Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Features & Reviews

Manga the Week of 3/25/20

by , , , and 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s getting near the end of March. Are you getting some manga delivered to you?

Dark Horse debuts the Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair manga, which I believe tells the story from the POV of the actual lead this time, as opposed to the semi-antagonist.

J-Novel Club continues its rollout of shoujo light novels with The White Cat’s Revenge as Plotted from the Dragon King’s Lap (Fukushuu wo Chikatta Shironeko wa Ryuuou no Hiza no Ue de Damin wo Musaboru), another series from the Arianrose label. A young girl ends up in another world, abandoned by her “friend”, trapped on a dangerous land, and turned into a white cat. But does she let that get her down? Hell no!

ASH: It make me happy to see more shoujo novels being translated.

SEAN: They’ve also got Ascendance of a Bookworm’s third manga volume, and Outbreak Company 13.

Kodansha’s print debut is Yuzu the Pet Vet (Yuzu no Dobutsu Karte), a Nakayoshi series about an 11-year-old who lives at her uncle’s pet hospital. She’s scared of animals, but wants to help out. Can she slowly come to love them? This looks, pardon me, goddamn adorable.

MICHELLE: It does. I wonder if it’ll be a little too cutesy for me, but I will definitely be checking it out.

ASH: I plan on giving it a look, too!

ANNA: It does sound cute!

MJ: Oh!

SEAN: Also out in print is Cells at Work: Code BLACK 4, If I Could Reach You 4, Living-Room Matsunaga-san 2, and The Seven Deadly Sins 37.

MICHELLE: I liked the first volume of Living-Room Matsunaga-san. I’m glad it’s getting a print release.

ASH: I’ve been meaning to give it a try.

SEAN: The digital debut is Star⇄Crossed!! (Oshi ga Watashi de Watashi ga Oshi de), which is from the creator of Kiss Him, Not Me! and looks to be about as bananas as that one was. It runs in Betsufure, begins with the hero and heroine dying, and features bodyswaps via kissing.

MICHELLE: I am so down for this. I hope it doesn’t involve ludicrous, spontaneous weight loss as a plot point.

ANNA: That sounds hilarious.

MJ: I’m so ready for this.

SEAN: Other digital titles next week: Altair: A Record of Battles 16, Boarding School Juliet 15, DAYS 17, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 19, I Fell in Love After School 2, Vampire Dormitory 3, and Watari-kun’s ******* Is About to Collapse 4.

MICHELLE: I really need to read Elegant Yokai Apartment Life.

SEAN: Seven Seas has three debuts. The Conditions of Paradise is a short-story collection from celebrated yuri artist Akiko Morishima. The stories ran in Comic Yuri Hime.

ASH: I’m curious about this one.

MJ: I am, too!

SEAN: Cosmo Familia is by the artist of the Madoka Magica manga, and appears to appeal to that demographic, but replaces magical girls with alien invaders. This one runs in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara Forward.

We’ve already seen the PENGUINDRUM manga, and the PENGIUNDRUM anime, now enjoy the first light novel volume as well. This is an early digital release.

ASH: I’m sure I’ll get around to reading this once it’s available in print.

SEAN: They’ve also got Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average?! 8 (print) and 9 (digital), Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash 12 (print), Machimaho 5, Mushoku Tensei: Roxy Gets Serious 3, and the 3rd Skeleton Knight in Another World manga.

Square Enix gives us a manga version of a light novel Yen On is releasing, Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town. The novel was a lot of fun. The manga runs in Gangan Online.

ASH: It does sound like it would be fun.

MJ: It does!

SEAN: Vertical has a 14th volume of Devils’ Line.

Yen On has three titles. A Certain Magical Index 22 is the final volume of the first Index series… is it the end of the Index novels in North America as well? There’s also Do You Love Your Mom? 5 and You Call That Service? 2.

And Yen Press has a pile of manga, though no debuts. Instead we get Bungo Stray Dogs 14, Cocoon Entwined 2, Hatsu*Haru 11, Kiniro Mosaic 10, KonoSuba’s 10th manga volume, Laid-Back Camp 10, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected’s 13th manga volume, Smokin’ Parade 7, So I’m a Spider, So What?’s 7th manga volume, Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun 2, and Triage X 19.

MICHELLE: The first volume of Cocoon Entwined was atmospheric and intriguing, and I very much look forward to more!

ASH: I just recently read the first volume of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun and kind of loved it, so I’ll definitely be picking up the second.

SEAN: Does any of this ring your chimes?

Bookshelf Briefs 3/18/20

by , and Leave a Comment

Dr. STONE, Vol. 10 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Dr. STONE thrives on ridiculous ideas, of course, but that does not mean that it cannot briefly pause when bad things are happening. Tsukasa is saved from immediately dying, but he is still dying, and the only solution that Senku can come up with is to cryofreeze him. This is handled rather well, though Senku is not shown to the reader when he is being emotional about it. After that,things get ridiculous again, as we need to go searching other continents. This means ships, which means unstoning the world’s most ridiculous ship captain, who iss also an arrogant SOB. Fortunately they have Yuzuhira, who can transform into JoJo when she is doing anything with sewing, be it bodies or sails. A ton of fun. – Sean Gaffney

Ex-Enthusiasts: MotoKare Mania, Vol. 3 | By Yukari Takinami | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – At 27, Yurika Namba is obsessed with “Makochi,” a guy she broke up with five years ago. When they meet again at her new job, she discovers that the real Makochi is not like her fantasy version. After initially trying to forget him by dating someone else, by volume three Yurika has told Makochi that she has feelings for him and is trying to project as much “cool girl” as possible so as not to scare him away from the prospect of a relationship. At first, I thought I might not like this series, as Yurika came off as unhinged and stalkery, but as it has gone on, I’ve come to enjoy it quite a bit, especially the fanciful sequences where various facets of Yurika’s brain (and sometimes Makochi’s!) debate and comment on what’s happening to their hosts. I’m intrigued to see where this goes next. – Michelle Smith

