Features

SEAN: When a manga meets a manga, coming through the rye…

ASH: None, they say, have I. (And they would be very wrong.)

SEAN: Yen On gives us So I’m a Spider, So What? 14 and The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 5.

Yen Press debuts a new artbook highlighting its bestseller: Sword Art Online abec Artworks Wanderers.

They also have Bungo Stray Dogs 21, Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Wraith Arc 3 (the final volume), and Spy Classroom 2.

Viz debuts To Strip the Flesh (Tooda Oto Tanpenshuu: Niku wo Hagu), a collection of stories about Chiaki Ogawa, whose mother, on her deathbed, says to be a good daughter. But… that’s not who he is. This LGBT series is apparently a very good read for transgender folks, ran in Shonen Jump +, and is complete in one volume.

ASH: Extraordinarily curious about this release; I’ve heard very good things.

ANNA: Sounds interesting.

SEAN: Viz also has an artbook highlighting a bestseller: The Promised Neverland: Art Book World.

ASH: I do like seeing all these artbooks being licensed.

SEAN: And they’re also debuting Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, the sequel to Inu Yasha written and drawn by the creator of Zettai Karen Children. It runs in Shonen Sunday S, and should appeal to Inu Yasha fans.

And we get Alice in Borderland 2, Assassin’s Creed: Blade of Shao Jun 4 (the final volume), Jujutsu Kaisen 16, Seraph of the End 24, and Twin Star Exorcists 25.

Tokyopop gives us Ossan Idol! 6.

Seven Seas has two (well, three) one-shot debuts. The Muscle Girl Next Door (Tonari no Kinniku Joshi) stars a guy who feels scrawny, and his crush on the incredibly buff woman who lives next door to him. It ran in Media Factory’s Gene Pixiv.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: We also get both the novel and the manga of Until I Meet My Husband (Boku ga Otto ni Deau made), the story of a young gay activist and his search for love. It’s an autobiographical book, and I’ve heard is excellent. The manga ran on Bungei Shunjuu’s online manga site.

ASH: I have likewise heard these are excellent.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 5, Creepy Cat 3, GIGANT 8, I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! 4, The Ideal Sponger Life 11, Kageki Shojo!! 6, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 2, and Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 3.

One Peace has Farming Life in Another World 6 and The New Gate 10.

Kodansha has a print debut for soccer manga Blue Lock. We’ve already discussed its digital release, but look at that intense cover.

MICHELLE: I enjoy going from being far behind on the digital release to having the opportunity to be timely with the print release! I plan to finally check this one out.

ASH: Oh! New sports manga in print? I’m game!

ANNA: Woo!

SEAN: Also in print: If I Could Reach You 7 (the final volume), Perfect World 11, Saint Young Men Omnibus 9, The Seven Deadly Sins Omnibus 5, and Witch Hat Atelier 9, the most important of these.

MICHELLE: I liked the first volume of If I Could Reach You. I should go back and see how it resolves.

ASH: This is a great Kodansha week.

ANNA: Looking forward to more Witch Hat Atelier for sure.

SEAN: The first digital debut is A Nico-Colored Canvas (Nikoiro no Canvas), a josei series from Be Love about a free-spirited artist and her adventures at college in Osaka.

MICHELLE: This sounds so fun!

ANNA: So much digital josei, I can’t keep track of it!

SEAN: The other debut is A Serenade for Pretend Lovers (Renai Gokko Sayokyoku), the story of a worker at a TV station trying to make a documentary about a musician while dealing with the fact she just saw her boyfriend cheating on her. It ran in Comic Tint, and thus this is a double-josei debut week.

MICHELLE: So much josei these days!

ASH: Love to see it.

ANNA: Even more!!!!

SEAN: Also digital: Defying Kurosaki-kun 19 (the final volume), A Girl and Her Guard Dog 7, The Girl, the Shovel and the Evil Eye 3, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 8, I’ll Be with Them Again Today 3, Irresistible Mistakes 3, Piano Duo for the Left Hand 4, The Rokudo Rounds 2, and When a Cat Faces West 2.

MICHELLE: Still gotta check out When a Cat Faces West.

SEAN: Kaiten Books has Loner Life in Another World’s 5th manga volume in print, and The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting 4 digitally.

J-Novel Club’s digital debut is a manga, Sometimes Even Reality Is a Lie! (Real mo Tamaniwa wo Tsuku). A guy who games as a girl is finally meeting his gamer buddy… only it turns out she’s a girl who games as a guy! What’s worse, she told her overprotective parents she was bringing another girl over. Only cross-dressing can save us now. This was originally a webcomic on Pixiv, and was picked up by Kadokawa.

ASH: Okay, that has the potential to be fun (or really not so good).

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest 12, Black Summoner 9, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill’s 8th manga volume, and Holmes of Kyoto 10.

Ghost Ship gives us Does a Hot Elf Live Next Door to You? 4.

And Airship, in print, debuts Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash, which we discussed when its digital came out. They also have The Haunted Bookstore – Gateway to a Parallel Universe 4 and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 4.

