manga the week of

SEAN: Middlemarch, and no manga adapting George Eliot. Alas.

MICHELLE: That would be interesting!

ASH: Surely, this must exist somewhere already, right?

ANNA: I may be more curious about this hypothetical George Eliot manga than anything actually coming out this week.

SEAN: Airship has a print release of Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 17, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 26 (the final volume, though sequels are coming), and Yes, No, or Maybe? 2.

The early digital debut is The Evil Queen’s Beautiful Principles (Akutoku Joō no Kokoroe), from the creative team behind Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter. A crown princess has been locked up for years, docile as a doll. Now she’s free… and suddenly her parents are murdered. This seems on the “serious” side of the genre.

ASH: It does seem that way.

SEAN: Also out in early digital: I’m in Love with the Villainess: She’s so Cheeky for a Commoner 2.

For Ghost Ship, we get The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 9, Ayakashi Triangle 8, Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! 11-12, and the 7th and final volume of Who Wants to Marry a Billionaire?.

It’s print week for J-Novel Club, as we see Ascendance of a Bookworm 23, By the Grace of the Gods 12, and The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap 7.

ASH: Yeah, Bookworm!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has three debuts for digital release. Management of a Novice Alchemist (Shinmai Renkinjutsushi no Tenpo Keiei) is one of those series that’s coming out well after the anime aired. Also, I think I’m the only one who really loved this anime. As such, I may be the only one really happy to see this book. Sarasa is a newly-graduated alchemist who’s starting her Slow Life at a shop in the middle of nowhere… but as with a lot of Slow Life series, just how slow is it?

ASH: I haven’t seen the anime, but I have a soft spot for alchemists.

SEAN: The Otome Heroine’s Fight for Survival (Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyō Survival) combines two current trends, as we see “reincarnated into an otome game” matched up with “death game”. A young girl living a horrible life is suddenly shocked when a person tries to kill her, and she regains her memories of what this world is and who she is. Now she’s prepared to kick ass.

The Water Magician (Mizuzokusei no Mahōtsukai) has a very similar plot to the above, minus the otome game and death game parts. A young man is reincarnated into a world with water powers, and is delighted he can live a slow life learning to use them. Sure, he’s in danger all the time and everything’s trying to kill him, but that won’t stop his slow life.

ASH: Ha!

ANNA: I aspire to have a slow life that I could attempt to protect at any cost.

SEAN: We also get Black Summoner 16, the 5th A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills! manga, Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight -Origins- 10, Earl and Fairy 5, Finding Avalon: The Quest of a Chaosbringer 2, The Misfit of Demon King Academy 6, Monster Tamer 16, the 7th Rebuild World manga, and Record of Wortenia War 23.

Kodansha Books has a 5th volume of Am I Actually the Strongest?.

Kodansha Manga has a print debut, complete in one volume. Number Call is a BL manga from Gateau about a boy named Eito who hates his name meeting a boy named Hachi (the Japanese for “eight).

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: I’m game.

SEAN: Also in print: Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 9 and Wistoria: Wand and Sword 7.

The digital debut is Because I, the True Saint, Was Banished, That Country Is Done For! (Shin no Seijo de aru Watashi wa Tsuihou Saremashita. Dakara Kono Kuni wa Mou Owari desu) a shoujo manga from Palcy. You’ve read this one before, basically. Saint, engaged to the prince, broken engagement, exiled, trying to live a quiet life in the next kingdom over, suddenly buried in hot men.

Also digital: Cells at Work! Lady 5 (the final volume), A Galaxy Next Door 6 (the final volume), Gang King 15, How I Met My Soulmate 2, I Have a Crush at Work 2, I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 3, Matcha Made in Heaven 8, Quality Assurance in Another World 10, and Ya Boy Kongming 15.

MICHELLE: I really should read A Galaxy Next Door, huh?

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us a 6th volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

MICHELLE: Yay.

ASH: Indeed!

SEAN: No debuts for Seven Seas, but we get Cat on the Hero’s Lap 2, COLORLESS 6, Delinquent Daddy and Tender Teacher 3, The Duke of Death and His Maid 11, The Knight Captain is the New Princess-to-Be 3, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 8, No Longer Allowed In Another World 5, the 4th and final volume of Polar Bear Café: Collector’s Edition, Sheep Princess in Wolf’s Clothing 2, and Yakuza Reincarnation 9.

Square Enix debuts The Villainess’s Guide to (Not) Falling in Love (Akuyaku Reijou wa Dekiai Route ni Hairimashita!?), a manga based on an unlicensed light novel, and from the author of A Tale of the Secret Saint. An otome game isekai’d villainess is determined to stay alive by just avoiding all the men in the game. So why are they so fascinated with her? It runs in Manga Up!.

ASH: In theory, it’s a good strategy.

SEAN: Also from Square Enix: The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest 17.

SuBLime has Candy Color Paradox Assorted Pack, a selection of bonus and side stories from the manga.

ASH: Sweet.

SEAN: And we get the 2nd and final volume of Pink Heart Jam, though there’s a sequel.

Tokyopop has the 5th volume of Formerly, the Fallen Daughter of the Duke and the 4th volume of Hanger.

Two debuts from Viz, both One Piece spinoffs. One Piece: Ace’s Story—The Manga (One Piece Episode A) is an adaptation of the light novel that came out a while back, focusing on Ace. It ran in Shonen Jump +.

One Piece: Shokugeki no Sanji ran in Weekly Shonen Jump, is complete in one volume, and is not quite a Food Wars! crossover, but it’s by the creators of Food Wars!.

Viz also has Animal Crossing: New Horizons 6, Call of the Night 15, Disney Twisted-Wonderland 3, Fly Me to the Moon 22, Helck 8, Mao 16, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 15, One Piece 105, and Yakuza Lover 12 (the final volume).

And that’s it! What manga is marching towards you?

SEAN: It’s March, and… LOOK OUT! LION!

We start off with Viz Media, which has no debuts. But we get Black Clover 34, Blade of the Moon Princess 3, Blue Box 9, Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love 9 (the final volume), The King’s Beast 12, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 12 (the final volume), Like a Butterfly 5, My Hero Academia 37, and Wolf Girl and Black Prince 6.

MICHELLE: I should probably read those shoujo titles…

ANNA: Me too!

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has the 3rd and final omnibus of Robotics;Notes.

Tokyopop debuts Cover My Scars with Your Kiss (Kizuato ni Kuchidzuke), a BL title from LiQuille. This tale combines love, “you look like the guy I’m really in love with”, and dentistry. Which sounds awesome, to be honest. More BL needs to have dentistry.

ASH: I don’t think that’s a combo I’ve seen yet!

Tokyopop also has the 4th volume of Acid Town, and the 5th volume of If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die.

Square Enix Manga has The Apothecary Diaries 11, My Clueless First Friend 5, and Tokyo Aliens 6.

No debuts for Seven Seas, but we see Dungeon Friends Forever 2, The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 5, Kemono Jihen 10, Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 18, Re:Monster 8, This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 11, and Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games 6.

One Peace has a 4th volume of the manga version of The Death Mage.

Kodansha gives us some debuts. A-DO is a seinen title from Monthly Young Magazine, and it’s a recent series, but you’d get big 1980s vibes from it, given it deals with human experiments, espers, and vast government conspiracies.

ASH: Ha! It does give off that sort of vibe. Count me as intrigued.

SEAN: Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You (Douse, Koishite Shimaunda) is a print release of the digital title we’ve already seen, and it runs in Nakayoshi. From the author of I Fell in Love After School, this is straight-up reverse harem fun.

ANNA: OK!

SEAN: The other print debut is Medalist, an amazing title I’ve been banging on about since the digital debuted, and an anime is coming. Award-winning title from Afternoon about a girl trying to figure skate all on her own and a man trying to recover from shattered dreams. Are they the best thing for each other? I beg you to read this.

MICHELLE: Ooh!

ANNA: Yay! I picked up this series when it was included in a humble bundle recently and the couple volumes I’ve read so far are delightful.

ASH: I’ve been waiting for this one in print!

SEAN: Also in print: The Darwin Incident 4, Fire Force Omnibus 9, I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 4, I’m Standing on a Million Lives 17, My Lovesick Life as a ’90s Otaku 2, Nina the Starry Bride 3, and Rent-A-Girlfriend 23.

ANNA: Yay again for print editions of Nina the Starry Bride.

SEAN: Digitally we see Blue Lock 24, How to Grill Our Love 7, Life 13, MF Ghost 18, My Wife is a Little Intimidating 7, Shangri-La Frontier 15, Those Snow White Notes 15, and Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 12.

MICHELLE: I keep falling further and further behind on Blue Lock.

SEAN: Kaiten Books has a 6th volume of Gacha Girls Corps out digitally.

No debuts for J-Novel Club either, but we do see Cooking with Wild Game 23, Fake Saint of the Year: You Wanted the Perfect Saint? Too Bad! 4 (the final volume), The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects 2, Holmes of Kyoto 17, the 7th Housekeeping Mage from Another World: Making Your Adventures Feel Like Home! manga volume, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 10, The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 4, and Thompson 3 (the final volume).

Ghost Ship has Might as Well Cheat: I Got Transported to Another World Where I Can Live My Wildest Dreams! 7 and Rise of the Outlaw Tamer and His S-Rank Cat Girl. And in other Mature SS titles, we get the danmei title Remnants of Filth: Yuwu 3 and Succubus and Hitman 6.

Dark Horse Comics has the 4th volume of their reissue of Hellsing, and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! 6.

ASH: I really need to look into Eizouken at some point.

SEAN: And we end with Airship, which has a print debut. The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain (Danzaisareta Akuyaku Reijō wa, Gyakkō-shite Kanpekina Akujo o Mezasu) has our betrayed noble girl sold into a brothel, then, after becoming a fantastic sex worker, she dies. Now she’s back in time, and this time she’s determined to actually be a better person. (Note I edited this description from the early digital one, as I’ve now actually read the book.)

Also in print: The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 7, Loner Life in Another World 8, and Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 11.

Speaking of that series, debuting in early digital is Trapped in a Dating Sim: Otome Games Are Tough For Us, Too (Ano Otome Game wa Ore-tachi ni Kibishii Sekai Desu), an AU light novel where Leon catches Marie before she seduces anyone… but that leads to many, many other problems.

