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Manga the Week of 10/30/24

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SEAN: Halloween is here! BOO!

Yen On’s October debuts all got delayed to next week, so here they are. In My Seventh Life, I Met a Monster Princess (Boku wa Nanadome no Jinsei de, Kaibutsuhime wo Te ni Ireta) is a one-shot. A man who keeps getting killed wants revenge, and after getting killed for the 6th time he meets a monster princess who might be able to help.

Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods (Kami no Niwatsuki Kusunoki-tei) stars a man who lives in a remote house filled with evil spirits… at least, until the house is purified by the man’s amazing skills. Now gods are drawn to the residence instead.

ASH: I am intrigued.

SEAN: Love Is Dark (Koi wa Ankoku) is a twisted love story. A boy who has a normal high school life moonlights as an assassin. Things get awkward when the school idol asks him out. Things get more awkward when she shows up at his latest job. This is from the creator of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

ASH: That does seem like that would be rather awkward.

SEAN: Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Side of Fire (Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai Suru: Side of Fire – Rengoku no Ki) is a prequel to the main series set five years earlier, focusing on Alvin Godfrey.

The World Bows Down Before My Flames (Waga Homura ni Hirefuse Sekai) stars a girl who really, really, really wants to set things on fire, and has the power to do it. Now she has to defeat the demon lord… but will she go overboard? Signs point to yes.

ASH: Sometimes you just really need to set things on fire.

SEAN: Also from Yen On: Demon’s Crest 2, I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too 6, Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table 2, and The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess 8.

The one manga debut is Lycoris Recoil, a manga adaptation of the popular anime series. Why are assassins all cute high school girls? Read on to find out! Actually, likely this is meant for those who’ve already watched the anime…

There’s also the 2nd manga volume of No Game No Life Chapter 2: Eastern Union Arc.

The one release from Viz is JoJo A-Go!Go!, an artbook about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, now available as a standalone hardcover.

ASH: Very nice; I’ve had my eye on this one even before it was released outside of Japan.

SEAN: Tokyopop has the 3rd volume of FANGS.

Two debuts for Seven Seas: The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child (Onna Kishi to Kemomimi no Ko) about a lady knight who, well, adopts a beast-eared child as her apprentice. He teaches her how to appreciate life’s quieter moments, she teaches him that the world they live in is pretty murderous.

ASH: Sounds promising to me.

SEAN: Tiger and Dragon is a shoujo manga from Margaret. A girl had a crush on her friend when they were tots, but then he moved away. Now, ten years later, she’s ready to move on with her other childhood friend… but guess who’s back?

MICHELLE: Margaret, you say?

ANNA: Is there something from Margaret!? This is the rumor I’ve been hearing.

ASH: That does seem to be the case.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Drugstore in Another World: The Slow Life of a Cheat Pharmacist 9, Even Though We’re Adults 9, Monster Cats 2, and Reincarnated as a Sword 13.

MICHELLE: I really need to read Even Though We’re Adults.

ASH: I need to catch up, too.

SEAN: One Peace Books gives us Hero Without a Class: Who Even Needs Skills?! 2.

Apologies to KUMA, who I left out of last week’s list (like Denpa, KUMA’s release dates are fluid, so it can get difficult). They have the debut of Yata-Momo, a BL title from Qpa. It’s from the author of The Song of Yoru and Asa and Happy Crappy Life, and is about a relationship between a slovenly mess and a straight-laced reliable guy.

MICHELLE: The blurb for this actually contains the word “himbo.” I am… kind of intrigued!

ANNA: Who isn’t intrigued by himbos?

ASH: I’m in.

SEAN: Debuting in print for Kodansha Manga is Ajin: Demi-Human Complete, an omnibus collection. This has the first three volumes.

Also in print: Blue Lock 15, Gachiakuta 4, Nina the Starry Bride 7 (watch the anime!), Seraph of the End: Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen 6 (the final volume, as it’s been an omnibus), and Shangri-La Frontier 14.

ANNA: Woo, Nina the Starry Bride!

SEAN: And digitally we get The God-Tier Guardian and the Love of Six Princesses 14, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch: Aqua 4, and TenPuru -No One Can Live on Loneliness- 11.

In print, J-Novel Club has a 3rd volume of the Black Summoner light novel.

J-Novel Club has one debut. The Dorky NPC Mercenary Knows His Place (Kimo Ota Mob Yōhei wa, Mi no Hodo o Wakimaeru) is a “space opera” comedy about a short, plain mercenary who just tries to keep his head down and be a side character… but gorgeous women keep trying to get close to him!… possibly as he’s the best pilot in the galaxy.

ASH: These things happen sometimes.

Also out next week: the 4th The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom manga volume, The Diary of a Middle-Aged Sage’s Carefree Life in Another World 4, Earl and Fairy 8, The Fake Hero Crashes the Party 2, the 6th The Frontier Lord Begins with Zero Subjects manga volume, the 6th My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer manga volume, the 8th Now I’m a Demon Lord! Happily Ever After with Monster Girls in My Dungeon manga volume, The Oblivious Saint Can’t Contain Her Power: Forget My Sister! Turns Out I Was the Real Saint All Along! 4 (the final volume), A Pale Moon Reverie 3 (the final volume), Record of Wortenia War 26, and, most importantly, The Magic in this Other World is Too Far Behind! 10, the first new volume in almost 5 years.

No Ghost Ship releases, but two mature Seven Seas titles, both BL webtoon titles. debuting is Checkmate, about a man who’s drifting through life till he sees his old high school rival, who he could never beat, enmired in scandal. Now he has a new goal… to destroy him! Enemies to Lovers, do I hear you calling?

There’s also The Dangerous Convenience Store 4.

Denpa Books has Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack 3 and Under Ninja 4.

Dark Horse Comics has a 6th volume of Cat + Gamer.

ASH: This is another series I should really give a try at some point.

SEAN: Two debuts from Cross Infinite World. The Frugal Priestess Becomes a Saint (Isekai kara Seijo wo Yobe to Muchaburisareta Shinkan wa, Cost Performance no Tsugou de Seijo ni Naru) features our heroine, who is a member of the clergy, preparing to isekai someone to be the next saint whose magic power is omnipotent. Unfortunately, summoning dying from overwork Japanese women is really, really expensive. And… our heroine has black hair. Maybe she can pretend to be the Saint? It will save the country so much money!… wait, why is the prince obsessed with her now?

ASH: Whoops!

