primer, with “textbook-style explanations of skills and scoring” and plenty of drama. Over at The Manga Test Drive, Megan D. resurrects one of my favorite shojo manga of yore, The Secret Notes of Lady Kanako, while the crew at Beneath the Tangles dedicate their latest Reader’s Corner to Alice in Borderland, My Sister the Cat, and Solo Leveling.

New and Noteworthy

  • Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • If We Leave It On the Dot, Vol. 1 (Justin, The OASG)
  • Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand (Publishers Weekly)
  • Oshi no Ko, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • Polar Bear Cafe, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • SCRAMBLUES (Lisa De La Cruz, The Wonder of Anime)
  • She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat, Vol. 1 (Justin, The OASG)

Complete and Ongoing Series

  • Beauty and the Beast of Paradise, Vol. 5 (Onosume, Anime UK News)
  • Beauty and the Feast, Vol. 6 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!, Vol. 6 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess, Vol. 6 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • The Fiancé Chosen By the Ring, Vol. 3 (Krystallina, The OASG)
  • I Want to Be a Wall, Vol. 2 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Jujutsu Kaiden, Vol. 18 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible, Vol. 5 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Lost Lad London, Vol. 3 (Johanna Draper Carlson, Comics Worth Reading)
  • My Idol Sits at the Next Desk Over, Vol. 5 (Luce, Okazu)
  • Romantic Killer, Vol. 2 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Solo Leveling, Vol. 5 (Noemi10, Anime UK News)
  • The Wallflower, Vol. 1 (Ian Wolf, Anime UK News)

Filed Under: FEATURES

Manga the Week of 2/8/23

February 2, 2023 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s February now, everyone’s least favorite month. Let’s see what’s on tap.

ASH: At least it’s short? Which I guess could be both a good and a bad thing…

SEAN: We start with Airship, which has one print release, Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 4.

And there are early digital releases of Skeleton Knight in Another World 10 and Vivy Prototype 3.

Dark Horse Comics has Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition 8 and Mob Psycho 100 10.

ASH: Still happily double-dipping on that deluxe edition.

SEAN: DMP has the 8th Vampire Hunter D manga.

ASH: While DMP annoys me for a variety of reasons, I have been known to enjoy this manga series.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a 2nd volume of “too spicy for Viz” Shonen Jump title Ayakashi Triangle.

No debuts for J-Novel Club, but we do see Ascendance of a Bookworm’s 14th manga volume, Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?!’s 3rd manga volume, The Faraway Paladin’s 9th manga volume, Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World 5, Monster Tamer 12, The Reincarnated Princess Spends Another Day Skipping Story Routes 6, and Yashiro-kun’s Guide to Going Solo: After Story.

Kodansha has a big print box set: Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku Complete Manga Box Set. This contains the entire series, which I found very enjoyable.

MICHELLE: I need to finish Wotakoi!

ASH: I really enjoyed it.

SEAN: Also in print: Attack on Titan Omnibus 9, Lovesick Ellie 8, Orient 13, Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Edition 6, The Seven Deadly Sins Omnibus 8, Vampire Dormitory 9, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 2.

Digitally we see Chihayafuru 36, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 6, Grand Blue Dreaming 18, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 8, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 32 (the final volume), Matcha Made in Heaven 4, Raised by the Demon Kings! 5, The Shape-Shifting Witch’s Kiss 3, and Shonen Note: Boy Soprano 2.

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

SEAN: Kodansha Books is starting to put out digital editions of the old Japanese fiction titles Vertical released 20 years ago. Next week we get Ashes, by Kenzo Kitakata. They already released the same author’s The Cage and City of Refuge digitally back in October.

ASH: Oh, that’s good news! Some of those titles were really great and becoming hard to find.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 20th manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas has Tokyo Revengers Omnibus 7-8.

Steamship has Outbride: Beauty and the Beasts 3.

There’s two debuts from Viz Media. My Special One (Kimi ga Tokubetsu) is a new Betsuma series from the author of No Longer Heroine, which is also being released over here by a different publisher. A high school girl hates pretty boy idols… but now one of them is trying to woo her?

ANNA: Oh no, not the pretty boy idols!

MJ: Why am I a sucker for this exact type of plot?

SEAN: Show-ha Shoten! is a Jump Square title that’s gotten a release on the Jump app but is now getting a physical book. It’s by the artist of Death Note/Bakuman/etc, but with a different writer, so I am hoping it is not a giant car crash like Platinum End was. A young man gets his friend to help him do a comedy act at their school… then begs him to help him with his dream of being part of a stand-up comedy duo!

MICHELLE: Different, at least!

ASH: In general, I do like the artist’s work.

ANNA: Me too. Here’s hoping the story is as good as the art.