And there is also the 10th volume of She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man.

Were you eaten by a lion? Or did you just read manga about it?

SEAN: Please close the door behind February as you exit.

ASH: How is the shortest month not already over?

SEAN: Airship starts us off with a print version of Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 4.

The early digital debut is Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes (Maou to Yuusha no Tatakai no Ura de), which had its manga come out literally last week, and now here’s the novel that was based on.

And we also get the 8th volume of Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship!.

No debuts for Cross Infinite World (actually, they seem to be concentrating on ongoing series for the next few months, possibly as they got so many in 2023), but we do see Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound 4, Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights 4, and Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes 3.

ASH: I really should give Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes a look at some point.

SEAN: Dark Horse has a 4th volume of Cat + Gamer.

Amazon lists Denpa as having the 4th omnibus of Nana & Kaoru out next week.

ASH: We shall see!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has The Witches of Adamas 7, and the non-Ghost Ship but Mature-rated The Dangerous Convenience Store 2.

J-Novel Club has the debut of a coveted license rescue, Chivalry of a Failed Knight (Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry). It’s very popular, features a “guy who everyone hates with bad abilities who secretly has the best abilities”, and takes place at a magical academy. Oh, and since I’m required to make an Asterisk War joke here… nah, I won’t bother.

ASH: Not a series (or genre, really) that I’m reading, but I’m generally always happy for a license rescue.

SEAN: Also out from J-Novel Club: the 7th Bibliophile Princess manga, The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows 2, the 8th Cooking with Wild Game manga, From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone 2, the 3rd I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! manga, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 9, Reincarnated Mage with Inferior Eyes: Breezing through the Future as an Oppressed Ex-Hero 6, and Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time: No One Told Me There Would Be Monsters! 4.

From Kodansha Books we get As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 4.

Some debuts from Kodansha Manga. The Blue Wolves of Mibu (Ao no Miburo) is a historical drama from Weekly Shonen Magazine about the founding of the Shinsengumi.

MICHELLE: Oooh.

ANNA: OK, I’m officially curious about this!

ASH: Yup! Count me in, too.

SEAN: A Kingdom of Quartz (Quartz no Oukoku) is an Afternoon series about a girl who longs to fight alongside the angels, but that may be hard given her powers tend more towards the demonic.

Nude Model and Other Stories (Yamaguchi Tsubasa Tanpenshuu: Nude Model) is a short story collection from the creator of Blue Period.

ASH: I suspect this has the potential to be pretty good.

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 11, Shangri-La Frontier 10, and Something’s Wrong With Us 19 (the final volume).

ANNA: Need to pick up Blue Lock for one of my kids!

SEAN: Digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 10, Boss Bride Days 14, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 27, Gamaran: Shura 17, How to Treat a Lady Knight Right 3, I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! 2, Koigakubo-kun Stole My First Time 6, My Home Hero 13, and That’s My Atypical Girl 11.

Last Gasp have a paperback edition of Junko Mizuno’s Pure Trance, which had its hardcover out a few years back. I’d describe the plot, but I suspect Junko Mizuno readers simply buy based on the creator name, and quite right too.

ASH: Ha! Glad to see this staying in print.

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 22nd manga volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero.

No debuts for Seven Seas, but we get Bite Maker: The King’s Omega 10, D-Frag! 17, DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 5, The Haunted Bookstore – Gateway to a Parallel Universe 4 (the final volume), The Invisible Man and His Soon-to-Be Wife 3, Last Game 4, Lazy Dungeon Master 7, Monster Guild: The Dark Lord’s (No-Good) Comeback! 6, Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 5, The World’s Fastest Level Up 2, and Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Deluxe Edition 4.

ASH: I need to spend more time reading Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou.

SEAN: Square Enix Books has a 10th volume of Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!.

MICHELLE: Insert boilerplate about needing to get caught up on Cherry Magic! here.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a 10th and final volume of Futaribeya: A Room for Two.

Viz Media debuts My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition (Watashi wa Shingo), a horror manga from Kazuo Umezz himself, which ran in Big Comic Spirits. The story of two young boys who befriend a robot, it has a fantastic cover, and comes highly recommended.

ASH: I plan on picking it up!

SEAN: Yen On has a debut. The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter (Isekai no Sata wa Shachiku Shidai) has already had its manga come out from Yen Press, and this is the light novel version. Recommended for isekai fans who also like BL.

ASH: BL is a way to get me to try things I might not otherwise.

SEAN: Yen Press debuts God Bless the Mistaken (Kamisama ga Machigaeru), a sci-fi series from the creator of Bloom Into You which ran in Dengeki Daioh. A middle schooler helps his landlady investigate bugs in the world – not the insects, bugs as in glitches.

And they also have Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree 2, Murciélago 23, and No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! 22.

For a leap year that’s a lot. What tickles your fancy?

SEAN: Forget it, Jake. It’s Yen Press week.

Yen On has a number of debuts. First up is Astrea Record: Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Tales of Heroes (Astrea Record Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darō ka). This prequel to the main Danmachi series, set 7 years prior, shows us Lyu’s backstory in detail.

ASH: I probably should have known better, but I really did not expect how many Danmachi books there would end up being.

SEAN: The Kept Man of the Princess Knight (Himekishi-sama no Himo) stars a gorgeous, beloved and strong knight, and the scummy, despised dude who’s always at her side. Odds that he’s secretly the really powerful one? High.

ANNA: PLOT TWIST!!!!

ASH: Who would have guessed!

SEAN: Miss Savage Fang: The Strongest Mercenary in History Is Reincarnated as an Unstoppable Noblewoman (Savage Fang Ojō-sama: Shijō Saikyō no Yōhei wa Shijō Saikyō no Bōgyaku Reijō to natte Futatabime no Sekai o Musō Suru) stars a woman who is not about to go the Villainess route. She used to be the world’s most powerful mercenary, and she’s going to use her noble status to kick ass.

The Unimplemented Overlords Have Joined the Party! (Mijissō no Last Boss-tachi ga Nakama ni Narimashita) is a “trapped in a video game” book, as our hero sits down to play the hot new game and finds himself in a buggy area yet to be patched… along with six evil overlords who declare him their master!

ASH: Better that than the alternative?

SEAN: You Are My Regret (Kimi wa Boku no Regret) is from the creator of Higehiro. It’s not an adaptation of one of those tragically depressing Japanese movies where the girl dies at the end, but boy, it sure feels like it is, doesn’t it? A middle school couple who dated and broke up reunite in high school. Can they reunite?

ASH: It does have that vibe.

SEAN: Also coming from Yen On: Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture 3, Black Summoner 1 (a print version of the J-Novel Club title), Date a Live 11, Days with My Stepsister 2, The Greatest Demon Lord Is Reborn as a Typical Nobody 9, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 14, If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love 2, Liar, Liar 3, Magical Girl Raising Project 17, My Happy Marriage 6, Reborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary Squire 2 (the print version of the J-Novel Club title), Sugar Apple Fairy Tale 5, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 14, The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 6, and Your Forma 5.

MICHELLE: I should read My Happy Marriage at some point.

SEAN: Yen Press also has a number of debuts. Ako and Bambi (Ako to Bambi) is from the creator of Horimiya, and stars a horror writer (Bambi) who tells the story of a talkative ghost (Ako), not realizing that Ako may actually still be alive elsewhere in town. This ran in Sonorama+.

ASH: This premise amuses me.

SEAN: Beastrings is a one-shot manga featuring a town where a hero saved the day once. Now he’s the mayor, and is determined to keep the day saved. This seems like a “different story about each citizen” type volume. It’s Comic Beam.

holoX MEETing! (Hololive – holoX MEETing!) is a Shonen Jump + title that… well, it’s a Hololive title. It’s like asking the plot of a Pokemon manga. Good thing Virtual Youtubers are in the news right now. A ha. A ha ha ha.

If the Villainess and Villain Met and Fell in Love (Akuyaku Reijou to Akuyaku Reisoku ga, Deatte Koi ni Ochitanara) is the manga based on the light novel also out from Yen. It runs in GA Comic.

ASH: Talk about a power couple?

SEAN: Taking Care of God (Kami-sama no Kaigogakari) is a one-shot based on the story story by Cixin Liu, asking what happens when old people start falling from the sky and claiming they created humanity. It ran in COMIC Hu.

ASH: Oh! I like Cixin Liu’s work; I’ll have to check this out.

SEAN: Whoever Steals This Book (Kono Hon wo Nusumu Mono wa) runs in Young Ace. A girl descended from book collectors can’t stand books. But when an ancient curse activates, she has to enter the stories in order to save her town.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Assorted Entanglements 4, Cheerful Amnesia 2, The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess 9, Doomsday with My Dog 4, Goblin Slayer Side Story II: Dai Katana 6, Honey Trap Shared House 2, I Cannot Reach You 7, I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time 2, I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level 12, In Another World with My Smartphone 11, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Familia Chronicle Episode Freya 3, Kaiju Girl Caramelise 7, Kowloon Generic Romance 6, Minami Nanami Wants to Shine 3 (the final volume), Mint Chocolate 10, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected @ comic 20, Oshi no Ko 5, Overlord 18, Tales of the Kingdom 4, Teasing Master Takagi-san 18, The Villainess Stans the Heroes: Playing the Antagonist to Support Her Faves! 3, Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet 6, and Uncle from Another World 9.

ANNA: I do want to catch up on Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet.

MICHELLE: Same here!

SEAN: And we’re done! NOT. Viz Media has Children of the Whales 23 (the final volume), Choujin X 5, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End 10, Heart Gear 3, Mission: Yozakura Family 9, Twin Star Exorcists 30, The Way of the Househusband 11, and Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead 13.

ASH: I need to catch up without Househusband.

SEAN: Tokyopop has four debuts, all BL. All You Want, Whenever You Want (Hoshii Toki Dake, Suki na Dake) is a one-shot from liQulle about a company romance (and a company dormitory).

I’ll Never Fall in Love With an Egoist (Egoist ni wa Nabikanai) is a from RED title, and can be summed up as “Two tops on the beach, who will be the bottom?”. Another one-shot.