SEAN: How I Swapped Places with the Villainess, Beat Up Her Fiancé, and Found True Love (Danzai Sareteiru Akuyaku Reijou to Irekawatte Konyakusha-tachi wo Buttobashitara, Dekiai ga Matteimashita) is a more traditional villainess work. Our heroine, surprise surprise, dies and wakes up as a villainess getting condemned by her fiance. Snapping, she beats up the fiance… then she finds herself in the past? Yes, it’s an otome game villainess AND a fix the timeline book.

CIW also has Expedition Cooking with the Enoch Royal Knights 5.

No print releases for Airship next week, but we get a digital debut. Mushoku Tensei: Redundant Reincarnation (Mushoku Tensei – Dasoku Hen) is basically an “After Story” for the main series.

Also out in early digital: Sword of the Demon Hunter: Kijin Gentōshō 7.

Is there, perhaps, too much manga? Is it like Halloween candy?

ASH: Only if you don’t have the stomach for it!

Loner Life in Another World, Vol. 10

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By Shoji Goji and Saku Enomaru. Released in Japan as “Hitoribocchi no Isekai Kouryaku” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Andrew Schubauer.

First off, we have a change of creative team in the copyright. To Eric Margolis: thank you for your service, please have a rest now. To Lorin Christie: I see you got a promotion, please continue to help us enjoy this as editor. To Andrew Schubauer: Welcome to our new Meat Shield Translator!

I’ve mentioned before that this series does have a real meaning and moral behind “let’s watch Haruka bang his gorgeous monster concubines”. This volume in particular hits it hard at the end of the volume. If you are in power, if you enjoy the largesse of the people, then you have a responsibility to care for those people and make sure they are happy and content. If you do not do this, if you ignore the people saying it’s too hard to help them, or if you actively say that suffering is a good thing, then you are scum and deserve everything you get. When everyone arrives at the Beast Kingdom, the reader is briefly puzzled why Haruka and the girls are so utterly furious, but then it becomes clear – to get there, they had to pass through the devastated beast villages filled with dead people that the rulers didn’t bother to save. As for the Church? Well, using religion to genuinely make everyone’s lives better is still approved of. But the bulk of the Church isn’t doing that. And as for God, no one is impressed.

The last book implied this one would have the visit to the Beast Kingdom and then the attack on the Pope, but you know Loner Life is never going to do things quickly. No, this one is 463 pages, and you feel every one of those pages as Haruka decides to try to level up (remember, something damn near impossible for him to do) by sneaking into dungeons, fighting dungeon bosses, and getting killed/revived over and over till he’s a bloody mess. Needless to say, he does not win any friends by doing this. In his spare time, he rescues some adventurers who had heard about how awesome life was on the frontier, came to test their skills, and then discovered why the frontier is still terrifying. Finally, Haruka ends up setting off for the Beast Kingdom/Battle against the Church, and yes, everyone does come with him – much as he wants to protect them, he can’t put the girls off this time.

One thing that happens at the start of the book is that the Jocks (or Meatheads, as even Class Rep is calling them now) reveal that they’ve gotten engaged to five of the First Division’s warrior women, and, while pretending to be embarrassed, seem pretty happy about it. What’s more, we hear again that the Nerds have gotten into relationships with four of the Beast Girls in their kingdom. Despite all this, Haruka is still talking about searching the Theocracy to try to find something that can get everyone home. Class Rep is already aware that he means “everyone but him”, and that’s just not acceptable. It’s become pretty clear that, much as they miss Japan, the cast have decided that this is their home which they love. The reason Haruka has not cottoned on to this, of course, is because he is determined to distance himself from everyone he cares about and therefore he cannot understand why anyone would want to be around him unless he’s literally enslaved them. And even then, with the Mean Girls, he still doesn’t get it. Class Rep ALMOST confesses to him at the end of this book, but not quite, and it looks like he barely notices.

As I write this, the anime based on the manga is airing, but it really does seem like a completely different series. There’s still a lot to love about this series once you get past everything to hate about this series.

Babel: Condemned by the Magic Kingdom

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By Kuji Furumiya and Haruyuki Morisawa. Released in Japan as “Babel II: Mahou Taikoku Kara no Danzai” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Amelia Imogen Mason.

Being transported to another world is, in many ways, far more difficult than being reincarnated. For one thing, if you’re reincarnated you at least grew up learning basic things like how to walk, talk, etc. in the same way as everyone else in your fantasy world. Whereas the average isekai’d Japanese person is thrown into a town and expected to immediately be able to cope with the Adventurer’s Guild and what exactly mana is. Usually the book simply decides not to bother to deal with it at all, but occasionally you get a handwave that this is a different language, and the handwave usually involves asking whoever is responsible for transporting them to this world (god, usually) to give them the ability to understand everyone. And thank goodness for that, right? As such, it’s only right at the end of this volume, almost halfway through the series itself, that Shizuka realizes, to her horror, what that actually means. And that the title of this series may have more actual impact than expected.

The book is largely divided into two stories, one small and one large. In the first story, Erik and Shizuku, after briefly helping a girl with tremendous magical power who’s spent her life at the top of a tower and her new fiancee, who is named Oscar, find themselves caught up in a revenge wedding ceremony from hell… one where Shizuku is being forced to play the bride. After this, they finally arrive at the Kingdom of Farsas and meet its royal family. (Who are NOT the aforementioned Oscar and young girl, lest readers of Unnamed Memory who haven’t read this get confused.) Unfortunately, the king takes one look at Shizuku and immediately tries to murder her. Apparently there are outsiders who are trying to infiltrate the country, and he decides the best way to make sure Shizuku isn’t one is to kill her and see if she shows her true colors. This test may sound familiar to those who know the history of witches…

Despite the fact that “Shizuku is kidnapped/brainwashed/etc.” being the plot of almost this entire book in one way or another, I greatly enjoyed this volume. Shizuku has the usual self-hatred that so many other light novel protagonists have, but we’re given reasons for it as we go along, and she also doesn’t let it turn her mopey. Some of the best scenes in the book are of her and the king, who reluctantly decides not to kill her right now, snarking back and forth at each other. As with the first book (and let’s face it, it’s the theme of the series), the inability to communicate and get concepts across is what drives this. Shizuku is not able to prove a negative, so everyone views her with suspicion. Erik insists on being guilty, and his own confession means that’s going to happen even when it’s not the entire truth. This all leads up to the revelation at the end, which rocks Shizuku’s world, and possibly makes her return to Japan father away than ever before.

All this and a nasty cliffhanger. Definitely recommended for fans of isekais that don’t use the usual “RPG” tropes, and essential reading for Unnamed Memory fans.

