manga the week of

SEAN: The last month of the year is upon us next week, and manga companies are here to make sure it’s filled with STUFF. What have we got this time around?

Dark Horse gives us a 7th volume of not-so-new-anymore New Lone Wolf & Cub.

Kodansha figures we like Noragami so much that we’ll pick up a volume of Stray Stories. They’re probably right.

ASH: They probably are.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a 3rd volume of the sweet fantasy series The Ancient Magus’ Bride.

ASH: I’m greatly enjoying this series; looking forward to more!

SEAN: And also a 3rd volume of Clay Lord: Master of Golems.

Udon has a 2nd volume of punctuationally challenged Stein;s Gate.

Viz has a slightly smaller giant pile for this December. We get a 7th volume of Assassination Classroom, the most heartwarming kill-your-teacher manga out there.

ANNA: I’m so far behind with this series, but I do enjoy it!

SEAN: Bloody Mary is the debut this month, from the Shojo Beat line, and with a title like that, I’ll give you two guesses what supernatural element it features. Give up? Vampires! ZOMG!

MICHELLE: *snerk* Still, I will probably check this one out.

ANNA: Woo hoo!

ASH: And not just vampires, but beautiful vampires with a hint of BL!

MJ: Well, of course.

SEAN: Dragon Ball must be running out of omnibuses soon, but not yet with this 11th 3-in-1.

Do you like curry? Then read Food Wars! 9.

MICHELLE: Yay! I have been holding onto volume eight so I could have a little mini-marathon.

ANNA: I enjoy both Food Wars! and curry!

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Komomo Confiserie has a 2nd volume of twisted personalities and delicious desserts.

MICHELLE: Somehow it seems like it has taken forever for volume two to come out.

ANNA: I liked the first volume, looking forward to reading this.

SEAN: One Piece has a 14th 3-in-1, containing possibly my favorite volume in the entire series.

Seraph of the End is up to Volume 7.

ANNA: Shonen vampires! Tortured orphans! Weapons possessed by demons! Evil machinations!

SEAN: And So Cute It Hurts!! has two more volumes than it does exclamation marks.

ANNA: One of those super cute but not very deep shoujo series. Still fun to read.

SEAN: Toriko’s Vol. 31 starts a new story arc, I believe.

And lastly, an 11th volume of Stan Lee’s collaboration with Japan, Ultimo.

Are you picking up anything next week?

SEAN: Dark Horse are starting to irritate me with sliding release dates lately. Kodansha do it too, but at least they give a week’s notice or so. In any case, Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service’s second omnibus is NOT coming out this week, sorry. (And let’s not even talk about what’s happening with Diamond Comics.) As for next week, let’s take a look.

Theoretically, the 2nd Oh My Goddess! omnibus is hitting comic shops next week. But see above.

Kodansha has a giant pile of stuff out next week (well, comparatively, we’re not talking Viz or Yen piles here). The 2nd Inuyashiki seems to feature our young villain on the cover.

The Seven Deadly Sins is doing really really well in Japan, so you know will not be ending with next week’s Volume 11.

A Silent Voice has another volume, and I wonder if our leads will get closer or if events will conspire to destroy their lives again. Or both!

ASH: So far, I’ve been pretty impressed with this series.

SEAN: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle reaches its 6th omnibus, and I think we’re nearing peak crossover here.

UQ Holder also has a 6th volume coming out. I enjoy it, but can’t find much to say about it.

The final omnibus of Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer is out, with the 9th and 10th volumes. It’s such a great series, and it has a great ending as well. Buy it.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation is next week’s debut from Seven Seas. A NEET with a somewhat aimless life dies saving someone from a speeding car, and ends up reincarnated in a world of sword and sorcery, determined to make his life better. I know very little about this.

MJ: I’d be completely intrigued if “Seven Seas” didn’t make me suspicious about the content being… not for me.

SEAN: And there’s the penultimate volume of The Sacred Blacksmith.

And a new Witch Buster omnibus, with Vol. 15-16.

Vertical has a 5th volume of adorable comedy My Neighbor Seki. (Well, adorable unless you’re Yokoi.)

ASH: I continue to be utterly delighted by My Neighbor Seki.

MJ: Yes.

SEAN: Yen has moved their digital releases to a week after their print ones, possibly to save our Manga the Week of column the aggravation. I appreciate it. A lot of debuts, starting with Aphorism, which is a survival manga, meaning I don’t care. It’s a long-running series, though…

Crimson Prince is also a long-running series, and is a comedic supernatural fantasy, which means it definitely has an audience here.

ANNA: Is this shojo or shonen? Inquiring minds want to know!

SEAN: It runs in Shonen Gangan, but remember Square Enix doesn’t have a shoujo magazine. Many readers call it shoujo.

ANNA: Yay!

MJ: Ooooooh.

SEAN: There’s a second volume of Demon King Ena-sama Goes to a Manga School, which let’s face it is not the sort of title you’d see licensed here 15 years ago.

ANNA: Probably not!!!!

SEAN: Renaissance Eve’s description also makes it sound a bit like a survival manga, but it also says “blood” a lot, so maybe it has vampires as well?

Scarlet Empire gets two volumes released, and seems to be a sort of Edo period samurai manga with time travel. Which sounds awesome, frankly.

ANNA: This does sound awesome! I am officially intrigued.

SEAN: This runs in GFantasy, so you can definitely assume it’s as close to shoujo as they get.

ANNA: Double yay!!!!

ASH: Well, now. That does sound intriguing!

MJ: I will basically try anything from GFantasy. In case you didn’t know that already.

MICHELLE: It’s always nice when things that weren’t on one’s radar before suddenly attain “must investigate” status.

SEAN: Sekirei is a harem manga with piles and piles of fanservice, and here is Vol. 1. At least with a digital release you can read it on a bus without showing everyone the cover art.

ASH: Heh.

SEAN: Lastly is Servant x Service, a comedic office worker comedy which has its first two volumes out digitally this month, and gets a print omnibus in April. It’s from the creator of Working!.

Does this list make you give thanks?

SEAN: Next week sees the release of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun from Yen Press. And some other books, I guess.

ASH: Woo!

SEAN: We’ll start with the 2nd omnibus of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service from Dark Horse, which if you haven’t read the series yet, and aren’t already getting Nozaki-kun, is well worth your time.