In/Spectre, Vol. 11 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – I had been joking about whether “Kotoko is terrible” was a running theme in this book (along with “Kotoko is thirsty”), but it looks like it may be the actual main plot, as Rikka’s machinations seem to be to get Kuro to realize what a horrible person she really is. This is a tall order, mostly as I think Kuro has realized this from the beginning. In the meantime, we get the end of the family murder mystery, which is done very well with lots of twists and turns and Kotoko being the perfect arrogant detective. I particularly liked the granddaughter, who is the one who comes off as the least self-serving (and the only one who didn’t plot to kill her grandmother). All this and a nyotaimori reference. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 13 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – The festival starts but doesn’t end in this volume, and we have several interlocking plots. Kaguya wants to confess but doesn’t. Chika is busy being herself and trying to find a balloon thief. Ishigami manages, somehow, to accidentally confess to Tsubame, which is a problem as she wants to concentrate on gymnastics and not dating but also doesn’t want to hurt him. And then there’s Shirogane, of course, who finally, in the cliffhanger, tells Kaguya he’s leaving to go to Stanford. This is all done with the usual heaping helping of humor, of course, but it’s also heartwarming that the reader has come to prefer the emotional character moments to the gag moments. Will we finally get a confession in the next volume? – Sean Gaffney

Stravaganza: The Queen in the Iron Mask, Vols. 2-3 | By Akihito Tomi | Udon Entertainment – This is one of the more frustrating series I’ve read in a while. The art is absolutely gorgeous, with amazing backgrounds and scenery, and some good action sequences. There are some horrific moments that bring to mind Attack on Titan and its better moments. But then there’s the constant nudity and sadism that is also throughout the books—the author seems to love to put the queen in danger and have her menaced/stripped/flogged by various bad guys. Rape does not come up, thank goodness, but it’s still annoying, because I’d love to recommend this to a wider audience, but once again it’s a series for those who really like the nude female form. Shame. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 13 | By Yuki Shiwasu | VIZ Media – Finally, finally, Takane and Hana manage to honestly admit their feelings for each other and become a couple. I loved Takane’s silent fist-clench of relief and joy, as well as some of the dialogue that follows, like Hana telling her father “He means the world to me,” and Hana’s mother being concerned about her daughter’s future options being limited. (Takane awesomely tells Hana, “Do whatever you want to do. The only difference is that I’m at your side.”) The family trip to Okinawa gets a little silly, with Hana working herself up to ambush him with a kiss again, but there are nice moments as well, and I appreciated the reminder that Takane is really not going to try anything physical with her at this point in time. I had a few volumes to catch up on for this review, and now I’m bummed not to have any more. – Michelle Smith

What’s Michael? Fatcat Collection, Vol. 1 | By Makoto Kobayashi | Dark Horse – When I was first introduced to What’s Michael?, it was after the series had already gone out of print in English and was difficult to find. I am thrilled that the manga is being released again, making it available to a wider audience. The first “fatcat” omnibus collect the first six volumes of Dark Horse’s previous edition with no real changes, as far as I can tell. It also includes a newly written essay by Zack Davisson which provides additional context for the series. What’s Michael? may simply be one of the best cat comics that I’ve read. Generally episodic in nature—although with some recurring characters and running jokes—Kobayashi perfectly captures not only the peculiarities and personalities of cats but also those of their human admirers. Some of the stories are more fantastic than realistic but What’s Michael? is a manga that is consistently funny and solidly entertaining. – Ash Brown

Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! ~A Sign-on-the-Line Wedding Story~, Vol. 1

by

By Tsuredurebana and Rin Hagiwara. Released in Japan as “Dareka Kono Joukyou wo Setsumei Shite Kudasai! ~Keiyaku Kara Hajimaru Wedding~” by ArianRose. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mattias Hirsch.

Sometimes you go into a book with expectations. Perhaps the book is part of a new line of romance novels for young women the publisher is putting out. Perhaps the title features the words ‘wedding story’. Perhaps the cover, which shows the heroine in a wedding gown and a handsome young man, draws you in. Perhaps you read the manga version, which is available on the Renta ebooks site, and every single chapter was filled with a breathless romantic description of what was happening. Indeed, the book does indeed hit all these points. There is indeed a wedding. There are balls where the heroine shines. There is another woman, constantly trying to call out the heroine so that she can prove who’s top dog. There’s even the tried and true “hero asks for marriage of convenience and then gradually falls in love anyway” plotline. The startling thing about this book, though, is that its heroine, Viola, starts the book completely uninterested in romance and Cercis, the hero… and ends it the same way.

Viola is the daughter of an Earl whose landholdings have fallen on hard times, and is used to doing most things herself with a minimum of fuss and servants. She is rather startled when Duke Cercis arrives at her door with a proposal. Well, more of a contract. He has a woman he already loves, but she’s a dancing girl and therefore he can’t marry her and his family won’t approve. So Viola is to be his “show wife”. Viola, after securing enough funding to save her family’s debt, agrees very matter-of-factly, and a year later they are married and she’s living in a fabulous mansion. Wondering what to do with herself at first, she’s soon winning over the servants (and indeed dressing as one), cutting back on the extravagant meals, brightening up the gardens and house, and putting her own stamp on everything while the Duke and his lover live in the cottage elsewhere on the estate. All well and good… but why is the Duke coming over more and more often?

Viola’s narrative voice is all over this book, and it’s a fun one. She has a fair amount of snarkiness to her, but there’s also a heaping helping of unawareness, and those two don’t usually go together. She’s the sort to describe herself as scrawny, plain and flat-chested, and has absolutely no idea why her maids, when given the opportunity to put her in real fashion and jewelry, go absolutely ga-ga. The answer, of course, is that Viola’s scrawny and flat-chested is everyone else’s tall and willowy, and she looks fantastic dressed up. She doesn’t put on airs, she actually cares about the people around her, and she shows absolutely no interest in getting involved with the Duke and his mistress. Indeed, I was sort of hoping for more Duke and mistress – there’s a running gag where the mistress keeps showing up looking for the lady of the manor and runs into Viola (dressed in her normal black “maid dress” and therefore unrecognizable), but for the most part the book is content to gradually work its way up to the inevitable breakup that comes when the Duke realizes he does love Viola after all.

This leads to the climax, where the duke confesses his love, and Viola says she doesn’t really think of him that way. Given that the series is nine volumes long to date, one would assume he will eventually get his point across, but if he’s going to be wooing her, he’d better try a bit harder – rewriting their contract (which had said she, as a “show wife”, could also have lovers) to say she can only love him is not a terrific start. Still, the combination of the oddly shaped not-romance and the intelligent (if somewhat too self-deprecating) heroine makes me want to read further.

Re: ZERO ~Starting Life in Another World~, Vol. 12

by

By Tappei Nagatsuki and Shinichirou Otsuka. Released in Japan by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jeremiah Borque.

Subaru is much improved as a protagonist in these newer volumes of Re: Zero, to the point where I find I barely have to yell at him in my head at all. Most of the times that he dies and has to return by death are the fault of external forces or things he doesn’t know about, rather than his being a stubborn dumbass. And he gets two points here where he shows that his love for Emilia and Rem (still in that order, sorry Rem fans) is more than just saying it – he can tell when their own responses are either distorted or out-and-out falsified. That said, the last third of this book did a great job of reminding me just how flawed a protagonist Subaru can be. After all, every time he dies and starts again at his save point… he leaves behind a dead Subaru. And those who cared about him. Something he learns all too well when he gets to take the Second Test.