Secrets of the Silent Witch, Vol. 5

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By Matsuri Isora and Nanna Fujimi. Released in Japan as “Silent Witch” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alice Prowse.

This volume definitely has the feel of the author realizing that they can take their time and add the subplots that they were going to skip if this ended up being just 5 volumes long. As a result, we get more ominous foreshadowing as to what Felix’s goal is, and how it ties into what Duke Clockford wants for him… or rather wants to do to him. This ends up being connected to Monica’s own past as well, in a very sinister way. I remains convinced, especially after this volume’s backstories, that this is gonna end with a Felix/Monica pairing, but man, at the moment it would be the worst thing ever and we’d hate it, and I think the author knows that as well. Felix is trying to maniplulate those trying to manipulate him, and the only thing that gives him happiness is his fanboyish obsession with the Silent Witch, who he’d dearly love to meet so he could gush.at her. And hey, good news, Felix!

It’s Winter Break at school, and Monica is hoping to go home, spend some time with her stepmom, spend some time with Isabelle, and dread the upcoming New Year’s event she’ll be forced to attend. Unfortunately, to her horror, she gets a new assignment. Felix is going to Farfolia for some diplomatic work, trying to convince the local lords to set up a military base that is there in case of dragon attack and definitely not in case they decide to go to war with the Empire. Felix needs bodyguards, but Louis is needed on dragon-watching duty, as there’s been prophecy of a dragon attack. So we get Glenn instead… as well as the Silent Witch, who is supposed to guard Felix. Monica is going to have to be extra silent, wear a hood and veil, and hide her identity as hard as possible, lest Felix discover all. Fortunately, she’s already used to wearing a hood and not speaking…

The main plot is excellent, and promises that future books are going to get even darker as Monica tries to redeem her father’s reputation and Felix tries… well, to survive as himself. That said, there’s lots of stuff on the fringes that’s just as interesting in terms of what’s going to happen. Cyril continues to be featured enough that I’m not 100% sold on Felix/Monica being endgame (just 90%), and the scene with him and his mother ended up being the most heartwarming moment in the book. The demise of this book’s bad guy was very reminiscent of the climax of the Sherlock Holmes story “The Speckled Band”, which was nicely gruesome. And we continue to get the threat that Bridget might one day be important, without that actually happening. At this point I wonder if she’s secretly the last boss. (Probably not, it looks more likely she’s just a more serious “jealous girl”.)

The sixth volume promises to follow up on the consequences of this one, and Monica’s identity looks less secure than ever. Can she survive attempts at killing her? Can she survive Felix trying to get her to annotate his thesis some more?

Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 14

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By Yuumikan and KOIN. Released in Japan as “Itai no wa Iya nano de Bōgyoryoku ni Kyokufuri Shitai to Omoimasu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham.

I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t know when I say that this series entirely revolves around its star. Maple is why people read this series, and for the most part Maple is omnipresent throughout this series. Even the PVP events have been heavily Maple-centric, and several books have mostly just featured her and Sally taking over the narrative for 2/3 of the pages. So it was something of a surprise to see that this is easily the most balanced book in the entire series when it comes to the increasingly huge cast. Oh, don’t get me wrong, Maple is here throughout, and gets several things to do that cause people’s jaws to drop. But she’s hanging out with a bunch of other people who also have ridiculous moves, and not just the folks from Maple Tree. This is a book that spotlights its cast so much that even Frederica, who has made her entire name in this series by being second-best to Sally and whining, gets to be cool and powerful.

We’ve started the new PvP event. On one side: Maple Tree and the Order of the Holy Sword, plus a lot of other guilds who, honestly, are there to be cannon fodder. On the opposite side, we have Flame Empire, Rapid Fire, and Thunder Storm. Oddly, Maple is the one on the fire side, with all the monsters, while fire expert Mii is on the human side. What follows is a series of battles, usually featuring our main cast taking care of business pretty easily, followed by a back half of a big battle royale, where our main cast have a much harder time, and the correct answer may be “when is the correct time to run away without getting killed?”. And worst of all, this is a two-parter, so we don’t even get the closure of knowing who won in this book.

So yes, there’s less Maple in this book, but that’s not to say she doesn’t get her usual moments. For those who want “cool Maple”, the shot of her, with both white angel wins and black demon wings, wearing her halo and standing on a ledge looking like the wrath of God, is a treat. For those who love funny Maple, combining the Sheep Mode with Mai and Yui to give hapless players a rapid transit system is well worth the money. Speaking of Mai and Yui, it’s become pretty clear that after Maple and Sally, they’re the most dangerous ones in the party, and they too get “oh my GOD!” moments here that are both awesome and yet still kind of funny. (Every Mai and Yui joke is a variation on “when all you have is a hammer”.) This is a 100% game book, with not a Kaede or Risa to be found anywhere, and it moves at a fast pace. Even Pain manages to be interesting!… OK, that’s a lie. The author isn’t *that* good.

So yes, very Maple, much fight. Bring on the conclusion.

Nia Liston: The Merciless Maiden, Vol. 4

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By Umikaze Minamino and Katana Canata. Released in Japan as “Kyōran Reijō Nia Liston: Byōjaku Reijō ni Tenseishita Kami-goroshi no Bujin no Kareinaru Musō Roku” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by okaykei.

I will admit, as I was reading this new volume about a small little girl beating the absolute hell out of things she has no business beating, I could not help but think of Do-Over Damsel, which has an anime running this fall and also features lots of this sort of thing. They even have similar “this is vaguely creepy but doesn’t quite cross a line, but I’m watching you” characters. That said, whereas with Jill I tend to really enjoy it when she finally lets loose and lets violence be her answer for everything, with Nia there’s no question that the magivision has become more interesting to me. There’s simply not much about Nia murdering ancient giant crabs by punching them a few times that I can say anything about, beyond “nice punch”. But if she’s being manipulated by royalty (again) or trying to think of things to get ratings besides outrunning dogs, I’m intrigued. And, so far, those are the two plots – though that may change soon.

Nia is a bit grumpy at the start of this book. Relia has stolen Nia’s thunder with the paper play show, and everyone in the school is talking about it. That said, she’s not frustrated enough that she won’t help Hildetaura come up with her own popular show – even if the extent of Nia’s help is “let me ask my brother to be clever for me”. Her greater concern, though, is earning that one billion. Adventuring is earnin g tons of cash, but tons is not enough. As a result, she and Lynokis take a trip over the holidays to a different country filled with expensive monsters that Leeno – or rather, Leeno’s child assistant – can murder without destroying their value as a carcass/magic corpse. Unfortunately, doing feats no one has been able to do in a hundred years attracts the wrong kind of attention.