Is This the Kind of Love I Want? (Konna Koi nara Owari ni Shitai!) is the only title that’s more than one volume, it ran in Rutile. When a gay man wants his first gay experience, his straight friend offers to be that person. But is he as straight as he thinks?

ANNA: PLOT TWIST!

SEAN: A Kiss That Stains the Innocence (Innocent wo Kegasu Kiss) is another from RED title, and another one-shot. A prince with memory issues turns to a man who lives in the mountains… unaware the King destroyed the mountain man’s village!

A debut from Square Enix, Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You (Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari). This Big Gangan title is about an overworked salaryman and a store clerk… well, smoking behind the supermarket.

They also have I Think Our Son Is Gay 5 (the final volume), Mr. Villain’s Day Off 3, and Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 11.

MICHELLE: Definitely gotta read I Think Our Son Is Gay.

ASH: I know I will be!

SEAN: One debut from Seven Seas. Reincarnated Into a Game as the Hero’s Friend: Running the Kingdom Behind the Scenes (Maou to Yuusha no Tatakai no Ura de) is a manga based on a light novel coming soon from Airship. A Comic Gardo title about a normal guy who died in the battle by the Demon King’s Army. Now he’s a noble… and has memories of the fact that this is a game. Recommended for people who don’t get sick just reading that premise again.

Seven Seas also has Black Night Parade 2, I Think I Turned My Childhood Friend Into a Girl 5, Lonely Castle in the Mirror 2, Plus-Sized Elf: Second Helping! 2, A Stepmother’s ‏Märchen 3, and Yokai Cats 7.

One Peace Books has the 9th Higehiro manga.

Kodansha Manga debuts BLOOD BLADE, which they’ve been debuting on their KManga site. Did you ever want Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster to meet and also be cute girls? Great news!

ANNA: PLOT TWIST!

ASH: Hmmm…

SEAN: Also in print: EDENS ZERO 27, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 10, In/Spectre 19, Lovely Muco! 4, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 5, Ogami-san Can’t Keep It In 3, Quality Assurance in Another World 6, Tsugumi Project 4, Wandance 8, Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 6, and Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen 2.

MICHELLE: Wandance and Iruma-kun for me!

SEAN: Digitally we see The Café Terrace and Its Goddesses 11, Don’t Tempt Me, VP! 3, A Girl & Her Guard Dog 9, Gamaran 18, Issak 6, Lightning and Romance 5, Our Fake Marriage 13, and Rocopon 3 (the final volume).

No debuts from J-Novel Club this week, but we do see Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Trusted Companions Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to the Gift of an Unlimited Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge on My Former Party Members and the World 6, Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- 2, Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored 5, The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects: Tales of Blue Dias and the Onikin Alna 3, the 2nd I Want to Escape from Princess Lessons manga, I’m Not the Hero! 3, the 2nd The Invincible Little Lady manga, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 6, the 3rd My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer manga, the 4th Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon manga, Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter 11, Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord 4, and You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story 2.

ASH: So many words.

From Ghost Ship we see 2.5 Dimensional Seduction 9.

No print from Airship, but we get an early digital debut. The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain (Danzaisareta Akuyaku Reijō wa, Gyakkō-shite Kanpekina Akujo o Mezasu) has our betrayed noble girl sold into a brothel, then, after becoming one of the most famous sex workers ever, killed. Now she’s back in time, and this time she’s destroying lives and chewing bubblegum, and she’s all out of bubblegum.

And there’s also The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 7

Ooof. Did you finish reading that?

ANNA: NO. (PLOT TWIST!)

MICHELLE: TBH, I did skim just a lil’.

SEAN: Manga readers, will you be our valentine?

We start with Airship, which has Reincarnated as a Dragon Hatchling 6 in early digital.

Amazon lists Denpa Books having the 5th and final volume of The Girl with the Sanpaku Eyes out next week.

No actual Ghost Ship titles this week, but we get a Mature danmei debut, Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben. This is a modern dark SF take on the genre, and features an unstable young man who returns home to win the heart of the girl he loves and resolve things with the man he’s obsessed with. It’s a danmei title, so I would not worry about the girl too much.

MICHELLE: Yeahhhh. Probably not.

ANNA: I’m surprised there is even a girl!

ASH: Right?

SEAN: And there’s a mature webtoon BL title debuting as well, Punch Drunk Love. A man is eyeing the new manager at work, wondering if he’s gay… and can give him some dominant love.

Love is an Illusion! 5 is also “not Ghost Ship but mature”.

ASH: There are a fair number of those.

SEAN: Hanashi Media gives us My Pet Is a Saintess (Ore no Pet wa Seijo-sama) is the story of a young man who is devastated when his pet bird dies, then is isekai’d to a world where his pet bird is now a cute young girl, and he needs to be her fiance! This got bumped, which is why it sounds familiar.

ASH: Among other reasons, I’m sure.

SEAN: J-Novel Club – again – has FIVE debuts, four of them manga series. Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- (Buta no Liver wa Kanetsu Shiro) is based on the light novel also being released by J-Novel Club, and runs in Dengeki Maoh.

A Livid Lady’s Guide to Getting Even: How I Crushed My Homeland with My Mighty Grimoires (Buchigire Reijou wa Houfuku wo Chikaimashita. ~Madousho no Chikara de Sokoku wo Tataki Tsubushimasu~) is based on a light novel that is not yet out from J-Novel Club, but is on the way. This time the noblewoman who has her engagement broken and is framed for crimes she didn’t commit decides to get revenge. It runs in Comic Fire.

ASH: I can appreciate a good revenge story.

SEAN: The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power: Forget My Sister! Turns Out I Was the Real Saint All Along! (Mujikaku Seijo wa Kyō mo Muishiki ni Chikara o Tare Nagasu: Imadai no Seijo wa Anede wa Naku, Imōto no Watashi Datta Mitai Desu) is the one light novel debut. A young woman who’s been considered the lesser compared to her sister is married off to another country, and suddenly discovers her latent powers.

Through the Viewport: Child of a Ruined World (Shuumatsu Sekai no Hakoirimusume) is, believe it or not, not based on a light novel. A Mag Garden series, it’s the story of a girl and her giant robot in a post-apocalyptic world.

ASH: Count me intrigued.

SEAN: The Water Magician (Mizu Zokusei no Mahoutsukai @COMIC) is, as you might have guessed from that Japanese title, the manga adaptation of The Water Magician light novel, coming from J-NC next month. It’s in Comic Corona, and features an isekai’d boy who’s just trying to learn how to use his newfound water magic, but sadly finds this world is not Slow Life.

Kodansha Books has the 5th The Dawn of the Witch light novel.

Kodansha Manga debuts in print The White and Blue Between Us (Bokura wo Hedateru Ao to Shiro), a BL title that ran in Honey Milk. After a confession gone wrong, a boy left the island he grew up with. Now he’s back for a class reunion, and the man he confessed to wants to make amends. This is complete in one volume.

MICHELLE: Sounds potentially good!

ANNA: OK!

ASH: I’m in, too.

SEAN: Also in print: Fairy Tail Omnibus 2, Fire Force Omnibus 8, Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! 2, Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 5, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse 11, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 3, and WIND BREAKER 4.

The digital debut is I Have a Crush at Work (Kono Kaisha ni Suki na Hito ga Imasu), a seinen manga from Weekly Morning. Two coworkers are now lovers, and need to keep this a secret at work. But it’s hard to not be a cutesy couple.

Also out digitally: Gang King 14, Giant Killing 41, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 10, and Our Bodies, Entwining, Entwined 7.

MICHELLE: Getting close to the end of Giant Killing too!

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us The Death Mage 4.

Seven Seas has a quiet week (it all went into the Ghost Ship section), with just 365 Days to the Wedding 2, CANDY AND CIGARETTES 7, and The Villainess Who Has Been Killed 108 Times: She Remembers Everything! 2.

ASH: Will there be 365 and 108 volumes of those, respectively?

SEAN: Square Enix has The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 8 and My Isekai Life: I Gained a Second Character Class and Became the Strongest Sage in the World! 11.

SuBLime gives is the 2nd and final volume of Love Nest and a 3rd Therapy Game Restart.

MICHELLE: !!! I had no idea a third Therapy Game Restart was coming out soon. I love this series very much!

SEAN: Viz debuts I Want to End This Love Game (Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai), a Web Every Sunday series (i.e. Shonen Sunday but online) whose plot is a bit familiar: two childhood friends have been playing a “love game” since they were kids, and want to win. The one who gets embarrassed first loses.

Also from Viz: Akane-banashi 4, Hayate the Combat Butler 43, Sakura, Saku 2, and Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 23.

ASH: Hooray for sleepy shenanigans!

SEAN: Lastly, Yen Press has two stragglers. Phantom Tales of the Night 12 (the final volume) and Play It Cool, Guys 5.

Do you love any of these titles?

MICHELLE: One, without reservation!

ANNA: Not really!

SEAN: February is here, and it’s even longer this year. Fortunately, there is manga.

ASH: Always!

SEAN: Viz debuts a new shoujo title, In the Name of the Mermaid Princess (Mio no Na no Moto ni). This runs in Ribon, and is about a princess who is betrothed to a prince she’s never met, and is worried about her own secret… she’s a mermaid! Um, naming the series that gives away the secret. But hey.

ASH: I’m still curious, even after the spoiler.

ANNA: Mermaid Princesses! How can she be engaged to someone who doesn’t know that she’s a mermaid? Is there a royal paranormal matchmaker that goes around arranging marriages between mermaids and human royalty? I have so many questions!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Chainsaw Man 14, Dragon Ball Super 20, The Elusive Samurai 10, My Special One 5, Natsume’s Book of Friends 29, Prince Freya 10, and Rainbow Days 8. Mmmm, that’s some good shoujo next week.

ASH: It really is! I’ve got some catching up to do.

ANNA: As always, I do too.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment gives us the 4th and final volume of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.

Tokyopop has two debuts. The Prince Is in the Villainess’ Way! (Akuyaku Reijou no Okiniiri Ouji…… Jama) is based on an as yet unlicensed novel, and runs in Comic PASH!. A cool, stoic princess recalls her past memories… which are not from Japan, apparently, but show that she was once the princess from a neighboring kingdom! Who’s… about to be killed. Better get on that, I guess.

