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Manga the Week of 5/5/21

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SEAN: May Comes In Like a Tiger! What manga do we have next week?

Airship has an early digital release of Hello World, a one-shot SF novel about a boy whose future self returns to help him save his future girlfriend… or so he says. This sounds like it’s for fans of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas and others in that genre.

MICHELLE: Sounds interesting!

ASH: I’m intrigued!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: They’ve also got Monster Girl Doctor Zero (a prequel), an early digital volume of Mushoku Tensei 11, and print volumes for The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent 3 and PENGUINDRUM 3 (the final volume).

ASH: One of these days I’ll actually read PENGUINDRUM.

SEAN: Cross Infinite World has a 2nd volume of Reincarnated As the Last of My Kind.

In print, J-Novel Club has Ascendance of a Bookworm 5 (manga), I Shall Survive Using Potions 5, Infinite Dendrogram 12, and My Next Life As a Villainess 7.

Digitally, they debut a new light novel in their Heart series, Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower (Ikka Koukyuu Ryourichou). It sounds, honestly, a lot like The Apothecary Diaries only with food replacing medicine.

ASH: That sounds like a good combination to me!

SEAN: Also digitally is Altina the Sword Princess: Loose Threads (aka Vol. 7.5) and Altina the Sword Princess 8, Ascendance of a Bookworm 12, and Cooking with Wild Game 12.

Kaiten Books has a 4th volume of the Loner Life in Another World manga.

No print debuts for Kodansha Manga, but we do get Attack on Titan 33, Boarding School Juliet 14, Eden’s Zero 11, and Weathering With You 3, a final volume.

Digitally the debut is With the Sheikh in His Harem (Sheik-sama to Harem de), a Nakayoshi title. That cover, featuring the palest sheikh ever. That synopsis (girl is proposed to by rich man, who won’t take no for an answer). Remember when Nakayoshi was far younger in focus than it seems to be now? Recommended for Harlequin fans.

We also get the 2nd and final volume of Araki Won’t Be Tamed (whose cover I just have to link to, because YIKES), The 2nd Girlfriend, Girlfriend, My Dearest Self with Malice Aforethought 4, and My Unique Skill Makes Me OP even at Level 1 5.

ASH: That cover, my goodness!

SEAN: Seven Seas has The Dungeon of Black Company 6, Manly Appetites: Minegishi Loves Otsu 2, Skeleton Knight in Another World 6 (manga), and SUPER HxEROS 2.

ASH: I’m really looking forward to reading more of Manly Appetites; the first volume was delightful.

SEAN: Udon Entertainment has the 5th and final volume of The Rose of Versailles, including extra manga short stories Ikeda wrote in the 80s. Thank you so much for finally giving us this title in English.

ANNA: Yes. I’m still pinching myself about this.

MICHELLE: Me, too!

ASH: I continue to be absolutely thrilled we finally have this in translation.

MJ: Again, same here!

SEAN: Viz has a Shonen Jump debut, with Undead Unluck. A girl whose luck is so bad it kills people tries to kill herself, only to run into an undead man who can’t die. Together they discover they’re being hunted by a secret organization. Despite the worst possible 2-page opening spread I’ve seen in the history of Jump, I have heard this is quite good.

ASH: I have likewise heard good things.

MJ: I have heard nothing, because apparently I live under a rock, but this sounds kind of great.

SEAN: There are also three long-runners coming to a close next week. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has the 9th book of Arc 4, so we finish off Diamond Is Unbreakable. Worry not, Golden Wind is coming. Daytime Shooting Star and Shortcake Cake, meanwhile, both end with a 12th volume.

ANNA: I like Shortcake Cake and Daytime Shooting Star for entirely different reasons.

MICHELLE: Me too. I look forward to finishing both.

SEAN: We also get Black Cover 25, Boruto 11, Haikyu!! 44, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 19, The King’s Beast 2, Love Me, Love Me Not 8, The Promised Neverland 19, Snow White with the Red Hair 13, and World Trigger 22.

ANNA: Looking forward to The King’s Beast and Snow White.

MICHELLE: I’m following (or attempting to follow) most of these! Penultimate volumes for Haikyu!! and The Promised Neverland, also.

ASH: Ditto all of the above!

SEAN: Yen On has a light novel debut with The King of the Dead at the Dark Palace (Kuraki Kyuuden no Shisha no Ou), a dark fantasy about a sickly boy who dies and reincarnates… as a sickly undead who must obey his master.

They’ve also got Reign of the Seven Spellblades 2, which has a lot to live up to to top its excellent first volume.

On the Yen Press tip, we get manga debuts for the two light novels that came out in April, as we see Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense 1, which runs in Comp Ace, and Hazure Skill: The Guild Member with a Worthless Skill Is Actually a Legendary Assassin 1, which runs in, believe it or not, Dengeki Playstation.

Lastly, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratoria’s 15th manga volume.

Mayday! Mayday! Throw me a manga!

Baccano!: 1932 Summer: Man in the Killer

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By Ryohgo Narita and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Taylor Engel.

After a very depressing 1700s volume of Baccano!, it’s nice to be able to get a book that is back at “home base”, so to speak: the 1930s. And this book is markedly lighter in tone, despite featuring a series of murders and an examination of what sort of person you have to be in order to commit said murders. It was originally written as an extra for those who bought the Baccano! anime DVDs Vol. 1-5 in Japan, then fleshed out for this book. That said, let’s face it, the main draw is on the cover art. If you asked any Baccano! fan which two characters absolutely should not meet because the world might end if they started talking to each other, Elmer C. Albatross and Graham Specter would be right at the top. Oh, don’t get me wrong, after a brief misunderstanding they get on like a house on fire. But that is the trouble. The last thing anyone like Graham, who Shaft can barely rein in at the best of times, needs is Elmer’s philosophy of life.

