manga the week of

SEAN: Manga still comes, through snow, rain, gloom, and dead of night. What’s up for next week?

Kodansha debuts the new sequel to Battle Angel Alita, subtitled Mars Chronicle. It comes after Last Order, and will no doubt be as sweet and fluffy as previous volumes (please note sarcasm). It runs in Evening.

Kodansha’s digital offerings are slightly less next week – are they tired? Domestic Girlfriend 15, I’m in Love and It’s the End of the World 4, My Boyfriend in Orange 2, Pitch-Black Ten 2, and PTSD Radio 3.

MICHELLE: Heh. I will eventually read the shoujo ones on that list.

SEAN: In print, we have finally come to the end of Fairy Tail, with its 63rd volume. There are still a few spinoffs still to be released, but this is the end of the main story.

ASH: That’s an impressive run! One Piece and Case Closed are the only other series I can think of off the top of my head that have over sixty volumes published in English.

SEAN: And there is a 3rd Frau Faust, which I pray does not have the heroine get even younger by the end.

MICHELLE: I am determined to start this series this week! Maybe today!

ASH: You should! It’s great!

SEAN: We also have a 24th volume of The Seven Deadly Sins, which with the end of Fairy Tail is now the longest-running Weekly Shonen Magazine series that’s licensed over here. (Sorry, Hajime no Ippo, Ahiru no Sora and Seitokai Yakuindomo are NOT licensed over here.)

Seven Seas has a bunch of stuff. Golden Time comes to an end with its 9th volume of romance and amnesia.

Hachune Mike’s Everyday Vocaloid Paradise has a 2nd volume.

And the zombies clearly have not been stopped, if Hour of the Zombie 6 is any indication.

The debut next week is Made in Abyss, a fantasy series about a girl and her robot that runs in Takeshobo’s Manga Life Win +. Despite the cast looking like moe plushies, it’s apparently more serious than it looks.

ASH: I’ve heard that it gets quite serious indeed.

SEAN: Masamune-kun’s Revenge has reached 7 volumes. Sheesh. Just get revenge already!

And Non Non Biyori has a 9th volume of doing absolutely nothing in a cute and relaxed way.

orange: future is a spinoff of the popular shoujo romance/tragedy, with additional side and after stories that will no doubt please fans.

MICHELLE: MUST HAVE!

ASH: ABSOLUTELY! The original series was tremendous, so I hope the continuation can hold up to expectations.

ANNA: I have orange lurking around my house somewhere. I should read it!

ASH: You haven’t yet?! You really should. It’s not always an easy read due to the heavy subject matter, but it’s a really well done series.

SEAN: I am surprised as well, as it’s basically exactly what you read.

ANNA: I know! My piles of unread manga are getting out of control.

SEAN: Vertical has My Neighbor Seki Vol. 10! What amazing desk toys will Seki come up with to celebrate?

And finally, Viz has a couple of digital only releases with Boys Over Flowers Season 2 Volume 7 (Part A, 5th Door To the Right, Behind the Filing Cabinet), and the difficult to type out élDLIVE has a 4th.

MICHELLE: I feel like I should give Boys Over Flowers Season 2 another chance.

ANNA: Me too. I liked the first several chapters.

MJ: Oh, this. Yes. This, this!

SEAN: What are you dashing through the snow to get next week?

SEAN: January continues apace, and so do releases, though as I noted last week, it’s still a bit muted compared to the last few months.

If you’re tired of Joss Whedon projects but still love vampire slayers, Drawn and Quarterly can help you with Kitaro the Vampire Slayer, the latest release in their series.

ASH: I still love Kitaro, which is why I’ll be picking it up!

Another J-Novel Club series comes to an end with the 6th and final volume of Paying to Win in a VRMMO, starring the smuggest hero ever.

Kodansha has another pile of digital releases, as we get Chihayafuru 8, DEATHTOPIA 8 (which I believe is the final volume), Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 5, Fuuka 15, Kasane 9, The Prince’s Black Poison 2, and Real Girl 11.

MICHELLE: Hooray for Chihayafuru!

ANNA: YAY!!!!!

SEAN: Lest Ash despair, they also have some print volumes. We get Waiting for Spring 4 and Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty 2.

MICHELLE: I am working on getting caught up on these.

ASH: My despair has been tempered as I am enjoying both of these series so far. (In print!)

One Peace continues to deliver on volumes of Maria Holic, this time giving us lucky Vol. 13.

Seven Seas has three ongoing titles. A Certain Scientific Accelerator 7 is pretty much caught up with Japan. My Monster Secret 9 has a ways to go before it catches up to Japan, as it recently ended with Vol. 22. And Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn is still two creators reinforcing each other’s worst habits, but we’re at Vol. 9 anyway.

Their debut is Juana and the Dragonewt’s Seven Kingdoms (Ryuu no Nanakuni to Minashigo no Juana), a Mag Garden title that, given it stars dragonewts, I’m going to guess is a fantasy.

ASH: I am very curious about this debut!

ANNA: Hmm, sounds interesting.

SEAN: Vertical has a 4th volume of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.

Viz’s ongoing series give us the 2nd Children of the Whales (I wasn’t as impressed as I expected to be) and the 20th Terra Formars.

MICHELLE: Children of the Whales is literally on top of my to-read pile.

ASH: I think you’ll like the series, Michelle! Overall, I really enjoyed the first volume and look forward to seeing how the manga continues to develop with the second.

ANNA: I wish it had less world building and more character development, but maybe things will settle down a bit in the second volume.

SEAN: Debut #1 is Fire Punch, a shonen series from the Shonen Jump + line, and oh my god it looks super, super dark. Not sure how I’ll do with this one.

ASH: Oh, super dark, you say? I don’t know much about the series, but that’s enough to at least pique my interest.

ANNA: I enjoy both fire and punching.

SEAN: The other debut is actually done in one – RWBY, a manga that ran in Japan’s Ultra Jump based on the anime-style American series created by Rooster Teeth. I’m hoping for “cool” here.

ANNA: It does look super stylish.

SEAN: Are you excited? And you just can’t hide it?

SEAN: There is not quite as much manga next week as previous weeks… at least not print manga. Kodansha is here to ensure that there are still many more titles released.

Before that, Dark Horse has a 5th omnibus of I Am A Hero.

ASH: This series has been quite an intense ride, so far!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a 4th volume of the very long-titled If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord, as well as a 4th volume of Infinite Dendrogram.

They also debut a spinoff novel. Yume Nikki: I Am Not In Your Dream, which is based off of a freeware game, and seems to be scary? And is not related to Future Diary, it would seem.

Kodansha Digital has no new titles announced for next week (yet – there’s always a danger of last minute announcements), but we do get Domestic Girlfriend 14, Grand Blue Dreaming 5, I’m in Love and It’s the End of the World 3, Kokkaku: Moment by Moment 4, Lovesick Ellie 2, and the final volume of Peach Heaven, 13.

MICHELLE: I’m still meaning to check out Lovesick Ellie.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a quartet of titles due out. The High School Life of a Fudanshi 3, Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary 7 (we’re mostly caught up to Japan on both of those), Spirit Circle 2 and Yokai Rental Shop 2.

ASH: The first volume of Spirit Circle was so good! I went in expecting to like the series, but at this point I’m honestly loving it.

ANNA: Interesting…..

SEAN: There’s some new BL from SuBLime, as we get a 10th volume of His Favorite (has this really been running in Japan since 2008?) and a 9th volume of The World’s Greatest First Love (which has been running since 2006).

Vertical has a 2nd volume of psychological thriller Imperfect Girl.

And speaking of long-runners, Viz has a 65th volume of Case Closed. That’s been running since 1994, and the North American release is only 27 volumes behind right now!

Getting something? Or catching up from previous weeks?

MICHELLE: Catching up, mostly!

ASH: A little of both, for me!

ANNA: So much to catch up on!

SEAN: A new year, new manga, and new series to get way behind on.

MICHELLE: Truth.