MJ: OH HELLO

SEAN: Also out next week: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 16, The King’s Beast 9, My Hero Academia 33, Rainbow Days 2, and Snow White with the Red Hair 23.

ANNA: Nice to see some ongoing shoujo!

SEAN: And that’s it! What gets you through this month?

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

The Manga Review: Lost in Translation

January 27, 2023 by Katherine Dacey Leave a Comment

If you were on Twitter this week, you may have seen folks talking about Titan Comic’s Kamen Rider Kuuga for all the wrong reasons. Gizmodo’s James Whitlock summarized the controversy succinctly, noting that fans were upset by “a consistent pattern of errors and awkward phrasing in the English translation of the manga. From clunky syntax to inconsistent name romanization, from awkward line breaks to printing errors cutting off art and dialogue, both volumes of Kuuga showcase a pattern of sloppiness that make them difficult to read at best.” Titan Comics’ initial response stated that both books “were worked on by two highly respected translators in the business,” though readers expressed skepticism over the company’s claim. Within 24 hours, Titan posted a new response acknowledging the shoddy translation and production, this time promising to implement new quality control standards and fix the “identified art errors and textual inconsistencies” in both volumes.

NEWS AND VIEWS

Party like it’s 2008! Barnes & Noble will be adding 30 new stores to the chain this year–a hopeful sign for anyone who remembers the manga boom of the aughts, when teenagers clogged the aisles at BN and Borders any time a new volume of Fruits Basket or Naruto hit the shelves. [ICv2]

No Flying No Tights publishes its list of the Top Comics of 2022. Though the emphasis is on American titles, Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Guide got a shout-out as well. [No Flying No Tights]

Jocelyne Allen explains why Hitomi Takano’s Gene Bride is both totally relatable and also… totally bananas. Someone license this, please! [Brain vs. Book]

Over at SOLRAD, Bradathon Nu explores the creepy horror of Masaaki Nakayama, “a creator obsessed by the plane of existence between ours and the next.” Nu elaborates: “That is to say, horrors that we as humans can just barely grasp, horrors that are so subtle, so close to our world, that we might not even notice them (one notable example of this is a story in which a man smokes a cigarette in the woods, completely unaware that he is being watched by a shadowy figure who lurks just shy of his peripheral vision). Many of Nakayama’s stories are only a few pages long, giving the reader a glimpse into some kind of otherworldly terror, but never giving any details. Nakayama often utilizes the short, uncertain nature of his works to insert an air of creepiness into them. ” [SOLRAD]

REVIEWS

Helen Chazan’s latest Comics Gridlock column is up, and she doesn’t mince words about Last Gender: When We Are Nameless. “Last Gender is definitely LGBT Manga, pejorative,” she observes. “Kodansha’s putting out this one, it’s packaged all fancy, you won’t be able to tell from the cover or ad copy but it’s smut. Credit to Kodansha for including a crisis line number under the table of contents, I’ve never seen that before and I hope I’ll see it again, especially since I don’t think reading a comic this facile and tawdry is gonna make things better for any sad gay kid that might come across it. I don’t know much about the author Rei Taki, but the work definitely has the feel of a wikipedia binge brought to life, down to a character referencing how many gender identities are offered on Facebook.” (Spoiler alert: she liked The Gay Who Turned Kaiju a lot better.)

The latest installment of Beneath the Tangles’ Reader’s Corner offers pithy reviews of Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 17-21, Kaiju No. 8, and Tombs, while the Manga Bookshelf gang posts a fresh crop of briefs. (Spoiler alert: I was kinda underwhelmed by 17-21, but Ash’s review of Hell in a Bottle persuaded me to order a copy.)

New and Noteworthy

  • Archlord, Vol. 1 (Matthew Alexander, The Fandom Post)
  • A Capable Man (Danielle Van Gorder, The Fandom Post)
  • Doomsday With My Dog, Vol. 1 (Harry, Honey’s Anime)
  • Go With the Clouds, North by Northwest, Vols. 1-5 (Adam Symchuk, Manga Obsessive)
  • I’m Quitting Heroing, Vol. 1 (Harry, Honey’s Anime)
  • Natsume and Natsume, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
  • Neijishiki (Tom Batten, Publishers Weekly)
  • Oshi No Ko, Vol. 1 (Darkstorm, Anime UK News)
  • The Restorer’s Home, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
  • Run Away with Me, Girl, Vol. 1 (Matt Rolf, Okazu)
  • Tatsuki Fujimoto Before Chainsaw Man: 17-21 (Rory Wilding, AiPT!)
  • Tsuredure Children, Vol. 1 (Krystallina, Daiyamanga)