The cover art features our villains of the book, one very familiar to us, one not so much. Unfortunately, despite returning to the mansion in record time, I think Subaru is going to have to come up with another plan, because time is not on his side no matter what. It does, however, given us another very emotional confrontation with Beatrice. I knew going in that this fourth Arc would give some time to Emilia, but it must be back-loaded, as so far there’s been very little. Beatrice, though, also gets an incredible amount of attention and care, showing us how much she is suffering and also showing how little Subaru can seemingly do about it. It also throws into stark relief the end of the book, where Echidna offers to make a pact with him – the fact that he’s desperate enough to accept it despite EVERY OTHER WITCH saying it’s a bad idea shows he’s still very, very fallible.

Speaking of the other witches, Echidna, who had been nice, police and helpful so far this arc, is starting to show her true colors and her stunning lack of empathy – well, no, it’s not really that stunning, we knew this was coming. I will give kudos to the author for making the Witch of Lust a crybaby moe sort of girl, and the Witch of Sloth the one who has the Red Hot Mama vibe you’d normally give to Lust. The cliffhanger ending shows the 7th and final witch showing up at the tea Party, which may end up being as bloody as Umineko’s sometimes were. On the bright side, she’s probably come as herself this time – the earlier parts of the book features a Satella who had literally possessed Emilia, and it was not a pretty sight. (That said, the prize for creepiest moment of the book easily goes to the scene where Emilia, her mind utterly broken by the tests, gives Subaru a lap pillow and a kiss – a kiss that he gets right as he dies. Brr.)

We’re now halfway through this arc, and I get the feeling, revelations about Roswaal aside, we’re not much closer to getting a happy ending. Still, fans of the series will definitely enjoy what they get here, though as always it can be difficult to read. Everyone suffers: The Novel.

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Vol. 11

by

By Izumi Tsubaki. Released in Japan as “Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun” by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the online magazine Gangan Online. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Leighann Harvey.

As Tsubaki’s other major series, Oresama Teacher, reaches its end soon in Hana to Yume, it does feel odd that Nozaki-kun also looks to be headed towards an endgame. You’d think that she’d want to be able to devote even more attention to it. And yet it’s understandable. First of all, because ‘headed’ towards an endgame is an exaggeration. Slouching towards and endgame, perhaps. Meandering. Secondly, because no matter what happens to all the other couples in the series, Nozaki and Chiyo will always be lagging behind. The first two chapters in this volume deal with Kashima’s little sister, who is nothing like her at all, and also enjoys imagining everyone around her – everyone – in a pairing. Except, of course, Nozaki and Chiyo. She just can’t see it, much to Chiyo’s intense frustration. Then again, she only has herself to blame. She could try being a little more direct. Not that this always helps… look at Seo for a good example.

Seo has pretty much played out having fun with Wakamatsu over the Lorelei thing, and is also coming closer to wanting them to be a real couple, so finally decides to tell him outright. Well, almost outright. She goes to Nozaki and Chiyo for her plan, and they all try to imagine very manga-influenced scenarios that range from quite realistic to the usual completely ludicrous. The payoff comes towards the end, when Seo a) feels nervous talking to Wakamatsu about it, another sign of her growings feelings, and b) didn’t think of the immediate, most obvious result of this: Wakamatsu doesn’t trust her and doesn’t believe her. You’d feel bad for her if it weren’t Seo, but it is. So it’s just funny. (Incidentally, her brother does even worse in his own doomed romance, and we also discover that even the couples who DO get together in this series are giant flaming wreckages.)

As for Hiro and Kashima, it’s always been the most popular pairing in this series by far, and the end of the volume deals with it, as a hypnotism attempt gone wrong leads to Kashima forgetting who Hori is, which naturally upsets him a lot more than he’d like. The endgame of this, after the usual silliness, leads to a rare genuine moment in this manga with Hori saying (with a blush) he prefers the normal Kashima, and her (with a blush) actually understanding what he’s saying. Now, there’s a minimal chance this will actually lead to anything next time, but it’s still nice to have this bone thrown to us in a manga that still enjoys mocking romances more than having them (witness Chapter 103, which cycles through almost every single shoujo manga cliche in one single chapter).

There was a long break between volumes this time, so I’m not sure when we’ll see the next one. (Oresama Teacher is also down to about a volume a year now.) But it was worth the wait, giving the usual mix of hilarious subversion of manga romance while also trying to eat its cake as well.

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol 1

by

Love Me, Love Me Not, Volume 1 by Io Sakisaka

Strobe Edge was good, and Ao Haru Ride is a special series, so I was very excited when I saw that another Io Sakisaka series was going to be put out under the Shojo Beat imprint. Sakisaka changes things up a little bit by focusing just as much on female friendship as romance. Yuna is a girl who loves reading shoujo manga. She’s a bit shy and not very confident, but she’s quietly very nice. She meets the more outspoken Akari when she asks Yuna for train fare. Yuna also encounters a mysterious, but somewhat crass boy who resembles her long-dreamed of storybook prince. Akari and Yuna bond when they realize that they are both living in the same apartment building and attending the same high school. Yuna shares her romantic dreams, and Akari counters with her much more pragmatic approach of going out and meeting people instead of quietly waiting for a destined love to show up. Akari is surprised when Kazuomi drops by – he’s Yuna’s childhood friend and Yuna’s shyness disappears when she talks to him because she thinks of him like a brother.

Love Me Love Me Not

The characters are all introduced in a series of slice of live scenes that feel very naturalistic. They run into each other on the sidewalk, in convenience stores, walking to and from school, and visiting outside their part-time jobs. As Yuna gets to know Akari better she discovers that her fabled prince is named Rio, and he’s actually Akari’s brother! Akari is concerned about what would happen if Yuna gives in to her crush, because Rio is a bit of a player and is constantly turning down confessions of love from girls. Akari concludes that Yuna should get together with Kazuomi, but she also finds his forthright ways attractive. There’s a not super surprising twist at the end that sends Love Me, Love Me Not firmly into Marmalade Boy territory. This first volume does a great job setting up four sympathetic characters who are all equally engaging despite having very different personalities. Yuna might spend a great deal of time averting her eyes and blushing, but she is willing to push herself to stand up for Akari when some false rumors start going around. Akari is outspoken and always strategizing about what to do when it comes to her friends, but not always great at sharing her own feelings. While Rio is treated in a certain way due to his looks, it is easy to see from his body language and facial expressions, that he’s also burdened by girls developing crushes on him without even taking the time to talk to him. Kazuomi has an open personality, combined with the ability to occasionally come out with pronouncements about life and relationships that make him seem irresistibly cool.

