Category Archives: Manga, Manhwa, Manhua, and Anime

Tokyo These Days Vol. 1 is an interesting story about legacy and the world of manga

After 30 years as a manga editor, Kazuo Shiozawa suddenly quits. Although he feels early retirement is the only way to atone for his failures as an editor, the manga world isn’t done with him.

On his final day as an editor, Shiozawa takes a train he’s ridden hundreds of times to impart some last advice to a manga creator whose work he used to edit. Later, he is drawn to return to a bookshop at the request of a junior editor who wants his help dealing with an incorrigible manga creator who used to be edited by Shiozawa and now refuses to work with anyone else. For Shiozawa, Tokyo these days is full of memory and is cocooned in the inescapable bonds among manga creators, their editors, art, and life itself.

Story: Taiyo Matsumoto
Art: Taiyo Matsumoto

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

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Jungle Juice Vol. 3 is fantastic but the series is basically X-Men with Insect/Human hybrids

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST Suchan and Dohwa managed to escape Breeder’s forced feeding attempt―but that was only the beginning of Pet Shop’s malevolent agenda. Upon learning the rumored whereabouts of one of their bases, NEST professors decide to send a team to investigate. And what better way to determine the most qualified students than through a group tournament?! Suchan, Huijin, Dohwa, and Hyeseong are far from easy pickings, but against opponents who are willing to flout the rules and play dirty, can they still come out on top…?

Story: Hyeong Eun
Art: Juder
Translation: Ah Cho
Letterer: Adam Jankowski

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

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Yen Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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Crunchyroll Announces Global Ani-May 2024 Celebrations

Crunchyroll is launching the second annual Ani-May celebration. This includes new and exclusive anime merchandise and activations at Hot Topic in the United States, Riachuelo in Brazil, and exclusive retail activations in EMEA among many others. 

Throughout the month of May, fans can expect a variety of officially licensed merchandise from some of their favorite series! For fans of the spookier side of anime, there will be merchandise featuring dark fantasy Black Butler and the classic action-horror Tokyo Ghoul. Fans of modern classics will enjoy the Anime Award®-winning Chainsaw Man, following Denji, a man with a devil’s heart and the recent hit Solo Leveling, based on the popular Korean manhwa of the same name. It also wouldn’t be a merch drop without gear from Crunchyrol’s 2024 Anime Awards “Anime of the Year” award winner JUJUTSU KAISEN, which follows the action-packed tale of a high-schooler who becomes a curse to end a curse, the popular coming-of-age sports series Haikyu!!, or the comedic and action-packed SPY x FAMILY. Plus, of course, the highly anticipated sci-fi monster series Kaiju No. 8 and the smash hit shonen series My Hero Academia. That won’t be all, either! Fans can expect to find tons of merchandise from a variety of shows across a range of retailers. 

Ani-May 2024 partnerships and activations in the United States include:

  • Specialty retailer Hot Topic will celebrate Ani-May across its stores in the United States and Canada, and online at hottopic.com, with month-long activations and special promotions, including exclusive anime merchandise, a limited edition Crunchyroll-Hime sticker gift with anime purchase (available in stores only and while supplies last), and exciting Discord programming hosted by @TheAnimeMen. Fans can sign up at hottopic.com/discord for Hot Topic emails and access to Hot Topic Discord for watch-a-longs, AMAs, and exclusive giveaways.
  • Barnes & Noble stores in the US will feature an Ani-May sale on select Anime DVD/Blu-Ray titles both online and in stores across the country.

In Latin America, the following partners will celebrate Ani-May

  • Gameplanet will delight fans in Mexico with digital signage and home goods products from their favorite shows.
  • Grupo Control in Mexico will bring a variety of apparel including T-shirts, jackets, and pants from the most popular anime titles to stores with dedicated product displays.
  • Riachuelo will provide fans in Brazil with digital and in-store signage and special T-shirts at launch at their FanLab Stores.
  • Falabella in Peru will offer fans T-shirts for the first time in the market through the month of May

In Europe, select Ani-May retailers will offer anime fans the opportunity to fully experience the Crunchyroll lifestyle and win a “nothing that money can buy” prize: an amazing weekend in Paris with VIP access to the Crunchyroll booth at Japan Expo. The full list of Ani-May partners for Europe includes:

