manga the week of

SEAN: Abandon hope all ye who enter here.

ASH: Deep breaths!

SEAN: Kodansha starts things off with an 8th volume of Kiss Him, Not Me!

ASH: It has its problems, but I’m still enjoying this series.

SEAN: One Peace gives us a 2nd volume of Kuma Miko, which I hope is a bit more strange and cute and not strange and creepy.

ANNA: I have the first volume of this, I need to read it.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a 2nd volume of Lord Marksman and Vanadis, in which, hopefully, the village is saved? Or not, it could be a much darker sort of story.

At last, one year after the release of the chronological prequel Kizumonogatari comes the book that started it all. Bakemonogatari is being published by Vertical in 3 parts, fitting the Japanese re-release, and the first one contains Hitagi Crab and Mayoi Snail. If you love complicated prose, glorious dialogue, and the supernatural, you’ll love this.

MJ: I possibly should take a look at this.

SEAN: And Vertical also has the final Chi’s Sweet Home omnibus. Bye, Chi!

Viz has a 12th volume of Afterschool Charisma, reminding you that the SigIkki brand remains awesome.

MICHELLE: I believe this is the final volume, as well.

ASH: I really need to catch up!

ANNA: Me too! I need to wait for a sale or something and fill in my collection.

SEAN: Gangsta: Cursed is a prequel to the main series with the same writer but a different artist. It runs in the wonderfully named Go Go Bunch.

ASH: I’m looking forward to this.

ANNA: I am too, but I like the main series art so much!

SEAN: Viz also has a 4th omnibus of the cheerful and innocent fantasia Goodnight Punpun.

ASH: Very cheerful! Very innocent!

MICHELLE: *is not fooled*

SEAN: Master Keaton has a 9th volume, reminding me it was quite a long series.

ASH: I actually didn’t realize how long a series it was.

SEAN: And even though Amazon isn’t listing it for some odd reason, there’s a 10th Tokyo Ghoul.

The big Viz release, in more ways than one, is Tomie: The Complete Collection, a 750-page hardcover containing all of his classic horror story. If you love getting scared witless, try this book.

ASH: I love Viz’s Junji Ito releases, so I’m definitely picking this up (even though I also have the ancient Dark Horse edition).

MJ: I love getting scared witless!

SEAN: I always forget to mention Yo-kai Watch when it comes out, so this is me correcting that, as Viz has Vol. 6 of it.

And now it’s time for Yen, but stay comfortable, we’ll be here for a while. There are new digital volumes of Aoharu x Machinegun (7), Black Detective (7), Saki (7), and Corpse Princess (…8, goddamn you).

ASH: Saki!

MJ: Always love Saki!

SEAN: There are also old Yen Press releases from way in the past getting shiny new digital releases! With the Light, Yen Press’s first ever title. Dragon Girl, a fun shoujo omnibus. And Sundome, which was Flowers of Evil before it was cool. All are worth a look.

Yen On has a record number of novels out this month. Accel World’s 8th volume may finally finish this arc, perhaps? Will Takumu turn evil? Probably not.

The Asterisk War 2 continues to have magical school antics.

Baccano! Vol. 3 has the back half of the 1931 Flying Pussyfoot story, focusing on different characters as well as showing us where the heck Ladd went.

MICHELLE: Someday I really will try out this series, even though light novels are not usually my thing.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to try it out, too.

SEAN: Black Bullet 5 has the start of what I’ve heard called the “NTR” arc, a phrase that always makes me groan. We’ll see.

The Devil Is A Part-Timer! 6 apparently gets us back to the part-time work.

The debut this month is Goblin Slayer, which takes place in a fantasy world but strangely has no one come into it from another world. How weird.

The 3rd Irregular at Magic High School novel is the start of a 2-volume arc about the school Sports Festival, which uses magic. Don’t get it confused with November’s A Certain Magical Index, the start of a 2-volume arc about the school Sports Festival, which uses magic.

The 7th Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? novel is HUGE, much bigger than the other books. Set aside time for it.

After what seems like ages, the 5th No Game No Life volume is upon us. Can it live up to the wait?

Sword Art Online seemed to only two one to two arcs before this, but not anymore. The 9th book is the first in a 10-VOLUME arc. Are you prepared for this much Kirito?

And now we finally get to Yen’s manga deliveries. Akame Ga KILL! ZERO has a 4th volume, or should that be FOURTH! VOLUME.

Aoharu x Machinegun has a 2nd print volume. More fake gun battles, I assume?

The first of Yen’s debuts this month is Bungo Stray Dogs, which has supernatural powers, a detective agency, and I suspect a lot of pretty young men.

ASH: I’m actually really looking forward to this series! Supernatural, bishonen versions of some of Japan’s literary greats? Count me in.

MJ: Sounds great!

SEAN: We also have The Case Study of Vanitas, which has – you guessed it – vampires, and is by the author of Pandora Hearts.

MJ: Okay, so I know you’re all looking at me here. I checked out the first volume and wasn’t immediately drawn in as I had hoped, but I’ll give it some time to charm me.

SEAN: Fruits Basket Collector’s Edition 8 has the comedic highlight of the entire series.

MICHELLE: These volumes multiply so quickly!

MJ: Hurray, hurray!

SEAN: GA Art Design Class has its 7th and final volume. I know most fans here preferred Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, but I always loved this series’ focus on art and cute girls.

He’s My Only Vampire has a 9th volume.

MICHELLE: I’m a bit bummed this has gone downhill quality-wise, but I’ll probably still finish it.

SEAN: The Honor Student at Magic High School has caught up with the novels, meaning it too is starting the Sports Festival.

Just as GA Art Design Class ends, Kiniro Mosaic begins. It’s also got cute girls, and while it may lack art school, it makes up for in yuri tease. (Which GA Art Design Class also had, to be honest.)

The 3rd My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected manga still has a long title.

There’s more Of the Red, the Light and the Ayakashi with a 5th volume. Is it halfway through adapting the game yet?

MICHELLE: I’ll be reading this one.

SEAN: Overlord also has a 3rd volume of the manga adaptation.

And Strike the Blood has a 5th manga adaptation. Expect novels from those last two in January.

Ubel Blatt’s 7th omnibus takes us to the 15th volume of the Japanese release, in case you’ve gotten lost.

Lastly, there’s a 4th omnibus of cycling manga Yowamushi Pedal.

MICHELLE: Yay! Oh sports manga, how I adore you.

ASH: Yes, yes, yes!

ANNA: I have not read this yet! Someday!!!!

SEAN: And we’re done. At last. Good God. What’re you getting from this morass?

SEAN: Another week before Christmas, another 15-odd titles due out. Let’s break it down.

Dark Horse has an 11th New Lone Wolf and Cub. Will it one day pass its predecessor? Actually no, as this is the final volume.

For the most part, Amazon dates on DMP have been so inaccurate lately I haven’t bothered to mention them, which is likely how I missed that the 4th Border volume came out.