ASH: Woo!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a debut, Yokai Girls, perhaps the most unsurprising license ever given ecchi yokai series are the new zombies. This ran in Weekly Young Jump, and is about ghosts and fanservice, not in that order.

ASH: I’ll usually give anything having to do with yokai at chance, but it may take a while for me to actually get around to trying this series.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has quite a few releases, starting with Ao Oni, a horror series that’s based on a video game, and very much in the “kill the cast off over and over” genre.

In Another World with My Smartphone has a 6th volume, this one focusing on Touya’s youngest love interest, Sue, and her attempts to not be married off.

And Invaders of the Rokujouma!? goes back to finish its side story with Vol. 8.5.

Kodansha has a lot, as you’d expect, mostly digital. Actually, entirely digital. On the Del Rey rescue end, we have a 17th Pumpkin Scissors. Newer titles include Ace of the Diamond 7, Ayanashi 2, Drifting Dragons 2, Real Girl 10, and Space Brothers 31.

MICHELLE: Ace of the Diamond is a lot of fun.

ASH: As usual, I’m glad that so much manga is being translated, but I really hope more of Kodansha’s digital-only titles turn out to be digital-first.

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 5th Dreamin’ Sun and a 7th Not Lives.

Their debut is a spinoff of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, entitled Kanna’s Daily Life. Given Dragon Maid doesn’t have much of a plot, I can’t imagine how much more slice of life it can get, but…

Viz time. No debuts this time around, but Nisekoi is coming to an end with its 25th volume. Given how poorly romantic-oriented Jump titles have done over here before (looking at you, Strawberry 100%), it’s impressive to see how popular Nisekoi was… at least until fans knew which girl one, at which point the knives came out, as always. Oh well.

MICHELLE: Haikyu!! is ever a favorite.

ASH: I’ve fallen a bit behind, but I enjoy Haikyu!! immensely.

SEAN: Shonen titles include a 7th 7th Garden (No, not a typo), an 18th Blue Exorcist, Haikyu!! 19, Naruto’s 21st 3-in-1, as well as a 2nd volume of Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend, Naruto’s comedy spoof.

There’s also a 5th 3-in-1 of Rurouni Kenshin (still not cancelled, though Japan cancelled the sequel series), an 11th Twin Star Exorcists, and an 18th World Trigger, which was the last volume out before its current hiatus.

On the shoujo side, there’s a 6th Anonymous Noise, a 28th Kimi ni Todoke (which just ended in Japan, I believe), a 21st Natsume’s Book of Friends (yay!), and the 4th Water Dragon’s Bride.

MICHELLE: I will be reading all four of those, though I am also most “yay!” about Natsume’s Book of Friends.

ASH: It appears I will be echoing Michelle, again. Yay, Natsume! I need to get caught up on Water Dragon’s Bride, too.

ANNA: I’m most excited about Water Dragon’s Bride. It is such a consistently great series.

SEAN: Do you have something you want here?

SEAN: Well, it would be a quiet final week of 2017… were it not for Kodansha, who are determined to break us.

First off, yes, they did it again. Out already is Living Room Matsunaga-san, a title that was announced after Manga the Week of went to press. It looks like a typical shoujo title from Dessert.

MICHELLE: So far, I feel kindly disposed enough toward Dessert titles to give this one a look.

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Dark Horse has a 5th Drifters, whose volumes come out so infrequently I tend to forget what’s going on beyond “crazy faces”. Which, honestly, is probably for the best.

ASH: The fifth volume already?! After years between the releases of the third and fourth volume, a few months between the releases of the fourth and the fifth seems like no time at all.

SEAN: And there’s a 2nd Legend of the Piko Piko Middle School Students, a wacky Evangelion parody/comedy thing.

J-Novel ends two of their ongoing light novel series next week. Bluesteel Blasphemer wraps up with its 4th volume. And, while it’s not an official “ending”, My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World has no current plans for new volumes after Vol. 7.

Kodansha. Wow. They have print! We get new volumes of Attack on Titan: Before the Fall (12), Land of the Lustrous (whose anime has really exploded in Western fandom) (4), Love & Lies (3), and That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime (whose novel came out last week from Yen) (3).

ASH: Despite not always completely understanding what’s going on in Land of the Lustrous, I am enjoying the series and its striking artwork.

SEAN: We have digital debuts! Yes, and I actually know about them in advance. My Boyfriend in Orange is, yes, another Dessert title (Dessert is the new Betsufure). This time the boyfriend seems to be a firefighter. Pitch-Black Ten runs in Shonen Magazine R, and seems to be a supernatural series.

MICHELLE: I could cut and paste my line from above here, too. It’s not that I really crave a romance series with a fireman in it, but eh. Okay. Why not?

ANNA: Sure, why not?

SEAN: We have ongoing digital series! Piles of them. I think I got them all. DAYS 7, Domestic Girlfriend 13, Drowning Love 7, The Full-Time Wife Escapist 8, Giant Killing 9, House of the Sun 13, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die 2, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 7, Love’s Reach 6, and Peach Heaven 12. As always, I’m all about Wife Escapist, but I believe Michelle will be looking at the soccer.

MICHELLE: I will be looking at the soccer *and* the spouses! (But probably, yes, I do love Giant Killing the best.)

ANNA: So far behind on Wife Escapist. I will not give up though!

SEAN: There are publishers other than Kodansha with titles next week, oddly enough. Seven Seas’s debut is Unmagical Girl, a comedy series about a fictional magical girl who’s somehow brought into reality, and now has to cope with everyday life. I’m just happy to have a magical girl series that it’s “let’s kill the magical girls”. It apparently ran in a Pony Canyon magazine, but I think the license may have gone through Ichijinsha.

Seven Seas also has a 2nd Absolute Duo, a 4th Magical Girl Site (which is absolutely about killing magical girls), and a 4th Species Domain (which is actually pretty cute).

SuBLime has a 4th volume of The Night Beyond the Tricolored Window, which looks dramatic as hell.

MICHELLE: I love this series so much and have been eagerly anticipating volume four for a year!

ASH: I want this series in print so much!

MICHELLE: So do I! Even though I don’t mind reading digitally, I crave that extra security you feel when you own a tangible copy of something.

SEAN: Vertical has hit double digits with Witchcraft Works.

Lastly, Yen Digital has a 4th IM: The Great Priest Imhotep, who is still invisible, I believe. (I will never stop making that joke, sorry.)

Are you getting anything from this? Or still catching up with this week’s avalanche?

SEAN: Are you ready? 3-2-1 let’s jam.

MICHELLE: *cracks knuckles in a preparatory fashion*

ASH: Get everybody and the stuff together, because there’s a lot of it!

KATE: There is SO MUCH MANGA that even I had to chime in.

SEAN: We start with Bookwalker, who has the second volume of their light novel The Combat Baker and the Automaton Waitress. I felt it was a good series for them to pick up (certainly better than their other LN series), and will be getting this volume.

J-Novel Club has the 4th volume of Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, which remains the top choice for those who like overpowered isekai and take it Very Seriously Indeed.

Kodansha has many, many things, both digital and print, which I will tackle alphabetically, starting with a 4th All Out!!.

MICHELLE: Woot!

SEAN: Attack on Titan has a big change coming with the 23rd volume, one that (like everything Attack on Titan has ever done) has gotten a mixed reaction.

Cardcaptor Sakura remains one of CLAMP’s most beloved franchise, despite age, appalling Nelvana dubs, and Tsubasa World Chronicle. Now we finally get a sequel with Clear Card, which apparently picks up where the old series left off. I will give it a shot, though I warn you I’m mostly reading for Tomoyo.

MICHELLE: This has been available digitally for a while, and I read it in that format. It’s a cute start, and I loved seeing Kero-chan again.

MJ: I’m obviously on board for this.

ANNA: I enjoy early CLAMP, and am leery of recent CLAMP. That being said, due to my love of Cardcaptor Sakura, I will check this out.

ASH: Same! I really do love Cardcaptor Sakura, though.

SEAN: DEATHTOPIA has its 7th and penultimate volume coming out next week.

And there’s also a 4th volume of Elegant Yokai Apartment Life.