Sakisaka does a great job setting up a new series in the first volume of Love Me, Love Me Not. I like the idea of a shoujo series that will focus just as much on female friendship as it does on romance, and will be eagerly waiting to see how this tangled web of potential teen romance develops in future volumes.

The Invincible Shovel, Vol. 1

by

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. Adapted by Renee Baumgartner.

First of all, I apologize for not using the full title in the header, which is “The Invincible Shovel: “Wave Motion Shovel Blast!” ( ｀・ω・´)♂〓〓〓〓★(゜Д ゜ ;;;).:∴KA-CHOOOM”. It turns out that this title literally breaks the URL. Which seems appropriate for this book, which may break a few brains, particularly those who are not ready for the true path of the shovel. The word ‘shovel’ and its variations are in this book 708 times, and after finishing it you’ll be surprised it’s that low. “Variations?”, I hear you cry. Why yes. We get shovely, shoveltastic, shoveltronic, and many, many more, courtesy of the cover heroine, Lithisia, who, as with everyone else who meets our hero, starts off seemingly normal and then leaps off the deep end. Now, mind you, this is not to say that Alan, the hero, is any less completely unbelievable – though in his case it’s his own stoic acceptance of all things shovel that’s the issue. Basically, this book is very, VERY silly.

Indeed, the book starts off silly and never stops, as we begin with Alan, a miner who somehow forgets to die or age, finding that his shovel can now fire beams. As he lives longer and mines more, the shovel and Alan gain more and more powers. Now, one thousand years later, he’s so used to it that it never occurs to him that shovels can’t do everything. One day he runs into a runaway princess who is trying to save her land, Lithisia. Saving her from bandits, she rapidly, through both him showing off his shovel’s powers and her amazing skill of misinterpretation, falls in love with Alan and then later essentially becomes the High Priestess of the new Shovel religion (which she creates). As they try to gather the orbs to save her people, they run into her best friend, a knight who fills the straight man function; an elf who is the last of her kind; a princess who’s now an undead queen; and a water priestess who’s been sold into slavery. No worries, though. The shovel solves all.

This book is here for one reason and one reason alone: to be funny. Everything runs on humor. Lithisia quickly thinks that Alan uses the word ‘shoveling’ to mean sex (he does not), and rapidly the other heroines (with Catria, the sensible one, excepted) also fall into this thinking. (Alan, who is 1000 years older than them, and also dense, does not try anything despite their best attempts.) Alan shows the cast and the reader new uses for his shovel almost by the page, which range from actual digging to the titular wave motion gun to time travel, raising the dead and flight. The latter half of the book is Alan doing something mind-boggling, explaining it with a “of course, this is obvious” look, having everyone marvel at him, and having Catria scream that it is not, in fact, obvious. All this, and also Lithisia converting more to her shovel religion.

I had already heard that this title had a reputation for being hilarious, and was worried it would fail to live up to that. No fear. Only the biggest “OP is always bad” light novel fans would find this aggravating. For everyone else, all hail the Mighty Shovel!

Manga the Week of 3/18/20

by , , , and 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s the week of St. Patrick’s Day, and yet the amount of Irish manga is thin on the ground.

Dark Horse has Mob Psycho 100 4, which I remain convinced must be 2000% better animated.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying the manga, but it sounds like I should check out the anime, too!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has two debuts. Bibliophile Princess (Mushikaburi-hime) is from Ichijinsha’s Iris Bunko line, and features a princess who spots her betrothed with another man, confirming the rumors she’s heard. But this is just the start of a VAST CONSPIRACY! I’ve heard good things about this.

ASH: That does sound like it could be good.

SEAN: The other debut is also a shoujo light novel, from Frontier Works’ ArianRose label. Can Someone Please Explain What’s Going On?! (Dareka Kono Joukyou wo Setsumei Shite Kudasai!) has our poor noble heroine signing a marriage contract to a rich noble man to save her family. Now she’s forced to level up in being a high-class fiancee. I’ve heard less good things about this, but will absolutely give it a shot.

They also have Arifureta Short Stories, which is what it says, and the long-awaited 9th volume of The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind!.

Kodansha’s print debut is Something’s Wrong with Us (Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru), a josei series from Natsumi Ando, best known as the creator of Kitchen Princess. This runs in Be Love, though, so the audience is much older. A young woman is on a quest to become a sweets maker, but the owner of the company she starts with is the childhood friend who framed her mother for murder 15 years earlier. Um… well, that went somewhere unexpected.

MICHELLE: This creator also did Arisa, which might be seen as a sort of bridge between the two series you mentioned, since it did at least have some mystery elements. I’ll definitely check out Ando doing josei!

ASH: Me, too! Ando’s work always seems to have some unexpected turns (for better and worse), but I’ve enjoyed the creator’s past manga.

ANNA: Huh, I’m curious about this for sure.

MJ: Okay, wow. I’m in.

SEAN: Also in print: I’m Standing on a Million Lives 6, the 2nd Saint Young Men hardcover, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime 12, and Witch Hat Atelier 5, which is the one Manga Bookshelf cares about.

MICHELLE: I really must get caught up on this.

ASH: I also care about Saint Young Men, but Witch Hat Atelier is just SO GOOD.

ANNA: It really is, I am stoked for a new volume of Witch Hat Atelier

SEAN: Digitally the debut is Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition, from the creator of Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei (of which Kodansha put out 14 of 30 volumes. Not that I’m bitter.), a story about a writer of a very popular but very raunchy manga series… which he absolutely does not want his young impressionable daughter finding out about at all. This runs in Monthly Shonen Magazine, and looks to be more realistic than either Zetsubou or Katteni Kaizo.

ASH: I’m intrigued (and hope it might get a print release at some point so I will actually read it).

MJ: I’m intrigued… but cautiously?

SEAN: Also out digitally: Cosplay Animal 11, Defying Kurosaki-kun 15, GE: Good Ending 3, I’ll Win You Over, Sempai! 2, MabuSasa 3, and My Boy in Blue 15.

One Peace gives us a 15th volume of The Rising of the Shield Hero. Fans of the series will be desperate for more of the main cast after their non-appearance in most of Isekai Quartet 2. Not that I’m smug.

No debuts from Seven Seas, but fear not, there is The Girl from the Other Side 8, New Game! 8, Saint Seiya Saintia Sho 9, and Wonderland 5.