This takes place about seven months after Drugs and the Dominoes and about a year or so before The Slash, and features a few of the characters from both books. It also serves as an odd epilogue to The Rolling Bootlegs. There is a serial killer in the city, Ice Pick Thompson, whose nickname comes from his murder method. We meet Lester, a reporter who’s been ordered to follow the story even though he really would rather avoid it; Mark, a young boy who has decided to kill himself… till he meets Elmer; and Graham, Shaft and company, who are just hanging around the city but keep getting dragged into the plot. Is this just a crazy serial killer, or is there a method to their madness? What does this have to do with the Gandors? What does this have to do with Szilard Quates? And can Isaac and Miria really become literal time? Or money?

The thing that interested me most in this book is the villain, which makes a refreshing change from the usual villains we’ve seen in Baccano!, who tend to be very obvious from the start – art least from the reader’s perspective. This one is meant to be more of a mystery – though really, not that much of one, as there’s something fishy from the start. Which is fitting, given they’re more on the Dallas Genoard end of the villain spectrum than the Fermet end. I also want to note how impressed I am with Graham and Shaft, who are not Japanese but nonetheless make the perfect manzai team. When Sham made Shaft one of his vessels, he basically created the perfect tsukkomi, as well as the only one capable of stopping Graham – not that he ever actually succeeds. The best thing about the book, though, is probably Mark, a quiet, tragic character walking around a sea of loudmouthed extroverts.

If you enjoyed being back in the 1930s, worry not, we’re soon going to be there on a more permanent basis. But first we have to wrap up the 1700s arc, and finally find out what happened on the Advenna Avis. Next time we go to 1711 and see how Huey’s holding up after Monica’s death.

My Friend’s Little Sister Has It In for Me!, Vol. 2

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By mikawaghost and tomari. Released in Japan as “Tomodachi no Imouto ga Ore ni dake Uzai” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Alexandra Owen-Burns.

In my last review, I compared this book to McDonald’s fast food, and nothing here changes that opinion. I enjoyed it a great deal. It has characters who I enjoy reading, dialogue that’s a lot of fun, and clearly has a long-term goal in mind as opposed to just being written volume to volume. On the other hand, wow, the plot beats here make me cringe. “Let’s save the drama club!” is not something that a self-respecting series should be doing when it’s only the second book, and the ludicrous coincidences that lead to our leads ending up in the production are even worse. Now, I get the sense the author knows this, as the situation really is pretty ludicrous, but yeah, don’t read this for the plot. That said, it should make this pretty fun to adapt when it becomes an anime, and Iroha will no doubt please fans who are already over the moon for Uzaki and Nagatoro, though I warn you her dialogue is a bit slang-filled.

This volume picks up right where the last one left off, as Akiteru tries to figure out how to respond to Mashiro’s confession, and Iroha knows about this confession but has to pretend she doesn’t. Akiteru knows he has to respond quickly and decisively, because he’s read dumb romantic comedy light novels. Unfortunately, it turns out that while he tries his hardest to be the best Eliezer Yudkowsky he can be, he is not quite able to get past the fact that he’s really goddamn happy he got a confession -though it takes him most of the book to figure this out. As for Iroha, well, she’s dealing with jealousy as well, plus her dimwitted senpai not figuring out her feelings (which Mashiro sure can by the end of this book), and it’s even affecting her voice acting work. Hrm, this sounds complicated, maybe saving the drama club *is* what’s needed…

As I’ve said before, Akiteru interests me, mostly as I think he’s screwed up in a very different way from cynics like Kyon or nihilists with a heart of gold like Hachiman. His raw panic when Iroha points out he’s overslept by an hour, and desperation to get to school on time so it doesn’t mess up his regimented life, is very telling. There’s no denying that he’s excellent at directing, be it games or plays, and despite his own denials, he’s a pretty good actor too. But improvisation seems to be a kryptonite for him. The only reason he can do the play is he’s so familiar with the material, and the problems with Mashiro and Iroha that he “solves” here are done after thinking them out in bullet points in his head. The first epilogue suggests that he’s going to have to figure out a way to break through that soon, as he may need to improvise even more in the future.

Despite adding a new cast member to the game group (a classmate of Akiteru’s who is a genius sound designer), this still feels like only three of the cast are really important, and I’m hoping we’ll flesh out the others soon. Unfortunately, next time it looks like the one I didn’t want fleshed out will be getting the spotlight. I smell an arranged marriage… In any case, this is a lot of fun unless you take light novels too seriously.

Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World, Vol. 3

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By Ryohgo Narita and Tite Kubo. Released in Japan by Shueisha. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Jan Mitsuko Cash.

The first half of this book is, to put it bluntly, a slog. It’s the giant fight against Tokinada that I’d been expecting, but for the most part it’s content to not be “Bleach, only well written” like the first two books but “actual Bleach”, which means that everything moves at the pace of a lethargic snail who’s having trouble getting going in the morning. Tokinada shows off his zanpakuto, whose gimmick is that it can copy the attacks of other Zanpakutos, which also means that he is Monoma from My Hero Academia and thus we can hate him even more. Fortunately, around about the halfway point, several things happen that make the book better. We get some lore we actually care about, Hisagi shows up to remind us he’s the star of these books, and we get some truly interesting characterization from one of the minor big bads I mentioned last time, who finally finds a thing to care about. That said, Nanao is still useless. It is Bleach after all, I guess.

The fights pretty much divide up how you’d expect. The super overpowered kid takes on Zaraki, and Tokinada takes on literally everyone else. Tokinada reveals his motivations for being the biggest smug asshole in all of Bleach (and given this is a series whose villains are ALL smug assholes, that’s a high bar), and these motivations will be very unsurprising to anyone who has read Baccano!, also by this author, as Tokinada and Fermet really do have an awful lot in common. Meanwhile, Hisagi has a chat with our overpowered child before all this begins, and reasons that the way that they’ve been raised means that they’re unable to decide anything on their own or have a moral center. He thus decides to make it his goal to raise this child right. And it turns out that he’s got a solid ally on that one, too. Now if only they could somehow stop Tokinada. Perhaps… if Hisagi finally figured out his bankai?