  • HMV will brand 120 stores and bring in tons of anime merchandise for the occasion for fans in the United Kingdom, Ireland & Belgium. May will also see the exclusive early release of a range of home entertainment,  including Mob Psycho Season 3 DVD, Blu-ray & Limited Edition, KONOSUBA – An Explosion on This Wonderful World!, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! – Season 1 Blu-ray, Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! – Season 2 Blu-ray & Limited Edition, as well as a large range of price promoted catalogue titles..
  • Games Academy / Funside in Italy will activate 50 stores as well as their online community with more surprises available on their app.  
  • Cultura will communicate about their anime merchandise and manga offerings throughout the month with specifically branded areas in 105 stores across France.
  • El Corte Ingles will invite the Spanish geek community to come in-store and discover a wide selection of anime products in 8 flagship locations.
  • Thalia in Germany and Austria will focus on manga, exclusive merchandise and Home Entertainment offerings for JUJUTSU KAISEN, Kaiju No.8, SPY x FAMILY, Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Hell’s Paradise across 200 outlets.
  • Gamestop in 70 of participating outlets Germany will provide an exclusive Iron-on to any customer who buys more than 2 Crunchyroll items during Ani-May.
  • MediaSaturn will bring German fans manga, exclusive merchandise, and Home Entertainment for JUJUTSU KAISEN, SPY x FAMILY, and Chainsaw Man across 400 outlets.
  • Mueller will for the first time offer the whole catalog of fan-favorite Crunchyroll manga titles including JUJUTSU KAISEN, SPY x FAMILY, BLUE LOCK, Choujin X, Dandadan, and many more, available to fans in Germany and in Austria.
  • Hugendubel will present exclusive Crunchyroll merchandising in 30 stores across Germany for the JUJUTSU KAISEN, SPY x FAMILY, and Chainsaw Man titles.
  • XS Toys (owned by Anvol), in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia will participate in 25 selected stores. The leading toy retailer in the Baltics will have a special selection of plush, figures, and collectibles from Crunchyroll titles.

The Crunchyroll Store, the ultimate online destination for anime collectibles, consumer products, manga, and more, will also offer fans in the US, Australia and New Zealand a wide selection of new releases, sales, and specials for Ani-May® 2024, with new rollouts each week. 

For the Crunchyroll Store in the US, fans can enjoy a home video sale of up to 60% off beginning May 1 through May 14 and an Ani-May celebration sale with up to 70% off select items starting May 15. While supplies last, fans can also receive a complimentary and exclusive 2024 Hime Ani-May pin on all orders of $75+ starting on May 1, 2024 (Please note: this gift with purchase is only eligible for in-stock orders. Pre-orders do not qualify). Shoppers can also expect special themed weeks in the Crunchyroll Store, including:

  • May 1 – Chainsaw Man
  • May 8 – Kaiju No. 8 & Solo-Leveling
  • May 22 – Dragon Ball Super
  • May 29 – JUJUTSU KAISEN

To continue the Ani-May celebrations, beginning on May 1 and running through the end of the month, Crunchyroll is making 20 hit series available to watch for free with ads. These series include many of the Ani-May featured titles including Chainsaw ManHaikyu!!, and Solo Leveling, alongside the iconic space western Cowboy Bebop, the science-powered adventure title Dr. STONE, the emotionally complex Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, the romantic comedy Rent-a-Girlfriend, comedic fantasy Soul Eater, the critically acclaimed viking epic VINLAND SAGA, and the classic and beloved occult action series Yu Yu Hakusho. Fans can check out the full list of titles available for Ani-May enjoyment via Crunchyroll News here and please note that regional restrictions may apply,

Of course, fans can also celebrate anime all year long with a Crunchyroll membership, granting access to the world’s largest dedicated anime streaming library of 46,000 episodes, 1,300 unique titles, and 24,000 hours of content, available subbed and dubbed worldwide in more than 12 languages. 

Preview: Witch of Thistle Castle Vol. 3

Witch of Thistle Castle Vol. 3

(W) John Tarachine (A/CA) John Tarachine
In Shops: May 01, 2024
SRP: $12.99

Marie and Theo return to Edinburgh. Theo must learn to bend spirits to his will, even as the school is attacked by a wizard seeking dark powers. Perfect for fans of romance, slice of life, and magical schools!