If you haven’t yet picked up Ghost in the Shell’s hardcover deluxe editions, why not get them in a handy box set?

We’ve caught up with Japan for Happiness, so it’s nice to see a 6th volume drop.

ASH: I need to catch up with this series, myself!

KATE: The last volume of Happiness had a big time jump and shift in emphasis — something that worked surprisingly well, and and promoted one of the most interesting (and resourceful) supporting characters to a leading role.

SEAN: Inuyashiki comes to an end with its 10th and final volume. It’s always been a bit too weird for me, but then I felt the same way about Gantz.

Kasane has an 8th volume of suspense and horror.

The digital debut next week is The Prince’s Black Poison, a Betsufure romance that honestly sounds like exactly the sort of title I avoid, but what the hey. Recommended for those who like handsome manipulative men. It’s by the author of Gakuen Prince, which was also very much filled with those.

MICHELLE: Oh dear.

ANNA: Feeling sort of meh on this.

SEAN: And Real Girl has a 9th volume of whatever it is Real Girl does, besides remind me how many of these Kodansha digital titles I have yet to sample.

Say “I Love You” has come to its 18th and final volume. Despite the occasional overdose of melodrama, I greatly enjoyed this series, and am happy to see the conclusion after a long wait (we had, again, caught up with Japan).

MICHELLE: I’ve been awaiting this release for a long time!

SEAN: If you haven’t picked up A Silent Voice’s 7 volumes, Kodansha has a box set for you! (Both this and the Ghost in the Shell box are clearly meant for Christmas purchases.)

Speaking of the author of A Silent Voice, we’re getting a 2nd To Your Eternity next week as well.

ASH: Definitely picking this one up. The first volume was very good and surprising in ways that I didn’t expect.

KATE: What Ash said; To Your Eternity is definitely on my short list of Best Sci-Fi manga of 2017.

SEAN: A 6th Tsuredure Children has more 4-koma romance.

And Until Your Bones Rot has a 3rd volume of what is, let’s face it, NOT 4-koma romance.

Seven Seas is next. Arpeggio of Blue Steel is up to its 12th volume, and I’m still really interested in it, which is surprising given it’s about a bunch of cute girls who are really boats.

There’s also a 3rd “not Alice in the Country of Hearts, but the next best thing” series Captive Hearts of Oz.

Unlucky it may be, but the fact that Magical Girl Apocalypse has gotten to Vol. 13 means it’s popular as well.

Seven Seas is starting to pick up light novels that aren’t J-Novel Club print editions, and we begin with Monster Girl Doctor, whose title speaks for itself, though I’m not sure how this falls on the scale between ‘fetishey’ and ‘spooky’ monster girls.

And if that’s too millennial for you, how about a series from the 1980s? We get the first in the Record of Lodoss Wars novels, The Grey Witch, in a fancy hardcover edition.

MJ: It’s hard for me to dismiss something from the 80s…

ASH: It really is fancy! I’m looking forward to giving the Lodoss novels a try.

SEAN: Chi’s Sweet Coloring Book is a spinoff from Vertical featuring lots and lots of pictures of Chi to color.

Speaking of cats, Nekomonogatari (Black): Cat Tale is the first of a two-part set in the Monogatari series that finally resolves most of Tsubasa Hanekawa’s ongoing issues.

And there’s also a 4th Flying Witch.

Viz gives us a 3rd Golden Kamuy, which I suspect will have a bit less cooking and a bit more life-threatening violence this time around, but who knows?

ASH: I plan on finding out!

KATE: I seem to be stalking you through this week’s column, Ash! I’m butting in to say GOLDEN KAMUY IS AWESOME. I think Asirpa deserves her own damn series. Heck, it could be a cooking manga and I’d read it.

SEAN: If you want to get someone something terrifying for Christmas, you absolutely can’t go wrong with Shiver, a collection of stories selected by the author, Junji Ito.

ASH: I’m always happy to see more Ito being released! This collection should be great.

KATE: Nothing says “Deck the halls” than a little Junji Ito, I always say.

SEAN: And if you want to give some yuri manga, there’s a 2nd Sweet Blue Flowers omnibus.

MICHELLE: Yay!

ANNA: Behind on this already but I’m gonna read it!

ASH: You absolutely should! I’m so glad this series is finally getting the treatment it deserves in English.

SEAN: Lastly (for Viz only, trust me – we’re not even halfway), we have the 2nd Tokyo Ghoul: re.

And now on to Yen Press, pausing only to scream until our throats are raw and we are coughing up blood. (pause) There we go. Onward.

First off, we have the digital-only titles. Aphorism 13 is the second to last volume, and is for fans of survival manga.

Corpse Princess is up to its 14th volume, but it still has a long way to go. It should appeal to fans of fanservice and zombies.

And Saki 13 means we’re close to catching up, but that’s an ongoing series, so no worries there either. Recommended to those who like mahjong and breasts, not in that order.

On the Yen On side, we finish the digital catch-up for Accel World (9-11) and Irregular at Magic High School (5).

There’s also a new digital release of an older, pre-Yen On title. Kieli was a 2009 series of novels about a girl who can see ghosts, and it had an associated manga as well. Yen now has the digital rights to the novels, so we get the first one next week.

There are also a GIANT number of ongoing and new light novels in print. We get a 12th Accel World, which is in the midst of Haruyuki dealing with another mysterious threat.

The Asterisk War’s 5th volume wraps up its tournament arc, I believe… or should I say, it’s first tournament arc.

Baccano! starts a new 2-volume arc taking place in 1933 and subtitled The Slash. This first volume will show us what happened to that Mexican stereotype of an assassin from the Drug & the Dominoes book.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer! 9 has far less part-time work than expected, as the devil has returned to his homeland to rescue Emi and Alas Ramus.

Goblin Slayer 4 will feature what sounds like a collection of short stories judging from the description. And probably goblins being slayed.

The Irregular at Magic High School’s 6th volume starts a new arc called the Yokohama Disturbance Arc, which I think was the final arc adapted for the anime.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? asks the same question again, only this time it’s Monsters. Bell says no, others think differently. Vol. 10 drops next week.

KonoSuba’s 4th volume has the inevitable Hot Springs arc.

Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers has a 3rd volume, and I must admit if the storyline is “who’s the traitor” I may bail.

The first light novel debut is The Saga of Tanya the Evil, which is another isekai. A Japanese HR manager with a cold, ruthless reputation is killed, and then reincarnated by God. Not with the best intentions, though – God dislikes his logical attitude and so puts him in a world where magic exists and there is constant warfare. Oh, and he’s in the body of a little girl.

Sword Art Online has reached a dozen volumes, and we’re still in the midst of the epic Alicization arc. We finally see Alice again, but is she brainwashed? Can Kirito and Eugeo save her?

The other light novel debut this month already has its manga coming out from Kodansha, and is the 2nd of the three ‘ridiculous’ light novels Yen licensed recently. That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime arrives next week.

We’re nearly at the end! Only 28 more titles to go! And they’re all Yen Press. We start with a 6th volume of spinoff Akame Ga KILL! ZERO.

Angels of Death is a survival manga with psychological overtimes, which comes from the oddball Comic Gene. I’m not sure what to think of it.

An 8th Aoharu x Machinegun is shipping next week.

And a 5th Bungo Stray Dogs will give us literary references galore.

Light novel adaptations galore! Starting with a 4th manga of Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody.

Dragons Rioting has a 9th volume, which is also its final volume.

If you like the idea of Goblin Slaying but hate prose, I have good news, the first volume of Goblin Slayer is for you.

I know little about Graineliers except it’s from GFantasy, it has two male leads, and it’s not BL but feels like it should be.

MJ: Did you say GFantasy? Count me in!

ASH: It’s also by Rihito Takarai (of Ten Count fame) so I’m very curious to see how this series develops. If nothing else, the artwork should be great.

SEAN: Manga based on an unlicensed light novel, part one: the 10th volume of High School DxD.

Manga based on an unlicensed light novel, part two: the 8th and final volume of How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend.