MICHELLE: I have the first couple of volumes of this, but never got around to actually reading them.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has two new releases. The first is actually highly anticipated, as I assumed that Yen would be picking it up (they got the manga instead). Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is one of those “transported to another world” books, but is quite popular and has an anime already, so I’ll give it a shot.

The other new series is My Little Sister Can Read Kanji, apparently a broad comedic take on the moe-ing of Japan, which is a surprising license simply due to the fact that the premise revolves around kanji. Interested in how this is adapted more than anything else.

ASH: Kanji, huh? That could be interesting.

SEAN: Kodansha has a 9th volume of what is easily the most popular of its Attack on Titan spinoffs, Before the Fall.

ASH: Currently my personal favorite is Lost Girls, but Before the Fall has its moments.

SEAN: Complex Age continues to balance fun cosplay and anime references with a more serious take on “being an adult”, and I can’t wait for its third volume.

MICHELLE: Ooh, yay!

ASH: Complex Age is a great series.

ANNA: I need to get caught up with Volume 2!

SEAN: And Fairy Tail gets a 3rd giant Master’s Edition mega-omnibus.

Spoof on Titan – famous for being the less insane of the two parody spinoffs – comes to an end with its 2nd volume, which feels about right.

ASH: I found it to be a surprisingly fun series, but I agree that two volumes seems about the right length.

SEAN: Seven Seas has some new stuff as well, starting with a 4th volume of 12 Beast.

NTR – Netsuzou Trap has enough of an audience that it’s getting an anime. I suspect it is 99% male, though, and I’d put quote marks around “yuri” for its 2nd volume.

And there’s an 8th volume of Servamp. (Please insert vampire joke here – The Management)

SuBLime has a 6th volume of Love Stage!!.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Love Stage!! a try. Guess I have some catching up to do!

SEAN: Vertical’s re-release of BLAME! is not only handsome but also HUGE. Leave space on the shelf for it.

MICHELLE: I should probably get these.

ANNA: I am pondering this.

SEAN: Viz gives us a 19th Itsuwaribito, which I wish I had anything to say about give it’s run so long.

And a 21st Magi, which I will always have things to say about, as it’s fantastic.

MICHELLE: Also, yay!

ASH: I’ve finally picked up a few volumes of Magi! (I still need to actually read them, though…)

ANNA: Me too. My winter vacation reading goals revolve around Magi and some other languishing series.

MICHELLE: Same here. You might be happy to hear, Anna, that this includes One-Punch Man!

ANNA: I have a mini stack of One-Punch Man too! Looking forward to all the punching!

SEAN: There’s also a 5th Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter.

ASH: I actually completely forgot about the Monster Hunter manga, but I did enjoy some of the original games.

SEAN: Lastly, an old release now available for the first time digitally, as Yen On is putting out Spice & Wolf’s light novels, starting with Vol. 1 this week.

Is this enough? Do you need more? (Don’t worry, the week after next has you covered.)

SEAN: Will December set a record for most titled released? We shall see. It’s off to a good start next week…

Bruno Gmuender continues to fulfill its niche of manly gay manga with the release of The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

ASH: It’s the second collection in English by Mentaiko Itto whose Priapus was highly entertaining, so I’m looking forward to it!

SEAN: Kodansha gives us another Fairy Tail spinoff, this one focusing on the Twin Dragons of Saber Tooth (note: not actual dragons).

And there’s a 6th volume of Maga-Tsuki.

Seven Seas has a 3rd volume of Masamune’s Revenge, which I still continue to vaguely be interested in despite itself.

And Monster Musume has reached double digits. Rejoice, monster girl fans!

There’s also a 3rd The Other Side of Secret, which is… let’s move on!

ASH: Usually there’s at least one Kodansha or Seven Seas manga that I’m particularly interested in but, alas, not this week.

SEAN: Udon fell behind a bit with Persona 4, so to make up for it they’re releasing both Vol. 4 and 5 next week.

ASH: Looks like I’ve got some catching up to do as well then.

SEAN: And Vertical has the fourth volume of Devil’s Line, which continues to be Devil Fine. (You know I’m tired when I’m making Medaka Box jokes in this list.)

And so we come to Viz. Assassination Classroom’s 13th volume should resolve the students’ current battle, and hopefully also Irina’s tortured emotions.

I’ve given in and admitted I simply like Black Clover, even though it is hilarious in its thefts of other manga. Looking forward to Vol. 4.

ANNA: I read volume 1 and then fell behind. Looks like I should try to catch up.

SEAN: Bloody Mary’s 5th volume is also out next week.

ANNA: VAMPIRES AND ANGST!

Catching up with Blue Exorcist means I always feel it’s been forever since the last volume, even though it’s only been since May. Here’s Vol. 16.

Everyone’s Getting Married hits its third volume, and it has been brought to my attention that in fact very few people are getting married at all.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ANNA: No surprise, I enjoy this josei manga.

SEAN: Food Wars! has a 15th chance to make us really hungry. It’s worked every volume so far.

Haikyu!!, meanwhile, just uses its 6th volume to make us so happy we are in a sports manga renaissance here in North America. (Meaning there’s more than one at one time.)

An here’s the other one, with a 3rd omnibus of Kuroko’s Basketball.

MICHELLE: *sighs happy sigh* I love all three of these.

ASH: I actually still need to read Kuroko’s Basketball, but I am really enjoying Food Wars! and Haikyuu!!.

ANNA: I enjoy Kuroko’s Basketball and Haikyuu!! very much.

SEAN: For Naruto fans, we get the 2nd part of the Itachi’s Story novel.

And an 18th One Piece 3-in-1, which wraps up Brook’s introductory arc.

Somehow So Cute It Hurts!!!!!!!!!! has reached 10 volumes as well. Have some exclamation marks to celebrate.

MICHELLE: *snerk*

SEAN: And Stan Lee’s collaboration with Japan, Ultimo, comes to an end with its 12th volume.

Finally, there is a 3rd volume of the wonderful shoujo series Yona of the Dawn.

MICHELLE: Yay! I’m really looking forward to this.

ASH: Same!

ANNA: Very excited!!!!

SEAN: And this is only the first week? Who knows what the rest of December will hold? What are you getting?

SEAN: You know, for a 5th week of the month, there sure is a ton of stuff next week. Sheesh.

ASH: Woo!

Dark Horse gives us the third Dangan Ronpa volume, as the class continues to choose between hope, despair, or being violently killed.

And there’s a 5th Oh My Goddess omnibus, warring with Dragon Ball for most re-releases.

J-Novel Club is a new publisher of Japanese light novels, digital only, and they’ve finished three volumes that are scheduled to drop next week. Brave Chronicle (Kimi kara Uketsugu Brave Chronicle) is actually finished in one volume, and combines magic school, childhood friends, lots of action, etc.

More obviously light novel-ey is My Sister Lives in a Fantasy World (Nee-chan wa Chuunibyou), a series about a boy who gains certain powers and his overenthusiastic little sister. It’s 7+ volumes in Japan.

And Occultic;Nine is the most familiar title, as it has an anime currently out, and should also be familiar with punctuation haters everywhere as the successor to Steins;Gate, Chaos;Head, etc.