After the excitement of Paris, Theo and Marie return to Edinburgh to train his powers once more, learning how to bargain and control spirits! But all is not well in the ancient Scottish city, as a wizard comes to destroy the school, leaving only those with the ‘the blood of righteous indignation’ alive…

Witch of Thistle Castle Vol. 3

Ablaze licenses Shingo Honda’s Happyland

Ablaze has announced it’ll release the English translation of Shingo Honda‘s manga Happyland. The series is about an extreme amusement park where nothing is as it seems and the horror that lies in store for an unsuspecting family that visits the park.

Welcome to Happyland, an extreme amusement park! The Komiya family is not unusual is any way, two parents love each other and their two children, who are healthy, happy, and accomplished at school and with extracurriculars. In appearance, they’re an ideal family that has everything going for them!

At least… That’s what they believed until the father decided to take them to spend a day at Happyland Park. In this park with its extreme attractions, the most shameful secrets will emerge in the most literally explosive way possible! A horrifying and gory tale of survival begins in this first of two volumes by Shingo Honda!

Happyland Vol. 1 will be released September 11 by Ablaze Manga.

Happyland Vol. 1

Yen Press announces 15 new titles for October 2024

Yen Press has announced the release of fifteen new titles, including nine manga, five novels, and a box set. These fifteen titles are set to release in October 2024.

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall

By AidaIro

A new deluxe collection of Volumes 11 through 20 of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun wrapped in one frightful package! Pick up where the first box set left off and follow Hanako, Nene, Kou, and company on their adventures, all the way until the beginning of the school festival. Don’t “stall” any longer and make room on your shelf for this supernatural selection!

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun: Second Stall

Horimiya, Vol. 17: A Piece of Memories

Story by HERO, Art by Daisuke Hagiwara

School may have finished, but there is no end to the sweet “awww”-inspiring tale of Hori and Miyamura! Snapshots of Hori, Miyamura, and the gang’s lives; a brand- new story by the original author, HERO; and the Hori edition of the final story revealed at the 2021 traveling Horimiya exhibition have all been collected into this volume celebrating the original series’s finale!

Horimiya, Vol. 17: A Piece of Memories

86—EIGHTY-SIX: Operation High School

Art by Suzume Somemiya, Story by Asato Asato, Character Design by Shirabii, Mechanical Design by I-IV

The Republic of San Magnolia is enjoying peaceful days, having not been invaded by the neighboring empire’s Legion weapons. This is the story of Shin, Lena, and their friends as normal students attending Eighty-Six Private High School, where they’ll partake in club activities, the culture festival, a fireworks festival, and more! A story of heartwarming romance and glorious youth that could never have happened in the original 86 unfolds!

86—EIGHTY-SIX: Operation High School

Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Side of Fire

Story by Bokuto Uno, Illustration by Ruria Miyuki

Alvin Godfrey, a failure of a mage, entered Kimberly Magic Academy unsure of himself. Unable to cast a single spell, he was mocked by his peers. Yet he faced the darkness of Kimberly, made friends—and in time, became the student body president. Set five years prior to Reign of the Seven Spellblades, this is a scorching account of how Godfrey earned his famous nickname, Purgatory.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Side of Fire

Blade & Bastard (manga)

Story by Kumo Kagyu, Art by Makoto Fugetsu, Character Design by so-bin

Deep in the unexplored reaches of the dungeon, a corpse is discovered—one that shouldn’t exist. After Iarumas is resurrected, his memories of life before death are gone, and he spends his days delving into the dungeon to retrieve the bodies of dead adventurers. Can they be revived like him? Or will God reduce them to piles of ash on the altar? Either way, Iarumas collects his finder’s fee. And though his skills earn him some grudging respect, he’s also scorned for his cold, utilitarian attitude. The living keep their distance—while Iarumas consorts primarily with the dead. That is, until he meets Garbage, a feral young swordswoman who’s the sole survivor of a massacred party. With Garbage by his side, Iarumas ventures deeper, scouring the dungeon for clues to his past, avoiding monsters, traps, and the inevitability of a permanent ashen demise.

Blade & Bastard (manga)

Lycoris Recoil

Story by Spider Lily, Art by Yasunori Bizen

Japan—a nation where vicious crime and terror have been all but eliminated. And who keeps the peace? Cute schoolgirls, of course! Those uniformed youths you see on street corners and in stylish cafés may just be agents of Lycoris, with pistols in their purses and missions on their minds…

Lycoris Recoil

Is the Order a Rabbit?