In early digital, we get a debut. Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut (Tsuki to Laika to Nosferatu) is here to ask the important question: what if we shot vampires into space? This also got an anime last year.

ASH: I’ve seen space vampires before, but it’s certainly not a common combination.

SEAN: And we also see Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter 6, which is more accurately Accomplishments of the Duke’s Wife, as it’s a prequel looking at Iris’ mother.

If a manga kiss a manga, need a manga cry? What manga are you making cry next week?

SEAN: It’s Hurricane Season! Are you being rocked? Are you being racially profiled and imprisoned? Or are you reading manga?

Airship, in print, has the 5th Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter.

And in early digital they have Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 17 and Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 4.

Ghost Ship gives us DARLING in the FRANXX Vol. 3-4 and Do You Like Big Girls? 4.

J-Novel Club has new volumes. We get Ascendance of a Bookworm 19, Cooking with Wild Game 17, The Emperor’s Lady-in-Waiting Is Wanted as a Bride’s 4th manga volume, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire ♀ 5, and Slayers 14.

ASH: I am so far behind, but yay Bookworm.

SEAN: Kaiten Books has, this week, the 2nd Welcome to the Outcast’s Restaurant! manga digitally. I missed it. Sorry!

ASH: Keeping track of all these releases is no easy feat!

SEAN: Kodansha has print volumes for BAKEMONOGATARI 14, Peach Boy Riverside 7, Penguin & House 3 (the final volume), Rent-A-Girlfriend 13, and Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku 6 (the final volume).

MICHELLE: I look forward to binging the conclusion of Wotakoi.

ASH: Same! I’ve really been enjoying the series.

SEAN: Debuting digitally is Golden Gold, a Morning Two series from the creator of Kokkoku: Moment by Moment. This is apparently a very weird supernatural horror-ish story that takes place on an island.

The other digital debut is Such a Treacherous Piano Sonata (Yo ni mo Fujitsu na Piano Sonata), a josei series from Be Love. A classical music manager has never really felt much for any men she’s dated… but then she sees a classical pianist and he arouses her interest… and other things. Can she guide his career and also find romance?

ASH: Music-related josei manga, you say?

ANNA: Hello!

SEAN: Also digital: The Fable 3, Giant Killing 31, Police in a Pod 13, This Vampire Won’t Give Up! 2, Tokyo Revengers 26, Watari-kun’s ****** Is about to Collapse 11, and Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad 6.

One Peace has the 18th manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas debuts the manga version of The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Saijaku Tamer wa Gomi Hiroi no Tabi wo Hajimemashita), based on a light novel which is coming later this year from Seven Seas. It runs in Comic Corona, and is about a tamer who no one wants to associate with, so, well, she picks up trash. And a slime. Don’t get this confused with the very similar Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life.

The other debut is X-Gender (Seibetsu X), from Kodansha’s Young Magazine the 3rd. Our protagonist is in their thirties, and realizes they are attracted to women… but also that they’re non-binary. Can they find romance?

ASH: Very curious about this one.

SEAN: They also have How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 14, I Can’t Believe I Slept With You! 2, A Tale of the Secret Saint 3, and Yakuza Reincarnation 2.

Tokyopop has Puppy Love (Shippo no Koi), a BL one-shot from Gentosha’s snappily titled LOVE xxx BOYS pixiv. A corporate worker who is being exploited by his company finds happiness at a pet shop… and the worker there seems familiar. Could he have been a dog in his previous life?

MICHELLE: Ew.

SEAN: Udon has a sweet artbook for fans of the Fate franchise, Fate: Return to Avalon: Takashi Takeuchi Art Works.

ASH: Artbooks are nice.

SEAN: Viz’s debut is Marvel’s Secret Reverse, a team-up between Iron Man and Spider-Man, which I only mention here as it’s by the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh!.

There’s also Call of the Night 8, Deadpool Samurai 2, Komi Can’t Communicate 19, Rosen Blood 3, Sakamoto Days 2, and Yakuza Lover 5.

Yen Press debuts The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring (Yubiwa no Eranda Kon’yakusha), from Flos Comic. A young woman who only goes to engagement parties to look at the embroidery suddenly finds a ring thrown at her – by a knight. How does she deal with this?

And they have I’m the Hero, but the Demon Lord’s Also Me 4 (the final volume) and Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria 17.

Reading manga? Or still confused by my opening line? (don’t blame you…)

SEAN: As June continues, what varieties of manga do we see before us?

Yen On debuts Your Forma, a sci-fi detective story that asks the question: what if getting 5G wireless injected into you from a vaccine was actually real? and it spied on your every sense? This could be very good or very bad, and I suspect that depends entirely on the politics of the writer.

ASH: Hmmm. The genre certainly appeals to me, but I suspect you’re right.

ANNA: Yeah, going to skip this one and I’m generally in favor of sci-fi goofiness.

MJ: I feel a little “yikes” on this one.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: The Eminence in Shadow 4 and Sword Art Online Progressive 8.

Yen Press, meanwhile, has new manga volumes. Adachi and Shimamura 3, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 4, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 7, Konosuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! 13, and A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! 11.