Bleach tends to run on cool moments, with everything in between just filler while you wait for the next one, so it’s good to see that there are a few here, the best of which is Hisagi stopping Zaraki from fighting Hikone – stopping Zaraki from a fight he’s pumped up for is damn near suicidal, but his reasoning is excellent, and even Zaraki has to agree, to the astonishment of everyone else. Hisagi’s fight with Hikone, using his newly discovered bankai, is also pretty damn cool. And I was pleased to see less death in this book than I expected, though given this is a book that resurrected damn near everyone killed off in the last Bleach arc to show they aren’t really dead, I should not be all that surprised. I also liked the lore that was given to us (which should have been in the actual manga, as is mentioned in the afterword) about the past of the Soul Society and what terrible things keep it going.

That said, Christ, this book is too long. It’s not as long as the 2nd book, but it’s still 285 pages when 185 could have easily sufficed. It’s essential reading for Bleach fans, but everyone else can easily skip it.

Oh yes, love to see Grimmjow shipping IchiHime.

A Mysterious Job Called Oda Nobunaga, Vol. 3

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By Kisetsu Morita and Kaito Shibano. Released in Japan as “Oda Nobunaga to Iu Nazo no Shokugyou ga Mahou Kenshi Yori Cheat Datta Node, Oukoku o Tsukuru Koto ni Shimashita” by GA Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Noboru Akimoto.

When I reviewed the first volume in this series, I mentioned that it was by the same author of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years, but was its polar opposite. After finishing the series, I’ve realized that may not be entirely true. The books are both written for male audiences, but very different kinds of audience. One emphasizes masculinity, the glory of battle and the constant conquest of women. The other barely has any men in it at all, is relaxed and laid-back, and very deliberately has its heroine trying not to work hard at anything. But they are both, in the end, stories about ridiculously powerful people, who we do not really see lose a fight over the course of their series, amassing a string of young women who adore them. They’re found family in the case of Azusa, and concubines/wives/lovers in the case of Alsrod, but really, all Azusa needs now is a massive fortress to defend.

If you are here for surprising twists late in the narrative, I advise you to find some other series, as you could have predicted every single plot beat in this book before you picked it up. Alsrod puts down a rebellion against him – composed of his brother in law and his father in law – and rewards them as traitors deserve. He then pauses, as the king has decided that it’s now time for him to do the fighting, and spends time on his own demesne waiting for the inevitable failure of the royal army to do anything and their pathetic call for help. When this occurs, he is quick to fight, breezing along towards the enemy and having so few issues that his fellow soldiers remark on how easy this is. Inevitably, the king grows terrified of his power and brands him a traitor. But that’s OK, because he has a badass group of women he’s bedded, who are ready to fight wars, argue politics, and even become queen for him. (And then abdicate, because let’s face it, one can only go so far.)

I will mention to horny readers looking for sex that, while there are at least a dozen if not more scenes mentioning Alsrod getting it on with his many women, there are precisely zero that go into the act beyond “and then we did it. Afterwards, in bed, we discussed…” etc. This book is not here to arouse it is here to show you what an awesome, virile man Alsrod is. And oh yes, there’s also Oda Nobunaga. He still offers the occasional bit of advice, mostly on how to build a really good castle. But, as Nobunaga himself admits, he was murdered before he could get to the “conquer the kingdom” part, so Alsrod has gone further than him. Indeed, that might be the purpose of this book. Look, here’s our hero, and he did what Oda Nobunaga could not. And they all lived happily ever after.

The author admits that, while there might be more tales to tell, he’s not going to be doing it, so this is the last book. Which is a very good thing, as I think the book wears out its welcome exactly at this point. It is absolutely the perfect length for what it is. I recommend it to fans of Oda Nobunaga… well, OK, maybe for those who play the Nobunaga’s Ambition game.

The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 4

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By Yasohachi Tsuchise and Hagure Yuuki. Released in Japan as “Scoop Musou: “Scoop Hadouhou!” (｀・ω・´)♂〓〓〓〓★(゜Д゜ ;;) .:∴DOGOoo” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Elliot Ryoga.

This was, to be a shovel, a much shovelier shovel than the previous shov… urgh. Sorry. But frankly, after reading the latest volume of this series you just start to do it naturally. This 4th volume has over 1000 uses of the word shovel in some way, shape or form. It begins with a half-failed attempt to make an anti-shovel device, and towards the end ends in a world that is literally made up of millions of shovels, representing Lithisia’s somewhat misguided desires. That said… and despite the continued threat of tentacle shovels molesting the female cast… this was a much better volume than the previous one. For one thing, it actually now seems to be headed for its endgame, and admitting that it has to have Alan and Lithisia talk to each other in a way that does not involve talking past each other. Secondly, the book admits that Catria is the best heroine we’ve got, and that we have the most laughs when watching her suffer.

We begin with our heroes having derailed most of the villain’s plans. They’ve already collected all the necessary orbs. The four deadly mini-bosses have all been either killed or made into Lithisia’s toy shovels. That said, there are still a few problems. The first is Catria’s continued attempts to remain vaguely normal, despite her ability to use Alan’s shovel powers getting better and better. With the help of a hellish artifact (literally), she now has to keep her shovel and anti-shovel thoughts balanced, or else had things will happen. That said, things may be worse for Lithisia, who has already noticed that Alan and Catria are bonding, and is basically a bundle of jealous insecurities. This ends up becoming a disaster of monumental proportions when the orbs grant Lithisia’s wish of a shovel world… one where even the sun itself is forced to have a shovel in it. Is this truly the end?