MICHELLE: Yay for The Girl from the Other Side!

ASH: Yes, indeed!!

ANNA: Some good stuff coming out this week. I need to get caught up.

SEAN: Tokyopop has a debut with The Fox and the Little Tanuki (Kori Senman), a Mag Garden title from Comic Avarus, which stars a fox spirit who’s an ex-con! Out of God Jail, he has to prove he’s reformed by babysitting a tanuki. This looks cute.

And Tokyopop also has a 2nd Still Sick.

Vertical has Ajin 14.

Viz debuts Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku, a Shonen Jump + title that’s been on the SJ app and has an unbelievable amount of buzz. It’s set in Edo Japan, and features a ninja assassin and an executioner searching for the secret of immortality.

MICHELLE: I will probably check this out.

ASH: Same.

ANNA: Me too.

MJ: Agreed.

SEAN: Also out from Viz: 20th Century Boys Perfect Edition 7, BEASTARS 5, Levius/Est 3, and No Guns Life 4. Damn, Viz is grim this week.

ASH: I’ve already read all of 20th Century Boys, but I’ll be ready for more BEASTARS soon.

SEAN: Yen On gives us the 5th volume of The Isolator.

And on the manga end, there’s Delicious in Dungeon 8 (yay!) and Shibuya Goldfish 7 (ergh…).

ASH: I love Delicious in Dungeon so much.

SEAN: What manga is in your pot of gold?

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? On The Side: Sword Oratoria, Vol. 11

by

By Fujino Omori and Kiyotaka Haimura. Released in Japan as “Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka? Gaiden – Sword Oratoria” by Softbank Creative. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Dale DeLucia.

(Note: I spoil the ending for this one, be warned.)

Sigh. I can’t say it wasn’t hinted – it’s been hinted since she first showed up, and there’s a massive deadly flag in this volume where Lefiya and Filvis promise to visit the elven country after they finish this next battle. I almost smacked my forehead. But yeah, there are two characters in this series who are fairly obviously coded as lesbians, and Lefiya has protagonist armor, so the other one had to go. The death is handled well and all – Filvis is not shot by an impossible bullet or anything – but yes, I am grumpy that we get to throw another dead lesbian on the pile of dead lesbians. Lefiya is in a sort of grief coma after this, so I’m not sure whether she’ll turn evil and try to destroy the world. Probably not. And Aiz makes for a poor Buffy in any case. And now I will drop this stretched analogy and look at the rest of the book.

For about three-quarters of this book, it’s actually fairly triumphant. Finn and company are getting ready to defeat the evils once and for all. It’s a plan in two stages, the first of which is to map out as much of Knossos as possible, with help from other families – including the Hermes Family, with Hermes being fairly straightforward for once, and the Dionysus Family, with him basically begging to come along so that he can avenge the deaths of his other family members. Things go well. They have a SUPER POWERFUL healer with them on this one, and therefore cursed weapons don’t work like they should. They manage to defeat the guy who makes the dungeons and his hideous monster form. All is going pretty swimmingly, in fact, till Dionysus sees something off to the side and splits off down a different corridor…

I have to admit that I’m much of the same mind as Loki and Hermes are at the end of this – I suspect Dionysus to be a double agent of sorts. That said, I also do wonder if there might be some self-brainwashing going on, as he really does seem to care about the fate of his family. Which, every single one, is killed off at the end of this book, in one of the biggest massacres we’ve seen in DanMachi to date. And Levis is alive and has escaped again, which is frustrating as the start of this book, which features Aiz making a deal with the devil and being told exactly why she’s having trouble fighting Levis – implied that a great final battle was coming. The reader feels as frustrated as Loki does.

The next volume is huge, and the afterword implies it may wrap up this plotline once and for all. As always, it’s very well told and has some great fights. But yeah, at the end of the day, what a miserable ending to a book.

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 1

by

By Io Sakisaka. Released in Japan as “Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare” by Shueisha, serialized in the magazine Bessatsu Margaret. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by JN Productions. Adapted by Nancy Thistlethwaite.

I was, at first, rather surprised to see this new volume of Io Sakisaka’s coming out, given that we still have a few volumes of Ao Haru Ride still in the queue. But after reading it, I’m glad we’re seeing it now, as this is a good one. The cover features two heroines, with the love interests relegated to the back cover, and the first volume makes it clear that, while this is all about love and romance, as usual for this author, the girls are co-protagonists and will carry most of the action. As for the premise, it’s not only about the growing friendship of these two girls, who immediately get on like a house on fire, but their tw3o opposing views of love, neither of which is looked down on. Yuna is looking for her Prince Charming, a “love at first sight” sort, while Akari thinks you can get to know a guy and then fall in love based on your everyday interaction. As we’ll see, both are right – and wrong.

Yuna, the light-haired girl on the cover, is the one who is looking for her Prince. Unfortunately, she’s also painfully shy around guys, with the exception of her childhood friend Inui. One day she is saying goodbye to her best friend, who is moving away, when she is accosted by another girl who forgot her wallet and desperately needs money for the subway so SHE can say goodby3e to HER moving friend. This is Akari, the dark-haired girl, who is currently in a relationshi0p, though that doesn’t last the book. The two find they live near each other, and quickly bond discussing the concept of love, and compare their own views. Akari wants to ship Yuna and her childhood friend Inui together. Yuna, though, falls instantly for Akari’s brother, Rio. It’s… well, a recipe for fun shoujo manga.

I enjoyed almost all of this, so let’s quickly get to the bit that made me groan. Given that the concept of this manga reads very much like “love square”, the moment Akari and Rio were shown to be related my brain went “nope, gotta be a remarriage or adoption”, and sure enough. I would be really happy to not see “we’re not really siblings” in a manga ever again, to be honest, and Akari’s loud arguing that it’s not like that to her mother does not help my thought that it is going to be like that down the road. Fortunately, the rest of the book is excellent. Yuna and Rio really do have that ‘instant love’ bond, and also some really heartwarming scenes as we learn about Rio’s “playboy” ways. And Akari may be trying to ship Yuna with Inui, but the audience is, I suspect, thinking that Akari/Inui is the preferred pairing here.

This is about a dozen volumes, which is typical for successful series by this writer. It’s also getting a live-action film this summer. For those who love romance manga and strong friendships, this is a winner.

My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected, Vol. 9

by

By Wataru Watari and Ponkan 8. Released in Japan as “Yahari Ore no Seishun Rabukome wa Machigatte Iru” by Gagaga Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Jennifer Ward.