Possibly the most interesting part of this book was the occasional “had I but known” hint that implies things are going to go very badly for Nia at some point in the future, implying she may have to flee the kingdom. Certainly, while she can quickly take action when her future is definitely being threatened, she is otherwise completely uncaring about being manipulated by the two royal princes in order to get what they want – and, let’s face it, Nia’s best resource is her position as Nia Liston, not her secret super strength. She’s a celebrity, and outrunning dogs is all very well and good, but that’s just more important than punching crabs. Unfortunately, a lot more crab punching may be needed to get that tournament, so I suspect we’ll be getting more fighting next time, though it’s also possible that the politics that threatened in this book overflow at last.

This was a decent volume, but again, I’d like a bit less “Nia hits things”, please.

Manga the Week of 10/23/24

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SEAN: Psst. Halloween’s behind you. Creeping ever closer. Step by step.

ASH: Wait, behind me? What month is it??

SEAN: Airship has print releases for Easygoing Territory Defense by the Optimistic Lord: Production Magic Turns a Nameless Village into the Strongest Fortified City 3, Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells 11, Modern Villainess: It’s Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash 5, and Raven of the Inner Palace 7 (the final volume).

And for early digital we have The Case Files of Jeweler Richard 9 and Survival in Another World with My Mistress! 7.

Ghost Ship has Booty Royale: Never Go Down Without a Fight! 15-16, Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time 13 and Welcome to Succubus High! 6

And in mature Seven Seas titles, we see Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben 3 and The Titan’s Bride 5.

J-Novel Club graces us with FIVE new debuts. The Boy Who Ruled the Monsters (Kaibutsu-tachi o Suberu Mono) is a “banished from the party” story, though at least this time two of the party join him. This is because (try to contain your shock) his ability is great after all! Now he’s going to make his own party of monsters. (Taking a wild guess that the monsters look like hot girls.)

EXP is Golden: The Queen of Destruction Speedruns Her Ascension (Ōgon no Keikenchi) looks like the dark counterpart to A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life. Leah is eager to play the hot new MMORPG… and finds she can take powerful NPCs and use their EXP as her own! And she’s a powerful enchantress! And is building a dark army!… wait, isn’t this the path to being evil? Well, whatever.

I Only Have Six Months to Live, So I’m Gonna Break the Curse with Light Magic or Die Trying (Yomei Hantoshi to Senkokusareta no de, Shinuki de “Hikari Mahou” wo Oboete Noroi wo Hodokou to Omoimasu. – Noroware Ouji no Yarinaoshi) is the manga adaptation of the light novel J-NC also puts out. It runs in Drecomics.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter (Kōjo Denka no Kateikyōshi) is the manga adaptation of the light novel J-NC also puts out. It runs in Shonen Ace plus.

The Reincarnator and the Goblin Maiden’s Happily Ever After: Using a Past Life to Keep a Joyful Wife (Goblin Reijō to Tensei Kizoku ga Shiawase ni Naru Made: Konyakusha no Tame no Zense Chishiki no Jōzu na Tsukaikata) is a light novel about a reincarnated man who wants to do anything to find a happy marriage. In his previous life, he was single for almost a century due to his looks. Now he’s handsome, and gets a proposal offer for a Duke’s Daughter… whose appearance looks like a goblin! It’s OK, though, he knows what she’s going through. This looks really sweet.

ASH: Okay, out of the five, this is the one that interests me the most.

SEAN: Also from J-Novel Club: The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases 3, D-Genesis: Three Years after the Dungeons Appeared 7, Enough with This Slow Life! I Was Reincarnated as a High Elf and Now I’m Bored 8 (the final volume), the 13th The Faraway Paladin manga volume, Full Clearing Another World under a Goddess with Zero Believers 12, the 2nd I’m a Noble on the Brink of Ruin, So I Might as Well Try Mastering Magic manga volume, Through the Viewport: Child of a Ruined World 3 (the final volume), the 2nd To Another World… with Land Mines! manga volume, and You Were Experienced, I Was Not: Our Dating Story 5.

Three debuts for Kodansha Manga, though only one is a debut per se. Blue Lock Season 1 Part 1 is a box set with the first six volumes of the series.

ASH: Perhaps the perfect time to finally get around to actually reading it.

SEAN: Your Lie in April Omnibus 1 contains the first three volumes of this tear-jerker.

ASH: That takes me back.

SEAN: The actual debut is The Spellbook Library, the new title from Uta Isaki, creator of Sayabito: Swords of Destiny, Generation Witch, and Is Love the Answer? (wow, one of those titles is not like the other). This book is being published in English first via KManga. As for the plot… if you read Magus of the Library and thought “I want something just like this”, I have good news!

ASH: Oh!

SEAN: Also in print: Blue Period 15, The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World 11, Kaina of the Great Snow Sea 3, Kusunoki’s Flunking Her High School Glow-Up 2, Parasyte Full Color Collection 8 (the final volume), Rent-A-Girlfriend 27, A Sign of Affection 10 (whose print and digital are now released at the same time), and Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen 5.

MICHELLE: I know I really need to read A Sign of Affection.

ASH: Same, actually.

ANNA: It is so good! I think I’m three volumes behind now.

SEAN: Digitally we see Am I Actually the Strongest? 12, Gamaran: Shura 25, Issak 10, and Undead Girl Murder Farce 7.

One Peace Books has a 4th volume of Tales of the Tendo Family.

ASH: I should check in with this series again; the first volume intrigued me.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a couple of debuts. Diary of a Female Lead: Shujinkou Nikki is, amazingly, a shoujo series from Betsucomi. Our heroine has low self-esteem. Her brother is a popular athlete. Her mother is a famous shoujo mangaka. All she wants is friendship. Real friendship. Her brother disagrees, though, and brings home impossibly cool Sena to show her what she really needs to come out of her shell is love. This is “critically acclaimed”, apparently, which might make up for a premise that seems a bit ergh.

MICHELLE: Hm.

ASH: Huh.

ANNA: OK, maybe…..

SEAN: My Boyfriend is a Dog (Inukei no Kareshi) is a BL title from Monthly Action. Two co-workers are falling for each other. One is a human, and one is an anthropomorphic dog, which is to say a handsome guy in a suit, just with the face of an Akita.

ASH: Huh!

SEAN: Nakamura-san, the Uninvited Gyaru (Oshikake Gal no Nakamura-san) runs in Manga Town. A gyaru and an otaku work together, but are polar opposites. Surely they can’t become a couple! But what if I told you she was really a shy, blushing girl pretending to be a flashy gyaru? NOW how much would you pay?