Viz debuts Ghost Reaper Girl, a Shonen Jump + series by the creator of Rosario + Vampire (though under a different pen name). Chloe wants to be an actress. But she’s 28, and her window is closing. Can she find fame as a ghost reaper, though? Note that this series is being published flipped at the request of its creator.

ASH: Interesting! Not much seems to be flipped these days, let alone at the creator’s request.

SEAN: Chainsaw Man is also ending with Vol. 11, though a sequel is in the works. We also see Black Clover 29, Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love 2, Snow White with the Red Hair 19, and Yona of the Dawn 36.

MICHELLE: I’m always here for VIZ shoujo.

ASH: For sure!

ANNA: Viz shoujo saving the week for me!

SEAN: Tokyopop has A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 5.

Hope you like debuts from Seven Seas, there are a ton of them.

I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl (Osananajimi(♂) wo Onnanoko ni Shiteshimatta Hanashi) is from Ichijinsha’s Comic Pool. A boy trying to practice his makeup technique has his best friend offer to be a guinea pig… but the results are more than either of them could have guessed. Despite the light-novel-ey title, this looks like fans of LGBT should enjoy it.

ASH: I’m definitely curious about this one.

SEAN: Namekawa-san Won’t Take a Licking! (Name Raretakunai Namekawa-san) is from Comic Yuri Hime, and features a bullied girl who decides, for her high school debut, to become a delinquent. Unfortunately, now she attracts the attention of the disciplinary officer. I am always wary of yuri series described as hilarious.

ASH: A different sort of delinquent manga than is often seen, it would seem.

SEAN: Nightfall Travelers: Leave Only Footprints (Yuuyake Trip) is from Houbunsha’s Comic Fuz. Two high school girls investigate supposedly haunted areas of their town and grow closer. The art is apparently the reason to get this.

ASH: I’ll admit, the premise intrigues me, too.

SEAN: This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! (Yoku Wakaranai Keredo Isekai ni Tensei Shiteita You Desu) is a manga from Kodansha’s Suiyoubi no Sirius, based off a novel (not yet licensed, I believe). I’ve been told it’s another one of those “this becomes fluffy slice-of-life isekai assuming you can get past all the sexual assault and threats of slavery at the start” series. Sigh.

ANNA: No thank you!

MJ: oh my god.

SEAN: Lastly, The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This (Futari wa Daitai Konna Kanji) is a yuri series from the creator of Whispered Words (Sasameki Koto). A 30-year-old writer and a 22-year-old actress are living together as a couple, and we see their everyday life. This is extremely comfy and fun. It ran in Gentosha’s Comic Boost.

MICHELLE: Well, at least one of these appeals to me.

ASH: I rather liked Whispered Words, if I recall correctly.

MJ: This sounds actually great.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Monologue Woven For You 2, the 13th and final volume of New Game!, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 5.

Kodansha has MORE Shuzo Oshimi in print next week, with Welcome Back, Alice (Okaeri Alice). This runs in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, and got a digital release in February, but the print came fast. Three childhood friends have what seems like a standard love triangle… then one of them shows up dressed as a girl.

ASH: Somehow missed this being licensed!

MJ: I don’t know what to expect from this. Maybe great?

SEAN: Also in print: Cells at Work! Baby 4 (the final volume), Interviews with Monster Girls 10, Lovesick Ellie 4, Orient 9, Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection 2, SHAMAN KING Omnibus 9, Sue & Tai-chan 4, Vampire Dormitory 5, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? 18.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more What Did You Eat Yesterday?!

ASH: Indeed!

MJ: YESSSSSSSSS

SEAN: The first digital debut is The Shadows of Who We Once Were (Nare no Hate no Bokura), a survival game manga from the creator of Until Your Bones Rot. It’s from Weekly Shonen Magazine, and… it’s a survival game manga.

The other digital debut from Kodansha is Joy, a BL manga from Kodansha’s Honey Milk. A shoujo manga artist is asked to write a BL work… and also discovers his assistant is gay. Maybe he can get inspiration for the BL by a fake relationship?

MJ: Oooo, this…

SEAN: Also digital: The Abandoned Reincarnation Sage 3, Changes of Heart 2, Chihayafuru 32, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 9, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 24, Love After World Domination 4, My Master Has No Tail 6, Oh, Those Hanazono Twins 2, and The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch 2.

MICHELLE: Insert habitual Chihayafuru squee.

ANNA: Gesticulates in celebration of the series, then transitions to despair at being so far behind.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has some print releases. We get Ascendance of a Bookworm’s 10th manga volume, By the Grace of the Gods 9, The Faraway Paladin 4, In Another World with My Smartphone 22, Marginal Operation 10, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! 10, Otherside Picnic Omnibus 3, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 6.

J-Novel Club’s digital debut is a manga, The Saga of Lioncourt (Lion Coeur Senki), which is from Takeshobo’s Kissca. Office worker reincarnated as a warrior in a middle-ages era setting.