ASH: Definitely. Kurosagi is a delightfully quirky horror manga.

SEAN: Shigeru Mizuki’s examination of the Showa years was fascinating but a bit low on actual Hitler himself, so now we get a one-volume manga from Drawn & Quarterly tackling that exact subject, Shigeru Mizuki’s Hitler.

Cage of Eden 19 from Kodansha is close to the end, and hasn’t had anyone die horribly in a while, so may get a bit serious here, possibly.

My Little Monster 11 will also likely be series as it deals with fallout from the last volume.

MICHELLE: Painful, yet wonderful. I love this series.

SEAN: Noragami has its 8th volume, and has gotten quite popular, the sort of popularity that Nozaki-kun will soon have.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches has a 5th volume of comedy, supernatural abilities, and teasing of bisexuality that is unlikely to ever deliver.

ASH: But one can hope!

SEAN: From One Peace, we have the first volume of the manga adaptation Rise of the Shield Hero, whose novel OP released earlier. It runs in Comic Flapper, always a good thing in my book.

MJ: I need to give this a look.

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 7th volume of Devils and Realist, which is I assume still battling over hell.

Evergreen gives us a 3rd volume of angst, teens with wasting illnesses, and “are they siblings or lovers?” back and forth.

Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto gives us a 2nd volume of Sakamoto being awesome. If you like this sort of series, go get Nozaki-kun as well.

ASH: Yes and yes.

SEAN: I am very angry at Viz for releasing the 11th volume of Ooku next week, as it means that I likely won’t have a unanimous Pick of the Week for Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun.

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

MJ: I’m pretty psyched about this.

ASH: I think it might still be ongoing! (Or at least I hope.)

MICHELLE: Well, I’ll be! You’re right! Volume 12 just came out in Japan last week.

SEAN: Luckily, the 9th Terra Formars will not have that problem.

And a 2nd Ultraman volume is out as well.

ASH: The first volume ended with a pretty great hook; the series has definite potential.

SEAN: Yen On has 4 novels (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is not based on a light novel, in case you were wondering). Accel World 5 will hopefully be a bit lighter in tine after the first few leaning heavily on teen drama.

A Certain Magical Index’s 5th volume gives us an attempt to rehabilitate its previous horrible villain, as well as an adorable loli. But don’t worry, Touma and Misaka are in it as well.

Durarara!! has a 2nd volume, which focuses on a serial slasher who is making life chaotic in Ikebukuro… so situation normal for this series.

Log Horizon gives us a 3rd volume, which is I think the first of a two-parter. Will it continue to lean on politics, or will we get more battles?

You’d think Yen Press would release Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun by itself this week, but no, they also have 19 other releases. To start off, a 5th volume of creepy shoujo manga Ani-Imo.

Are You Alice? is up to double digits and has perhaps answered that by now. It’s headed for an ending, but not there yet.

Black Butler gives us Vol. 21. You can also now enjoy the individual chapters if you want instant gratification.

It’s time for our annual release of A Bride’s Story with Vol. 7. It will no doubt be excellent no matter what, but who will it focus on?

MICHELLE: I really need to get caught up on this but now I’m so far behind it’s daunting.

MJ: This is always a treat!

ASH: I love A Bride’s Story so much!

SEAN: BTOOOM! is at Volume 12 and shows no sign of stopping. I would say this proves there is no God, but the existence of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun makes me reconsider that.

MICHELLE: Meanwhile, I have no desire to get caught up on this.

SEAN: I wasn’t impressed with The Devil Is A Part-Timer! High School!!, but perhaps a 2nd volume will try to do more with the high school AU premise.

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan looks like it might wrap up its love story in this volume, and the cover certainly looks like a final one. It is final? Nope.

A new series from Yen. No, not Nozaki-kun, that will be coming. Instead it is Dragons Rioting, a series that features a boy with an illness that kills him if he gets aroused, lots of big-breasted fighting women in high school, and runs in Dragon Age. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

MICHELLE: Ugh.

MJ: Just reading the premise makes me want to die.

SEAN: Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story Vol. 2 is the sort of series that exhausts me just typing it out.

High School DxD has a 7th volume, in case BTOOOM! and Dragons Rioting weren’t enough for you.

The Honor Student at Magic High School is a spinoff of a novel Yen licensed but had to delay, so once again we get the spinoff first. Hopefully I won’t get too spoiled.

Inu x Boku SS is rapidly heading to a climax with its 9th volume.

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? has its 3rd manga volume, for those who avoid novels.

And there’s a 3rd omnibus of Karneval, which reminds me I still need to read the 2nd.

At last! the moment we’ve all been waiting for! The debut of Izumi Tsubaki’s Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun! You’ll laugh! You’ll cry! You’ll grow as a person. Well, no, you’ll only laugh. but that’s enough. BUY THIS.

ANNA: I am excited about this! I am going to buy it! Have I mentioned that I’m excited about this? I really really am!!!!

MICHELLE: Me, too! Especially after volume 19 of Oresama Teacher was so good! I’m in a Tsubaki state of mind!

MJ: After all the hype, how can I possible turn away?

ASH: You can’t! You must become one of us!

SEAN: It feels like an anticlimax to discuss books after Nozaki-kun, but here they are. A 2nd Prison School omnibus will continue to be the Prison School-iest manga ever.

ASH: Definitely not a series for everyone, but I’ll be reading more of it.

SEAN: Puella Magi Tart Magica is not over with Vol. 2, I hear, but still stars Jeanne D’Arc, so I can’t expect happy things.

School-Live! just had an anime air this past summer (Gakkou Gurashi in case you wondered), and this is the manga source, from Manga Time Kirara Forward. It’s supposedly a cute Kirara school club series… but let’s just say, expect zombies.

Secret has a 3rd volume, and yes, they’re still wearing animal masks.

Lastly, I could say something about the third Trinity Seven volume, but I will instead remind you to pick up Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun.

Besides that, what else are you getting next week?

SEAN: Good news! Every week in November has an absurd amount of manga coming out – except next week! Bad news – the Manga Bookshelf team is going to be finding pick of the week very hard, I suspect.

Kodansha has a spinoff of Fairy Tail called Fairy Girls, which, as you may have guessed, is about the girls in Fairy Tail. It has a different author, though, and looks to be even more cutesy and fanservice-oriented than the main series – which is saying something.