MICHELLE: Hee.

ANNA: Amazing.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: The Dangers in My Heart 9, Even Dogs Go to Other Worlds: Life in Another World with My Beloved Hound 4, I’m in Love with the Villainess 7, The Idaten Deities Know Only Peace 6, Kageki Shojo!! 11, Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero 6, Night of the Living Cat 5, Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown 2, Skip and Loafer 10, Slow Life In Another World (I Wish!) 7, Stay By My Side After the Rain 2, There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 6, Throw Away the Suit Together 2, What He Who Doesn’t Believe in Fate Says 5, and World End Solte 3.

MICHELLE: I should also be reading Kageki Shojo!!.

ASH: I enjoyed the early volumes and really need to catch up!

SEAN: Square Enix gives us My Dress-Up Darling 12, Soul Eater NOT!: The Perfect Edition 2, and Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town 12 (the final volume).

ASH: I’m so far behind with My Dress-Up Darling, but I’ve greatly enjoyed what I’ve read.

SEAN: There’s a debut from Steamship. A Suitable Fetish (Suits ni Seiheki) comes from Betsucomi Flower, aka “SPICY Betsucomi”. Two office workers discover that they’re far less buttoned-down outside the office, and decide to explore their fetishes.

ASH: Oh, my!

SEAN: From Tokyopop, we get two debuts. The Gardener’s Favorite Poisonous Flower (Jarudinie no Aishita Doku Hana) is a BL title from Canna. An itinerant is hired as a gardener for a male brothel, where he finds the employees are “furless” – human-looking but treated as animals. This is complete in one volume, and that summary doesn’t even come close to explaining how weird it is.

Wails of the Bound: Beta (Kurui Naku no wa Boku no Ban ;β) is a sequel to Walls of the Bound, clearly. It’s more angsty omegaverse shenanigans.

And we also see A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation 9.

Viz Media has Boy’s Abyss 7, My Name Is Shingo: The Perfect Edition 3, and Vampire Knight Complete Box Set, a 3800-page (!!) box with a day planner and an artbook to boot.

ASH: Whoa!

ANNA: That’s a whole lot of Vampire Knight.

SEAN: Yen On has two light novels out next week: Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside 12 and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina 14.

And two debuts for Yen Press. Days with My Stepsister (Gimai Seikatsu) is the manga adaptation of the light novel Yen also puts out. It runs in Shone Ace plus.

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All (Ki ni Natteru Hito ga Otoko Janakatta) is a yuri title from Kadokawa, based on the serialized manga from Twitter. It has gotten absolutely amazing buzz, and Yen and Kadokawa have been pushing it hard here, as you know if you saw the booth at Anime NYC. Aya has a huge crush on the guy who works at the music store she goes to… not realizing the guy is a girl, Mitsuki, who sits next to her at school.

MICHELLE: Interesting!

ASH: I am very curious about this one!

ANNA: Ooh.

SEAN: Also from Yen Press: Ako and Bambi 3 and Horimiya 17 – Special Edition: A Piece of Memories (the final volume – I think).

ASH: I didn’t realize Horimiya was still going…

SEAN: You know, for a week light on Yen Press, this was a bit ridiculous. What appeals to you?

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, Vol. 6

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By FUNA and Keisuke Motoe. Released in Japan as “Rōgo ni Sonaete Isekai de 8-Man-Mai no Kinka o Tamemasu” by K Lanove Books. Released in North America by Kodansha Books. Translated by Luke Hutton.

(A reminder that the English Vol. 6 is the equivalent of the Japanese Vol. 7.)

I seem to recall that in earlier reviews of this series, I would applaud the very rare effort to give Mitsuha some depth, such as her reaction of grief when discussing her family in the first book, etc. Anyone who has been following later volumes of this series will, I think, agree with me when I say that depth is the last thing I want now. That honestly applies to all three FUNA series, I think. As they’ve gone on and gotten bigger and bigger, it’s clear the author knows exactly what their skill set is, and it’s writing a cartoon. Not a Japanese anime-style cartoon, but like a Hanna-Barbera cartoon with Mitsuha as both Dick Dastardly AND Muttley. Not only do we not take Mitsuha seriously, but none of her allies take her seriously. The only ones who do take her seriously are the ones desperately trying to either curry favor from her or sabotage her. She destroys those people.

The bulk of this book continues to take place in Vanel, as the royal family finds out that Mitsuha holds grudges forever (though the third princess manages to find a way around this, in one of the funniest scenes of the book). She deals with a rival company breaking into their warehouse and stealing their merchandise, and then decides that the best thing to do is to start a society of cute teenage noble girls, get them to bond with each other over a shared goal (get Mitsuha’s makeup, which she starts to introduce here), and make then the biggest force in the country, as they also end up funding a relief column for one of their members whose barony is experiencing a famine. Meanwhile, back in Yamano County, she’s building entire islands just so she can trade as a tax dodge, and once again setting up a young girl to run it so they can get better marriage prospects.

As with all FUNA series, if you scratch at the core of this you find “I want to write about cute 8-13-year-old girls, but not in a sexual way, just in a cute and empowering way”. Potion Girl and MMAA also do this, with the “gimmick” being the lead is always a reincarnate in a permanently 12-year-old body. Mitsuha’s not a reincarnate, and is 18, but her looks are basically the same thing. And the goal of 80K Gold seems to be to get all these little girls running the economy. After 7 volumes they’re all store owners, merchants, etc., finding better ways to transport goods and Mitsuha can barely keep up with them, to the point that she needs to invent a better sugar here so she can make rum to use as a bribe. Honestly, this volume is best when it’s making fun of Mitsuha and itself – her tendency to monologue for pages on end about her grand plans are now shown to be her saying them all out loud without realizing it, which reminds me a lot of Elgala from Excel Saga. And honestly, this series sort of fits in with the vibe of Excel Saga. We’re even siding with a villain. (Mitsuha. Mitsuha is the villain.)

As always, if you don’t read everything by this author, don’t read this. If you do, it’s good.

Young Lady Albert Is Courting Disaster, Vol. 8

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By Saki and Haduki Futaba. Released in Japan as “Albert-ke no Reijō wa Botsuraku o Goshomō Desu” by Kadokawa Beans Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Ray Krycki.