Complete and Ongoing Series

  • Call of the Night, Vol. 10 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • The Dangers in My Heart, Vol. 4 (Justin, The OASG)
  • Fly Me to the Moon, Vol. 15 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 7 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
  • A Galaxy Next Door, Vols. 2-3 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
  • The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, Vol. 4 (Justin, The OASG)
  • Hard-Boiled Cop and Dolphin, Vol. 5 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • Lost Lad London, Vol. 3 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
  • Magu-Chan: God of Destruction, Vol. 6 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
  • My Happy Marriage, Vol. 2 (Justin and Krystallina, The OASG)
  • Read or Dream (ROD), Vol. 1 (Megan D. The Manga Test Drive)
  • Whisper Me a Love Song, Vol. 6 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
  • Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, Vols. 3-4 (Justin, The OASG)

Filed Under: FEATURES

Manga the Week of 2/1/23

January 26, 2023 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s February 1st, but as readers of Manga the Week of know, that really means January.

ASH: That it does.

SEAN: It also means no Yen Press, and no Viz Media. Instead we start with Tokyopop, which has Her Royal Highness Seems to be Angry 4 and Yuri Espoir 3.

Square Enix Manga gives us Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! 6 and My Dress-Up Darling 7.

MICHELLE: I really liked the first volume of Cherry Magic!. Hopefully this’ll be the release where I get caught up.

ASH: I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read so far, too, but am likewise a bit behind.

SEAN: No debuts for Seven Seas. But we do see The Evil Secret Society of Cats 2, Happy Kanako’s Killer Life 6, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 10, I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again! 3, I’m in Love with the Villainess 4, and Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii 2.

ASH: I’d kind of forgotten about How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?, but at least the earlier volumes had some legitimate fitness advice.

SEAN: Last Gasp has I Saw It: A Survivor’s True Story of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima (Ore wa Mita), a one-volume title from the creator of Barefoot Gen. This actually came out in English in 1982, but I believe this is a new edition. As you can imagine, the subject matter is gripping and horrible.

ASH: I’m glad to see this staying in print, but it is definitely not light reading.

ANNA: Agreed.

SEAN: Kodansha, in print, has Fire Force Omnibus 2 and Sayonara, Football 15 (which, glory be, is actually on their website calendar for once).

The digital debut is Boss Bride Days (Gokutsuma Days ~Gokudou Sankyoudai ni Semaretemasu~), a Palcy title based on a webcomic. A shut-in otaku girl rescues an old man… who’s actually a yakuza leader! Now he orders his three sons to woo her, as whoever wins her hand takes over the clan!

Also digital: The Great Cleric 9, Guilty 11, My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1 9, Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence 10, SHAMAN KING & a garden 4 (the final volume), Vampire Dormitory 10, Wandance 4, Watari-kun’s ****** Is about to Collapse 12, and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 2.

MICHELLE: Wandance is another series where I really liked volume one and promptly fell behind.

ANNA: Oh, yeah, I meant to check this out.

SEAN: And there’s also Kodansha Books. The debut is 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), whose manga Kodansha already releases, and whose title is the plot.

And they have the new Maiden’s Bookshelf: The Moon Over the Mountain, based on the short story by Atsushi Nakajima.

And there’s also the 2nd The Dawn of the Witch.

J-Novel Club debuts another Sol Press rescue, I Surrendered My Sword for a New Life as a Mage (Moto Saikyou no Kenshi wa, Isekai Mahou ni Akogareru). A boy really wants to learn magic… but has no talents there. He does have amazing talents as the reincarnation of a master swordsman, but still… he wants to learn magic!

Also out next week: Full Metal Panic Short Stories 4, Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts With a Village 7 (the final volume), the third Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts With a Village manga volume, The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 15, Holmes of Kyoto 13, The Ideal Sponger Life 10, and, at long, long LONG last, the 7th and final volume of Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension.

Ghost Ship gives us a 2nd volume of I’m Not a Succubus!.

Denpa Books gives us Heavenly Delusion 5.

ASH: Another series I need to catch up on!

SEAN: Dark Horse has gotten very bad at actually labeling manga manga on their Upcoming Manga calendar. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project Omnibus 6 is already out.

ASH: That… sounds about right for Dark Horse.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World debuts The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy and Scores an Enemy General! (Suterare Reijō wa Renkinjutsu-shi ni Narimashita. Kaseida Okane de moto Tekikoku no Shō o Kōnyū Shimasu), another in the latest trend of noble girls jilted publicly and shamed for it. Now she’s an alchemist, she buys a bodyguard who used to be… well, read the title.

Cross Infinite World also has Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound 3 and Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights 2.

And Airship, in print, has Loner Life in Another World 4 and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 20.

Airship, digitally, has The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 4.

Short! To the point!

Filed Under: FEATURES, manga the week of

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