After a year’s hiatus, the Kagerou Daze manga picks up again with Vol. 7, and should be arriving more regularly from now on. For light novel fans, the story here is different from the LN (and indeed the Mekakucity Actors anime.)

A 5th Kiniro Mosaic gives you vague yuri galore.

If you liked the idea of Magical Girls dying tragically but hate prose… well, you know. Magical Girl Raising Project, now in manga form.

The 11th Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan is the last, which I’m pretty sure means there are no current ongoing projects for this franchise, be it anime, manga, spinoff manga, spinoff anime, or the original novels. We should take off our hats and mourn the end of an era.

My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong as I Expected gets a 7th manga volume, though I’m not sure which novel volume it’s adapting.

No Matter How Much I… sigh. WataMote gives us an 11th volume. Sorry, I’m exhausted.

Of the Red, the Light and the Ayakashi ends with its 9th volume, though I believe there is a Volume 10 with side/after stories.

ASH: Another series that I’ve been enjoying but need to catch up on!

MICHELLE: Aha! I had been thinking it was complete in 9, and then recently noticed there’s actually a tenth. Nice to have an explanation for that!

SEAN: One Week Friends is a Gangan Joker title about a cute friendship and the amnesia that threatens to tear it apart.

Re: Zero finishes its adaptation of the 2nd arc with the 4th A Week at the Mansion volume.

Rose Guns Days has a 2nd volume of its 3rd arc.

School-Live! does not come to an end with this 9th volume per se, but I think the series is on hiatus right now, so this may be the last for some time.

And a 3rd Smokin’ Parade arrives as well.

I enjoyed the first novel of So I’m a Spider, So What?, though am curious as to how a book that’s half internal dialogue will translate to manga. We’ll see with this first manga volume.

Strike the Blood’s manga has a Vol. 9, which, like the light novels, has Yukina and only Yukina on each cover.

Sword Art Online has the manga adaptation of the Calibur arc complete in one volume. It’s a great arc if you like the supporting cast, who all play a role – for the last time to date, in fact.

If you feel that yokai manga have gotten too serious lately, you should enjoy A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School, a GFantasy title that is terminally ridiculous.

ASH: Yokai comedy, you say? Count me in!

Umineko When They Cry begins its 7th arc, Requiem of the Golden Witch. Battler is nowhere to be found. Nor is Beatrice. Instead meet Kinzo’s heir Lion Ushiromiya. Oh, did I mention this first omnibus is 826 pages?

Lastly (yes, I promise, we are at the end), there’s a 7th omnibus of Yowamushi Pedal, which should be SUPER EXCITING.

MICHELLE: Yay!

ASH: I know I’m excited!

SEAN: (falls over) So are you getting everything on this list, or just most of it?

SEAN: A relatively light week next week, possibly as all the titles were pulled into the black hole that is the week after next, which crushes all in its path.

J-Novel Club has a new debut, Walking My Second Path in Life. It sounds really great, being about a princess who’s tired of being used and then forgotten about so decides to masquerade as a male squire and try to become a knight. It’s also written by someone with the penname “Otaku de Neet”, so there’s that. I am thus cautiously optimistic?

Kodansha’s digital releases now outstrip their print by about 5 to 1. On the print side, there’s a 4th Aho-Girl, a 6th Clockwork Planet, a 3rd Kigurumi Guardians, and a 7th Princess Jellyfish, which I’m finally falling behind on (and feeling guilty).

MICHELLE: I always delight in a new Princess Jellyfish!

ASH: Indeed! I’m still incredibly happy that the series is being released in print. (And that we’ll be getting Tokyo Tarareba Girls, too!)

ANNA: Good stuff!

SEAN: In ongoing digital titles, we have, and try to say this all in one breath: Aoba-kun’s Confessions 5, Black Panther and Sweet 16 5, Chihayafuru 7, Domestic Girlfriend 12, Drowning Love 6, Grand Blue Dreaming 4 (that’s getting print later next year), House of the Sun 12, Kokkaku: Moment by Moment 3, and PTSD Radio 2. Eeesh. Chihayafuru is my pick from that pile.

MICHELLE: Mine, too, but I do still intend to check out Drowning Love and a couple others.

SEAN: Seven Seas has Vol. 13 of A Centaur’s Life, which continues to be the most deeply random ongoing series I’ve ever read.

ASH: I’ve definitely fallen behind, but the manga can be really interesting even if its tone and direction can be somewhat erratic.

SEAN: They also have a 7th Dance in the Vampire Bund omnibus, which I think takes in some of the sequels and side-stories.

And the print edition of the 4th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash light novel.

SuBLime has two titles next week, with a 6th Don’t Be Cruel (still putting Elvis in my head every time I see it) and a 4th Deluxe Edition for Finder.

ASH: The deluxe edition is really nice, especially for fans who haven’t already invested in the series. (And it includes additional content to entice those who already have.)

SEAN: Vertical has a 6th massive volume for BLAME!, which I discovered at Anime NYC I’ve been mispronouncing all this time.

MICHELLE: It’s, like, bu-rah-mu or something, isn’t it?

SEAN: It’s apparently BLAM, as if written without the E.

We are almost finished with Itsuwaribito, though I could be lying. Sure seems that Vol. 22 is the second to last, though.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: And Magi has a 27th volume, and may be killing off one of its main characters? Though somehow I doubt that.

MICHELLE: Volume 26 ended on quite the cliffhanger, so I’m definitely looking forward to this.

ANNA: Soooo far behind with this series. One day!

SEAN: Lastly, we see the debut of Splatoon. This series, based on the third person shooter game, is actually one of several manga that have come out. This one is Shogakukan’s title from CoroCoro Comic Special. Given it ran in CoroCoro, I expect it is geared for younger readers.

Are you getting anything next week, or saving up for the hell that is bearing down on us?

SEAN: The first week of December seems like a cakewalk compared to the third, but that’s only a matter of degrees. Let’s see what we’ve got.

Dark Horse has an 8th volume of Blood Blockade Battlefront, whose 7th volume came out sometime in the 17th century, I believe.

ASH: That does sound about right.

SEAN: Ghost Ship is the new imprint for Seven Seas’ more racy titles, though honestly I’m not sure how they’re different from a lot of Seven Seas’ other racy titles. They begin with two Shonen Jump titles that Viz never bothered to pick up: To-Love-Ru, a sweet yet ecchi romantic comedy, and To-Love-Ru Darkness, its much racier sequel that verges on hentai at times. We get an omnibus of the first two volumes of the first series, and the first volume of its sequel.

ASH: I’m curious to see how this imprint develops. It’s also incredibly interesting to see Shonen Jump titles from a publisher other than Viz!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has another debut, this one called How NOT To Summon a Demon Lord. I believe the Japanese title mentioned slave magic, so I will withhold my thoughts till I see how it handles it.

ASH: I wonder if Seven Seas might eventually team up with J-Novel Club to print this series, too, since the manga adaptation has also been licensed.

SEAN: There’s also a 5th Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension, which has caught up with Japan so has longer wait times.

Kodansha has STUFF. The first digital debut is Drifting Dragons, which seems to combine dragons and cooking. It runs in good! Afternoon.

MICHELLE: Oooh! And next year we’re getting househunting dragons, too.

ANNA: That sounds fun!

ASH: I would totally read that.

SEAN: The other debut digitally is Ayanashi, a fantasy drama from Shonen Magazine R. World overtaken by monsters, our hero bent on revenge, can he open up to others?

Also out digitally we have Pumpkin Scissors 16 (the Del Rey rescue) Yozakura Quartet 19 (ditto), Altair: A Record of Battles 6, The Full-Time Wife Escapist 7, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 3, and Real Girl 8. I haven’t even reviewed Wife Escapist 6 yet…

MICHELLE: It’s good!

ANNA: So far behind with Wife Escapist, but I still like it!

SEAN: Kodansha’s print debut is Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, which is another shoujo title from Dessert but whose premise intrigues me.

MICHELLE: I am always willing to at least try Dessert titles, having liked a lot of them.

ANNA: Me too!

ASH: I am also rather intrigued.