And if you missed Fairy Tail to begin with, why not try the new 1000-page omnibus of the first five volumes? This is a ‘Colossal Edition’ style release.

ASH: That is a lot of manga in one volume! The Master’s Edition, indeed.

ANNA: That sounds crazy!

SEAN: Seven Seas has the second and final volume of Bodacious Space Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace, which has female pirates in outer space, and I think that no other words are needed.

And for those who like dragons and nudity (I suspect the core fanbase reverses the order), there’s an 8th volume of Dragonar Academy.

SubLime has a 4th volume of Love Stage!!!!, which I’ve decided to add a ! to for each new volume.

ASH: I’ll admit: I’ve been collecting this series, but I actually haven’t read any of it yet.

MICHELLE: It’s fairly cute. Very fluffy, with very little stage, but not bad!

ANNA: Huh, I think I have a few volumes, I should read them!

MJ: I admit I would like more stage.

SEAN: The 11th omnibus of Ranma 1/2 ups the stakes for both Ranma and his father, as it sees the debut of Nodoka Saotome, Ranma’s mother who has certain ideas about what constitutes a “man among men”, and sex changes are probably not in that list.

The 19th volume of Rin-Ne I expect has no real premise-altering developments like that, but I bet it has a lot of ghosts who are secretly (or not so secretly) jerks.

Lastly, there is an 8th volume of superhero BL tease with Tiger & Bunny.

MICHELLE: I seldom rave about RIN-NE and Tiger & Bunny, but I do like both of them in a low-key kind of way.

SEAN: Taking a breather? Or getting something from the above list?

SEAN: I’ve gone on lately about how much manga is coming out lately, but November is really going to try a wallet’s soul. Let’s start with a huge first week, mostly from Viz.

Kodansha debuts a new series, Livingstone, that ran in the seinen magazine Morning. The artist is better known for Deadman Wonderland. It’s about two guys who try to find … well, living stones. No sign of Stanley, in case you wondered.

ASH: I’m rather curious about this one.

ANNA: This sounds odd, and I’m usually up for trying at least one volume of odd.

MJ: I’m interested in this, for sure.

SEAN: Say “I Love You” reaches double digits. Unlike other soap opera series I follow from Kodansha, I actually like the characters in this one. Read it if you haven’t.

ASH: It’s such a consistently good series!

MICHELLE: Very much looking forward to this!

ANNA: I so need to get caught up and binge read this series.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a 7th volume of oddball slice-of-fantasy-life series A Centaur’s Life.

I believe that Volume 12 is the final volume of Chi’s Sweet Home from Vertical, a series that has introduced a huge number of people to the adorable and quirky qualities of cat manga. I’ll miss it.

ASH: Hooray for Chi!

MICHELLE: It has been such a great manga to lend to coworkers’ kids, too.

ANNA: Nice. I think I’ll finally be reading this in the omnibus editions.

MJ: More Chi is always welcome!

SEAN: Let’s get on to Viz now. The 6th Black Rose Alice volume catches up with Japan, I believe, so enjoy your gorgeous yet spider-filled people while you can.

ASH: Alas, now we must suffer the wait with the rest of the world!

MICHELLE: Yeah, the double-eged sword. Thanks, VIZ, for exposing us to the awesome and the agony of Black Rose Alice.

ANNA: This series is so surreal. Even though it is painful that it is on hiatus, I still greatly appreciate the gorgeous spider-filled people.

MJ: Yes, yes, YES.

SEAN: Bleach, at Vol. 65, is in no danger of going on hiatus, or indeed finishing this arc, supposedly the final one, which started in 1883. Or feels like that.

MJ: Heh.

SEAN: That 13th Bleach 3-in-1 is also an option, and honestly the series reads better that way.

And I think D.Gray-Man may be mostly caught up on omnibuses with this, it’s 8th.

I’ve really been looking forward to this debut. Arina Tanemura’s new shoujo title is Idol Dreams, which runs in Hakusensha’s Melody and features a 31-year-old woman regretting her life who finds herself getting a do-over.

MICHELLE: I’m not historically much of a Tanemura fan, but I am really curious about this one!

ANNA: I am an unapologetic Tanemura fan and I am quivering with anticipation. Quivering!

MJ: I’m with Michelle on this one! Curious, but not quivering.

SEAN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure begins its 2nd arc with Battle Tendency, which leaps forward in time to focus on Joseph Joestar. Will it be as ludicrous as the first arc? My guess is yes.

ASH: This is gonna be good!

ANNA: When I think about how horrible humanity can be, then I think about JoJo and appreciate the fact that the human race has produced this ridiculous and transcendent manga. I’m serious.

SEAN: Kiss of the Rose Princess enters the home stretch with its 7th volume.

ANNA: Yay! I hope that an evil rose person shows up to throw an obstacle in the way of the heroine and her handsome knights.

SEAN: Maid-sama! has a 2nd omnibus. Teeth grinders beware, Usui is still in it.

ASH: But so is Misaki! Who is the best.

MICHELLE: I will keep reading, at least for the time being.

ANNA: Yeargh, if it wasn’t for the relationship dynamics I would enjoy this series so much more.

SEAN: My Hero Academia had a promising first volume, now let’s see where it goes with the second.

Naruto may be over, but its spinoffs live on, first with a nice-looking artbook, and secondly with the first of several post-series spinoff novels, the first being Kakashi’s Story.

Nisekoi gives us more mostly balanced harem antics with Vol. 12.

One Piece is still battling Doflamingo, but I think we’re edging closer to a conclusion with this 76th volume.

MICHELLE: Woo.

SEAN: One-Punch Man could only dream of having 10-volume long fighting arcs – sadly, Vol. 3 shows his fights end all too quickly.

ANNA: Because of the punching!!!!!!!!

SEAN: There are two Izumi Tsubaki series out this month! This week we have the one folks have seen for a while, with the 19th volume of Oresama Teacher.

MICHELLE: I’m glad for more Oresama, but really looking forward to the other one!

ANNA: Oresama is delightful. Looking forward to the new series very much too.

SEAN: Giant manga box sets are a great way to get newbies to read your favorite obsession – you can threaten top bludgeon them with the set if they don’t. Here’s one for Rosario + Vampire.