And also Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! 3 (the final volume), How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 16, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 3, Marginal Operation 13, and Otherside Picnic 7.

Ghost Ship debuts World’s End Harem: Fantasia Academy, a spinoff of a spinoff of the series that is for everyone who wants to bone 10,000 women who adore them. This is apparently a high school AU version.

Also from Ghost Ship: Ero Ninja Scrolls 3 and Might as Well Cheat: I Got Transported to Another World Where I Can Live My Wildest Dreams! 3.

Denpa has two new releases. The Men Who Created Gundam (Gundam Sousei) ran, appropriately, in Gundam Ace. It’s a done-in-one omnibus about the creators of Gundam… but expect comedy.

Vampeerz: My Peer Vampires is a Sunday GX series about the love between a teenage girl and a vampire… I think. The description is vague, but I mean, title.

ASH: Count me curious.

MJ: Same.

SEAN: And Airship has two early digital titles, including a debut. 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuukimama na Hanayome (Hitojichi) Seikatsu wo Mankitsusuru) is, yes, a villainess novel. But this time our heroine has done this a lot. She’s lived full lives. She’s done different occupations. She keeps getting killed. Now, on her 7th try, why not marry her killer?

We also get the first volume of Classroom of the Elite: Year 2.

That turned out to be a whole lot. Thoughts?

SEAN: The beginning of June! (Or, OK, the end of May if you go by most of these release dates.) What do we get?

Airship has new volumes. Berserk of Gluttony 6 and The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 2.

And digitally we see early releases for Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 4 and A Tale of the Secret Saint 3.

Cross Infinite World has another one-shot, Rapunzel of the Magic Item Shop (Mahou Douguten no Rapunzel), a one-shot shoujo light novel. A young sorcerer finds herself locked up for ten years simply for knowing magic. She’s rescued and brought to a household where she ends up treated with respect… but there’s also lots of secrets.

ASH: One-shot shoujo light novel, you say?

SEAN: Dark Horse has Blade of the Immortal Deluxe Edition 6.

ASH: Steadily upgrading my collection of this series to this new edition. The tomes are massive, but they look great.

SEAN: It is often difficult to put Denpa titles on here, as their website frequently updates release dates after the fact, and Amazon… well, Amazon is usually wrong. That said, it certainly looks like we get Baby Bear’s Bakery (Koguma no Keiki-ya-san) next week. This Monthly Shōnen Sunday title is about a baby bear who’s a terrific baker but not good at other things, like running a business.

ANNA: Ok, I’m curious about this.

ASH: It looks genuinely delightful.

SEAN: From Ghost Ship, we have the debut of I’m Not a Succubus! (Succubus ja nai mon!), which runs in Young Unreal Jingai, a magazine I have absolutely never heard of. A girl is attending a monster girl academy, but she’s not one… that is, until she pretends to be a succubus! Unfortunately, she forgot this is not only a Ghost Ship title but also a yuri title!

ASH: Oh, myyyyyy!

SEAN: They also have JK Haru is a Sex Worker in Another World 3 and Sundome!! Milky Way 4.

J-Novel Club has a new debut, VTuber Legend: How I Went Viral After Forgetting to Turn Off My Stream (VTuber Nandaga Haishin Kiri Wasuretara Densetsu ni Natteta). As with a lot of LNs these days, the title is the plot.

They also debut a new manga, Doll-Kara. This series from Manga Life Win has an MMA fighter, imprisoned for years, finally getting out… and getting hit by a truck. He wakes in the body of a comatose schoolgirl. What happens next? If you guessed “MMA”, you’re probably right.

ASH: The mention of MMA definitely caught my attention.

SEAN: We also get the manga debuts of two light novel series from J-NC. Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts With a Village (Fushi no Kami ~Henkyou kara Hajimeru Bunmei Saiseiki~) runs in Overlap’s Comic Gardo, and Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home! (Kasei Madoushi no Isekai Seikatsu: Boukenchuu no Kasei Fugyou Uketamawarimasu!) is in Comic Zero-Sum.

ASH: Housekeeping Mage from Another World seems like it could be fun!

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 7, The Great Cleric 8, The Greatest Magicmaster’s Retirement Plan 13, I Shall Survive Using Potions!’s 9th manga volume, Magic Knight of the Old Ways 2, Monster Tamer 9, My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 4 (manga), Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke: This Time I’m Gonna Tell Her How I Feel! 6, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 19.

MICHELLE: I sometimes feel bad that none of this stuff interests me, but that’s the way of things.

ANNA: I’m amazed by the word salad sometimes.

SEAN: No print for Kodansha. Their digital debut is The Rokudo Rounds (Rokudou Tousou-ki), a post-apocalyptic tragedy that runs in good! Afternoon.

Also digital: Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You 3, Falling Drowning 2, My Pink Is Overflowing 6 (the final volume, I assume she finally called the plumber), Quality Assurance in Another World 5, and Those Snow White Notes 9.

MICHELLE: Both Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You and Falling Drowning were pretty good, so I am looking forward to continuing with them. Also, snerk re: plumber.

ASH: Indeed!