Kodansha has five new releases this week. They say it’s six, but they still maintain that Animal Land 11 is actually coming out this time, and a ha ha ha, you can’t fool me again. Animal Land is a myth.

ASH: Animal Land? It has been a while!

SEAN: Fairy Tail 57. GAJEVY! GAJEEEVVVYYYY!!! That is all.

The second volume of Happiness will likely be as ironically titled as the first one was.

ASH: Most likely.

SEAN: The Seven Deadly Sins has its 17th volume.

And there’s a 3rd Sweetness and Lightning, which so far has leaned on the sweetness.

ASH: I am really enjoying Sweetness and Lightning so far.

SEAN: We also have a 2nd volume of Welcome to the Ballroom, which I hope will be as dynamic and exciting as the first was.

MICHELLE: I’m really looking forward to this one, and will be picking up Sweetness, too.

ANNA: I am also very much looking forward to Welcome to the Ballroom.

SEAN: The 14th volume of Haganai from Seven Seas continues to move towards a potential breaking point with the Neighbors club.

Holy Corpse Rising is a new series from the creator of Ninja Girls, and combines… I know this will shock you for a Seven Seas release… fantasy and fanservice.

ASH: I don’t know much about the series, but the cover art is striking.

Vertical; has an 11th volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday?, which is good, as I wondered what might get Pick of the Week at this rate.

MICHELLE: Heh. I will say I’m looking forward to Ballroom nearly as much.

MJ: Yoshinaga always has an edge where I’m concerned. You know I’ll be getting this.

ASH: I’m still so happy this series is being translated!

SEAN: Yen Press has new digital volumes! All Volume 7s for Aphorism, Crimson Prince, and Sekirei.

They also have some volumes left over from this week’s pile, as apparently there was too much so some got moved to next week. Anne Happy continues to try to rely solely on pluck with its third volume.

Dragons Rioting gives us a 5th volume.

And there’s a 5th Prison School omnibus.

ASH: I’m actually still reading this.

Scumbag Loser is a giant done-in-one omnibus of three volumes, and sounds intriguing, if you can get past the title and cover art, which I suspect most won’t. The author is also known for Tomodachi Game, a survival game manga.

MICHELLE: I’m taking a pass on Scumbag. That sort of creepy losery protagonist just doesn’t appeal to me. Like I’ll Give It My All… Tomorrow, for example.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: And Sword Art Online gives us MORE DEBAN! with a third volume of spinoff Girls’ Ops.

As I said, that’s quite a lot. Anything for you?

SEAN: Are you giving thanks for so much manga? Hope so, as there is SO MUCH.

MICHELLE: It’s a cornucopia!

ASH: I always give thanks for manga!

SEAN: Kodansha has a bunch of stuff. A 5th Forget Me Not should please romance fans.

Their debut this week is In/Spectre, a yokai manga from Shonen Magazine R (the 2nd season of Shonen Magazine?) which is by the author of Spiral.

ASH: Yokai, you say? Then I’m in!

MJ: Hmmmm, maybe me too.

SEAN: The Prince and His Dark Days has a 2nd volume, which I’m hoping is a bit less Dark Days, to be honest.

ASH: It does seem to be an aptly named series.

SEAN: Real Account has its 5th volume – though technically this is the third volume of Real Account II. The distinction is something no one would ever notice, but that’s why I’m here.

ASH: Huh. I was unaware.

SEAN: Lastly, a third volume of Tsubasa World Chronicle, which I haven’t tried yet. Have Michelle or MJ?

MICHELLE: Nope.

ANNA: I am saddened by how indifferent I am to CLAMP when I used to love them so much.

MJ: I haven’t, which surprises me more than anyone, honestly.

SEAN: One Peace has a 6th novel of Rise of the Shield Hero. I would think he’d have risen by now – even Christ only took 3 days.

Seven Seas gives us a 5th and mercifully final omnibus of I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!!.

Magia the Ninth is their first debut, another Gene Pixiv title (which I think is Media Factory’s equivalent to Zero-Sum or Wings), from the creator of Black Bard. The plot is essentially “classical music composers hunt demons”.

ASH: Okay, I can’t help it, I really want to read this series. And I did rather enjoy Black Bard.

MJ: Sean knows he can get my attention by invoking the names “Zero-Sum” and “Wings.” So. Yes.

SEAN: In case you worried there were no monster girls this week, well, there’s monster guys, as we get a 5th Merman in My Tub.

The other debut is Please Tell Me, Galko-chan!, a comedy title that runs on the Comic Walker website. It seems to involve a blunt girl and her friends.

ASH: I’ve heard good things and so am curious.

ANNA: I enjoy blunt girls and friends.

SEAN: And the title that always gets me mixed up, The Testament of Sister New Devil, has a 4th volume.

Vertical has another spinoff novel in the Attack on Titan series, called The End of the World. It’s a novelization of the live-action movie.

And there’s a 3rd volume of To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts.

The rest is Yen, though it’s not even all of Yen – they pushed a few titles back to the week after next. For Yen On, we have a 3rd volume of The Isolator, the dark thriller from the creator of Sword Art Online.

Black Butler is still popular, I hear, even in these days of Monster Girls. Vol. 23 is out next week.

And popular as well is BTOOOM! 15, which may never really surpass that whole ‘bomb bounces off the boob’ scene that is the only reason anyone remembers it.

Corpse Party: Blood Covered has a 3rd omnibus of, well, blood and corpses, no doubt.

Fruits Basket has a 7th omnibus, as past traumas collide with present abuse to hopefully lead to future healing.

MICHELLE: Seven volumes already!

ANNA: Yay for healing and Fruits Basket!

MJ: This, always!

SEAN: There’s a 6th volume of the Danmachi manga, aka Is It Wrong To etc etc etc.

And a 6th Karneval omnibus as well.

Another title better known by its fan nickname, Konosuba: God’s Blessings on This Wonderful World! *still* ends up being a mouthful to say. It’s a parody of ‘guy ends up in fantasy game world’ titles, is based on the light novel due out here next year, and runs in Dragon Age, which means it must have fanservice.

Always welcome on my shelves, we have a 5th volume of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, which means more hilarious tsukkomi faces.

MICHELLE: I recently watched some of the anime on Crunchyroll. It’s pretty great!

ASH: YESSS!!! (I love this series so much.)

ANNA: Woo hoo!

SEAN: There’s a 9th volume of the Watamote manga, aka No Matter How I Look etc etc etc.

Madoka Magica now has spinoffs or spinoffs, as the Oriko Magica spinoff gets a new side-story, Sadness Prayer. Given it’s Madoka Magica, I think sadness is guaranteed.

Rose Guns Days begins its Season 2 arc. Will Rose be able to get by without Leo?

School-Live! has a 5th volume of friendship and zombies.

I always love it when a title and its volume match. Have Trinity Seven Vol. 7.