Yu-Gi-Oh gets a 4th omnibus 3-in-1. Collect ‘em all!

Lastly, there’s a 4th and I believe final volume of Yukarism.

MICHELLE: I’m really, really looking forward to this one!

ANNA: Yay! Why is it final at 4 volumes? I want more!!!!!

MJ: More! More! *whimper* More.

SEAN: Are you prepared for November 2015? Can you handle it? What are you getting next week?

SEAN: Bad news. There’s 31 titles shipping next week. Good news: I’m not getting too many of them, so it’s not crippling for me. What’s happening next week, anyway?

I haven’t seen an 801 Media title in forever, but Amazon lists Magical Warriors: Chocolat & Pudding as coming out next week. Which sounds like a cute magical girl title, but I’m going to hazard a guess isn’t.

ASH: I’m pretty sure that’s actually a Project-H title…

SEAN: Gantz comes to an end with Vol. 37, which is good because I ran out of things to say about it 30 volumes ago. I wish HEN was licensed.

Kodansha gives us more terrifying Junji Ito!… wait, no. This is Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, and I expect it will be adorable and strange.

ASH: I am looking forward to this so much!

MICHELLE: Me, too!

ANNA: This sounds like a winner.

SEAN: There’s also an 11th volume of guilty pleasure Missions of Love.

And a 4th volume of “she’s not a manic pixie dream girl, honest” series Your Lie in April.

Seven Seas is debuting three new titles. Akuma no Riddle has yuri and takes place at a girls’ private school, but given it’s all about assassins, I’m hoping it’s less moe than the usual.

ASH: Yun Kouga is involved with the series, so I’m doubly intrigued.

MJ: You had me at “Yun Kouga.” How was this not on my radar? I need to fix my radar.

MICHELLE: So do I!

ANNA: Huh. I am also intrigued.

SEAN: A Certain Scientific Accelerator is based off of a certain well-known franchise, and stars a certain popular antihero, as you will already have guessed.

And Golden Time is based on a light novel by the author of Toradora!, and I hope is just as heartwarming and enjoyable as that title is.

Udon gives us the first volume of Steins;Gate, a title I remember more for the aggravating punctuation than anything else.

MJ: This, this, THIS. I adored this as an anime series, so I’m very optimistic.

SEAN: Viz Select gives us a 2nd digital volume of Chocolate Cosmos. Teacher-student relationships, whee!

MICHELLE: The debut volume wasn’t bad, so I will probably check out volume two, as well.

ANNA: I meant to check this out earlier!

SEAN: Yen Digital has a giant pile of releases, as this is the first month of the “official” rollout, with chapter releases and everything. I’ll just cover volumes here, starting with Corpse Princess, which is probably what it sounds like.

There’s also new volumes for Handa-kun, The Royal Tutor, and Today’s Cerberus.

ASH: Handa-kun will be coming out in print later, so I’m hoping that more of the digital titles will, too.

SEAN: Unknown is an actual title for a new manga about supernatural powers and the people who police them.

MJ: I’ll pretty much always check out a series with supernatural powers.

SEAN: And we get all 3 volumes of When a Magician’s Pupil Smiles, about an emotionless boy and his run-in with magic. This actually looks like a MJ/Michelle sort of title.

MJ: Why, it certainly does.

SEAN: Yen On has a third No Game No Life, where we see whether Sora will somehow manage to return from being erased from existence.

And a third Sword Art Online Progressive, where we reach a new level of Aincrad and prepare for a lot of water travel.

MJ: I’ve fallen behind in my SAO reading, but I must rectify that soon.

SEAN: Yen Press proper, meanwhile, has its usual pile. Accel World has a 5th manga, not to be confused with the 5th novel, out next month. (At least they aren’t the same date anymore.)

Akame Ga KILL! sure is popular, and has a 4th volume out as well.

Alice in Murderland proved to be as attractive to me as most other Kaori Yuki manga are, but a 2nd volume is out for her fans anyway.

Barakamon has a 7th volume, and I suspect we’ll have a lot more country life to make up for all the Tokyo in Vol. 6.

There’s a Black Butler artbook coming out with many pretty color illustrations of people draped over each other, I expect.

ASH: Yen does a nice job with its artbooks from what I’ve seen, so this should be good.

MJ: Agreed. I’m not a fan of the series, but I expect this will be a nice release.

SEAN: A Certain Magical Index’s 3rd manga volume decides to skip the not-all-that-good 2nd novel entirely and go straight to adapting the third.

And The Devil Is a Part-Timer! also has a 3rd manga volume out.

First Love Monster’s first volume balanced sweet and kind of skeevy very well. We’ll see if it can keep it up with Vol. 2.

Horimiya is Yen’s debut this month, a manga adaptation of a webcomic that seems like your standard cute shoujo romance, but runs in GFantasy so I’m sure it has to be weird in some way.

ASH: I like weird!

MJ: GFantasy, it’s like a drug.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one a lot!

SEAN: A third Kagerou Daze will likely be adapting the 2nd novel, which I liked but see not reason to read a manga adaptation of.

In case you didn’t think Homura had had enough revenge yet, there’s a 2nd volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura’s Revenge. (Look, I’m sorry, it’s the end of a long list.)

So I Can’t Play H! continues to give us ecchi situations with no payoff in its 3rd volume.

Lastly, the debut of the manga adaptation of Strike the Blood, whose first light novel I found reasonably good last month.

Does this list make you happy? Or merely ill at the pile of titles?

SEAN: Even though this is the quietest week of a big month… it’s still fairly big.

Dark Horse has a third volume of Oreimo: Kuroneko, for those who wanted a better ending than the canonical one, i.e. everyone.

Kodansha has the debut of a new shoujo series, L♥DK. It’s the sort I describe as a ‘potboiler’, and I think it will do well with those who love soap opera situations.

MICHELLE: I will be checking this one out. If it’s cracktastic, I hope it’s in a good way!

ASH: Soap opera situations? I am intrigued.

MJ: Who doesn’t love a good soap opera?

ANNA: I know I do!

SEAN: One Peace has a 2nd light novel for Rise of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas caters to its fanbase with a second volume of Magika Swordsman and Summoner.

And also has a 3rd volume of Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary, which has monster girls and more ecchi antics.