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts The Duke of Death and His Maid (Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid), which runs in the awkwardly titled Sunday Web Every. A boy is cursed to kill anyone he touches, so lives alone in his mansion with only his attractive childhood friend (who is also his maid) as companion. This sounds like Pushing Daisies, honestly. It also got an anime.

ASH: I mean, I did like Pushing Daisies…

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Hitomi-chan Is Shy with Strangers 4, Machimaho: I Messed Up and Made the Wrong Person Into a Magical Girl! 10, MARS RED 3 (the final volume), Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 3, The NPCs in this Village Sim Game Must Be Real! 3, Servamp 16, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 3, Succubus and Hitman 2, Syrup: A Yuri Anthology 4, and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 7.

Udon Entertainment has a big release: the first three volumes of Summertime Rendering (Summer Time Render). This Shonen Jump + series has an anime currently running, and starts with a young man at the funeral of his foster father hearing that it may have been a murder. This has big time fans.

MICHELLE: Potentially interesting.

ANNA: Hmmmmm.

ASH: Count me curious.

SEAN: Yen On has The Irregular at Magic High School 19.

Two debuts for Yen Press. The Holy Grail of Eris (Eris no Seihai) is the manga version of the light novel Yen released a few weeks ago. It runs in Manga Up!.

Also from Manga Up! is Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, The Frozen Bond (Re:Zero Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu: Hyouketsu no Kizuna). This adapts the anime-original OAV story about Emilia.

Yen also has The Abandoned Empress 2, Black Butler 31, The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious 4, I’m the Catlords’ Manservant 3, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story 4, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 3, So I’m a Spider, So What? The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters 3, and Yowamushi Pedal 20.

MICHELLE: Black Butler is another series that I forget is still going. I need to catch up on YowaPeda!

ANNA: Got to order YowaPeda, my kids like it.

ASH: I’ve really been enjoying Yowamushi Pedal. And somehow also didn’t realize Black Butler was still ongoing.

SEAN: Manga! Light novels! So much! You? Buy?

SEAN: It’s only the end of May but the heat here is making it feel like mid-July. What about the manga? Well…

The debut from Yen On is Warlords of Sigrdrifa Rusalka, a light novel based on the popular anime series. As with a lot of other anime series, humanity is under siege and only badass but also very attractive women can save us.

ASH: I mean, I do like badass women…

SEAN: Also from Yen On: The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 2, High School DxD 7, High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World! 6, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 12, Magical Girl Raising Project 13, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 10, and A Sister’s All You Need 12.

Yen Press had a lot of its print releases which had been delayed due to the ongoing problem with getting print books done come out next week, so we have SEVEN debuts. Let’s break them down.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too (Isekai de Cheat Skill o Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai o mo Musou Suru – Level Up wa Jinsei o Kaeta) had its light novel mentioned in last week’s Manga the Week of, so I can’t even make the same sad snarky jokes. It runs in Dengeki Comic Regulus.

In the Land of Leadale (Leadale no Daichi nite) runs in the horribly titled Dengeki Playstation, and is, of course, based on the light novels Yen is also releasing.

Let’s Go Karaoke! (Karaoke Iko!) is a one-shot manga from Comic Beam. A boy from the school choir ends up with a scary job… he’s giving voice lessons to a yakuza! This is apparently not BL but is BL-adjacent.

MICHELLE: Hm. This is the first on the list to interest me even moderately.

ANNA: I mean, I enjoy singing, BL-adjacent manga, and yakuza.

ASH: Same, same!

MJ: Okay, what, I think I need this. Like. Delivered directly to my brain.

SEAN: Lost Lad London is also from Comic Beam, and is a mystery about a detective and a college student trying to track down a murderer. This is award winning AND Comic Beam, so even more of a must-read than usual.

MICHELLE: Okay, now this is up my street.

ANNA: Also curious about this!

ASH: Me, too!

MJ: Oooooooh.

SEAN: The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (Tensei Oujo to Tensai Reijou no Mahou Kakumei) is based on a light novel I really enjoyed. I wonder how the manga compares? It runs in Dengeki Maoh. Lotsa Dengeki this week.

MonsTABOO is a Big Gangan series about a girl who recklessly tries to find monsters – reckless ever since her mother was killed by one. That makes it all the more weird when she comes across one, she asks to date the monster instead.

ASH: I am at least vaguely curious.

SEAN: The Wolf Never Sleeps (Ookami wa Nemuranai) is from Young Ace Up!, and it’s an isekai, but at least he’s a grizzled veteran and swordsman who already fights monsters, and not random Japanese dude.

Yen Press also has Cheeky Brat 3, Cirque Du Freak: The Manga Omnibus 6, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 5, The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 18, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger 7, Karneval 13, Mieruko-chan 5, Murciélago 19, Play It Cool, Guys 3, Smokin’ Parade 10 (the final volume), and Trinity Seven 25.

Viz has some titles out this week, likely due to those same printing issues. We see Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition 17, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 5–Golden Wind 4, Star Wars: The High Republic: Edge of Balance 2, and Urusei Yatsura 14. And, digitally, WITCH WATCH 2, which I continue to shill for.

