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. Princes! Aftermath! Plots! Vaguely Scandanavian-sounding names!
To be honest, this solicit is just a bunch of Fantasy tropes that I have no interest in.
But!! I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who are as excited by buzzwords like “Sigurdian violence” and “realm” as I am turned off by them. If that sounds like you, check this out!
Prince Freya, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Keiko Ishihara
Published by Viz Media
Freya thinks of herself as a simple village girl, but her idyllic life is shattered when she is caught up in the aftermath of a treacherous Sigurdian plot. She bears a striking resemblance to her country’s beloved Prince Edvard, who lays dying from poison. Without its ruler, all of Tyr will quickly be engulfed by Sigurdian violence. Now Freya must take Prince Edvard’s place and lead his valiant knights in defending the realm!
9. Cosplay romcom.
Surprisingly, I feel like I can’t think of any other comics stories focused around cosplay. This is an interesting idea, taking a typical manga rom-com premise of “high schooler knows crush’s secret” and putting a new spin on it.
My Dress Up Darling, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Shinichi Fukuda
Published by Square Enix Manga
Traumatized by a childhood incident with a friend who took exception to his love of traditional dolls, doll-artisan hopeful Wakana Gojou passes his days as a loner, finding solace in the home ec room at his high school. To Wakana, people like beautiful Marin Kitagawa, a trendy girl who’s always surrounded by a throng of friends, is practically an alien from another world. But when cheerful Marin, never one to be shy, spots Wakana sewing away one day after school, she barges in with the aim of roping her quiet classmate into her secret hobby: cosplay! Will Wakana’s wounded heart be able to handle the invasion from this sexy alien?
8. More rarities!
I highlighted something similar a few months ago, so I’m not sure if this is a relisting or something different. Either way, I think these sorts of collections are fascinating: old rarities translated for the first time. I’m sure Transformers fans will be all over this.
Transformers: Classic TV Magazine Manga HC
Written by Masumi Kaneda
Illustrated by Ban Magami
Published by Viz Media
In this collector’s volume, the Autobots and their young friend Kenji must stand tall against the Decepticons in an interplanetary conflict! These classic stories are from the dawn of the Transformers, and this volume contains thrilling tales such as “The Great Transformer War” and “Fight! Super Robot Life-Form Transformers!”-plus an extensive art gallery!
7. Melodrama, or representation?
Representation is important in all stories, and there’s precious little disability representation out there. So the idea of a main character in a wheelchair sounds like a win. But, romance manga has a habit of pulling every bit of melodrama out of every situation, which could be a problem in terms of positive representation. Hopefully this story stays more on the side of exploring prejudices, as the solicit states, than exploiting them.
Perfect World, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Rie Aruga
Published by Kodansha Comics
An office party reunites Tsugumi with her high school crush Itsuki. He’s realized his dream of becoming an architect, but along the way, he experienced a spinal injury that put him in a wheelchair. Now Tsumugi’s rekindled feelings will butt up against prejudices she never considered, and Itsuki will have to decide if he’s ready to let someone into his heart. Yet they may soon discover that, without each other, the world feels imperfect.
6. A different kind of isekai.
I don’t typically highlight isekai (stories where an ordinary person is transported into a fantasy world) in this column. There are usually at least a half-dozen new isekai series every month, and each looks more derivative than the last. That said, this book has an odd premise involving an “unbearably cute” weaponized bear suit that somehow gets me to my core. I can’t explain it. This makes me happy.
Continued belowKuma Kuma Kuma Bear, volume 1
Written by Kumanano
Illustrated by Sergei
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
A light-hearted manga about a girl transported to her favorite video game world with her magical bearsuit equipped. based on the original light novel series! Fifteen-year-old Yuna prefers staying home and obsessively playing her favorite VRMMO game to doing anything else, including going to school. When a strange new update gives her a one-of-a-kind bear outfit that comes with overpowered abilities, Yuna is torn: the outfit is unbearably cute, but too embarrassing to wear in-game. But then she suddenly finds herself transported into the world of the game, facing down monsters and magic for real, and the bear suit becomes the best weapon she has!