And we round off our trio of otaku titles with Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 2, which is drawn by Rikdo Koshi as if he never left the world of hentai doujinshi, and is written by Masamune Shirow as if he didn’t either.

Udon gives us the first volume of the Kill La Kill manga, which, if even one-tenth of the folks who gush about the anime on the internet purchase it, will sell like hotcakes.

ASH: I hope it does! Udon always does an excellent job with its manga; I’d like to see the publisher offer more.

SEAN: Vertical has the first of the Ninja Slayer manga (not to be confused with the Kodansha-licensed spinoff Ninja Slayer Kills) by the possibly imaginary American team of Bradley Bond and Philip “Ninj@” Morzez.

ASH: I wasn’t enamored with the spinoff, but I do plan on giving this series a try.

SEAN: If you always wanted to read Claymore but were waiting for a way to get all 27 volumes in one box set, Viz is the answer to your prayers.

MJ: Ooooooh, nice!

SEAN: And there’s also a 6th volume of the Special Edition of Monster, possibly with added depressing bits.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize that these special editions had bonus material!

ASH: Do they?!

SEAN: They don’t, I was being silly. :)

MICHELLE: Oh, good!

SEAN: Lastly, there’s 3rd volume of runaway zombie hit Tokyo Ghoul.

Which of these varied titles most appeals to you?

SEAN: It’s the week of NYCC, so let’s keep this Manga the Week of short and sweet.

Dark Horse has a 10th Lone Wolf and Cub omnibus.

ASH: I really need to sit down and catch up with Lone Wolf and Cub now that it’s being released in an edition I can actually read…

SEAN: Kodansha debuts a series that some may have already seen on Crunchyroll’s manga site, the very well titled Kiss Him, Not Me. A warning: there is ‘sudden weight-loss makes me attractive’ here, as in Let’s Dance a Waltz. That said, the annoying premise is used entirely for comedy here, as our heroine is far more interested in pairing her hot guy suitors with each other.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I saw the weight loss thing and it disinclined me to investigate further. I’ll wait on others’ reviews of this one.

MJ: Ugh, not that again.

SEAN: Noragami is up to Volume 7 and making me wish I’d kept up with it, as it’s apparently insanely popular now.

ASH: Very popular! I’ve been enjoying it, too.

SEAN: From Seven Seas, Dance in the Vampire Bund II: Scarlet Order 3. Sean 0.

If you missed the Love in Hell volumes from a while back, there’s a Complete Collection coming out, also from Seven Seas.

The Seven Seas debut is Merman in My Tub, from Media Factory’s oddball magazine Comic Gene. If Monster Girls are a big hit, will Monster Guys sell just as well? Especially if there’s BL subtext?

MJ: Hm. Maybe?

ASH: I’m willing to give it a try!

ANNA: Hasn’t there already been a merman BL/yaoi title published over here? Is this an established genre?

SEAN: SubLime gives us a 3rd volume of The World’s Greatest First Love. Amazon seems to be listing Vol. 4 for next week as well, but I’m not sure if that’s accurate.

ASH: Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s not. Volumes 3 throu 5 were delayed some.

SEAN: And Vertical has a 7th Witchcraft Works. They’ve almost caught up with Japan.

ASH: Another series I need to catch up on myself!

SEAN: Viz has a 56th volume of Case Closed, and will never, ever catch up with Japan, but at least it’s still coming out regularly.

Deadman Wonderland continues to head for a climax, but it’s not there yet with Vol. 11.

Lastly, we get a 14th volume of Magi, which continues to features our leads separating to have their own adventures/level up.

MICHELLE: Yay, Magi!

ANNA: Woo hoo for Magi!

SEAN: Anything from this list catch your eye?

SEAN: First week of October, and therefore hope you like Viz. But first:

Diamond Comics has been messing with me, saying this wasn’t coming out and then saying it was. Amazon says 10/21, but they’re usually behind Diamond by 2 weeks. I don’t know when it’s actually coming out (this makes me nostalgic for Dark Horse releases days past). But it’s Oh My Goddess 48, the final, very last Oh My Goddess, except for all the omnibus releases. I’ll miss it.

Kodansha hits a milestone with the 50th volume of Fairy Tail, which I’ll be honest I’m just following on Tumblr for Gajeel/Levy moments.

Genshiken 2nd Season Vol. 7 continues to show us the world’s most unlikely harem comedy.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying this one! Hato is the best.

SEAN: One Peace gives us a 4th volume of Aquarion EVOL.

Seven Seas has the 5th and final volume of Kokoro Connect, a series I’ve greatly enjoyed. Given there are many light novels after the two that were adapted, my guess is the ending will be somewhat open.

And there’s a 5th volume of gore-filled Magical Girl Apocalypse, for those who felt Madoka Magica didn’t go far enough.

Vertical Comics have a new series debuting. Tokyo ESP, about a girl who suddenly finds she has… well, ESP. And she lives in Tokyo. Sometimes titles write themselves. This also had an anime last year.

MJ: I’m a sucker for ESP stories. So, yeah. This one’s for me.

And now here’s Viz. Assassination Classroom gets a 6th volume, and introduces the chief villain’s villainous son.

ANNA: Wow, I am so far behind with this series, even though I quite like it!

SEAN: Two big Viz shonen series come to an end next week, and sadly I expect this is the one folks won’t be talking about as much. But Claymore has been quietly awesome for some time, and the 27th volume is definitely worth a look.

MICHELLE: Some day I really will read all the volumes of Claymore that I have accumulated.

MJ: Yes! So happy to see this!

SEAN: The Demon Prince of Momochi House has a 2nd volume.

ASH: If nothing else, the first volume was pretty!

ANNA: It was! Even though it seems a bit too similar to Kamisama Kiss, I found it enjoyable.

SEAN: And Food Wars! is up to Volume 8, and still in the midst of its tournament arc, though there’s still time for teaching little kids to make food as well.

MICHELLE: Yay Food Wars!.

SEAN: Kamisama Kiss is at volume 19, and is edging towards romantic resolution, possibly? Have I said that before?

MICHELLE: It certainly feels that way.

ANNA: Such a good series! I hope this isn’t the last Julietta Suzuki we see over here.

ASH: I still actually need to read Kamisama Kiss.

SEAN: Library Wars: Love & War has its penultimate volume out next week, and I can confirm it DOES have quite a payoff, though it’s still not quite resolved.

