Manga Bookshelf's Weekly Features

SEAN: Lots of BL and beloved authors to choose from this week, but I’m going to go with the latest of one of my favorite light novel series, Though I Am an Inept Villainess. This is supposed to be a “lighter” volume, we’ll see if that’s true.

MICHELLE: I am torn between Terano-kun and Kumazaki-kun and My Noisy Roommate, so maybe I can get away with picking both.

KATE: I’m intrigued by Kaina of the Great Snow Sea, not least because Tsutomu Nihei is credited as the author, so I’ll make that my POTW.

ANNA: I’m going to go with Mermaid Prince, just because I’m always curious about Kaori Ozaki series.

ASH: All strong choices, for sure, but I’ll be joining Anna this week in picking Mermaid Prince; I’ve really enjoyed Kaori Ozaki’s past work and so look forward to reading more.

MICHELLE: The final volume of Shonen Note: Boy Soprano gets my vote this week! Maybe I’ll also finally manage to read Our Dreams at Dusk at some point!

SEAN: Out of Yen Press’s many debuts this week, This Monster Wants to Eat Me is the one I want to read the most. Some yuri with a darker tinge.

ASH: I’m definitely interested in both of those, too, but I generally have very good luck with Harta manga and so will go with this week’s other mermaid manga A Sinner of the Deep Sea as my official pick.

ANNA: My pick is going to be both josei series coming out this week, Sweet for Sweets and Foreigners and Royal Tailor: Clothier to the Crown, because it is so rare to have multiple josei out in the same week!

SEAN: This week is about digital favorites hitting print for me, so my joint pick of the week is Ascendance of a Bookworm: Short Story Collection and the latest Tearmoon Empire.

MICHELLE: After reading Sean’s glowing praise of Sketchy‘s first volume, I am going to choose the second volume of same this week!

ASH: There are definitely a few really great ongoing series with new volumes this week, but my pick goes to The Untamed: The Official Artbook. One of the things that makes the live-action adaptation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation so great is its visuals, so this should be great, too.

KATE: Any week that gives us new installments of Even Though We’re Adults and Akane-banashi is a good one in my book!

ANNA: Picks are thin on the ground for me this week, but I will admit I am curious about True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends – One Star in the Night Sky.

MICHELLE: In a week with new Iruma-kun and Chihayafuru, not to mention a couple of shoujo debuts, I still think Second Hand Love looks the most appealing!

SEAN: Agreed, though I’m also definitely interested in The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity and Let’s Do It Already!.

ASH: Everything mentioned so far is of interest to me, too, but Second Hand Loveis the release I’m most excited about this week. Having previously enjoyed Talk to My Back, I’m really looking forward to the chance to read more of the creator’s work.

ANNA: I’m going to go all in on The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity just because I really like the cover. Feeling extra shallow this week.

SEAN: A somewhat barren week for me, I think I’ll go with By a Twist of Fate, I’m Attending the Royal Academy in Disguise, as I’d like a nice revenge novel to wash the taste of the Livid Lady one out of my mouth.

MICHELLE: Ditto. But having just reread Antique Bakery, one of my very favorite series, I’m in the mood for more Fumi Yoshinaga, so I’ll cast my vote for What Did You Eat Yesterday?.

ASH: Ah, such a good series! While none the debut releases this week tend to excite me, I am definitely looking forward to the next installment of What Did You Eat Yesterday? as well quite a few of the other ongoing manga like Usotoki Rhetoric and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

ANNA: Count me in for the general affection for What Did You Eat Yesterday?.

MICHELLE: Of this week’s offerings, HIrayasumi looks the most interesting to me, but I’m also pleased to see another volume of Tokyo These Days coming out. Now if I could only find time to read it!

SEAN: My eyes, as always, are drawn to a Harta title. As such, my pick this week is Friday at the Atelier, which looks more interesting than the synopsis I gave it.

ANNA: I gotta go with Nina the Starry Bride due to my general love of fantasy shoujo. Also it is very pretty.

ASH: It’s a novel rather than a manga, but this week I’m most curious about The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station. Seeing as it deals with death and grief, I don’t anticipate it being a light read; the premise sounds like the book could be rather compelling, though.

KATE: You know me: my pick of the week is almost always (a) animal-oriented (b) old-school and slightly trashy or (c) Eisner bait. Tokyo These Days falls squarely into the third category, but don’t let that deter you from picking it up. It’s haunting, funny, weird, and joyful, offering a glimpse of what it’s like to work in the manga industry behind the scenes. Oh, and it has some of the best artwork in any Japanese comic being translated for the US market. And if I *still* haven’t persuaded you to buy it, I have one more ace up my sleeve: at three volumes, it’s easy to jump on the Tokyo train right now and be fully caught up by the time the final installment is published later this year.

SEAN: The “worthy” pick is The Beast Player, but the “most excited for” pick is the new A Sign of Affection.

MICHELLE: Gotta be Therapy Game Restart for me!

ANNA: I’m behind, but I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to pick Nina the Starry Bride!

ASH: There are actually quite a few things I’m interested in this week, but The Beast Player holds most of my attention. Anything by Nahoko Uehashi I’m going to want to read (even if I’ve read the story before) and Itoe Takemoto’s illustrations and style appeal to me, too.

KATE: I’m with Ash this week: I cast my vote for The Beast Player.

MICHELLE: I am very tempted to choose Yona of the Dawn here, because it’s so great, but man that cover of I See Your Face, Turned Away has just hooked me with its simplicity. I’m most curious about that one, this week!

SEAN: I really enjoy the works by this author, so my pick is their new one shot light novel, True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends – One Star in the Night Sky.