By Koi

Lured in by the promise of cute bunnies, Cocoa stops by Rabbit House Café for a drink—only to find out it’s the very place she’ll be living…?! Inside, she meets small-but-aloof Chino, militaristic Rize, calm and traditional Chiyo, and Sharo, a normal girl who overflows with elegance. Watch the girls’ friendship deepen as the café bursts with cuteness and laughter from all directions!

Is the Order a Rabbit?

The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince

Story by Hisui, Art by Mugi Sawai

I’m Liliana, the daughter of an earl, and I’m in a terrible bind. For some reason, when the “Ice Prince,” Prince William, hosted a party to find his bride, I was the lucky guest he chose to wed! Except…living a life as royalty is just about the last thing I want. So my goal is to break off my engagement—the sooner the better! But why is it that His Highness’s attitude only grows sweeter day by day…?

The Small-Animallike Lady Is Adored by the Ice Prince

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning into a High- Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck

Story by Akari Hoshi, Art by Izumi Okido, Character Design by Jyun Hayase

“Screw all your lip service! I’ll go down in history as a villainess!”

Me, the same girl who hates all those prim and proper heroines, got reincarnated as the villainess in the world of my favorite fantasy dating sim! It’s my dream come true, so I’m going to leave my mark on history by becoming the world’s greatest villainess! But to do that, I’ll need to get a lot stronger and smarter. Just one problem—the harder I try to be evil, the harder the prince falls for me! At this rate, will I ever get to earn my place in history?!

I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History: It Seems Turning into a High- Born Baddie Makes the Prince All the More Lovestruck

Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods

Story by Enju, Illustration by ox

Deep in the countryside, Minato Kusunoki is left in charge of a terrifying house overflowing with evil spirits—or at least, it was full until his extraordinary ability cleared them all out! Instead, a procession of unique and peculiar gods is drawn to the comfort of the purified Kusunoki residence, and Minato spends his days relaxing in the company of his spiritual neighbors. What else lies in store for Minato as he lives peacefully surrounded by gods?

Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods

Love Is Dark

Story by Ao Juumonji, Illustration by BUNBUN

Sosei Takarai just wanted to be a regular high schooler. He goes to school every day, hiding a job he doesn’t even enjoy, until the class idol, Asumi Shiramori, inexplicably asks him out. Sosei is over the moon, but with all his free time after school and on weekends taken up by his job, he barely gets to see Asumi, let alone go out on dates with her. Then one day, he spies his mysterious classmate Kuchina Hitsujimoto at his workplace. Why is she there? Sosei, after all, is as an assassin. His romantic entanglements are bittersweet and painful, and the closer Sosei gets to his dream of normality, the further away it seems. A dark rom-com about a boy who kills and a girl who takes lives with a touch.

Love Is Dark

The World Bows Down Before My Flames

Story by Hiyoko Sumeragi, Illustration by Pikazo Mika, Background Painting by mocha

Homura wants to set something, anything, on fire. She may finally get her chance when she’s summoned to another world that’s desperate enough to ask her for help! Along with a group of similarly offbeat high school girls who all have their own powers, Homura incinerates evildoers and reins in the chaos caused by the Demon Lord’s resurrection. What’s going to happen when she inevitably gets a little carried away? Will her flames of justice burn down the whole world?

The World Bows Down Before My Flames

In My Seventh Life, I Met a Monster Princess

Story by sammbon, Illustration by nama2e

Hugo is stuck in a time loop, forced to relive the same life up until the moment he is slain by one of his relatives. But after swearing revenge on his murderous family during his seventh reset, he meets a beautiful girl. According to rumor, this girl is a monster in human flesh, but he agrees to become her servant all the same. The birth of their partnership heralds an intertwining of fates, and Hugo’s life will never be the same again…

In My Seventh Life, I Met a Monster Princess

Lethal Dose of Love

By Yosumi

He’ll never forget him—his ex-classmate Yuu, that is. College student Ryousuke was absolutely devastated when Yuu confessed his feelings and then promptly disappeared from his life without waiting for a reply. After desperately searching for years, Ryousuke is overjoyed when they suddenly meet by chance. His happiness is soon eclipsed by the fact that Yuu walks off into the arms of another man…