Since I Could Die Tomorrow (Ashita Shinu ni wa) is a josei biographical series that ran in Ohta Web Comic. A woman in her early 40s starts to get palpitations and feeling cold. Is she starting to go through menopause? This has gotten some award nominations.

MICHELLE: I’m glad manga like this exists.

ASH: Same! Although I’m still giving Tokyopop the side eye.

ANNA: Ugh, me too.

SEAN: Steamship has a third and final volume of I’ll Never Be Your Crown Princess!, but there is a sequel they’ve also licensed.

Square Enix Manga debuts The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten (Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsunomanika Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken), a manga based on the light novel series Yen is releasing. It runs in Manga Up!.

And they also have The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl 3.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read of the series, so far.

ANNA: Yes, such a nice, low stakes manga.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a horror manga debut, The Tree of Death: Yomotsuhegui (Yomotsuhegui – Shisha no Kuni no Kajitsu). The author of this series is popular in Europe, but I think this is their first title here. It’s from Monthly Young Magazine. An ex-cop who’s been in prison for getting revenge on the killers of his wife and daughter is now out, but society shuns him. Time to… go back for more revenge!

ASH: Oh! Horror and revenge? Seems like something I should take a look at.

SEAN: We also see Classroom of the Elite 9, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi The Comic 5, Soara and the House of Monsters 2, A Tale of the Secret Saint 5, and There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 4.

One Peace Books has a 12th volume of The New Gate manga.

Debuting in print for Kodansha Manga is Gazing at the Star Next Door (Tonari no Stella), a Betsufure series from the creator of Ran the Peerless Beauty. A girl realizes, to her horror, that she’s a “Childhood friend romance”, and her crush is starting to become a famous actor! Can she confess before she becomes a well-worn trope?

MICHELLE: Well, not wild about the premise but Ran the Peerless Beauty was good!

ANNA: Hmmmmmm.

SEAN: We also get a massive 700-page hardcover re-release, Vinland Saga Deluxe. This has the first three volumes, bonus content, all the bells and whistles.

ASH: I’m debating whether or not to double-dip and splurge on the new edition. It does look very nice, though, and I do love Vinland Saga… so I’ll probably eventually give in.

SEAN: Also in print: Magic Knight Rayearth 2, The Moon on a Rainy Night 3, and Virgin Love 2.

For digital we get Abe-kun’s Got Me Now! 12, Chihayafuru 42, He’s Expecting 2 (the final volume), Life 12, Sayabito: Swords of Destiny 2, Those Snow White Notes 14, Watari-kun’s ****** Is about to Collapse 15, and The World is Dancing 4.

MICHELLE: Getting close to the end of Chihayafuru!

ANNA: Amazing!

SEAN: We get FIVE debuts from J-Novel Club. Duchess in the Attic (Yane Urabeya no Koushaku Fujin) is a new manga based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel. The manga runs in Flos Comic, and is a “terrible things happen to our noble lady over and over, until she finally starts her comeback” sort of title.

The Exiled Noble Rises as the Holy King: Befriending Fluffy Beasts and a Holy Maiden with My Ultimate Cheat Skill! (Tsuihō Kizoku wa Saikyō Skill “Seiō” de Henkyō kara Nariagaru: Haikyōsha ni Nintei Sareta Ore da kedo Cheat Skill de Mofumofu mo Seijo mo Nakama ni Shichaimashita) is one of THOSE titles. It’s basically the guy version of Duchess in the Attic.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden (Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku) is one of those “Powerful warrior dies and is reincarnated” sort of titles. But our powerful warrior has been reincarnated as a sickly five-year-old. But that’s not going to stop her thirsting for battle.

ASH: Having met many five-year-olds in my time, I am not at all surprised by this.

SEAN: RVing My Way into Exile with My Beloved Cat: This Villainess Is Trippin’ (Akuyaku Reijō wa Camping Car de Tabi ni Deru: Aibyō to Mankitsu Suru Self Kokugai Tsuihō) is a title I’ve been waiting for ever since it was announced in Japan. Our villainess is, of course, exiled. But that’s fine! She’s got a camper van! AND a cat. What more would a young woman want?

ASH: Okay, that sounds like some pretty great life choices.

ANNA: I’m a little jealous.

SEAN: Sword Saint Adel’s Second Chance (Ken Seijo Adel no Yarinaoshi: Kako ni Modotta Saikyō Kensei, Hime o Sukuu Tame ni Seijo to Naru) is – stop me if you’ve heard this one before, possibly two entries up – about a warrior who regrets being unable to save the woman who showed him kindness… so now he’s back in time, as a woman this time, to try to save her properly.

ASH: But as a woman… I will admit to liking that twist.

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: The 3rd manga volume of The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom, DUNGEON DIVE: Aim for the Deepest Level 6, I’m Capped at Level 1?! Thus Begins My Journey to Become the World’s Strongest Badass! 3, The Invincible Little Lady 5, Only I Know That This World Is a Game 3, Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My World Whenever I Want! 6, and Seventh 6.

Debuting from Ghost Ship next week is Becoming a Princess Knight and Working at a Yuri Brothel (Kukkorose no Himekishi to nari, Yuri Shoukan de Hataraku koto ni Narimashita), which runs in Kissca. A salaryman in Japan is killed in a car accident. His soul is then isekai’d to another world… in the body of a Princess who’s about to be captured when her kingdom falls. Now our hero has to deal with a) being in a woman’s body, b) being in a fantasy isekai, and c) having to do sex work in a lesbian brothel.

ASH: That’s a lot to adjust to.

ANNA: Life does get complicated sometimes.

SEAN: Speaking of lesbian brothels, we also get the 4th volume of Asumi-chan is Interested in Lesbian Brothels!, and the 6th volume of PULSE.

And Airship has, in print, Berserk of Gluttony 8 (the final volume) and Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 4.

While in early digital we see Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 17 and Loner Life in Another World 8.

What manga are you reading outside your camper van?

SEAN: The end of January and the start of The Worst Month ™.

ASH: And an extra long one at that!

SEAN: We start with Airship, which in print gives us Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut 7 (the final volume) and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 9.

And in early digital we get Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 4 and Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 26 (the final volume).

No debuts for Cross Infinite World, but several ongoing series: The Abandoned Heiress Gets Rich with Alchemy and Scores an Enemy General! 2, Fluffy Paradise 3, and Making Jam in the Woods: My Relaxing Life Starts in Another World 2.

ASH: If I were to read an isekai, one dealing with food and spirits is a more likely choice than a lot of other things.

ANNA: I do like the idea of making jam in the woods.

ASH: Right??

SEAN: Hanashi Media has two light novel debuts. The Dark Guild Master’s Smile Would Fit Best (Yami Guild no Master wa Kyō mo Hohoemu) stars a normal, peace-loving guy… who happens to run the biggest Dark Guild out there, because his subordinates have decided he needs to RULE THE WORLD. This sounds interesting.

My Pet Is a Saintess (Ore no Pet wa Seijo-sama) is the story of a young man who is devastated when his pet bird dies, then is isekai’d to a world where his pet bird is now a cute young girl, and he needs to be her fiance! This sounds less interesting.

ASH: I’m going to have to agree with these assessments.

ANNA: No thank you!

SEAN: Hanashi Media also has the 8th volume of The Fruit of Evolution: Before I Knew It, My Life Had It Made!.

Debuts are thin on the ground for J-Novel Club. But we see Fake It to Break It! I Faked Amnesia to Break Off My Engagement and Now He’s All Lovey-Dovey?! 2 (the final volume), Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 43, Karate Master Isekai 4, Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World 8, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! 12, the 4th Peddler in Another World: I Can Go Back to My World Whenever I Want manga volume, the 6th Tearmoon Empire manga volume, This Art Club Has a Problem! 2, The Wind That Reaches the Ends of the World 2, and You Like Me, Not My Daughter?! 4.

Kaiten Books has a 7th volume of The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting.

We continue the debutless life with Kodansha Manga. In print, they have As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World 9, Cells at Work! Omnibus 2 (the final volume), Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection 6, Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen 3, and Whisper Me a Love Song 7.

ASH: I really enjoyed the original Cells at Work!, so I’m glad to see it sticking around in print.

SEAN: Digitally we see A Couple of Cuckoos 15, Chihiro-kun Only Has Eyes for Me 9, Drops of God: Mariage 5, Getting Closer to You 6, The Great Cleric 12, and Yozakura Quartet 31.

Seven Seas has a debut! It’s Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City (Okiraku Ryōshu no Tanoshii Ryōchi Bōei: Seisan-kei Majutsu de Na mo Nakimura o Saikyō no Jōsai Toshi ni), which is another one of those “reincarnated with a useless skill that’s really super awesome” books. And also had the light novel come out three weeks prior. It runs in Comic Gardo.

Also from Seven Seas: Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! Everyday Misadventures! 4 (the final volume), The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter 10, The Ideal Sponger Life 15, Magical Angel Creamy Mami and the Spoiled Princess 6, My Cute Little Kitten 2, My Senpai is Annoying 11, Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 17, and Tokyo Revengers 17-18.

Lastly (yep – 5th week of the month, don’tcha know) we have Yen’s runoff from last week. Yen On has The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten 6, Goblin Slayer Side Story II: Dai Katana 3 (the final volume), I May Be a Guild Receptionist, but I’ll Solo Any Boss to Clock Out on Time 2, and Looks Are All You Need 2. And they have Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World with Garbage Balancing 3 in the “J-Novel Club print” imprint.

While Yen Press has Cocoon Entwined 5, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 10, The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices 4, The Red Thread 2, and Unnamed Memory 4.

MICHELLE: Nice to see another volume of Cocoon Entwined!

ASH: Yes, indeed!

SEAN: Small but tasty! Any titles catch your eye?

SEAN: After waiting for Yen Press to show up this year, we are finally here.

ASH: Hold on tight, folks!

SEAN: No debuts for Yen On, but we do see Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 10, Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 7, The Irregular at Magic High School 21 (a mere 15 months after Vol. 20), Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? 18 (a mere 16 months after Vol. 17), Kunon the Sorcerer Can See 2, The Princess of Convenient Plot Devices 4, Reign of the Seven Spellblades 10, and Sentenced to Be a Hero 2.

ASH: You know, if the titles were shorter, the list wouldn’t seem nearly as long.