SEAN: If you wanted to pick up the Attack on Titan: No Regrets series but decided to wait till it came out in a Complete Color Edition, have I got good news for you!

ASH: I’m not such devotee that I’ll be double-dipping, but I did like this (shoujo!) spinoff. This will probably be the definitive edition, though.

SEAN: And there’s a 7th Fire Force, which continues to not be Soul Eater.

Seven Seas has 2nd volumes for Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor and Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage, two series nothing like each other. We also get a 13th Dragonar Academy and an 8th Magika Swordsman and Summoner.

ANNA: CAPTAIN HARLOCK!

ASH: I liked the first volume! I will read more!

SEAN: Vertical has the 2nd and final Helvetica Standard volume, subtitled Italic.

And it’s the first week of the month, so there must be a ton of Viz. Two debuts. The first is Astra: Lost in Space, a Shonen Jump + series by the author of Sket Dance that looks to be a lot more serious than that title ever was.

The other debut is The Promised Neverland, a Weekly Shonen Jump series that I know little about except it’s become quite popular in Japan. Is it the new My Hero Academia?

ASH: I’m interested in both of these, but Kate recently posted a great review of The Promised Neverland, so I know which one I’ll be starting with.

SEAN: Shonen ongoing series! Assassination Classroom 19, Dragon Ball Super 2, Food Wars! 21, Haikyu!! 18, Kuroko’s Basketball 17-18, a 22nd One Piece 3-in-1, and the 4th Platinum End.

MICHELLE: Yay for food and sports!

ANNA: Indeed!

ASH: That is a pretty great combination, actually.

SEAN: Shoujo ongoing series! The 9th Bloody Mary, a 7th Everyone’s Getting Married (OK, that’s josei), and a 2nd Queen’s Quality.

ANNA: Excited for both Everyone’s Getting Married and Queen’s Quality!

ASH: Same! (Even though I’ve fallen behind…)

SEAN: It’s a mangatopia! What are you interested in?

SEAN: Ugh. Let’s just lay it all out as quickly as possible. Cute comments to a minimum, there’s too much stuff!

Kodansha Digital… oof. New series include Lovesick Ellie, another cute Dessert shoujo, and My Brother the Shut-In, which I know nothing about except it runs in Morning Two. I always check out things from Morning Two.

MICHELLE: Yep, both of these are on my “check these out” pile.

ANNA: I’m intrigued but also overwhelmed at all the digital manga I haven’t read yet!

MJ: What Anna said.

SEAN: Also from Kodansha digital: All Out!! 3, Beauty Bunny 3, Cosplay Animal 3, DEATHTOPIA 6, Domestic Girlfriend 11, Drowning Love 5, Giant Killing 8, House of the Sun 11, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 6, and Peach Heaven 10. Phew. Cosplay Animal is what I’m interested in most from that pile.

MICHELLE: I’m already getting so far behind on All-Out!! and it’s just getting started!

ASH: It’s amazing how many titles are being released digitally these days, and how quickly, too!

SEAN: Kodansha still releases print as well, believe it or not. There’s Sweetness and Lightning 9, Waiting for Spring 3, and Welcome to the Ballroom 8.

MICHELLE: Aaaaand I’ll need all three of these, as well.

ASH: Sweetness and Lightning is definitely one of my priorities!

SEAN: There must have been a pileup at Seven Seas Interstate Thruway, as there are far more new titles this week than usual, starting with a debut that’s a mouthful: Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon. This seems to be a done in one omnibus.

Also debuting is Magical Girl Special Ops Asuka, which I think is another in the endless magical girl series for guys with fetishes. Whee.

There’s also continuing series: Devils and Realist 13, Don’t Meddle with My Daughter 2, Hana & Hina After School 3, Plum Crazy! 3, Re: Monster 3, The Seven Princes of the Thousand Year Labyrinth 4 (that’s a final volume), Shomin Sample 7, Tales of Zestria 3, and There’s a Demon Lord on the Floor 4.

ASH: That’s the last volume of Hana & Hina After School, too, I think. I’ll need to pick that up.

SEAN: Vertical Comics has a 5th To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts.

Viz has three titles delayed from the beginning of the month, as we get Anonymous Noise 5 and Idol Dreams 4.

Their debut is SP Baby, a new josei series from the author of Happy Marriage.

ASH: Glad for more josei being released.

ANNA: Unsurprisingly I enjoyed this!!!!

SEAN: And Yen Press still has some more titles. Digitally we see Aphorism 13, Crimson Prince 13, and Sekirei 13 on the manga side, and Accel World 5-8, Irregular at Magic High School 3-4, and The Isolator 1-3 on the light novel side.

The debut light novel is Wolf & Parchment, the sequel to Spice & Wolf.

Debuting on the manga end is ACCA, the newest manga from Ono Natsume, whose middle-aged men have been dearly missed the last couple of years. It runs in Big Gangan.

MICHELLE: Yaaay! I have indeed missed her work.

ASH: I am so excited for this!!

ANNA: I somehow forgot this was happening! But I am also excited!!!!!

MJ: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

SEAN: There’s also a Sword Art Online artbook. I got the Japanese version, and it looks pretty great, let me tell you.

MJ: I’m so ready!

SEAN: Ongoing titles include BTOOOM! 19, Danmachi 8 (the manga version), The Isolator 2 (likewise), Karneval omnibus 8, Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl 4, and Spirits & Cat Ears 4.

I think I compressed that as much as humanly possible. Be thankful. What are you getting?

SEAN: The November Crush continues, and there’s no respite. Let’s dive right in.

We start with novels, as Haikasoru has the 5th volume of Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

MICHELLE: Every time I say I really will read this series and every time I mean it, but every time I fail to accomplish it.

ASH: I’m a little behind myself, but I am enjoying the series.

ANNA: I have the first book but I haven’t read it yet.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has the slightly less dignified 6th volume of I Saved Too Many Girls And Caused the Apocalypse.

Kodansha is digitally still giving us Del Rey rescues – here’s Princess Resurrection 20.

There’s also a new pile of their current digital-only series. We have Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 3, I’m in Love and It’s the End of the World 2, Kasane 7, Real Girl 7, Space Brothers 30, and Until Your Bones Rot 2.

Print has some heavy hitters as well, starting with the Deluxe Edition of Battle Angel Alita. This is the first series, which old-timers will recall came out from Viz back in the pamphlet comic days, though I believe this is a new translation/orientation. This is also a hardcover omnibus.

Cells at Work! has a 5th volume out next week.

MICHELLE: I have missed learning about neutrophils and the like.

ASH: I get such a huge kick out of this series.

ANNA: We have a couple volumes at my library!

SEAN: And we get a 2nd Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, whose first volume I found… needed to be more quirky.

MICHELLE: Heh. I will at least be checking this out.

SEAN: And if you enjoyed the anthology Neo Parasyte f, you’ll love the 2nd volume, Neo Parasyte m.

ASH: I’m looking forward to this! Moto Hagio is one of the contributors, among other things.

SEAN: One Peace has a 12th volume of Maria Holic, which somehow remains popular, I suppose.

Speaking of series I can’t kill with fire from my mind, Seven Seas has a 3rd How to Build a Dungeon.

And also a 2nd Red Riding Hood and the Big Sad Wolf.

Their debut is Slumbering Beauty, which comes from Yumi Unita, the creator of Bunny Drop. It runs in Rakuen Le Paradis, which will always get my attention, and is apparently a “modern day fairy tale”. (No wife husbandry this time around, please.)

MICHELLE: I’m very interested in this one!

ASH: As am I! (Also, I didn’t realize it was a series until just now.)

ANNA: Huh, I liked Bunny Drop until I know how the story was going to end, so I’m curious about this.

SEAN: Vertical also has a big debut. We can’t get Saint Young Men just yet, but we can get the author’s other hit, Arakawa Under the Bridge. It’s very strange, and ran in Square Enix’s Young Gangan. I believe Crunchyroll also has it digitally.

MJ: I’m so on board for this.

ASH: I greatly enjoyed the anime adaptation, so I’m very excited to read the original manga. Hopefully this may help pave the way for more of Nakamura’s work in translation.