Usually when I say that a final volume of a series is doing what I call a “victory lap”, I don’t mean it literally. And yet that’s exactly what happens here, as we join the main cast as they take a tour of every major character we’ve met before, every major place we’ve visited, and have all the possibly comedy antics you could want. Honestly, probably more than you’d want. It’s been so long since the first volume that I’d forgotten how particularly thick-headed Mary can be when she wants to ignore things that troubled her, A lot of the humor near the start of this book is her having to be reminded of all the bad things that happened to her in previous books, and her having completely forgotten everything about them entirely. That said, she and Adi at least have an excuse: Their lovely daughter, who is the spitting image of her mother both in appearance and attitude and is ready to take the world by storm.

This volume takes place six years after the previous one. Roxanne, Mary and Adi’s daughter, has a mission. She’s written invitations for a big party where her mother has an important announcement, and now she plans to deliver them all by hand in person – by herself. Needless to say, this requires strategy, so Mary and Adi seemingly agree while also secretly tailing her. She starts off visiting the royal palace, where we meet Patrick and Alicia’s son Felix, who if nothing else proves that Alicia does actually seem to love Patrick more than Mary – romantically, at least. Felix joins Roxanne in her solo (?) jaunt, and Patrick and Alicia join Mary and Adi in tailing them. We then get to see most of the major characters from previous books, including Parfette and Gainas’ newborn twins (it makes sense they’d take six years to get around to this). But what *is* Mary’s big news at the party?

This is pretty much one of those “everyone is going to be in male/female pairings by the end of it” series, so it’s rather surprising that the most interesting parts for me was when it went outside that bubble. Helene, the single mother from the last book, has moved to Albert Country, and is being courted by BOTH of Mary’s brothers, as well as their attendant. What’s more, it’s made clear from discussions about the brothers that they function as a unit far better than they ever would when competing. It’s no wonder this is the one romance left up in the air – a woman marrying three men would likely be one bridge too far for most readers of this genre. Then there’s Mary and Alicia, who manage to reaffirm their relationship and also admit that they love each other – and that they are NOT the villainess and heroine in an otome game, something Alicia has to sort of pound into Mary’s head. They’re still my favorite part of the series.

The ending twist promises that otome game villainesses may continue into the next generation, but we’re not going to be seeing that. Let’s be content with Mary Albert, drill-less, happily married, with a lovely daughter and another child on the way. She failed spectacularly in trying to engineer her doom. But then, so did Katarina Claes, who I remind everyone debuted only one month before this series in Japan.

The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 12

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By Natsu Hyuuga and Touko Shino. Released in Japan as “Kusuriya no Hitorigoto” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Kevin Steinbach.

It’s very tempting to just type “Holy crap!” and leave the review at that, but I will try to go into more detail. This is the final book in the Western Capital arc (yes, we are back home by the end of the book, woo hoo), and it fires off all the guns it has been saving up since the 9th volume, with the last two-thirds or so being a very tense ride in which (sorry to spoil you a little, but this shouldn’t surprise you too much) Maomao is caught up in events and gets sort of kidnapped. She and Jinshi are apart, again, almost the entire book, but end it closer than ever before, with words not said but actions taken that will make the reader cheer. That said, what made *me* cheer was Chue. I’ve loved her since she was first introduced, even as I realized that she was clearly more than she seemed, and here’s where we find everything out and also worry that the author is going to kill her off. It’s a dangerous book.

At the end of the last book we saw the assassination of Gyoku-ou, and unsurprisingly we now have a succession crisis. The first son wants to give up his rights, the second son is against that, and the third son… is a very strange and deferential young man. Meanwhile, Maomao also meets the little grand-kids of the family: Gyokujun, a spoiled brat who serves as the annoying young boy you love to hate the entire book, and Xiaohong, a far-too-mature for her age girl who Maomao previously helped get over eating her own hair. As Maomao tries to sort out this tangled web of relationships, and also treat the occasional terrible nausea and horrible headaches, the first son is shot with a poison arrow. And the fallout of this puts Maomao far, far from the Western Capitol and in more danger than ever before.

I’ll be honest, I frequently have trouble with series that have huge casts with similar names, most of whom are some relation to each other, so a lot of the time I was trying to act like Maomao and just smile and nod. This isn’t even getting into the political situation, the fact that we’re still trying to save the capital from a famine, and even more bandits who somehow manage to be even worse than the first bandits, and one of the antagonists trying to immolate themselves. But come on, let’s talk about Miss Chue. After Maomao, she’s probably become my second favorite character in the series, even passing Shisui. And here we get her inevitable tragic backstory, and also frankly we almost get her tragic end. Possibly the most heartbreaking moment in the book is when Chue says “do I have no value anymore?” to her mentor (who I’ll leave a surprise). Fortunately, the answer appears to be “yes, you do still”, though Chue is probably going to have to find new ways to pull flags out of her sleeves in the future.

All this and Lahan’s brother too. Poor Lahan’s brother. Sometimes I can still hear his voice. In any case, this series remains amazing.

Lucia and the Loom: Weaving Her Way to Happiness, Vol. 2

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By Hisaya Amagishi and Esora Amaichi. Released in Japan as “Fukushokushi Lucia wa Akiramenai: Kyō kara Hajimeru Kōfuku Keikaku” by MF Books. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by A.M. Cola.

Dahlia, the protagonist of the main series, and Lucia, the protagonist of this spinoff, are on the face of it not all that alike. Aside from their tendency to deflect all achievements away from them, that is. Dahlia is reserved, while Lucia tends more towards the firey. But it is interesting how both the main series and its spinoff are pushing their respective protagonists into very similar situations. Dahlia keeps coming up with wonderful, insane inventions that will change their entire nation, and as a result is rapidly heading towards a future where she’d better be married and protected, or else she absolutely will be kidnapped. Lucia’s clothing designs are not as revolutionary (though the opera house in this volume may disagree), but her leadership skills and ability to inspire are absolute gold, and she too had better get married soon – she’s already starting to suffer kidnapping attempts.

The first chunk of this book follows the earlier Dahlia plotlines, as we see the debut of the cloth that basically has its own built-in air conditioner. Lucia and her staff have to work out where to best place the cloth, how to deal with those who are ticklish, etc. Lucia is also busy learning about nobility, and what not to say when a noble says something that seems innocent but isn’t. The latter half ot eh book is more along the lines of the latter half of the first, with Lucia running into various people and helping them with fashion/outfits, as well as sometimes being a big ol’ ball of sunshine. We also meet Forto’s attendant Lotta, who is an attendant who is also a blighted (sound familiar), but none of that matters to Lucia, who is great at getting people to come out of their shells. No wonder the “who will Lucia end up with?” sweepstakes are a lot more open than Dahlia’s.