SEAN: Three debuts for Yen Press, but one is sort of a “next arc” debut. Bride of the Barrier Master (Kekkaishi no Ichirinka) is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen is also releasing, and it runs in B’s-Log Comic. A young woman in the shadow of her more powerful sister finally comes into her own power, but hides it so as to avoid making waves. Good luck with that.

Higurashi When They Cry: MEGURI (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meguri) is the manga version of the new anime’s Answer Arc, and runs in Young Ace Up. If you love Rika and Satoko, read this. If you love Keiichi, Rena and Mion… there are other arcs.

Witch Life in a Micro Room (Rokujou Hitoma no Majo Life) is a shonen manga from Gangan Joker about two young witches living together in a small apartment, and their attempts to get more important jobs to do.

Also from Yen Press: Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers Will Save the World 4, Bocchi the Rock! 2, Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 7, Chained Soldier 6, Cheeky Brat 9, Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle 5, CLAMP Premium Collection Tokyo Babylon 2, Daughter of the Emperor 6, Dead Mount Death Play 11, The Deer King 2, The Executioner and Her Way of Life 4, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 5, Hakumei and Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods 11, Handyman Saitou in Another World 3, The Holy Grail of Eris 6, I Don’t Know Which Is Love 2, I’m a Behemoth, an S-Ranked Monster, but Mistaken for a Cat, I Live as an Elf Girl’s Pet 8, In the Land of Leadale 5, Maiden of the Needle 2, My Dear, Curse-Casting Vampiress 3, No Longer Heroine 5, Please Put Them On, Takamine-san 7, A Reincarnated Witch Spells Doom 3, Stray Cat & Wolf 2, Sword Art Online Progressive Scherzo of Deep Night 3 (the final volume), and Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop 3 (also a final volume).

MICHELLE: I should probably check back in with No Longer Heroine at some point.

ASH: So. Many. Things. No wonder I forgot that a new edition of Tokyo Babylon was being released.

ANNA: With each rerelease of previously published CLAMP material, my anger and sadness about X/1999 never getting a conclusion grows exponentially!

ASH: Saaaaaame.

SEAN: Viz Media gives us Boy’s Abyss 4, How Do We Relationship? 10, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6–Stone Ocean 2.

ASH: I ought to catch up with How Do We Relationship?; I really liked the earlier volumes I read.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has a 2nd volume of Team Phoenix.

There is Lullaby of the Dawn 2, Sengoku Youko 5, and UNDEAD: Finding Love in the Zombie Apocalypse 2 from Tokyopop.

Steamship debuts a done-in-one omnibus, My Boss is a Giant: He Manages My Every Need With Enormous Skill (Kowamote Joushi no XL Size ga Hairimasen!), a josei manga from LoveParfait. The copy tries to sell it as “he’s a big guy, she’s a tiny girl”, but the titles will clue you in as to what he really has that’s enormous.

MICHELLE: I have cleverly deduced what that might be!

ASH: Oh, myyyyyy.

ANNA: I’m assuming like, elbows or ears?

SEAN: Square Enix has a 13rd volume of Soul Eater: The Perfect Edition.

Debuting from Seven Seas is Modern Dungeon Capture Starting with Broken Skills (Koware Skill de Hajimeru Gendai Dungeon Kouryaku), the manga adaptation of the light novels Seven Seas also releases. It runs in Comic Gardo.

They’ve also got Does it Count if You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? 3, Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound 3, Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 7, My Stepmother and Stepsisters Aren’t Wicked 3, The Summer You Were There 4, Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 9, and Who Made Me a Princess 4.

One Peace Books has a 5th volume of Usotoki Rhetoric.

MICHELLE: Oh! I really need to catch up on this!

ASH: Same! I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga has no debuts, but we get print volumes for A Condition Called Love 6, The Darwin Incident 3, The Ghost in the Shell: The Human Algorithm 4, The Great Cleric 7, I’m Giving the Disgraced Noble Lady I Rescued a Crash Course in Naughtiness 3, and The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 8.

While digitally we see Boss Bride Days 13, DAYS 39, Gamaran: Shura 16, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir 3, My Home Hero 12, Space Brothers 43, Teppu 5, and You’re My Cutie 7.

Again, no debuts for J-Novel Club. But we get new volumes: Ascendance of a Bookworm Arc 2 Volume 8 (the manga), Back to the Battlefield: The Veteran Heroes Return to the Fray! 3, D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared 5, Doll-Kara 7, the 5th Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte manga volume, Gushing Over Magical Girls 9, I Shall Survive Using Potions! 9, I Surrendered My Sword for a New Life as a Mage 5, Isekai Tensei: Recruited to Another World 6, La Ragazza: Living with Francesca 3 (the final volume), and My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer 11 (the final volume).

Ghost Ship has the 9th volume of Creature Girls: A Hands-On Field Journal in Another World.

Dark Horse gives us a 13th volume of Mob Psycho 100.

ASH: Yet another series I’ve been meaning to read but have fallen behind on.

SEAN: From Airship, in print, we see The Haunted Bookstore – Gateway to a Parallel Universe 7 (the final volume) and I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! 6.

And there is an early digital release of Reincarnated as a Sword 14.

Not too bad. What’s on your list?

ANNA: Maybe I’ll just start to reread X/1999 and sob in a corner.

ASH: I might just join you.

SEAN: January’s heating up… or cooling down, depending on where you are.

It’s still not Yen Press’s time yet, so we begin with Viz Media. There are two debuts. Steel of the Celestial Shadows (Taiyou to Tsuki no Hagane) is from the creator of Kasane, and runs in Big Comic Superior. A samurai who is cursed to be unable to pick up a sword is near suicidal, but he’s rescued by a mysterious woman. This looks gorgeous.

ASH: Oh, wow, it does! And it’s definitely up my alley.

ANNA: I’m curious about this!

SEAN: Tokyo These Days (Tokyo Higoro) is the new title by Taiyo Matsumoto, and is recommended to all fans of the same. This ran in Big Comic Original Zoukan, and is the story of a retired editor trying to find what manga really means.

MICHELLE: Could be good!

ASH: I’m certainly a Matsumoto fan.

ANNA: I want to know what manga really means.

SEAN: Viz also has Dark Gathering 5, Golden Kamuy 31 (the final volume), One-Punch Man 27, Record of Ragnarok 9, Show-ha Shoten! 4, Ultraman 19, and Undead Unluck 14.

ASH: I really ought to catch up with Golden Kamuy.

ANNA: I need to start reading it in the first place!

SEAN: Tokyopop debuts Never Let Go (Kono Te wo Hanasanai de), a BL title from the magazine from RED. It’s an omegaverse series, and is the standard sort of “opposites attract” plot you see in those series.

There’s also a one-shot title, Send Them a Farewell Gift for the Lost Time (Loss Time ni Hanamuke o), a BL series about a man trying to break up with his boyfriend… but he keeps popping back up.

Tokyopop also has the third volume of Dead Company (a final volume).

Steamship has a 5th volume of Ladies on Top.

Seven Seas debuts a mature BL title, Love, a Kitten, and a Salty Dog (Koi to Neko to Salty Dog). The story of a vet and a college student who get closer while taking care of cats, it’s complete in one volume.

MICHELLE: Hm…

ASH: BL and cats has been a good combo in the past.

SEAN: In their Danmei line, we get Stars of Chaos: Sha Po Lang 2.

We also see The Masterful Cat Is Depressed Again Today 7, The Most Notorious “Talker” Runs the World’s Greatest Clan 6, My Wife Has No Emotion 6, Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 6, The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 8, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 6, What He Who Doesn’t Believe in Fate Says 3, and Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii 6. So many volume sixes!

One Peace Books has the 2nd manga volume of Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I’m Not the Demon Lord.

Kodansha Manga’s first print debut is Gachiakuta, a Weekly Shonen Magazine series about a young man, already living in poverty in a floating city, who is falsely accused of murder and sentenced to live on the surface, where things are much worse.

ASH: I’m at least vaguely intrigued by the setting.

SEAN: They also debut an omnibus of the first two volumes of King in Limbo (Limbo the King), a josei series from Itan. Years after a dangerous sleeping sickness devastated the world, it’s returning, and a retired military man must join up with the mysterious “King” once more to save the world again. From the creator of Apple Children of Aeon.

MICHELLE: How nice to see a josei series that is not a romance!

ASH: Oh! This absolutely has potential!

ANNA: Also curious about this!

SEAN: Also in print: Go! Go! Loser Ranger! 8, ORIGIN 2, Parasyte Full Color Collection 5, SHAMAN KING: FLOWERS 6 (the final volume), and Twilight Out of Focus 4.

Digitally we get Don’t Tempt Me, VP! 2, Gamaran 17, How to Treat a Lady Knight Right 2, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 18, I Guess I Became the Mother of the Great Demon King’s 10 Children in Another World 9, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 3, Searching for My Perfect Brother 4 (the final volume), Tsugumi Project 4, We’re New at This 15, and The World of Summoning 3 (also a final volume).

No debuts from J-Novel Club, but we see The Apothecary Diaries 10, the 10th An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride manga volume, Bibliophile Princess 7, Death’s Daughter and the Ebony Blade 7, Hell Mode 7, Holmes of Kyoto 16, the 3rd I’m Capped at Level 1?! Thus Begins My Journey to Become the World’s Strongest Badass! manga volume, Let This Grieving Soul Retire 3, Monster and Parent 3, Only the Villainous Lord Wields the Power to Level Up 4, Rebuild World 3 Part 2, and Reincarnated Mage with Inferior Eyes: Breezing through the Future as an Oppressed Ex-Hero 5.

ASH: The Apothecary Diaries is another series I really need to catch up on.

SEAN: It’s always harder to track down smaller publisher release dates, so I apologize to light novel publisher Hanashi Media for ignoring them till now. Next week they have a 7th volume of Another World Survival: Min-maxing My Support and Summoning Magic (Boku wa Isekai de Fuyo Mahou to Shoukan Mahou wo Tenbin ni Kakeru), which seems to have a bullied kid who was isekai’d with his high school class trying to get revenge against his bullies… sigh.

ASH: It really is hard to keep track of everything these days!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a 16th volume of Parallel Paradise.