ASH: Both of those appeal to me as well, but I’m going with Mobsters in Love as my official pick. I’ve read other series with similar premises, but it amuses me and I’ve really enjoyed the BL selections from Square Enix thus far.

ANNA: Yona of the Dawn for me!

KATE: I like the cover of I See Your Face Turned Away–so moody!–but I need something a little sillier to get me through finals week, so I cast my vote for Monster Cats.

SEAN: Honestly, the title I’m most interested in this week is Fish Society, despite the fact that I’m 99% sure that once I pick it Ed will tell me that that release date is not accurate. But it’s STILL the most interesting thing on the list.

KATE: I second Sean’s pick; I liked An Invitation from a Crab and am looking forward to more of Panpaya’s surreal, beautiful storytelling.

MICHELLE: I think I’ll buck the trend and go for My Androgynous Boyfriend this week. I’m in the mood for this sort of josei.

ASH: I’m on team Fish Society this week or whichever week it ends up actually being released! I’ve greatly enjoyed the creator’s other works and so expect I’ll appreciate this one, too.

ANNA: I shall join with the chorus of appreciation for Fish Society!

ASH: There are some interesting releases this week, for sure, but I’m more inclined to nab newer volumes of ongoing series rather than any of the debuts. That being said, my pick this actually does go to the debut of The Mimosa Confessions. Granted, I’ll be waiting for it to come out in print before I actually read it…

MICHELLE: The Mimosa Confessions gets my pick as well, but there *is* some Yumi Tamura on the schedule, so that can never go without happy commentary.

ANNA: Yumi Tamura for meeeeeeeeeeeee!

SEAN: The last volume ended with everyone sobbing their eyes out (except the one girl who played the saxophone), and I desperately want to know what happens next, so the 6th Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle is my pick!

KATE: I had a love-hate relationship with Shuzo Oshimi’s Blood on the Tracks, but the penultimate volume is coming to stores this week and I’m feeling an itch to read it. I want to find out what happens to Seiichi, even though my Spidey sense is telling me that this is story with an unhappy (and probably squick-inducing) ending.

SEAN: For my pick this week I think I’ll go for My Gemini. Licenses from Asuka are pretty rare to begin with, and this dark twin mystery sounds pretty good. It’s also complete in one volume.

MICHELLE: Me, too, and for all the same reasons!

ASH: I’ll join you in picking My Gemini as the debut release I’m most interested in this week. But I’ll also admit to being rather curious about I Want You To Make Me Beautiful!, too.

ANNA: I’m not going to go against this emerging consensus!

MICHELLE: I’m pretty intrigued by The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, but am gonna choose the fifth and final Marmalade Boy release because I still love this series so much and it’s a classic for good reason!

KATE: This is one of those weeks I’ve been saving up for, as there is SO MUCH good stuff arriving at your local comic shop. I second Michelle’s pick–Marmalade Boy is gloriously silly–but I also plan to buy Akane-banashi, The Fable, Tales of the Tendo Family, and Sketchy, as I NEED a manga about women finding a sense of purpose through skateboarding.

ANNA: There’s a ton of intriguing titles coming out this week, but I’m going to make Tales of the Tendo Family my pick because I’m always here to check out a Ken Saito manga.

SEAN: I’m with Kate this week: Sketchy has such a great sounding premise that even if it doesn’t quite measure up it’s still my pick of the week.

ASH: Lots of good stuff coming out this week, for sure! Everyone’s picks are solid, and I will readily admit to enjoying the first volume of Tales of the Tendo Family, but think I’m going to go with The Fable. (If for no other reason than needing to know more about the pet parrot.)

SEAN: Once again, tempted to just say “Viz”. We get so much good shoujo this week, with a new sequel for Kimi ni Todoke, the next Neighborhood Story, and the first Skip Beat! in 11 months. But my pick is the final volume of Kaguya:sama: Love Is War, a series that was one of the funniest romantic comedies to come along in years, and even had its fair share of drama as well.

MICHELLE: There’s so much good stuff this week that I almost don’t know what to pick! I’ve chosen perennial favorites Skip Beat! and Chihayafuru so many times, though, so instead I’ll opt for Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate. I loved the original series a great deal.

ANNA: There’s a lot of great stuff coming out this week but Skip Beat! has my heart!

ASH: It’s a great week for Shojo Beat, but the debut that has caught my eye is actually Nagahama to Be, or Not to Be. I’ve enjoyed the creator’s other works, so I suspect I’ll like this one, too.

KATE: The correct answer is Neighborhood Story!

MICHELLE: I am admittedly not terribly enthused about anything, but the first volume of A Man and His Cat was super cute, so I will take a gamble that the tenth volume will be likewise, and make that my pick for this week.

SEAN: Feeling the same, really. But since its anime was a reasonable success, I’ll pick the latest volume of 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!.

ASH: It isn’t manga, but I’m probably most looking forward to Stitches this week. I’ve had good success with J-horror in the past; Junji Ito illustrations are simply a bonus.

SEAN: There’s a pile of stuff, but not too many titles that really leap out and grab me (aside from Medalist, of course). I’ve heard good buzz about Magilumiere Magical Girls Inc., so I think I will make that my pick this week.

MICHELLE: I’m in a similar position. I suppose I’ll go with The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant but it could easily have weird power dynamics I’m not here for.

ASH: Those are the debuts that I’m most curious about this week, too! But as for ongoing series, Delicious In Dungeon is what has most of my attention.

ANNA: I was tempted to pick Medalist again, but I think I will go with something actually coming out this week and pick Honey Lemon Soda because I do plan to get caught up on it someday!