ASH: Still need to give that series a try (and catch up on a few of these others, too.)

SEAN: Tokyopop has a new BL one-shot, this one from Gush. Tomorrow, Make Me Yours (Ashita Kimi no Mono ni Shite) is about an average boy who loves the cool, confident kid in his class. Sadly, a girl has a crush on said cool kid, so he tries to distance himself. But when he does confess, the other guy does as well!

Seven Seas debuts The Weakest Contestant of All Space and Time (Zenjikuu Senbatsu Saijaku Saiteihen Ketteisen), a survival manga that runs in Comic Earth Star. There are other interesting points about it, but survival manga, so meh.

ASH: I can sometimes go for an intriguing survival manga.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has Headhunted to Another World: From Salaryman to Big Four! 3, The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today 4, and Seaside Stranger 3.

MICHELLE: I really need to read Seaside Stranger.

ASH: Likewise.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Hinamatsuri 15.

The print debut for Kodansha Manga is Phantom of the Idol (Kami Kuzu ☆ Idol), a Zero-Sum Online title about a lazy, surly idol and his meeting with a peppy, happy, and dead girl.

MICHELLE: Well, I am sold by this description.

ANNA: This sounds amazing.

MJ: Oh, hello.

SEAN: We also get the first volume of A Silent Voice Complete Collector’s Edition, which collects the first half of the series in a large hardcover which also has drafts, interviews, and other bonus content.

ASH: I’m really looking forward to this release and the extra content; the series is so good.

SEAN: Also in print: Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card 11 and The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 3.

MICHELLE: I legitimately did not realize that Clear Card was still going.

ANNA: Me too, I’m just going to sit here in a corner and lament never getting an ending to X/1999.

MICHELLE: FOR REAL.

ASH: Right??

MJ: *heavy sigh*

SEAN: Two digital debuts. Koigakubo-kun Stole My First Time (Koigakubo-kun ni wa Hajimete wo Ubawaremashita), a Palcy shoujo series about a gamer girl who is rather annoyed that all her gamer friends are getting married and having kids. Is her hot new work colleague the answer? This is by the author of With the Sheikh in His Harem.

Our Fake Marriage: Rosé (Usokon Rosé) is, of course, a spinoff of Our Fake Marriage, and runs in Ane Friend. Our heroine is determined to reject her family’s attempts to set her up with this guy… but…

Also digital: Back When You Called Us Devils 13 (OK, *this* is the final volume), DAYS 29, Harem Marriage 17, Nighttime for Just Us Two 2, Otherworldly Munchkin: Let’s Speedrun the Dungeon with Only 1 HP! 5, Saint Young Men 18, Shojo Fight 18 (we seem to have caught up, given this is 11 months after 17), What I Love About You 9 (the final volume), and WIND BREAKER 2.

MICHELLE: How did Harem Marriage get up to volume seventeen already?!

SEAN: Kaiten Books gives us the 6th manga volume of Loner Life in Another World.

Lotsa print from J-Novel Club. We get An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride 12, Ascendance of a Bookworm 12, both Vol. 2 and 3 of The Faraway Paladin’s novel, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 14, I Shall Survive Using Potions’s 7th manga volume, Infinite Dendrogram 15, My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In For Me! 4, Tearmoon Empire 5, and The Unwanted Undead Adventurer’s 5th manga volume.

ASH: I feel like just got my hands on the first volume of Faraway Paladin!

SEAN: As for digital, we get Altina the Sword Princess 14 (not the final volume, but the series has not had a new book in years), Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 5, I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! 4, Lazy Dungeon Master 16, Perry Rhodan NEO 8, Prison Life is Easy for a Villainess 2 (the final volume), and Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 3.

Ghost Ship gives us Manga Diary of a Male Porn Star 2 and The Witches of Adamas 2.

And we get Airship, which has, in print, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 10.

And digitally we get Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 11 and Loner Life in Another World 2.

Oooof. A double dose of Loner Life. That’ll be fun. What else are we having?

SEAN: It’s May, but the winds are blowing here like it’s March. What manga is blowing our way?

Airship debuts The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes (Natsu e no Tonneru, Sayonara no Deguchi), the latest in a long line of “kind of depressing romance novels with a sci-fi bent” light novels that have been out here lately. For once it’s not based on a film, though one is coming soon.

ASH: I’ll admit, it’s a subgenre I frequently enjoy.

SEAN: Also in print: Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 16 and Reincarnated as a Sword 10.

We also get early digital volumes of Adachi and Shimamura 9 and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 4.

From Cross Infinite World we get The Dragon’s Soulmate is a Mushroom Princess! (Ryuu no Ban no Kinoko Hime – Unmeida to Konyaku Hakisaretara, Kinoko no Hentai ga Yattekimashita). If you can imagine Kinoko Komori from My Hero Academia as the heroine of a romance novel, you pretty much have this one. Expect mushroom puns.

ASH: I do love mushrooms. And puns.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a 10th volume of Parallel Paradise.