Lithisia has been the broadest of broad characters since about halfway through Vol. 1, and recently had been verging into actual mental disorders. At heart, though, she remains a maiden in love, and the core conflict of this series, beyond even the need to rescue her kingdom from evil, is her and Alan misunderstanding each other’s wishes. He wants an apprentice in regards to his mining. She wants love… and, perhaps even more importantly, a child. She ends up getting the first, amazingly, as Alan is able to come down from obliviousland in order to admit that he would be perfectly happy to spend the rest of his life with her. That said… this does lead to a very funny situation, as after 4 volumes of Lithisia using the word ‘shovel’ to mean sex, the idea of making a baby the normal way never even occurs to Alan. And that’s not even getting into the last-minute swerve that makes your jaw drop and also your forehead get smacked by your hand.

Despite my thinking that it was leading to an ending, this is not apparently the final book in the series. That said, it is the most recent to date, with Vol. 5 not out in Japan yet. If, like me, you were hoping to temper the shovel humor with actual character development, this is a good one to pick up. And it’s still pretty shovelly fun too.

Der Werwolf: The Annals of Veight, Vol. 11

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By Hyougetsu and Nishi(E)da. Released in Japan by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen.

The last couple of books have been trying to explain why Veight is as successful and beloved as he is, and that it’s not simply “he is an incredibly strong and powerful werewolf”. As Veight notes in this volume, he could immediately solve the problem in the kingdom of Kuwol if he simply killed Zagar. He’d be justified in doing so. Zagar killed the king and framed Veight for it. But doing that would plunge the country into chaos, which is absolutely not what Veight wants. Zagar is certainly strong, and can kill anyone who is suddenly no longer useful to him. But all he wants is combat, which means he’ll never be satisfied. Veight, on the other hand, has spent the last ten books making the kingdom safe for both humans and other races, and all he wants to do is settle down with his wife and child. He investigates thoroughly. He takes the opinions of commoners into advisement, but also thinks of the nobles and their pride. He’s just really good at this.

No, don’t worry, that’s not Veight’s unborn child on the cover, but the late king’s, who it turned out had a favorite consort. This volume picks up where the last left off, as Veight tries to figure out how best to unite the nobles, stop Zagar, and not have everything explore into war. He’s helped by the return of Parker, who may have gone missing but was never really in danger, and who is perhaps at his least silly in this book. With the help of a mountain tribe and a cleverly placed fake… as well as, admittedly, the power of modern laser guns… Veight is able to win the day. This allows him to hurry home, as he’s gotten an unfortunate prophecy about Airia, who it turns out needs to have a cesarean section (completely unknown in this world) or else the touch of death may strike her and their child. Can Veight and company save the day? And will the prophecy come true anyway?

This is not the final book in the series – J-Novel Club has licensed at least through Vol. 13, and the rights to the novels were just sold to Square Enix, who will be releasing more. But it’s the end of the “main story”, and the author says that the rest of the books are essentially going to be side stories. (They’re even changing the illustrator to reflect the books “lighter feel” starting next time.) Certainly this seems like the “end of one age, stat of a new one” sort of book, especially with the last few pages of the main story showing off Veight and Airia’s child as well as the return (sort of) of a very old friend. This is why Veight is not Zagar. Zagar cannot be satisfied unless he’s fighting an enemy. Veight, though, once he’s managed to protect what he wants to, and helped others to thrive as a nation… he’s ready to relax and be a husband and father. In fact, he looks forward to it. Well, and a simple vice-commander, of course. He’ll always be that.

I have perhaps enjoyed this series a bit more than it really deserves (it might be the medium – J-NC has licensed the manga and I find it near unreadable), but I do think it rewards readers who like this kind of thing. I look forward to a more relaxed tale going forward.

Manga the Week of 4/28/21

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SEAN: The end of April and there’s still so much going on.

Airship has two digital-early debuts. I Have a Secret (Kakushigoto) is the latest one-shot by the author of I Want to Eat Your Pancreas, and is not related to the manga and anime series Kakushigoto. It’s all about unspoken feelings in high school.

MICHELLE: Ooh. This sounds my speed.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed the manga adaptations of this author’s works; I really need to make a point to read some of the originals.

SEAN: The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary (Kuitsume Youhei no Gensou Kitan) is a fantasy series about a man, the sole survivor of a battle that killed off all those important to him, who hires himself out as a merc. Sadly, most people just want to use him. Can he find an ally? This is a long-running LN series in Japan, with 15 volumes to date.

We also get the last of the deluge of Alice in the Country of digital editions, the light novel Alice in the Country of Diamonds: Bet On My Heart. Lastly, there’s a 3rd volume of Roll Over and Die out early digitally.

Denpa Books’ website says they have the debut of Shino Can’t Say Her Name (Shino-chan wa Jibun no Namae ga Ienai), a one-shot from the creator of Flowers of Evil, Happiness, etc. that promises to be a bit lighter in tone than those titles. It ran in Ohta Shuppan’s Pocopoco, and is about a girl with severe social anxiety. This seems to take a less comedic take than Komi Can’t Communicate.

MICHELLE: I will likely check this one out.

ASH: Same!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has Destiny Lovers 6, Parallel Paradise 5, World’s End Harem 10, and Yokai Girls 13.

J-Novel Club has a quartet of titles, as we get Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 36, Record of Wortenia War 10, Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 14, and Sorcerous Stabber Orphen: The Reckless Journey 3 (manga).

Debuting in print for Kodansha is Chasing After Aoi Koshiba (Kyou, Koshiba Aoi ni Aetara), a yuri manga from Ichijinsha’s Comic REX. It’s got the writer of Masamune-kun’s Revenge (ehh…) and the artist of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (yay!). A girl hopes to meet up with her first love at a reunion. (Yes. Yes, I know. It got bumped at the last minute.)

ASH: I thought that sounded familiar!

SEAN: They’ve also got the 8th Bakemonogatari manga and the 8th Kino’s Journey manga, which is also the final volume in the adaptation.

The digital debut is And Yet, You Are So Sweet (Na no ni, Chigira-kun ga Amasugiru), a Dessert title about a girl who just got rejected and the popular guy who hears about this and offers to help with her problem. But will she fall for him?