Yen’s big debut is another title from Natsuki Takaya, creator of Fruits Basket. Back in the day, there was thought to be a licensing war over this series, but nothing came of it. Now we get Twinkle Stars in omnibus format. It’s about half the size of Fruits Basket, but has the same amount of drama.

MICHELLE: I’m so happy about this. I read the Australian editions of the first two volumes back in the day, but they were pricey to import. My plan to buy and painstakingly read the French editions did not get far.

ANNA: Officially on my holiday wishlist!

MELNDA: This, this, this.

SEAN: Lastly, we have a lucky 13th omnibus of Until Death Do Us Part, which is also the final volume.

Full of turkey? Or full of manga?

SEAN: Life goes on. Somehow. And so does manga. Let’s see what’s coming out next week.

MICHELLE: *heavy sigh*

SEAN: Haikasoru has the 3rd volume of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, as a corrupt democracy battles a fascist dictatorship, with a third party making money off of both of them. Insert dark joke here.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: Eyup.

ANNA: Sounds like a good time for me to finally pick this up.

SEAN: Kodansha gives us the 4th and final volume of Livingstone.

ASH: Intriguing premise with a somewhat uneven execution, but I’m still interested in seeing how it ends.

SEAN: And the 11th Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, which many thought would be the final volume, but… it isn’t.

ASH: Already the series has had some good stopping points. I do enjoy the manga, but I also wonder how long it can be stretched.

SEAN: Vertical has the second to last Tokyo ESP.

Do you like Gundam? Do you like serious, hardboiled, probably depressing Gundam? By the creator of the tragically unlicensed Moonlight Mile? You will love Viz’s debut of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, then. Plus it ran in Big Comic Superior. Do you know how often that magazine gets a license? Never, that’s how often.

ANNA: I do like Gundam in general, but am not sure I am in the mood for depressing Gundam.

SEAN: Viz also has our yearly release of Ooku, with its 12th volume. If you like digital manga, Ooku 1-12 are also available digitally for the first time next week!

MICHELLE: Commence Kermit flail.

ASH: Always glad to see more of this series!

ANNA: EEEEEE!

MJ: Yes!

SEAN: And there’s a 6th and final volume of Sunny, probably my favorite Taiyo Matsumoto manga to date, even though I’ve fallen way behind on it.

MICHELLE: As have I.

ASH: It is a very good series.

SEAN: Terra Formars continues to be a resounding success despite all my best efforts. Here’s the 15th volume.

And Ultraman’s 6th volume is ultra good. (Sorry, witty comments are thin on the ground today.)

And Yen On has most of its November releases ship next week (one was moved to the week after), starting with the 9th volume of A Certain Magical Index. What happens when you combine science, magic, a citywide athletics festival, and a terrorist attack? If you guessed “shenanigans”, you win.

Durarara!! has a 5th volume that starts up a new story arc, as Izaya gets revenge for the lack of hotpot invites, and Mikado learns that running a “colorless” gang is not as easy as he thinks.

Log Horizon’s 6th volume is focused on Akatsuki, who finds her skills hitting a wall and her relationship with Shiroe doing much the same.

And lastly, another volume of Re: Zero, where we see if our hero can survive the next day, or if he keeps getting horribly murdered.

Take your mind off things. Read manga!

SEAN: November continues to give us lots of manga, with something for everyone next week.

Dark Horse has Psycho Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami, a prequel to the popular anime series detailing the main character’s days as an Inspector.

Kodansha gives us Fire Force, from the creator of Soul Eater. It’s about demons causing people to catch fire, and a boy with special powers who joins the fire brigade to help. I look forward to the art if nothing else.

ASH: Looks like it could be fun.

SEAN: Did you enjoy Parasyte? Did you want more from this world, possibly from different creators? Then get ready for Neo Parasyte f, an anthology that collects all sorts of Parasyte-related stories from creators like Kaori Yuki (Godchild), Ema Toyama (Missions of Love), and Yuri Narushima (Planet Ladder).

ASH: I am incredibly excited for this anthology! Asumiko Nakamura (Utsubora, Doukyusei) is a contributor, too.

SEAN: There’s a 3rd omnibus of Princess Jellyfish, as they continue to try to save the apartment complex.

MICHELLE: This is already in my Amazon cart!

ASH: Still incredibly happy this series is getting a print release!

ANNA: I need to put it in my Amazon cart!

SEAN: And a 9th UQ Holder, which finally gave up and subtitled itself Negima 2 in Japan.

I find it hard to believe A Centaur’s Life has reached double digits, but there we are. Seven Seas releases Vol. 10 next week.

And there’s an 11th Devils And Realist, which is less hard to believe.

There’s a new series debuting called Re: Monster, with a fantasy world and reincarnation and a male hero who amasses a harem of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

And a third volume of Shomin Sample, which has only its snarky hero to save it from oblivion.

SuBLime has a 2nd volume of Ten Count, which is still not about boxing, but it does have guys pulling off their shirts. Or possibly eating their shirts.

ASH: Nope, not about boxing. But I did find the first volume compelling.

ANNA: I think I have the first volume stashed somewhere, I need to read it!

SEAN: Vertical gives us the 3rd Seraph of the End novel, a prequel to the Viz manga.

Ranma 1/2 is starting to wrap up, but isn’t quite there yet. Here’s the 17th omnibus.

And a new Requiem of the Rose King, in which I expect Richard to be absolutely terrible, but in a very shoujo way.

MJ: Finally, something for me to get excited about. This is a series I still love.

MICHELLE: Me, too. And I like the cover very much, too.

ASH: I also love this Shakespearean reimagining. All of the covers have been excellent, and Kanno’s interior artwork is wonderfully moody, too!

ANNA: Add me to the list of people who love this series.

SEAN: There’s a new volume of Rin-Ne (the 22nd), though honestly you could swap it with any of the last 15 volumes and the content would be about the same.

MICHELLE: I missed some of the middle teens, but I have a few of the more recent volumes that I plan to read in the near future. Sometimes I appreciate a series where it isn’t necessary to read every volume in order to follow what’s going on in the present.

SEAN: And it’s been a while, but here’s the 9th volume of Tiger & Bunny.

Lastly, Yen released a numbered edition of this last month, but this month comes the mainstream release of Spice & Wolf: The Anniversary Collector’s Edition. This almost-1000 page hardcover collects all 17 Spice & Wolf novels to date, and looks like a Complete Works of Shakespeare. A must for S&W fans, though I myself will be waiting for the digital release that is apparently coming soon.

ASH: That does sound impressive!

SEAN: As I said, something for everyone. But is there something for you?

SEAN: Not only are there no small weeks anymore, there are no medium weeks. Only large weeks forever, with piles and piles of new manga.

MICHELLE: I can’t be sad about this, though I’ll forever mourn the titles that got cancelled when the first bubble burst.

ASH: True, true.

SEAN: We start with something that is not technically manga, but certainly has a manga style and audience. The second omnibus of the Megatokyo webcomic is out, collecting Vol. 4-6 of the Hunter x Hunter of North America. This catches up with the released volumes, I believe.