MICHELLE: So much good stuff this week!

ASH: Penultimate volume! I hadn’t realized that.

ANNA: Library Wars! I love it so! I am also stoked that the anime has been licensed.

ASH: YES!!

SEAN: My Love Story!! is up to Volume 6, and still adorable.

MICHELLE: Like this!

ASH: Yes!

ANNA: YAY!

MJ: Same.

SEAN: Naruto has come to an end with its 72nd volume, though there are six novels and several spinoffs still to come. The ending was… controversial among fandom. Should be interesting.

A new debut from the creator of Dengeki Daisy, one of my favorite Shojo Beat series. QQ Sweeper has a bit more of a supernatural flair to it, but the sense of humor and “plucky heroine” style is the same.

MICHELLE: I’m curious about this one, definitely.

ASH: Same here.

ANNA: It is good!

MJ: I really enjoyed this first volume—hit all the sweet spots!

SEAN: So Cute It Hurts!! only has two exclamation marks, despite this being Vol. 3.

ANNA: Call me a sucker for fluffy shoujo series, but I like this. We haven’t had many cross-dressing shoujo series recently, so it certainly serves that niche.

SEAN: Toriko 30 has what many saw as one of the biggest surprises of the entire series, though no surprise as to what it entailed – it involves romance.

Twin Star Exorcists gives us a 2nd volume as well.

World Trigger has a 7th volume, and is doing far better than I expected it to based on the first few chapters.

Lastly, Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds 8 continues to look like some bizarre library indexing system.

What are you planning to get next week?

SEAN: It’s a somewhat busy 5th week this time around, with a lot of stuff from Kodansha.

After a brief delay, I believe we now are getting the final volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s epic biography/history Showa next week from Drawn & Quarterly, covering 1953-1989.

ASH: I am so glad this series was translated.

SEAN: Speaking of giant omnibuses, the second COLOSSAL EDITION of Attack on Titan comes out next week. Use it to beat titans to death!

My Little Monster is now in double digits with the 10th volume. I think it’s actually near an ending as well, so things might be slowly trudging towards resolution.

ASH: I still love that there’s a pet chicken. Nagoya should get a series.

MICHELLE: I would read it! But yes, this series sadly only has twelve volumes.

SEAN: The Seven Deadly Sins, which I admit I lost track of, has also reached double digits.

And there’s a third volume of A Silent Voice, which I think could go in any number of directions right now, all interesting.

ASH: A Silent Voice has been very well written so far. I’m curious to see where it goes.

SEAN: Vinland Saga puts out its 6th omnibus, and they have openly said that this is sales-dependent in order to continue. Go buy it.

ASH: Yes, please do! Vinland Saga is such a great series!

ANNA: I am going to buy it, and if I could clone myself and buy it again I would!

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 2nd omnibus of Freezing, which is a very very VERY Seven Seas title, for what it’s worth. Fans of those other Seven Seas titles should go buy it right now.

Vertical has another Attack on Titan light novel, with the 2nd volume of Harsh Mistress in the City.

And lastly, Vertical Comics has the 14th volume of Knights of Sidonia. It’s announced it’s ending in Japan soon, will we get a happy ending? Is that even possible for a title like this?

MICHELLE: *makes grabbyhands* Also, it’s ending?! Granted, I’ve not read anything since volume 12, but it didn’t seem like it was winding down at all. Now I am very fretful that everyone is suddenly going to die.

ANNA: That seems like a reasonable fear.

MJ: Oh, this series, this series… seconding Michelle’s grabbyhands.

SEAN: So what appeals to you as the leaves turn to brown?

SEAN: Did I mention Yen’s digital rollout makes next week even longer? 30 titles. 30. Let that roll around your head for a while.

Before we get to Yen, let’s talk Devil Survivor, a new Kodansha series based off of an RPG that’s apparently quite popular. Lots of demons here.

Seven Seas has a 12th volume of Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, whose fandom I’ve heard has completely imploded with the latest LN revelations. Luckily, this is the manga, and we’re a number of volumes from that.

Vertical Comics has the penultimate 11th volume of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. So happy this series came out over here.

ANNA: Yay for Gundam: The Origin! I need to go on a reading binge and get caught up on this series.

SEAN: And Vertical also has My Neighbor Seki 4, which is nothing like Gundam but also delights me.

ASH: As it should! My Neighbor Seki is wonderful.

SEAN: Viz Digital has a debut that I believe is another JManga rescue, though I’m not sure about that. Chocolate Cosmos is a Ribon series about a young girl looking for love, so it’s definitely for Beat fans. I think there was a translation competition that centered around it.

MICHELLE: Ooh, I didn’t know about this one! It’s by Nana Haruta, mangaka of Cactus’s Secret, which came out a few years ago.

ANNA: That sounds really interesting, I will have to check it out!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: And now on to Yen Press. We’ll start with the Yen On line. Kagerou Daze’s first novel was rather diffuse and obtuse – somewhat deliberately – and I am both interested in the 2nd volume and hoping I get more of a handle on it.

Kingdom Hearts has a new novel as well, Chain of Memories. Are Mickey Mouse and company still in this series?

I don’t know if MJhas had the time to read Pandora Hearts: Caucus Race yet, but if not, she’s now even more behind, as the 2nd novel is out next week.

MJ: MJhas not, and she’s a little bit wary of a Pandora Hearts novel series, but she’ll most likely succumb.

SEAN: The debut novel this month is Strike the Blood, which is an action fantasy series with vampires, and thus perfect for Yen, really.

Yen Digital rolls out more debuts, most comedic. Demon King Ena-sama Goes to a Manga School seems a bit self-explanatory.

If the creepy humiliation vibe of Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler didn’t put you off, a 3rd volume is here for you.

My Monster Girl’s Too Cool For You seeks to hit on a popular recent trend, and for once seems to begin with a rejection rather than a sudden love confession.

The Royal Tutor was slighter than I was expecting, but decent enough, and a 3rd volume of that is here as well.

ASH: Wow, I’m behind. I didn’t realize we were already up to volume three!

SEAN: And we get complete in 3 separate volumes a series called Shut-in Shoutarou Koninami Takes On The World, whose name alone makes one think of Scott Pilgrim.