A very tiny week from J-Novel Club, which only has The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar 20 and My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 10.

In print from Kodansha, the debut is a box set, as we get Cells at Work! Complete Manga Box Set!. It is what it sounds like.

ASH: I really enjoyed this series as it was first being released.

SEAN: Also in print: Bakemonogatari 13 and Sayonara, Football 10, the manga that I always forget to mention because Kodansha doesn’t list it on their website.

Digitally we get two debuts. The Untouchable Midori-kun (Midori-kun ni wa Sawarenai) is the latest josei series, this time from Kiss. A woman goes to meet her new neighbor… and finds they went to school together! Can romance develop? Unlikely. He’s an idol singer, and she’s an adult film actress! Kodansha says this is for fans of Tokyo Tarareba Girls.

MICHELLE: Huh. I guess that means me, then.

ANNA: I might check it out.

ASH: Pretty sure I’m one of those fans, too.

SEAN: When a Cat Faces West (Neko ga Nishi Mukya) is from Afternoon, and is from the creator of Mushishi. That really should be enough, but it’s apparently about a woman trying to find out why she’s 35 years old but has the body of a tween.

MICHELLE: I’m excited to see more by this creator!

ANNA: This sounds so wacky.

ASH: Mushishi is one of my absolute favorites, so I’m likewise excited to see more of the creator’s work being released in English!

SEAN: Also digital: Blue Lock 13, Boss Wife 4, GTO Paradise Lost 17, I Guess I Became the Mother of the Great Demon King’s 10 Children in Another World 5, Irresistible Mistakes 2, and Piano Duo for the Left Hand 3.

One Peace gives us The Music of Marie (Marie no Kanaderu Ongaku), a Comic Birz title from the creator of Short Cuts, Lychee Light Club, Genkaku Picasso, and many more. It’s a fantasy about a world watched over by Maria, a mechanical goddess. What’s her secret? This is complete in one omnibus.

ASH: Speaking of favorites, I am also a fan of Usumaru Furuya’s work, so I’m very happy to see this release.

SEAN: From Seven Seas: COLORLESS comes from an artist called KENT. The story itself is from LEED’s Comic Border, and is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story where the world has lost all colors.

ASH: Count me curious.

SEAN: We also get My Next Life as a Villainess Side Story: Girls Patch. Did you read the Bakarina novels/manga and get frustrated that there wasn’t enough yuri? Read this anthology. You will still think it does not go far enough, but it’s certainly more than the main series.

Also coming from Seven Seas: Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest ZERO 6, Classroom of the Elite 2, and The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter 6. There’s also the 2nd novel of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi.

ASH: Here and actually ready for the second volume of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation!

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Mame Coordinate (Mame Code), a Comic Ryu series about a girl trying to be a model but failing due to her rural manners. Can a new manager help?

Viz Media debuts Crazy Food Truck, a Comic Bunch series about a man driving his food truck through – you guessed it – a post-apocalyptic desert. He runs into a naked girl and takes her onto his truck… but she has people after her! Honestly, I’m interested just for the title.

ASH: Same. I’ll bite.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 4, Golden Kamuy 26, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 6, Undead Unluck 7, the 21st and final volume of We Never Learn, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 6. Well, now we know why Viz was so quiet two weeks ago – its Jump stuff got moved here. Also, RIP We Never Learn, a series that managed to face off against The Quintessential Quintuplets, which infuriated its entire fanbase, and STILL come in second.

Yen On’s light novel debut is I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too (Isekai de Cheat Skill wo Te ni Shita Ore wa, Genjitsu Sekai wo mo Musou Suru ~Level Up wa Jinsei wo Kaeta~), a title that makes me tired just reading it. The synopsis does as well. A bullied kid finds a doorway to another world, and gets the standard isekai package… which he can also bring home with him. Not gonna lie, I will be avoiding this with great avoid.

Also from Yen On: Baccano! 19, Dragon and Ceremony 2, Eighty-Six 10, The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) 9, No Game No Life 11, Spy Classroom 3, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 9, and Wandering Witch 8.

Yen Press debuts I Want to be a Wall (Watashi wa Kabe ni Naritai), a josei title from Enterbrain’s B’s-LOG Cheek. He’s gay and has a crush on his childhood friend. She’s asexual and being pressured by her parents. Can a marriage of convenience solve their problems? I’ve heard good things about this.

MICHELLE: I’m thrilled by the consistent stream of josei we’ve been getting lately!

ANNA: Me too! I just have to read, like, any of it!

MICHELLE: Same.

ASH: Also same, but I’m particularly interested in this particular title!

SEAN: Yen also has I Cannot Reach You 4 and No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 19.

There’s quite a lot I want to read this week. How about you?

SEAN: The week of Mother’s Day, and what manga will moms be reading?

Yen On has a 5th volume of Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense.

The Yen Press debut is Mizuno and Chayama, a Comic Beam title that is done in one 2-volume omnibus. It’s Romeo and Juliet, only they’re both teenage girls, and the setting is corporations vs. the government.