MICHELLE: Sounds a bit like Say I Love You., but I’m totally down for it.

ANNA: Me too, if only it wasn’t a digital only title because I will likely forget that it exists.

SEAN: We also get The Dawn of the Witch 2, DAYS 23, Harem Marriage 4, Those Snow White Notes 3, What I Love About You 5, and When We’re in Love 7.

MICHELLE: Yay for more DAYS! Also, how am I this far behind on Those Snow White Notes already?!

ASH: It does seem to be on a quick release schedule!

SEAN: One Peace Books has The Rising of the Shield Hero 19.

Seven Seas’ debut is Dai Dark, the latest series from the creator of Dorohedoro. It runs in Shogakukan’s Monthly Shonen Sunday, and should appeal to all fans of her previous work, and likely will be just as violent as her previous work.

ASH: I am so looking forward to this one!

SEAN: Also out: Alice & Zoroku 8, The Ancient Magus’ Bride 14, The Demon Girl Next Door 2, The Legend of Dororo and Hyakkimaru 3, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 8, My Room Is a Dungeon Rest Stop 4, and Syrup: A Yuri Anthology 3.

MICHELLE: I look forward to getting caught up on The Ancient Magus’ Bride!

ASH: I’ve some catching up to do, too, but I really do enjoy the series.

SEAN: Square Enix has the 6th Hi Score Girl.

Yen On’s debut next week is a two-fer light novel adaptation of a Makoto Shinkai work: 5 Centimeters per Second + Children Who Chase Lost Voices. Now you can be depressed but also moved in prose!

ASH: I somehow missed that there were two 5 Centimeters per Second novels – Vertical released another one a couple years ago, too.

SEAN: Also out: Accel World 24, The Alchemist Who Survived Now Dreams of a Quiet City Life 6, Baccano! 16, The Eminence in Shadow 3, The Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt (Hey, How About Treason?) 6, High School DxD 3, The Irregular at Magic High School 16, King of the Labyrinth 2, Torture Princess 7, Wolf and Parchment: New Theory Spice & Wolf 5, Woof Woof Story 6, The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat 2, and You Call That Service? 3. Some long awaited titles there: Irregular at Magic High School and You Call That Service haven’t had a volume out in over a year.


Four Yen Press debuts. After School Hanako-kun (Houkago Shounen Hanako-kun) is a comedy spinoff of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. It runs in PFantasy, which I can only assume is like a spinoff of Shonen Panpan? No, that just sounds like a dirty Japanese schoolboy. Anyway, it’s probably an online spinoff of the main magazine.

ASH: I like the main series, so will likely give this one a try, too.

SEAN: I Was a Bottom-Tier Bureaucrat for 1,500 Years, and the Demon King Made Me a Minister (Hira Yakunin Yatte 1500-nen, Maou no Chikara de Daijin ni Sare Chaimashita) is the manga adaptation of the light novel we saw last month. It ran in Gangan Online.

I’m the Catlords’ Manservant (Boku wa Oneko-sama no Geboku desu) is about, as many manga are, a child having to pay off their parents’ massive debt. This one does so by serving shapeshifting cats. This runs in GFantasy, which means it’ll interest MJ, probably.

ANNA: I am just amused by the description of this manga.

ASH: New cat manga!

MJ: I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED. Also, yes. Yes. BRING IT TO ME.

SEAN: Your Turn to Die: Majority Vote Death Game (Kimi ga Shine -Tasuuketsu Death Game-) reminds us that death game manga are still apparently a thing. It’s based on a game, runs in Shonen Ace, and… well, it’s a death game manga. Come on.

Also coming out next week: Golden Japanesque: A Splendid Yokohama Romance 2.

MICHELLE: Yay!

ANNA: I was slightly underwhelmed by the first volume but maybe the second volume will sell me on the series.

SEAN: That ended up being quite a bit. Anything you’re picking up?

Slayers: Gaav’s Challenge

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By Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. Released in Japan by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Elizabeth Ellis.

Slayers is Lina Inverse’s series, and that goes doubly for the original novels. The story is told from her first-person perspective, and while we’ve had a supporting cast around her for most of the books, I’d argue only Gourry is the one that can’t be replaced… as we’ll find out in a couple book’s time. Thus, it should not particularly be a surprise to find that this one sorcerer is actually on the mind of almost all the demons in the world, being it wanting to kill her as part of some as yet unknown plan, wanting to kill her because the plan is unknown, wanting to kill her because she killed some of their friends earlier, etc., Lina’s got a lot on her plate right now, to the point where “find out why everyone is trying to kill me” is number one on her bucket list. And yet, I’ve got to say, it’s STILL a shocking moment when an elder dragon casually asks Lina if she’s a fragment of the Biggest of Bads in the series, even Lina is shocked. (Note we never find out if this is the truth.)

This may be the most hilariously inappropriate cover art ever. First of all, Slayers does not have a lot of romance in it. Second, almost all the romance it DOES have, including any crushes Amelia might have on Zelgadis, stem from the anime – the author has stated he avoids romance as he’s bad at it. Thirdly, Amelia is actually pretty badass in this book, punching a demon till it explodes, so I’m not sure why we get the “fair maiden” shot here. (Any Amelia fans who were always grumpy about how she was overused for comedy in the anime should definitely check out the novels.) Likewise, Zelgadis does occasionally get angry in this book, particularly when he discovers Xellos’ actual identity and the fact that Lina knew about it, but I can’t see him making this face in the novels ever – like Amelia, he’s simply far more sedate and put together.

The Slayers novels are not exactly what I would call fluffy, but this one in particular is pretty grim, with the city Lina and company are in getting devastated. Early on Lina is hunting down rumors and meets a little thief kid, who lays out some bits of plot for her. He even gets interior art, and I was wondering how he’d show up later on. Then, while fleeing the burning city, she comes across the boy’s body – he’s dead. It’s the sort of thing you rarely see this blatantly in Slayers, but it helps to show off one of the book’s main points – in a battle between demons, humans are irrelevant. When an elder dragon protects Lina from being killed, the demons trying to do it are stunned that he would bother, as humans are there to be meat shields, allies or no. This is a very dangerous world to live in – particularly if you’re Lina.