5. Indie mangaka takes on the Phillipines!
While the American manga market is fairly large compared to the overall comics market, it’s very small compared to the Japanese market, which means many smaller independent series never make it overseas. Props to Denpa for bringing over books by indie mangaka panpanya. This looks like a lot of fun, and I’m always down for anything related to unfamiliar food.
Guyabano Holiday
Written and Illustrated by panpanya
Published by Denpa Books
Beloved indie manga artist panpanya discovers the wonders of the Guyabano fruit and the Philippines! A trip to Tokyo’s Asian market district, Ameyokocho, leads the protrag on a trip to hunt down the mysterious guyabano fruit! Little does the protrag and their crew know that their curiosity will take them on a wild and mouth-watering trip to the Philippines!
4. Tutorials for all your makeup needs.
I’ve been noticing a slight uptick in translations of nonfiction manga. Comics are the perfect vehicle for nonfiction, especially how-to guides. This book has the potential to be a huge hit among all the younger girls who watch makeup tutorials and dabble in comics.
Makeup is Not (just) Magic: A Manga Guide to Skincare
Written and Illustrated by Ikumi Rotta
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
An easy-breezy makeup tutorial in manga form! A young woman feels intimidated by the world of makeup, but she’s in luck–a glam friend is willing to walk her through it. Join these two women as they explore the fundamentals of makeup, which will help you develop your own signature style! The perfect how-to book for fans of makeup tutorials online.
3. The cover sells it.
This solicit sounds like a pretty ordinary love triangle. The cover, however, really grabbed me. The staging, the colors, even the font are all great choices that get at the feeling of the book. Throw in the fact that the series is fairly well-regarded on manga fansites and that it’s being published by manga giant Viz, and things bode well for the quality of this series.
Blue Flag, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Kaito
Published by Viz Media
For some reason, Taichi Ichinose just can’t stand Futaba Kuze. But at the start of his third year in high school, he finds himself in the same homeroom as her, along with his childhood friend Toma Mita, a star athlete. But one day, Futaba opens up to Taichi and admits she has a crush on Toma. She then asks for his help in confessing to him! There’s just one problem-Toma seems to already have a secret crush on someone else.
2. Collect ‘em all!
I always like to see new editions of old favorites. While Pokemon never really left the cultural conversation, it’s great to see the original comics being repackaged in an attractive, thick new volume for old and new fans alike!
Pokemon Adventures: Collector’s Edition, volume 1
Written by Hidenori Kusaka
Illustrated by Mato
Published by Viz Media
When Pokémon Trainer Red encounters a challenger he can’t fight alone, he must join up with Blue, his former nemesis, and Green, a thief. This unlikely trio and their Pokémon will need to learn to work as a team if they’re going to defeat their mutual enemy!
Collects the original Pokémon Adventures volumes 1, 2 & 3!
1. “Full color,” “for fans of The Office.”
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A few months ago I saw someone musing on Twitter about how they give comics recommendations based on people’s favorite TV shows, but never knew what to give to fans of sitcoms like “The Office.” Well, here it is! Not to mention, this is a rare full-color manga! I adore workplace comedies, and ever since “Giant Days” ended, I’ve been jonesing for my next sitcom comic fix. Here’s hoping this series is it!
My Senpai is Annoying, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Shiro Manta
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
A full-color workplace romcom that started as a popular webcomic! Igarashi is a hardworking young office lady. Takeda, the senpai above her at work, annoys her constantly, and yet she finds herself growing closer to him. Every day is filled with comic mishaps and romantic moments as Igarashi tries to balance work, life, and love. This full-color manga, which started its life as a webcomic, is sure to charm audiences of workplace comedies like Aggretsuko and The Office!
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Anything I missed? What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!