ANNA: Strange manga from Vertical is my (occasional) jam!

SEAN: And not to be outdone, Viz gives us the debut of Children of the Whales (Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau). a dark mystery that appropriately runs in Akita Shoten’s Mystery Bonita. It looks very swank.

MICHELLE: “Dark mystery” is right up my alley.

ASH: If nothing else, the first volume’s cover art is gorgeous, but the story sounds intriguing as well.

ANNA: Will be checking this out for sure.

SEAN: Viz also has a 5th Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (Gundam manga two weeks in a row? Go back in time and tell the fans in 1999 that this is a thing.)

And rejoice, there is a 13th volume of Ooku! It’s down to once a year, but the anticipation makes it better.

MICHELLE: Verily, I rejoice.

MJ: As doth I!

ASH: Forsooth!

ANNA: Indeed.

SEAN: Lastly (for Viz), if you like Tokyo Ghoul, there’s an artbook out called Illustrations: zakki.

And now for Yen, starting with the light novels. If you like Re: Zero but hate Subaru, you’ll love this spinoff series, Re: Zero EX. This first volume focuses on the past of Crusch and Felis.

We are getting many light novels in the coming months with very, very silly premises, and this may be one of the most interesting. So I’m a Spider, So What? is a standard “class of students are transported to fantasy world and given cool powers” work. However, our heroine is a spider. Which is considered a monster, so she has to fear for her life. Just the word ‘heroine’ makes me happy here.

MJ: I feel like if there’s a chance for me to get into light novels, this would be it. Can it do the job?

ASH: It is nice to have a heroine for a change of pace!

SEAN: And if you wanted to see more of the cast of your name, there’s a book of stories out next week called Another Side: Earthbound.

Yen Press has the complete in one omnibus Corpse Party: Book of Shadows, a sequel to the kill em off mystery series.

Forbidden Scrollery debuts. Technically a fantasy with lots of yokai and pretty art, it’s also a spinoff of the popular bullet hell game Touhou. I am hoping you don’t need any backstory to enjoy it.

ASH: I didn’t realize it was a spinoff, but the yokai definitely have my attention. Also, the book-related magic.

MJ: I like yokai and pretty art.

SEAN: Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler has a 3rd print edition.

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade has been losing my attention lately, so I hope its 7th volume steps up its game.

If you want to read all of Pandora Hearts, and you love packaging, get the PandoraBox, which features all the volumes enclosed in a gorgeous trunk.

MJ: I can’t possibly justify this purchase, but I can recommend!

SEAN: Comic Gene is known for weird series, and the last debut next week certainly falls in that category. A Polar Bear in Love is the adorable tale of the titular polar bear and his love for a seal. Fun ensues.

Lastly, we get the 2nd your name manga.

Think we’re done? We’re not remotely done! Tune in the week after next for even worse November madness!

SEAN: The November from hell continues – a second week of the month is supposed to be quiet!

J-Novel has a couple of titles to start us off. The 6th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is one of them.

The other is a debut, and may be familiar to anime fans. Outbreak Company is another of those pesky isekai novels, about an anime and manga otaku who ends up trapped in another world.

Kodansha has a ton. The debut digital title (actually already out this week, because Kodansha) is I’m in Love and It’s the End of the World, a shoujo title from the creator of House of the Sun that’s been running in Dessert, about a quiet, negative girl who somehow attracts the attention of the school prince. Wow, we’ve never seen that before.

MICHELLE: And certainly not from Dessert specifically!

ANNA: That sounds so new!!!!!

SEAN: And for digital fans, we also have Chihayafuru 6, Drowning Love 4, House of the Sun 10, Kokkaku: Moment by Moment 2, Magical Sempai 3, and Peach Heaven 9. Phew.

MICHELLE: I’ll be picking of several of those!

ANNA: Cannot believe I need to get caught up on Chihayafuru!

SEAN: Kodansha still has print, believe it or not. We have the penultimate volume of Fairy Tail, the 62nd.

There’s also a 2nd Frau Faust, whose title I recommend singing to the Gershwin song “By Strauss”.

ASH: Frau Faust is the thing! (I greatly enjoyed the first volume and am looking forward to reading more.)

SEAN: The Seven Deadly Sins is glaring at Fairy Tail with jealousy as it releases its 23rd volume.

And UQ Holder’s 12th volume just gives in and straight up has the Negima cast on its cover.

One Peace has a 7th manga volume for The Rise of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas has four new titles, with Generation Witch 2, Holy Corpse Rising 4, My Monster Secret 8, and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 5.

SuBLime has the debut of A Strange and Mystifying Story, which seems to have a guy with elf ears, but otherwise sees the typical vaguely predatory BL cover art.

MICHELLE: Oh, I had no idea this series (formerly published by DMP) had been rescued! The first two volumes were pretty good (despite some problematic consent issues), but it seems to have taken a turn for the better in volume three. I’m glad to have the chance to finish the series!

ASH: Sean, those are obviously wolf ears. Like Michelle, I’m glad to see this series being rescued!

SEAN: Vertical Comics has a 3rd volume of the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing manga.

Every time we see a new volume of Requiem of the Rose King, it has a tendency to be Pick of the Week here at Manga Bookshelf. I don’t expect that to change with Vol. 7.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: I do love this series so.

ANNA: It is the best.

SEAN: And we’re at 25 volumes of Rin-Ne with still no plot progression.

MICHELLE: Yep.

SEAN: Yen Press has the rest of the week, starting with the novel line. A Certain Magical Index left off last time with the heroines swapped to the wrong guy. Can they solve this problem and deal with another invasion from the Catholic… sorry, Roman Orthodox church? Find out in lucky book 13.

Durarara!! has an 8th volume, and will likely feature Izaya being smug and punchable, be warned.

And more dead girls arrive in the 2nd Magical Girl Raising Project.

Yen has one debut next week, a new spinoff from Sword Art Online. Called Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, it’s based on a light novel (as yet unlicensed) by the Kino’s Journey creator, and features a whole new cast, I believe.

There are only two manga based on light novels out next week, not counting SAOA. KonoSuba reaches its fifth volume, and Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers has Vol. 4.

And there’s a large number of continuing titles, which I will list as follows: Anne Happy 7, The Case Study of Vanitas 3, Delicious in Dungeon 3, Demonizer Zilch 4, Dimension W 8, First Love Monster 8, Girls Last Tour 3, Puella Magi Tart Magica 5, The Royal Tutor 4, Today’s Cerberus 6, and Trinity Seven 11. Of that pile, Delicious in Dungeon seems the most promising to me.

MICHELLE: Same.

ASH: Delicious in Dungeon is definitely the one I’m most looking forward to, although there are a few others in there that I’ve been meaning to get around to reading.

SEAN: Are you keeping up? Or hopelessly behind? What are you getting?

MICHELLE: So totally hopelessly behind.

ANNA: Indeed.

SEAN: The frost is on the pumpkin and nothing’s stopping the manga.

From this week, solicited too late for last week’s list, Kodansha Digital have PTSD Radio, a horror anthology that looks creepy. There may also have been one or two ongoing series I missed – I’m starting to get jaded. Give me more lag time!

For next week, Cross Infinite World has another light novel debut, as they bring us Yusen Ruten: An Era of Red. I sadly know little about it.

Dark Horse has a 4th Blade of the Immortal omnibus.

ASH: Blade of the Immortal was one of my very first manga series; I’m glad that Dark Horse has found a way to keep it in print.

SEAN: Kodansha still has Del Rey rescues, with Pumpkin Scissors 15 and Yozakura Quartet 18.

In new digital titles, we get a sixth Ace of the Diamond, a 6th Real Girl, and most importantly, a 6th The Full-Time Wife Escapist.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Full-Time Wife Escapist! Such a fun and quirky series.

MICHELLE: Yay! I was starting to get Full-Time Wife Escapist withdrawal.

SEAN: There’s also a 4th Descending Stories, which may finally end its flashback.

ASH: Planning on picking this one up!