Finally, we get Yen’s copious print volumes. A 2nd Big Hero 6, based on the American movie. (I always love seeing Japanese adaptations of Western media.)

Black Bullet gets a manga series to go with the light novel we saw last month. I expect the lolicon tendencies I saw in the novel would bother me more in the manga.

Bloody Cross has an 8th volume.

And there’s a 2nd volume of possibly too cliched for its own good fantasy series Chaika the Coffin Princess.

Demon From Afar is up to Volume 4, which means by now the entire cast must have all died at least three times, right?

After a couple of Final Fantasy Type-0 side stories, we now have the Type-0 manga proper.

Surprise hit (at least with me) He’s My Only Vampire gets a 4th volume.

And a 4th Love at Fourteen will continue to alternate between “they’re so adorable!” and “…are you really going there?”

MICHELLE: I’m going to be catching up on this series soon!

ASH: I need to catch up, too, but I did enjoy the first couple of volumes.

SEAN: Not everything is about Madoka Magica, but the new spinoff certainly is: Suzuna Magica begins next week.

After the relative popularity of Higurashi and Umineko, it’s time for another Ryukishi07 sound novel getting an adaptation, this one somewhat lighter in tone – at least at first. Rose Guns Days is an alternate universe action thriller with lots of fistfights and “ladies of the evening”, and should be a ton of fun.

Spice & Wolf gives us an 11th manga volume. Don’t get it mixed up with the light novels.

Sword Art Online Progressive’s manga also has a third volume, though it’s still adapting the first light novel. Expect underwear. Lots of underwear.

MJ: I wish I liked these manga adaptations better. Alas.

SEAN: Triage X has hit double digits, a feat that makes me want to cry blood, but hey.

And a third (fourth) omnibus of Ubel Blatt, whose Volume Zero still haunts the list-obsessed.

Umineko: When They Cry has a 2nd omnibus for its 5th arc. Dlanor A. Knox is on the cover. I love Dlanor. So much better than Erika, whose presence sadly continues to permeate this arc, infecting it with her detective skills.

Lastly (at long last), a 10th omnibus of Until Death Do Us Part. Still not quite caught up with Japan, in case you were wondering.

Does anything in this huge pile appeal to your inner soul?

SEAN: If you like tiny weeks where you can take a break from reading all the manga in the world, this is the week for you.

ASH: No, no, Sean. It’s not a week for taking a break, it’s a week for catching up!

MJ: In fact, from the looks of things, that’s my task for the week as well!

SEAN: Dark Horse is re-releasing the Astro Boy volumes in giant 700-page omnibuses, not only larger in size and page count (this is 700 pages), but with added extras and gewgaws. The first is out next week (if you get it from Diamond).

MICHELLE: The original volume three (possibly included in this omnibus) has the story that inspired Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto. It’s really good!

SEAN: Seven Seas has a 2nd volume of quiet country life gag manga Non Non Biyori.

And a 3rd volume of action/thriller/comedy vampire manga Servamp.

Viz has a 4th volume of Master Keaton, which I am very fond of despite some problematic areas.

MICHELLE: And speaking of Urasawa! I am determined to get caught up on this title.

MJ: Hey, I should buy this so that I no longer have any excuse not to return the little volume Michelle loaned me! :D

ASH: I’ve been collecting since I’m an Urasawa completist, but I need to get caught up, too!

ANNA: Me too! I have the third volume stashed somewhere.

SEAN: And an 8th volume of Terra Formars, where there is far less fondness.

Anything here catch your eye?

SEAN: The second week of the month is always the oddest, in my opinion. Not drenched in Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat or Yen titles, it tends towards Viz’s Shonen Sunday, Seven Seas, and a few oddities. Let’s see what’s out next week.

xxxHOLIC gets its 7th and final omnibus, as the series grinds to a halt, crushing the reader within its mandibles and slowly killing them over the course of a hundred years time. I think MJfeels differently.

ASH: This will be my first time reading the ending, so I’m not sure exactly how I’ll feel about it yet.

MJ: MJfeels differently, indeed.

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 6th volume of comedy and not-quite-harem series D-Frag!, which will continue to make fun of bald heads, large breasts, and its supposed hero.

There’s also an omnibus of the series Dictatorial Grimoire, containing all three volumes. I remember enjoying it more than it possibly merited, mostly due to a side character I really liked.

ASH: Dictatorial Grimoire was a mess, albeit an entertaining one.

SEAN: A third volume of Love Stage!! tells us that in the future, sunglasses will be edible.

MICHELLE: *snerk*

SEAN: Viz has a 23rd volume of Arata the Legend, which is turning into Shogakukan’s answer to Hunter x Hunter in Japan, as it’s on another hiatus.

Yay, it’s time for the twice-a-year release of Hayate the Combat Butler! Vol. 26 is back to all comedy all the time, but it also deals with the fallout from the End of the World arc, namely Nagi not being able to live in the mansion anymore.

The 10th Ranma 1/2 omnibus does not advance the plot (nothing does, really), but it has Ryouga’s depression and Ranma’s confidence finally meet head on and become legitimate attacks, which should not surprise anyone.

Lastly, we get a 2nd volume of Aya Kanno’s Requiem of the Rose King, where Richard III and Henry VI meet and are both really pretty at each other. (It’s much better than that sounds, I’m sorry, I just can’t help it.) The 3rd volume should involve less of a wait than this one did.

ASH: Kanno does pretty so well. And oh, the drama! Really looking forward to more of this series.

MICHELLE: Volume one was really interesting and I’ve been looking forward to continuing!

ANNA: I enjoyed the first volume greatly, and this is by far what I’m most looking forward too this week.

MJ: i really need to get into this!

So what’s appealing to you this week?

SEAN: School’s back in session. Do you have all your manga supplies? The old favorites? The new series? The zipatone? Let’s see what you might want to pick up.

Dark Horse still knows we like our samurai manga with the 6th New Lone Wolf & Cub.

ASH: I’m still catching up with the old school Lone Wolf & Cub, but I’m picking up this series, too.

SEAN: Kodansha debuts a new series called Ninja Slayer Kills, based off of a concept by two Americans who I suspect are imaginary. It also has a novel series later this year from Vertical, and seems to be very much in the ‘flashy action sequences’ genre.

ASH: Actually, I think Vertical has one of the other manga adaptations. But, yes, lots of action.