The next volume wraps up the first major arc in this series, and should be a lot of fun, as our crew tries to defeat Gaav – who I didn’t even mention in my review, despite his being in the title. Plus we’re almost at the books that never came out in English before!

The Ideal Sponger Life, Vol. 2

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By Tsunehiko Watanabe and Jyuu Ayakura. Released in Japan as “Risou no Himo Seikatsu” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by MPT.

I get the sense that the author is well aware that his core audience may not yet be here for the politics. Sure, in a volume or two the readers will be into that, but here in the second volume there’s still a lot of horny guys taken in by the premise and the title. What’s worse, Aura is pregnant throughout most of this book, so we can’t even write in her and Zenjirou making love. As a result, there are, frankly, a heck of a lot of descriptions of Aura’s large breasts, to the point where it gets to be vaguely annoying. Indeed, it’s almost a plot point – to the typical reader of this series, Aura’s tall, red-haired muscular and stacked body is exactly what they like, but in her own country, she’s not considered attractive compared to the more willowy and mild women that Zenjirou gets introduced to here. Even her own trusted aide is amazed how much Zenjirou is attracted to her. It’s hard being the Queen.

Still, while the audience may not be here for the politics, that is what they are going to get. Aura’s position is still very precarious. Zenjirou begins to emerge into actual public appearances, and the moment he does various factions try to manipulate him so they can gain power and influence. Usually this involves offering him women to be his concubine, something which is not only common here but actually expected, which leads to friction in many ways. Zenjirou is not comfortable with taking on another lover, Aura knows it’s necessary but isn’t happy with it, and then there’s the fact that he likely has the blood of two different kingdoms in him, which means their child might also have two different kinds of magic powers – a big deal in this world. Get ready for negotiation madness!

Zenjirou is far more adept and clever at this than he likes to admit to himself, but he does find it exhausting, and I don’t blame him. He’s offered a military bow, which naturally he can’t use, and is able to finagle himself out of it but comes off looking weak. Then there’s all the concubine business, which is off the table for now due to the multiple magics problem, which is ALSO solved by making him look weak and pitiful. Aura is unhappy with this, as she has rapidly come to fall in love with Zenjirou for real, but sadly, politics. that’s almost the motto for this volume, honestly. Fortunately, Zenjirou does have a few aces up his sleeve. Glass marbles, which he brought from Earth, are considered immensely valuable here (though learning how to make glass proves a bit more difficult), and his abilities at contract negotiation help when the Queen has to negotiate with another country regarding the life of their child and how they will be brought up going forward.

Fortunately, at the end of the book the child is born, healthy and hearty. I’m not sure where we go from here, but I will continue to read the light novel series with the biggest dissonance between its title and what actually happens.

Since I Was Abandoned After Reincarnating, I Will Cook With My Fluffy Friends: The Figurehead Queen Is Strongest At Her Own Pace, Vol. 1

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By Yu Sakurai and Kasumi Nagi. Released in Japan as “Tenseisaki de Suterareta no de, Mofumofu-tachi to Oryouri Shimasu: Okazari Ouhi wa My Pace ni Saikyou desu” by M Novels F. Released in North America by Cross Infinite World. Translated by Emma Schumacker.

I always appreciate it when a series takes the effort to do convincing setup… well, convincing enough. This is still a reincarnated as an otome game villainess series, so I’m not asking for 100% realism, or even a thing I haven’t seen before. But you want the book to be interesting enough that you will say “yes, I will add this to my stack of villainess novels to follow”, and that’s where Fluffy Friends delivers. (If you think I’m typing out that full title again, you’re crazy.) It’s definitely a series in things for the long haul – we don’t even get to cooking with the fluffy friends till halfway through the book, and by the end of the book she still doesn’t know her husband’s big secret. But it sets out its worldbuilding, it explains why Laetitia is the way she is and why everyone thought she was evil, and her life does not magically get super easy after the memories come back.

When we first meet Laetitia,. she’s been shoved into a fountain by her fiancee, and things don’t get better from there. Despite making perfectly rational explanations for her behavior, everyone seems to be hating her and loving the other girl who’s accusing her of bullying. And so our heroine decides to simply retreat, and her father (who is 100% in her corner) arranges for her to marry the king of a nearby area, who has a reputation for hating women but needs a figurehead queen to fend off fiancees. That’s fine with Laetitia, who, now that she can recall her past life, wants to start doing what she did while in Japan: cook! That said, the cooking may also get her in trouble, as her new home not only is home to a combination of humans and beastkin, but they are at political loggerheads with each other, and even a chiffon cake can be a lethal weapon.

First off, I said “otome game villainess” was the arc, but there’s no game involved here – this isn’t a thing the heroine played in Japan or anything. That said, the way that her memories of her former life and her current life mesh together is possibly the smoothest we’ve ever seen it in these sorts of books. Laetitia does not suddenly have a different personality, nor does she have to deal with confusing new customs. Instead, it’s as if her Japanese life was unconsciously with her all along, and now she can access it. She’s also pretty overpowered for a book like this – she lacks the ability to automatically make everyone fall in love with her that a lot of these type of heroines do, but that’s OK, as she’s smart, powerful at magic, and very good at political mindgames. And, of course, there’s the relationship with her new husband, which is still mostly hypothetical here, but it’s clear that he’s going to be falling for her first.

This is mostly a serious minded slow-life romance, with the one bit of great humor coming when Laetitia’s father has to explain to her how she, like he, has a complete inability to fake a smile and just looks evil. Still, Laetitia is a terrific character, and there are a few others I found more interesting than I expected, such as Natalie, one of the king’s four marriage candidates. I realize that the pile of villainess titles to read is getting pretty high, but you should be adding this one to the stack.