Kodansha has 6 new titles this week, starting with Cells at Work!, a cute new series which combines educational biology, amusing comedy, and action movie. I already reviewed the first volume, and found it quite enjoyable.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one!

ASH: I’m rather curious about it, myself.

MJ: This sounds pretty cool!

ANNA: It does sound intriguing.

SEAN: Devil Survivor comes to an end with its 8th and final volume.

I may be forced to endure far too many Monster Girl series these days, but at least some of them are cute and fluffy rather than softcore porn. Interviews with Monster Girls is one of the former, a sweet series about a teacher taking interest in the “demihumans” in his school.

ASH: It’s interesting to see publishers other than Seven Seas taking on the trend.

SEAN: It has been over 6 months since I last enjoyed the glorious trash that is Missions of Love. Here’s Vol. 13, and it can’t come fast enough. How will everyone be horrible this time?

ASH: I’ll admit, I actually do read and enjoy this series.

And there’s a 2nd volume of That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! (The doggone wolf-boy is mine?)

MICHELLE: I think of that song EVERY SINGLE TIME!

ASH: The first volume, while certainly not breaking any new ground, was still enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading more.

SEAN: Lastly (for Kodansha), Your Lie in April reaches its 2nd to last volume. Will it all end happily ever after? (Spoiler: no.)

Seven Seas gives us a 3rd volume of the violent and grotesque Hour of the Zombie.

And just when you thought monster girl manga could not get sillier, there’s My Girlfriend is a T-Rex. No, really. It runs in Media Factory’s Gene Pixiv, which I guess cultivates artists from the popular Japanese art platform.

Vertical gives us a 5th Nichijou, which had better have more Mai this time around.

And the rest is mostly Viz, but that doesn’t mean we’re near done. Bleach has a 68th volume, and still has a few more to go after that, despite being finished in Japan.

And if you missed Bleach, or just want to relive its glory days, read the 17th omnibus, which shows those days had already passed by that point.

Dragon Ball Full Color Freeza Arc 4! Buy it again! And again! And Again!

And if that wasn’t enough exclamation marks for you, here’s Haikyu!! 5.

MICHELLE: Huzzah!

ASH: Yay!!

ANNA: WOO HOO!

SEAN: Rejoice, for the JoJo’s hardcovers continue! This is Stardust Crusaders, which some may have read when Viz brought it over years ago, but which many may have missed (including me). Now it’s here in hardcover deluxe editions.

ASH: I’m double-dipping on this. The hardcovers are beautiful.

ANNA: I’m behind on my Jojo reading, I’m glad Viz continues to put out these editions.

SEAN: And if you loved The Legend of Zelda manga, Viz is starting to re-release that as well, in a Legendary Edition.

Maid-sama! has a 6th 2-in-1, as it tries to explain Usui’s backstory while still letting him tease Misaki mercilessly, because really we read this for her blushing and yelling, right?

MICHELLE: I do like getting more information about him.

ANNA: The yelling is always a highlight.

SEAN: And My Hero Academia’s 6th volume should be starting up a new arc.

Viz decides to skip the Naruto novel about Hinata’s wedding prep, possibly to pacify fans, and instead will release the first volume of Itachi’s Story.

And Nisekoi gets an 18th volume. Will it start to wrap things up?

One Piece has 80 volumes. Eighty. That’s as many as eight tens. And that’s wonderful.

One-Punch Man’s 9th volume. Less volumes, but lots of punching.

ASH: One-Punch Man is still a lot of fun.

MJ: Always ready for this.

ANNA: I’m behind as always but happy for the punching.

SEAN: A 21st volume of Oresama Teacher means I will definitely have something for my Pick of the Week.

ANNA: This is my regular reminder that I need to catch up on this series.

SEAN: Shuriken and Pleats ends with its 2nd volume, and Hino heads back towards vampires, which are apparently better than ninjas after all.

ANNA: I have an idea. What about VAMPIRE NINJAS?

SEAN: Toriko 36. More eating. More fighting. More weird creatures. More homoerotic subtext that it will never deliver on.

World Trigger has really become popular, and now I wish I had kept up with it. Here’s Vol. 13.

MJ: I wish I had, too! But even more, I wish I’d stuck with Oresama Teacher, since you still love it after all this time.

And Yu-Gi-Oh! has an 8th 3-in-1.

Lastly, Yen On has (deep breath) Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratorio. As you may have guessed, it is a spinoff novel from the main series, dealing with Bell’s crush, Aiz Wallenstein, and the misadventures of her own guild. I hear there are elves!

Have you already burned out your wallet for the year? Or is there more you must buy?

SEAN: End of October. 35 titles. Scary!

MICHELLE: I am having Count Floyd feels.

SEAN: Kodansha brings us the 9th volume of Genshiken 2nd Season, which may have a new cast but has ended up being about Madarame’s love life.

ASH: I’ll admit, I really wasn’t expecting it to basically become a harem manga.

SEAN: Kazuhiro Fujita, best known over here for the unlicensed yet very popular Ushio and Tora, has a new hardcover horror volume out, part of a series subtitled “The Black Museum” that runs in Morning. This one is called The Ghost And The Lady, and features Florence Nightingale. It sounds amazing.

ASH: It looks it, too!

SEAN: Kodansha also has a 7th volume of Kiss Him, Not Me!, which I hope is stocked next to The Ghost and the Lady at all good bookstores, just for the humor value.

Speaking of new works by authors best known for something else, Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai is from the creator of Shaman King, and has… well, cat samurai. Be warned: this is not your Chi sort of cat book – it runs in Shonen Magazine Edge (I assume because the works are edgy).

MICHELLE: Huh.

ANNA: I have a similar reaction as Michelle.

SEAN: And a 17th volume of breakout hit Noragami.

ASH: I’ve come to really enjoy this series.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has a bunch of stuff. The 4th volume of spinoff A Certain Scientific Accelerator continues to be action oriented, much to the annoyance of Last Order.

A new Freezing omnibus, Vols. 11-12, will please anyone who likes breasts.

Speaking of such readers, the big release this week is Monster Girl Encyclopedia, which is apparently a lavishly illustrated guide to various types of monster girls. It’s a hardcover, so they’re really pushing this. I also hear that it’s possibly the most fanservicey title they’ve ever released.

ASH: That’s impressive in and of itself.

SEAN: And another omnibus, with manwha release Witch Hunter getting Vols. 17 and 18.

Vertical has a 2nd volume of Immortal Hounds.

Time for Yen. First of all, we have the digital-only releases: Aoharu x Machinegun 6, Black Detective 6, Saki 6, and Corpse Princess… 7. Sure, ruin my numerology, why don’t you.

ASH: Saki!

SEAN: Light novels. Psycome has a second volume of wacky insane girls in prison antics.

And the fourth volume of Sword Art Online: Progressive has Argo on its cover, which automatically makes it a must-read.

As for Yen’s print manga, we get an eighth Akame Ga KILL!

Did I say Aoharu x Machinegun was digital-only? Never mind. Like Handa-kun, it did well enough to get a print release, with Volume 1 shipping next week.