SEAN: Kodansha also has the fourth volume of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. We’re still running a few witches short.

ASH: This series has been a lot of fun so far.

SEAN: Slightly creepy power imbalance aside, I really enjoyed the first volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride from Seven Seas, so the 2nd volume coming out pleases me greatly.

ANNA: I enjoyed the first one too. I like these low-key fantasy series, they remind me of the type of thing CMX used to put out (RIP).

ASH: The first volume was one of my favorite debuts this year, so I’m definitely looking forward to the second!

MJ: I will have to catch up with this one for sure!

SEAN: And a 6th omnibus of Dance in the Vampire Bund, which combines lolis and vampires to devastating effect, or so I hear.

Now it’s time for our slate of Viz. There’s new 3-in-1s of Dragon Ball (the 10th), Naruto (the 12th, and One Piece (the 13th). Good buys if you want to save shelf space.

Kimi ni Todoke has a 22nd volume, and I really hope that a plot point suggested by the cliffhanger happens, for the sake of my own sanity.

MICHELLE: Volume 21 was great, if painful, so I am very much looking forward to another installment.

ANNA: I have around 3 volumes now I need to read to catch up. I think I was staying away from the emotional trauma. I do love this series.

MJ: I live for this kind of pain.

SEAN: Kiss of the Rose Princess 6… I admit I’ve lost track of this series. Anna?

ANNA: What’s going to happen with the Junk Rose Princess and her Four Fake Rose Knights? Now that some of Anise’s Rose Knights are powered up even more, will this throw off the dynamics in this fun and frothy reverse harem manga? Is Anise’s father really as evil as he seems? How does one engineer Rose people? How many cards can Anise collect? I don’t know but I want to find out!!!!!

SEAN: Komomo Confiserie is the new series from Maki Minami, author of Special A and Voice Over. Given that title, I’d expect food to be involved. Always love stuff from this author.

MICHELLE: I loved Voice Over! way more an I expected to, and am looking forward to Komomo Confiserie quite a lot!

ANNA: I liked Voice Over, but not enough to complete the series. On the other hand I love food manga so I will be checking this out.

ASH: Food! Pastries! Cakes!

SEAN: Nisekoi barrels along with an 11th volume, being the rare Jump romantic comedy that doesn’t die in North America (see Strawberry 100% for the fate of prior comedies of that sort).

After getting a few volumes out digital-only, print readers are now able to experience the gloriousness that is One-Punch Man, with its first two volumes coming out together.

ANNA: One-Punch Man is the best. It totally deserves the print edition and I hope more readers discover it because it is hilarious.

ASH: I’ve been holding out for the print edition; can’t wait to finally read it!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: Seraph of the End gets a 6th volume. Vampires? Still? Dunno.

ANNA: Not surprisingly, I enjoy this a bunch. It has more world building than most vampire manga. Looking forward to this volume.

SEAN: Skip Beat! has a 35th volume, edging closer to the longest shoujo series in North America (Boys Over Flowers still tops it right now, I think).

MICHELLE: You are right; if you include Jewelry Box, Boys Over Flowers has 37 volumes. Also, yay Skip Beat!.

ANNA: Skip Beat! is so great. May it go on for 35 volumes more!

MICHELLE: Hear, hear!

SEAN: There’s also an 18th volume of Tegami Bachi.

Lastly, you thought there would be no Yu-Gi-Oh? Foolish mortal! Here’s Vol. 7 of Zexal.

What manga makes you want to learn logarithm tables? (None of them, I imagine, unless you have the old Math Girls manga volume.)

ASH: I in fact DO have the old Math Girls volume!

MJ: Same! :D

SEAN: For a last week of the month, there’s a lot of stuff due out, particularly from Kodansha Comics.

The 16th Attack on Titan comes in a regular edition, and also a Special Edition with a set of AoT-themed playing cards.

ASH: It’ll be interesting to see how the special edition does for Kodansha.

SEAN: And there’s a 5th volume of the prequel Attack on Titan: Before the Fall.

Fairy Tail also has a spinoff, with the first volume of Blue Mistral, which I believe focuses on Wendy.

Inuyashiki is the new series running in Evening magazine from the author of Gantz. Its protagonist being an old man is unusual, its science fiction with horror/gore plot is not, at least not for this author.

ASH: Although I didn’t follow Gantz to the end, I am rather curious about Inuyashiki.

ANNA: Huh, I’m cautiously curious about this. Will wait for Ash’s review though!

SEAN: Let’s Dance a Waltz comes to an end with the third and final volume. Less fat-shaming in your next series, please.

MICHELLE: I second that request.

ASH: Yup. Also, I didn’t realize the series was so short!

ANNA: So glad I didn’t read this.

SEAN: Maria the Virgin Witch has an epilogue with Exhibition.

ASH: Maria the Virgin witch was such a quirky little series.

SEAN: Say “I Love You” has volume 9 coming out, and it’s become one of my favorite “shosei” series.

MICHELLE: Mine, too! Looking forward to this one.

ANNA: I need to get caught up! It is very good.

SEAN: And Your Lie in April has a 3rd volume. Lies indeed; it’s August, not April. You can’t trick me, manga!

ASH: Wait, it’s not April?

SEAN: There are a few titles coming out that are not Kodansha. Seven Seas has an Alice book, with White Rabbit and Some Afternoon Tea. After being an antagonist for so long in these books, Peter White finally gets his chance to be the love interest.

ANNA: Is it extra traumatic?

SEAN: I realize the title might put some people off, but Bodacious Space Pirates was a fantastic novel/anime series, and Bodacious Space Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace is a manga adaptation of the feature film they made. I’m greatly looking forward to it.

ASH: Should hopefully be fun!

ANNA: If nothing else, that title is fabulous.

SEAN: Also greatly looking forward to the 4th omnibus of Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer. Buy this please. Make Sean proud of you.

ASH: I will make you proud, Sean!

SEAN: Vertical has a 6th volume of Supernatural thriller Ajin. Be warned, it’s caught up with Japan.

And Vertical also has a novel spinoff of Attack on Titan. Harsh Mistress of the City is another one that takes place before the main manga, I believe.

ASH: It’s also illustrated by Range Murata which will be of particular interest to a few people I know.

ANNA: I didn’t know that! Interesting!

SEAN: So what are you getting next week?