manga

Anime and Manga Blog Posts That Caught My Eye This Week (July 30, 2021)

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

I continue to be impressed by the output I’ve been seeing from anibloggers recently, and I look forward to seeing what posts you share with your readers week after week. Thank you for all that you do!

Here are the anime blog posts that grabbed my attention this week:

Something’s Wrong With Us Manga Ends

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Natsumi Ando’s Something’s Wrong With Us (Watashi-tachi wa Dōka Shiteiru) manga ended in the September 2021 issue of Kodansha’s Be-Love magazine.

The story of the manga is described as:

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Nao became a traditional Japanese sweets maker, and at 21, she’s about to take the industry by storm. With unparalleled artistry and a bright attitude, she gets an offer to work at a world-class confectionary company. But when she meets the young, handsome owner, she recognizes his cold stare… it’s none other than Tsubaki, her childhood friend and first crush-the same boy who stood over his father’s bloodied body 15 years ago, and framed Nao’s mother for the murder. As the only witness of that fateful night, Nao is eager to chase down the truth and confirm her suspicions. Since Tsubaki has no clue who she is, she seizes her chance to get close to him, but instead of finding any answers, she begins falling deeper for Tsubaki’s allure.

Ando launched the Something’s Wrong With Us manga in Kodansha’s Be-Love magazine in December 2016. Kodansha Comics is releasing the manga in English.

Source: ANN

Dark Horse Comics Licenses the Cat + Gamer Manga

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Crunchyroll is reporting that Dark Horse Comics has acquired the license for Wataru Nadatani’s Cat + Gamer manga. The company will release the title in comic shops on March 2, 2022, and then to bookstores on March 15, 2022.

Cat + Gamer is described as:

Meet Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old office worker with an obsession with video games. Her coworkers can’t quite figure her out—she never talks about her personal life, she never works overtime, and she never joins them for happy hour. Is she antisocial? Nope, she’s rushing home to play video games alone. That is until a stray cat is found in the office parking lot and ends up coming home with her. Having no experience with pets, Riko uses lessons drawn from video games to guide her in cat care, while her cute companion tries to understand her behavior through a cat’s worldview. Equal parts funny and heartwarming, Cat + Gamer is the perfect manga for cat lovers, gamers, and anyone looking for a lighthearted new read.

Source: Crunchyroll

Manga Creator Makuno Terminates Contract with futekiya Boys-Love Manga Service

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Manga creator Makuno has revealed on Twitter that she is terminating her contract with publisher Fantasista because there were times when important reports and payment obligations were not fulfilled, even after she made inquiries at the end of June 2021. Subsequently, she became ill from mental fatigue and decided that to continue a healthy production environment for manga creation, she would have to terminate her contract.

Her While You’re Asleep, Scapegoat Baby, and LUST-fantasy- dо̄jinshi manga are no longer being distributed on Fantasista, Inc.’s futekiya boys-love manga subscription service as of July 22, 2021. She plans to distribute and sell the English versions of her works, including the unreleased final chapter of Scapegoat Baby, on her own.

Makuno’s The Nature of Master/Slave Relationships manga, which futekiya added from Dogenzaka Shobo, will remain on the service.

The futekiya service launched in July 2019, and it allows access to its entire library of manga for a monthly fee of US$6.99. The service is also offering licensed dōjinshi and manga by independent artists.

Source: ANN

Kodansha Comics Announces Digital Manga Debuts for August 2021

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Kodansha Comics has announced the new manga titles that will debut digitally in August 2021. The following titles will debut on Tuesdays in August 2021:

Title: I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince so I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability
Creators: Yosuke Kokuzawa, Kenkyo na Circle, and Meru
Debut Date: August 3, 2021
Synopsis: Prince Lloyd wasn’t always a prince… in fact, his previous life is one he remembers perfectly: he was a sorcerer, of sorts. So when he was forced to reincarnate, he decided to continue his studies, prince of the realm or no. But his new life has its own sets of challenges… including being a 10-year-old. What’s the 7th prince/sorcerer to do?

