Welcome back, manga fans! Since Previews has a section of the catalog dedicated to manga, we’ll be highlighting that section’s most notable upcoming releases every month. Read on to see what stuck out to us!
10. Me Love Caveman?
Are you tired of men? Striving for something simpler? Why not date a caveman?
Manga is full of these sorts of bizarre concepts, done in the most slice-of-life way possible. So, here we have a time-travel romance with a caveman. Why not?
Primitive Boyfriend, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Yoshineko Kitafuku
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
A girl is sent back in time to meet the man of her dreams, but he’s a caveman? Fed up with the weak, passive men of the modern age, Mito’s wish is to find her ideal boyfriend: a real tough guy! When her prayer is (literally) answered, she’s whisked over two hundred million years back into the past, to an era before the rise of humankind. Has she really met the man of her dreams in Galhi, a fur-covered caveman who looks as much ape as he does human? Don’t miss this hilarious shoujo series about a love for the ages!
9. Prison island!
This concept has all the makings of a fun action premise: gruff criminals, strange creatures, an all-powerful macguffin, and the potential for strange alliances and power dynamics. Could this be one of Viz’s new tentpole titles?
Hell’s Paradise Jigokuraku, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Yuji Kaku
Published by Viz Media
Gabimaru the Hollow is on death row for crimes committed as an assassin when he’s made an offer: die in prison, or travel to a mysterious island to locate the elixir of immortality for the shogun. He soon finds himself trapped on an island full of otherworldly creatures, rival criminals and ruthless executioners eager to take the head of any criminal who steps out of line.
8. Shojo tropes.
From the cover to the title to the short description, all I’m getting from this book is shojo romance tropes. Let’s hope the mangaka takes those tropes in interesting directions, instead of simply being a generic shojo romance, as the former is a great way to get younger female readers into comics.
Love Me, Love Me Not, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Io Sakisaka
Published by Viz Media
Fast friends Yuna and Akari are complete opposites-Yuna is an idealist, while Akari is a realist. When lady-killer Rio and the oblivious Kazuomi join their ranks, love and friendship become quite complicated!
For teen audiences.
7. Friendship and animals!
Your monthly dose of “pure.” At the end of the day, friendship and animals heal all.
Yuzu Pet, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Mingo Ito
Published by Kodansha Comics
When her mom gets sick and has to be hospitalized, Yuzu goes to live with her uncle who runs the local animal hospital. Yuzu’s always been scared of animals, but she tries to help out. Then an encounter with a boy and his dog turns fear into a desire to learn… And as Yuzu works hard to understand her fuzzy friends, they begin to feel comfortable around each other. Through all the tough moments in her life, from her mother’s illness to bullying at school, Yuzu realizes that she can help make things all right with a little help from her animal pals, peers, and kind grown-ups.
6. Otaku on Ice.
Where sports series and comedic stories depicting otaku are both fairly common in manga, this book looks to have hit conceptual gold by combining the two. Here’s hoping it’s successful at both the sports and the comedy!
Continued belowKnight of Ice, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Yayoi Ogawa
Published by Kodansha Comics
A rom-com manga on ice, perfect for fans of Princess Jellyfish and Wotakoi! Chitose is a serious young woman, working for the health magazine SASSO. Or at least, she would be, if she wasn’t constantly getting distracted by her childhood friend, international figure skating star Kokoro Kijinami! In the public eye and on the ice, Kokoro is a gallant, flawless knight, but behind his glittery costumes and breathtaking spins lies a secret: he’s actually a hopeless romantic otaku, who can only land his quad jumps when Chitose is on hand to recite a spell from his favorite magical girl anime!
5. Unspoken, but known.
While I’m often wary of any manga description that starts with the term “thirty-year-old virgin,” it looks like this series quickly goes in an interesting direction. Many gay romance stories are characterized by a strong sense of unspoken longing, and I think this book’s concept plays off that in a fun way.
Cherry Magic, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Yuu Toyota
Published by Square Enix Manga
It’s complicated: A thirty-year-old virgin gets more than he bargained for when his newfound magical power reveals he’s the object of his male coworker’s affections! Adachi, a thirty-year-old virgin, discovers he has the magical power to read the minds of people he touches. Unfortunately, the ability just makes him miserable since he doesn’t know how to use it well! And to make matters worse, when he accidentally reads the mind of his very competent, handsome colleague, Adachi discovers the guy has a raging crush on none other than Adachi himself! Things are about to get very awkward!
4. Deceivingly complex character dynamics.
At first, I had this book pretty low on the list. The cover and a quick skim of the description made it sound like any other romance manga. But upon fully reading the description, I became fascinated. There are a lot of strong concepts here, and I think both the complex character dynamics and the confectionary company will make this an engaging read.
Something’s Wrong with Us, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Natsumi Ando
Published by Kodansha Comics
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!
3. Literary manga from D+Q!
It’s not super often to see manga from an American comics publisher, and while Drawn and Quarterly isn’t exactly a stranger to publishing manga, their licenses are always worth a look. This month brings us the first in a new series of anthologies by Yoshiharu Tsuge, a prolific creator who was active during the 60s-80s, and whose work has inspired such greats as Chris Ware. For all that, I think this book deserves a look from all American manga fans.
The Swamp HC
Written and Illustrated by Yoshiharu Tsuge
Published by Drawn & Quarterly
The Swamp is the first in a series of books Drawn & Quarterly will be publishing by Yoshiharu Tsuge, one of the most influential and acclaimed practitioners of literary comics in Japan. Bucking the tradition of mystery and adventure stories, Tsuge’s fiction focused on the lives of the citizens of Japan. These mesmerizing comics, like those of his contemporary Yoshihiro Tatsumi, reveal a gritty, at times desperate post-war Japan, while displaying Tsuge’s unique sense of humor and point of view.
2. Strange friendships, only in Japan.
This is truly the kind of story you would only find in Japan. A high school girl and an old woman bond over Boy’s Love manga (gay romance comics, which are often explicit). I don’t know if this is going to be funny or strange or uncomfortable or deeply human, but the concept is wild enough to warrant a look.
Continued belowMetamorphose no Enagawa, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Kaori Tsurutani
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
In this heartwarming and critically acclaimed manga, an elderly woman and a high school girl develop a beautiful friendship through their shared passion for Boys’ Love. Ichinoi, a 75-year-old woman living a peaceful life, unwittingly buys a Boy’s Love manga one day… and is fascinated by what she finds inside. When she returns to the bookstore to buy the next volume, the high school girl working there – Urara, a seasoned BL fan – notices a budding fangirl when she sees one. When Urara offers to help Ichinoi explore this whole new world of fiction, the two dive into BL fandom together, and form an unlikely friendship along the way.
1. Kishimoto is back!
Masashi Kishimoto, legendary creator of “Naruto,” is finally back to write and storyboard his first original ongoing series since his claim to fame ended. The series has been running for a few months in Shonen Jump, and this is its first collection, which will no doubt attract many more fans. While there are other books this month that I’m personally more excited about, there’s no denying that this is more significant than any other book on this list.
Samurai 8: Tale of Hachimaru, volume 1
Written by Masashi Kishimoto
Illustrated by Akira Okubo
Published by Viz Media
Becoming a samurai seems like an impossible dream for Hachimaru, a boy who can’t even survive without the help of his father. But when a samurai cat appears before him, his whole life changes! A legendary manga creator and a rising star come together to bring you this science fiction samurai epic!
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Anything I missed? What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!