Airship sees the print debut of Modern Dungeon Capture Starting with Broken Skills (Koware Skill de Hajimeru Gendai Dungeon Kōryaku) which is, as you can see by the title, one of THOSE series. Dungeon crawls. Guy with awesome skills. Pixie showing her butt to the reader on the cover.

ASH: At least they make it easy to recognize the genre?

SEAN: They also have The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 6 and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 6, one of which is the most exciting volume of a light novel series I’ve read in a while, and other of which is The Case Files of Jeweler Richard.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: They also have an early digital release for Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 11.

The lists are getting bigger! What are you fancying?

SEAN: The first 2024 manga list was a bit small. Will this week be any bigger?

We start with Airship, which has the print debut of Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City (Okiraku Ryōshu no Tanoshii Ryōchi Bōei: Seisan-kei Majutsu de Na mo Nakimura o Saikyō no Jōsai Toshi ni), which is another one of those “reincarnated with a useless skill that’s really super awesome” books.

ASH: I mean, I like the underlying message. There are just SO MANY of these titles.

SEAN: They’ve also got the 9th volume of The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent.

In early digital volumes, we see Berserk of Gluttony 8 (the final volume) and Raven of the Inner Palace 5.

Dark Horse has the 3rd volume of its Hellsing reissue.

ASH: It is a very nice reissue.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has I’m Not a Succubus! 4 and a 5th volume of the Survival in Another World with My Mistress! manga.

It’s print week for J-Novel Club, and they gift us with Ascendance of a Bookworm 22 (the start of the final arc!), In Another World With My Smartphone 27, the 6th Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles manga volume, and the 3rd Tearmoon Empire manga volume.

ASH: Oh no, the final arc of Bookworm? I really do need to catch up sooner rather than later.

No digital debuts, but we see Ascendance of a Bookworm 29, the 14th Black Summoner manga volume, Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill: Sui’s Great Adventure 5, An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me! 5, The Mythical Hero’s Otherworld Chronicles 6, Record of Wortenia War 22, The Tales of Marielle Clarac 10, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer 12, and When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace 9.

In print, Kodansha Manga has Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie 15.

Their digital debut is I Left my A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! (A Rank Party wo Ridatsu Shita Ore wa, Moto Oshiego Tachi to Meikyuu Shinbu wo Mezasu), a shonen fantasy harem manga from Magazine Pocket. The title is the plot.

Also out next week digitally: Ace of the Diamond 47 (the final volume, though there’s a 34-volume sequel), Cells at Work! Lady 4, The Fable 22 (also a final volume), Gang King 13, Girlfriend, Girlfriend 16 (also also a final volume), Nina the Starry Bride 11, That Time the Manga Editor Started a New Life in the Countryside (also also also a final volume), Those Snow White Notes 13, and WIND BREAKER 13.

MICHELLE: So here for Ace of the Diamond. I’ll be able to have a nice marathon up to the ending, too. Hopefully it did well enough that the sequel will get licensed, too.

ANNA: And I’m glad for another volume of Nina the Starry Bride although I need to get caught up!

SEAN: One Peace Books has the 5th manga volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

The debut from Seven Seas is The White Mage Doesn’t Want to Raise the Hero’s Level (Shiro Majutsushi wa Yuusha no Level wo Agetakunai) is a Comic Meteor title, and is a “sexy fantasy romcom”, at least according to the publisher. Looks like it might shift to Ghost Ship if things get a bit racier. Then again, it’s only 4 volumes, so maybe not.

Also from Seven Seas: A Certain Scientific Railgun 18, Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk 7, Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 6, Karate Survivor in Another World 5, My Cat is Such a Weirdo 2, My New Life as a Cat 4, Soloist in a Cage 3 (the final volume), and The Skull Dragon’s Precious Daughter 3.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give Soloist in a Cage a try; I better get on that.

SEAN: Square Enix has the 16th manga volume for The Strongest Sage with the Weakest Crest.

The debut for SuBLime is Daisy Jealousy, a one-shot BL title from Magazine Be x Boy. This is the same author of Happy of the End and Yarichin Bitch Club. Feelings get complicated between two up and coming video game designers.

ASH: And also Escape Journey, I believe. I could pretty easily be convinced to read this one.

SEAN: Viz Manga debuts Pokémon Adventures: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which… is a Pokémon manga, come on.

They’ve also got Case Closed 89, Dandadan 6, Fly Me to the Moon 21, Helck 7, Komi Can’t Communicate 28, Mao 15, and YO-KAI WATCH 22.

And yeah, that’s it. It always feels like a small week without Yen Press. What are you getting?

SEAN: It’s a new year, and this is the year we surely keep up with all the manga… right?

MICHELLE: Suuuuuuure.

ASH: Uh, yeah! No problem!

SEAN: We start with Viz, who have a new debut. Marriage Toxin is from ShonenJump+. An assassin has vowed to never settle down and get married. Then his clan declares his sister will marry a man and carry on the dynasty. But his sister is already in a happy relationship… with another woman. Now, to save her, he resolves to find a wife, even if it means dealing with a marriage swindler.

ASH: Interesting.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Blue Box 8, Kaiju No. 8 9, Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible 11, Like a Butterfly 4, Moriarty the Patriot 14, Tamon’s B-Side 2, and Wolf Girl and Black Prince 5.

MICHELLE: I should really try to read Like a Butterfly and Tamon’s B-Side.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has the 2nd volume of Robotics;Notes.

Steamship has a 2nd volume of I Can’t Refuse S.

Seven Seas has one debut, A Cat from Our World and the Forgotten Witch (Isekai Neko to Fukigen na Majo). Running in the seinen magazine Yawaraka Spirits, it stars an old witch, once powerful but now forgotten. She summons a cat from our world to hers… and in her world, the cat is HUGE! Can they bond with each other?

ASH: Certainly a type of cat manga we’ve not seen previously.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Cinderella Closet 4, The Duke of Death and His Maid 10, Kemono Jihen 9, Malevolent Spirits: Monogatari 5, MoMo -the blood taker- 7, My Room is a Dungeon Rest Stop 7 (the final volume), and This Is Screwed Up, but I Was Reincarnated as a GIRL in Another World! 10.

And they have a new danmei novel, Thousand Autumns: Qian Qiu 3.

ASH: I have so much danmei to catch up on! Which is not a bad problem to have.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us the 19th and final volume of Hinamatsuri.

Just one print volume for Kodansha Manga: Shonen Note: Boy Soprano 6.

ASH: I’ve been making a point to pick up this series as it’s been released.

SEAN: And for digital titles we get Blue Lock 23, How to Grill Our Love 6, Life 11, My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1 12, My Wife is a Little Intimidating 6, Our Fake Marriage: Rosé 3, and Shangri-La Frontier 14.

MICHELLE: I liked what I read of Blue Lock. I should get back to it.

SEAN: Kaiten Books has a 4th print volume for Gacha Girls Corps.

J-Novel Club has new volumes for the 11th manga volume of The Faraway Paladin, Knight’s & Magic 2, Sweet Reincarnation 9, The Tales of Marielle Clarac 10, Tearmoon Empire 11, and the 8th Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! manga volume.

From Ghost Ship we see Ayakashi Triangle 7 and Please Go Home, Miss Akutsu! 4.

And from Airship, in print (and same-day digital, must be contractual), we get Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?! 17.

And for early digital we have Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 4.

Seems like everyone’s in holiday mode still. What are you reading?

SEAN: Ready to wrap up 2023? Scared of 2024? Let’s go.

MICHELLE: No and yes, respectively!

ANNA: I’m scared!

ASH: What meaning does time have these days anyway?

SEAN: Airship has new print volumes for Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 25 and The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 5.

And for early digital we get Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 9.

Two volumes from Cross Infinite World. We see the 4th volume of The Drab Princess, the Black Cat, and the Satisfying Break-up, and the 3rd and final volume of Revolutionary Reprise of the Blue Rose Princess.

From Ghost Ship we see Manga Diary of a Male Porn Star 4 and Welcome to Succubus High! 5.

A Christmas Day debut from J-Novel Club. I Could Never Be a Succubus! (Watashi wa Succubus Ja Arimasen) features Liz, a normal, upright, well-behaved noble woman at the academy. But she has a secret, and when the hero arrives at the academy… she asks for his underwear! Can she struggle against her true nature (it’s in the title)?

ASH: Spoilers!

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: 8th Loop for the Win! With Seven Lives’ Worth of XP and the Third Princess’s Appraisal Skill, My Behemoth and I Are Unstoppable! 2, Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools 8, the 4th manga volume of Did I Seriously Just Get Reincarnated as My Gag Character?!, Earl and Fairy 4, the 2nd manga volume of Hell Mode, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 8, My Magical Career at Court: Living the Dream After My Nightmare Boss Fired Me from the Mages’ Guild! 2, Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon 7, and Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster 4.

ASH: That’s quite a few titles! (I think… or maybe just a few really long titles??

SEAN: The print debut for Kodansha Manga is My Ultramarine Sky (Gunjou no Subete), a BL manga from the creator of My Summer of You that ran in Gateau. It’s complete in one volume. Two boys who sat next to each other for two years in high school now find themselves in different classes.

MICHELLE: The cover, at least, has an appealingly wistful vibe.

ANNA: I sometimes enjoy wistful vibes.

ASH: Same.

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Lock 10, EDENS ZERO 26, Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 4, Nina the Starry Bride 2, Ogami-san Can’t Keep It In 2, Shangri-La Frontier 9, Something’s Wrong With Us 18, Super Morning Star 2, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 5.

ANNA: Gonna pick up Blue Lock for one of my kids, and as always I am delighted that Nina the Starry Bride is getting a print release!

SEAN: Digitally we see Boss Bride Days 12, Drops of God: Mariage 4, Even Given the Worthless “Appraiser” Class, I’m Actually the Strongest 9, Gamaran: Shura 15, Issak 5, My Home Hero 11, and Searching for My Perfect Brother 3.

One Peace Books has the 2nd volume of It Takes Two Tomorrow, Too.

ASH: I rather enjoyed the first volume.

SEAN: No debut manga from Seven Seas, but we do see Berserk of Gluttony 9, Chronicles of an Aristocrat Reborn in Another World 8, Correspondence from the End of the Universe 4, Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 8, Dungeon People 3, Even Though We’re Adults 7, Futari Escape 4 (the final volume), I Got Caught Up In a Hero Summons, but the Other World was at Peace! 7, Reincarnated as a Sword: Another Wish 5, She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 10, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 4.