Title: Yamaguchi-kun Isn’t So Bad
Creator: Yuu Saiki
Debut Date: August 10, 2021
Synopsis: Shy Satsuki Shinohara’s plan for a big high school debut are almost ruined by a pervert on the train, but she’s saved by none other than the “gangster” student in her class, Yamaguchi-kun. He’s already got a bad rap with the other students, and though Satsuki tries to approach him, he seems to always weasel out of her grasp. But she’s not one to let a challenge daunt her, and she’s out to prove that Yamaguchi-kun is so much more than he’s cracked up to be.

Title: The Decagon House Murders
Creators: Yukito Ayatsuji and Hiro Kiyohara
Debut Date: August 17, 2021
Synopsis: The manga based off the best-selling The Decagon House Murders novel by Yukito Ayatsuji. The members of a particular university’s Mystery Club travel to a ten-sided house on a remote island… which just happens to have been the scene of a gristly, and unsolved, mass murder. Armed with details of the murder and keys to the property, they set out to dig deeper… but can they trust the “facts” of the case? And moreover… can they trust each other?

Title: Chihiro-Kun Only Has Eyes For Me
Creator: Sato Ito
Debut Date: August 24, 2021
Synopsis: It’s not every day that a guy tells you you’re his muse and to strip down while you’re just minding your own business. But that’s just what happened to Michi—she caught the eye of Chihiro-kun, a fellow student and aspiring fashion designer. He’s inspired by her, and wants to use her as his model… but can Michi stand the attentions of such a devoted artiste?

Title: Mr. Bride
Creator: Natsumi Shiba
Debut Date: August 31, 2021
Synopsis: Hayami is the it-woman at her job—she’s cool, confident, and admired by all. But her has-it-all exterior belies a dark secret… her house is a mess, and she’s no good at taking care of herself. Enter Yamamoto-kun—her colleague who thinks the world of her, and who refuses to let her slobbish behavior slide. Soon he’s over at her house often enough that she asks him to move in with her. Where will this roundabout relationship take them?

Source: The Fandom Post

Manga Review: The King’s Beast Volume Three

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

The King’s Beast Volume Three examines Rangetsu’s feelings for Prince Tenyou.

The King’s Beast Volume Three
Written by: Rei Toma
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 3, 2021

Volume Three opens with Prince Oushin inviting Prince Tenyou and Rangetsu to dinner. However, things get uncomfortable for Rangetsu when she sees that the dinner is taking place at a brothel. In this world, female Ajin work in the brothels, so this puts Rangetsu in an awkward position. It gets worse when she sees Prince Tenyou leave with one of the women who works there.

It’s at this point that we see Rangetsu’s confusion over her feelings toward Prince Tenyou. She doesn’t understand why she feels jealous over Prince Tenyou being with another woman, especially since Rangetsu has spent all this time trying to act like a man. Rangetsu’s confusion is a theme that runs throughout this volume.

During the time at the brothel, Rangetsu gets drunk and gets in a fight with Teiga. With some of the things that Rangetsu says during the fight, she comes close to exposing the truth about herself. But Rangetsu finds that she’s taken down easily by Teiga’s special ability, and this becomes a sore spot for her as well. She doesn’t have a special ability, which frustrates her, and being taken down easily by another Ajin’s special ability just pours more salt into the emotional wounds she’s already going through over her confusion about Prince Tenyou.

A plot thread that starts to run through The King’s Beast Volume Three is that His Imperial Majesty has yet to declare a crown prince among his 15 sons, and the princes are now entering a critical period where they will be assessed on how they complete specific assignments… and their Ajin are an important component for the assignments. The first one is a tea ceremony, where the Ajin have to make tea and their ability will reflect back on their respective prince. Rangetsu works hard to learn the skill, and then at the actual ceremony, she discovers someone has substituted poison in her ingredients. Through some quick thinking, Rangetsu finds a way to avoid poisoning the emperor… but the lack of tea being served by her is a mark against Prince Tenyou.

However, we learn than Prince Tenyou has no desire to become the emperor. Like Rangetsu, this surprised me, since Prince Tenyou has been adamant about wanting to change how things work in their world. But it makes sense when he says he doesn’t have to be emperor in order to change the world, and in fact, it would probably be harder for him to make the necessary changes if he was the emperor.

One of my favorite scenes in Volume Three is when Prince Tenyou takes Rangetsu to her brother’s grave. It’s a sweet gesture, but it also instigates a conversation that allows Rangetsu to talk to Prince Tenyou and unload some of the confusion that’s been bottled up inside. I thought that Toma executed this scene beautifully, both through the art and through the dialogue and actions that take place.