SEAN: And Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017, a hardcover detailing the history of the franchise.

Seven Seas has a 4th Dreamin’ Sun, and a 7th Testament of Sister New Devil. Don’t get them mixed up.

MICHELLE: Dreamin’ Sun is enjoyable!

SEAN: Udon debuts Dragon’s Crown, based on a game and running in Kadokawa’s Comptiq magazine. If you’ve seen the fantasy RPG manga that have been commonplace lately, you’ve seen this.

Vertical has hit double digits for Cardfight!! Vanguard.

Viz has a lot, though 3 titles got delayed due to a warehouse fire. Look for them at the end of the month. So we start with Black Clover, which I enjoy despite its anti-originality.

ASH: Maybe I’ll finally give Black Clover a try while I wait a few weeks for my dose of Shojo Beat titles to arrive.

SEAN: Bleach 3-in-1 reaches Vol. 21. Will it catch up with the main series before it ends?

It’s gonna be close, here’s Bleach 71 as well.

Haikyu!! 17 will feature… volleyball!

ANNA: WHAT!?

MICHELLE: Who could imagine?

ASH: Incredible!

SEAN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues its road movie with a 5th Stardust Crusaders.

ANNA: Another series I am criminally far behind on.

ASH: I’ve already read Stardust Crusaders, but the new hardcover release is so nice I can’t help but double-dip.

SEAN: My Hero Academia hits Vol. 10, and should begin speeding up in the spring due to increased demand.

We are ALMOST done with Nisekoi, as its 24th volume tries to play up the “which one will he choose” one last time, even though it’s obvious.

One Piece 84 may be a very tasty volume! If nothing else, it will make you want sweets.

Seraph of the End hits lucky 13!

ANNA: Vampires woo-hoo!!!!!!

SEAN: Toriko is nearly done, but not quite, even as it gets to the big 4-0.

And everyone loves Yu-Gi-Oh! omnibuses. Here’s the 12th.

Think we’re done? Think again! Yen has its run-off from last week, starting with the 7th Aoharu x Machinegun.

Erased is in omnibus format, meaning I’m further behind than I thought. Here’s the 3rd omnibus.

ASH: The last volume was gripping; I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

SEAN: And a 4th Murcielago should appeal to Maria-sama Ga Miteru fans, so I hear… provided they’re also into gore and twisted unlikeable people.

ASH: That sounds about right.

SEAN: Prison School has an 8th omnibus out. Ash, you still reading this?

ASH: … I am behind, but yes, yes I am.

SEAN: Puella Magica Oriko Magica has a 3rd Sadness Prayer, and… they must be running out of spinoffs soon, right?

Scum’s Wish 5 will make me feel filthy and awful, and I can’t wait.

MICHELLE: I have fallen a few volumes behind on this, but I worry a marathon might cause an overdose of sordid.

SEAN: Spice & Wolf gets a 14th manga volume.

And we’re up to the 8th Taboo Tattoo.

Lastly, there’s a 4th Twinkle Stars omnibus. I seem to recall the series had an odd number of volumes. Where will it end?

MICHELLE: Yay!

ASH: I need to catch up, but I really enjoyed the first two omnibuses.

SEAN: And so another huge week comes to a close. Do you know where your manga is?

SEAN: (stares brokenly)

We’ll start off with the titles that are already out but were announced too late to be in last week’s column, which is unfortunately becoming a weekly occurrence. First off, Bookwalker debuts a new digital light novel, The Ryuo’s Work Is Never Done! This is a very popular series in Japan about a teenage shogi master who takes an elementary school girl as his apprentice. The prologue is jaw-droppingly appalling, but I am hoping for the best? Maybe?

MICHELLE: I thought I might check this out for a moment before I read some of the preview.

SEAN: Kodansha also has its digital horror debut, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die. Despite the title, not based on a light novel. It runs in Afternoon.

MICHELLE: I find this kind of intriguing, actually. It doesn’t appear gory, at least.

SEAN: Now on to next week, and it’s a killer week even based on the experience of previous killer weeks. Dark Horse gives us yet another Hatsune Miku manga spinoff with Future Delivery.

Drawn & Quarterly delights us with another Kitaro volume, Kitaro’s Strange Adventures.

ASH: Yes! I’m always looking forward to more Kitaro.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has *five* novels debuting next week, which I think may be a record for them. We have Clockwork Planet 2, Demon King Daimaou 3, Infinite Dendrogram 3, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 7.5 (no, you’re reading that right, there’s a reason for the .5), and Paying to Win in a VRMMO 5. Phew!

Kodansha also has a GIANT PILE of digital coming out. In addition to whatever new horror title they debut next week, we have All Out!! 2 (more rugby!), Beauty Bunny 2, Black Panther and Sweet 16 3, DAYS 6, DEATHTOPIA 5, Drowning Love 3, Love’s Reach 4, and Peach Heaven 8. More titles to get behind on!

MICHELLE: Dang! I’m definitely keen on several of those.

ASH: It’s great that so much digital is being released these days, but it’s so easy to loose track of what is being released (and when, apparently).

SEAN: In print, the big release next week is the Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set. If you want a new, huge, handsome version of Akira, this is the title for you. Do Millennials remember Akira?

MICHELLE: Random note: years before it became a fandom word, there was a panel of a rat in Akira who had the dialogue, “Squee.”

MJ: That rat was ahead of its time.

SEAN: Animal Land has its 2nd to last volume (13)! The last one is not yet scheduled because, well, y’know, Animal Land. But yay anyway!

ASH: I will be glad if we can actually make it to the end! The series ended up really growing on me.

SEAN: Fairy Tail has a 5th volume of its Master’s Edition, which tries to impress next to Akira’s box set but sadly comes in second. Which, well, Fairy Tail should be used to.

ASH: Ha! This probably is the edition to get for anyone starting to collect the series, though.

SEAN: Kigurumi Guardians gets a 2nd volume. The first was very… strange. I wonder what direction it will go.

MICHELLE: I need to read these!

SEAN: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime also has a 2nd manga volume, as we wait for December to see the light novel.

ASH: I found the first volume surprisingly entertaining.

SEAN: The big debut from Kodansha is To Your Eternity, the new series from the author of A Silent Voice. I’m hoping for big things! It runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine, and is far more supernatural than her prior series.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ASH: I am definitely looking forward to this one. The artwork is beautiful and the story devastating, from what I’ve heard.

MJ: Well, that sounds pretty interesting.

SEAN: Seven Seas has the first of its releases in the Devilman franchise with Devilman Grimoire. This remake of Devilman ran in Champion Red Ichigo, and all I can tell you is try not to get too attached to the characters.

ASH: That seems to be fair advice.

SEAN: There’s another omnibus of Freezing, containing Vols. 17-18..

The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil A Run has a 3rd volume of vaguely heartwarming, vaguely disquieting beauty.

MICHELLE: I am looking forward to this very, very much.

ASH: Same. The Girl from the Other Side is a tremendous series.

SEAN: Seven Seas’ big release next week (sorry, Devilman) is In This Corner of the World which is coming out as one big omnibus. Old-timers may recall that J-Manga released some of this series digitally, but here it is in print. It ran in Futabasha’s Manga Action, and is from the creator of Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms.

ASH: I’m planning on picking this one up. I actually still need to see the anime adaptation, too.

SEAN: Speaking of omnibuses, Vertical Comics has the first in their omnibus re-release of The Flowers of Evil.

And now it’s time for Yen. Amusingly, this list was originally larger – some titles are delayed due to shipping issues with the recent storms, and so be prepared for a pile of Yen every week for the next few weeks. This is a REALLY big pile even so, though.

Digital? We have you covered. There’s Corpse Princess 13 and Saki 12. There are also digital editions of Accel World and The Irregular at Magic High School’s light novels, being released in chunks to catch up ASAP. We get Accel World 1-4 and Mahouka 1-2.

On the light novel front, Yen On debuts a new series, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. This is somewhat unique as, like Psycome, it does not seem to have a manga or anime attached to it but was licensed anyway. It seems to involve time loops – which we know Western fans LOVE after Endless Eight.

