Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Latest Picks

LATEST FEATURES, ESSAYS, COLUMNS, ROUNDTABLES, & REVIEWS

By

Zero Damage Sword Saint: I Enrolled in a Magic School and Wound Up in a Contract with the Demon Queen, Vol. 3

By Isle Osaki and kodamazon. Released in Japan as “Kougekiryoku Zero kara Hajimeru Kenseitan: Osananajimi no Oujo ni Suterare Mahou Gakuen ni Nyuugakushitara, Maou to Keiyakusuru Koto ni Natta ” by Overlap Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Stephanie Liu. The light novels are still ongoing in Japan, but the webnovel this is based on finished last month. The author gave their feelings about all the characters, and for Eugene they wrote, essentially, that they felt a little guilty, given that he was an incredibly cool swordsman who has a loving family and good friends who believe in him, as well as multiple beautiful lovers. The author has a point, this once again falls into the category of “if you like your protagonists to struggle, reading…

Read More

By , and

Manga the Week of 4/29/26

SEAN: Buckle up, kids, the end of the month is stacked. ASH: Are we there yet? SEAN: Airship has four print volumes. We get Loner Life in Another World 14, Too Many Losing Heroines! 7, The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash 12, and Witch and Mercenary 6 Part 1. And for early digital we get Magical Buffs: The Support Caster is Stronger Than He Realized! 2 and Reborn as a Space Mercenary: I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship! 15. No debuts for Cross Infinite World, but they do have Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra 8, Fluffy Paradise 8, and How I Became King by Eating Monsters 5. Dark Horse Manga has the 2nd and final omnibus volume of Gunsmith Cats: Burst. ASH: I feel like this is…

Read More

By

A Tale of the Secret Saint, Vol. 10

By Touya and chibi. Released in Japan as “Tensei Sita Daiseijyo ha, Seijyo Dearuko Towohitakakusu” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America by Airship. Translated by Kevin Ishizaka. Adapted by Michelle McGuinness. I’ve talked before about the series’ biggest draw, which is that Fia is a complete airhead who runs on instinct and misapprehension of everything. The big reveal over the course of these ten books is that it’s not due to her having the memories of someone who lived 300 years ago, but that 300 years ago she was exactly the same – no common sense, head empty. But it’s important to remember the other half of this, because when you have one of those ditzy, strong women protagonists, invariably they amaze everyone around them with their goodness…

Read More

By

I Saved Myself with a Potion!: Life in Another World, Vol. 1

By Akira Iwafune and Sunaho Tobe. Released in Japan as “Potion, Waga Mi o Tasukeru” by Hero Bunko. Released in North America by Hanashi Media. Translated by Harris Hayes. I sometimes feel guilty that I don’t read more Hanashi Media. Aside from Observation Records of My Fiancee/Wife (now with an anime!), most of their output has basically looked like things I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. They had a recent round of licenses, though, and a couple of them jumped out at me, including this one. Slow life! Cute female protagonist! Struggling to get by in a world she knows nothing about! And sure enough, all those things are here. It’s mostly a cute book. It’s content to coast along, and Kaede is something of a female Potato-kun,…

Read More

By

Reign of the Seven Spellblades, Vol. 14

By Bokuto Uno and Miyuki Ruria. Released in Japan as “Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Andrew Cunningham. The previous books have been packed with stuff, so many plots that it was hard to remember them all. What’s more, we were leisurely strolling through the years at school. Those days are gone now. Not only are Oliver and Company now 5th years (yes, it’s graduation for Tim Linton, though don’t worry, he’ll be around), but there is no leisurely strolling in this book – it’s war. Even worse, the war looks to continue into the next book. This means that the book is almost entirely battle scenes, with some no-names dying, some people we know getting grievously injured,…

Read More

By

Agents of the Four Seasons, Vol. 6

By Kana Akatsuki and Suoh. Released in Japan as “Shunka Shūtō Daikōsha” by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sergio Avila. So the first two-part arc of this series involved the past and present trauma of Hinagiku, the Agent of Spring. The second two-parter gave us even more trauma, mostly present, for the twin Agents of Summer. Now, after a one-volume “break”, we’re ready to dip into Autumn. Nadeshiko has been involved quite a bit in the last few books, both as a victim of kidnapping and as an Agent in her own right. That said, she’s still an eight-year-old girl who has been through far more than most eight-year-olds should. And, as is pointed out several times in this book, she’s much more mature…

Read More

By

A Misanthrope Teaches a Class for Demi-Humans, Vol. 3

By Kurusu Natsume and Sai Izumi. Released in Japan as “Jingai Kyōshitsu no Ningen-girai Kyōshi: Hitoma-sensei, Watashi-tachi to Mirai ni Susundekuremasuku…?” by Media Factory. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by airco. In the long interim between the second and third volumes coming out over here (there was a gap in Japan as well, plus a translator change), we had the anime version of this title, and while I’m not sure if it was a success in Japan, I do know that it went down over here like a lead balloon. I didn’t watch it, but a lot of folks made it sound like it was a romantic fantasy of a nebbish guy meeting a smorgasbord of supernatural monster girls, rather than what the novels make it clear…

Read More

By

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Vol. 9

By Sunsunsun and Momoco. Released in Japan as “Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san” by Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Matthew Rutsohn. There was only so long that the main mystery of this series that doesn’t involve “who will the winning girl be” got cleared up. (And honestly, “who will the winning girl be” is not much of a mystery, either – this isn’t the sort of series that’s going for a last-minute swerve.) So yes, Masachika admits to Alya what the relationship between him and Yuki really is, and then goes to visit her. That said, the series still wants to be a romcom, even in what amounts to the most serious volume to date, and so it also flashes…

Read More

By

The World’s Strongest Witch: I’m Starting My Free Life in a World Where Only I Can See the Online Strategy Guide, Vol. 2

By Mochimaru Sakaki and riritto. Released in Japan as “Sekai Saikyou no Majo, Hajimemashita: Watashi dake “Kouryaku Site” wo Mireru Sekai de Jiyuu ni Ikimasu” by SQEX Novels. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Phil Charbonneau. This series is definitely written to be incredibly silly first and think about everything else second. That said, it is at least thinking about other things. This volume makes it very clear what it would be like to be in a game world – not one with a linear through plot, like most isekais that have game elements are based around, but something where there’s a weekly “event”, which is a valuable opportunity for amateur players to earn skills killing monsters, or there’s a way to get “familiars” that involves a…

Read More

More Features & Reviews