Right at the end of the volume, the stage is being set for the next task, which is a sports competition. Rangetsu and Prince Tenyou’s practice time is getting underway when the third prince’s Ajin appears and tries to bean Prince Tenyou with a ball. And that’s basically where this volume ends. My guess is that Volume Four will have a focus on this sports tournament and whatever acts of sabotage may or may not occur.

It’s becoming clearer that Rangetsu has some kind of romantic feelings for Prince Tenyou, even if she herself doesn’t pick up on it yet. While the romance angle is getting stronger hints, this manga is still focusing overall on Rangetsu and how she’s trying to protect Prince Tenyou and work with him on finding her brother’s killer. And with the introduction of the tasks, the stage seems to be set for more direct competition between Prince Tenyou and his brothers, as well as the potential for intrigue. I think the attempted poisoning is just the beginning, and that more attempts to sabotage Prince Tenyou will come about in future volumes. I’m also curious to see what other kinds of tasks the princes and their Ajin will be asked to do.

Readers who have enjoyed the previous two volumes of The King’s Beast will appreciate this volume as well. I know that I’m looking forward to Volume Four in order to find out how this story will continue.

The reviewer was provided a review copy by VIZ Media

Additional posts about The King’s Beast:

Manga Review: Chainsaw Man Volume Six

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Chainsaw Man Volume Six focuses on Denji’s new love interest, Reze.

Chainsaw Man Volume Six
Written by: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 3, 2021

The beginning of the volume sees Reze asking Denji to leave Public Safety and run away with her. Even though he was feeling conflicted between Makima and Reze in the previous volume, we saw Denji caving enough to Reze that I was almost afraid he would decide to go with her. But, Denji actually surprised me… he turned her down, and even shares how he’s actually starting to enjoy being part of Public Safety. But when Reze flat out states that Denji is in love with someone else, he drops his guard… and she kisses him. But we see it isn’t an ordinary kiss, because when the two part, we see that Reze has bitten off part of Denji’s tongue. Not only that, we see her cut off one of Denji’s hands.

In the previous volume, I thought something felt off about Reze, and it turns out I was right to suspect that she wasn’t what she appeared to be. When she’s about to take his heart, Beam (the Shark Fiend) swoops in to try to get Denji to safety. Beam also reveals that Reze has devil powers that allow her to explode to kill her prey but not kill her.

Oh boy. Denji’s weakness for women has brought about danger not only to himself, but to his comrades as well. Reze transforms into a devil, and she chases Denji and Beam, trying to attack them as she does.

Meanwhile, Aki and Angel Devil are visiting Aki’s old friend, who is part of Division 2. Unfortunately, Beam brings Denji to this location to get him some help, and Reze is hot on their trail. In her effort to capture Denji, Reze kills others and creates chaos. Unfortunately for Aki, his friend that he came to visit was one of Reze’s victims. This is important later when it appears Angel Devil will be blown away and killed. Even though Aki will have some of his life span siphoned off if he touches her, he grabs her hand in order to save her. When she asks why Aki took this risk, he says that he doesn’t want to see another one of his comrades killed right in front of him. You have to feel for Aki, though, because he’s right. Over the course of these six volumes, Aki has now seen two of his comrades die in front of him. This can’t be a good thing for his psyche, and his desire to not want to see any other comrades killed in front of him makes a lot of sense.

Volume Six is one of the more violent volumes for the Chainsaw Man manga. With Reze’s detonation ability, as well as her attacks on Denji (biting off part of his tongue, for example), there’s more blood and violence than we’ve seen in the previous volumes. This volume is also more action-oriented and has a lot more action panels and less dialogue overall, so it makes this volume a relatively quick read.

Even with the increase in violence, Chainsaw Man Volume Six is a logical way to continue the overarching story of the series. Hopefully Denji will learn at least one lesson after what happens in this volume, and that he can experience some more growth and development as a character. Since this volume ends with the completion of this arc, I really have no idea what to expect in Volume Seven. So I’m going to be curious to see what the next volume has to offer the reader and how it will continue Denji’s story.