The Asterisk War has a 2nd manga release. I quite like the book’s cliched but breezy story.

We’ve caught up with Barakamon, so it’s been a while since the last volume. I’ve missed it. Here’s Vol. 12.

MICHELLE: I have every intention of getting caught up on Barakamon. Intentions, but not time, alas.

SEAN: Bloody Cross comes to an end with its 12th and final volume.

A Certain Magical Index has its 7th manga volume, which I think starts to adapt the 6th novel.

And The Devil Is A Part-Timer! has its 7th manga volume, which is still adapting the 3rd novel, because it didn’t skip entire books like Index’s manga did.

And if you like cuter and fluffier, there’s a 5th volume of the High School!! spinoff.

Fruits Basket has a 6th omnibus, as Akito helpfully allows Tohru to gain resolve to stop the curse by being completely terrible.

I’d mentioned Handa-kun before, and we get a 4th print volume here.

Horimiya gives us a 5th volume of adorable high school romance.

MICHELLE: Yay for Furuba and Horimiya!

ASH: Yay, indeed!

SEAN: More manga adaptations of light novels, or in this case adaptations of songs, with the 7th Kagerou Daze.

I was lukewarm to the first Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, but a 2nd volume should help firm up which direction it’s going.

MICHELLE: I found it reasonably intriguing, but definitely the second volume is going to be key. I’m looking forward to it a lot.

ANNA: Surprisingly I haven’t read this yet, but I plan to.

SEAN: And there’s a 4th spinoff volume of Log Horizon’s West Wind Brigade.

MORE manga adaptations of light novels! This time the 2nd Re: Zero manga.

It’s rare we see seinen romance manga in North America, let alone by a female author. But Scum’s Wish is still about tortured high schoolers and hopeless crushes, have no fear. It runs in Big Gangan, and has been on the Crunchyroll app as well.

Taboo Tattoo gets a 4th volume, so it can’t be all THAT taboo.

Another manga gets out of digital only land, as we see the first volume of Today’s Cerberus. This is a Shonen Gangan series, has supernatural elements, and leans very much towards the comedy end of things. Not quite Another Monster Girl Series, but close as dammit.

Just because monster girls are the next big genre doesn’t mean we’re not getting more survival game as well. I know little about Tohyo Game except it runs in Big Gangan, and is an omnibus of the first 2 volumes.

Are you being tricked? Or is all this manga a treat?

SEAN: You thought this week might be lighter than the others? Ha! You fool!

Dark Horse has an anthology of works based on Oreimo. Unlike the anthology I’m about to talk about, it’s Japanese creators. It should be cute and incestuous, like its source.

Attack on Titan’s Anthology, a collection of works by Western creators based on the manga, has been the most anticipated title of the year. I reviewed it here, and it does not disappoint. Must buy.

ASH: It really is great!

SEAN: Kodansha also has the 3rd volume of Fairy Girls, which is not as exciting as the Attack on Titan Anthology, but probably has more nudity.

ASH: Fairy Girls is probably my least favorite Fairy Tail spin-off; a shame because the basic premise had such potential.

SEAN: There’s a 5th Inuyashiki, from the Gantz creator.

And a 7th L♥DK, still trying to give us its bad boy love.

And a 10th Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle omnibus. Didn’t this end? Is it eternal? Am I buying a cursed book?

Somehow, Rise of the Shield Hero has become The Rising of the Shield Hero. Still from One Peace, and this is the 5th manga volume.

Seven Seas has a 2nd volume of Magical Guy series Battle Rabbits.

Their first debut this week is Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, another in a long line of monster girl works which permeate our world today. It runs in Manga Acton from Futabasha, which is at least not Comic Alive. The author has several works adapted to anime, including Miss Komori Can’t Decide and I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying. I expect it will fall on the ‘goofy’ end of the scale, rather than ‘porn-ey’.

ASH: I am actually a little curious about this one.

SEAN: A 4th Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation defies my ability to say anything about it.

I do enjoy My Monster Secret, though, and so a 4th volume is welcome. See? Not all monster girl titles make me sarcastic!

The other new Seven Seas title is complete in one omnibus. Tokyo Undead is part of a smaller trend Seven Seas has picked up on – zombie horror with lots of gore. It ran in Akita Shoten’s Play Comic. Don’t expect cuteness.

Also not cute is the 8th volume of Ajin, though I don’t know, given Japan’s current trends, we could get a high school AU Ajin 4-koma spinoff soon.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Viz has another gorgeous Miyazaki artbook coming out, with The Art of Castle in the Sky. AKA Laputa, dropped from the title for reasons that should be obvious.

Tokyo Ghoul 9 gives us additional zombies, and we also get…

Tokyo Ghoul: Days, a prose short story collection about the “everyday lives” of the cast.

Is this enough for you?

MICHELLE: I am literally not buying any of these things. Not even the Attack on Titan anthology.

ANNA: This is one of those weeks where I’m glad I’m not interested in anything, because it gives me some time to catch up on all my other unread manga.

SEAN: Ah, second weeks. Always the most unpredictable. Will there be a hidden treasure? Or will the team all pick Magi again by default? Let’s see what we’ve got next week.

ASH: Let’s!

SEAN: Dark Horse has a 3rd volume of the prequel everyone seems to like better than the original, Fate/Zero.

MJ: Maybe I should try this.

SEAN: They also have the second omnibus release of zombie favorite I Am A Hero.

ASH: I’m very curious to see the direction the second omnibus takes.

ANNA: I still need to read the first volume.

SEAN: Drawn and Quarterly make me very happy with the second volume in their Kitaro collection, Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon. No, not the one from Shonen Jump.

ASH: I am beyond thrilled that we’re getting more of Kitaro in English!

SEAN: Kodansha has a 5th volume of Maga-Tsuki, which defies my ability to remember anything about it.

And a 16th volume of Say “I Love You”. Will the series be able to survive graduation?

MICHELLE: I am cautiously optimistic.

ASH: As am I.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts a new series. It’s called How to Build a Dungeon. It has a half-naked woman on the cover. It’s from Comic Valkyrie. It should sell like hotcakes. I would review it but I fear it would burn my flesh if I touched it.

And a 5th Magika Swordsman and Summoner, which is much the same sort of thing.

SuBLime gives us the 5th volume of The World’s Greatest First Love. That’s a lot of hype to live up to.

ASH: I’ll admit, I’m more interested in the series portrayal of the shoujo manga industry than I am in its romance.

SEAN: And Vertical has a 6th Ninja Slayer volume. EXCITING NINJAS!

Viz has reached the 60th volume of Case Closed. I tip my hat to them.

And Magi has its 20th volume, which will hopefully answer the burning question: Where the Hell is Morgiana?

MICHELLE: Heh.

ANNA: Where? What’s happening!!! One day I will get caught up on Magi.

SEAN: Lastly, Viz has a 4th volume of Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter.

Yokai, ninjas, zombies… no vampires, though. What are you getting?

SEAN: It’s the first week of October, so time for a BIG PILE O’ VIZ! But first:

Dark Horse has the first of what may be several Hatsune Miku manga tie-ins, Mikubon.