Last time we saw a lot of teasing of a potential relationship with Forto, which is pretty bittersweet given that we’ve read later volumes of Dahlia and see her rejecting him. We’re starting to see a few other alternatives here. Such as Dante, her right-hand man, who is also dealing with trying to put off marriage proposals so he can concentrate on his work, and who is straight up told “do not let her get away” by his grandmother. Or Lotto, Forto’s attendant, who is pretty much given a plotline in this book that’s the equivalent of the sun coming out behind Lucia’s head while heavenly choirs play in the background. Speaking of attendants, Lucia’s found her Mr. Sunset, though he’s deflected it so that she’s not aware. That said, the main thing blocking any of these is Lucia herself, who (in a book that once again tries to be very progressive about gender and sexuality) seems to be demisexual, and has not found anyone she’s that emotionally close to yet.

The main Dahlia series is stalled over here while it finds a new translator, the previous one having stepped down, but we’re getting a third Lucia book soon. Will it catch up with the main series? Can we somehow get Lucia connected to a noble without her managing to avoid it? And will the clothing still be gorgeous? Signs point to yes on that last one.

The Legendary Witch Is Reborn As an Oppressed Princess, Vol. 1

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By Touko Amekawa and Kuroyuri. Released in Japan as “Shiitagerareta Tsuhō Ōjo wa, Tensei Shita Densetsu no Majo deshita” by Overlap Novels f. Released in North America by J-Novel Heart. Translated by Kashi Kamitoma.

Generally speaking, unless it’s a super-famous author I recognize immediately, I tend not to look at who’s written what else until after I’ve read an initial volume of a book. Usually it allows me to be surprised, and that’s definitely the case with this series, which it turns out is written by an author far more famous for the 7th Time Loop series, which recently got an anime. She’s actually got a number of series going at the same time on her Narou page, and this one seems to have been started a few months after 7th Time Loop. I’ll say straight up it’s not quite as good as that series, but it’s still a very decent start. I will say, and I’m sure that it was just as obvious in the Japanese, if not more so, the lead girl talks with a childish “Elmer Fudd” style lisp. If seeing textual accents bothers you, beware. It’s all over this book.

The opening of the book is absolutely dynamite, as Claudia wakes up to the memories of her previous life – by being pushed out of a high window by her evil uncle. She remembers that she used to be Lady Adelheid, the most powerful witch of legend. Sadly, she’s now Princess Claudia, who theoretically was found to have no magic, and so for the 6 years of her life she was put in a tower and abused. Now that she remembers who she was, she stops herself from hitting the ground – with magic. Turns out the “found to have no magic” thing was faked by the Queen Consort, who was angling for power. Claudia decides to wander into the forest to find a pet, having decided, in this new life, to live as she pleases. What she finds is a 9-year-old kid who has a curse that’s slowly killing him. A curse she is very familiar with…

This is a solid series. Claudia at first seems a bit blase and overly perfect, but as the book goes on and we learn more about her past it becomes clear why she’s acting this way – and why she’s determined to push Noah, the boy she saved, away. There’s a lot of people introduced who are set up as antagonists in an “oh look, it’s another evil noble” or “goody, another spoiled brat”, but who turn out to have better sides to them if you dig hard enough. Well, except for the Queen Consort. And possibly the King, who doesn’t necessarily have a nicer side to him, but is certainly very calculating and rapidly realizes that Claudia is someone he wants to find out more about. Too bad she wants to avoid him as much as possible. The relationship between Claudia and Noah is cute, and manages to avoid being romantic in a weird way, despite her being an 19-year-old in a 6-year-old body and him being 9.

So this was a good start. Recommended – Sorry, Wecommended – to 7th Time Loop readers and fans of smug OP witches.

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You: Secret Love Story

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By Hamubane, Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa. Released in Japan as “Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo Bangai Koimonogatari: Secret Love Story” by JUMP j BOOKS. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Kim Morrissy. Adapted by Kathleen Townsend.

This review is dedicated to Nicholas Dupree, who would have loved this book. It’s time for CULTURE, folks!

I was a bit worried when I saw this was announced. 100 Girlfriends is, after all, very much a product of its medium. And, as is the case with all light novels that are spinoffs of Jump titles, even if they’re Young Jump titles, I knew it would be written by someone else. The question is, would the light novel have all of the things that we love about the source? The over the top humor, the breaking of the fourth wall, going way too far to the point of putting off its audience a bit, but above all being a wonderfully romantic story about one of the best polycules out there? The good news is that it has all of that. The bad news is it has ALL of that. Be aware, for fans only.

As you can tell by the eight girls on the cover (plus Rentaro – his first cover!), this book is meant to take place sometime between the 4th and 5th volume of the manga. Sorry, Iku fans. It’s a nested short story collection – five “main” short stories with the entire cast, and four 2-3 page short stories featuring two of the girls bonding. The girl pairings are the three you’d expect, plus Kusuri and Kurumi. As for the main stories: 1) Rentaro spends 30 hours dating each and everyone one of his eight girls, till they force him to sleep; 2) An alien possesses Nano to try to learn about the “emotional energy” that the cast possesses; 3) The vice-principal drinks a drug that makes her turn into a kaiju, and Rentaro and his girlfriends must get into a Giant Rentaro Robot that Hahari has prepared to battle her; 4) The cast end up in the world of Circlet Love Story, and when they accidentally break it, they have to work hard to make sure events unfold as the book says; 5) Rentaro loses his memories of high school, and has no idea who any of his girlfriends are!

As with most short story collections, some are better than others. The giant robot story contains a lot I’m not a fan of with this series – it heavily features the vice-principal, and also leans a bit too much on the fetishes – if the word “diaper play” squicks you, feel free to skip this story. On the other hand, the Circlet Love Story short is fun, and benefits from being in Shizuru’s POV, showing that, in her own inner monologue, she’s quite loquacious. The best parts of the book, though, are the ones that are why we read the manga – Rentaro being the best boyfriend in the universe, all the girlfriends acting like their stereotypes but still being well-rounded, lots of fourth-wall breaking about the fact that this is a novel, and even a bit of the yuri some fans like – when Nano is possessed by an alien, no one notices except Rentaro… and Shizuru, who also spotted it. As for Hakari and Karane, let’s face it, they’re also a couple.

