What manga are you reading now?

Days on Fes volume 4
Puppy Love volume 1 (Complete)
Spy Classroom volume 2 (LN)
Tooboe wa Akaku Sumaru (One-shot, JP) - New one shot by Horimiya's Daisuke Hagiwara. It was a slice of Iife involving a vampire and a werewolf, so quite a difference from Horimiya! Makes me excited to see what their next full-length series will be like.
 
Sasaki and Miyano volume 1 (reread) - Just before (or just as) the first volume came out in English last year I read vol 1 in Japanese and came away fairly lukewarm on it. But since then I've been enjoying the anime and Bookwalker was doing a promotion with bonus items, so I decided to pick it up in English. I definitely enjoyed it more the second time around now that I'm more familiar with the cast, but I still think the way the author chooses to skip back and forth in the timeline is very confusing since the transitions between are not at all obvious. I think that was my biggest complaint when initially reading it as well...

Since I am enjoying the anime so much I'll definitely pick up further volumes in time to see how things go for these dorks, especially given I can tell from reviews here and elsewhere that the manga does get better as it goes. :)

Horimiya volume 2 - Reading the new one-shot from the author made me want to go back to reading Horimiya, which I've neglected to do since watching its anime. I still really love the cast so at some point I just need to buy a bunch of it and continue on. I believe it's almost finished now in English, so maybe when that final volume drops...
 
Demelza said:
Sasaki and Miyano volume 1 (reread) - Just before (or just as) the first volume came out in English last year I read vol 1 in Japanese and came away fairly lukewarm on it. But since then I've been enjoying the anime and Bookwalker was doing a promotion with bonus items, so I decided to pick it up in English. I definitely enjoyed it more the second time around now that I'm more familiar with the cast, but I still think the way the author chooses to skip back and forth in the timeline is very confusing since the transitions between are not at all obvious. I think that was my biggest complaint when initially reading it as well...
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@Demelza: Absolutely agree with you - and when that first volume came out, it was really quite confusing for a first-time reader (me!) without later chapters to help put things in context. I think the anime is really helping to tell the story coherently (except, maybe for the confusing Valentine's shopping scene and its aftermath). When reading the later volumes, I often found myself going back to the first and thinking, Ah, now I see why that makes sense... But I also think that the mangaka gets better at story-telling - and you can observe her progress from chapter to chapter. (New editor, maybe?) :)

Strange to realize that Volume 5 won't be out in English from Yen Press until after the anime has finished (and there are at least 8 volumes so far?). I can't help wishing that - as with Night Beyond the Tricornered Window and Requiem of the Rose King - the US publishers couldn't speed up the manga releases so that we know how the mangaka wanted to finish the manga themselves before we see the anime conclusion. (Or at least have that choice available to us!)
 
Sarah said:
@Demelza: Absolutely agree with you - and when that first volume came out, it was really quite confusing for a first-time reader (me!) without later chapters to help put things in context. I think the anime is really helping to tell the story coherently (except, maybe for the confusing Valentine's shopping scene and its aftermath). When reading the later volumes, I often found myself going back to the first and thinking, Ah, now I see why that makes sense... But I also think that the mangaka gets better at story-telling - and you can observe her progress from chapter to chapter. (New editor, maybe?) :)
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Agreed re: the Valentine scene. In the anime, I was under the impression that they hadn't exchanged gifts at all and Sasaki had been upset about not doing so (a reasonable assumption given Miyano's attitude toward it). Seeing it in the manga again I realise that they did exchange gifts but Sasaki was mad about not being first/jealous others gave Miyano gifts at all. At least I think that's it... Otherwise the anime has cleared up a lot of the early confusion, which like you say has made things much more coherent and easier to follow without knowing the later material. The anime has also helped us get to know Kuresawa more, who is certainly sidelined for the most part in that first volume. 😅

Sarah said:
Strange to realize that Volume 5 won't be out in English from Yen Press until after the anime has finished (and there are at least 8 volumes so far?). I can't help wishing that - as with Night Beyond the Tricornered Window and Requiem of the Rose King - the US publishers couldn't speed up the manga releases so that we know how the mangaka wanted to finish the manga themselves before we see the anime conclusion. (Or at least have that choice available to us!)
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I'm surprised Yen didn't speed up a bit, they do better time some of their other titles to match up with anime so I wonder if the printing issues/covid/etc has meant things got away from them there. There is also a much larger gap between vol 4 and 5 than there was with 3-4 too, which I'm sure is frustrating for readers wanting to be closer to catching up.

It's also a shame that they haven't announced a license for the spin-off novel/manga Hirano and Kagiura, since although the manga only started in 2019 the original LN for it was written in 2018 so it should slot in alongside the volumes of the main series Yen have released so far (looks like it came out around volume 4 in Japan). Maybe they're waiting until they're more caught up with the main series...? 🤔
 
Demelza said:
I'm surprised Yen didn't speed up a bit, they do better time some of their other titles to match up with anime so I wonder if the printing issues/covid/etc has meant things got away from them there.
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It's also strange because they're currently bringing out #4 of I Cannot Reach You on the same day in April as #5 of Sasaki and Miyano which seems... an unusual decision in that Mika's I Cannot Reach You #3 was released recently (and their only two BL titles releasing new stuff the same day?). On the other hand, as you say, if it's still the other major issues that have been affecting the industry for so long, then that would explain it.