The first half of this book is rough going, as it continues to mine the trough of awkward despair that our heroes are going through. Hachiman is still dealing with the unspoken fact that he screwed up the Student Council Election for Yukino, though honestly the bigger problem is that it IS unspoken. Isshiki is now student council president, but is having trouble dealing with the rest of the council and also out of her depth. So when she has to come up with a Christmas event with the help of another school, she naturally comes running to the Service Club. Unfortunately, Hachiman’s guilt makes him take on helping her on his own, and he has to confront not only the most irritating character in the entire series to date, but also Orimoto, that girl from middle school, who goes to the other school. And, as a result of his doing this secretly, the Service Club is falling apart. It’s all very depressing.

Thank God for Hiratsuka, then. Acting a bit more proactively than she usually does, the teacher is there to give Hachiman the push he needs to finally confront the club and show actual emotions. This is very much the best scene in the book, and a real emotional breakthrough, at least for him. Yukino is a bit of a tougher nut to crack (as always), but a trip to an amusement part even allows her to open up about her rivalry relationship with her sister… and with Hachiman. Yui doesn’t feature as heavily, basically reduced to her role as the emotional center. That said, solving the situation requires all three of them – Hachiman plans, Yui bonds with everyone, and Yukino takes a firm hand in telling people when to shut the hell up and decide. Which is desperately needed.

As I indicated above, I don’t think I’ve ever found a character quite as punchable as I did Tamanawa, the student council president from the rival school. Honestly, I’d almost have liked it better if he were evil, or at least doing this on purpose for some petty reason. But no, this just seems to be how he deals with things, with the rest of the council (sans Orimoto, who like Hachiman is a dragooned helper) joining in on his business-talk doublespeak. This is hilarious at first, with even Hachiman having trouble following the plethora of buzzwords, but gradually the reader gets as exhausted as he does, and by the end of the book you just want a steamroller to run over Tamanawa (this does not happen). It was also odd seeing the return of Rumi, the young girl Hachiman tried to help in a previous book, though it goes along with the theme of this book and the last one: Hachiman’s help doesn’t always really work. Rumi is still having troubles. Maybe the play will help.

This book is about as well written as the previous one, but the fact that it ends on a big, positive note makes all the difference, and makes it feel much better overall. Not having a sour taste in your mouth is key. Next time, we get another book of short stories as we leap back in time with Vol. 6.5 (which, in Japan, did indeed come out after Vol. 9).

Urusei Yatsura, Omnibus 5

by

By Rumiko Takahashi. Released in Japan in two separate volumes by Shogakukan, serialized in the magazine Shonen Sunday. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Camellia Nieh.

One of the well-known factoids about the Urusei Yatsura manga is that is is unsentimental. Now, this is not really all that true. There’s plenty of sweet moments scattered throughout its pages. But it is, when compared to its anime adaptation, a lot more interested in laughs than heartwarming. There’s a chapter in this volume where the Moroboshi house is dealing with a hurricane that’s flooded the entire place thanks to some of Lum’s technology, and the manga does not have the touching Ataru/Lum moments the anime put in. Even the manga moments that clearly ARE sentimental are subordinate to the comedy – the longest extended story in this volume has Ataru hitch a ride on Ten’s spaceship to stop Lum getting married off by her dad. Ten being tiny, Ataru spends most of his time stuck in a funny crouch – it’s especially funny when he stops a guy from hitting on Lum by stomping on him, then goes back to pretending he’s not really there. But Lum recognizes him, and smiles. See? Sentimental. Just.

No new major characters are introduced here, though we do get a few two-or-three chapter girls for Ataru and company to deal with. The best of these is the girl who, thanks to her dad, is literally followed by rain everywhere she goes. Miserable, she is nonetheless touched when Ataru insists on dating her anyway, even if it means he just gets a cold. (Unfortunately, her father looks exactly like an abusive dad we will meet later in the series, which sort of threw me off as I was reading it.) And there’s a ghost who everyone tries to help move on to the next world, but is far more interested in mooching off of everyone in this one. Lastly, we get an elderly vampire and his bat companion, most noteworthy for the male bat transforming into a human girl to trick Ataru… something very quickly regretted.

Ataru and Lum have mostly settled into their permanent characterization here. Mendou and Shinobu are here as well, but they mostly function as part of the Greek chorus, so don’t get as much face time. Shinobu has not yet gotten to the point where she can rip trees out of the ground to threaten people with. As a result, these chapters feel very much like a relaxing rest stop for the series, where we can sit back and enjoy the chaos caused, with one exception, on Earth. Soon the “main cast” aliens will return in a big way, and the plots will get even sillier. Certainly there’s not going to be much romantic development – Ataru may not want Lum to get married, but he’s not about to stop trying to date anyone and everyone. Even Tsubame and Sakura, who are an actual couple, can’t settle down to make out without everyone horning in.

Fortunately, a new semi-regular debuts next volume. Unfortunately for you, she’s my favorite character in the whole series. So if you want to hear me gush – a lot – about Kodachi Kuno only done WELL, tune in next time. Till then, this is still a must read.

Bookshelf Briefs 3/7/20

by , and Leave a Comment

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 9 | By Io Sakisaka | VIZ Media – Ao Haru Ride is probably the most straight-up dramatic shoujo that I am reading at the moment, and though it relies largely on story beats that would usually annoy me—like misunderstandings and poor communication—I still really enjoy it. Kou and Futaba have feelings for each other, but Kou’s misguided decision to reject Futaba in favor of hanging out with a sad former classmate kept them apart. Now, Futaba believes Kou and said classmate are a couple, so she’s trying to move on with Kikuchi, a very nice boy whom she’s trying her best to fall for. I love that Kou’s actions have consequences and also that we see their friends discussing the situation and deciding that they can’t fix things for him; this time he has to be the one to act. I also note that Kikuchi is especially likable for a romantic rival, which is kind of rare. Recommened! – Michelle Smith

Given, Vol. 1 | By Natsuki Kizu | SuBLime – Ritsuka Uenohara got so good at playing the guitar that he started to find it boring. That changes when he meets a mysterious classmate named Mafuyu Sato, who is carrying around a very nice guitar yet has no idea how to play it. Mafuyu sings for Uenohara the melody that keeps running through his head, which proves to be the spark that gets Uenohara excited about music again. Mafuyu joins Uenohara’s band as their new singer—the other members are two college guys who seem poised to have a love story of their own—and they’re quickly gearing up for their first live show. Meanwhile, Uenohara’s confused about just how he feels about Mafuyu. Given already has a lot to love: the band dynamics, the relationship between the two leads, the mystery of Mafuyu’s past… I’m eager for more! – Michelle Smith

