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Proud to Be the Villainess: Upon the Despair You Face Blooms the Wicked Flower of Hope

By Mary=Doe and Kuga Huna. Released in Japan as “Akuyaku Reijou no Kyouji” by SQEX Novel. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Bérénice Vourdon. Last time I asked what the author was going to do to continue what was an obviously complete story beyond the first volume. The answer ends up being escalation, in every possible way. Did the first volume have a villainess archetype? Let’s add a couple more! Are there obvious schemes to save the day by sacrificing oneself? Let’s double down on making it even more convoluted. The author wanted to see how many gambit balls they could keep in the air at once, and the answer turns out to be “a lot”. Fortunately, they have the skills to back this up – this…

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Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 20

By Fujino Omori and Suzuhito Yasuda. Released in Japan as “Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka?” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Dale DeLucia. It’s been almost twelve years since the first volume of DanMachi came out in North America, and I think we can forgive the reader for forgetting the original premise of the series, as well as the reason for the title. Bell Cranel arrives in Orario to become an adventurer. He does this so that he can meet girls and get a harem. Now,, to be fair, this is mostly planted in him by his pervy grandfather, but still. Now, twenty volumes and unfathomable amounts of spinoffs later, Bell is an adventurer. He’s met plenty of…

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Sasaki and Peeps: Assigned Overseas! Poached! Hired on the Spot! ~That Time the Corporate Drone Who Couldn’t Speak English Was Sent to a Foreign Country and Taken In by the Mafia~

By Buncololi and Kantoku. Released in Japan as “Sasaki to Pi-chan” by Media Factory. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Alice Prowse. It’s always nice when Sasaki and Peeps hits the sweet spot of adding so many more genres you think your head is going to explode, but also tying everything back to what’s come before so that it doesn’t get too confusing. (However, the summary of what’s happened so far is VERY appreciated.) This time around the genre, at least for the first 2/3 or so, seems to be “Asian action movie”, with a side order of mafia in the mix. That said, you know what this series does. It adds underage girls (or women who look like underage girls) to Sasaki’s orbit, has then fall…

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The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Vol. 10

By Saekisan and Hanekoto. Released in Japan as “Otonari no Tenshi-sama ni Itsu no Ma ni ka Dame Ningen ni Sareteita Ken” by GA Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Nicole Wilder. By definition, this series is for readers who want to see cute sweet romance with little to no drama. No one is here to watch Amane and Miharu get into a big fight or temporarily break up. We want to see them be adorable and make sweets and give each other presents and maybe kiss and hug once or twice, because they’re definitely not doing much more than that. The trouble is that that can sometimes make for a very dull book. This is why we have supporting couples in the series. Unfortunately, aside…

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Manga the Week of 8/19/26

SEAN: This is the week of Anime NYC, will any of you be buying manga there? ASH: Alas, not I. SEAN: Airship’s print debut is Saving a Weapon Shop from Bankruptcy after the Demon King’s Defeat (Maou Botsugo no Genkai Bukiya). After the defeat of the demon king, no monsters and no need for weapons means blacksmiths and adventurers are headed for poverty and slavery. Can our hero change that? ASH: One does hold out hope. ANNA: The economy is rough! SEAN: Also in print: There’s No Freaking Way I’ll be Your Lover! Unless… 8 and Too Many Losing Heroines! 8. In early digital we have Loner Life in Another World 15, Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 16, and Though I Am an…

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Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, Vol. 15

By Zappon and Yasumo. Released in Japan as “Shin no Nakama ja Nai to Yuusha no Party wo Oidasaretanode, Henkyou de Slow Life Surukoto ni Shimashita” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Dale DeLucia. With one exception, which I’ll get to further down the page, this was a pretty good final volume to the series. It wraps up all the things you were expecting, and all the things you realize you’d never thought of but probably should have. Red and Rit are cute, Red gets to do some cool things, Ruti and Tisse are cute, Ruti gets to do some cool things, and Mister Crawly Wawly is the best. OK, I kind of wanted Ruti and Tisse to become a real couple rather…

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An Introvert’s Hookup Hiccups: This Gyaru Is Head Over Heels for Me!, Vol. 13

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. This is not exactly a series that moves at the speed of light. As Yoshin says in this book, they haven’t even gotten to their first anniversary yet. Thee reason that it feels like it’s been forever is that by now Yoshin and Nanami are essentially married in all but legal name, and the only reason that they haven’t gone further than kissing is Yoshin’s iron will… well, no, because the two of them are massive cowards, that becomes apparent near the end here. But we are actually…

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From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone, Vol. 10

By Shigeru Sagazaki and Tetsuhiro Nabeshima. Released in Japan as “Katainaka no Ossan, Kensei ni Naru: Tada no Inaka no Kenjutsu Shihan Datta noni, Taisei Shita Deshitachi ga Ore o Hōttekurenai Ken” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki. This series has always been pretty light on the harem aspect. There are several girls, they kind of like our lead, he’s been told to find a wife. But honestly, right now no one is “main girl” and nothing is happening at all. This book in particular is uninterested in the question. possibly as the “main girl” of this book, if there is one, is Mewi, who definitely fills the “daughter” role more than a romantic interest. But, as the cover art indicates, the real…

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Bookshelf Briefs 8/10/26

Colette Decides to Die, Vol. 7 | By Alto Yukimura | Viz Media – Colette and Hades may be together now (and it’s implied more happens by the end of this omnibus), but that doesn’t mean much has really changed. Most of these two volumes involve meeting more gods. Ares is a young hothead obsessed with challenging Athena to contests… which he always loses. He’s also rather forthright and honest, which may be one reason why. As for Athena, well, her servants certainly love shipping her with other women. The second half of this omnibus shows us Cronus, Hades’ father who is now a rather sulky baby, but also introduces a more serious issue: Hades’ mirror that can tell if someone is lying is shattered, and they may not be…

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