Lethal Dose of Love

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All

By Sumiko Arai

Fashionable and upbeat high schooler Aya falls head over heels for an employee at a local CD shop. He’s got an air of mystery about him, great style, and an impeccable music taste. Little does she know—this supposedly male employee is actually her female classmate Mitsuki! Mitsuki generally keeps to herself, but since her seat is right next to Aya’s, she can’t help but be extremely aware of the other’s crush. Revealing the truth is out of the question for Mitsuki—but perhaps getting closer to Aya wouldn’t be so bad…

The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t a Guy at All

Yen Audio Announces the Audiobook Adaptations of Two Iconic Yen On Properties

Yen Audio has announced the upcoming audiobook adaptations of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime and Weathering With You. These iconic Yen On properties are a welcome addition to the Yen Audio catalog, one which has been known to feature hit anime tie-in properties, such as Solo Leveling, as well as celebrated works of Japanese fiction, such as The Miracles of the Namiya General Store.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Story by Fuse

Lonely thirty-seven-year-old Satoru Mikami is stuck in a dead-end job, unhappy with his mundane life, but after dying at the hands of a robber, he awakens to a fresh start in a fantasy realm…as a slime monster! As he acclimates to his goopy new existence, his exploits with the other monsters set off a chain of events that will change his new world forever!

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is one of the most beloved isekai stories of our generation, known for raising slimes from a simple RPG staple to the heights of mainstream popularity and trailblazing the way for other kingdom-building fantasies. Readers will now be able to listen along as Rimuru builds his nation of monsters thanks to this new audiobook release. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime has also started its third anime season in Spring 2024, increasing the fans’ attention toward the series even further.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Weathering With You

Story by Makoto Shinkai

Longing to escape his island home, a boy named Hodaka runs away during his first summer of high school to find a new life in Tokyo. As rain falls for days on end and Hodaka struggles to adjust, he meets a girl named Hina who holds a mysterious power: With a single prayer, she can part the clouds and bring back the sun. But her power comes at a price, and as the weather spirals further and further out of control, they must choose what future they truly want for themselves. Written concurrently with production of the 2019 film Weathering With You, this novel comes straight from director Makoto Shinkai, the mind behind 2016’s hit your name.!

Weathering With You is an award-winning romance fantasy novel from the renowned Makoto Shinkai, Japan’s most celebrated creator of animated films since Hayao Miyazaki. The 2019 anime film of the same name has since exceeded $190 million USD in box office revenue, ranking #1 in its opening weekend, and is arguably Shinkai’s second most popular property next to your name.

Weathering With You

Yen Audio will be debuting these audiobooks in October 2024, and the voice cast will be announced at a later date.

When I Became a Commoner They Broke Off Our Engagement Vol. 2 is a familiar concept done really well

Thirteen-year-old Anna was raised in a noble household, yet she looks nothing like the rest of her family and lacks her lineage’s aptitude for magic. There’s a very good reason for that, though–a mischievous fairy switched her with another baby at birth! When this detail comes to light, Anna’s family kicks her out and ends her long-standing engagement to Edmund, a young nobleman who has always treated her with disdain. With her sheltered, privileged days behind her, how will Anna learn to adapt to life as a commoner with her new family?

Story: Kenzi Oiwa
Art: Kaoru Takanashi
Character Design: Kaya Kuramoto
Translation: Leighann Harvey
Letterer: Carolina Hdz

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle


Yen Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Trinity Seven Revision Vol. 1 falls into cliché and is “explicit” for absolutely no reason

When Rinka Shinonome, a new transfer student, arrives in high schooler Mitsunari Miyazawa’s class, he immediately falls for her and asks her out…only to be impaled by a grotesque monster! The next day, he awakens to find it was all a dream…or was it? As it turns out, he’s been reborn with the power of the Magus of Envy, and he’ll be fighting alongside Rinka from now on! Will he be able to master his new abilities and protect his little sister from the fiends that once claimed his life?

Story: Kenji Saito
Art: Youichi Nishio
Character Design: Akinari Nao
Translation: Christine Dashiell
Letterer: Anthony Quintessenza

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Bookshop
Amazon
Kindle


Yen Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

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