Komi Can’t Commmunicate, Vol. 5 | By Tomohito Oda | VIZ Media – Komi Can’t Communicate is a very charming series with likable characters. (The exception, of course, is Yamai, who continues to be thoroughly gross.) In this volume, the gang patronizes a run-down restaurant whose proprietors think Komi is a famous reviewer, meets a couple of new characters (Komi is up to 13 friends now!), and plans/executes a maid café for the cultural festival. What I really like is that though there are many comedic moments, Komi continues to make genuine progress in overcoming her communication difficulties. Her mom is shocked and happy to see her talking on the phone, she’s able to say something when out shopping with the two new characters, and she even manages a brief solo dance with Tadano before Najimi turns it into a group thing. This series is sixteen volumes and counting so far and I am definitely here for the long haul. – Michelle Smith

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 1 | By Umi Sakurai | Square Enix – A flat-faced exotic shorthair keeps getting passed over at the pet store until a kind older gentleman arrives to take him home. Through a series of short chapters, they get to know each other. The human (Kanda) names the kitty Fukumaru, and it soon becomes apparent that he has lost his beloved wife, who had spoken of the possibility of getting a cat when their children were grown. This is an extremely sweet series about two beings who need each other, with dashes of humor provided by typical cat behaviors. I laughed out loud at a particularly evocative panel depicting what happens when Kanda removes an offending cover from Fukumaru’s litter box. I also appreciated seeing the pair through the eyes of Kanda’s long-time friend, who hasn’t seen him smile this much in ages. I’m looking forward to volume two! – Michelle Smith

My Androgynous Boyfriend, Vol. 1 | By Tamekou | Seven Seas – There’s a certain type of advertising line that goes “come for the _________, stay for the _________,” and I definitely feel that this works with My Androgynous Boyfriend. The androgyny is definitely a strong part of the title, such as needing to hide Meguru’s relationship with Wako to avoid fan rage, and pairing him up with another pretty boy model, Kira (which goes south fast when both disagree with the idea). But mostly I loved the simple loving relationship between Wako and Meguru, which is strong, sexy, and not something I was expecting in this sort of series. Wako also gets a lot to do, as well as some of the best lines. It’s a series where I come away going “is the next volume out already?” – Sean Gaffney

My Hero Academia: Smash!!, Vol. 3 | By Hirofumi Neda and Kohei Horikoshi | VIZ Media – Smash!! continues to be pretty fun, though there seemed to be an inordinate amount of Mineta in this particular volume. True, much of that consists of the girls orchestrating his punishment for being such a total creep, which I guess is better than it could’ve been. Story-wise, volume three takes readers through the League of Villains’ attack on the training camp, but there are many diversions prior to that, including summer vacation hijinks, rescue drills, Halloween, etc. What I like best are things I’d never had reason to think of before, like Tokoyami’s inability to perform CPR, or just completely absurd visuals like Todoroki being depicted in a poodle costume or Aizawa playing the victim in a rescue scenario. I don’t know how much reread potential this series has, but… well, “pretty fun” about sums it up. – Michelle Smith

Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu, Vol. 6 | By Natsuya Semikawa and Virginia Nitouhei | Udon Entertainment – This is still, for the most part, a lighthearted series about people enjoying delicious pub food, but there is an ominous undercurrent to the whole thing that implies that the conservative forces are starting to rally against the izakaya as being a den of witches and that things may not be bright and sunny for long. Till then, there’s omelettes, and Hamburg Steak, and any number of tasty food that the customers, even if they may be reluctant at first, come to love. The question is whether that love of food can enter the hearts of the Church, which is very much in a “everything progressive and non-traditional must go into the fire” frame of mind. – Sean Gaffney

Scarlet, Vol. 1 | By Chiri Yuino | Seven Seas – This proved to be a lot darker and less fanservice-filled than I expected given the cover… and yes, I know the cover shows a vampire and her (rather happy) victim. But the vampire’s not all that happy, and in the end this is a book about the horrors of drug addiction, albeit one coached in the language of fairy tales and legends. Fine is a tragic vampire who wants to be human again, and Iris Redblood gets to be Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf at the same time. Together, they do indeed fight crime, but they don’t always win the day—sometimes the cute little girl ends up dying. And yes, there’s more than a tinge of yuri to this, which is why I suspect folks here will pick it up. It’s pretty good, but not sure if I need more of it. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 13 | By Yuki Shiwasu | Viz Media – Another unbalanced volume, this is definitely front-loaded, with the first half having some of the best material in the entire series, as Takane and Hana open up to each other in a private moment (that turns out to be a little less than private) and admit their feelings. The second half shows them trying to negotiate this thing they now have, going on a date (well, more of an endurance hike), and a trip to Okinawa, where they run into another annoying little problem—they still have to hide things, so she’s the “kid sister,” which irritates Takane no end. And, well, there’s also the problem if Hana lacking a certain sense of shame—fortunately Takane has it for her. The first half, though? Magnificent. – Sean Gaffney

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 8 | By Maybe | Yen Press – I enjoy the art and characters, but the series does love its one plot, which is “make it look like sex will be happening any day now but never actually have it occur.” Yes, they figure out a way to get out of the “bone or die” space without actually boning, and are able to move on with the fantasy part of the plot. Which actually involves the somewhat unwieldy party splitting up, so the next book should at least try to move away from will-they-or-won’t-they? a bit. In the meantime, this is another one where there’s no real conflict between the girls (as opposed to the previous generation of ring bearers). Even Saphir, seemingly the one who cares the least, is more a jerk with a heart of gold. Getting sort of trying. – Sean Gaffney

Umma’s Table | By Yeon-sik Hong | Drawn and Quarterly – Having greatly appreciated Uncomfortably Happily, I was excited that Drawn and Quarterly would be releasing another of Hong’s manhwa in translation, Umma’s Table. The narrative follows a cartoonist named Madang and his struggle to balance (and to some extent keep separate) his life as a new parent and his life as a caregiver for his ailing mother and father. Although shadowed by his father’s alcoholism and the lasting impact it has on multiple generations, some of Madang’s happiest and most nostalgic memories are those of family meals and his mother’s food. Overall, Umma’s Table is a bittersweet, wrenching work, but it’s not without moments of hope as Madang reflects on the complexities and parallels of his experiences both as a father and as a son. While not as explicitly autobiographical as Uncomfortably Happily, elements from Hong’s life are present in Umma’s Table as well, providing a sense of visceral honesty. – Ash Brown

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online: One Summer Day

by

By Keiichi Sigsawa and Kouhaku Kuroboshi, based on the series created by Reki Kawahara. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Stephen Paul.