Square Enix Manga has the 9th volume of Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!.

MICHELLE: Gotta catch up on this!

ASH: I’m behind, too, but have been enjoying the series.

SEAN: Steamship releases its first light novel, a one-shot. Loyal Soldier, Lustful Beast (Gunjin wa Ai no Kemono) stars a noblewoman who is in love with her manservant. Then she is called upon to be the King’s Concubine. Surely they’ll have to give up on their love… right?

ASH: Oh! I missed that Steamship was going to release light novels.

Tokyopop debuts Mitsuka. This ran in from RED. A host at a host club is supposed to sweet talk his female clients… but all he can think about is the hot male prostitute who introduced him to gay sex. This is definitely a “dubious consent” title, BTW.

From Viz: If you enjoy Spy x Family but wish it were in prose, why not read Spy x Family: Family Portrait, a short story collection?

They’ve also got Cat-Eyed Boy: The Perfect Edition 2 and Fist of the North Star 11.

ANNA: Cool.

ASH: Most excellent.

SEAN: Remember when the last week of the year had no releases at all? I do, but I’m old. What are you buying?

SEAN: It’s almost Christmas, so get your Noddy Holder screams ready.

No debuts for Viz, but we do see Alice in Borderland 8, Insomniacs After School 4, Love’s in Sight! 5, Mission: Yozakura Family 8, Persona 5 11, and Rooster Fighter 5.

From Square Enix we see Daemons of the Shadow Realm 3, The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated! 7, and Otherside Picnic 8.

Two manga debuts from Seven Seas. Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat (Nekomata to Asa Gohan) is a slice of life manga from Matogrosso. A man and his wife achieve their dream of retiring to the countryside, but then she dies. To stave off loneliness, he befriends a yokai cat, and the two of them turn this into a foodie manga.

MICHELLE: Huh. Potentially interesting!

ASH: Yokai, cats, and food? I’m in!

SEAN: Obey Me! The Comic is a josei title from MAGKAN. It’s based on an otome game (but is not, for once, in the “reborn in an otome game” genre) and also had an anime. A human is an exchange student at a school for demons! Can they escape?

ASH: Josei, you say?

SEAN: I mean, the audience is adult women, but it’s sort of for BL fans, but not quite BL… honestly trying to assign the big four genres to Mag Garden titles is like trying to catch fog.

ASH: Ha!

ANNA: I enjoy josei, otome games, and weird things from Mag Garden.

SEAN: Seven Seas also gives us Dance in the Vampire Bund: Age of Scarlet Order 10, Homunculus 5-6, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 13, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 11, Toradora! 11 (only one year after 10! The artist is improving!), and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! 10.

ASH: I really need to get started on Homunculus.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 3rd volume of Parallel World Pharmacy.

Kodansha Books has the 4th volume of My Unique Skill Makes Me OP Even at Level 1.

Kodansha Manga debuts She’s My Knight (Ikemen Kanojo to Heroine na Ore!?) in print. The three volumes in this series were previously released digital only. It’s a shoujo title from Palcy that’s basically “what if Kashima and Hori were the stars of Nozaki-kun?”.

ASH: Okay, I’m sold on it based on that description.

SEAN: Also in print: Drifting Dragons 15, I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability 9, In the Clear Moonlit Dusk 6, Orient 18, Quality Assurance in Another World 5, Rent-A-Girlfriend 22, The Seven Deadly Sins Omnibus 13, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 23.

ASH: I have a small stack of Drifting Dragons ready for me to read; better get to it!

SEAN: The digital debut is Don’t Tempt Me, VP! (Amayakasanaide Fuku Shachou: Danna-sama wa SSR), a josei manga from Ane Friend about an OL, deep in debt thanks to her horrible ex, getting a proposition from her company’s vice-president: marriage. It’s an 18-rated title, FYI.

ANNA: Alright!

SEAN: Also digital: Gamaran 16, Rocopon 2, TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 9, and Ya Boy Kongming! 14.

Two debuts from J-Novel Club. The Crown of Rutile Quartz (Rutile Quartz no Taikan: Ō no Tanjō) starts off with a humble commoner finding out he’s really a prince… and that the rest of the royal family is dead. Oh, and they’re at war. This looks like a military fantasy type book, I like those.

ASH: I often do, too, especially when there’s court intrigue to go along with.

SEAN: Finding Avalon: The Quest of a Chaosbringer (Saiaku no Avalon) is a villainess book, only it’s a villain, similar to Reincarnated as the Piggy Duke. Can our hero lose weight and get powerful fast?

Also out from J-Novel Club: Black Summoner 15, the 4th A Cave King’s Road to Paradise: Climbing to the Top with My Almighty Mining Skills! manga volume, The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom 6, Fake Saint of the Year: You Wanted the Perfect Saint? Too Bad! 3, I Only Have Six Months to Live, So I’m Gonna Break the Curse with Light Magic or Die Trying 3, My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World 8, My Stepmom’s Daughter Is My Ex 9, the 6th Rebuild World manga, and the 5th Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster manga.

Ghost Ship has an 8th volume of Sundome!! Milky Way.

Dark Horse has a 2nd volume of the Hellsing re-release.

Airship, in print, gives us I Swear I Won’t Bother You Again! 4, Raven of the Inner Palace 4, A Tale of the Secret Saint 5, and Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 5.

ASH: I’m so far behind on everything, but still interested in reading Raven of the Inner Palace at some point.

SEAN: And in early digital we see Irina: The Vampire Cosmonaut 7 (the final volume), Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court 6, and Yes, No, or Maybe? 2.

Are you hanging up your stocking on your wall? It’s the time when every Santa has a ball.

SEAN: It’s a bit early, but this is Yen Press week, because of the holidays. That said, they’re at the end this time around.

Two print books from Airship: Disciple of the Lich: Or How I Was Cursed by the Gods and Dropped Into the Abyss! 6 and Free Life Fantasy Online: Immortal Princess 5.

And for early digital we see The Haunted Bookstore – Gateway to a Parallel Universe 7 (the final volume) and She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man 9.

ASH: At the very least, I still love the basic concept of The Haunted Bookstore.

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 11 and World’s End Harem 16 – After World.

J-Novel Club has some print titles. We get Infinite Dendrogram 19 and the 16th and final volume of Marginal Operation.

Three digital debuts for J-Novel Club. D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared (D Genesis: Dungeon ga Dekite 3-nen) is based on the light novel J-Novel Club is already putting out. The manga runs in Comp Ace.

The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World (Arafō Kenja no Isekai Seikatsu Nikki) is about a 40-year-old guy who loves the VRMMO he’s playing… then when he beats the final boss, the boss curses him to die and be reborn as his character!

ASH: Succession planning at its finest.

SEAN: Forget Being the Villainess, I Want to Be an Adventurer! (Tensei Reijou wa Boukensha wo Kokorozasu) is also based on the light novel J-Novel Club previously released. It runs in Flos Comic.

Also from J-Novel Club: Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 12, the 2nd The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom manga, Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 10, Full Metal Panic! Short Stories 9, the 10th How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom manga, I Parry Everything: What Do You Mean I’m the Strongest? I’m Not Even an Adventurer Yet! 4, Lady Rose Just Wants to Be a Commoner! 5, A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life 8, the 10th The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! manga, The Magician Who Rose From Failure 6, My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! 14 (the final volume), and the 3rd Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon manga.

Kodansha Books has Spring Comes Riding in a Carriage, the latest in the Maiden’s Bookshelf series, based on the story by Riichi Yokomitsu.

ASH: This series is great; I’m really glad it’s being translated.

SEAN: Kodansha Manga has quite a few debuts. How I Met My Soulmate (Unmei no Hito ni Deau Hanashi) is a shoujo title from Dessert. the story of a college student looking for… well, her soulmate, it’s by the creator of Waiting for Spring.

MICHELLE: Oh! I liked Waiting for Spring.

SEAN: There’s also a new print release of the first volume of Magic Knight Rayearth. If you have not read it yet, do so. (It ran in Nakayoshi.)

ASH: Despite the number of different releases it has had, I somehow haven’t actually read it yet.

ANNA: Aww, maybe I’ll dig out my old Viz volumes.

SEAN: Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! (Akujiki Reijou to Kyouketsu Koushaku – Sono Mamono, Watashi ga Oishiku Itadakimasu!) is a shoujo title from Palcy. A young woman can’t seem to find a fiance in noble society, just because she likes eating monsters and mutant plants. I mean, god forbid a girl have hobbies.

MICHELLE: Right?!

ASH: Ha! Surprisingly, she wouldn’t be the first to have this particular interest.

ANNA: Amazing!

SEAN: Also in print: Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement 4.

Digitally we get The Dawn of the Witch 7 (the final volume), The Fable 21, Gang King 12, Giant Killing 40, Guilty 13 (the final volume), Medaka Kuroiwa is Impervious to My Charms 9, That Time the Manga Editor Started a New Life in the Countryside 3, and Those Snow White Notes 12.

Two debuts from Seven Seas, with similar sounding titles. I Married My Female Friend (Onna Tomodachi to Kekkon Shitemita) is from Comic Yuri Hime, by the creator of Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon. Two women agreed to get married if they hadn’t found anyone in the next five years. They do… and maybe love comes after?

The Secret of Friendship (Tomodachi no Hanashi) is a one-shot from the author of My Love Story!!. A shy girl and a popular girl are best friends, and no guy has been able to come between them… yet. This ran in Betsuma.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ASH: Count me intrigued!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has The Ancient Magus’ Bride 19, Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers 7, COLORLESS 5, Dai Dark 6, Don’t Call it Mystery 5-6, Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten 4 (the final volume), Hitomi-chan is Shy With Strangers 7, Marmalade Boy: Collector’s Edition 4, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Elma’s Office Lady Diary 7, Mushoku Tensei: Roxy Gets Serious 10, and The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent: The Other Saint 3.

MICHELLE: Already more Don’t Call it Mystery!

ASH: So many series in this batch I need to catch up on.

ANNA: Ack, me too!

SEAN: Square Enix gives us The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl 2 and My Isekai Life 10.