Seven Seas has a 5th volume of Golden Time, the one that’s not Toradora.

Magical Girl Apocalypse 9 continues to prove that kids love cute stuff being brutally slaughtered.

The debut this week is My Pathetic Vampire Life, which I know very little about besides that it runs in Futabasha’s Manga Action and hey, vampires.

Since Persona 4’s manga has done pretty well for Udon, it’s no surprise we’re now seeing the debut of Persona 3. It’s a Mediaworks title form Dengeki Maoh.

ASH: I’ve actually played Persona 3, so I’m curious to see how it’s adapted.

SEAN: Since we’ve caught up with Japan, the 8th volume is the first My Neighbor Seki in a while from Vertical. It’s very welcome.

ASH: My Neighbor Seki continues to be a delight.

MJ: Indeed!

SEAN: And now for Viz. Assassination Classroom has its 12th volume, which I believe has a heavy dose of Irina.

And a third volume of Black Clover. What will it be imitating today?

There’s a 6th volume of The Demon Prince of Momochi House.

ANNA: I really like this series, it just keeps getting better and better.

SEAN: And a 14th Food Wars!, which may be starting a new arc?

Haikyu! has a 4th volume. It’s coming out so fast you’d think it was monthly.

ASH: … There may be a reason for that.

ANNA: I haven’t read volume 3 because my kids keep stealing it from me.

SEAN: And there’s a 4th volume of Honey So Sweet.

ANNA: Looking forward to this!

SEAN: I always love a new volume of Kamisama Kiss when it comes out, even now, at the 22nd volume.

ANNA: This is so great. There is totally room in my heart for two shoujo series with handsome male spirit people running around.

Kuroko’s Basketball has a 2nd omnibus, ensuring it remains caught up with Haikyu! despite being bimonthly.

ASH: Speaking of catching up, I still need to dig into Kuroko’s Basketball.

ANNA: I really liked the unconventional hero.

SEAN: Guess what’s hit double digits but is still adorable? My Love Story!!, that’s what.

MICHELLE: Each of the last seven is on my list!

ASH: I love this series so much.

ANNA: It is just excellent.

SEAN: Naruto has a 16th 3-in-1, even though ninjas are so 2006.

And if you enjoy getting One Piece in massive box sets for Christmas, there’s a 3rd one here for you.

The debut this week is Platinum End, a new manga from the creators of Death Note and Bakuman that runs in Jump Square. I hear it’s more towards the Death Note end of the spectrum in terms of seriousness.

MICHELLE: I’m not generally interested in angels, but I’ll give this a shot.

ASH: I’m always willing to give a manga illustrated by Obata a try.

MJ: You know I’m on board for this, for the artwork if nothing else. Obata 4evah.

ANNA: I will try it for the art alone for the first couple volumes, even if I don’t care for the story.

SEAN: 7th Garden has a 2nd volume, which means only 5 more till I get to make an obviously lame joke.

A 9th So Cute It Hurts!!. It must be cute if it’s that long a series.

ANNA: It is pretty cute, but maybe a bit too long?

SEAN: And a 6th Twin Star Exorcists. This month is big on series I don’t read, alas.

Lastly, a series I do read, the 2nd Yona of the Dawn. Love love love this.

MICHELLE: The second volume is even better than the first.

ASH: I’ve actually got a giveaway for the first volume going on right now. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second one!

MJ: Well, I’ll have to check this out!

ANNA: EPIC FANTASY MANGA FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!

SEAN: Is there a series here for you?

SEAN: Duck and cover, folks.

Kodansha gives us a 3rd Colossal Edition of Attack on Titan, which no doubt still remains a potent blunt instrument as well as a good way of catching up.

ASH: These volumes truly are colossal.

SEAN: And a 56th volume of Fairy Tail, which had one of my pairings become canon recently, and apparently other stuff is happening as well.

The first of three debuts from Kodansha next week, Happiness is from the creator of Flowers of Evil (and Inside Mari, and Drifting Net Café, for those who want to be reminded that there are iffy things the author has done too). It seems to combine school bullying and vampires, and runs in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.

ASH: I’m not especially interested in vampires, but I’ll definitely be checking out this series.

MJ: I’d give this a look.

SEAN: The Prince in His Dark Days is an Aria title, so file it under shoujo-ish. This seems to involve some gender bending, and the author is better known for her BL. We’ll see what it’s like.

MICHELLE: This is already in my Amazon cart!

ASH: I’m very curious about this series!

ANNA: I’m curious too, but I will wait until you guys read it.

MJ: I’m absolutely on board for this!

SEAN: Sweetness and Lightning may have just finished its anime, but the manga goes in, with Vol. 2 coming out next week.

And Welcome to the Ballroom is from Weekly Shonen Magazine, and from what I can tell may be a sports manga, only the sport is ballroom dancing. Of the three debuts, this one excites me the most.

MICHELLE: And so are both of these!

ASH: It’s a strong week for Kodansha debuts; I want to read them all.

ANNA: BALLROOM DANCING MANGA! I am amazed.

MJ: So excited!

SEAN: Franken Fran has an omnibus of Vol. 5 & 6. It’s not for everyone, as many have discovered, but I do love its combination of excessive horror and excessive humor.

ASH: As do I.

And there’s a 7th volume of Servamp, which… OK, look, there’s a LOT of vampire titles this week. I have to save my bad jokes for other vampire titles down the list.

And Vertical has a 3rd volume of Devil’s Line. See what I mean? It’s just awash with vampires around here.

Yen Press takes up the rest of this list, but trust me, we aren’t almost done. First, there’s the digital line, with 6th volumes for Aphorism, Crimson Prince (not vampires, but demons), and Sekirei.

Yen On time. The 7th novel of Accel World will hopefully involve the nasty cliffhanger from the last volume, but will we really be free of the constant threat of the corrupting armor? And will Haru get actual self-confidence?

Since the last volume of Kagerou Daze was delayed, that means we get this 5th volume sooner than expected. This one should explain how Shintaro’s dead not-quite-girlfriend, Ayano, is connected to all this.

At last, we have the debut of Yen On’s first light novel series with no fantasy elements, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected. You can tell it’s a light novel by that wordy title, just call it OreGairu. It comes highly recommended, I will see what the fuss is about.

MJ: I will check this out as well.

SEAN: And a 2nd volume of Overlord, as we continue to see how ‘trapped in a game’ works if you’re a villain.

And there is a 4th volume of Strike the Blood, which I continue to find very generic but enjoyable despite that.

On to Yen Press proper. We get a 3rd volume of Akame Ga KILL! preview ZERO.

And we get the final volume of Aldnoah Zero First Season. The Second Season is not yet licensed, as far as I can tell.

There’s a 2nd volume of the manga adaptation of The Boy and the Beast.

As you might guess from the cover, A Bride’s Story 8 will be focusing on Pariya, our favorite tsundere, and her own marriage – assuming she does not blush herself to death first.

ASH: Looking forward to seeing more of A Bride’s Story on my shelf.