I honestly feel a bit suckered in. We’ve had, for the last five volumes, a bunch of goofy fun gun battles, with some nice characterization and an ongoing plotline about what people game for. The author, who is known for writing endless amounts of spinoffs for other people’s work, also wrote himself into the series as a complete loser who exists to get mocked and humiliated. And, really, for about 85% of this 6th book, we get much the same thing. People are here to read the gun battles. There’s a reason for that: they’re good gun battles. There’s a lingering plotline, which we think will be dealt with in the epilogues, that has Karen wondering why she does GGO anyway – what’s in it for her? But no, this gets answered in the climax of the book. Instead, the 2nd epilogue is there to make you say “Oh, right. This is ALSO the author of Kino’s Journey. He can create something absolutely stunning as well.”

LLENN and the others are invited to a different kind of event in GGO. They’re trying to develop some NPCs, and want to test them using the top teams in the previous Squad Jams. So the teams are invited to storm a castle which is being defended by other guns. They can either work together or fight each other – indeed, the first half of the book shows off some of the teams wanting to fight – particularly LLENN, who has not realized that her inability to fight SHINC is the series’ running gag. Once they get intel on the group in the castle they’re up against, the book becomes a puzzle – how to get into the castle and/or kill those inside it without dying three times (they get multiple lives here, which is good, as the book starts with LLENN getting killed in a flashforward).

I’m going to try not to spoil the ending, which is hard, as it leaves me with not much to talk about. Suffice to say there are some good hints dropped here and there, particularly the scenes between LLENN and Jacob, one of the NPCs. Other than that, we’re left with a game situation which does not really rev up Putohui’s bonkers-ometer, and as a result she’s rather rational and awesome, much to LLENN’s surprise. LLENN is also able, through the course of this battle of attrition, to recall why she does this sort of thing in the first place. The side story helps there as well, when Miyu suggests to Karen a much of parodies of games which help to solidify her feelings. Basically, playing GGO for LLENN, with its mock battles and not-really-murders, is fun. Gaming is fun. And, as the epilogue I am not spoiling shows us, it can also be valuable in other, more tactile ways.

So, congratulations to Keiichi Sigsawa, who with one plot twist made this probably my favorite volume in the series. The 7th book is not scheduled yet, so it may be a while till we see LLENN and Pitohui again. (Clover’s Regret in between, perhaps?). That said, when we return I expect Squad Jam IV will bring things back to the sort of book Sigsawa normally writes in this series – happy little gamers killing things.

Manga the Week of 3/11/20

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: A sizable, but not overpowering, list this week.

A sole offering from J-Novel Club: The 2nd volume of the manga for The Unwanted Undead Adventurer.

Kodansha’s print debut is Knight of the Ice (Ginban Kishi), a josei series from Kiss about a writer whose childhood friend is not only a famous figure skater, but also a hopeless nerd dependent on her. It looks quite fun. The author has another josei series, Kiss & Never Cry, that has long been on my “when I can pay a publisher large amounts of money to license something just for me” list. This is actually a side story connected to that, but stands on its own.

MICHELLE: I am very excited for this! This is also the mangaka of Tramps Like Us/Kimi wa Pet.

ANNA: Me too, I’ve had this preordered as soon as I knew about it, happy for more Ogawa.

ASH: Same! Tramps Like Us was terrific, so I’ve really been looking forward to this series.

MJ: This sounds so good! Here for it.

SEAN: Also out in print is Noragami: Stray God 21 and The Quintessential Quintuplets 8.

ASH: Oh, it’s been a while since the last Noragami volume.

SEAN: Digitally we get My Roomie Is a Dino (Gyaru and Dinosaur), a Young Magazine series whose Japanese title probably sums it up better than the English.

And there is Cells at Work and Friends 2, The Dorm of Love and Secrets 2, Farewell My Dear Cramer 8, Giant Killing 19, and Tokyo Revengers 14.

Seven Seas makes up for last week’s absence with a bunch of things. Including several debuts, starting with GIGANT, from the creator of Gantz. It seems to be about a porn star who can grow to the size of a giant, and therefore has a very strong, if very specific, appeal to fans of that nature. It runs in Big Comic Superior.

The early digital light novel debut is The Invincible Shovel (Scoop Musou), about a man, his shovel, and a quest to save the kingdom. I’ve heard this is very funny.

The King of Fighters: A New Beginning has Terry Bogard, Mai Shiranui and King giving up on fighting and starting a dance academy… OK, no, it’s a fighting manga.

ASH: Now I really want to read about a martial dance academy…

MJ: Same.

SEAN: My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero’s is a new manga based on an (unlicensed) light novel, and is basically Arifureta smooshed together with The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind!. It runs in Overlap’s Comic Gardo.

Also from Seven Seas is Arifureta: I Heart Isekai 2, Gal Gohan 2, I Had the Same Dream Again digitally (yes, I already talked about it, they moved it), Neon Genesis Evangelion ANIMA 2 (in print), the 2nd PENGUINDRUM manga, and the 5th volume, digitally, of Reincarnated As a Sword.

Square Enix has a debut, and BL fans should be happy. Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (30-sai Made Doutei da to Mahou Tsukai ni Nareru Rashii) is about a man who can read people’s minds by touching them… only to find that his colleague has a huge crush on him! It’s a Gangan Pixiv title.

MICHELLE: That title tho…

ASH: It is quite a title, isn’t it?

MJ: This vaguely reminds me of a series I worked on way back during my DMG experiment, Your Gentle Hand, but more fun?

SEAN: SuBLime also has a debut, Caste Heaven, a dark psychological BL story. Looks a bit too dark for the MB crowd, but who knows? It runs in Magazine Be x Boy, a sentence I don’t think I’ve typed out since I was doing these lists on Livejournal.

MICHELLE: I actually appreciate psychological BL sometimes, so I intend to check this out.

ASH: I probably will, too, at some point.

MJ: I’ll tread cautiously, but maybe?

SEAN: Vertical has The Golden Sheep 3.

MICHELLE: This is the final volume.

ANNA: I need to read the whole thing.

SEAN: Viz has (last I checked) Transformers: The Manga, for all fans of 80s robot shows.

And also Radiant 10, Record of Grancest War 6, and RIN-NE 32.

And two titles from Yen. On the light novel side we’ve got Magical Girl Raising Project 8, still building up magical girls and knocking them down.

And last, but certainly not least, it’s an 11th volume of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun!

MICHELLE: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

ASH: Yes!!! Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is the best!!!

MJ: Nice to see this still going.

SEAN: A lot of debuts this week. Any of them interest you?