Banner of the Stars: Thunder of the Empire

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By Hiroyuki Morioka and Toshihiro Ono. Released in Japan by Hayakawa Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Giuseppe di Martino.

And so we finally catch up with Banner of the Stars, a series whose last three volumes have come out over the course of the last twenty years, so I’m not sure when the next one in the series will be. This book takes place ten years after the last one, though honestly it took the author telling me that to actually make me understand it. The Abh are long-lived and don’t really age, so there’s a certain stasis to their lives, and it makes it hard to get a real sense of time. As for this book in particular, it’s very good news for those who love long, detailed descriptions of space battles, though as always these are somewhat remote, vaguely realistic space battles taken on by dry, sarcastic space elves, so don’t expect dramatic pew pew laser fights and heroes screaming out as they are killed. What we get instead is the Abh slowly trying to take back what they lost, and to regain contact with the other half of their split Empire, which is also trying its best.

Unlike the last book, Lafier gets quite a bit to do, as she’s promoted from training the new troops (which she’s been doing since the end of the previous book) to having a fleet of her own, whose job it is to retake the capital!… wait, no, that’s not its job, much to Lafier’s irritation. Instead they’re going after a different strategic site, trying to gauge the strength of the enemy, take out the enemy, force the enemy’s leaders to surrender, and seize the day. This is not quite as easy as it sounds… but it mostly is, with the Abh winning fairly one-sidedly. The drama comes from, as I said, Lafier not being a very happy camper. She’s still inexperienced for an Abh, and knows she would not have her own fleet if she weren’t Crown Princess. She has a minder on board, with orders to relieve her of duty if she screws up. And Jint, who is still by her side, is, well, starting to look older than her.

While talking about this book on Twitter, I noted that folks who started the series reading about the adventures of Jint and Lafier, who were hoping for more scenes of them together like we saw in Crest, are probably very disappointed by now, as it’s clear that’s not remotely what the author wants to write about at the moment. It was also pointed out to me that I don’t think like an Abh, and by their standards Jint and Lafier are sickening sweethearts, which is also true, I suppose. (We do see some good shots of Sporr and Cfadiss, which is the only other relationship we see in this series anything like the one Jint and Lafier have, and I appreciated it.) That said, Lafier does think about the fact that, as the years go on, Jint is going to look older and older and she isn’t. I’m not sure that makes her happy, but not much she can do about it. Still, any furthering of the romance will likely have to wait for the end of the war.

When will that end? Well, we’re not sure, as the next book isn’t out in Japan yet. This came out in 2018. I am hoping the gap between books will be more like the 5 year gap between 5 and 6, rather than the 9-year-gap between 4 and 5. till then, this is recommended for science fiction readers who like reading about military tactics.

The Matchmaking of Marielle Clarac

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By Haruka Momo and Maro. Released in Japan as “Marielle Clarac no Kyuuai” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Philip Reuben.

The author describes this book as a “calm and gentle” story, and I suppose, given that the previous book involved Marielle getting involved with pirates and her wedding had her kidnapped, falling into a river, etc. that that is correct. In reality, all it means is that all the action and danger to our heroine is packed into the last quarter of the book. Heck, even the main storyline in the book has Julianne, Marielle’s friend and BL reader, accused of attempting to poison the royal family. When you are the light novel equivalent of Murder, She Wrote, calm and gentle seems like a long time ago. That said, this novel also serves as a reminder that the only thing worse than the attitude of nobles towards commoners is the attitude of greater nobles towards lesser nobles. Marielle had to deal with this as well, of course, but at least Simeon was only an Earl. When the Prince of the Realm is head over heels in love with you, and your parents are social climbers, it can be quite the headache…

Marielle is happy as a clam as the book starts, but inevitably gets dragged into this mess. After all, Simeon and the Prince are friends, and she and Julianne are friends. She’s the reason the two even met in the first place. And the Prince is now doing his best to not act like a pathetic drip. Mostly. So it’s time to meet the parents, who are worried that a girl from a lesser barony winning over their son means she has intentions other than love. This is not helped by Julianne herself, who is firmly convinced that their classes are too far apart, and is in general far too practical to simply leap into something like this. The answer, of course, is to have Marielle around, as she is both very much a part of the royal world now and also frequently the opposite of practical. Can she get Julianne to admit her own feelings, get the King and Queen to learn what type of person she is, and not get stabbed preventing an assassination attempt? Note: the answer to the last question is no.

Yeah, as noted, this book leaves all its thriller aspects for the last quarter, and spends most of the time in mystery and romance mode. The King and Queen are both very likeable people – indeed, the whole royal family is pretty great – and the moral of the first 3/4 of the book might just be “don’t assume everyone loves dogs”. But there has always been the threat of war and politics lurking at the edge of this series, if not directly involved with it, and there is a definite anti-monarchist faction, which decides to take more decisive action. It is rather startling to see Marielle, who I have previously described as a flibbertigibbet sustain a serious injury in this book, though in best action heroine style this does not stop her from sticking around till everything is resolved before passing out. Heck, she even does the “I can’t run in this dress” clothing rip!

So yes, another strong volume, and fans of Marielle who notice that she doesn’t fangirl QUITE as much in this book will, I suspect, get more of what they want to balance it in Book 7. Will the nation go to war? And can Marielle find a way to write romance novel about it?