I think people picking up this book know it’s going to go too far – Hahari and Kusuri are still in it, after all. But it was fun to read, and I laughed out loud in several places. Also, Karane gets to use a hammer that’s as big as she is AND we get art of the same. Chef’s kiss.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/10/24

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Friday at the Atelier, Vol. 2 | By Sakura Hamada | Yen Press – The weirdness gets dialed back a lot in this second volume, though we still see our lead woman posing nude with fish on top of her an awful lot. Both of them are growing and changing, and in good ways. She’s slow to realize this; he does realize it, and it’s making him a little nervous, to be honest. He’s used to being an avant-garde artist, so doing ad work is… well, the money’s good, but is this OK? As for Tamaki, she’s no longer a typical wasted pale OL, and everyone is happy she’s feeling better but also worried about why, because she’s the sort to get taken in by scammers. That’s not what has happened, but I get it—if I were her friend, I’d be just as worried. I wonder if we might actually get a confession in the next book? – Sean Gaffney

The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – I’m very happy that Yen is releasing this at all, and I was a big fan of the author’s previous series, Inu x Boku SS. This one suffers a bit from the format—4-koma series are always a tough sell, and putting it into a massive omnibus makes it even worse, as after a while it becomes a slog to get through, no matter how cute and adorable the lead couple are. (Also, gotta love the magical girl who says “f*ck” constantly.) That said, this is one giant omnibus due to the unfortunate nature of the manga—it ended abruptly when the author passed away, and even here it’s padded out by another short story of hers. It’s a shame, as I think I’d like to have seen this one come to a conclusion, and that it would have been sweet and funny. – Sean Gaffney

Medalist, Vol. 10 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital) – Inori’s in junior high now, which means she’s not only dealing with crushing self-doubt (she’s still struggling with that triple lutz), but also growing pains, which every teen has to deal with but they’re not usually skating in major competitions in the evening while doing so. All this means that she’s unconsciously ignoring her coach’s advice and trying to find an answer on her own. I very much empathize with Inori’s tendency to make friends with adults rather than kids her own age, as that was literally me. I also liked seeing Tsukasa realize that he still has skills that he can teach her, even if it may be too late for him to use them for his own career. All this plus truly stunning artwork, as always. Did I mention this is getting an anime soon? Can’t wait. – Sean Gaffney

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You, Vol. 11 | By Rikito Nakamura and Yukiko Nozawa | Ghost Ship There’s two girlfriends introduced here, so not as much room for wacky one-shot antics, though we do see the Gundam made of girlfriends and also the obligatory glasses chapter. The two girlfriends are Ahko, who is a nice gyaru but whose face has trouble emoting (she has a permanent lazy smile), which has led to trouble with her friends before, and Uto, a self-proclaimed “wandering bard” who is very good at making dramatic proclamations but very bad at actual singing. She’s definitely on the more eccentric side of the girlfriend spectrum. That said, as ever this series is dedicated to showing us it’s not just about Rentaro—the chapter with Ahko and Karane bonding was my favorite. – Sean Gaffney

Spy x Family, Vol. 12 | By Tatsuya Endo | Viz Media – This starts off slow, as it’s in between serious arcs. We do get to see that Handler is a mess, and a reminder that it’s mostly for tragic reasons. We also get another reminder not to let Yor get drunk. But the bulk of the back half deals with one of those questions that we’re eventually going to get whenever this comes to an end, which is what happens if Loid’s cover is blown? It’s not blown YET here, as this ends with a cliffhanger, but Loid is going to have to do some clever scheming to try to dissuade Yuri that he isn’t a spy this time. Assuming Loid lives to do anything about it. Or Yuri, for that matter. The enemy spy we’re dealing with here is a cut above what we’ve seen before. That said, we have Fiona, and her yandere love, so I’m not too worried. – Sean Gaffney

We’re New at This, Vol. 17 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The manga ends with the eighteenth volume, and it feels a bit like, now that the author has decided to do a pregnancy arc, they’re speeding through it a bit. The book starts with the pregnancy, ends with the birth, and seems to imply that the final volume will take place about 16-17 years later. All that, plus the inevitable “surprise” in trying-to-have-a-baby series, the fact that it’s twins. Despite all this, this remains a cute and fun series. Ikuma has sort of a dream-time travel thing to talk with his late dad about how to be a father, and finds his late dad was far more unprepared. Meanwhile, Sumika meets other mothers who are in the “at risk” category, and we’re reminded how stoic and off-putting she is to strangers. I’m gonna miss this when it ends. – Sean Gaffney

An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 8

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By Yuishi and Kagachisaku. Released in Japan as “Inkya no Boku ni Batsu Game de Kokuhaku Shitekita Hazu no Gal ga, Dō Mitemo Boku ni Beta Bore Des” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Satoko Kakihara.

I’ve talked before about how we, as the reader, are being driven absolutely mad by these two being both incredibly cute and incredibly horny at the same time, and yet somehow not even getting to kissing each other on the lips. Well, this volume is dedicated to the fact that we are not alone. It takes place almost entirely at the school, as it’s culture festival time, and everyone in the class is us, because all they can do is stare with their jaws dropped as Yoshin and Nanami do what they think is normal stuff that every couple does, and everyone else sees as the boldest, most shameless acts in the world. These two are in love with each other and it shows in everything they do, and frankly for high school kids that’s something to inspire jealousy. Which, well, probably explains the rumors that open the book…

There’s a rumor going round about Yoshin, and the rumor is that he has a harem. (Yeah, sorry, the idea of polycules is not a thing this series wants to deal with at all.) After all, not only does he have the incredibly hot Nanami as his named girlfriend, but he’s also hanging out with her two gorgeous best friends, AND he recently started hanging out with the class president, who also got a makeover just for him! What a player! This means that yes, Yoshin is dragged before the teachers as well, where he realizes the main reason that rumors like this gain traction: he’s only friends with girls. He needs to figure out a way to fix that. Before he can, though, it’s culture festival time, the class is doing a cosplay cafe, and Yoshin and Nanami are on the committee. Will they have time for the Best Couple Contest?

There are other things going on in this book, including an entire subplot about the class president and her tragic backstory, which turns out to be far more teenage than tragic. But for the most part we’re here for Yoshin and Nanami, and boy howdy does this book deliver on sweet romance. You’ll get diabetes. They discover the magic of falling asleep talking to each other on video call. Nanami wears a giant bunny suit to fake out the class, then shows off a playboy bunny outfit only for her boyfriend. Yoshin dresses up as a maid for the cosplay cafe, and everyone agrees that he looks really cute, much to his chagrin… but he’ll to anything for Nanami. The capper is the Couple Contest, when these two go above and beyond, essentially proposing to each other (again) and capping it off with the kiss we’ve been wanting to see. The whole book is there to make the reader go “squee!”.

The afterword promises the class trip next time. The cover of Vol. 9 has a sports festival, though, so buyer beware. Still buy it, though. This is the sweetest frosting around.