MJ: This, always.

SEAN: Chaika the Coffin Princess is also ending with its 5th and final volume.

And if you like fanservice, have a 2nd volume of Demonizer Zilch.

There’s also a 5th volume of the heartwarming and sometimes creepy First Love Monster.

Fruits Basket’s collectors Edition gives us 2 more volumes with its 5th omnibus, and a new zodiac, of course, of course.

MICHELLE: And a nice Ayame pic on the back cover!

MJ: These are so beautiful, I could not be happier.

SEAN: He’s My Only Vampire has ended in Japan, but still continues here with Vol. 8.

Now that I’ve read its source, I expect The Honor Student at Magic High School’s 4th volume to make 100% more sense.

And speaking of LN adaptations, there’s the 2nd My Youth Romantic… I’m not typing that out again.

Of the Red, The Light, and the Ayakashi is adapting a game, but still intrigues me as we hit Volume 4. I’m in it for the savvy little sister.

MICHELLE: I’m intrigued, as well.

SEAN: Overlord’s 2nd manga is coming out the same day as its 2nd light novel. That’s never not confusing!

And Space Dandy wraps up with a 2nd volume. This is the trouble with anime tie-ins.

Strike the Blood has a 4th manga volume, coming out the same day as… see my entry on Overlord.

Triage X may be up to a 12th volume, but on the bright side, we’ve caught up with Japan.

Ubel Blatt has a 6th omnibus that is really its 7th. Still bitter.

ASH: Understandably so.

SEAN: And lastly, Erika Furudo continues to RUIN EVERYTHING as we get a 2nd Umineko: Dawn of the Golden Witch omnibus. Can we get a happy ending with Battler controlling things? Don’t bet on it.

Are you buried under the weight of all of this? If not, what are you getting?

SEAN: Another big chunk of books to talk about next week. There’s no breaks anymore.

The adult coloring book has been a hot new trend for a while now, so it’s no surprise that Kodansha is getting in on it with the Attack On Titan Adult Coloring Book. Be sure to have lots of red.

Complex Age gives us a 2nd volume of cosplay drama and adult fear.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one!

ASH: As am I! I was surprised by how much I was able to identify with the first volume. I’m also curious to see if the series will take the same direction as the original one-shot.

ANNA: I loved the first volume and am excited to read this!

SEAN: And there’s a 3rd manga volume of Ninja Slayer Kills, which is totally written by two American guys, honest.

And a 4th volume of Real Account. Has the survival game genre peaked?

And a 16th volume of The Seven Deadly Sins.

Lastly (from Kodansha, at least), Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches has hit double digits, but we still haven’t dealt with those pesky witches just yet.

ASH: I’ll admit, I’m still enjoying this series.

SEAN: This has been out in comic shops for a while now, but Amazon has the debut of Kuma Miko from One Peace. It’s half cute slice-of-life comedy about a shrine girl and her talking bear, and half weird and somewhat uncomfortable comedy.

Seven Seas has an 8th volume of the criminally underrated Arpeggio of Blue Steel, the Tom Clancy of anthropomorphic girl series.

Make no mistake about it, NTR – Netsuzou Trap is about cheating on one’s boyfriend – NTR stands for ‘netorare’, the Japanese word for ‘cheating’ that has become used and abused by North American otaku. That said, it’s about two girls cheating on their boyfriends with each other, and runs in Ichijinsha’s Yuri Hime. We’ll see. My expectations are near the bottom of the sea, so…

MICHELLE: Huh. I’d definitely want to read a story like that if it were, say, josei, but the boob-smushing on the cover is not encouraging.

SEAN: And a 3rd Tomodachi x Monster, for Pokemon fans who want more death and violence.

Vertical has a 3rd omnibus of Mysterious Girlfriend X, which is highly regarded once you get past the drool thing.

MICHELLE: Which… I haven’t been able to do.

SEAN: Viz gives us a 3rd volume of the brilliant but amazingly depressing Goodnight Punpun.

ASH: Goodnight Punpun is so, so good. But, yeah, it doesn’t really make for light reading.

SEAN: And an 8th Master Keaton – I think 9 is the last? Man, I never thought we’d see this title here at all. HOT INSURANCE ACTION.

MICHELLE: *snerk*

ANNA: Hooray for insurance!

SEAN: And Terra Formars is up to Vol. 14.

So what’s in your shopping cart?

SEAN: In a month this big, even the smaller 2nd and 3rd weeks can be packed with manga titles, and that proves to be the case here.

Dark Horse has its 24th volume of Vampire Hunter D, showing that it was way ahead of the vampire curve.

Devil Survivor has come out so fast from Kodansha it’s hard to believe it’s almost done. Vol. 7 is the 2nd to last.

There’s also a 4th volume of shonen romance Forget-Me-Not.

If you want a parody of Attack on Titan but would like it to be closer to its source material as opposed to a high school AU, Spoof on Titan may be for you. It’s a cute 4-koma gag series that originally ran on the Mangabox app a few years back. It’s quite amusing.

One Peace has now caught up with the old Maria Holic releases, so I believe Vol. 7 is new content.

The description of Lord Marksman and Vanadis, Seven Seas’ debut this week, on a manga info site has keywords like ‘based on a light novel’, ‘big breasts’, ‘tsundere’, and the like. Still, it’s in Comic Flapper rather than Comic Alive, so maybe it’s not as cliched as it sounds…

And we also get the 2nd volume of Masamune’s Revenge, whose first volume surprised me by not being terrible, so there’s always hope.

And a 2nd volume of The Other Side of Secret, which… nah, can’t say the same. Moving on.

Remember Blue Morning? From so long ago? We now have a 6th volume of it, courtesy SuBLime. Yay!

MICHELLE: Yay, indeed!

ASH: I’ve been waiting for this! I’m loving the series.

SEAN: And they also have a 2nd 2-in-1 omnibus of Don’t Be Cruel.

MICHELLE: I had major issues with the first volume, but I admit that I kind of want to read this.

SEAN: Udon has a 4th volume of the manga adaptation of Persona 4.

Vertical has what I think most Manga Bookshelf peeps will consider the big release of the week, the first omnibus re-release of BLAME!, rescued from the out of print Tokyopop doldrums thanks to the performance of Knights of Sidonia by the same author. I actually never read this back in the day, so look forward to seeing what it does. And if it has bears.

MICHELLE: I’ve read all of BLAME! and enjoyed it very much, especially the art and labyrinthine setting. Alas, I don’t recall any bears.

ASH: It’s also a literal big release–the volume is huge!

ANNA: I haven’t read it before, so I am excited!

SEAN: Hayate the Combat Butler, from Viz, is exciting no one this week but me, but I am still excited to see a 28th volume of another of my ‘lost cause’ series.

Lastly, a 16th Ranma 1/2 omnibus gives us more of what you like from Rumiko Takahashi, unless you like character development, it doesn’t have that. But it’s funny, so who cares?

ASH: Still happy to see Ranma 1/2 back in print.

SEAN: What are you getting from this list?