Bookshelf Briefs 4/16/21

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Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, Vol. 9 | By Inio Asano | Viz Media – By the ninth volume of Dead Dead Demon, any hope that this series was a “lighter, softer” version of Inio Asano’s usual manga has long since left town—this is the bleakest, most depressing volume in the series to date, with even the Doraemon parody going into the “you will die old and alone” bin for its “comedy.” Last time I said that I could not see the current situation ending in any way but tragedy, and that’s absolutely the case, as Kadode essentially turns this series into a new volume of Death Note, to the point where it takes Oran beating her up in sheer horror to make her… well, let’s just say we know why Oran hopped universes. As for the universe they’re in now? Not optimistic. Brilliant, but ugh. – Sean Gaffney

I Was Reincarnated as the Villainess in an Otome Game but the Boys Love Me Anyway!, Vol. 1 | By Sou Inaida and Atakai | TOKYOPOP – Another villainess otome that can best be described as “Bakarina only taking itself seriously,” this volume does not really make any major mistakes but also suffers from not really doing much to stand out. The heroine is trying to avoid her death flags, but doing it in perfectly sensible ways, and the fact that the boys fall for her anyway baffles her. Again, I like the message, which is that being good rewards you with good things happening to you, but I keep waiting for the deconstruction or the zany antics. If you really love otome game villainess stories, read this, but if you want a serious Bakarina, read Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter instead. – Sean Gaffney

I’m in Love with the Villainess, Vol. 1 (manga) | By Inori and Aonoshimo | Seven Seas – This early digital version is out a good four months before the print release, but I’ll still take it, as I adore this series. This being the first volume, and thus concerned with setting the table, it’s filled with light and goofy comedy, as Rae is very, very concerned with getting Claire to make angry faces at her, which are the poses she loves to see. There is a bit of foreshadowing of future events here, which the manga should be getting into soon, but for the most part, this is breezy fun, and I especially love how Rae explains that Claire’s bullying is much better than the garden variety sort—she does it herself, she makes sure there’s no permanent damage, etc. Rae sees the beauty of Claire, and soon we will too. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 28 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – As the series begins to come to a close, it’s definitely getting around to wrapping up the main problems that the final arc has left our cast with. Maki learns that sometimes your actual memories can be papered over by other things, such as grudges and hatred, and you have to remove those to see what’s underneath. Toko learns not only that when it comes to madcap, zany schemes she has nothing on this school’s students, but also that she can’t win against her older brother… who also cares about her far more than she imagined. And then there’s Mafuyu, who manages to be cool and awesome in about five different ways even when in her Natsuo persona. Not as popular as Nozaki-kun, but I will miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Rainbow and Black, Vol. 1 | By Eri Takenashi | Seven Seas – I have a soft spot for weird, peculiar manga, so the bizarre creature on the the cover of Rainbow and Black immediately piqued my interest in the series. What sold me on the first volume, however, was the lead character punching out a man within the first few pages. (Unfortunately, this does lead to her losing her waitressing job, but the ill-behaved customer absolutely deserved what he got after groping her.) Shirahoshi Kuroe is a college student who likes things to be very clear-cut; life, of course, has a tendency to be anything but. And so when circumstances lead to Kuro taking in an abandoned “happy mouse”—an animal that defies being neatly categorized—she finds herself having to start thinking about things a little differently. In part, Rainbow and Black is a cute story about (incredibly strange) pet ownership, but it’s also about Kuro’s charming growth as a person. -Ash Brown

A School Frozen in Time, Vol. 1 | By Naoshi Arakawa and Mizuki Tsujimura | Kodansha Comics – On an especially snowy day, eight students of an elite prep school find they are the only people to have shown up to class. Not only that, once they’re inside the building, they can’t leave. Soon, all watches and clocks stop at the exact time that a suicide occurred two months ago during the school festival, resulting in the death of a classmate that none of them can remember. And what’s more, that classmate’s spirit might actually be among them right now! I enjoyed this first volume a good bit. The creepy vibe is well done, and though I at first found the characterization a bit shallow, it improves as it goes along. It seems we might focus on one kid at a time as they finally remember who it was who died and are then eliminated from the scenario in bloody yet ambiguous fashion. Okay, I’m hooked. – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 45 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media –I have been reading Skip Beat! for thirteen years now. THIRTEEN. And for the majority of that time, I’ve been anticipating something that finally, finally, finally happens at the end of this volume. The build-up is suitably epic, as Kyoko begins the volume believing Ren is in a sordid relationship with a porn star, but after he explains the embarrassing truth to her (in Bo costume), she’s back to believing it’s manipulative Morizumi that he loves. Still, she wants Ren to be happy more than anything, and right now the girl he loves thinks he’s a creep, so Bo convinces him to confess his real feelings. Cue Ren spotting Kyoko in the lobby, a two-page sprint scene, a dramatic elevator entry, and Ren finally clearing away all the Morizumi mess until Kyoko believes him: it’s been her all along. Sniff. Can’t wait for volume 46! – Michelle Smith

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol 7

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An Incurable Case of Love Volume 7 by Maki Enjoji

Especially in these pandemic times, sometimes I just want to read something light and fairly predictable. I don’t want surprise plot twists or social commentary, but seeing a couple work through and resolve all the impediments to their romance and end up with a happy ending is often just the diversion that I’m looking for. The Shojo Beat “stealth josei” titles like An Incurable Case of Love tend to be limited, with only one or two coming out at a time but I really enjoy them.

An Incurable Case of Love Volume 7

This is the final volume of An Incurable Case of Love! I’ve been feeling like the past couple volumes have been stretching out the story a little too much, this would probably have been a very tight 5 volume series as opposed to a slightly meandering 7 volume series, but I very much enjoyed it overall. I’m a sucker for repeated plot tropes and anything in shoujo manga that reminds me of a k-drama, so I was delighted when there was a time skip involved when Dr. Tendo had to study abroad for a number of years only to finally reunite with Nanase at the end. I do not feel like I’m even revealing any major spoilers as all of this has been telegraphed to the reader all along. Still, by the end of the manga the Dark Lord and the Valiant One have become an adorable couple and it is nice to see Nanase win in her steadfast goal of bagging the one doctor that she feel in love with at first sight so many years ago. For fans of predictable workplace romance, An Incurable Case of Love absolutely delivers. I’m hoping to get some more josei titles that are set in places beyond offices, because this series was amusing and the medical setting gave the author plenty of opportunities to explore extra drama.