MICHELLE: Hm. Potentially interesting!

ANNA: This does sound interesting.

ASH: I agree!

MJ: What everyone else said!

SEAN: Also being released: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II 2, The Saga of Tanya the Evil 16, Solo Leveling 4, and Star Wars Leia, Princess of Alderaan 2.

Viz Media has Death Note Short Stories, which is exactly what it says.

ASH: It’s been quite a while since I’ve thought about Death Note; the series is among the earliest manga I read.

MJ: Wow, what could this possibly be? I’m actually a little curious.

SEAN: We also see Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai 2, Fly Me to the Moon 11, Mao 5, Pokémon Adventures: X•Y 2, and Requiem of the Rose King 15.

MICHELLE: I’m quite far behind on Requiem of the Rose King now!

ANNA: Alas, me too.

ASH: I’ve been saving up volumes to read all at once.

MJ: I am also behind, but omg!

SEAN: Tentai Books sees a print release for From Toxic Classmate to Girlfriend Goals 1, I Kissed my Girlfriend’s Little Sister?! 1, and There’s No Way a Side Character Like Me Could Be Popular Right? 3.

SEAN: Three new titles from SuBLime: Change World 2 (the final volume), Finder Deluxe Edition 11, and His Favorite 12.

ASH: Oh, somehow I didn’t realize His Favorite was still ongoing!

Square Enix manga has the 5th volume of My Dress-Up Darling.

ASH: Another series that I’m behind on, but I really enjoyed the early volumes.

MJ: I’ve heard good things about this, and I feel like I need to get into it!

SEAN: From Seven Seas we get The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Wizard’s Blue 4, the 14th and final volume of Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, Mushoku Tensei: Roxy Gets Serious 7, and Wonder Cat Kyuu-chan 5.

ASH: I’ve mainly focused on the main series, so far; I need to catch up on the spinoffs of The Ancient Magus’ Bride.

SEAN: Kodansha has a print debut, coming from the ever popular Shuzo Oshimi. Devil Ecstasy is an early Young Magazine title about a brothel filled with women who may be killing men with their sexy skills. It’s also a two-volume omnibus.

ASH: Oshimi’s work is frequently disconcerting, but generally worth taking a look.

MJ: I’ll let Ash be the one to take a look, haha.

SEAN: Also in print: Battle Angel Alita 6, Ciguatera 2, My Boy 9 (the final volume), The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 3, and The Seven Deadly Sins Omnibus 4.

Digitally our debut is This Vampire Won’t Give Up! (Vampire-sama ga Akiramenai!), another josei title from Comic Tint. Our heroine has to work with a handsome but rude man, but then finds out he’s also the author of her favorite childhood book about vampires. What’s his secret? (Take a guess.)

MICHELLE: Snerk.

ANNA: I don’t know what the secret is, I might have to read it and find out.

ASH: Ha!

MJ: The title is kind of hilarious, right? It’s the exclamation point…

SEAN: There’s also Ace of the Diamond 37, Apple Children of Aeon 3 (the final volume), The Fable 2, A Kiss with a Cat 3, Our Bodies, Entwining, Entwined 3, Police in a Pod 12, and Ya Boy Kongming! 7.

ASH: Ya Boy Kongming! is now more fully on my radar since I’ve been hearing good things about the anime.

SEAN: From J-Novel Club we see The Apothecary Diaries 5, Black Summoner’s 6th manga volume, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill 11, My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 4, and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Wayward Journey 17.

Ghost Ship debuts It’s Just Not My Night! – Tale of a Fallen Vampire Queen (Yo ga Yorunara!), a Magazine Pocket series, shows us a hard-luck vampire queen forced to find part-time work – some of which is very sketchy!

They’ve also got SUPER HXEROS 7.

Already out from Denpa, who just put it on their website, is Black Tights: WIDE, an artbook featuring, well, girls in tights. It features “some of the best artists in Japan” and also a lot of good-looking gams.

Dark Horse Comics debuts Cat + Gamer (Neko Gurashi Gamer-san), from Shonen Sunday S. the gamer is Riko, an office lady who doesn’t have time for socializing when there’s games to be played. Then she picks up a stray cat. Can games help her figure out how to deal with a pet?

ASH: This is supposed to be pretty good.

MJ: I mean, it has a cat, so it automatically wins.

SEAN: Dark Horse also has Gantz’s 9th omnibus.

Lastly, Airship has, in print, Classroom of the Elite 11 and How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 14.

The digital-first debut is Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash (Gendai Shakai de Otome Game no Akuyaku Reijou wo Suru no wa Chotto Taihen), whose gimmick is that our reincarnated villainess is not in a world of nobles and princes, but in Japan at the height of the economic boom! Can she use her future knowledge to avoid her fate and avoid the upcoming bursting of the bubble economy?

ASH: Too soon?

SEAN: And also in early digital: Classroom of the Elite 11.5 and The Haunted Bookstore – Gateway to a Parallel Universe 4.

What are you getting mom? Devil Ecstasy? Tales of a Fallen Vampire Queen? Or perhaps something more wholesome?