The reviewer was provided a review copy by VIZ Media

Additional posts about Chainsaw Man:

Square Enix Manga & Books Licenses SINoALICE and My Happy Marriage Manga

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

Square Enix Manga & Books has announced that it has licensed the SINoALICE and My Happy Marriage manga for release in 2022. The company will also release the Final Fantasy XIV Picture Book by the Final Fantasy XIV Online game’s lead story designer Banri Oda and illustrated by concept artist Hiroyuki Nagamine on July 26, 2022. The company will also release the Final Fantasy XIV Poster Collection book on May 10, 2022 and new editions of both volumes of the Encyclopaedia Eorzea ~The World of FINAL FANTASY XIV~ books on April 12, 2022.

Square Enix Manga & Books will release Yoko Taro, Takuto Aoki, himiko, and Jino’s SINoALICE manga based on the smartphone game on February 8, 2022.

The story of the manga is described as:

Everything about Alice—her family, her friends, her life, even her crush—is ordinary, no Wonderland to see here. But lately, her dreams have been anything but ordinary. While asleep, she finds herself interrogated by two creepy marionettes, their glass eyes peering into the darkest corners of her heart.

“What is it you desire?” “What is it you wish to visit upon the world?”

Try as she might to ignore the dreams, Alice is drawn into their violent, twisted universe. As greed and desire begin to warp the ordinary reality she knows, Alice is thrust into a dark game of slaughter made for fairy-tale heroines who’ll stop at nothing to bring their creators back to life.

The company will release Akumi Agitogi, Rito Kohsaka, and Tsukiho Tsukioka’s My Happy Marriage manga adaptation of the light novel series of the same name physically and digitally on June 21, 2022.

The story of the manga is described as:

A “Cinderella”-inspired slow-burn historical romance with a paranormal twist set in Meiji-era Japan.

A browbeaten and mistreated daughter is cast out of her family home and sent to audition as a bridal candidate for the heir to one of the most powerful families in the land…

Considered nigh worthless for having failed to inherit the superhuman powers of the bloodlines into which she was born, Miyo Saimori lives her days unwanted and unloved.

She is treated as a servant by her half-sister who, unlike Miyo, is blessed with unusual powers, while her step-mother and very own father have little time or love for their eldest daughter.

Ultimately seen as nothing more than a nuisance and a drain on the family wealth, Miyo is packed off to the Kudo house as a bridal candidate for its heir, Kyoka Kudo. But whispers abound about the Kudo clan, the most powerful in all the land. Still, will the allegedly cold and cruel house into which Miyo aims to marry prove much warmer than the family she left behind?

Source: ANN

Manga Creator Hiroto Wada Passes Away

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

The editors of Kodansha’s Evening magazine have announced that manga creator Hiroto Wada suddenly passed away on July 18, 2021 due to a cerebral hemorrhage and other contributing factors. He was 46 years old at the time of his passing.

Wada’s manga titles include Phara-o, a comedy about an Egyptian pharaoh in modern Tokyo which he drew from 2017 to 2018. He then serialized another story about a character out of time, the Disney Manga: Stitch and the Samurai (Tono-sama to Stitch) in 2020.

Wada just launched a new period comedy titled Yankee Mito Kōmon in Evening on March 23, 2021, and the manga’s first print volume just shipped on July 21, 2021, three days after his passing.

Source: ANN

Elegant Yokai Apartment Life Manga to End on August 25, 2021

Posted on by Lesley Aeschliman

The September 2021 issue of Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine has announced that Waka Miyama’s Elegant Yokai Apartment Life (Yōkai Apāto no Yūga na Nichijō) manga will end in the magazine’s next issue on August 25, 2021.

The story of the manga is described as:

Yokai, ghosts, and humans living together in harmony? Yushi Inaba was taken in by his uncle’s family after losing his parents in an accident three years ago. Now sixteen and eager to make it on his own, he hopes to move into dorm upon entering high school. But by a cruel twist of fate, the dorm burns to the ground. After searching high and low, Yushi finally manages to find an apartment at the too-good-to-be-true price of 25,000 yen per month. Sure enough, there’s one condition: the apartment is haunted. Surrounded by a gaggle of colorful tenants, Yushi’s “normal” high school life begins!

Miyama launched the manga adaptation of Elegant Yokai Apartment Life in Monthly Shonen Sirius in 2011. Kodansha Comics is releasing the manga digitally.

Source: ANN