And yes, I've been hoping they'd bring out the LN too - what better time to do it than now? You'd think. 😅 Maybe the Hirano manga stands a better chance because I don't think Yen have ever brought us a BL LN? Even Seven Seas have only done one, linked to the anime: Yes, No or Maybe (I'm not counting their Danmei releases.) In fact, apart from June's earlier LN releases (mostly out of print and many appallingly translated imho) there's nothing Out There. 🤔

(And I think you're spot-on about the Valentine's Day episode! :cool:)
 
Just finished volume 10 of Gal Gohan.
This is only the 2nd series that I have got to the end. Saki the Succubus being the other.

I loved it. Great story and funny.
It won't give it the right impression but it was really nice and romantic.
Don't tell anyone I said that.
 
Nekomonogatari White LN
Starting the 2nd season after a break. A great book. Having Hanekawa be the narrator this time makes for a nice change of pace and its also nice to see character interactions without Araragi. The stakes feel pretty high in this one too. The humour is still great and at times oddly 4th wall breaking.
 
Sword Art Online volume 23 (LN)
Snow White with the Red Hair volumes 16-17
My Love Mix-Up! volume 4 (JP) - Finished off the drama for this one, so decided to carry on with the manga.

Watari-Kun's ****** Is About to Collapse volume 1 - Not sure to make of this one yet, sets off all my alarm bells but I feel compelled to see more of where it's going...

Bungo Stray Dogs volume 7 (LN)

The Transcendent One-Sided Love of Yoshida the Catch volume 1 - An extremly funny manga about a shounen manga creator, her assistants and an inability to get anything done on time unless her childhood friend (and hotty) Yoshida is there to manage it. I doubt the romance angle is going anywhere as much as the assistants also want our protagonist and Yoshida to get together, but the comedy is more than worth picking this one up for. Especially if you like stories about manga creators! Digital only for now, but hopefully Kodansha will deliver on print down the road...

Welcome Back, Alice volume 1 - As usual for a Shuzo Oshimi manga this is incredibly horny straight out the gate. Now enterly convienced it will deliver on the LGBT angle in a way that's not going to end up being controversiol, but its certainly an interesting first volume and I'll definitely be back for more. Man I'd love to know what someone not familiar with Oshimi's work would think of this book though lol.
 
Demelza said:
Welcome Back, Alice volume 1 - As usual for a Shuzo Oshimi manga this is incredibly horny straight out the gate. Now enterly convienced it will deliver on the LGBT angle in a way that's not going to end up being controversiol, but its certainly an interesting first volume and I'll definitely be back for more. Man I'd love to know what someone not familiar with Oshimi's work would think of this book though lol.
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TBH I'm at least a bit bisexual and def biromantic and I will read this just cuz it's Shuzo Oshimi XD
 
Knight of the Ice #9 by Yayoi Ogawa Kodansha
Restart After Growing Hungry by Cocomi Seven Seas
Skip and Loafer #3 by Misaki Takamatsu Seven Seas
Seaside Stranger #2 by Kii Kanna Seven Seas
Sudden rush of deliveries of real paperbacks pre-ordered whenever back then - a very pleasant surprise!

and... Blue Period #6 (digital) by Tsubasa Yamaguchi Kodansha (while waiting for review paperback to arrive in March)
 
Seiri Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles volume 18 (LN)
Cooking with Wild Game volume 16 (LN)
My Love Mix-up volume 5 (JP)
Altina the Sword Princess volume 13 (LN) - Next volume is where the series went on hiatus, so not particularly looking forward to that one seeing as I hear on the grapevine it wasn't a good stopping point...

Reign of the Seven Spellblades volume 4 (LN)
Guide to the Perfect Otaku Girlfriend: Roomies and Romance volume 5 (LN, complete) - Not a particularly memorable series and the end pairing was obvious from the start, but it was still entertaining for what it was. Ironically the series was best when it wasn't focused on romance and instead had the two main characters indulging in their hobbies. The author has quite a few romance novels to their name in Japan and I certainly wouldn't mind reading some of those should J-Novel Club bring them over like this one.
 
Black or White #2 by Sachimo SuBLime
Therapy Game Restart #1 by Meguru Hinohara SuBLime - more actual paper editions at last! Who knows, my long-awaited paper copy of Birds of Shangri-La by Ranmaru Zariya #2 might actually turn up as well!
10 Dance #6 by Inouesatoh Kodansha (review coming soon)
 
Asmodeus Will Never Give Up ch 50

Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest ch 101

Houkago no Goumon Shoujo ch 113

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord ch 80.1 - 80.2

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san ch 157

Karakai Jouzu no (Moto) Takagi-san ch 215 - 216

The Rising of the Shield Hero Ch 84

Why the Hell are You Here, Teacher!? ch 104 - 105
 
My Love Mix-Up volume 6 (JP)
Tesla Note volume 3 - Still love the artwork in this series, the action scenes flow great.
Seaside Stranger: Harukaze no Étranger volume 2 - Technically my second time reading this since I'd read this particular volume in Japanese before. Still like the cast and am eager to see where the story goes since I've not read beyond this yet.
 
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