ASH: The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl is pretty cute.

ANNA: Agreed!

SEAN: SuBLime debuts Pink Heart Jam, which ran in a magazine called Mellow Kiss. A country boy comes to college and wants to see if he’s gay. He gets help figuring that out from another guy.

ASH: Makes sense, really.

SEAN: And we get the 3rd and final volume of MADK.

From Tokyopop we get Acid Town 3, The Black Cat & the Vampire 2 (the final volume), and If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die 4.

Viz Media debuts Demon Slayer: Kimetsu Academy (Kimetsu Gakuen!), for those who thought Attack on Titan High School was the best version of the series (i.e. me). It runs in Saikyou Jump.

There’s also Akane-Banashi 3, Call of the Night 14, Mashle: Magic and Muscles 14, One Piece Omnibus Edition 33, Pokémon: Sword & Shield 8, Yakuza Lover 11, and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon 4.

And now it’s Yen time. Are you ready?

ASH: Not really, believe it or not.

SEAN: Starting with Yen On, Anime Bungo Stray Dogs: Novel Version is a novelization of the anime that was based on the light novels. I can’t even.

ASH: Huh.

SEAN: Blade & Bastard is a print version of the light novel released digitally by J-Novel Club, based on the old Wizardry RPG.

It’s back, despite Yen On’s prayers that Dengeki Bunko would just let them ignore the series. A Certain Magical Index NT (Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index) is finally here, and the NT stands for New Testament. World War III is over, and Touma is missing presumed dead. Now what?

And Suzume is (sigh) a Makoto Shinkai movie that he also wrote this novelization for. A young girl finds doors connecting past, present and future.

ASH: Not entirely unexpected at this point.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 11, Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody 20, The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend 5, Hollow Regalia 3, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 4, I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss 7, Ishura 5, Magical Explorer 6, No Game No Life 12, Spy Classroom Short Story Collection 2, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 17.

In more sensible Bungo Stray Dogs news, Bungo Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen (Bungou Stray Dogs: Dazai, Chuuya, Juugo-sai) is a manga based on the spinoff light novel (OK, slightly more sensible), and runs in Shonen Ace.

ASH: Slightly.

SEAN: Fruits Basket: Complete Anime Natsuki Takaya Illustrations is a sort of artbook-ish manga volume, with the author’s sketches for each anime episode and commentary.

My Poison Princess Is Still Cute (Boku no Dokuhime wa Kyou mo Kawaii) runs in Big Gangan. A demon princess who spreads poison on the battlefield. A human knight who can revive from death. Why not marry them off? And what if they’re stupid cute?

ASH: Awwwww.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Cross-Dressing Villainess Cecilia Sylvie 5, The Do-Over Damsel Conquers the Dragon Emperor 2, The Fiancee Chosen by the Ring 5, Gabriel Dropout 13, Game of Familia 2, The Geek Ex-Hitman 3 (the final volume), Glitch 2, Hirano and Kagiura 4, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 4, I’m Quitting Heroing 4, The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls 2, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? Memoria Freese 2, Love of Kill 13 (the final volume), Lust Geass 7 (the final volume), My Instant Death Ability Is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! —AΩ— 3, My Mate Is a Feline Gentleman 2, Overlord: The Undead King Oh! 11, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chapter 4: The Sanctuary and the Witch of Greed 7, Secrets of the Silent Witch 2, Shy 5, Slasher Maidens 9, So What’s Wrong with Getting Reborn as a Goblin? 4, Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included 4, Tales of Wedding Rings 13, Toilet-bound Hanako-kun 19, Touring After the Apocalypse 4, The Witches’ Marriage 2, What This World Is Made Of 3 (the final volume), and Yowamushi Pedal 24.

WALL OF TEXT! See anything there?

MICHELLE: Glitch!

ASH: A lot of words. I saw a lot of words.

ANNA: Gotta get Yowamushi Pedal for my kids.

SEAN: Oh by gosh by golly, it’s time for mistletoe and manga!… doesn’t rhyme.

First off, apologies to ABLAZE. I’ve mentioned before that I have trouble sometimes tracking down the smaller publisher books, especially when Amazon’s search is so wonky. They released One Hundred Tales, a collection of short stories from the Godfather of manga, Osamu Tezuka. It looks terrific.

ASH: Oh! I knew this was on the way but hadn’t realized it was out yet. There are so many wonderful small publishers to try to keep track of these days.

ANNA: Cool!

SEAN: Now back to the end of the alphabet. The most exciting title of the week for me is Neighborhood Story (Gokinjo Monogatari), the classic shoujo manga from Ribon which spawned, as a sequel which stands alone, Paradise Kiss. A story about fashion, art, and childhood friends suddenly getting popular, it’s a must read. It’s also 300 pages, so I’m guessing it will be 4-5 volumes rather than the original 7.

MICHELLE: So excite.

ASH: Yes, very!

ANNA: I am so happy to have a chance to read this.

SEAN: Also from Viz: Blade of the Moon Princess 2, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 18, Chainsaw Man 13, Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love 8, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 27, My Hero Academia 36, Rainbow Days 7, Sakamoto Days 10, and Yona of the Dawn 40.

ASH: I’m a bit behind in my reading of Yona of the Dawn, but am so glad we’re getting a shojo series of such length in English!

ANNA: New Yona is always welcome.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has Persona 4 Arena Ultimax 3.

Square Enix gives us The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses 7 and My Clueless First Friend 4.

Two debuts from Seven Seas. My Dog is a Death God (Yasashii Shinigami no Kaikata) is a josei series from Comic Elmo. A death god has been sent to the human world to find patients at a hospital with regrets and save their souls before they pass on. This looks good, if tear-jerking.

MICHELLE: It absolutely does, on both counts.

ASH: Gotta love a new josei series!

ANNA: We’ve been getting so many intriguing new josei releases recently.

SEAN: We Started a Threesome!! (3 Partner Hajimemashita!!) runs in eBigcomic4, which seems to be an online spinoff of Big Comic. It’s from the creator of Futari Ecchi, aka Manga Sutra, which Tokyopop attempted to release before realizing it was 89 volumes long. This is not 89 volumes long. Two men and a woman have always been childhood friends, and now they’re a married couple… throuple.

ASH: Not a relationship type often featured in licensed manga.

SEAN: And they’re doing an omnibus of Tomo-chan Is a Girl! with the first 3 volumes.

Their danmei side has The Husky and His White Cat Shizun: Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun 4.

ASH: I’m happy to see danmei doing so well.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! 4, Backstabbed in a Backwater Dungeon: My Party Tried to Kill Me, But Thanks to an Infinite Gacha I Got LVL 9999 Friends and Am Out For Revenge 4, Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth is a Modern City! 8, The Eccentric Doctor of the Moon Flower Kingdom 4, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi The Comic 4, How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? 13, Killing Stalking: Deluxe Edition 5, LES MISÉRABLES 7-8 (the final volumes), and Yakuza Reincarnation 8.

One Peace has the 4th manga volume of The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic.

KUMA seems to have put out The Ruthless Commander and his Reincarnated Warhorse (Shouwaru Boukun Kishu to Nagasare Senba), a oneshot from on Blue about a reincarnated horse and his commander… wait, it’s BL? I sense shenanigans.

ASH: Somehow missed hearing about this one entirely until now.

SEAN: Kodansha, in print, debuts an omnibus of the first three volumes of Fairy Tail. For those who hadn’t read it before.

They’ve also got BAKEMONOGATARI 20, Blood on the Tracks 15, The Hero Life of a (Self-Proclaimed) “Mediocre” Demon! 8, The Summer With You: The Sequel (the third in this series), To Your Eternity 19, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 2, and WIND BREAKER 3.

ASH: I was just thinking about To Your Eternity the other day.

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Sayabito: Swords of Destiny, a series that runs in good! Afternoon from the creator of Is Love the Answer? about two people who travel around after a war trying to locate the human weapons used to fight it.

And there’s Chihayafuru 41, The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 11, Life 10, Shangri-La Frontier 13, Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister 11, and The World is Dancing 3.

Kaiten Books has a 5th volume of The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting in print.

J-Novel Club has FIVE debuts next week. The Brilliant Healer’s New Life in the Shadows (Isshun de Chiryou shiteita no ni Yakudatazu to Tsuihousareta Tensai Chiyushi, Yami Healer to shite Tanoshiku Ikiru) has both the light novel AND manga (from GA Comic) release next week. A young man who has (sigh) been kicked out of his adventuring party starts an underground healing clinic, and suddenly he’s the bee’s knees.

Butareba -The Story of a Man Turned into a Pig- (Buta no Liver wa Kanetsu Shiro) is about a man who dies after eating raw pig liver and is reincarnated into a fantasy world as a cute l’il pig. He’s saved by a girl who can read minds.

ASH: Huh.

ANNA: That’s a very specific concept right there.

SEAN: The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects (Ryoumin 0-nin Start no Henkyou Ryoushusama) is a slow life series. After a war, the hero is rewarded with his own lands… an empty plain of grass. Can he survive with the help of the cute girl that always shows up in these situations?

You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story (Keiken Zumi na Kimi to, Keiken Zero na Ore ga, Otsukiai Suru Hanashi) is about a nerdish guy who confesses to a beautiful girl… and she accepts? And then they go to his room? Wait, what? I’ve heard this tries to negotiate its skeezy premise pretty well and isn’t just him teaching her the joys of chastity.

Also next week: the 2nd I’ll Never Set Foot in That House Again! manga, the 11th Infinite Dendrogram manga, Making Magic: The Sweet Life of a Witch Who Knows an Infinite MP Loophole 5, and the 5th Oversummoned, Overpowered and Over It! manga.

Ghost Ship has the 8th volume of The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You.

ASH: I’ve been lead to believe that I really, really, really need to try this series.

SEAN: Denpa has Under Ninja 3 coming out soon.

Dark Horse has another in its H.P. Lovecraft manga series, this time with The Shadow Over Innsmouth (Innsmouth no Kage), which ran in Comic Beam.

ASH: Looking forward to checking this out; the adaptations released so far have been great.

SEAN: In print, Airship gives us Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 7, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear 16, The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior 5, and There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 3.

And in early digital we get The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent 9.

Any holiday favorites?