ASH: Say that again?

SEAN: On the light novel front, Yen On debuts a new series, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. This is somewhat unique as, like Psycome, it does not seem to have a manga or anime attached to it but was licensed anyway. It seems to involve time loops – which we know Western fans LOVE after Endless Eight.

There’s also a 4th DanMachi: Sword Oratoria, 9th Log Horizon, 5th (and penultimate) Psycome, and 5th Re: Zero.

Debuts from Yen Press next week are Gabriel Dropout, a Dengeki Daioh comedy about Angels down on Earth, Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia (Masou Gakuen HxH), which is another very ecchi title set at a magical school, based on a light novel (which Yen doesn’t have). There’s also a new spinoff debuting with Danmachi: Sword Oratoria’s manga debuting.

Ending next week is The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan with its 10th volume. You can see what I said about this in my review here.

The rest we’ll divide into two: manga based on light novels and manga that is not. For the former, we have the 11th A Certain Magical Index; 2nd Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash; 4th Overlord; two Re: Zero volumes with the 3rd volume of the 2nd arc and the first volume of the 3rd arc; and the 4th in the Sword Art Online spinoff Girls’ Ops.

We also have a 12th Akame Ga KILL!, a 24th Black Butler, the 9th Horimiya, the 2nd Sekirei omnibus (in print), and the 14th Triage X.

MICHELLE: I’ll always appreciate more Horimiya!

ASH: It’s such a great series.

SEAN: And there is the 6th Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, which I love so much it gets kudos away from the group.

Lastly, there’s another Soul Eater artbook, imaginatively called Soul Eater: Soul Art 2.

I compressed this list a lot, and it still looks long. And remember, Yen delayed 9 titles to the week after! What are you getting next week?

SEAN: Honestly, thanks to Kodansha’s digital push, there are not even any medium weeks anymore. Every week is huge. Forever! Good news for manga fans, bad news for budgets.

ASH: So true!

SEAN: Dark Horse has the 3rd Hatsune Miku:Rin-chan Now!, theoretically: the title’s been bumped 3 weeks in a row.

ASH: That’s not nearly as timely as the title might suggest.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a great deal out next week. We get the third volume of If It’s For My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord, which remains heartwarming and family-oriented… FOR NOW. (ominous thunder)

The polarizing light novel In Another World With My Smartphone just finished a polarizing anime just in time for Vol. 5. I’m hoping it stays laid-back and ridiculous.

And we’re almost done with My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World with the penultimate book, Vol. 6.

As you can guess, there’s a lot of Kodansha. Princess Resurrection has its 19th volume, on the Del Rey rescue front.

On the print front, we see a 3rd Aho-Girl, a 7th Heroic Legend of Arslan, a 3rd Land of the Lustrous (now with an anime), a 2nd Love & Lies, and a 2nd Toppu GP, for all your motocross needs.

MICHELLE: In real life, I’ve no interest in motocross, but Kate’s review convinced me I would probably enjoy Toppu GP. I’ll check it out soon, hopefully.

ANNA: It does sound interesting!

ASH: I need to catch up on so many of these!

SEAN: The print “debut” is Fairy Tail S, which collects some of the special “omake” chapters that have been released over the course of the series. Expect a lot of fanservice, meaning both nudity *and* ‘shout outs to fans”.

On the digital front, first off, Cosplay Animal 2 apparently came out already, though is not at all major online places. Next week, we have the 5th Altair: A Record of Battles, the 2nd Grand Blue Dreaming, the 4th Kounodori: Dr. Stork, the 5th Real Girl,, the 2nd Shojo Fight!, and the 4th Tsuredure Children.

MICHELLE: Yay for more Shojo Fight! Not that I’ve been able to read the first one yet…

ANNA: So behind, I bought the first couple volumes of Altair but haven’t read it yet. Maybe too much digital????

SEAN: There will also be a horror manga being debuted by Kodansha, but we don’t know what it is yet. Be prepared!

ASH: Always prepared for more horror manga.

SEAN: One Peace has everyone’s favorite girl and bear manga, Kuma Miko. This is the 6th volume.

Seven Seas has a plethora of titles as well. There’s a 2nd Alice & Zoroku, the third volume of Hatsune Miku spinoff Bad End Night, the 6th Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation (always #1 on lists of “where is the light novel this was adapted from?), and a 4th Please Tell Me, Galko-chan!. That’s… quite a variety of genres there.

Their debut is Yokai Rental Shop (Yokai Nii-san), whose description makes it sound like xxxHOLIC with a gender-reversed Yuko. It runs in Square Enix’s GFantasy, and I think is that rare Seven Seas title that Michelle and MJwill want to check out.

MICHELLE: Interesting! I had been curious about the creator’s other licensed series, Nightmare Inspector, but never read any of it.

ASH: I’m very excited for this one; I really liked Nightmare Inspector!

MJ: Oooooooh, honestly I’ll check out anything from GFantasy. Okay, Seven Seas, you have intrigued me!

SEAN: The title that interests me the most this week is from Vertical Comics, who are debuting a manga series written by NISIOISIN. Imperfect Girl (Shoujo Fujuubun). Like a lot of Nisio titles, it has a supernatural bent, a twisted female lead, and lots of talking. The artist will also be familiar to North American readers for the series Sankarea. This series ran for 3 volumes in Young Magazine, so should be nice and compact.

ANNA: I’m cautiously intrigued.

ASH: I’m also rather curious about this one.

SEAN: Lastly, Viz has some digital-only titles as well, with the 3rd élDLIVE and the 2nd The Emperor and I.

Any of this interest you? Or are you saving up for MANGAGEDDON the week after next?

SEAN: There’s a little something for everyone next week, though let’s start with something announced too late to be on last week’s list.

Kodansha continues to defy me, so their new digital release is already out: Kokkoku: Moment by Moment, an award-nominated thriller that ran in Morning Two. Seems to feature time stopping?

MICHELLE: This one looks pretty interesting!

MJ: This is the one thing on this week’s list that possibly interests me.

ANNA: I agree, I am intrigued by this title.

ASH: It does seem to have great potential!

SEAN: In titles actually out next week, J-Novel Club has the 4th volume of the runaway hit (at least comparatively) How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom.

Back to Kodansha, which has a whole pile of ongoing digital: new volumes of Hotaru’s Way (4), House of the Sun (8), Kasane (6), and Peach Heaven (7).

MICHELLE: I am slowly working through House of the Sun and it’s growing on me.

SEAN: They’ve also got some ongoing print, with a new Inuyashiki (9) and Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai (3).

ASH: I’ve fallen behind on both of these series, but I did get a kick out of the first volume of Nekogahara.

SEAN: Their new digital release next week is Until Your Bones Rot (Hone ga Kusaru Made), a disturbing series that was originally run on MangaBox. Seems to be horror?

ASH: I’m always ready for more good horror manga.

SEAN: One Peace has a 9th volume of The Rise of the Shield Hero. Will his fall come soon?

Seven Seas gives us a 2nd Beasts of Abigaile, whose first volume I seem to recall I found intriguing, and a 3rd Ghost Diary, which I found slightly less intriguing.

ANNA: I liked the first volume of Beasts of Abigaile and will check out the second. It is fluffy paranormal reverse harem fun!

SEAN: Their debut is another in the Hatsune Miku franchise, called Hachune Miku’s Everyday Vocaloid Paradise. As astute readers might guess by the ‘chu’, it’s a superdeformed comedy title.

Titan has the 2nd, and I believe final, volume of Assassin’s Creed: Awakening.

ASH: It is the conclusion, which surprises me a little; there’s a lot to tie up from the first volume!

Vertical gives us a semi-spinoff of Nichijou, Helvetica Standard, which comes in two volumes. The first, Bold, debuts next week. It seems to be part artbook, part spinoff, part other?

Viz has a 19th Terra Formars, as well as a 9th Ultraman.

And they also debut Tokyo Ghoul: re, which as far as I can tell is more of a continuation of Tokyo Ghoul than a sequel.

So wassamotta for you this week?